Nationals whip Reds; Yankees suffer first loss
Published 2:03 am Sunday, April 1, 2018
- Washington Nationals' Adam Eaton runs the bases after hitting a solo home run off Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Austin Brice in the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, March 31, 2018, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
CINCINNATI (AP) — Adam Eaton had solo homer among his career-high five hits and Brian Goodwin hit his first career grand slam on Saturday, powering the Washington Nationals to a 13-7 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
The Nationals have won their first two games under new manager Dave Martinez, hired after Dusty Baker was fired last season following another quick exit in the playoffs. The last time they opened a season 3-0 was 2013, when they swept the Marlins.
Matt Adams and Trea Turner also homered for Washington.
Stephen Strasburg (1-0) gave up three runs — only one earned — in 6 1/3 innings while improving to 5-1 career against Cincinnati. Scott Schebler’s homer in the fourth inning provided Cincinnati’s first run of the season after 12 scoreless innings.
BLUE JAYS 5, YANKS 3
TORONTO (AP) — Yangervis Solarte hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning of Toronto’s first win of the season, and Kevin Pillar added an insurance run by stealing second, third and home.
The Blue Jays bounced back from two straight losses. Tyler Austin homered twice for the Yankees.
Solarte began the eighth with a deep drive to center off Dellin Betances (0-1) for a 4-3 lead.
Pillar hit a one-out single and swiped his way to third. The speedy outfielder then broke for the plate with Gift Ngoepe at bat, and Betances threw wildly to the backstop. It was Toronto’s first straight steal of home since Aaron Hill did it against New York on May 29, 2007.
TWINS 6, ORIOLES 2
BALTIMORE (AP) — Minnesota Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson pitched six hitless innings before being replaced by Ryan Pressly, who kept the no-hitter intact until the eighth.
Gibson (1-0), Pressly and Gabriel Moya combined on a three-hitter to help Minnesota bounce back from an 11-inning, season-opening loss to Baltimore on Thursday.
Pressly worked a perfect seventh and got two outs in the eighth before Jonathan Schoop grounded a single up the middle.
WHITE SOX 4, ROYALS 3
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Welington Castillo hit a two-run double with two outs in the eighth inning, lifting the White Sox to the victory.
Danny Farquhar (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning for the win. Former Royals reliever Joakim Soria got Whit Merrifield to fly out with runners on first and second for his first save with the White Sox.
Chicago’s rally began when Yoan Moncada hit a towering home run off Brandon Maurer (0-1) to begin the eighth. Avisail Garcia followed with a single, Jose Abreu grounded into a fielder’s choice and Matt Davidson drew a walk before Castillo’s two-run liner to right put the White Sox in front.
ASTROS 9, RANGERS 3
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Lance McCullers Jr. struck out 10 in 5 1/3 innings and Carlos Correa hit a two-run homer, leading Houston to the victory.
Correa and AL MVP Jose Altuve each had four hits and scored twice for the World Series champions. Jake Marisnick hit a two-run drive, and Marwin Gonzalez also drove in two runs.
RED SOX 3, RAYS 2
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Xander Bogaerts homered for Boston, and Rick Porcello carried a shutout into the sixth inning.
Bogaerts hit a solo drive in the second against Andrew Kittredge (0-1), a reliever making his first big league start in the debut of Tampa Bay’s plan to use bullpen days in place of a customary fifth starter.
Porcello (1-0) was charged with one run and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. Craig Kimbrel worked the ninth for his second save.
METS 6, CARDINALS 2
NEW YORK (AP) — Yoenis Cespedes and Travis d’Arnaud homered, Todd Frazier drove in three runs and the Mets opened at 2-0 for the first time since 2013.
New York right-hander Jacob deGrom (1-0) struck out seven while pitching 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball.
ANGELS 8, A’S 3
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout had three hits and two RBIs, Zack Cozart also drove in two runs and the Angels finished with 12 hits.
Albert Pujols had two hits and two RBIs for Los Angeles, and No. 9 batter Rene Rivera had two hits and scored two runs.
Angels right-hander Matt Shoemaker (1-0) gave up three runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked four while improving to 5-0 with a 2.38 ERA in his last seven starts against Oakland.
INDIANS 6, MARINERS 5
SEATTLE (AP) — Yonder Alonso hit his third career grand slam in the first inning, Yan Gomes added a two-run shot and Cleveland held on for the road win.
Alonso and Gomes provided the big blows off James Paxton (0-1), who struggled with command and failed to make it out of the fifth inning.
Carlos Carrasco (1-0) pitched into the sixth inning to get the victory. Cody Allen got three outs for his first save.
Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki robbed Jose Ramirez of a home run leading off the third inning, timing his leap perfectly to reach above the wall in left field. Suzuki also had his first two hits for the Mariners since July 21, 2012, before he was traded to the Yankees.
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