Rangers shut out Mariners 3-0 to complete a 3-game sweep
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — MacKenzie Gore allowed one hit in five innings, Brandon Nimmo and Josh Smith had two hits each and the Texas Rangers shut out the Seattle Mariners 3-0 on Wednesday.
Texas scored all three runs in the fifth inning to complete a three-game series sweep.
Gore (2-0) fanned nine and walked two. Bryan Woo (0-1) took the loss after allowing three runs — one earned — on five hits in five innings.
Danny Jansen and Smith opened the fifth inning with consecutive singles for the Rangers before Ezequiel Duran followed with another single to load the bases.
Nimmo then reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Jansen and Smith as Seattle committed a throwing error trying to turn a double play. Duran advanced to third, and Nimmo moved to second on the misplay to give Texas a 2-0 lead.
Corey Seager added a sacrifice fly later in the inning to score Duran and extend the advantage to 3-0.
Seattle managed just two hits — singles by Mitch Garver and Cole Young — and struck out 13 times.
PADRES 8, PIRATES 2
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nick Castellanos hit a two-run double, Jake Cronenworth added a two-run homer and San Diego beat Pittsburgh.
Castellanos’ double began a four-run seventh inning that broke open a scoreless game and helped San Diego clinch the three-game series.
Michael King (1-1) allowed two runs on four hits over six innings while striking out four and walking three for San Diego. Justin Lawrence (0-1) took the loss after giving up four runs on three hits in one inning for Pittsburgh.
The game remained scoreless through six innings as Mitch Keller and King matched each other early. Keller worked six scoreless frames, allowing three hits and striking out four, while King limited Pittsburgh to two hits through the first six innings.
San Diego broke through in the seventh after Xander Bogaerts reached on a throwing error and Miguel Andujar doubled to put runners at second and third. Castellanos followed with a double to left field that scored both runners and gave the Padres a 2-0 lead.
GUARDIANS 10, ROYALS 2
CLEVELAND (AP) — Angel Martinez belted a grand slam and had a career-high four hits, and rookie Chase DeLauter delivered a two-run double to lift Cleveland to a victory over Kansas City.
Martinez launched a 374-foot shot to right off Steven Cruz in the eighth inning, when the Guardians scored five times to blow open what was a 5-2 game. Rhys Hoskins had a career-best three doubles as Cleveland tied its season high with 16 hits.
Guardians starter Joey Cantillo (1-0) struck out nine over 5 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run and one unearned run on three hits. Matt Festa worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings for his first save since July 7, 2022, with Seattle.
DeLauter, who leads all rookies with five homers and 11 RBIs, drove in José Ramírez and David Fry in the first with a drive off the wall against Cole Ragans (0-3). Hoskins followed with a double that made the Guardians’ lead 3-0.
RED SOX 5, BREWERS 0
BOSTON (AP) — Sonny Gray pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings, and Boston took advantage of three walks and two infield hits to score three times in the third inning and beat Milwaukee for its first back-to-back wins of the season.
Gray (2-0) allowed three hits and two walks, striking out two. Shane Drohan took the loss in his major league debut, giving up three runs on three hits and four walks — most of it in the third, when he walked both Andruw Monasterio and Caleb Durbin, two of the players he was traded for in February.
Ceddanne Rafaela led off the third inning with a single and took second when Isiah Kiner-Falefa beat the throw on a bunt. Monasterio drew a one-out walk to load the bases, then Drohan walked Willson Contreras to force home the first run.
Wilyer Abreu’s hard chopper bounced off the second baseman to shortstop Joey Ortiz, whose throw to first was late, scoring another run. Trevor Story’s sacrifice fly made it 3-0.
ORIOLES 5, WHITE SOX 3
CHICAGO (AP) — Taylor Ward drove in two runs and scored another, and Baltimore beat Chicago 5-3 for its ninth straight win against the White Sox.
Pete Alonso scored on a passed ball by catcher Reese McGuire in the sixth inning after the Orioles loaded the bases against White Sox reliever Lucas Sims (0-1). Dylan Beavers then put Baltimore on top 4-3 with a sacrifice fly against Bryan Hudson.
Ward had four hits, helping the Orioles complete a three-game sweep after losing all three at Pittsburgh. He doubled and scored in a two-run third against White Sox starter Sean Burke and lined an RBI double in the ninth against Tyler Schweitzer to make it 5-3.
The White Sox scored a run in the fifth to go up 3-2 thanks to three walks and two errors on one play by Orioles starter Kyle Bradish.
They had runners on first and second with one out when he missed the throw back to the mound after issuing his third walk of the inning to Colson Montgomery. Bradish was slow to retrieve the ball and threw wildly toward the plate as Chase Meidroth raced home, giving Chicago a 3-2 lead. Montgomery took second on the play, but Andrew Benintendi stranded both runners when he struck out.
Bradish (1-2) allowed three runs (two earned) and six hits in five innings. The right-hander struck out seven and walked three.
BLUE JAYS 4, DODGERS 3
TORONTO (AP) — Davis Schneider scored the tiebreaking run on a throwing error by catcher Will Smith in the bottom of the eighth inning and Toronto beat Los Angeles, stopping a six-game losing streak and avoiding a three-game sweep.
Schneider scored from third when shortstop Miguel Rojas couldn’t handle Smith’s throw on Andrés Giménez’s stolen base attempt.
Tyler Rogers (1-0) got five outs for the win and Jeff Hoffman finished for his second save in four chances, stranding runners at first and second.
Ben Casparius (0-1) took the loss as the Dodgers were beaten for the first time in seven games when leading after six innings.
Smith went 2 for 3 with an RBI and scored twice but the Dodgers lost for the first time in six games.
Schneider sparked Toronto’s comeback from 3-1 in the seventh, when he led off with a pinch-hit walk against left-hander Jack Dreyer. Tyler Heineman hit a one-out single before George Springer drove in a run with a double off the wall. Daulton Varsho tied it with an RBI single.
Toronto’s comeback spoiled a strong, six-inning start by Shohei Ohtani, who allowed one run and four hits.
ROCKIES 9, ASTROS 1
DENVER (AP) — Hunter Goodman homered, Michael Lorenzen bounced back from a rough home opener by throwing efficiently into the sixth and Colorado beat Houston to complete a three-game sweep.
The Rockies won their fourth straight game to move to 6-6. They didn’t win their sixth game last season until May 1. It was also their second series win. A year ago, they didn’t win series No. 2 until mid-June during a season that saw them lose 119 games.
Lorenzen (1-1) surrendered one run and seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander gave up career-highs in hits (12) and runs (nine) Friday in the home opener.
The announced crowd of 15,189 was a franchise-low for a home game without pandemic restrictions. Zach Agnos earned a save.
Goodman hit his second homer of the season in the fourth. After making his way to the dugout, his teammates slipped a purple coat on him to celebrate. Two innings later, Goodman was hit by a fastball from Christian Roa. Several of the Rockies walked out of the dugout before returning.
Colorado gave Lorenzen an early cushion with a five-run second inning.
CARDINALS 6, NATIONALS 1
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jordan Walker homered for the third consecutive game, Michael McGreevy earned his first victory of the season, and St. Louis defeated Washington.
Alec Burleson had three hits and drove in three runs for St. Louis, which won two of three against the Nationals and finished 3-3 on a road trip that began in Detroit.
Miles Mikolas, who made two All-Star appearances while pitching for St. Louis from 2018-25, surrendered two runs in three innings in his first outing against the Cardinals as Washington lost for the seventh time in eight games.
Walker continued his strong start, ripping Brad Lord’s full-count slider to center in the fifth inning. The 23-year-old has five homers in 49 plate appearances in St. Louis’ first 12 games after hitting six in 396 trips to the plate last year.
After the Nationals’ Cionel Perez walked the first two batters in the seventh, Burleson singled in a run to make it 4-1. Yohel Pozo added a two-run single in the ninth.
GIANTS 5, PHILLIES 0
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Rafael Devers homered and drove in four runs as San Francisco beat Philadelphia for its second consecutive shutout.
Tyler Mahle and four relievers combined on a four-hitter for the Giants, who blanked Philadelphia 6-0 on four hits Tuesday night behind Robbie Ray and two relievers to halt a four-game losing streak.
Willy Adames and Luis Arraez each had two hits and scored twice at the top of the batting order for San Francisco (5-8), which took two of three games from the Phillies for its second series win of the year.
Philadelphia (6-6) hasn’t won a series in San Francisco since 2013.
Devers launched a three-run shot to center field off starter Aaron Nola (1-1) with two outs in the sixth inning, snapping a scoreless tie with his second homer this season.
Adames scored from first base in the eighth on a throwing error by reliever José Alvarado after he fielded Arraez’s sacrifice bunt. Devers added an RBI single to make it 5-0.
BRAVES 8, ANGELS 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Matt Olson homered, Grant Holmes pitched into the seventh inning and Atlanta beat Los Angeles.
Atlanta broke a 2-2 tie in the third inning on Olson’s third homer of the season — a two-out, two-run shot to center field. Austin Riley followed with a double and scored on Zach Neto’s throwing error to make it 5-2.
Holmes (1-1) left with two on and two outs in the seventh and Mike Trout due up. Joel Payamps struck out Trout on a full-count fastball.
Ronald Acuña Jr. doubled leading off the game against Reid Detmers (0-1) and scored on Ozzie Albies’ sacrifice fly. Austin Riley walked, stole second and scored on a two-out ground-rule double by Jonah Heim to make it 2-0 in the second.
Jorge Soler led off the Angels’ second with his third homer of the season — after receiving a seven-game suspension for his fight with Braves’ pitcher Reynaldo López on Tuesday night.
Holmes then loaded the bases on a walk to Yoán Moncada, a single to Jo Adell and a walk to Josh Lowe.
DIAMONDBACKS 7, METS 2
NEW YORK (AP) — Corbin Carroll had three extra-base hits in his 500th career game Wednesday, including a two-run double during a four-run second inning that sent Arizona to a win over New York.
Carroll also doubled in the first and tripled in the seventh — his major league-leading 44th triple since 2023. Right fielder Brett Baty robbed Carroll of another potential hit with a sliding catch in the fifth before snaring his 100.3 mph liner to end the eighth.
Ketel Marte had an RBI single for Arizona, and Gabriel Moreno and Geraldo Perdomo each delivered a sacrifice fly. Jorge Barrosa added insurance with a two-run double in the eighth.
Ildemaro Vargas had three singles as Arizona tied a season high with 11 hits.
Ryne Nelson (1-0) allowed one run and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings. The win was the first since Aug. 27 for Nelson, who recorded a 3.05 ERA over seven starts during the drought.
Baty ended Nelson’s shutout bid with a run-scoring single in the sixth, and Mark Vientos had a sacrifice fly in the eighth. The Mets, whose four-game winning streak ended, were 2 for 15 with runners on and stranded eight overall.
David Peterson (0-2) permitted five runs in five innings. The left-hander, who made the NL All-Star team last year, has a 6.14 ERA this season and a 7.83 ERA in his last 12 starts dating to Aug. 6.
CUBS 6, RAYS 2
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Nico Hoerner hit a leadoff homer and then delivered an RBI double during a five-run fifth inning as Chicago beat sloppy Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field.
Michael Conforto had a two-run double for the Cubs, who took advantage of three Tampa Bay throwing errors in the fifth to win the rubber game of the series before an announced crowd of 20,483. Colin Rea (1-0) allowed one run in five innings.
Hoerner went 3 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs, extending his on-base streak to 11 games. His leadoff shot to left field snapped a homerless streak for Rays right-hander Joe Boyle (0-1) that lasted 30 2/3 innings.
After that, Boyle retired 11 of his next 12 batters before it all unraveled in the fifth.
A leadoff double, two walks and Conforto’s bases-loaded double broke it open. Two throwing errors — one by right fielder Jake Fraley, the other by catcher Hunter Feduccia — helped the Cubs score two more runs before Boyle could escape. He gave up six runs, five earned, and four hits in 4 1/3 innings.
It was the third time this season Tampa Bay committed three errors in a game.
MARLINS 7, REDS 4
MIAMI (AP) — Griffin Conine and Connor Norby homered to lead Miami past Cincinnati.
Xavier Edwards and Jakob Marsee each had two hits and an RBI for the Marlins, who snapped Cincinnati’s five-game winning streak.
Miami starter Eury Pérez (1-1) allowed four runs — two earned — and six hits over five innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked one as he shook off a difficult outing in his previous start, when he walked six and hit a batter with a pitch in four innings.
Ryan Gusto, Andrew Nardi and Lake Bachar followed Pérez with an inning each. Michael Petersen pitched around two singles in a scoreless ninth for his first career save.
Run-scoring singles from Marsee and Edwards off Reds starter Brady Singer (0-1) in the second put Miami ahead for good at 4-2.
Conine expanded the lead with a two-run drive in the third. He drove a sinker from Singer over the wall in right field for his second homer this season.
ATHLETICS 3, YANKEES 2
NEW YORK (AP) — Brent Rooker hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly off David Bednar in the ninth inning, and the Athletics rallied to beat New York.
Nick Kurtz singled leading off the ninth against Bednar (0-1), and Shea Langeliers doubled. Rooker lofted a flyball to center field and Kurtz scored without a play.
Elvis Alvarado (2-0) got two outs for an A’s bullpen that pitched four hitless innings in relief of Luis Severino. Joel Kuhnel worked a perfect ninth for his second major league save, his first since 2022.
New York’s Ryan McMahon made his first big league start at shortstop, where he had two prior appearances in late-inning switches totaling three innings for Colorado in 2020. He had five assists and was 0 for 3 with a walk at the plate, dropping to 2 for 26 this season.
Severino, who pitched in the Yankees organization from 2012-23, allowed two runs in the first. He gave up four hits and five walks in five innings.
TWINS 8, TIGERS 6
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Byron Buxton had three hits and Minnesota batted around in a six-run first inning against Framber Valdez before holding off Detroit.
Bailey Ober (1-0) allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings for the Twins, who will go for a four-game sweep of their AL Central rivals Thursday afternoon. Cody Laweryson struck out two in 1 1/3 innings before Kody Funderburk got two outs for his third career save and first this season.
Buxton singled on the first pitch from Valdez (1-1) and later scored on a wild pitch. Ryan Jeffers had a sacrifice fly, Josh Bell singled in a run and Matt Wallner added an RBI double. Royce Lewis made it 6-0 with a two-run single before Valdez retired the side on his 29th pitch.
Buxton singled and scored on a two-out base hit by Luke Keaschall for a 7-0 lead in the fourth. Buxton also doubled and scored the Twins’ final run in the sixth.
Ober allowed RBI singles to Kerry Carpenter and Dillon Dingler before leaving with two on in the sixth. Justin Topa gave up an infield single to Parker Meadows that loaded the bases before Zach McKinstry lined out to left field.
Anthony Banda allowed a two-run double to Gleyber Torres and an RBI single to Riley Greene in the seventh. Cole Sands let Greene score on a wild pitch before striking out Meadows to keep it 8-6.