Royals’ Duffy wins again as Yankees’ bullpen flops
AMERICAN LEAGUE ROYALS 6, YANKEES 2
NEW YORK — Danny Duffy beat the Yankees for the second time in a week and rookie Jorge Bonifacio capped a three-run, seventh-inning rally with a go-ahead, two-run home run that led the Kansas City Royals over New York 6-2 on Tuesday night.
Lorenzo Cain, Whit Merrifield and Mike Moustakas also hit home runs late for the Royals, who went deep four times in a span of nine batters.
New York rookie Jordan Montgomery took a one-hit shutout and 2-0 lead into the seventh before a solo home run by Cain, who had been hitless in 14 at-bats.
The Yankees’ usually reliable bullpen flopped as Adam Warren (1-1), Jonathan Holder and Chasen Shreve all allowed long balls.
Duffy (4-3) gave up 2 runs and 6 hits, struck out 7 and walked 2. Kansas City’s opening-day starter, he had been 0-3 in his previous five outings before reviving against the Yankees.
New York put two on against Joakim Soria in the eighth, and first baseman Eric Hosmer leaped to snag Chase Headley’s two-out liner. Jacoby Ellsbury bounced into a game-ending double play — at first it wasn’t clear the game was over, but umpires ruled Merrifield tagged Carter running from first to second before the second baseman threw to first.
In the best of his eight big-league starts, Montgomery began 17 of 22 batters with strikes and walked none for the first time, although he did get four warning-track flyouts. Warren relieved Montgomery with two outs in the seventh, and Salvador Perez singled to right, just over the outstretched glove of a leaping Starlin Castro.
Bonifacio sent the next pitch into the right-field seats for his fourth home run in five games and sixth overall. Merrifield connected off
Holder leading off the eighth, and Moustakas greeted Shreve later in the inning with his 11th home run, a two-run drive.
TWINS 2, ORIOLES 0 Ervin Santana pitched a two-hitter for his 10th career shutout, Brian Dozier hit a home run and surging Minnesota beat host Baltimore.
ANGELS 4, RAYS 0 Cameron Maybin and Mike Trout hit back-to-back home runs to begin the game, Matt Shoemaker won his third consecutive start and visiting Los Angeles beat Tampa Bay.
RED SOX 11, RANGERS 6 Xander Bogaerts had three hits and three RBI, Dustin Pedroia had a two-run double during a four-run sixth inning and host Boston beat Texas.
ASTROS 6, TIGERS 2 Juan Centeno and Yuli Gurriel homered to help Houston to a victory over visiting Detroit. Houston starter Lance McCullers (5-1) allowed a season-low 1 hit in 5 innings to extend his American League-leading streak of scoreless innings to 22.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
ROCKIES 8, PHILLIES 2 Charlie Blackmon hit 2 two-run home runs, German Marquez tossed six effective innings and Colorado beat
host Philadelphia. CUBS 4, GIANTS 1 Jon Lester pitched a four-hitter for Chicago’s first complete game of the season, and the Cubs beat Johnny Cueto and visiting San Francisco in a rainy rematch of last year’s playoff opener.
METS 9, PADRES 3 Michael Conforto homered twice and had a career-high 4 RBI, including 3 on2 hits during the Mets’ biggest first inning in 13 years, and Matt Harvey won his first home start since getting suspended as host New York routed San Diego.
INTERLEAGUE
NATIONALS 10, MARINERS 1 Anthony Rendon homered twice and drove in five runs, Joe Ross returned from the minors to allow one run over a career high-tying eight innings, and host Washington routed Seattle. INDIANS 8, REDS 7 Edwin Encarnacion hit two of Cleveland’s four home runs off rookie Amir Garrett and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch, leading the visiting Indians to a victory. BLUE JAYS 4, BREWERS 3 Kendrys Morales hit a two-run home run and Toronto held off host Milwaukee.