Oakland’s Ramon Laureano, center, celebrates with teammates after two runs scored on a throwing error by Minnesota Twins third baseman Luis Arraez in the 10th inning Wednesday in Oakland, Calif. Tony Avelar/Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to 11, rallying from a two-run deficit to beat the Twins 13-12 Wednesday when Luis Arraez threw away Ramon Laureano’s grounder for Minnesota’s second error of the 10th inning.
Nelson Cruz had two home runs and four RBI for the Twins, and Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer against Lou Trivino for a 12-10 lead in the 10th.
Alex Colome (1-2) got the first two outs in the bottom half with the automatic runner on second, then walked Seth Brown and Elvis Andrus, loading the bases.
Mark Canha hit what should have been a game-ending grounder to second baseman Travis Blankehorn, who entered as a pinch runner for Josh Donaldson in the 10th, but Blankenhorn allowed the ball to bounce off his glove for a run-scoring error.
Laureano hit a one-hopper to Arraez for what again should have been the final out. Arraez, who had moved to third from second base to third for the 10th, sailed his throw over first baseman Willians Astudillo as the tying and winning runs scored.
Oakland started the season 0-6, split its next two games, then went on the 11-game winning streak, the longest in the major leagues since the A’s won 11 in a row from May May 16-27, 2019.
RANGERS 7, ANGELS 4: Adolis Garcia hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth inning, and visiting Texas rallied from a late two-run deficit to beat Los Angeles.
Nick Lowe also homered immediately after Garcia’s drive for the Rangers, who have won 6 of 9 after jumping on Los Angeles’ bullpen for six late runs to take 2 of 3.
Garcia added his 411-foot, go-ahead homer off Mike Mayers (1-1) to his impressive list of big hits for Texas since coming up last week for his first significant big league action since 2018.
The 28-year-old Cuban designated hitter has five extra-base hits in the last eight games, including the first three homers of his major league career – all of them go-ahead hits.
ROYALS 9, RAYS 8: Salvador Perez hit a game-ending RBI single, and host Kansas City avoided a sweep by Tampa Bay.
Jorge Soler, Hunter Dozier and Carlos Santana homered for Kansas City, which trailed 6-3 heading to the bottom of the seventh inning. Scott Barlow (1-0) allowed Joey Wendle’s tie-breaking RBI double in the ninth, but got the win when the Royals rallied.
Michael A. Taylor sparked the winning rally with a leadoff single. Jarrod Dyson then came in to run, swiped second and advanced to third on Hanser Alberto’s sacrifice bunt against Diego Castillio (0-1).
Dyson then slid home safely on Nicky Lopez’s safety squeeze, tying it at 8. After Lopez advanced on a groundout, Santana was intentionally walked before Perez lined a 2-1 pitch up the third-base line for the winning hit.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
PHILLIES 6, GIANTS 5: Andrew Knapp hit the winning single in the ninth inning, Bryce Harper hit a tying solo homer in the seventh and Philadelphia beat visiting San Francisco.
Harper walked off Wandy Peralta (2-1) to open the ninth, and Brad Miller’s fourth hit of the game put two runners. Knapp hit a one-out single to left, and Harper beat Alex Dickerson’s throw home, scoring standing up and touching the plate with his fingertips to help the Phillies avert a three-game sweep against their former manager Gabe Kapler and the Giants.
CUBS 16, METS 4: Javier Baez hit a grand slam and Chicago took advantage of a season-high four errors to beat visiting New York.
Baez, who struck out four times Tuesday, scored three runs and hit his sixth career slam off reliever Trevor Hildenberger in the sixth inning. The flashy shortstop became the first player to go 0 for 4 with four strikeouts in one game and then hit a grand slam in the next since Gorman Thomas did it for Milwaukee in the first two games of the 1978 season, according to STATS.
BREWERS 4, PADRES 2: Omar Narvaez hit a two-run homer and Jace Peterson added a solo shot as visiting Milwaukee completed a three-game sweep.
San Diego right-hander Dinelson Lamet left his season debut after two scoreless innings due to right forearm tightness. The Padres closed out a 1-5 homestand with their seventh loss in nine games overall.
DIAMONDBACKS SWEEP REDS: Josh VanMeter hit a tying three-run homer in the ninth inning against his former team, and Arizona beat host Cincinnati 8-5 in 10 innings for their second win of the day.
In the conclusion of Tuesday’s night’s suspended game, Arizona held on for a 5-4 victory. Stefan Crichton pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his second save.
The Diamondbacks trailed 3-0 heading to the ninth in the regularly scheduled contest. But Amir Garrett issued two walks before VanMeter drove a 2-2 pitch deep to right for his first homer of the season.
VanMeter broke into the majors with Cincinnati in 2019 and was traded to Arizona on Aug. 31.
The Diamondbacks broke it open with five runs in the 10th. Pavin Smith scored on an error on second baseman Alex Blandino, and Wyatt Mathisen had a key two-run single.
The Reds got two runs in the bottom half, but Taylor Clarke (1-0) got Eugenio Suarez to ground out to shortstop and retired Joey Votto on a fly ball to left to end it.
NATIONALS 1, CARDINALS 0: Max Scherzer struck out nine in six innings to move up to No. 21 on the career Ks leaderboard, and Alex Avila drove in the game’s lone run with one of his two doubles, helping Washington win at home.
Scherzer (1-1) retired 12 of his last 13 batters, working in short sleeves as gusts of air topping 30 mph rippled his white jersey and sent napkins and other debris twirling around Nationals Park on a 50-degree late afternoon.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner struck out Dylan Carlson swinging through a 93 mph fastball with his 109th and final pitch. The righty’s strikeout of Justin Williams to end the fourth gave Scherzer 2,814 for his career, moving him one ahead of Hall of Famer Mike Mussina. Next up: Mickey Lolich, whose 2,832 strikeouts rank 20th in MLB history.
INTERLEAGUE
MARLINS 3, ORIOLES 0: Rookie Trevor Rogers didn’t allow a runner past second base while pitching a career-high seven innings in his 11th major league start, and Miami won at home to earn a split of the two-game series.
Jesus Aguilar broke a scoreless tie with a two-out, two-run double in the fifth.
Rogers (2-1) allowed four hits and one walk, striking out eight, lowering his ERA to 1.64 as he gained his third career win. The other two came against two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom.
Yimi Garcia completed the four-hitter by pitching a perfect ninth for his fourth save in as many chances. The last nine Orioles went down in order.
Miami catcher Sandy Leon gave the offense a spark with two hits and went from first to third on a sacrifice bunt before scoring the game’s first run on Aguilar’s double. Leon was called up before the game to make his season debut.
PIRATES, TIGERS SPLIT: Tyler Anderson pitched five solid innings and Pittsburgh beat Detroit 3-2 in the first game of a doubleheader.
Detroit rallied to win the second game 5-2, with Jonathan Schoop hitting a go-ahead home run in a three-run fifth inning.
ROCKIES 6, ASTROS 3: Austin Gomber got his first victory for Colorado, allowing two hits over six innings to beat visiting Houston a wintry afternoon, sending the Astros to their ninth loss in 10 games.
It was 34 degrees at first pitch and a light snow fell throughout the game, gaining in intensity.
The weather didn’t bother Gomber (1-2), among five players acquired from St. Louis in the Feb. 1 trade that sent star third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals.
Gomber allowed Yuli Gurriel’s two-run homer in the second but just one hit and a walk after.
Gurriel drove in all three runs for the Astros. Houston also was 7-10 last year before winning eight in a row.
Yonathan Daza hit his first major league home run in his 58th big league game. Dom Nunez doubled, singled and drove in two runs for Colorado, which swept the two-game series.
BRAVES 4, YANKEES 1: Ian Anderson took a shutout into the seventh inning, Austin Riley homered and visiting Atlanta scraped by with just four hits to beat punchless New York.
Corey Kluber (0-2) kept New York in it with his best start yet in pinstripes, but the Yankees lost for the sixth time in seven games due to a star-studded lineup that has almost entirely spaced out.
Anderson (1-0) limited the Yankees to four hits and four walks in 6 2/3 innings, striking out four against the club he also beat in his major league debut last season. The 22-year-old right-hander threw 97 pitches as temperatures dipped into the low 40s in the late innings.
New York loaded the bases against Anderson with two outs in the seventh, but reliever A.J. Minter got DJ LeMahieu to hit an inning-ending grounder to third. Will Smith allowed a run in the ninth but closed out the five-hitter.
The suddenly listless Bronx Bombers are hitting .163 in their past seven games, averaging 2.57 runs, with nearly half the lineup stuck in a serious slump.
At 6-11, the Yankees are off to their worst start since 1991. Their 58 runs are fewest in the AL and their slugging percentage is the lowest in the major leagues.
NOTES
ORIOLES: Baltimore right fielder Anthony Santander went on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a sprained left ankle and is expected to be sidelined two to four weeks, Manager Brandon Hyde said. Santander was hurt running the bases in the first inning of Tuesday’s game at Miami. X-rays were negative, and Hyde was relieved by a diagnosis.
“I was really pleased with the results we got,” he said. “I was thinking the worst.”
The Orioles recalled outfielder Ryan McKenna from the alternate training site at Double-A Bowie.
INDIANS-WHITE SOX: The Cleveland Indians have postponed Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox because of snow, cold weather and a soggy field.
Up to 4 inches of snow fell overnight in the Cleveland area, and there was still snow covering the infield tarp at Progressive Field when then game was called about five hours before the scheduled 6:10 p.m. first pitch.
ASTROS: Catcher Martín Maldonado and the Houston Astros have agreed to a $5.5 million, one-year contract for 2022. The deal announced Wednesday includes a $5 million salary for 2022 and a $5 million team option for 2023 with a $500,000 buyout. His contract provides that he get a hotel suite on road trips plus award bonuses.
Maldonado is making $3.5 million in 2021, the second season of a $7 million, two-year contract. His 2020 pay was reduced to about $1.296 million by the coronavirus pandemic. A Gold Glove winner in 2017, the 34-year-old Maldonado is 3 for 34 (.088) with no RBI in 37 plate appearances this season. He has a .216 career average with 69 homers and 244 RBI.
The Astros credit him for helping 15 rookie pitchers last season, including 10 who made their major league debuts. He would have been eligible for free agency after the World Series.
BREWERS: Former All-Star Dee Strange-Gordon has signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers and been assigned to the alternate training site in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Strange-Gordon, who turns 33 on Thursday, had gone to spring training with the Cincinnati Reds with a minor league contract and was released on March 26 after hitting .281 with no homers and four RBI in 32 at-bats over 10 games.
He had been working out at shortstop with the Reds. Strange-Gordon has primarily played second base and also has experience in the outfield.
Strange-Gordon batted .200 with no homers, three RBI and three steals in 33 games for the Seattle Mariners last season. He led the NL in batting average, hits and stolen bases in 2015 with the Miami Marlins. He also led the NL in steals in 2014 and 2017.
Copy the Story LinkComments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
