AMERICAN LEAGUE
Max Scherzer worked into the seventh inning to become the first pitcher in 27 years to get off to a 13-0 start, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night.
Alex Avila hit a three-run homer and Victor Martinez belted a solo shot as Detroit beat Toronto for the eighth time in 10 meetings.
Photo: AFP
Scherzer (13-0) allowed two runs and seven hits, struck out eight and walked one in 6-1/3 innings. He is the first pitcher to begin the season with 13 wins and no losses since Roger Clemens won his first 14 decisions for the Boston Red Sox in 1986.
Both benches and bullpens emptied after Tigers outfielder Torii Hunter took exception to being hit by a high pitch from Todd Redmond in the sixth.
Colby Rasmus and Maicer Izturis each hit an RBI single for the Blue Jays. Josh Johnson (1-3) allowed six runs, one earned and seven hits in five innings.
ROYALS 6, INDIANS 5
In Kansas City, Missouri, Eric Hosmer hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning as the Royals rallied after losing outfielder Alex Gordon to a head injury.
Hosmer connected with two outs off Cody Allen (3-1), one inning after Gordon collided with the bullpen fence while tracking a fly ball. The Gold Glove outfielder remained down on the warning track for several minutes before slowly standing up and walking off the field.
Will Smith (1-1) pitched 1-2/3 innings of scoreless relief for the Royals, and Greg Holland managed the ninth to help Kansas City snap a three-game skid against the Indians.
Holland worked around an error by shortstop Alicdes Escobar for his 18th save.
Jason Kipnis ended up with a three-run, inside-the-park homer on the play that Gordon was injured, extending his hitting streak to 14 games. However, the bullpen failed to hold the 3-1 lead that he provided, ultimately snapping Cleveland’s five-game winning streak.
The start of the game was delayed 2 hours, 37 minutes by a stubborn rain cloud that refused to budge from over the stadium, even though there were clear skies not more than a mile away.
In other AL action, it was:
‧ Yankees 3, Twins 2
‧ Mariners 4, Rangers 2, 10 Inns
‧ Orioles 4, White Sox 2
‧ Astros 4, Rays 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania
Jeff Locke ran his winning streak to eight games, Pedro Alvarez hit a three-run homer and the Pittsburgh Pirates hung on to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 on Wednesday night.
Locke (8-1) was scored upon for the first time in four home starts, but extended his unbeaten streak to 16 outings. Locke, who has not lost since his first start of the season, allowed two earned runs on seven hits and three walks over 5-2/3 innings.
The Pirates took the lead with a four-run fifth punctuated by Alvarez’s 21st home run.
Andrew McCutchen reached base five times, scoring twice for the Pirates (52-31), who have the majors’ best record and had a nine-game winning streak snapped in the series opener on Tuesday.
Delmon Young and Domonic Brown each had three hits for the Phillies, who have lost four of six.
Brown’s two-run homer with two outs in the ninth pulled the Phillies within one, but Jason Grilli stuck out Young to seal his NL-best 28th save.
In other NL action, it was:
‧ Marlins 6, Braves 3
‧ Diamondbacks 5, Mets 3
‧ Reds 3, Giants 2, 11 Inns
‧ Brewers 4, Nationals 1
‧ Dodgers 10, Rockies 8
In interleague play, it was:
‧ Cubs 3, Athletics 1
‧ Cardinals 12, Angels 2
‧ Red Sox 2, Padres 1
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