AROUND THE HORN
Nationals:
Matt Olson hit two of Atlanta’s four homers, and Spencer Strider struck out nine batters in six scoreless innings, while consistently reaching 99 mph, leading the Braves to a 7-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday in Washington. Ronald Acuña Jr. and Olson began the game with back-to-back solo shots, and Marcell Ozuna added one later for Atlanta — all off Josiah Gray, who allowed the most homers in the majors last season. Washington managed just three hits off Strider (1-0).
Mariners: Robbie Ray was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday by the Mariners because of a left flexor strain.
Brewers: Infielder Luis Urías was placed on the 10-day injured list by the Brewers on Saturday because of a strained left hamstring, and the team selected the contract of outfielder Joey Wiemer from Triple-A Nashville. Meanwhile,William Contreras hit a tiebreaking two-run single in Milwaukee’s three-run eighth inning, and the Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Saturday for the team’s first win of the season. Brandon Woodruff pitched six sharp innings for Milwaukee, and Devin Williams worked a rocky ninth for the save.
Padres: Two-time All-Star infielder Jake Cronenworth and the Padres agreed Saturday to an $80 million, seven-year contract coverig 2024-30. Cronenworth and the Padres reached a one-year deal in January for $4,225,000, and he would have been eligible for free agency after the 2025 season.
Giants: Catcher Gary Sánchez agreed to a minor league contract with the Giants and will report to Triple-A Sacramento.
Twins: Sonny Gray combined in four-hitter, Jose Miranda had an RBI single, Kyle Farmer drove in another run with a sacrifice fly and the Twins beat the Royals 2-0 to open with consecutive shutouts for the first time in franchise history. Gray (1-0) allowed three hits and had a strikeout and four walks, all of which came in full-count situations. Relievers Jorge Alcalá, Griffin Jax, Caleb Thielbar and Jorge López held the Royals scoreless. Thielbar struck out three, and López got his first save of the year.
Angels: Taylor Ward homered and drove in four runs, and the Los Angeles Angels scored 11 times in the third inning to beat the Oakland Athletics 13-1 on Saturday, spoiling the major league debut of pitcher Shintaro Fujinami. Shohei Ohtani had two hits and two RBIs for Los Angeles. Gio Urshela, Jake Lamb and rookie catcher Logan O’Hoppe drove in two runs apiece to help the Angels avoid an 0-2 start for the second consecutive season.
Reds: Jake Fraley came off the bench to hit a threerun homer, Kevin Newman had a two-run shot against his former team and the Reds beat the Pirates 6-2 on Saturday.
Rays: Zach Eflin is off to a nice start after signing the largest free-agent contract in Tampa Bay Rays history, pitching five strong innings and getting lots of offensive support in a 12-2 rout of the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.
Astros: Kyle Tucker hit a pair of run-scoring singles and Yordan Alvarez had three hits to lead the Houston Astros over Chicago White Sox 6-4 on Saturday. Chicago’s Seby Zavala, who at San Diego State, hit a two-run homer a few hours before the Aztecs played in the Final Four.