Pineda takes perfect game into 7th, claims win
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Michael Pineda retired his first 20 batters before Evan Longoria lined a double down the leftfield line, and he wound up pitching two-hit ball over 7 2/3 innings Monday in the New York Yankees’ home opener, an 8-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Pineda (1-1) dominated like the pitcher the Yankees have always hoped he would become. He struck out 11, walked none and threw 67 of 93 pitches for strikes. Tampa Bay’s Logan Morrison homered with one out in the eighth, a ball that hit off the top of the wall in right-center and deflected off a fan before bouncing back onto the field. A video review was needed to determine it was a home run.
Pineda started 15 of his first 18 batters with strikes and didn’t fall behind 2-0 in a count until the sixth inning. His slider had a sharp downward break, and fans started sensing the occasion in the sixth, cheering on every strike and rising for every out.
Alex Cobb (1-1), who beat Pineda in Florida last week, gave up five runs — four earned — and six hits over 7 1/3 innings for the Rays, who had been off to a franchise-best 5-2 start.
Athletics 2, Royals 0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Khris Davis hit a two-run homer, Jharel Cotton shut down Kansas City’s anemic offense and the Oakland Athletics held on to spoil the Royals’ home opener with a 2-0 victory Monday.
Cotton (1-1) gave up a single in the first and another in the sixth, but otherwise befuddled a Royals lineup that hasn’t shown much punch. He walked three and struck out six over seven innings.
Santiago Casilla struck out the side in the eighth before Sean Doolittle ran into trouble in the ninth, putting runners on the corners with two outs. He bounced back to strike out Brandon Moss for his first save, helping the A’s beat the Royals for the seventh consecutive time.
Davis provided all the offense Oakland needed when he followed a leadoff single by Ryon Healy with his fourth homer of the year. The shot to right on a 3-0 pitch from Ian Kennedy (0-2) barely scraped the wall, but it gave Cotton the only help he needed a sun-splashed afternoon.
Giants 4, Diamondbacks 1
SAN FRANCISCO — Giants catcher Buster Posey was struck in the helmet by a 94 mph fastball in the first inning and forced out of the game, a frightening moment in San Francisco’s 4-1 victory Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks in its home opener.
An update on the 2012 NL MVP’s condition was planned postgame, the team said.
Taijuan Walker’s 0-1 fastball with two out in the first inning sent the Gold Glove catcher immediately to ground.
Athletic trainer Dave Groeschner sprinted toward the plate and manager Bruce Bochy was right behind. Posey got up on his own but exited the game, with Nick Hundley entering to pinch run and stay in the game as catcher.
Walker (1-1) was booed at the conclusion of the inning, when he came up to bat and at every other opportunity by the AT&T Park sellout crowd of 42,129.
Matt Moore (1-1) struck out five in eight impressive innings. Mark Melancon got his second save.
Mariners 6, Astros 0
SEATTLE — James Paxton shut down Houston for the second time in a week, pitching seven innings of four-hit ball and leading the Seattle Mariners to a 6-0 win over the Astros in their home opener Monday.
The Mariners rebounded nicely from Sunday’s ugly ninth-inning meltdown against the Angels when they gave up seven runs and lost 10-9. Paxton (1-0) was a big reason why, keeping Houston’s offense silent long enough for Seattle’s bats to wake up and finally convert with runners in scoring position. Paxton struck out eight and walked two while pitching in Seattle’s home opener for the second time in his career.
Nelson Cruz finally broke through with a two-run single in the fifth inning to give Seattle the lead and Mitch Haniger followed an inning later with a two-out RBI single. Seattle was 8 for 57 through the first seven games and 1 of 8 on Monday with runners in scoring position before Cruz lined Charlie Morton’s pitch into center field.
Tigers 2, Red Sox 1
DETROIT — Justin Verlander and Chris Sale dominated in a matchup of ace pitchers before Nicholas Castellanos singled in the go-ahead run off Sale in the eighth inning, lifting the Detroit Tigers over the Boston Red Sox 2-1 on Monday.
Verlander gave up an unearned run, three hits and two walks while striking out four over seven innings. Justin Wilson (1-0) struck out one and walked one in the eighth and Francisco Rodriguez struck out two and allowed a hit in the ninth, earning his second save in three chances.
Sale (0-1) struck out 10 and gave up two runs and five hits over 7 2/3 innings.
Ian Kinsler homered off Sale in the sixth.