NATIONAL LEAGUE
Johan Santana won for the first time in 20 months, finally getting some run support from his teammates, as the New York Mets beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 on Saturday to snap a four-game losing streak.
Mike Nickeas and Andres Torres each hit a two-run single to back Santana, who toughed out seven innings for his first victory since the two-time Cy Young Award winner had shoulder surgery in September 2010. Daniel Murphy went 4-for-4 for the Mets.
Photo: AFP
Santana’s last win came against Atlanta on Sept. 2, 2010, before his injury wiped out last season. The Mets had scored just four runs in his first five starts this year, but matched that total in the fourth inning on Saturday.
Santana (1-2) allowed nine hits and gave up three runs, striking out five and walking one.
NATIONALS 7, PHILLIES 1
In Washington, Gio Gonzalez allowed one run over seven innings as Washington hit a season-high three home runs in the win over Philadelphia.
Jayson Werth hit a three-run drive, Chad Tracy connected with a man on and Ian Desmond had a solo shot for the Nationals, who have won seven straight over the Phillies dating to last year.
Gonzalez (3-1) gave up four hits, struck out seven and walked one. Acquired in December last year in a trade with Oakland, the left-hander has a 1.72 ERA in six starts this season and has yielded only three runs over the past 27 innings.
In other NL action, it was:
‧ Dodgers 5, Cubs 1
‧ Giants 5, Brewers 2
‧ Astros 8, Cardinals 2
‧ Pirates 3, Reds 2
‧ Braves 13, Rockies 9
‧ Marlins 4, Padres 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, CLEVELAND, OHIO
Pinch-hitter Adrian Beltre hit a three-run homer in the 11th inning to lift the Texas Rangers over the Cleveland Indians on Saturday.
Beltre didn’t start for the fourth straight game due to a tender hamstring, but he hit a 1-0 pitch from Joe Smith (1-1) over the center-field wall for his fifth homer, snapping Texas’ three-game losing streak.
Alexi Ogando (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings and Joe Nathan worked the 11th for his seventh save in eight tries.
Asdrubal Cabrera had four hits for Cleveland, who had their three-game winning streak stopped.
It was Beltre’s third career pinch-hit homer — but first in nearly 12 years. He also did it in 1998 and 2000 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
ORIOLES 8, RED SOX 2
In Boston, Mark Reynolds hit a three-run homer and Jason Hammel continued his strong start this season as Baltimore extended Boston’s recent home struggles.
Adam Jones added a two-run homer for Baltimore, who won their 10th in the past 12 games, and Hammel (4-1) held the Red Sox scoreless until he gave up two runs in the seventh.
Adrian Gonzalez had three hits for Boston, who lost their fourth straight and have dropped nine of their past 10 games at home.
ANGELS 6, BLUE JAYS 2
In Anaheim, California, Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo homered, and C.J. Wilson pitched effectively through eight innings as Los Angeles bounced back from consecutive shutout losses against Toronto to beat the Blue Jays with slumping slugger Albert Pujols on the bench.
Wilson (4-2) allowed two runs and six hits, including Adam Lind’s leadoff homer in the seventh, and struck out nine. Kyle Drabek (2-3) was charged with five runs, eight hits and five walks in five-plus innings.
In other AL action, it was:
‧ White Sox 3, Tigers 2
‧ Royals 5, Yankees 1
‧ Athletics 4, Rays 3 (12)
‧ Mariners 7, Twins 0
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set