Early runs help Cardinals beat Nationals
WASHINGTON — Mike Leake outpitched 2016 NL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, Stephen Piscotty homered and had five RBIs, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals 6-1 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep.
Leake (1-1) gave up four hits, struck out seven and walked none over seven shutout innings. The right-hander allowed hits to the first two batters, then picked off a runner before getting 19 straight outs. The streak ended when Daniel Murphy singled with two outs in the seventh.
• White Sox 2, Indians 1 — At Cleveland: Derek Holland held Cleveland hitless until the sixth inning and late fill-in Matt Davidson had a two-run single for Chicago.
Holland (1-1) gave up a leadoff double to Francisco Lindor in the sixth. The White Sox lefty struck out four, walked four and threw 101 pitches in six innings.
• Yankees 8, Rays 4 — At New York: Jordan Montgomery showed power and poise in his major league debut after allowing Rickie Weeks’ two-run homer in the first inning, and New York rallied past sloppy Tampa Bay to get back to .500.
New York’s Brett Gardner and Weeks both left the game after a collision at first base in the sixth inning. Both fell to the field as Chase Headley came home with the go-ahead run.
• Tigers 5, Twins 3 — At Detroit: Andrew Romine hit his first career grand slam and Detroit rallied from an early three-run deficit to beat Minnesota.
The Tigers trailed 3-0 before scoring five runs in the fourth inning, with Romine delivering the key blow.
• Padres 6, Rockies 0 — At Denver: Zach Lee and four relievers combined on a three-hitter, Ryan Schimpf homered as part of a four-run first inning and San Diego blanked Colorado.
Lee (1-0) earned his first major league win in his second career start. The other one came on July 25, 2015, with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Reds 9, Pirates 2 — At Pittsburgh: Reds rookie Amir Garrett threw another gem, taking a shutout into the seventh inning and leading Cincinnati over Pittsburgh for a three-game sweep.
Garrett (2-0), the former St. John’s basketball player, blanked the Pirates until David Freese hit a two-run homer.
• Mets 5, Phillies 4 — At Philadelphia: Zack Wheeler earned his first win in 2 1/2 years, Michael Conforto hit a solo homer and New York held off Philadelphia to complete a three-game sweep.
Yoenis Cespedes and Asdrubal Cabrera each drove in two runs for the Mets. Wheeler (1-1) left with a shutout intact but was charged with three runs and four hits over 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander missed the last two seasons following Tommy John surgery and had not won since Sept. 19, 2014, against Atlanta.
• Brewers 2, Blue Jays 0 — At Toronto: Chase Anderson and two relievers combined on a four-hitter, Jonathan Villar homered and Milwaukee handed Toronto its fifth straight loss.
The last-place Blue Jays are off to the worst start in team history at 1-7.
• Braves 5, Marlins 4 — At Miami: Ender Inciarte hit two home runs and Tyler Flowers had a go-ahead single in the ninth inning to help Atlanta break a fivegame losing streak by rallying past Miami.
• Dodgers 2, Cubs 0 — At Chicago: Brandon McCarthy pitched four-hit ball over six innings, Andrew Toles hit his first leadoff homer and Los Angeles blanked Chicago after the Cubs received their championship rings.
The Cubs put the finishing touches on a celebration that started when they beat Cleveland in Game 7 last November to win the World Series for the first time since 1908. They raised the banner Monday night and got 14-karat white gold rings with a total of 214 diamonds in a ceremony Wednesday that drew more roars from the fans at Wrigley Field.
• Orioles 12, Red Sox 5 — At Boston: Trey Mancini hit two of Baltimore’s five home runs, all in the first three innings against Boston.