AMERICAN LEAGUE
Mark Buehrle pitched shutout ball into the eighth inning and remained unbeaten this season, leading the Toronto Blue Jays over the Cleveland Indians 5-0 on Saturday.
Jose Reyes hit an RBI single in his first game since opening day, when he strained his left hamstring in his first at-bat of the season and went on the disabled list.
Buehrle (4-0) lowered his ERA to 0.64 in four starts.
The left-hander who once pitched a perfect game was pulled after giving up a single and walk to start the eighth. He allowed four hits overall, struck out three and walked three.
Corey Kluber (1-2) allowed five runs in 6-2/3 innings.
TIGERS 5, ANGELS 2
In Detroit, Max Scherzer struck out nine in seven innings as Detroit finally managed to beat Los Angeles.
Detroit had lost 10 straight to the Angels and had not beaten them since Aug. 26, 2012. The Tigers snapped that skid behind a sharp outing by Scherzer and home runs from Nick Castellanos and Victor Martinez.
Albert Pujols hit his 498th homer, connecting for a solo shot in the ninth.
Scherzer (1-1) allowed a run and three hits with two walks. The AL Cy Young winner earned his first victory of the season, striking out Mike Trout three times and Pujols twice.
C.J. Wilson (2-2) gave up three earned runs in five innings.
J.B. Shuck led off the game with a homer, but that was all the scoring for the Angels until Pujols homered for the second straight day, hitting his sixth shot of the season.
RED SOX 4, ORIOLES 2
In Boston, Brock Holt hit a tiebreaking triple in the seventh inning and scored on Jonathan Herrera’s suicide squeeze, lifting Boston over Baltimore.
David Ortiz had a solo homer and two hits for the World Series champion Red Sox, who have won three of four.
Nelson Cruz had a pair of run-scoring singles for the Orioles, who had a three-game winning streak halted.
In other AL action, it was:
‧ Royals 5, Twins 4
‧ Athletics 4, Astros 3
‧ Rays 16, Yankees 1
‧ Rangers 6, White Sox
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, WASHINGTON
Nationals star Bryce Harper was pulled by first-year manager Matt Williams after failing to run out a grounder in Washington’s 4-3 loss to the St Louis Cardinals on Saturday.
Harper hit a grounder back to pitcher Lance Lynn in the sixth inning, jogged to first base and took a right turn to the dugout before getting halfway down the basepath.
Williams yanked the 21-year-old Harper after the play. Known for his aggressive approach, Harper is a two-time All-Star.
“I respect what he did,” Harper said of Williams’ decision.
Williams said Harper would be in the starting lineup yesterday.
Lynn (4-0) won his fourth straight start, while Trevor Rosenthal got his fifth save. Jordan Zimmermann (1-1) allowed four runs, only one of them earned, in seven innings.
CUBS 8, REDS 4
In Chicago, Darwin Barney and Welington Castillo hit two-run homers, while Mike Olt added a solo shot as the Chicago Cubs ended a five-game losing streak, beating the Cincinnati Reds.
In other NL action, it was:
‧ Brewers 8, Pirates 7
‧ Braves 7, Mets 5
‧ Dodgers 8, Diamondbacks 6
‧ Rockies 3, Phillies 1
‧ Padres 3, Giants 1
In interleague play, it was:
‧ Marlins 7, Mariners 0
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