Martínez hits grand slam, has career-high 6 RBIs in Guardians' 8-2 win over White Sox

CHICAGO (AP) — Angel Martínez hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs and the Cleveland Guardians beat the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox 8-2 on Friday night to end a three-game losing streak.

Steven Kwan added a solo home run to help the Guardians trim Chicago’s division lead to two games after being swept by the New York Mets.

Martínez’s third career slam came in the fifth inning after David Sandlin (2-2) gave up Chase DeLauter’s single, walked José Ramírez and hit Jo Adell. Martínez drove the first pitch to center. Austin Hedges added an RBI single in the inning.

Munetaka Murakami and Braden Montgomery had solo homers for the White Sox, They've lost a season-worst four straight and five of six.

All-Star left-hander Parker Messick (9-6) allowed four hits and both Chicago home runs in the first seven innings to win for the first time since July 10. He struck out eight and walked just one.

Sandlin was pressed into a long relief stint after starter Noah Schultz had to leave the game in the first inning. The right-hander gave up six runs, seven hits and walked four while striking out four in 5 1/3 innings.

Schultz had to leave the game by rule in the first after mound visits by pitching coach Zach Bove and manager Will Venable. Martínez tagged him for a two-run single to open the scoring.

Kwan homered off Sandlin to lead off the sixth.

The hometown crowd saved its loudest boos for something that didn’t happen on the field. The White Sox announced halfway through the ninth that a planned postgame performance by rapper Ja Rule was canceled due to travel issues.

Guardians LHP Joey Cantillo (8-7, 3.87 ERA) was set to face RHP Davis Martin (9-6, 4.13) on Saturday. The White Sox will retire former player and manager Ozzie Guillen’s No. 13 before the game.

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Chicago White Sox' Sam Antonacci flies out to Cleveland Guardians' Steven Kwan during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

Cleveland Guardians' Angel Martínez watches his two-run RBI single during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

Cleveland Guardians' Angel Martínez, right, celebrates with teammates Chase DeLauter, left, after hitting a grand slam during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

Cleveland Guardians' Angel Martínez watches his grand slam during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

Cleveland Guardians' Angel Martínez celebrates in the dugout after his grand slam during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

BOSTON (AP) — Payton Tolle struck out a career-high 14 in six innings, Wilyer Abreu drove in three runs, and the Boston Red Sox won their ninth game in a row with a 13-1 rout of the Athletics on Friday night.

The Red Sox are just the seventh team since 1920 to win 27 or more in a 30-game span, and the only team to begin their run under .500.

Tolle (7-6) was the first Red Sox pitcher to fan 14 since Chris Sale on May 8, 2019. He was perfect through four innings, and allowed one run on two hits.

Jarren Duran's two-run homer over the Green Monster in left field opened the scoring and sparked Boston's five-run second inning. Jake Rogers had an RBI double, and Abreu added a two-run double.

Abreu's 380-foot double to right would have been a homer in every MLB ballpark except for Fenway Park, per Statcast.

Three more came across in the fourth off the bats of Andruw Monasterio, Abreu, and Masataka Yoshida. Yoshida and Caleb Durbin each added one more to get the Red Sox into double-digit scoring for the second consecutive game.

Jack Perkins (2-8) gave up five runs on five hits in three innings. He struck out three and walked three.

Tyler Soderstrom's leadoff homer in the fifth ended Tolle's no-hit bid.

Athletics LHP Gage Jump (4-7, 4.59 ERA) gets the start opposite Red Sox LHP Jake Bennett (7-4, 2.90) in the middle game of the series.

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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Payton Tolle tips his cap to outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela after a diving catch during the third inning of a baseball game, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Red Sox's Wilyer Abreu watches his RBI single during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom (21) heads back to his position during a rough inning agains the Boston Red Sox's during a baseball game, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Red Sox's Jarren Duran, right, celebrates after his two-run home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Payton Tolle delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)