ST. PETERSBURG, Fla (AP) — Randy Arozarena homered in the first inning as Tampa Bay set a major league record by going deep in each of its first 21 games, then hit a 10th-inning single for his fourth RBI that gave the Rays a 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.
Tampa Bay is 18-3, the best start in the major leagues since the 2003 Yankees. The Rays are 12-0 at Tropicana Field, the best start at home since the 2009 Dodgers at 13-0.
Arozarena hit a two-run homer in first off Dylan Cease, and the Rays surpassed the previous mark of homers in the first 20 games by Seattle in 2019.
With the score 3-3, in the 10th, Arozarena singled off Jimmy Lambert (1-1) for his team-high 22nd RBI.
Garrett Cleavinger (1-0) worked a perfect 10th.
RED SOX 5, BREWERS 4
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Rowdy Tellez continued to torment the Boston Red Sox, homering for the second straight game and helping Milwaukee win.
Yu Chang and Rafael Devers hit two-run homers for the Red Sox. Boston brought the tying run to scoring position in each of the last two innings, but couldn’t break through.
Milwaukee’s Wade Miley (3-1) struck out three and allowed four hits, two runs and one walk in five innings to lower his ERA to 1.96.
Garrett Whitlock (1-2) struck out one and gave up eight hits, five runs and one walk in four innings.
PIRATES 2, REDS 1
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a key triple and Rich Hill got through five innings for the win as the streaking Pittsburgh Pirates extended their winning streak to six games with a victory over Cincinnati.
Bryan Reynolds had two doubles and a sacrifice fly, while Hayes and Tucupita Marcano added two hits each for the Pirates.
The Reds got two hits apiece from Stuart Fairchild and Jose Barrero but have managed just six runs during their five-game losing streak.
Hill (2-2) won his second consecutive start. The 43-year-old lefty pitched one-run ball and struck out seven, though he gave up six hits and three walks.
Luis Cessa (0-3) allowed two runs and six hits over 4 2/3 innings while striking out four and walking none.
ASTROS 6, BRAVES 3
ATLANTA (AP) — Yordan Álvarez and Kyle Tucker each hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning off Kyle Wright, and Houston earned its third straight victory.
Astros starter Framber Valdez (2-2) gave up Sean Murphy’s fifth homer, a 424-foot shot to left field, to make it 1-0 in the fourth. He also allowed Ozzie Albies’ fifth long ball, a two-run shot that went 421 feet to left and trimmed Houston’s lead to 4-3 in the sixth.
Bryan Abreu faced the minimum in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
Wright (0-1) gave up seven hits, one walk and four runs — three earned — in five innings. He led the majors with 21 wins last year, but started the season on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation.
RANGERS 18, ATHLETICS 3
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adolis García hit three home runs and then two late doubles, driving in eight runs as Texas routed Oakland.
All three of García’s homers were two-run shots, and his first double also scored two to give him a career high for RBIs to go with the 30-year-old Cuban slugger’s first three-homer game.
Andrew Heaney’s streak of 10 scoreless innings over two starts ended with Oakland’s two-run first. Heaney (2-1) answered with five scoreless innings, allowing five hits, two walks and a hit batter with four strikeouts in six innings.
Shintaro Fujinami (0-4) had improved in his two previous starts but matched the ugly numbers from his major league debut: eight runs in 2 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old rookie gave up seven hits, walked three, hit a batter and threw two wild pitches as his ERA rose to 14.40. Fujinami has lost all four starts.
ORIOLES 5, TIGERS 1
BALTIMORE (AP) — Kyle Gibson tied a career high with 11 strikeouts in the latest impressive outing by a Baltimore starter, and Ramón Urías hit a three-run double to lift the Orioles to their fifth straight victory.
Gibson (4-0) allowed two hits in 6 1/3 innings. He walked two in the first to load the bases with one out, then retired the next 11 Detroit hitters. Zach McKinstry hit a solo homer off him in the seventh for the first run allowed by a Baltimore starter since the first inning Sunday.
Joey Wentz (0-3) allowed five runs and six hits in four innings. Most of the damage came in the third after he allowed a leadoff single, balked the runner to second and let him advance to third on a wild pitch.
Adley Rutschman hit a two-out RBI single, and after a single by Ryan Mountcastle and a walk to Anthony Santander, Urías delivered his big hit with the bases loaded.
GIANTS 7, METS 4
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Logan Webb (1-4) stopped his four-game losing streak, allowing two runs and five hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts and one walk for San Francisco.
New York lost for the second time in nine games on a 10-game California trip.
San Francisco is batting just .205 against left-handers but reached Mets lefty David Peterson (1-3) for seven runs in five innings. David Villar hit a sacrifice fly for the game’s first run and Brandon Crawford hit a three-run homer that snapped an 0-for-14 slide.
YANKEES 3, BLUE JAYS 2
NEW YORK (AP) — Pinch-hitter DJ LeMahieu hit a walk-off bases-loaded single in the ninth after Anthony Rizzo doubled off Jordan Romano (2-1).
New York’s Gerrit Cole allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and two walks, extending his scoreless streak to 20 2/3 innings and lowering his ERA to 0.79. Toronto’s Alek Manoah gave up two hits in seven innings with five strikeouts and one walk, dropping his ERA from 6.98 to 5.13.
Rookie Anthony Volpe hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Yimi García and pinch-hitter Danny Jansen hit a two-run homer in the ninth against Wandy Peralta.
Jimmy Cordero (1-0) got George Springer to hit into an inning-ending double play in the ninth.
DODGERS 9, CUBS 4
CHICAGO (AP) — Max Muncy hit a two-run homer in the seventh against Mark Leiter Jr. and a solo drive in the ninth off Brad Boxberger, tying the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso for the major league lead with 10 home runs.
James Outman was 4 for 5 with four RBIs, hitting a solo shot in the second off Hayden Wesneski (1-1) and a two-run homer in the ninth against Boxberger. Outman leads rookies with a .314 batting average, seven homers and 19 RBIs and 1.121 OPS.
Dustin May (2-1) allowed two runs, two hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.
MARLINS 6, GUARDIANS 1
CLEVELAND (AP) — Luis Arraez had a two-run single and Bryan De La Cruz hit a solo homer in a doubleheader opener.
Shane Bieber (1-1) matched his career high with four walks and allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings, the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner’s shortest start this season. Reigning NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara was scratched in what the Marlins termed “very mild” biceps tendinitis.
Helping spoil Cleveland manager Terry Francona’s 64th birthday, Andrew Nardi (2-1) retired all four batters he faced in relief of spot starter Devin Smeltzer.
Smeltzer gave up one run in four innings, and Huascar Brazoban, Matt Barnes and Steven Okert finished a four-hitter.
NATIONALS 10, TWINS 4
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Joey Meneses tied a career high with four hits, and CJ Abrams hit his first home run since Washington acquired him in a trade last summer.
Washington (7-13) won consecutive games for only the second time this season.
Mason Thompson (2-1) allowed an unearned run and two hits over 2 1/3 innings with four strikeouts on a 35-degree day.
Minnesota has lost three straight and six of seven after a 10-4 start, dropping to 11-10. Pablo López (1-2) allowed five runs and eight hits in four innings.
PHILLIES 4, ROCKIES 3
DENVER (AP) — Nick Castellanos hit his first two home runs this season, both off Kyle Freeland (2-2), for his 10th multi-homer game. Cristian Pache also went deep for the first time this year.
Connor Brogdon (1-0) worked 1 2/3 innings and Craig Kimbrel tossed a scoreless ninth for his second save.