MLB: Lester leads Red Sox to rout of Rays

Boston's Jon Lester improved to 6-0 this season after the Red Sox thumped Tampa Bay 9-2 on Wednesday (Thursday, PHL time), while Rays' Cy Young winner David Price left the game with a triceps issue in the third inning.

Lester pitched seven innings and allowed two runs while Boston's bats exploded for eight runs in the third.

"Just felt a little tightness in my triceps on a couple of fastballs," Price told reporters after being charged with the loss after giving up four runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said Price would be evaluated on Thursday and would likely miss his next start.

Stephen Drew blasted a grand slam in Boston's big third inning.

In other Major League Baseball games on Wednesday (Thursday, PHL time), the Seattle Mariners routed the New York Yankees 12-2, with Japan's Hisashi Iwakuma getting the win after working through seven innings to move to 5-1 on the season.

Raul Ibanez smashed a pair of home runs for the Mariners, including a grand slam in the first inning, and Kyle Seager added a three-run blast.

In the National League, the St Louis Cardinals had a 4-2 win over the New York Mets, their sixth victory in seven games.

St. Louis (26-13) broke a 2-2 tie when Daniel Descalso scored on a wild pitch in the seventh, and Yadier Molina added an RBI single in the eighth.

The Cardinals' division rivals Cincinnati (24-16) kept pace with a 4-0 shutout of Miami.

South Korean Choo Shin-soo hit a pair of home runs and finished 4-for-5 while starter Mike Leake combined with three relievers to keep the Marlins scoreless. - Reuters