Perez homer leads Indians
Roberto Perez hit a leadoff home run in the eighth inning against reliever Alex Wilson, lifting the Indians past the Detroit Tigers, 2-1, last night in Cleveland.
Perez belted a 2-0 pitch to center field that landed in the seats in front of the bullpen to give Cleveland its ninth straight win over Detroit. The Indians are 2910 against the Tigers since the start of the 2016 season.
Jose Ramirez’ two-out homer in the first put Cleveland ahead, a lead that lasted until Jeimer Candelario’s seventh-inning double. It was Detroit’s first run in 23 innings.
Andrew Miller (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth. Cody Allen worked the ninth for his third save.
Tigers pitching coach Chris Bosio missed the game because of a health issue. The team said Bosio was undergoing tests, a day after he didn’t feel well.
Blue Jays 2, Orioles 1 — Aaron Sanchez lost his no-hit bid when Tim Beckham led off the eighth inning with a sharp grounder through the legs of third baseman Josh Donaldson, and Curtis Granderson hit a tiebreaking homer in the ninth to carry Toronto past host Baltimore.
Sanchez (1-1) walked four and hit a batter and got the victory when Granderson hit a sidearmed fastball from Darren O’Day (0-1) over the right field scoreboard. It was his first homer since signing as a free agent with Toronto this past offseason.
The Blue Jays placed first baseman Kendrys Morales on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring.
Mariners 8, Royals 3 — Felix Hernandez pitched into the sixth inning, Guillermo Heredia homered and the Seattle Mariners bounced back from a blowout loss by routing host Kansas City.
Hernandez (2-1), who was shelled his last time out in San Francisco, allowed three runs, six hits and a walk in 5C innings. His only big mistake came in the fourth, when Mike Moustakas turned on a 2-1 pitch and sent a two-run homer screaming into the right field fountains.
Angels 11, Rangers 1 — Mike Trout and Andrelton Simmons each homered, Albert Pujols had two more hits in his push to 3,000 and Los Angeles cruised in Arlington, Texas.
The Angels, who went ahead to stay with a threerun first, improved to 9-3 for the first time since 1982. They lead the majors with their 79 runs, 128 hits and 20 home runs.
Rays 6, White Sox 5 — Blake Snell pitched one-hit ball and struck out 10 through six innings and Tampa Bay kept Chicago winless at home.
The White Sox dropped to 0-5 at Guaranteed Rate Field. That matched Chicago’s five-game home skid to start 1975 at Comiskey Park.
National League
Pirates 8, Cubs 5 — Ivan Nova pitched seven solid innings, Francisco Cervelli hit a three-run homer and Pittsburgh ruined Chicago’s home opener.
Corey Dickerson had three hits and two RBI and Starling Marte also connected as Pittsburgh won for the fourth time in five games. The Pirates’ 8-2 record is their best 10-game start since 1992, and they are 4-0 on the road for the first time in 15 years.
The Cubs placed first baseman Anthony Rizzo on the 10-day disabled list with lower back tightness.
Mets 8, Marlins 6 — Yoenis Cespedes snapped a slump with a two-run double to break a tie in the ninth inning, giving New York the best 10-game start in franchise history by beating host Miami. The Mets earned their seventh straight victory, their longest streak in two years.
Nationals 4, Braves 1 — Stephen Strasburg threw eight scoreless innings, Ryan Zimmerman had a two-run triple and host Washington beat Atlanta.
Phillies 6, Reds 1 — Aaron Nola pitched eight solid innings and Scott Kingery hit a grand slam, as host Philadelphia beat Cincinnati.
Elsewhere in baseball — San Francisco Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto has been placed on the 10-day DL with a sprained left ankle.