AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
PHOTO: REUTERS
After nearly three decades inside the Metrodome, the Minnesota Twins moved outdoors and beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Monday thanks to hometown star Joe Mauer in the first regular-season game at their new Target Field ballpark.
Jason Kubel hit the first home run and Carl Pavano earned the first victory.
Pavano (2-0) gave up four hits and one run in six innings and the Twins bullpen backed him up, with Jon Rauch recording his fifth save.
Jon Lester (0-1) labored through five innings for the Red Sox, throwing only 59 of his 107 pitches for strikes.
Kubel homered into the right-field seats in the seventh inning.
Kubel and Mauer, the American League most valuable player, each had three hits and drove in two runs.
RAYS 5, ORIOLES 1
At Baltimore, Matt Garza allowed one run in eight innings and Carl Crawford had four hits from four at bats with a homer as Tampa Bay downed Baltimore.
The game drew 9,129 fans, the smallest crowd in the 19-year history of Camden Yards.
Reid Brignac also homered for the Rays in their first road game of the season.
Felix Pie connected for the Orioles, who fell to 1-6 with their fourth straight loss.
WHITE SOX 8, BLUE JAYS 7, 11 INNINGS
At Toronto, Mark Teahen tripled home the go-ahead run in the 11th inning as Chicago snapped Toronto’s five-game winning streak and spoiled the Blue Jays’ home opener.
Mark Kotsay led off the 11th with a pinch-hit single off Jeremy Accardo (0-1) and was replaced by pinch runner Omar Vizquel. Teahen followed with a triple to right center.
Teahen, who tied the game with a ninth-inning homer off Jason Frasor, finished 3 for 5 with three RBIs. He also singled home a run in the sixth.
In other games, it was:
• Athletics 4, Mariners 0
• Rangers 4, Indians 2, 10 innings
• Royals 10, Tigers 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, ST LOUIS, MISSOURI
Albert Pujols homered and drove in four runs to lead Adam Wainwright and the St Louis Cardinals over winless Houston 5-0 on Monday in their home opener.
New batting coach Mark McGwire drew one of the biggest cheers during the pregame introductions before his first home game since retiring after the 2001 season.
Pujols hit an RBI single and a three-run homer and Ryan Ludwick went 4 for 4. Wainwright (2-0) pitched eight innings and added his first career pickoff.
The Astros are 0-7 and off to their worst since opening 0-9 in 1983. They’ve been shut out three times and have scored a major league-low 13 runs.
PADRES 17, BRAVES 2
At San Diego, Will Venable’s two-run shot highlighted a 10-run fourth inning, and Kyle Blanks homered and drove in a career-high five runs to lead San Diego to a rout of Atlanta in their home opener.
The Padres hit and scored as if they were playing in a bandbox rather than spacious Petco Park. Their 17 runs, on 19 hits, were the most by any team at the downtown ballpark since it opened in 2004.
Kevin Correia (1-1) yielded two runs and four hits in 5-2/3 innings for San Diego. He also had a two-run single in the fourth.
GIANTS 9, PIRATES 3
At San Francisco, Bengie Molina had four RBIs from four at bats to help Barry Zito and San Francisco get the win over Pittsburgh.
Pablo Sandoval had three hits and scored twice for San Francisco, who are tied with Philadelphia for the best start in the majors at 6-1. Aubrey Huff went 2 for 2 and scored three runs.
Zito (2-0) pitched six-plus innings in his 100th career start with the Giants, yielding three runs and five hits. The left-hander has won his first two starts for the first time since 2003, when he finished 14-12.
Akinori Iwamura and Andy LaRoche had two hits each for the Pirates, who have lost six straight at AT&T Park. Brian Burres (0-1) allowed six runs and eight hits in four innings.
Molina hit a two-run homer off Brendan Donnelly in the eighth.
REDS 6, MARLINS 5, 10 INNINGS
At Miami, Scott Rolen homered twice and drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning to help Cincinnati beat Florida.
Orlando Cabrera hit a two-run homer for Cincinnati. Rolen hit solo drives in the second and fourth, and has three homers after hitting 11 last year. Nick Masset (2-0) got the win.
Joey Votto started the 10th with a walk against Burke Badenhop (0-1). He advanced on a sacrifice and scored on Rolen’s one-out single.
Florida’s Jorge Cantu hit a two-run double in the third, increasing his RBI total to 12.
PHILLIES 7, NATIONALS 4
At Philadelphia, Placido Polanco hit a go-ahead single and Chase Utley had a two-run homer as Philadelphia overcame an early deficit to beat Washington in their home opener.
The two-time defending NL champions are off to a 6-1 start, their best since opening the 1993 pennant-winning season 7-1.
Cole Hamels (2-0) earned the win despite another so-so effort.
Ryan Madson got his second save.
Jason Marquis (0-2) had a two-run double for the Nationals.
CUBS 9, BREWERS 5
At Chicago, Xavier Nady, Jeff Baker and Aramis Ramirez homered as Chicago put on a power display for new owner Tom Ricketts in a win over Milwaukee.
Ricketts, the longtime fan whose family took over the team in October, joined his two brothers and sister to sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game during the seventh-inning stretch.
Ryan Dempster (1-0) ran his career record against the Brewers to 12-3. Doug Davis (0-1) lasted 3-1/3 innings.
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