Leave it to Bieber to set big league strikeout record

Shane Bieber kept up his record strikeout run, fanning 13 and pitching the Cleveland Indians past the Cincinnati Reds 6-3 on Sunday.

Bieber (2-1) became the first pitcher in big league history to begin the season with four straight starts with at least 10 strikeouts.

The AL Cy Young Award winner has 48 strikeouts this year, matching Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan for the most through the first four starts of a season. Bieber has fanned at least eight in a 16 straight starts, one short of Randy Johnson’s major league mark.

Bieber allowed three runs and six hits with two walks.

NL WEST HEAVYWEIGHTS >> Eric Hosmer delivered the tying and go-ahead RBIs in the seventh and eighth innings, helping the Padres top the Dodgers 5-2 to avoid a sweep in the first series of the year between the rivals. The Dodgers won the opener Friday in 12 innings and took Saturday’s matchup 2-0.

San Diego had lost seven straight in the rivalry, including a three-game sweep in last year’s NL Division Series. The Padres and Dodgers will meet 16 more times this season, starting with a set next weekend in L.A. NOLA GOES THE DISTANCE >> Aaron Nola struck out 10 and threw a two-hitter for his first nineinning shutout in the majors, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 2-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Nola (10-1) threw a pair of doubleheadershortened complete games last season, including a shutout. But he never pitched into the ninth inning over his first 142 career starts. YANKEES LOSE AGAIN >> The last-place Yankees lost their fifth straight game as Yoshi Tsutsugo hit a tiebreaking double off Gerrit Cole in the seventh inning that lifted the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-2 win and a three-game series sweep.

Four pitchers combined on the Rays’ second three-hitter of a series in which New York managed 11 hits in all. Tampa Bay has won 16 of its last 21 against the Yankees.

MADBUM GETS UNTRACKED >> Madison Bumgarner had his best outing of the season, allowing a run over five innings as Arizona beat Washington 5-2. Bumgarner (1-2) gave up just two hits and dropped his ERA from 11.20 to 8.68 through four starts. He struck out five and walked one, helping Arizona split the fourgame series

STROMAN DAZZLES FOR METS >> Marcus Stroman (3-0) pitched eight innings of one-run ball and made a dazzling defensive play, catcher James McCann threw out Trevor Story attempting to steal second for the final out and New York beat reeling Colorado 2-1. J.D. Davis delivered an RBI single and Jeff McNeil had an RBI groundout for the Mets, who have won five of six. The Rockies have lost eight of nine. PEREZ BREAKS TIE >> Salvador Perez tapped his bat twice on the plate to make sure it wasn’t cracked, then sent the next pitch he saw from reliever T.J. Zeuch into the left-field fountains, breaking open a scoreless game and sending Kansas City past Toronto 2-0.

BRUCE CALLS IT A CAREER >> Three-time AllStar Jay Bruce of the Yankees announced his retirement. He received an ovation when shown on the Yankee Stadium video board before the eighth inning but did not get in the game. Bruce hit .118 with one homer and three RBIs in 39 plate appearances this year. He had a .244 average with 319 homers and 951 RBIs in 14 major league seasons.