AROUND THE HORN
■ Athletics: Brent Rooker homered, Paul Blackburn pitched six sparkling innings and the Athletics earned their second win of the season, beating the Tigers 4-0 on Saturday. Zack Gelof walked and scored three times as the A’s (2-7) ended a four-game losing streak. The Tigers only got two runners to second base in the first seven innings. The Tigers are off to a 6-2 start, but their lineup has been shaky so far. Blackburn (1-0) continued his strong start to the season. The right-hander allowed three hits, struck out four and walked none. Using a five-pitch repertoire, Blackburn has given up six hits and one walk in 13 scoreless innings this season.
■ Cardinals: The winless Marlins, who are off to the worst start in the 33-year history of the franchise, dropped their ninth consecutive game on Saturday, losing 3-1 to Steve Matz and the Cardinals. Iván Herrera and Brendan Donovan each had two hits for the Cardinals. Jordan Walker contributed an RBI double. Matz (2-0) surrendered four hits in five scoreless innings. Ryan Helsley pitched the ninth for his third save. The Marlins’ Trevor Rogers (0-1) was charged with three runs, two earned, and five hits in five innings. He struck out three and walked three. The 0-9 Marlins are the only winless team in baseball. The Mets, who dropped their first seven games, beat the Tigers 2-1 on Thursday for their first win. The Orioles hold the big league record with 21 losses to start the 1988 season.
■ Guardians: David Fry hit a three-run homer and seven Guardian pitchers combined on a two-hitter, helping the Guardians beat the Twins 3-1 on Saturday. On a day when they lost ace Shane Bieber to season-ending elbow surgery, the Guardians showcased their pitching depth while improving to 7-2 this season. Carlos Carrasco worked three innings of one-run ball. The 37-year-old righthander struck out six and walked three before he was pulled after 78 pitches. Nick Sandlin (2-0), Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, Scott Barlow, Tyler Beede and Emmanuel Clase combined to blank the Twins over the final six innings. Clase worked the ninth for his fourth save.
Yankees: Yankees reliever Jonathan Loaisiga will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn UCL, he announced on Saturday. The expected recovery time is 10-12 months. Pain in Loaisiga’s arm surfaced at the end of his perfect ninth inning against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday and he underwent an MRI on Thursday. “It was a couple pitches before he finished his outing the other day,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday. “He, at the time, didn’t really think it was that big a deal. Finished that inning, said something and then after the game even getting with him, I don’t think he was too concerned about it. But, obviously, it is concerning.” Loaisiga, 29, spent most of 2023 on the injured list after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow in May. He returned in August, finishing the season with just 17 appearances.