Honeymoon over for Ohtani after Boston mauling
Realmuto hit three-run homer as Miami beat New York
LOS ANGELES: The Red Sox and a blister teamed up to knock out Los Angeles Angels sensation Shohei Ohtani, and Boston posted a 10-1 win in a game matching the teams with the two best records in the majors Tuesday night at Anaheim, Calif. With Mookie Betts’ three home runs leading the way, the Red Sox ended the Angels’ winning streak at seven games while extending their own winning streak to five. Jackie Bradley Jr., Brock Holt and Rafael Devers also went deep for Boston. Ohtani left after two innings, and the Angels announced that his exit was caused by a blister on his right (pitching) hand. However, the Red Sox had already roughed up the Japanese star for three runs and four hits in the opening two frames. It was clear right from the start that Ohtani’s fate would be quite different than his previous start on April 8, when he didn’t allow an Oakland A’s batter to reach base until the seventh inning. Betts led off the game with the first of his three homers. The Boston right fielder also homered in the third and eighth innings.
DIAMONDBACKS 1, GIANTS 0 David Peralta singled in a run to break up a scoreless tie in the eighth inning, and Patrick Corbin pitched a one-hitter in Arizona’s victory over visiting San Francisco. Jarrod Dyson walked with one out in the eighth inning off Tony Watson (1-1) and took second on Corbin’s sacrifice bunt. Peralta then singled up the middle as the Dbacks (12-4) tied the best start in franchise history. Corbin (3-0) gave up a walk and a two-out, eighth-inning single while pitching his first career complete game. He struck out eight, relying mainly on a slider. He is tied for the NL lead in victories.
MARLINS 9, YANKEES 1
Jarlin Garcia escaped trouble in five scoreless innings for his first win as a starting pitcher, and J.T. Realmuto hit a three-run homer in his season debut as Miami beat host New York as a restless home crowd continued to lustily boo former Marlins star and current Yankee Giancarlo Stanton. Garcia (1-0) allowed one hit in five innings but also struggled with the strike zone. The left-hander issued five walks, including three in the first inning, but recorded two big outs against Stanton, who finished 0-for-4 and struck out twice. Realmuto drove in four runs after coming off the disabled list following his recovery from a back bruise.
ASTROS 4, MARINERS 1
Lance McCullers Jr. allowed just one hit in seven innings and struck out 11 batters as Houston defeated host Seattle thanks to Brian McCann’s tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth inning. McCullers (2-1), who entered the game with a 7.71 ERA, made just one mistake. With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, he left an 0-2 pitch over the plate, and Robinson Cano hit it over the center field fence, his first home run of the season. Seattle reliever Dan Altavilla (1-2) got into trouble immediately after entering in the sixth. He walked Evan Gattis on four pitches, then threw a wild pitch that allowed the runner to advance to second. McCann then launched a 2-1 pitch into the right field bleachers to give the Astros their first lead. It was McCann’s first home run of the year.
INDIANS 6, TWINS 1 Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Michael Brantley and Yonder Alonso hit home runs to back the strong pitching of Corey Kluber (2-1), lifting Cleveland over Minnesota, which was serving as host in the opener of a two-game series in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Minnesota’s Jake Odorizzi (1-1) had a two-hit shutout two outs into the fifth inning before Bradley Zimmer smacked his second double of the game. After a passed ball, Lindor gave the Indians a 2-0 lead with a home run to right field, his second of the season. Ramirez led off the sixth with his fourth homer, followed on the next pitch by Brantley’s first of the year for a 4-0 advantage.
St Louis stretch its winning streak
A’S 10, WHITE SOX 2
Jed Lowrie ignited a five-run first inning with a home run, and Trevor Cahill threw seven innings of shutout ball as Oakland celebrated “Free Baseball” on their 50th anniversary with a 10-2 trouncing of visiting Chicago. One day after the clubs drew 7,479 for the opener of a three-game series, 46,028 attracted by free admission and free parking witnessed the A’s put up a double-figure run total for the second time in a week. The game was played exactly 50 years after the first-ever Major League Baseball game in Oakland, featuring the Baltimore Orioles and the A’s, in 1968. Cahill (1-0), making his first major league start of the season after beginning the year in the minors, benefitted from Oakland’s 13-hit attack. He allowed five hits and two walks while striking out eight.
DODGERS 7, PADRES 3 (12 INNINGS) Yasmani Grandal and Kyle Farmer hit two-run doubles in the top of the 12th inning to give Los Angeles a win at San Diego. Scott Alexander (1-0) threw one scoreless inning for the win. Matt Kemp hit a homer and drove in two runs for the Dodgers. The Padres scored two in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 3-3 against Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen. Eric Hosmer hit a leadoff homer, and pinch hitter Chase Headley’s two-out double sent the game to extra innings.
CARDINALS 5, CUBS 3
Matt Carpenter knocked in three runs, and Paul DeJong homered as visiting St. Louis stretched its winning streak to five games by dropping Chicago. Adam Wainwright (1-2) picked up the win by tight roping through five innings. Wainwright yielded four hits and an unearned run, walking four and striking out five while plunking two hitters. He stranded nine men during his stint. Tyler Chatwood (0-3) absorbed the loss despite giving up just one hit and fanning seven over 4 2/3 innings. He issued seven walks, two of which came around to score in the third inning, and permitted two runs.
ROCKIES 2, PIRATES 0 Colorado starter Chad Bettis combined with three relievers for a five-hit shutout against host Pittsburgh. The Rockies didn’t muster a great deal of offense-just five hits, same as the Pirates-but a run each in the first and fourth innings sufficed. Bettis (3-0) pitched 7 1/3 innings, permitting five hits and two walks while striking out three. He allowed a Pittsburgh runner in each of the first six innings, then had his only one-two-three inning in the seventh. Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee finished the eighth, and closer Wade Davis set the Pirates down in order in the ninth. Pirates starter Trevor Williams (3-1) missed a chance to become the first four-game winner in the major leagues. He pitched six innings, allowing two runs and four hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
NATIONALS 5, METS 2
Trea Turner had three hits and two runs, and visiting Washington never trailed in a win over New York, aided by Wilmer Difo and Pedro Severino hitting back-to-back RBI singles in the fourth. The Nationals, who came back from a five-run, eighthinning deficit in an 8-6 victory Monday, have won the first two games of the three-game series against the Mets. New York (12-4) lost consecutive contests for the first time this season. Turner doubled in the first and ninth, singled and scored the game’s first run on a Bryce Harper sacrifice fly in the third and walked and scored on Ryan Zimmerman’s single in the seventh. The leadoff man also stole his major-league-leading eighth base. PHILLIES 5, BRAVES 1 (10 INNINGS) Rhys Hoskins drove in two runs with a two-out double to spark a four-run rally in the 10th inning, helping Philadelphia outlast host Atlanta. Scott Kingery drew a four-pitch walk from Jose Ramirez to open the 10th, stole second and went to third on a bunt single by Cesar Hernandez. Hoskins then delivered his seventh double of the season to right field to plate the go-ahead runs. After a walk to Aaron Altherr, Maikel Franco doubled home two runs with a fly ball just out of the reach of center fielder Ender Inciarte. Ramirez (0-2) gave up four runs on three hits and three walks in one inning, and his ERA soared to 17.05.