Baseball roundup: Streaking Mets win 9th straight
Todd Frazier hit two solo homers Friday night, including the go-ahead shot in the bottom of the fourth inning, as the streaking New York Mets won their ninth straight by beating the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-5, at Citi Field.
Frazier reached base in all four plate appearances for the Mets, whose winning streak is their longest since an 11-game run in April 2015. At 11-1, they are off to the best 12-game start in team history.
The Mets scored what proved to be the decisive runs in the fifth, when Jay Bruce delivered an RBI double and Adrian Gonzalez lofted a sacrifice fly before Bruce raced home on a wild pitch to give New York a 6-2 lead.
Yoenis Cespedes had two hits, including an RBI single in the first, while Asdrubal Cabrera extended his hitting streak to 11 games by going 2-for-4.
Astros 3, Rangers 2
Pinch runner Derek Fisher scored on a two-base fielding error in the eighth inning, and Houston eked out a win over visiting Texas.
Marwin Gonzalez stroked a one-out single off Rangers reliever Kevin Jepsen (0-2) and, with Fisher running on the play, Texas center fielder Drew Robinson whiffed fielding the ball, allowing Fisher to score from first base. Fisher pinch-ran for Evan Gattis, who walked.
Astros right fielder George Springer homered twice against Rangers starter Cole Hamels. Houston starter Gerrit Cole allowed two runs on three hits with a career-high 14 strikeouts over seven innings. He became the second pitcher in major league history with 11-plus strikeouts in each of his first three starts of a season, joining Nolan Ryan (1973).
Yankees 8, Tigers 6
Aaron Hicks hit a pair of home runs, including one inside-the-park, and New York handed host Detroit its fifth straight loss.
Hicks, who just came off the 10-day disabled list after recovering from an intercostal strain, also walked twice and drove in three runs. Brett Gardner had two hits, two runs scored and an RBI, Miguel Andujar ripped a pair of extra-base hits and scored twice and Ronald Torreyes added three hits and an RBI for New York.
The Yankees became the first team in MLB history to have five different players notch a multi-homer game during the first 14 games of a season.
Red Sox 7, Orioles 3
Eduardo Nunez socked a three-run homer and Eduardo Rodriguez held his former team to one run over six innings as Boston beat visiting Baltimore to open a four-game series.
It was Nunez's second homer of 2018 and his first since a two-run, inside-the-parker on Opening Day. Rodriguez (1-0) gave up five hits and two walks and struck out eight in his second start this year.
J.D. Martinez (2-for-4) and Mookie Betts (1-for-4) each had an RBI for Boston, which won for the 11th time in 12 games. At 11-2, the Red Sox matched the 1918 team for the best start in franchise history.
Diamondbacks 8, Dodgers 7
Zack Greinke struck out seven over 6 1/3 innings, and Daniel Descalso drove in four runs, as Arizona extended its regular-season winning streak over Los Angeles to 10 games by holding on for a road victory.
Greinke fought through an undisclosed injury, requiring a visit from team trainers after just five pitches, to give up four runs on five hits with one walk, his first free pass in three starts.
The Diamondbacks have swept the Dodgers three consecutive times since Aug. 29 of last year, but the regular-season streak was interrupted by the Dodgers' three-game sweep of the D-backs in the 2017 NLDS. Arizona's 10-3 record gives it the best 13-game start in franchise history.
Rockies 2, Nationals 1
Carlos Gonzalez homered and later hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly as Colorado defeated host Washington.
Gonzalez gave the Rockies a 1-0 lead in the fourth on their first hit of the game. He crushed a 2-0 pitch from Washington starter Tanner Roark (1-1) into the seats in right-center for a 438-foot solo homer. In the sixth, Gonzalez drove in DJ LeMahieu on a sacrifice fly to right for the deciding run.
Washington's Anthony Rendon exited in the top of the seventh after fouling a ball off his left big toe in the fifth. X-rays postgame were negative. The Nationals have gone 2-8 since starting the season with four straight wins.
Cardinals 5, Reds 3
Yadier Molina homered and drove in three runs Friday night while Luke Weaver took a shutout into the seventh inning as visiting St. Louis continued Cincinnati's early-season struggles.
It was the second straight win for St. Louis, while Cincinnati fell to an MLB-worst 2-11 with its sixth straight loss.
Over six-plus innings, Weaver (2-0) permitted four hits and two runs with a walk and seven strikeouts. Bud Norris pitched the ninth to garner his second save, fanning pinch hitter Tucker Barnhart with the tying runs aboard to end it.
Braves 4, Cubs 0
Anibal Sanchez pitched six solid innings and Preston Tucker slugged a three-run homer as visiting Atlanta beat Chicago in a Wrigley Field matinee.
Sanchez (1-0) allowed three hits in his second outing for Atlanta and snapped a personal six-game losing streak to record his first win since beating the Yankees on Aug. 1, 2017. He also recorded his first win as a National Leaguer since beating the Cubs at Wrigley Field on July 17, 2012, while pitching for the then-Florida Marlins.
Sanchez struck out six and walked one while throwing 94 pitches, as the Braves recorded their first shutout at Wrigley Field since Aug. 22, 2011.
Angels 5, Royals 4
Ian Kinsler's eighth inning sacrifice fly scored Shohei Ohtani with the go-ahead run as Los Angeles edged by Kansas City.
Kinsler had three hits and scored a pair of runs. Albert Pujols homered and drove in three runs.
Reliever Justin Grimm (0-2) took the loss, surrendering two runs on three hits, a sacrifice fly and sacrifice bunt. Former Kansas City reliever Blake Wood (1-0) picked up the win.
Marlins 7, Pirates 2
Outfielder J.B. Shuck returned to the majors with four hits and scored twice to lead host Miami past first-place Pittsburgh.
It was Shuck's first appearance in the majors since playing with the Chicago White Sox in 2016. He finished 4-for-4.
Miami's Justin Bour added two knocks, including a two-run homer, his third in three games. Miguel Rojas had three hits, Derek Dietrich had two and Lewis Brinson broke an 0-for-26 slump with a sixth-inning single.
Blue Jays 8, Indians 4
Teoscar Hernandez, just recalled from Triple-A Buffalo, doubled in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, and Toronto went on to defeat host Cleveland.
Hernandez was promoted Friday after third baseman Josh Donaldson went on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation. The Blue Jays overcame a 4-0 disadvantage to tie the game at 4 on a three-run homer by Aledmys Diaz in the fourth inning.
The loss stopped a five-game winning streak by the Indians (8-6), who are 6-2 at home.
Phillies 2, Rays 1
Jorge Alfaro singled in the go-ahead run with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, and Philadelphia won for the sixth time in seven games in beating host Tampa Bay.
Scott Kingery doubled with one out in the ninth inning off Alex Colome (0-2) before Alfaro hit a grounder between third base and shortstop that Matt Duffy got a glove on but could not corral.
Phillies closer Hector Neris pitched around a two-out walk in the ninth inning for his second save as the Phillies won the first game of a six-game road trip.
Padres 5, Giants 1
Tyson Ross allowed one unearned run over six-plus shutout innings, and San Diego erupted for four runs on seven hits in the span of 11 at-bats -- after going hitless in 10 straight innings -- to defeat San Francisco at Petco Park.
The Padres had only one hit in 40 at-bats -- that being a third-inning, pinch-hit single by pitcher Clayton Richard on Thursday -- when they broke through against left-hander Ty Blach. San Diego scored two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth against Blach, who fell to 1-2.
Meanwhile, Ross gave up seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts and drove in the Padres' first run with a single to improve to 2-1. Left-handed closer Brad Hand induced a game-ending double play to earn his fifth save.
Mariners 7, A's 4
Mitch Haniger hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning as Seattle rallied for a victory against Oakland in the opener of a three-game series at Safeco Field.
Haniger, who has been batting cleanup with designated hitter Nelson Cruz (sprained right ankle) on the 10-day disabled list, also had a run-scoring single in a two-run first inning as the Mariners won their third game in a row.
Mariners right-hander Dan Altavilla (1-1) got the victory with a scoreless inning of relief and Edwin Diaz earned his fifth save of the season. Coulombe (0-1) took the loss.
White Sox-Twins, ppd.
The evening game between Chicago and Minnesota was postponed as a result of an expected snowstorm in the area. The make-up date will be announced at a later time.
--Field Level Media
