AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
Brian Roberts hit a three-run homer and Jake Arrieta allowed one run in six innings as the unbeaten Baltimore Orioles thrilled a sellout crowd in their home opener by defeating the Detroit Tigers 5-1 on Monday.
Photo: AFP
On a gorgeous afternoon at Camden Yards, the Orioles extended a surprising winning streak that began with a three-game sweep at Tampa Bay. Off to its best start since 1997, Baltimore (4-0) has not yet trailed, hasn’t given up more than one run in a game and has outscored the competition 17-4.
With the score tied at 1-1 in the fifth, Felix Pie walked and went to third on a double by J.J. Hardy before Roberts hit a 1-2 pitch from Rick Porcello (0-1) over the wall in right-center. Roberts has Baltimore’s only two home runs this season.
Nick Markakis followed with his third hit, a double, and Matt Wieters delivered a two-out RBI single for a 5-1 lead.
YANKEES 4, TWINS 3
In New York, Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada each hit a two-run homer and rookie Ivan Nova kept the New York Yankees ahead in a win over Minnesota.
Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera each pitched a scoreless inning to close the Yankees’ 15th victory in their last 16 home tries against Minnesota — that includes wins in New York’s opening-round playoff sweeps over the Twins the last two years.
Rodriguez lined his 615th homer in the first, then Posada connected the next inning for his third home run in two days. The shots off Scott Baker (0-1) gave the Yankees 11 home runs through their first four games.
Jim Thome had a two-run double for the Twins
RANGERS 6, MARINERS 4
In Arlington, Texas, Nelson Cruz became the third player in major league history to hit home runs in the first four games of a season as the Texas Rangers beat Seattle to remain one of four unbeaten teams in the big leagues.
Texas (4-0) is off to its best start since opening 7-0 in 1996, following up a three-game weekend sweep of Boston. Cruz joined Willie Mays (1971) and Mark McGwire (1998) as the only players to go deep in each of their first four games of a season.
Derek Holland (1-0) allowed three runs and seven hits with five strikeouts in six innings. Neftali Feliz worked a perfect ninth for his first save.
Elvis Andrus got the Rangers rolling in the first inning with his first homer in 705 at-bats. Julio Borbon had a two-run triple.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, MILWAUKE, WISCONSIN
Martin Prado and Dan Uggla homered off Takashi Saito in the eighth inning, rallying the Atlanta Braves to a 2-1 victory and spoiling the Milwaukee Brewers’ home opener on Monday.
Rickie Weeks continued his impressive start for winless Milwaukee with his third homer. However, the Brewers are 0-4 after getting swept at Cincinnati to begin the season.
Peter Moylan (1-0) got three outs to earn the win and Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for his second save.
Prado equalized with his leadoff drive in the eighth. Saito (0-1) got two outs before Uggla hit a deep fly to left-center that hit off the top of the wall and bounced over.
Atlanta starter Brandon Beachy and Milwaukee’s Chris Narveson each tossed six sparkling innings.
CUBS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 1
In Chicago, Randy Wells overcame a shaky start to pitch six solid innings and Kerry Wood escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth as Chicago beat Arizona.
Alfonso Soriano homered and drove in two runs for the Cubs. Carlos Marmol, who blew a save in Sunday’s loss to the Pirates, worked the ninth for his second of the season.
Wells (1-0), hoping to regain the form of his 2009 rookie season, outpitched Diamondbacks left-hander Joe Saunders (0-1) on an overcast afternoon at Wrigley Field.
Willie Bloomquist hit his first career leadoff homer for Arizona.
PIRATES 4, CARDINALS 3
In St Louis, Missouri, Charlie Morton won his first road game since the end of 2009 in a 8°C chill as the Pittsburgh Pirates stunned St Louis starter Kyle Lohse with a four-run sixth inning.
In a span of four pitches, Lohse (0-1) issued his first walk all year, then allowed Neil Walker’s two-run double and Andrew McCutchen’s second homer to put Pittsburgh ahead 4-1.
Joel Hanrahan got four outs to preserve a one-run lead for his third save in three chances for the Pirates, who are 3-1 on the road to start the year after going a major league-worst 17-64 away from home last season.
The Cardinals were 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and 2 for 16 with men on base against Morton (1-0) and four relievers. Albert Pujols was 0 for 3 with a walk and is 2 for 16 with a homer and one RBI thus far.
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