- Associated Press - Wednesday, April 4, 2018

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Shohei Ohtani hit his second homer in two games at Angel Stadium in the fifth inning, and Zack Cozart had walk-off homer in the 13th inning of the Los Angeles Angels’ 3-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday.

One day after Ohtani hit an electrifying three-run homer in his first home plate appearance, the Japanese two-way rookie connected for a tying two-run homer off AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber in his second game at the Big A.

Neither team scored again after Ohtani’s blast until Cozart, the Angels’ new infielder, connected for his first career walk-off homer against Zach McAllister (0-1).

Ohtani also singled leading off the 10th to go 2 for 5, giving him six hits this season and five in his only two home games. The Angels’ rookie sensation will make his first home pitching start Sunday against Oakland, one week after beating the Athletics on the road in his big-league pitching debut.

The Angels hadn’t had a walk-off homer in extra innings since Aug. 9, 2014, when Albert Pujols did it.

Noe Ramirez (1-1), the Angels’ eighth reliever, came on with two outs in the 13th and struck out Erik Gonzalez with two Indians on base.

DIAMONDBACKS 3, DODGERS 0

PHOENIX (AP) - Patrick Corbin shut out Los Angeles on one hit over 7 1/3 innings, striking out a career-high 12 for Arizona.

The Diamondbacks swept the three-game series and won their ninth straight regular-season game against the Dodgers, going back to a pair of three-game series sweeps last season.

Corbin (2-0) retired 14 batters in a row to start the game, eight on strikeouts. The Dodgers struggled to make solid contact, and it took Matt Kemp’s bloop double with two outs in the fifth to break up Corbin’s no-hit bid. Kemp had the Dodgers’ only hit of the game.

Corbin was taken out after walking Kemp with one out in the eighth inning.

Brad Boxberger earned his second save with a scoreless ninth. The Dodgers had only four base runners, two in the ninth on Boxberger walks. The Diamondbacks scored a run in each of the first three innings.

YANKEES 7, RAYS 2

NEW YORK (AP) - Giancarlo Stanton turned boos to cheers with his first Yankee Stadium home run in pinstripes, an emphatic go-ahead drive in the first inning to helo New York complete a two-game sweep.

Stanton turned on a high slider from Blake Snell (0-1), driving the ball 458 feet to left field at 117.9 mph for a two-run homer with the hardest-hit ball in the major leagues so for this young season.

Acquired from Miami in December, the major league home run champion was booed a day earlier when he struck out a career-worst five times in the Yankees’ home opener.

Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez also hit two-run homers as the Bronx Bombers lived up to their nickname. Judge connected off reliever Matt Andriese, the pitcher who gave up a home run to Judge in the slugger’s first big league at-bat in August 2016. Sanchez’s drive ended an 0-for-17 slide.

Luis Severino (2-0) allowed two runs and five hits with seven strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings, the longest outing by a New York starter this year. The Yankees improved to 4-2 under new manager Aaron Boone and won their 11th straight home series against the Rays. Tampa Bay has lost five straight games since beating Boston in its opener and is off to its worst start since 2011.

METS 4, PHILLIES 2.

NEW YORK (AP) - Yoenis Cespedes homered, Amed Rosario hit a two-run triple and New York’s bullpen faced the minimum batters over five scoreless innings.

New York swept the weather-shortened two-game series.

With runners at the corners and two outs in the sixth, Rosario cleared the bases with a liner over the head of shallow-playing right fielder Nick Williams to chase reliever Drew Hutchison (1-1) and snap a 2-2 tie. The 22-year-old Rosario has driven in five runs in as many games.

Mets relievers continued their strong start in a game that started 97 minutes late due to rain. Converted starter Robert Gsellman (1-0) threw two perfect innings. Hansel Robles struck out the side in his first appearance this season. A.J. Ramos pitched a scoreless eighth and closer Jeurys Familia earned his third save in three chances. Mets relievers have allowed three runs in 20 1/3 innings (1.33 ERA), and the pitching staff as a whole has 61 strikeouts through the season’s first five games.

ASTROS 3, ORIOLES 2

HOUSTON (AP) - Josh Reddick had three hits, and Alex Bregman’s tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning lifted Houston past Baltimore for a three-game sweep.

Miguel Castro (0-1) took over for Dylan Bundy to start the seventh and walked Derek Fisher with one out. Fisher stole second base with two outs and the Astros went on top when he scored on Bregman’s single to left field. Reddick, who started the season 1 for 11, singled three times after hitting a two-run homer and a grand slam in his last two at-bats Tuesday night.

Houston starter Dallas Keuchel allowed five hits and two runs - one earned - with four walks in five innings. Brad Peacock (1-0) allowed two hits in three scoreless innings.

TWINS 7, PIRATES 3.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Brian Dozier homered for the third straight game, Miguel Sano drove in a pair of runs in frigid conditions and Minnesota handed Pittsburgh its first loss of the season.

Dozier hit a drive off the top of the left-field wall in the third inning for his fourth home run in four days. Sano finished 3 for 5 and started Minnesota’s four-run rally in the sixth with an RBI single. He added another run-scoring single in the seventh. Eduardo Escobar also drove in two runs for the Twins.

Taylor Rogers (1-0) got two outs in the fifth to pick up the win.

Josh Bell hit a 432-foot home run through the snow flurries in the first inning for Pittsburgh. Corey Dickerson added two hits for the Pirates, but Pittsburgh’s attempt to start 5-0 for the first time since 1983 ended when the Twins jumped on Ivan Nova (0-1) and the bullpen in the sixth.

WHITE SOX 4, BLUE JAYS 3

TORONTO (AP) - Matt Davidson hit his fourth home run of the season, Jose Abreu added a tiebreaking solo shot in the eighth inning and Chicago snapped Toronto’s four-game winning streak.

Davidson homered leading off the second inning, driving a 3-1 pitch from Aaron Sanchez over the left-field fence. With the score tied at 3, Abreu connected on a 3-0 pitch from reliever Ryan Tepera (1-1), sending a solo shot into the second deck in left-center field for his second home run of the year.

Right-hander Nate Jones (1-0) picked up the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Closer Joakim Soria earned his second save of the season with a flawless ninth inning.

GIANTS 10, MARINERS 1

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Pablo Sandoval splashed a three-run homer into McCovey Cove while making a rare start, Johnny Cueto earned his first win of the season and San Francisco jumped all over Seattle ace Felix Hernandez.

Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and Gorkys Hernandez also homered as the Giants got their bats going at last to back Cueto (1-0).

San Francisco rebounded quickly after losing its home opener a day earlier. Sandoval drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Giants ahead against Hernandez (1-1) in the first, when they also scored runs on a wild pitch and Crawford’s sacrifice fly.

Gorkys Hernandez connected leading off the second. Belt started the fifth with a drive to left. Sandoval’s drive into the water three batters later chased Hernandez, and Crawford followed with his first homer. It was the first time the Giants hit three homers in one inning since June 2, 2016, at Atlanta - also in the fifth. They last did it at home on May 7, 2007, in the fifth inning as well, against the Mets.

BRAVES 7, NATIONALS 1

ATLANTA (AP) - Mike Foltynewicz outpitched Max Scherzer, Preston Tucker hit a three-run homer and Atlanta beat Washington.

Foltynewicz (1-0) allowed four hits, one run and two walks and had eight strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. He snapped an eight-start skid during which he went 0-7 with a 7.34 ERA.

Scherzer (1-1) gave up six hits, two walks and five runs - two earned - in five innings. The three-time Cy Young Award winner struck out seven.

The Braves, with three straight seasons of at least 90 losses, improved to 4-2 and are two games over .500 for the first time since April 22, 2015.

CARDINALS 6, BREWERS 0

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Carlos Martinez pitched into the ninth inning and struck out 10, Yadier Molina homered and St. Louis beat error-prone Milwaukee.

Leadoff batter Dexter Fowler scored twice in the first three innings for the Cardinals.

A 4-0 lead after four innings was more than enough cushion for the hard-throwing Martinez (1-1). The two-time All-Star rebounded from a rough opening-day start last week against the New York Mets by cruising through the Brewers’ dangerous lineup at hitter-friendly Miller Park.

Martinez allowed four hits and two walks. He retired 16 straight before Domingo Santana laced a one-out single in the seventh. The right-hander’s fastball still registered 93 mph in the ninth.

Molina hit a solo shot to left field in the fourth off Jhoulys Chacin (0-1).

ROCKIES 5, PADRES 2

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Jon Gray pitched seven scoreless innings, Trevor Story and Ian Desmond each drove in two runs and Colorado beat San Diego.

Gray (1-1) shut down the Padres a night after they won 8-4 behind rookie Christian Villanueva’s three home runs and five RBIs. Gray retired Villanueva in three straight at-bats, including a strikeout. The right-hander struck out seven and walked none before three relievers finished a six-hitter.

Cory Spangenberg had two of the four hits off Gray. Wade Davis closed for his third save.

The Rockies hit Clayton Richard (0-1) hard in scoring all their runs in the first two innings.

ATHLETICS 6, RANGERS 2

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Sean Manaea pitched three-hit ball over eight innings and Oakland defeated Texas.

Jed Lowrie had a two-run single in a four-run fourth. Matt Chapman scored two runs and Bruce Maxwell added an RBI double for the A’s, who had lost four of five since winning on opening day.

Every Oakland starter had at least one hit or scored a run.

Manaea (1-1) struck out four and walked one while beating the Rangers for the third consecutive time.

Doug Fister (1-1) allowed five runs - two earned - and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.

___

More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide