Strasburg scratched from his 1st start

World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg was scratched from what was supposed to be his first start of the season for the Nationals on Saturday night because of a nerve issue with his right hand.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez announced about four hours before the scheduled first pitch against the visiting Yankees that Strasburg would be replaced as his team’s starter by Erick Fedde.

Martinez said Strasburg, a righty who was bothered by the wrist and thumb of that hand, was given an injection for the issue, likening it to “basically a cortisone shot.”

“Hopefully this is a day-to-day thing,” Martinez said. “We want to be cautious.”

■ Nationals C Tres Barrera was suspended 80 games without pay by MLB after testing positive for an anabolic steroid.

Cubs get mad, Brewers get even:

Christian Yelich and Justin Smoak hit long runs, umpires intervened before a shouting match between the teams got too serious and the Brewers powered past the Cubs 8-3.

Without fans at Wrigley Field, players from both NL Central rivals could be heard shouting toward each other from their dugouts before the start of the fourth inning.

All-Star catcher Willson Contreras seemed to be barking the loudest from the warning track in front of the Cubs dugout, and several players from both sides popped out onto dirt near their benches. Umpires jumped in and calmed things down quickly before players could cross the foul lines.

A day after the Cubs won the opener 3-0, star Javier Baez was hit by a pitch in the first and the Brewers’ Omar Narvaez was plunked in the fourth and the fifth.

Anthony Santander and Renato Nunez each drove in two runs and the Orioles held off the Red Sox 7-2 to even their seasonopening series.

Alex Cobb (1-0) was steady in his first start since April 2019 after missing most of last season with a hip injury that required surgery. After the Red Sox pounded out 17 hits in its 13-2 win Friday, Cobb mostly kept the Red Sox off balance, allowing just four hits and one run while striking out six in 5 1⁄3 innings of work.

Cobb, O’s bounce back:

The first big league game with an automatic runner in extra innings was decided with a blast rather than a bunt late Friday night.

Marcus Semien began the bottom of the 10th on second base under the new, unpopular rule and scored on Matt Olson’s grand slam, sending the Athletics over the Angels 7-3.

Olson, whose alert throw from first base nailed Angels free runner Shohei Ohtani in the top of the 10th, connected with one out. The A’s gathered around home plate to greet him on opening night.

On Saturday, the Angels evened the series as Dylan Bundy pitched shutout ball into the seventh in his team debut and Justin Upton homered in a 4-1 win.

Something extra:

A cardboard cutout of a dog at Citi Field got her paws on a home run ball Saturday. The Braves’ Adam Duvall drilled a solo shot to right field in the second inning that hit a cardboard likeness of the 1-year-old pup belonging to Mets All-Star Jeff McNeil . ... Lance McCullers Jr. was solid in his return from Tommy John surgery, Yuli Gurriel and George Springer homered and the Astros beat the Mariners for the 15th straight time, 7-2. McCullers (1-0) yielded five hits and two runs over six innings in his first game since the 2018 playoffs . ... Phil Gosselin homered twice, Didi Gregorius went deep again and new dad Zack Wheeler won his Phillies debut in a 7-1 victory over the Marlins . ... Brandon Lowe’s tworun triple snapped an eighthinning tie and sent the Rays over the Blue Jays 4-1 for their first win . ... Lance Lynn struck out nine over six solid innings and the Rangers inaugurated Globe Life Park in Arlington, their retractable-roof stadium, with a 1-0 win over the Rockies on Friday night.

Extra innings: