LDN - Sports

Baseball roundup: Springer, Astros get off to fast start

[March 30, 2018] Justin Verlander scattered four hits in six shutout innings, and George Springer and Jake Marisnick hit solo home runs as the Houston Astros opened the defense of their World Series championship with a 4-1 win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday in Arlington, Texas.

Verlander (1-0) struck out five, walked two and hit a batter in his 90-pitch performance in outdueling Texas ace Cole Hamels (0-1). Verlander is now 10-1 in the regular season since being acquired by the Astros from Detroit in a last-minute trade on Aug. 31, 2017.

Hamels (0-1) was lifted after 5 2/3 innings in which he allowed three runs on five hits with four walks and seven strikeouts.

The Astros jumped in front in the first inning as leadoff man Springer homered to right on his first swing of the season. He became the first player ever to hit leadoff homers on Opening Day in consecutive years, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

White Sox 14, Royals 7

Matt Davidson became the fourth player in major league history to belt three homers on Opening Day, driving in six runs as Chicago rolled to a victory at Kansas City.

In joining George Bell, Tuffy Rhodes and Dmitri Young as the others in that club, Davidson cracked a solo shot in the fourth inning, unloaded another solo blast an inning later and capped his historic day with a three-run clout in the eighth.

Chicago finished with six homers, becoming the first team to belt a half-dozen bombs in a season opener since the New York Mets did it in 1988 at Montreal.

Yankees 6, Blue Jays 1

Giancarlo Stanton experienced a memorable debut for New York by homering in his first and last at-bats while driving in four runs to begin the Yankees' Aaron Boone era with a victory at Toronto.

In the first inning, Stanton drove an 0-1 fastball from J.A. Happ (0-1) over the right-center-field wall for a two-run shot. The ball had an exit velocity of 117.3 mph, the hardest hit homer to the opposite field ever tracked by Statcast.

Stanton hit an RBI double in the fifth and blasted a full-count changeup from Tyler Clippard over the center field fence in the ninth.

Cubs 8, Marlins 4

Ian Happ homered on the first pitch of the season, and Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber also went deep to lift Chicago to a victory at Miami.

Happ hit seven homers in spring training, including five leading off games, and he was at it again on Thursday. Meanwhile, Rizzo went deep in the second inning in his homecoming to his native South Florida, and Schwarber's homer atoned for an error he made during Miami's three-run third inning.

Former Marlin Steve Cishek earned the win by pitching 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. He replaced starter Jon Lester, who yielded four runs (three earned) in 3 1/3 innings.

Orioles 3, Twins 2 (11 innings)

Adam Jones homered to lead off the bottom of the 11th inning and give the Baltimore Orioles an Opening Day victory over visiting Minnesota.

Jones homered on the first pitch from Fernando Rodney (0-1) in the 11th after the Twins threatened against Richard Bleier (1-0) in the top half of the inning.

Caleb Joseph lined a two-run triple with two outs in the seventh inning to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead, but Twins pinch hitter Robbie Grossman's two-run single in the ninth off Brad Brach tied the score.

Braves 8, Twins 5

Nick Markakis hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to give Atlanta a come-from-behind win over visiting Philadelphia.

With the score tied 5-5, the Braves began the rally when Charlie Culberson led off the ninth with a swinging-bunt single off Hector Neris (0-1). Culberson was sacrificed to second by Ender Inciarte. After a popout and an intentional walk, Markakis (7-for-14 in his career against Neris entering the game) delivered the winning blast to right.

Arodys Vizcaino struck out the side in the top of the ninth to earn the win. Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies homered for Atlanta, and Cesar Hernandez hit a home run for the Phillies.

Brewers 2, Padres 1 (12 innings)

Orlando Arcia grounded an RBI single to right-center with two outs in the 12th inning, giving Milwaukee a victory at San Diego.

Arcia's hit scored Ji-Man Choi, who was at second after a two-out, pinch-hit double down the right field line. Both hits came off Padres right-handed reliever Adam Cimber, who took the loss in his major league debut.

Jeremy Jeffress was credited with the win after getting out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the 11th when Chase Headley grounded into a double play. Jacob Barnes got the save, striking out the side in a perfect 12th. Milwaukee pitchers had 15 strikeouts for the game.

A's 6, Angels 5 (11 innings)

Boog Powell tripled with one out in the 11th inning and scored on a single over a five-man infield by Marcus Semien, giving host Oakland a victory over Los Angeles.

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Semien's first career walk-off hit came after the A's, down 4-0 and 5-4, twice rallied to tie the game, the last time on a run-scoring single in the seventh inning by Khris Davis, his fourth RBI of the game.

The game featured the major league debut of Japanese star Shohei Ohtani, who recorded a hit in his first at-bat. Ohtani, scheduled to make his pitching debut as the starter in Sunday's series finale, finished 1-for-5.

Mets 9, Cardinals 4

New York scored five runs in the fifth inning to break open a tie game, and right-hander Noah Syndergaard became just the second pitcher in franchise history to record at least 10 strikeouts on Opening Day in a win over visiting St. Louis.

Adrian Gonzalez produced the go-ahead hit in the fifth with a one-out RBI double for the Mets. Amed Rosario laced a two-run single three batters later and Yoenis Cespedes and Jay Bruce added run-scoring singles later in the frame, during which New York sent 10 batters to the plate.

Syndergaard, who missed almost five months last season with a torn right lat, allowed four runs on six hits and no walks. He is the first Mets pitcher to strike out at least 10 batters on Opening Day since Pedro Martinez whiffed 12 in 2005.

Rays 6, Red Sox 4

Denard Span hit a three-run triple off Carson Smith with two outs in the eighth inning as Tampa Bay earned a comeback victory against visiting Boston.

The Rays entered the eighth down 4-0. Matt Duffy's RBI double three batters into the inning was followed by a bases-loaded walk from Smith (0-1) after Red Sox reliever Joe Kelly allowed an RBI double and walked three while facing just five batters.

Adeiny Hechavarria, who had the Rays' only hit through seven innings after Boston's Chris Sale tossed six one-hit innings with nine strikeouts, drove in Span with an infield single to cap the scoring.

Giants 1, Dodgers 0

Ty Blach pitched five shutout innings, and Joe Panik provided the only run of the game with a fifth-inning home run as San Francisco ended Clayton Kershaw's Opening Day winning streak with a victory at Los Angeles.

Kershaw had pitched seven consecutive Dodgers wins on Opening Day, recording the victory in five of them, including two in pitchers' duels with the Giants' Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum.

However, Panik's home run with two outs in the fifth gave the Giants a lead, which Blach and four San Francisco relievers protected. Hunter Strickland pitched the ninth for the save. Kershaw went six innings, allowing one run and striking out seven.

Diamondbacks 8, Rockies 2

Jake Lamb had two hits and four RBIs, and Jarrod Dyson contributed two hits and two runs in Arizona's victory over visiting Colorado.

Lamb had a two-run double in a three-run first inning off Jon Gray, and he added a two-run single in a three-run sixth to give the Diamondbacks a 6-2 lead. Lamb has nine career RBIs on Opening Day, breaking Luis Gonzalez's franchise record of seven.

Arizona starter Patrick Corbin (1-0) gave up two runs on bases-empty homers by DJ LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado while winning his first career Opening Day start. He gave up seven hits, struck out eight and walked one in 5 2/3 innings.

Mariners 2, Indians 1

Nelson Cruz cracked a two-run homer, and Felix Hernandez tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings as Seattle opened the season with a win over visiting Cleveland.

After Robinson Cano laced a first-pitch single with two outs in the first against reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber, Cruz also tried his hand with the first pitch. Pouncing on a cutter that stayed over the middle of the plate, Cruz laced it over the wall in left-center.

Hernandez and five relievers made the lead stick. Hernandez (1-0) permitted just two hits and two walks in his 83-pitch outing, fanning four. Edwin Diaz struck out three in the ninth to garner the save.

Nationals-Reds, ppd.

Washington's scheduled opener at Cincinnati was postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up Friday.

Pirates-Tigers, ppd.

Pittsburgh's scheduled opener at Detroit was postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up Friday.

--Field Level Media

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