Soto belts first HR in Nats win
WASHINGTON: Nineteen-year-old Juan Soto, the youngest player in the major leagues since the 2012 season, hit a threerun homer in the first at-bat of his first big league start on Monday night to trigger the Washington Nationals to a 10-2 win over the visiting San Diego Padres.
Soto drove the first pitch he saw from left-handed Padres starter Robbie Erlin (1-3) into the seats in left-centre to give the Nationals a 3-0 lead.
His homer, which ignited a five-run second inning for Washington, was one of four the Nationals hit off Erlin and reliever Bryan Mitchell. Mark Reynolds hit solo home runs to lead off the third and seventh inning, respectively. Bryce Harper homered to lead off the fifth.
The win snapped both the Padres’ threegame winning streak and the Nationals’ three-game losing streak.
Rookie Gleyber Torres recorded his first career multi-homer game as visiting New York slugged five home runs in crushing Texas 10-5.
Torres homered twice off Bartolo Colon (2-2), whose major league debut occurred on April 4, 1997, when the second baseman was less than four months old. It also was the 12th multi-homer game by a Yankee this season and Torres’ fifth and sixth homers since making his major league debut on April 22.
The Yankees won for the 22nd time in 26 games by hitting at least four homers in a third straight game for the first time in team history. Neil Walker, Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks provided the other blasts.
Tyler O’Neill homered for the third straight game and Miles Mikolas hurled his first career shutout as hosts St Louis blanked hapless Kansas City 6-0.
In becoming the first Cardinal pitcher to start 6-0 since Allen Watson did it 25 years ago, Mikolas allowed only four hits and walked one while fanning nine. Mikolas, who threw 77 of his 109 pitches for strikes, has issued only six walks in 60 1/3 innings over nine starts.
O’Neill, who cracked his first big league homer on Saturday and then walloped his second on Sunday, capped a four-run third inning with a towering three-run shot into the St Louis bullpen in right-centre field. The 388-foot blast scored Jose Martinez and Marcell Ozuna, with Ozuna ending an 0-for-23 skid on an RBI single prior.
Carlos Gonzalez’s infield single in the eighth inning brought home the go-ahead run as visiting Colorado edged Los Angeles 2-1 to move into sole possession of first place in the National League West.
Gonzalez’s slow bouncer up the middle was picked up by Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley, but the throw to first base was late and off line, allowing Tony Wolters to score from third base with two outs. The Rockies’ victory came in the first meeting of the year between the division rivals.
The Dodgers managed just three hits as they saw their four-game win streak come to an end at the start of a seasonlong 10-game, 11-day homestand. Reliever Pedro Baez (1-3) took the loss after pitching two-thirds of an inning.
Nick Pivetta pitched seven shutout innings, Aaron Altherr and Nick Williams each homered and Philadelphia opened an important three-game series with a 3-0 victory over visiting Atlanta.
Pivetta (4-2) gave up four hits, struck out seven and walked just one batter after throwing 107 pitches, 72 for strikes. Hector Neris earned the save after throwing a scoreless ninth, and Williams and Odubel Herrera each had two hits apiece for the Phillies.
Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz (3-3) pitched six solid innings, allowing only one earned run and six hits while striking out five. The Braves managed just five hits — all singles — and no player had more than one.