NEW YORK (AP) – The last-place New York Yankees lost their fifth straight game as Yoshi Tsutsugo hit a tiebreaking double off Gerrit Cole in the seventh inning that lifted the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-2 win Sunday and a three-game sweep. Four pitchers combined on the Rays’ second three-hitter of a series in which New York managed 11 hits. Cole (2-1) was hurt by a slipshod defense that made three mistakes in the third inning alone, two by center fielder Aaron Hicks and one by left fielder Clint Frazier.
Joey Wendle added a ninth-inning home run off Darren O’Day.
Tampa Bay has won 16 of its last 21 against the Yankees, including last year’s Division Series.
Ryan Yarbrough (2-1) followed opener Andrew Kittredge and allowed one run and two hits in five innings. Diego Castillo got four outs, and Jeffrey Springs pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first big league save.
INDIANS 6, REDS 3
CINCINNATI (AP) – Shane Bieber kept up his record strikeout run, fanning 13 and pitching Cleveland past Cincinnati. Bieber (2-1) become the first pitcher in extensive league history to begin a season with four straight starts with at least ten strikeouts. The AL Cy, Young Award winner, has 48 strikeouts this year, matching Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan for the most through the first four-start of a season. Bieber has fanned at least eight in 16 straight starts, one short of Randy Johnson’s significant league mark.
- Bieber went eight innings, allowing three runs and six hits with two walks.
- Emmanuel Clase struck out the side in the ninth, again hitting 100 mph with his heater to earn his fourth save.
- The Indians hit three home runs with two outs to salvage a win in the all-Ohio series.
- Roberto Pérez hit a three-run homer off Wade Miley (2-1) over the center-field wall with two in the fourth inning for a 4-0 lead.
PHILLIES 2, CARDINALS 0
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Aaron Nola struck out ten and threw a two-hitter for his first nine-inning shutout in the majors, leading Philadelphia past St. Louis. Bryce Harper homered and had three hits for the Phillies. His 111.8 mph shot off righty John Gant (0-1) went 425 feet. Nola (1-1) threw 109 pitches and did little more than give a small fist bump when he completed the milestone. Gant struck out five and walked five in five innings. Alec Bohm touched him for a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning for a 2-0 lead.
DIAMONDBACKS 5, NATIONALS 2
WASHINGTON (AP) – Madison Bumgarner had his best outing of the season, allowing a run over five innings as Arizona beat Washington.
Bumgarner (1-2) gave up two hits and dropped his ERA from 11.20 to 8.68 through four starts. He struck out five and walked one, helping Arizona split the four-game series.
Stefan Crichton earned his first save of the season.
Scheduled starter Stephen Strasburg was a late scratch for Washington. He was placed on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation.
Paulo Espino (0-1) pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed Josh Rojas and Carson Kelly solo homers.
Trea Turner hit two solo homers for the Nationals.
GIANTS 1, MARLINS 0
MIAMI (AP) – Alex Wood pitched five innings in his season debut, and four relievers completed a three-hitter as San Francisco scored an unearned run to beat Miami and avert a series sweep. Wood (1-0), returning from a back problem that sidelined him midway through spring training, allowed three hits and walked none. Tyler Rogers pitched a perfect ninth for his first save to complete the Giants’ third shutout in their past seven games. Pablo López (0-2) had a career-high nine strikeouts and allowed only an unearned run in six innings.
WHITE SOX 3, RED SOX 2
BOSTON (AP) – Tim Anderson homered on the game’s first pitch, Dallas Keuchel pitched five solid innings, and Chicago beat Boston in the opener of a doubleheader. Yasmani Grandal had an RBI double, and Yoán Moncada drove in a run with a single for the White Sox, who had lost three straight. The second loss in the last 12 for the Red Sox, who wore their yellow-and-blue City Series uniforms for the second straight game.
Keuchel (1-0) gave up two runs and six hits.
Making his fifth major league start, Tanner Houck (0-2) gave up three runs and six hits over 4 1/3 innings.
ROYALS 2, BLUE JAYS 0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Salvador Perez tapped his bat twice on the plate to make sure it wasn’t cracked, then sent the next pitch he saw from reliever T.J. Zeuch into the left-field fountains, breaking open a scoreless game and sending Kansas City past Toronto.
Brady Singer kept the Blue Jays off the board through six innings. Kyle Zimmer (1-0) and Josh Staumont worked a perfect inning, and Greg Holland finished off the two-hitter for his second season save.
Perez’s two-run shot off Zeuch (0-2) in the seventh inning came one day after his two-out, walk-off homer gave the Royals a 3-2 win and split their doubleheader. Kansas City also won the opener Thursday night to take a series from Toronto for the first time since September 2017.
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