MLB roundup: A’s pound Padres to get first home win

JJ Bleday homered and knocked in three runs while Gio Urshela added three hits and three RBIs as the Athletics got their first win in their temporary home in West Sacramento, Calif., stopping the San Diego Padres 10-4 on Tuesday night.

The Athletics battered San Diego with 13 hits, with the bottom five spots in the order going 11-for-19. Jeffrey Springs (2-1) benefited from the support, going six innings to pick up the win. He allowed seven hits and four runs (three earned) with two walks and four strikeouts.

Dylan Cease (1-1) took a pounding in four innings for the Padres, yielding nine hits and nine runs, with three walks and four strikeouts. It was one of a few unfortunate developments for a team that came in with the National League’s best record at 9-2.

After putting Jackson Merrill (hamstring) on the injured list before the game, San Diego had to hook second baseman Jake Cronenworth after the top of the third and right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. before the bottom of the fifth with apparent injuries.

Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 1

George Springer homered and Easton Lucas pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings to help visiting Toronto defeat Boston.

Bo Bichette collected three hits and drove in three runs for the Blue Jays, who beat Boston 6-2 on Monday. Springer and Tyler Heineman each had two hits. Lucas (2-0) limited Boston to three hits. He struck out eight and walked one.

Garrett Crochet, who signed a six-year, $170 million contract extension last week, made his first start at Fenway Park since he joined the Red Sox in an offseason trade with the Chicago White Sox. He allowed four runs (one earned) on five hits in 5 2/3 innings, with four walks and five strikeouts.

Cardinals 5, Pirates 3

Victor Scott II and Brendan Donovan each had two hits and combined to drive in three runs to help St. Louis snap a four-game losing streak by beating host Pittsburgh.

The Cardinals scored all of their runs against Pirates ace Paul Skenes (1-1), marking a career high for the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year. Skenes fell to 0-3 in four career starts against the Cardinals.

St. Louis starter Sonny Gray (2-0) allowed one run on three hits and no walks. He struck out four on 71 pitches. Gray’s lone blemish came thanks to a solo home run by Bryan Reynolds.

Diamondbacks 4, Orioles 3

Corbin Carroll hit his fourth homer, Josh Naylor had a tie-breaking, two-run double and Arizona beat Baltimore in Phoenix on Tuesday to break a three-game losing streak.

Carroll had two hits and scored twice and Merrill Kelly (2-1) gave up three runs (two earned) and three hits in six-plus innings for the win. Carroll has reached base in all 12 games this season.

Kelly and Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo were ejected by first base umpire Laz Diaz during the pitching change when Lovullo brought in Shelby Miller. The Diamondbacks argued that Tyler O’Neill had committed on a 3-1 check swing that was called a ball. That was the last batter Kelly faced.

Royals 2, Twins 1

Bobby Witt Jr. scored twice and manufactured the decisive run in the bottom of the eighth inning to help Kansas City notch a victory over visiting Minnesota.

Witt reached base three times on a double, a walk and the eighth-inning error. The Royals had just three hits while beating the Twins for the second straight night and sixth consecutive time overall. John Schreiber (1-0) got the win, giving up two hits in 1 2/3 innings. Starter Cole Ragans struck out 11 in six innings. He gave up one run on four hits and walked none while throwing 96 pitches.

Carlos Correa had two of Minnesota’s seven hits. Minnesota’s Pablo Lopez departed after 4 2/3 innings due to right hamstring tightness. He gave up one unearned run, three hits and one walk and struck out six.

Astros 2, Mariners 1 (12 innings)

Victor Caratini singled home the go-ahead run in the top of the 12th inning as visiting Houston beat Seattle to even the three-game series at one victory apiece.

Ryan Gusto (1-0) got his first major league victory, and Steven Okert pitched the bottom of the 12th for his second career save.

The Mariners went 1-for-19 with runners in scoring position. Jesse Hahn (0-1) took the loss, his first decision in the majors since 2020.

Angels 4, Rays 3

Luis Rengifo produced a two-out RBI single in the ninth as visiting Los Angeles topped Tampa Bay for its third win in a row.

Rengifo dropped a single into shallow center to score pinch runner Kevin Newman and give Los Angeles the lead against Pete Fairbanks (1-1). Los Angeles’ Kyle Hendricks was sharp in a scoreless five-inning outing. He allowed just two hits, struck out four and walked two. Kyren Paris slugged a two-run homer and walked as the Angels won for the seventh time in their first 10 games.

Opening a mammoth 13-game homestand, the Rays got a homer from Junior Caminero. Jonathan Aranda was 2-for-2 with a double, a run and a walk. Kameron Misner had an RBI triple, walked and was hit in the helmet by a pitch. Tampa Bay starter Shane Baz gave up just three hits, fanned six and walked four over seven innings of two-run ball.

Tigers 5, Yankees 0

Tarik Skubal pitched six scoreless innings and his Detroit teammates blasted four home runs in a win over visiting New York.

Skubal (1-2) held the Yankees to four hits and struck out six without a walk. Brant Hurter completed the shutout while striking out three in the last three innings. Spencer Torkelson, Zach McKinstry and Dillon Dingler homered in the fourth inning against Yankees starter Carlos Carrasco (1-1). Kerry Carpenter also went deep for the Tigers.

Carrasco gave up four runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. Paul Goldschmidt had three hits for the Yankees, who have lost three straight.

Guardians 1, White Sox 0

Nolan Jones drew a base-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to give Cleveland the win over visiting Chicago.

Carlos Santana grounded a single off the glove of diving first baseman Andrew Vaughn to start the ninth off Mike Clevinger (0-2). Kyle Manzardo and Jhonkensy Noel then drew back-to-back walks, bringing up Jones, who followed suit to end the game.

Guardians starter Ben Lively threw five shutout innings, allowing two hits, striking out four and walking three. White Sox starter Shane Smith blanked the Guardians on two hits over six innings in his second MLB start, striking out six and walking one.

Mets 10, Marlins 5

Pete Alonso continued his torrid start, producing two hits and four RBIs for surging New York in a win over Miami in the middle game of a three-game series at Citi Field.

Brandon Nimmo laced a tie-breaking RBI double in the fifth inning for the Mets, who have won six straight. Starling Marte, Juan Soto and Hayden Senger had two hits apiece, and Clay Holmes allowed four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out a career-high 10 over 5 1/3 innings. His win was the first for him as a starter since his rookie season in 2018.

Liam Hicks collected three RBIs and Derek Hill hit a two-run homer for the Marlins, who have dropped four of five. Starter Connor Gillispie gave up two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two over four innings.

Nationals 8, Dodgers 2

James Wood homered twice and drove in five runs to lead Washington to a win over visiting Los Angeles.

Wood, who has three homers in his past two games, also singled and drew a bases-loaded walk for the Nationals, who have won four straight including two in a row against the Dodgers. Keibert Ruiz, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews had two hits each for Washington. Brad Lord pitched three scoreless innings in his first start of the season, allowing two hits with four strikeouts — including Shohei Ohtani twice — and two walks.

Andy Pages and Enrique Hernandez homered for the Dodgers, who have lost three straight and four of five since opening the season 8-0. Los Angeles starter Justin Wrobleski (0-1), making his season debut after being called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City before the series, allowed eight runs on eight hits over five innings.

Braves 7, Phillies 5

Sean Murphy hit a three-run home run and collected four RBIs in his first game of the season, helping Atlanta post a victory over visiting Philadelphia.

In the opener of a three-game series, many anticipated a pitchers’ duel between last year’s top two finishers in the 2024 National League Cy Young Award race. However, Atlanta’s Chris Sale gave up five runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings while Zack Wheeler was charged with five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 frames. The Braves’ bullpen quieted the Phillies’ bats with 4 1/3 scoreless innings.

Kyle Schwarber (3-for-3, HR, three RBIs) and Nick Castellanos (3-for-4, two RBIs) led Philadelphia’s offense.

Cubs 10, Rangers 6

Dansby Swanson’s two-run single in the eighth inning capped a four-RBI game and lifted host Chicago to a win over Texas.

Swanson also had a solo home run and a sacrifice fly in the victory, which sent the Rangers to their second straight loss. His single in the eighth was followed by a two-run single by Pete Crow-Armstrong, punctuating a frame in which Texas committed two errors. Nico Hoerner and Seiya Suzuki also had two RBIs each for the Cubs’ 12-hit attack.

Cubs starter Jameson Taillon went six innings, allowing three runs on five hits while walking one and striking out six. Patrick Corbin made his first start for Texas and gave up three runs on five hits in four innings. Josh Jung (3-for-4, RBI), Jonah Heim (2 RBIs) and Wyatt Langford (2-for-4, RBI) sparked the Rangers’ offense.

Brewers 7, Rockies 1

William Contreras homered among his two hits, Brice Turang and Christian Yelich also went deep and Milwaukee beat Colorado in Denver.

Rhys Hoskins finished with two hits and Jackson Chourio doubled and tripled for Milwaukee, which has won six of its last seven after starting the season with four straight losses.

Brenton Doyle homered and Zac Veen had a bunt single in his major league debut for Colorado. Veen, who finished 1-for-4, is the second Rockies player to make his debut in as many games. Pitcher Chase Dollander did it on Sunday against the Athletics.

Reds 1, Giants 0

Nick Lodolo teamed with two relievers on a four-hitter, Spencer Steer doubled and scored the game’s only run on an infield out and Cincinnati won a second straight pitchers’ duel against host San Francisco.

Lodolo (2-1), who beat the Giants 3-2 in the second game of the season in Cincinnati, was even better in the rematch. He limited the hosts to three hits in six innings, walked one and struck out three. After Lodolo was pulled, having thrown 87 pitches, Graham Ashcraft allowed one hit over two innings before Emilio Pagan worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save.

One night after a 2-0 win in the opener, the Reds scored the only run in the third after Steer led off with his double against Giants starter Landen Roupp (0-1). Steer took third on Jake Fraley’s single to center. Jose Trevino grounded into a forceout at second and Steer scored. Roupp kept the deficit at one run through six, during which he allowed seven hits and struck out four.

–Field Level Media