Atlanta Braves open new park in style
Ender Inciarte hit the first home run in baseball’s newest stadium and local product Nick Markakis drove in the first two runs as the Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 Friday night in the regular-season debut for SunTrust Park.Before a sellout crowd of 41,149 that included former President Jimmy Carter, Commissioner Rob Manfred and one-time home run king Hank Aaron, the Braves won their second straight game after a 1-6 start. Julio Teheran (1-0) was a bit wild but lasted six innings. He gave up both San Diego runs, working around four walks and two hit batters. Jim Johnson worked the ninth for his second save. Markakis, who grew up in nearby Woodstock, put the Braves ahead in the first with a two-run double off Jhoulys Chacin (1-2). Inciarte gave Atlanta some breathing room in the sixth with a two-run shot to right.
DODGERS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 1
Clayton Kershaw outpitched former teammate Zack Greinke, leading Dodgers to the win. Kershaw (2-1) allowed four hits, struck out eight and walked one in 8 1/3 innings. The left-hander lost his bid for a shutout when Chris Owings doubled in a run in the ninth. Greinke (1-1), who left Los Angeles for a big free-agent deal with Arizona after the 2015 season, lasted just five innings. He was charged with five runs and 10 hits. Andrew Toles hit a two-run homer for Los Angeles in the eighth.
MARINERS 2, RANGERS 1
Felix Hernandez pitched 7 1/3 innings for Seattle, and Mitch Haniger settled for a matchwinning RBI single instead of an apparent home run. With the score 1-1 in the seventh, Haniger hit a drive that appeared to clear the left-field wall for a three-run homer, before bouncing back into the field of play. After an umpire review of more than two minutes, the call was overturned, giving Haniger a single off Jose Leclerc (0-1), scoring Jarrod Dyson to put Seattle up 2-1. Hernandez (1-1) allowed one run and six hits. Edwin Diaz pitched the ninth, stranding the tying run at third for his second save.
YANKEES 4, CARDINALS 3
Masahiro Tanaka pitched into the seventh inning before Aroldis Chapman escaped his own jam for his third save in three days as the Yankees earned their fifth straight win. Chapman allowed a two-out walk to Randal Grichuk and a double to pinch-hitter Jose Martinez before Dexter Fowler - the closer’s teammate on the World Series champion Cubs last year - grounded out to second. Tanaka (1-1) entered with an 11.74 ERA over his first two starts, but recovered nicely after Matt Carpenter’s two-run homer in the first. The Japanese right-hander was charged with three runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. Starlin Castro and Austin Romine homered for New York, which is 4-0 to begin its nine-game homestand. Michael Wacha (1-1) struck out eight for struggling St. Louis but allowed two homers and four runs over six innings.
ORIOLES 6, BLUE JAYS 4
Home plate umpire Dale Scott sustained a concussion when hit in the face mask by a foul tip from Baltimore slugger Mark Trumbo, casting a shadow over the Orioles’ victory. Scott recoiled after the ball struck the bottom of his mask and staggered backward before going down on one knee in the eighth inning. Once his neck was immobilized on a spinal board, Scott was lifted onto a cart and driven off the field. The Blue Jays relayed information from Major League Baseball that Scott would miss the rest of the series. JJ Hardy hit a two-run homer for Baltimore, and Chris Davis, Jonathan Schoop, and Seth Smith also connected. Wade Miley (1-0) pitched six innings for the win, and Zach Britton got three outs for his fifth save. Toronto has dropped seven in a row, extending its franchise-worst start. Blue Jays ace Aaron Sanchez (0-1) allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.
GIANTS 8, ROCKIES 2
Johnny Cueto pitched seven effective innings for San Francisco, while Brandon Crawford and Chris Marrero homered. Cueto (3-0) allowed two runs and six hits while winning his third straight start to begin the season. The right-hander struck out six and walked one. The Giants jumped in front on Marrero’s first career homer in the second, a drive to left off Tyler Anderson (1-2) after Eduardo Nunez walked with two out. Anderson lasted just four innings. The left-hander allowed four runs and five hits, and also was charged with two balks - matching a franchise record.
RAYS 10, RED SOX 5
Logan Morrison hit a grand slam for Tampa Bay and Shane Peterson homered in his first big league at-bat since 2015. These were two of the career-high four homers allowed by Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello. Chris Archer (2-0) gave up one run in 5 2/3 innings, ending his 11game losing streak against the Red Sox. Brad Miller and Steven Souza Jr. also homered for the Rays, who were coming off losing three straight at Yankee Stadium. Mookie Betts had four hits for the Red Sox. Porcello (1-1) gave up eight runs in 4 1/3 innings, halting the majors’ longest active streak of pitching at least six innings at 20 games.
MARLINS 3, METS 2
JT Realmuto hit a game-ending RBI double with two out in the ninth inning as the Marlins snapped the Mets’ five-game win streak. The Marlins avoided extra innings after a 16-inning loss to the Mets on Thursday. New York’s Noah Syndergaard allowed two runs, one earned, in six innings, and his ERA soared to 0.95. Syndergaard struck out four and still hasn’t walked a batter in 19 innings this season. Miguel Rojas had three hits for Miami and walked to lead off the ninth against Josh Edgin (0-1). Realmuto hit a 3-2 pitch into the right-center field gap, and Rojas scored without a play. AJ Ramos (1-1), Miami’s sixth pitcher, worked around a walk in a scoreless ninth.
TIGERS 7, INDIANS 6
Miguel Cabrera hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning after being brushed back in the first, and the Tigers handed the Indians their sixth loss in seven games. Tensions mounted three batters into the game when Cabrera yelled and gestured at the Indians dugout after an inside pitch from Trevor Bauer. Cabrera shouted at the dugout again when the inning ended, resulting in warnings to both teams. Cabrera responded in the fifth, lining a 1-1 pitch from Bauer (0-2) into the right-field seats to give Detroit a 4-0 lead. Alex Avila added a two-run homer in the sixth for Detroit, which played its first night game of the season. Daniel Norris (1-1) allowed two hits in six scoreless innings. Francisco Rodriguez allowed pinch-hitter Lonnie Chisenhall’s grand slam in the ninth, but struck out Austin Jackson for his fourth save.
ASTROS 7, ATHLETICS 2
Japan’s Nori Aoki homered and drove in two runs to help Houston to its third straight win. Brian McCann drove in three runs for Houston and Dallas Keuchel (2-0) pitched seven crisp innings. Khris Davis homered - his fifth of the season - in his first at-bat for the A’s, who lost their second straight. Oakland starter Kendall Graveman pitched five innings of one-run ball. Ryan Madsen (0-1) got the loss.
ROYALS 7, ANGELS 1
Danny Duffy pitched seven innings for Kansas City and Mike Moustakas hit a two-run homer. Duffy (2-0) gave up a run on Mike Trout’s firstinning single, but retired 15 of the last 16 batters he faced. He improved to 8-0 in his past 16 Kauffman Stadium starts. Salvador Perez also homered, his fifth of the season, and drove in two runs for Kansas City. JC Ramirez (2-1), making his first start in the majors after 111 relief appearances, allowed five runs in five innings for Los Angeles.
WHITE SOX 2, TWINS 1
Dylan Covey allowed one run while pitching into the sixth inning of his big league debut and Matt Davidson hit a solo home run in the seventh, lifting the White Sox to the road win. Covey walked three and struck out one in 5 1-3 innings. Davidson’s third homer of the year reached the upper deck in right field off Ryan Pressly (0-1), and David Robertson picked up his second save. Dan Jennings (1-0) pitched one inning of scoreless relief. The start of the game was held up 36 minutes by rain. Steady showers fell again in the second and third innings, but the teams were able to keep playing.
BREWERS 10, REDS 4
Eric Thames homered for the second straight night and drove in three runs, helping Milwaukee to its fourth straight victory. Thames’ third home run of the season capped Milwaukee’s four-run sixth inning against a Cincinnati bullpen that went into the game with a National League-best 1.13 ERA. Blake Wood (01) allowed three hits and three runs, including Jonathan Villar’s tiebreaking double off the glove of right fielder Patrick Kivlehan. Thames followed with a two-run shot into the right field seats off left-hander Wandy Peralta. Zack Cozart hit a tworun homer in the second inning and Joey Votto added a solo shot in the third to give the Reds a 3-0 lead against Tommy Milone (1-0), who allowed three runs and six hits in five innings with no walks.
PIRATES 4, CUBS 2
David Freese and Francisco Cervelli each drove in two runs as the Pirates stopped a fourgame skid. Pittsburgh right-hander Gerrit Cole (1-1) allowed two runs in six innings, striking out five. The Cubs loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth inning before Tony Watson retired Ben Zobrist on a bouncer to shortstop for his third save. Freese doubled twice and scored two runs. The 33-year-old third baseman has reached safely in 12 of his last 15 plate appearances. The Pirates trailed 2-1 in the sixth when Freese hit a tying single and Cervelli had a two-run double. Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks (1-1) pitched five-plus innings and was charged with three runs and six hits. He allowed just one run during three wins against Pittsburgh last year.
NATIONALS 3, PHILLIES 2
Daniel Murphy hit a game-ending RBI double, sending Washington to the win. Bryce Harper opened the 10th with a single off Jeanmar Gomez. Murphy then hit an opposite-field double to left on his bobblehead day, and Harper came around to easily beat the throw. The Phillies lost their fourth in a row. They took two of three from the Nationals in Philadelphia last weekend. Shawn Kelley (1-0) pitched a perfect 10th inning. Gomez (1-1), who was removed from the closer’s role this week after filling it last season, threw a scoreless ninth before Washington broke through. Murphy extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a third-inning single.