Print

Mail

wiki links

AMERICAN LEAGUE: Red Sox return home to beat winless Detroit 5-0

Gary Sheffield, No. 3, of the Detroit Tigers misses a pitch against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. PHOTO: AFP

Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed four hits in 6 2-3 innings and the Boston Red Sox returned from their three-country trip to beat the winless Detroit Tigers 5-0 on Tuesday.

Matsuzaka (2-0) began the home portion of his second season in Boston with seven strikeouts and four walks. Manny Delcarmen and Hideki Okajima completed a five-hitter.

The Tigers are batting just .235 and have scored 15 runs this year, ahead of only Colorado (12) entering Major League Baseball play on Tuesday night.

Royals 5, Yankees 2

At Kansas City, Missouri, Alex Rodriguez struck out four times in a game for only the fourth time in his major league career, and Kansas City won its home opener.

With captain Derek Jeter sidelined for the three-game series by a strained left quadriceps, the Yankees wasted a 2-1 second-inning lead against a team it took nine of 10 from last season. New York struck out 11 times in all, three by Jeter’s replacement at shortstop, Wilson Betemit.

Ross Gload drove in two runs for the Royals, who at 5-2 under new manager Trey Hillman are off to their best start since opening 2003 with nine straight wins.

Brian Bannister (2-0) allowed two runs, five hits and four walks in five innings, striking out six. Joakim Soria pitched the ninth for his fourth save in four opportunities.

Orioles 8, Rangers 1

In Arlington, Texas, Scott Moore and Luke Scott hit early home runs and Baltimore ruined Texas’ home opener.

The Orioles (6-1) have the American League’s best record and a six-game winning streak, already matching their longest of last season.

Moore led off the second with a homer, and Scott followed an inning later with a two-run shot that made it 4-0 off Jason Jennings (0-2). Aubrey Huff matched a career high with four hits, and drove in four runs.

Mariners 6, Rays 5

At St. Petersburg, Florida, Erik Bedard struggled through six innings but got enough support from the Seattle’s sputtering offense to ruin Tampa Bay’s home opener.

Bedard (1-0) allowed five runs and five hits while improving to 11-3 in 19 career starts against Tampa Bay. The other 10 victories came while he was with the Orioles, who dealt him to Seattle just before the start of spring training.

Richie Sexson drove in three runs, drawing a bases-loaded walk in the third and hitting a two-run single off Gary Glover (0-1) in the sixth. Brad Wilkerson also had a two-run single for the Mariners, who staggered into town after losing four straight in Baltimore.



In other games it was:

• Athletics 9, Blue Jays 8

• Indians 4, Angels 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE

AP, NEW YORK

Jamie Moyer allowed two runs and four hits in six innings, Jayson Werth hit a tiebreaking single and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied past the New York Mets 5-2 in the National League on Tuesday.

Philadelphia, which took advantage of the Mets’ epic collapse last September to win the NL East division title, has won nine in a row against New York.

Chase Utley tied a major league record by getting hit by a pitch three times for the Phillies.

Mets reliever Scott Schoeneweis (0-1) gave up three runs — one earned — and two hits. He recorded only one out in the seventh. With the bases loaded and one out, Ryan Howard grounded to Carlos Delgado, who tried for a double play. His throw deflected off Utley and rolled toward center field for an error that allowed the tying run to score.

Brewers 3, Reds 2, 10 innings

At Milwaukee, Rickie Weeks singled home the winning run in the 10th inning and Milwaukee beat Cincinnati after Gagne blew his second save in three chances.

Corey Patterson hit a homer just over right fielder Corey Hart’s leap to tie the game in the ninth.

Eric Gagne, who signed a one-year, US$10 million contract this offseason to close for the Brewers after Francisco Cordero cashed in with a US$46 million contract with the Reds, also blew a save on opening day against the Cubs yesterday.

Rockies 4, Braves 3

At Denver, Ubaldo Jimenez overcame a shaky start and Matt Holliday hit two run-scoring singles in Colorado’s second-straight one-run win over Atlanta.

Each of the Braves’ five losses so far have come by one run. The Rockies have won three games so far, each by a run as well.

The Rockies still haven’t busted out of their offensive funk, but they finally topped the three-run mark in a game. Coming in, they had scored just 12 times in their first seven games, the lowest run production in the majors and half the number of runs that they had scored in their previous worst start, in 2002.

Diamondbacks 10, Dodgers

At Phoenix, Doug Davis, pitching two days before his scheduled surgery for thyroid cancer, allowed two runs in six innings, and Arizona trounced Los Angeles for its fifth straight win.

Cardinals 5, Astros

At Houston, Troy Glaus hit a two-run double in the eighth inning off Geoff Geary (0-1) to give St. Louis a win over Houston Anthony Reyes (1-0) pitched three scoreless innings of one-hit ball.

Giants 3, Padres 2, 11 innings

At San Francisco, Bengie Molina hit his second homer of the game with one out in the 11th inning off Cla Meredith (0-1), and San Francisco edged San Diego to snap a four-game skid.

Brad Hennessey (1-0) threw two shutout innings for the win.