Astros lose 7-6 to Mariners, announce Verlander injury
HOUSTON — The Houston Astros surrendered a tiebreaking two-run single to rookie Kyle Lewis in the eighth inning of a 7-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, and then announced ace Justin Verlander will be shut down for at least two weeks with a strained right forearm.
Astros manager Dusty Baker denied a report that said the injury would end Verlander’s season. He said Verlander would be evaluated after two weeks.
Lewis and Shed Long Jr. each had two hits and two RBIs for the Mariners, who had dropped their last 15 games against Houston.
Dan Altavilla (1-0) got the win. Taylor Williams yielded an RBI double to Michael Brantley before striking out Alex Bregman for his first career save.
Martín Maldonado drove in two runs for Houston. Chris Devenski (0-1) got the loss.
Rockies 5, Rangers 2
ARLINGTON, Texas — Trevor Story homered twice for Colorado after Corey Kluber left his Texas debut with shoulder tightness.
Kluber, who was acquired in an offseason trade with Cleveland, lasted just one inning and 18 pitches in his first start in almost 15 months.
The Rangers said Kluber reported feeling the tightness in the first few pitches and it got worse as the inning progressed. The two-time Cy Young Award winner was examined by a team doctor and will be further evaluated Monday.
Texas slugger Joey Gallo hit the first home run in the club’s new $1.2 billion retractable roof stadium. Joe Palumbo (0-1), who replaced Kluber, got the loss.
Colorado’s Kyle Freeland (1-0) gave up two runs in six innings. Wade Davis pitched a perfect ninth for his second save.
Pirates 5, Cardinals 1
ST. LOUIS — Pittsburgh’s
Derek Shelton staged baseball’s first major, socially distanced umpire argument, then got his first victory as a big league manager.
Colin Moran and Jose Osuna homered for the Pirates, and Mitch Keller (1-0) pitched five solid innings.
Shelton came out to argue with plate umpire Jordan Baker in the third inning after pitcher Derek Holland was ejected from the dugout for arguing balls and strikes. Baker let Shelton say his piece, and the first-year skipper was not ejected.
Cardinals starter Dakota Hudson (0-1) gave up four runs, including two homers, in 4 1/3 innings.
Marlins 11, Phillies 6
PHILADELPHIA — Miami scratched right-hander José Ureña from its victory at Philadelphia and delayed its postgame trip home amid concerns about a possible coronavirus outbreak within the team.
No reason was given for Ureña being scratched. Manager Don Mattingly said the Marlins decided to wait until Monday to leave Philadelphia, and they planned to arrive in Miami hours before their home opener against Baltimore. The trip might be made while multiple players remain in Philadelphia.
Brian Anderson and Miguel Rojas each hit a three-run homer, and Stephen Tarpley (1-0) got two outs for the win. Jesús Aguilar and Corey Dickerson also went deep.
Bryce Harper hit a three-run shot for Philadelphia, and Adam Haseley finished with four hits. Cole Irvin (0-1) got the loss.
Tigers 3, Reds 2
CINCINNATI — C.J. Cron hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the ninth inning, and Detroit got to Cincinnati’s bullpen for the second straight day.
Miguel Cabrera led off with a 10-pitch walk before Cron connected against Michael Lorenzen (0-1), sending an opposite-field drive deep to right.
José Cisneros (1-0) pitched the eighth for the win. Joe Jiménez got Joey Votto to bounce into a game-ending double play for his second save in two days.
Cincinnati played without second baseman Mike Moustakas and center fielder Nick Senzel after each player was scratched. Moustakas was placed on the injured list because he wasn’t feeling well, according to manager David Bell. Senzel also reported feeling sick.
The moves came a day after Reds infielder Matt Davidson went on the injured list because he tested positive for the coronavirus.
Indians 9, Royals 2
CLEVELAND — More than a year since being stricken with leukemia, Carlos Carrasco struck out 10 in six-plus innings to help Cleveland take two of three in the delayed season-opening series.
Jose Ramírez hit a three-run homer left-handed in the fourth and added a solo shot from the right side in the sixth for the Indians, who finally put some solid swings together against Kansas City’s bullpen.
With his rotation currently thin due to pitchers testing positive for COVID-19, Royals manager Mike Matheny started reliever Ronald Bolaños (0-1), who gave up two runs in the first and took the loss.
Carrasco allowed two runs and five hits before he was lifted after allowing a leadoff double in the seventh. It was his first start since his recovery from chronic myeloid leukemia, a blood disorder that threatened his life.