AROUND THE HORN
■ Brewers: Avisaíl García homered, doubled and drove in five runs as the Brewers beat the Cardinals 9-5 on Saturday, ending the Cardinals’ four-game winning streak. Keston Hiura hit a three-run homer that capped a five-run burst in the seventh inning that made it 8-2. The Brewers won for the third time in four games. García’s two-run homer off Carlos Martínez gave Milwaukee a 3-0 lead in the fifth. García drew a basesloaded walk in the sixth and added a two-run double in the seventh.
■ Athletics: Ramón Laureano hit a two-run homer, rookie Seth Brown connected for his first big league home run and the Oakland Athletics beat the Houston Astros 7-3 on Saturday to win the series. The Astros won the opener 6-2 on Thursday night to give them five straight victories over the A’s after a fourgame sweep to start the season.
■ Giants: Brandon Crawford delivered the decisive hit for a second straight day, connecting for a three-run homer in the sixth inning as the Giants beat the Rockies 4-3 on Saturday. Crawford also came through with a basesloaded, two-run double in the seventh of a 3-1 win in Friday’s home opener.
■ Braves: Braves have placed right-hander Chris Martin on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. The move on Saturday, retroactive to Wednesday, came after Martin’s workout on Friday showed ongoing problems. He complained of numbness in his fingers and was forced to leave a relief appearance Sunday at Philadelphia. “He just had some discomfort still,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said Saturday. “... It wasn’t going to work so we had to shut him down for a period.” When asked if Martin’s shoulder is the problem, Snitker said, “When he went and tried to throw yesterday, all of a sudden it became a concern. We were hoping yesterday was going to go good.”
■ Mariners: Baseball’s speed-up-the-game rule that starts each extra inning with a runner on second base has not been user-friendly for the Twins. The 10th has been nothing but trouble, this time caused by the Mariners. Mitch Haniger homered and hit the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, giving the Mariners a 4-3 victory over the Twins on Saturday. “You’ve just got to keep grinding away,” Haniger said. “Close games, usually they’re just decided by one swing.” The rulebook is more of a factor now, too, as it was last year when the pandemic-shortened season prompted some tweaks. All three of Minnesota’s losses this season have come in the 10th.
■ Tigers: Tigers starter Julio Teheran could miss significant time with a strained shoulder suffered while warming up for a start on Friday night. The team placed the right-hander on the 10-day injured list Saturday, but Detroit manager A.J. Hinch indicated Teheran may need a lot longer to recover.
■ Red Sox: Red Sox outfielder/designated hitter J.D. Martinez has cold symptoms and was placed on the COVID19 injured list Saturday. Martinez underwent coronavirus testing and the team is awaiting the results. Going on the COVID-19 IL does not require a positive test. If he tests negative twice, Martinez can come back to the lineup for the series finale Sunday against the Orioles.