Mets’ Cespedes returns in style
Yoenis Cespedes hit a grand slam in his return from a six- week stint on the disabled list, and the visiting New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 6- 1 in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday.
Cespedes, who was on the DL with a strained left hamstring, said before the game that he didn’t think he could run at 100 percent. He didn’t need to go fast after sending a drive over the wall in left- center field in the ninth inning to turn a 2- 1 lead into a 6- 1 edge.
‘‘ It’s not easy for any ballplayer to miss that much time and still have your timing down,’’ Cespedes said. ‘‘ But I’ve been playing for lots of years, so I just try to stay calm and look for good pitches.’’
Robert Gsellman ( 5- 3) allowed three hits in 6‰ scoreless innings on his way to winning his third consecutive start.
In the nightcap, Steven Matz yielded one run and five hits in seven innings in his season debut, Jay Bruce hit a three- run home run and the Mets finished off the sweep with an 8- 1 victory. Matz began the season on the disabled list with inflammation in his left ( pitching) elbow.
Yankees 16, Orioles 3
Rookie Aaron Judge hit his major- league- leading 19th homer to ignite a six- run first inning, and 11 of the host New York Yankees’ 18 hits went for extra bases — five homers and six doubles — in their rout of the Baltimore Orioles.
Starlin Castro, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius and Matt Holliday also homered for the Yankees, who got four RBI from Sanchez and three each from Judge, Holliday and Castro on their way to their fourth victory in a row. Luis Severino ( 5- 2) allowed one run and two hits and struck out eight in seven innings.
Red Sox 11, Tigers 3
Former White Sox ace Chris Sale ( 8- 2) pitched into and out of trouble for seven innings, Mitch Moreland and Andrew Benintendi each drove in three runs and the Boston Red Sox scored a combined eight runs in the seventh and eighth en route to pulling away from the visiting Detroit Tigers.
Cardinals 7, Phillies 0
Carlos Martinez ( 5- 5) pitched a three- hitter and struck out 11 in his first career complete game, and Jedd Gyorko drove in three runs to fuel the host St. Louis Cardinals past the Philadelphia Phillies. The Cardinals have won back- to- back games after a seven- game losing streak.
Astros ace Keuchel won’t throw for a week
The Houston Astros said ace left- hander Dallas Keuchel ( 9- 0, 1.67 ERA) won’t throw again for about a week as he recovers from neck discomfort that landed him on the 10- day DL for the second time this season. He is expected to miss at least two more starts.