Despite Pujols' homer, Cardinals fall to Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Tyrone Taylor hit a tworun double in the seventh inning to give Milwaukee a cushion, and the Brewers outlasted Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 on Sunday.
Pujols hit his 681st career homer, a three-run shot in the third inning off Aaron Ashby that tied the game at 3, but the Brewers regained the lead in the fourth on Willy Adames' bases-loaded walk and held on from there.
Taylor's seventh-inning double made it 6-3. St. Louis got within one in the eighth against Devin Williams, but Josh Hader struck out two during a perfect ninth for his fourth save of the season and 100th of his career.
Jake Cousins (2-0) worked a scoreless fifth for Milwaukee. St. Louis starter Dakota Hudson (0-1) allowed four runs, three earned, in three innings.
Making his first start of the season after two relief appearances, Ashby issued four walks and a pair of hits over four innings. The three runs he allowed — all on Pujols' blast — were unearned thanks to an error on Milwaukee second baseman Kolten Wong to open the inning.
The Brewers jumped ahead 3-0 in the first. Andrew McCutchen had a sacrifice fly, and Rowdy Tellez hit a run-scoring double to the wall in left-center. Milwaukee got another run on a throwing error by catcher Andrew Knizner.
Hudson retired six of his next seven batters before Keston Hirua brought his day to an end with a single to lead off the fourth. Reliever T.J. McFarland gave up a single and a walk to load the bases. After striking out Wong, McFarland lost a seven-pitch battle to Adames that gave Milwaukee the lead.
METS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 0
NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso hustled around the bases to spark the pivotal rally and later hit a tworun homer that helped the New York Mets beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 on Sunday.
Pinch-hitter J.D. Davis delivered an RBI single in a three-run sixth inning and five Mets pitchers combined on a five-hitter for New York's third shutout in 10 games this season.
Filling in for injured Taijuan Walker, lefthander David Peterson tossed 4 1/3 effective innings that left Mets starters with a 1.07 ERA overall — lowest for any team after 10 games since earned runs became an official stat in both leagues back in 1913.
Trevor Williams got two outs and Chasen Shreve (1-0) pitched two perfect innings to earn New York's first win by a reliever this year. Drew Smith and Edwin Díaz worked an inning apiece to finish it.
PIRATES 5, NATIONALS 3
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Michael Chavis drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates came from behind to beat the Washington Nationals 5-3 on Sunday and take the four-game series.
Chavis' single to left field against reliever Steve Cishek (0-1) scored Josh VanMeter to put the Pirates in the lead and complete the comeback from down 3-0.
Pittsburgh also came back from three runs down to beat Washington in the first game of the series on Thursday.
It took the Pirates until the sixth inning to get to Nationals starter Patrick Corbin. Corbin issued a pair of free passes around a Chavis single to load the bases. Victor Arano came on in relief and allowed a Diego Castillo fielder's choice and a Ben Gamel single that each scored a run.
In the seventh, Cole Tucker and VanMeter singled, Daniel Vogelbach was intentionally walked and then Tucker scored on a wild pitch. Chavis then drove in VanMeter through a drawn-in infield.