Orioles’ Means means business, defeats Red Sox
John Means pitched seven innings of one-hit ball, allowing a single to lead off the game and retiring the last 18 batters he faced on Friday to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 3-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox in their rain-delayed opener.
Means struck out five and allowed just two baserunners — the other on an error — earning the win when Ryan Mountcastle doubled in two runs in the sixth to break a scoreless tie. Anthony Santander added an RBI single in the eighth.
Cedric Mullins and Pedro Severino each had two hits for Baltimore, which finished fourth in the AL East last season, one game ahead of the last-place Red Sox. Tanner Scott pitched one hitless inning and César Valdez got the last three outs for the save.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora returned after serving a suspension last year for his role in the Astros cheating scandal. He received a big cheer when the teams were introduced before the game.
RAYS 6, MARLINS 4 >> Joey Wendle hit a three-run homer, highlighting a fourrun rally in the ninth inning that sent Tampa Bay over Miami.
Wendle’s one-out shot off closer Anthony Bass (01) landed in the upper deck in right field and erased a 4-2 deficit. Manuel Margot then tripled and scored on Francisco Mejia’s sacrifice fly.
Margot also homered and Austin Meadows went deep for the second consecutive game, helping Tampa Bay win its seventh straight in Miami dating to 2019. The Rays edged the Marlins 1-0 on opening day Thursday on Meadows’ homer. DODGERS 11, ROCKIES 6 >> Trevor Bauer took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning in his Los Angeles debut before allowing a pair of tworun homers, and the Dodgers held on after building a big lead to beat Colorado.
The game had a little bit of everything, from seven of the Dodgers’ 16 hits going for extra bases — no homers, though — to a gray cat making a surprise entrance onto the field in the eighth inning.
The furry feline hung out in center with Cody Bellinger for a moment before being picked up and ushered out by stadium personnel.
WHITE SOX 12, ANGELS 8 >> Yermín Mercedes got his first five major league hits and drove in four runs, and José Abreu hit a grand slam for the Chicago White Sox in their victory over Los Angeles.
Mercedes, a 28-yearold catcher playing in his second career game, went 5 for 5 in an extraordinary performance as Chicago’s designated hitter. He delivered a two-run single in the fourth and a two-run double in the ninth inning of Chicago’s first victory this season.