Verlander extends mastery in an Astros uniform

AMERICAN LEAGUE

ASTROS 2, TWINS 0

MINNEAPOLIS — Justin Verlander struck out 9 over 7 innings, Carlos Correa had 2 hits and scored twice, and the Houston Astros beat the Minnesota Twins 2-0 on Monday night.

Verlander (2-0) was in control throughout on a chilly night with a first-pitch temperature of 35 degrees. The right-hander gave up three hits and walked one while helping the reigning World Series champions match their best 11-game start by going 9-2.

Verlander improved to 11-1 in 14 games, including the playoffs, since being traded to Houston last season.

Ken Giles earned his first save of the season by getting Byron Buxton to ground out with a runner on third in the ninth.

Twins reliever Taylor Rogers (1-1) allowed a leadoff double to Correa in the sixth after coming in for starter Lance Lynn. Correa scored from third on rookie J.D. Davis’ liner to left field off reliever Trevor Hildenberger.

Davis entered the night 1 for 14 but drove in his first run of the season. Marwin Gonzalez added an RBI double in the eighth.

Verlander allowed a one-out double in the first to Joe Mauer and then retired eight in a row before walking Mauer to lead off the fourth.

Verlander faced runners at the corners with no outs in the sixth after Brian Dozier’s swinging bunt, but he struck out Mauer and Miguel Sano before getting Eddie Rosario to pop out.

In eight regular-season starts with Houston, Verlander is 7-0 with a 1.20 ERA.

Lynn pitched five scoreless innings

in his first start at Target Field but departed early because of a rising pitch count. After walking six batters in his first outing of the year, Lynn walked four Monday to go with nine strikeouts on 105 pitches.

Minnesota loaded the bases in the eighth, but Eddie Rosario grounded into an inning-ending double play on the first pitch from reliever Chris Devenski.

INDIANS 2, TIGERS 0 Corey Kluber struck out 13, pitching two-hit ball for eight innings and leading host Cleveland past Detroit on Monday night.

ANGELS 8, RANGERS 3 Albert Pujols hit his 616th career home run, Martin Maldonado had two RBI singles and visiting Los Angeles extended its best start in more than three decades with a victory at Texas.

BLUE JAYS 7, ORIOLES 1 Steve Pearce homered in a third successive game, Josh Donaldson tacked on a ninth-inning grand slam and visiting Toronto beat Baltimore.

RAYS 5, WHITE SOX 4 Mallex Smith matched a career-high with four hits, Joey Wendle hit his first home run and visiting Tampa Bay stopped an eight-game losing streak by hanging on to beat Chicago.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

BREWERS 5, CARDINALS 4 (10) Greg Holland, in his debut with St. Louis, walked four batters in the 10th inning and forced home the

go-ahead run Monday night that gave visiting Milwaukee a victory. NATIONALS 2, BRAVES 0 Max Scherzer stole the first base of his professional career and allowed only two singles in his fifth big league shutout, and host Washington ended a five-game losing skid while getting back to .500 with a victory over Atlanta. METS 4, MARLINS 2 Noah Syndergaard allowed one earned run in six innings and visiting New York won its sixth consecutive game by beating Miami for the best start in team history.

PHILLIES 6, REDS 5 Pinch-hitter Nick Williams hit a tiebreaking solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift host Philadelphia to a victory over Cincinnati. Scott Kingery homered for the first time in his career and Rhys Hoskins also went deep for the Phillies. Tucker Barnhart hit a two-run home run for the Reds. PADRES 7, ROCKIES 6 Pitcher Clayton Richard homered into the second deck at Coors Field and visiting San Diego weathered Carlos Gonzalez’s disputed home run to beat Colorado. Richard connected for his third career homer as part of a five-run fourth inning, driving the first pitch he saw from Jon Gray (1-2) above the Rockies bullpen in right-center.