Pirates Power Past Braves
(Pittsburgh, PA) — David Freese and Francisco Cervelli hit back-to-back home runs to power the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Atlanta Braves 5-4 at the home opener for PNC Park. The homers came in the bottom of the fifth inning off of reliever Josh Collmenter. Ivan Nova allowed an unearned run over six strong innings to earn the win. Tony Watson tossed a perfect ninth for the save in the Bucs’ first win of 2017. Mike Foltynewicz takes the loss after allowing two runs on six hits in three and-two-third innings. Matt Kemp collect two more hits in the setback, and is 8-for-16 to start the season.
Tigers Hold On Against Red Sox
(Detroit, MI) — Joe Kelly walked JaCoby Jones with the bases loaded scoring the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth as the Detroit Tigers avoided losing to the Boston Red Sox 6-5 at the Comerica Park home opener. The Sox scored five runs to take the lead in the top half of the inning. James McCann went deep for the Tigers. Francisco Rodriguez earned the win despite blowing the save for Detroit. Heath Hembree takes the loss for Boston. Pablo Sandoval drove in three and hit his first home run since 2015 in the setback.
Trio Of Homers Lift Nats Over Phillies
(Philadelphia, PA) — Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy and Jayson Werth all went deep as the Washington Nationals powered past the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6 at Citizens Bank Park. Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer allowed two runs on four hits and struck out seven over six and two-third innings to earn the victory. Blake Treinen closed out the win, and has picked up a save in all three Nats’ wins this season. Vince Velasquez struck out 10, but gave up four runs on five hits in four innings to take the loss. Aaron Altherr homered for the one-win Phillies in the setback. The Fightin’ Phils are just 3-and-11 in home openers at Citizens Bank Park.
Padres Edge Giants
(San Diego, CA) — Yangervis Solarte plated four runs as the Padres edged the Giants, 7-6, in San Diego. Solarte finished with two singles and a double for the Padres, and Manuel Margot had a pair of solo home runs. Jose Torres threw a clean inning of relief for the win and Brandon Maurer got the save for 2-and-3 San Diego. Brandon Belt had a grand slam and a solo shot for the Giants. George Kontos blew the save and took the loss as San Francisco fell to 1-and-4.
Reds Blank Cardinals
(St. Louis, MO) — Amir Garrett picked up his first Major League win with six-innings of scoreless ball as the Reds blanked the Cardinals 2-0 at Busch Stadium. Joey Votto drove in the game’s first run with an RBI double in the sixth. Scott Schebler’s solo-shot added insurance in the ninth. Raisel Iglesias picked up a six-out save as Cincy won its third-straight. Mike Leake took the loss while giving up just one-run in eight innings of work. The Cards’ mustered just two hits and fell to 1-and-3.
Orioles Outlast Yankees
(Baltimore, MD) — Seth Smith drilled the go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh inning as the Orioles outlasted the Yankees, 7-6, at Camden Yards. Smith finished 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI and a homer. Manny Machado had a three-run blast in the fifth. Donnie Hart earned the relief win and Zach Britton got the save for the unbeaten O’s. Gary Sanchez and Matt Holliday each drilled two-run homers for the Yankees, with Holliday added an RBI-single. Tyler Clippard blew the save and took the loss for New York, which fell to 1-and-3.
Rangers Double Up Athletics
(Arlington, TX) — Nomar Mazara drove in six runs as the Rangers doubled-up the Athletics 10-5 in Arlington. Mazara smashed a grand-slam in the second and also scored a run on Rougned Odor’s third home run of the year. Alex Claudio picked up the win in relief with three-and-two-thirds innings of shutout ball. Texas picked up its first victory improving to 1-and-3. Raul Alcantara was tagged with the loss after giving up eight-runs in only two-innings of work. Matt Joyce and Khris Davis went deep in defeat. Oakland fell to 2-and-3.
Rockies’ Freeland Deals In Debut Against Dodgers
(Denver, CO) — Kyle Freeland pitched six strong innings in his big league debut as the Colorado Rockies clipped the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 at the Coors Field home opener. The Denver native Freeland gave up just one run on four hits and struck out six batters. Jake McGee setdown the side in order on strikes for the save in the ninth. Dustin Garneau went deep for the Rockies, which improve to 4-and-1. Justin Turner notched two hits in the loss. Hyun-Jin Ryu took the loss in his first action since 2014.
Brewers Down Cubs In 11 Innings
(Milwaukee, WI) — Ryan Braun scored the walk-off run in the 11th inning on a wild pitch as the Brewers downed the Cubs, 2-1, at Miller Park. Mike Montgomery’s pitch got away from Willson Contreras with the bases loaded. Jimmy Nelson tossed six frames of one-run ball with eight strikeouts for Milwaukee, and Jared Hughes earned the relief win. Ben Zobrist belted a solo homer for the Cubs in the second. Montgomery fell to 0-and-2.
Angels Slam Mariners
(Anaheim, CA) — Jesse Chavez had a solid start as the Angels slammed the Mariners, 5-1, in Anaheim. Chavez gave up four hits and one run over five-and-two-thirds innings to get the win. Kole Calhoun and Cameron Maybin pounded home runs for the Halos as they won their home opener. Yovani Gallardo gave up eight hits and three runs over five-plus frames to take the loss for Seattle. Nelson Cruz had an RBI-single for the 1-and-4 Mariners.
Marlins Overpower Mets
(New York, NY) — Derek Dietrich tripled, singled and drove in three runs as the Marlins topped the Mets 7-2 in New York. Christian Yelich hit a two-run homer for Miami. Wei-Yin Chen held the Mets to one run over six innings to pick up the win. Zack Wheeler took the loss, allowing five runs in four innings. Wheeler made his first big league appearance since September 25th, 2014 and missed the past two seasons after Tommy John surgery. Yoenis Cespedes homered in defeat for the 2-and-2 Mets.
Twins Top White Sox
(Chicago, IL) — A pair of RBI-doubles keyed the Twins as they topped the White Sox, 3-1, in Chicago. Miguel Sano nailed the go-ahead RBI-double in the sixth inning, and Chris Gimenez added his own in the seventh to pad the lead. Phil Hughes tossed six innings of one-run ball for the win, and Brandon Kintzler notched his second save of the year for 4-and-0 Minnesota. Derek Holland gave up two earned runs over six innings to take the loss for the White Sox. Jose Abreu singled in a run to prevent the shutout.
Diamondbacks Clip Indians
(Phoenix, AZ) — The Diamondbacks scored seven unanswered runs to down the Indians 7-3 in Phoenix. Paul Goldschmidt, Yasmany Tomas, and Brandon Drury drove in two runs apiece. Shelby Miller gave up three-runs in five-and-a-third innings of work to pick up the win. Arizona improved to 4-and-1. Francisco Lindor homered for Cleveland. Josh Tomlin gave up six runs and was tagged with the loss. Cleveland fell to 3-and-1.
Royals Break Into Win Column, Top Astros
(Houston, TX) — Jason Vargas allowed one run and six hits over six innings as the Royals beat the Astros 5-1 in Houston. Salvador Perez homered and Alex Gordon contributed a two-run double to the victory. The Royals picked up their first victory after getting swept three games in Minnesota. Carlos Beltran doubled in the Houston run. Mike Fiers took the loss, allowing two runs on five hits in six innings. The Astros lost for the first time this year after sweeping Seattle to begin the season.
Suns Stump Thunder
(Phoenix, AZ) — The Suns raced out to an early lead as they stumped the Thunder, 120-99, in Phoenix. The Suns built a 23-point lead by halftime to stun OKC and cruised down the stretch. Devin Booker piled up 37 points and T.J. Warren added 23 points and 16 rebounds for Phoenix, which ended a 13-game slide. Russell Westbrook scored 23 points on just 6-of-25 shooting for OKC. He added 12 rebounds and eight assists as he fell short of his record-breaking 42nd triple-double, but he is guaranteed to average a triple-double for the season.
Jazz Ride Big Third Period To Win Over T-Wolves
(Salt Lake City, UT) — Gordon Hayward scored a career-best 39 points as the Jazz rallied to upend the Timberwolves 120-113 in Salt Lake City. The Jazz scored 40 points in the third period after trailing by 11 points. Joe Johnson scored 22 points off the bench. Utah has won a season-high eight consecutive road games. The Jazz cinched the Northwest Division crown for the first time since 2008. Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 32 points and 13 rebounds. Ricky Rubio contributed 26 points and 12 assists. The T-Wolves lost their third straight.
Grizzlies Cruise Past Knicks
(Memphis, TN) — Mike Conley scored a game-high 31 points to lead the Grizzlies past the Knicks 101-88 in Memphis. Marc Gasol added 16 points with 10 rebounds in the winning effort. Vince Carter scored 12 while JaMychal Green and Tony Allen dropped 10 apiece for the Griz. Memphis snapped a three-game slide and improved to 43-and-37. Courtney Lee paced New York with 16 points and Maurice Ndour [[ n-DOOR ]] added 15. The Knicks have lost two-straight and nine of their last 12 overall.
Spurs Cruise Past Mavericks
(Dallas, TX) — Bryn Forbes scored a career-high 27 points as the Spurs cruised past the Mavericks 102-89 in Dallas. LaMarcus Aldridge, Kawhi Leonard, Pau Gasol, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker were all held out of the lineup for rest. Davis [[ DAH-vis ]] Bertans contributed 19 points in the winning effort. San Antonio improved to 30-and-9 on the road, 61-and-18 overall. Dwight Powell led the Mavs’ in scoring with 12 points. Yogi Ferrell was the only other player in double figures with 11 as Dallas lost for the eighth time in 10 games.
Nuggets Roll Past Pelicans
(Denver, CO) — Jamal Murray scored a career-high 30 points to help lead the Nuggets past the Pelicans 122-106 in Denver. Nikola Jokic added 23 points and 12 rebounds in the winning effort. Gary Harris contributed 20 points. The Nuggets trail Portland by one-game for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Anthony Davis paced New Orleans with 25 points. The 33-and-46 Pelicans have lost three-straight.
Lakers Knock Off Kings
(Los Angeles, CA) — The Lakers overcame a 13-point first quarter deficit as they knocked off the Kings, 98-94, in Los Angeles. Julius Randle scored 25 points and Brandon Ingram added 14 for the Lakers. D’Angelo Russell scored the go-ahead jumper with 41 seconds left to clinch their third straight win. Skal Labissier [[ la-bee-SEE-AIR ]] led Sacramento with 19 points and Darren Collison added 15 points and 10 assists. The Kings have lost three-of-five.
Hawks Knock Off Cavaliers
(Cleveland, OH) — Tim Hardaway Junior piled up 15 of Atlanta’s 31 points in the fourth quarter as the Hawks knocked off the Cavaliers, 114-100, in Cleveland. Hardaway finished with 22 points total and Mike Dunleavy added 20 off the bench. The Hawks shot 16-of-37 from beyond the arc and are now fourth in the East at 41-and-38. LeBron James led the Cavs with 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Kevin Love finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds in defeat.
2016 Masters Champ Misses Cut
(Augusta, GA) — Last year’s Masters champion is not making the weekend at Augusta National Golf Course. Danny Willett was stroke over the cut line at seven-under par after two rounds in the first major of the season. Four golfers’ Charley Hoffman, Sergio Garcia, Rickie Fowler and Thomas Pieters are tied atop the leaderboard at four-under. William McGirt is two shots off the lead, while three-time champion Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth are both even heading into Saturday.