Right-hander Zack Wheeler threw seven shutout innings and drove in a pair of runs to help the Philadelphia Phillies defeat the visiting Atlanta Braves 4-0 on Saturday.
Wheeler (1-0) allowed only one hit, a harmless second-inning single to Travis d’Arnaud, and did not walk a batter. He struck out 10, two short of matching his career high, and threw only 90 pitches.
It was the ninth career double-digit strikeout game for Wheeler, his first with the Phillies. He improved to 7-5 in his career against Atlanta.
Wheeler was 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and two RBI and became the first Philadelphia pitcher with two hits, two RBIs and 10 strikeouts since Cliff Lee on Sept. 16, 2013.
Yankees 5, Blue Jays 3
Corey Kluber navigated through trouble in a successful debut for New York and Gary Sanchez homered for the second straight game at Yankee Stadium in the victory over Toronto.
Limited to one inning last season with the Texas Rangers due to a shoulder injury, Kluber allowed two runs and five hits in four innings. He struck out five and walked three in a 74-pitch outing. Kluber pitched with men on base in each inning but effectively used his sinker at various points.
Sanchez, coming off a disastrous .147 batting average last season, homered a few rows into the left-field seats to lead off the fourth when he hit a 2-2 slider from Ross Stripling (0-1) to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Teammate Jay Bruce celebrated his 34th birthday with a two-run, bases-loaded single in the sixth.
Royals 11, Rangers 4
Michael A. Taylor replayed his outstanding Opening Day, homering and driving in three runs for the second straight game as host Kansas City defeated Texas and scored in double figures for the second straight game.
Taylor’s home run in the fifth got the Royals started on their comeback from a 4-0 deficit. His two-run, bases-loaded double in the sixth gave the Royals the lead.
Mike Minor (1-0) picked up the win for Kansas City, allowing four runs on four hits in six innings. Josh Sborz (0-1) took the loss for Texas after not retiring a batter.
Orioles 4, Red Sox 2
Maikel Franco drove in two runs, and teammates Anthony Santander and Trey Mancini each added an RBI as visiting Baltimore defeated Boston.
The Orioles now have taken the first two games of this weekend’s series with Boston, and they did it the same way each time — using timely hitting and good pitching.
Matt Harvey started and gave up two runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings in his Baltimore debut. Harvey was effective but faded a bit in the fifth, and the bullpen took charge after that. Adam Plutko (1-0) came on and threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings, earning the victory.
Cubs 5, Pirates 1
Jake Arrieta tossed six solid innings to earn the win in his return to Chicago, which received solo homers from fellow 2016 World Series winners Kris Bryant and Jason Heyward in a victory over visiting Pittsburgh in the middle contest of a three-game series.
Arrieta (1-0), who returned to Chicago in February after spending the previous three seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, allowed one run on six hits and one walk while striking out five. The 35-year-old right-hander gave up the run while allowing three baserunners in a 25-pitch first inning but threw just 59 pitches over the final five innings, during which the Pirates got one runner beyond first base.
Arrieta went 68-31 with a 2.73 ERA for the Cubs between 2013 and 2017, a span in which he threw two no-hitters, won the 2015 National League Cy Young and anchored the rotation when Chicago won its first World Series in 108 years in 2016.
Astros 9, Athletics 1
Yordan Alvarez had a three-run home run among three hits, and four Houston pitchers limited Oakland to a total of three singles as the visiting Astros made it three straight over the A’s.
Lance McCullers Jr. (1-0) struck out seven in five innings, allowing just one run on two hits, to help Houston start 3-0 for the first time since its World Series-winning year of 2017.
Cole Irvin (0-1), a left-hander who won a spot in the A’s opening rotation in spring training, couldn’t make it out of the fifth inning, charged with four runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out two.
Tigers 5, Indians 2
Jeimer Candelario had three hits, two runs scored and an RBI, Julio Teheran won his Detroit debut, and the Tigers defeated visiting Cleveland.
Teheran went five innings, allowing one run on four hits. He pitched for the Los Angeles Angels last season.
Eddie Rosario homered and drove in both Cleveland runs. He reached base three times, as he also drew two walks.
Reds 9, Cardinals 6
Tucker Barnhart homered to spark a six-run Cincinnati third inning and Nick Castellanos was ejected after tempers flared in the Reds’ win over visiting St. Louis.
Adam Wainwright (0-1) retired his first six batters in order before running into trouble in the third, when the veteran walked Tyler Naquin before allowing Barnhart’s blast to right-center field. The Reds followed with six singles in the inning and forced Wainwright’s early exit after Naquin’s two-out, two-run single gave them a 6-1 lead.
Jake Woodford replaced Wainwright and ignited a benches-clearing argument after hitting Castellanos with a 92-mph fastball in the fourth. Castellanos stared at the mound before taking his base and eventually scored on a wild pitch, staring at Woodford after sliding in under his tag. Both dugouts emptied, and Castellanos was ejected for the first time in his career, but no punches were thrown and order was restored after a few minutes.
–Field Level Media
