Ohtani takes perfect-game bid into 7th in home debut
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Shohei Ohtani retired the Oakland Athletics' first 19 batters and yielded one hit over seven shutout innings in his home pitching debut, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 6-1 victory Sunday.
Marcus Semien's clean one-out single to left broke up Ohtani's bid for a perfect game,
Ohtani (2-0) struck out the side twice and finished with 12 strikeouts in all. He won his pitching debut in Oakland last weekend with six strong innings, then homered in three consecutive games in Anaheim between starts in his attempt to become the first regular two-way player in decades.
Mike Trout and Ryan Schimpf homered, and Albert Pujols had an RBI double in the Angels' seventh win in nine games. Kendall Graveman (0-2) gave up five hits and four walks while failing to get out of the fourth inning for the A's, who have lost seven of 10.
METS 6, NATIONALS 5, 12 INNINGS
WASHINGTON (AP) - Yoenis Cespedes scored Juan Lagares with a broken-bat single in the 12th inning to help New York complete a three-game sweep.
Lagares singled off Brandon Kintzler (0-2) to lead off the inning and was sacrificed to second by Amed Rosario. Washington intentionally walked Michael Conforto, and then Cespedes - hitless in five previous at-bats with three strikeouts - splintered his bat on a soft line drive to center field.
Bryce Harper hit his major league-leading sixth home run, singled twice and walked twice, but Washington dropped its fifth straight. Harper walked leading off the ninth but was stranded, then grounded out to end the 10th inning with a man on.
Adrian Gonzalez hit a grand slam for his first homer as a Met, and Asdrubal Cabrera hit a solo home run. New York earned its first three-game sweep of the Nationals since Sept. 7-9, 2015 in Washington.
Seth Lugo (1-0) pitched three scoreless innings, and Jacob Rhame got his first career save.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Jake Arrieta (0-1) lasted just four innings in his Philadelphia debut, allowing three runs - two earned - and three hits while striking out five. The 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner with the Cubs joined the Phillies a month into spring training, signing a $75 million, three-year deal that could be worth up to $135 million over five seasons.
Brian Anderson hit a tiebreaking two-run double in a three-run eighth off Luis Garcia (0-1) and Adam Morgan. Odrisamer Despaigne (2-0) pitched two hitless innings, and Brad Ziegler got three outs for his first save.
DIAMONDBACKS 4, CARDINALS 1
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Arizona manager Torey Lovullo set off a benches-clearing incident by maintaining eight-time All-Star catcher Yadier Molina was earning unwarranted strike calls with his pitch framing.
Lovullo was ejected by plate umpire Tim Timmons in the second inning. Lovullo was arguing a called third strike on A.J. Pollock and got into a shouting match with Molina. The catcher appeared to lunge at Luvollo and made contact as players ran onto the field.
David Peralta hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer off Dominic Leone (0-2) in the eighth and A.J. Pollock went deep later in the inning as Arizona matched its best with a 7-2 start.
Yoshihisa Hirano (1-0) pitched a perfect seventh for his first major league win, and Brad Boxberger got three outs for his fourth save.
BOSTON (AP) - Boston's Xander Bogaerts left with a left ankle injury in the seventh inning. The shortstop got hurt while sliding down into the Tampa Bay dugout and will have tests Monday.
Andrew Benintendi hit a tiebreaking RBI double in Boston's wild six-run eighth inning, and the Red Sox won their eighth straight.
Boston improved to 8-1, including 5-0 in one-run games. Tampa Bay has dropped eight straight since its win on opening day.
Carson Smith (1-1) pitched a scoreless inning , and Craig Kimbrel got three outs for his third save. Alex Colome (0-1) was the loser.
Tampa Bay had a season-high 11 hits and left 10 runners on base.
NEW YORK (AP) - Brad Brach escaped his own bases-loaded, no-out jam in the 12th inning, getting his second save when Aaron Judge grounded into a rare pitcher-to-catcher-to-third double play and striking out Giancarlo Stanton,
Baltimore overcame a 5-0, first-inning deficit to take three of four in New York following a five-game losing streak.
Stanton went 0 for 7, stranded nine runners and fanned five times for the second time in a week. He is hitting .167 and has 20 strikeouts in 42 at-bats in his first season with the Yankees.
Craig Gentry hit an RBI single in the 12th off Adam Warren (0-1).
CLEVELAND (AP) - Yan Gomes hit a tiebreaking two-run homer off Brandon Maurer (0-2) in the ninth inning
The game-time temperature was 32 degrees, the lowest in the 25-year history of the ballpark.
Cody Allen (1-0) worked the ninth for the win.
CHICAGO (AP) - Mike Fiers combined with four relievers on a three-hitter that completed a three-game sweep.
On an afternoon with a first-pitch temperature of 36 degrees and a 10 mph wind blowing straight in, the teams combined for just five hits - all singles - and none after the third inning.
Fiers (1-0) made his season debut after recovering from a lumbar strain and allowed three hits in six innings. and Shane Greene got three outs for his second save.
Leonys Martin blooped a single off Reynaldo Lopez (0-1) starting the game, stole second, advanced on Welington Castillo's passed ball and came home on Miguel Cabrera's sacrifice fly.
HOUSTON (AP) - Max Stassi hit a three-run homer off Tyson Ross (1-1), Charlie Morton (2-0) allowed four hits and three walks for one unearned run in six innings.
The 52-degree temperature with the open roof for the first pitch was the coolest in the ballpark's history, beating 57 degrees, on April 8, 2007.
Brad Peacock pitched a perfect ninth for his first save this season.
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Jose Quintana (1-1) three-hit ball over six innings, Ben Zobrist homered and Chicago finished 5-4 on its longest opening trip since going 7-5 in 1899.
Brandon Morrow pitched a perfect ninth for his second save.
Ben Zobrist's solo shot off the foul pole in right in the fourth gave the Cubs the only run they would need against Chase Anderson (0-1), who allowed two runs and four hits in six innings.
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Jameson Taillon (2-0) pitched a one-hitter for his first shutout in 45 major league starts, allowing Tyler Mahle's single to center with one out in the third. He struck out seven and walked two.
Taillon added an RBI single off Mahle (1-1) in the second, Gregory Polanco hit a two-run homer and Corey Dickerson a solo drive.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Steve Pearce homered on the first pitch of the game from Cole Hamels (1-2), and Kendrys Morales added a three-run shot in the first inning.
Jaime Garcia (1-0) won while facing Texas for the first time in 176 big league starts, allowing three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. Hamels (1-2) let four of his first five hitters reach and gave up seven runs - five earned - and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Robert Osuna retired four straight for his fourth save.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Cody Bellinger overcame food poisoning to score the go-ahead run on Kyle Farmer's pinch-hit double in the 10th inning off Pierce Johnson (0-1).
Josh Fields (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win and Kenley Jansen struck out three batters in the 10th for his first save this season.
Clayton Kershaw pitched seven scoreless innings but allowed Hunter Pence's leadoff single in the eighth and was charged with a run when pinch-hitter Buster Posey hit an RBI single against JT Chargois.
DENVER (AP) - Sean Newcomb (1-1) allowed three hits in the first inning before retiring the next 16 batters.
Nick Markakis and Dansby Swanson hit back-to-back homers off Kyle Freeland (0-2).
Colorado scored only six runs in the series and was shut out at home for the first time since last May 27.