Cardinals hand Brewers 1st loss of season
MILWAUKEE, Wisc. – Pitcher Miles Mikolas hit a home run and got the win in his return from a three-year stint in Japan, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat Milwaukee 8-4 on Monday to spoil the Brewers’ home opener.
Paul DeJong connected for the second straight game, hitting his third homer this season to boost the Cardinals. The Brewers had opened the season with a three-game sweep at San Diego.
Mikolas (1-0) gave up a two-run homer to Eric Thames and solo shots to Lorenzo Cain and Manny Pina. But the 29-year-old righty benefited from the Cardinals’ own outburst at hitter-friendly Miller Park.
It was a memorable return to the majors for Mikolas. He gave up seven hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings in his first big league start since Aug. 25, 2014, when he pitched eight innings for the Texas Rangers in a 2-0 win over Seattle.
Mikolas played 37 games for San Diego and Texas in 2012-14.
The Brewers threatened in the bottom of the sixth. After Thames homered, they put runners on the corners, but reliever Bud Norris struck out Orlando Arcia on a 2-2 slider to end the threat.
Milwaukee starting pitcher Zach Davies (0-1) allowed eight hits and seven runs – six earned – over 5 1/3 innings in his season debut.
Cincinnati 1, Chicago Cubs 0: Rookie Tyler Mahle pitched one-hit ball for six innings, Raisel Iglesias struck out Anthony Rizzo with the bases loaded to end the eighth and the Cincinnati Reds edged the Chicago Cubs 1-0 for their first win of the season.
Cincinnati was swept at home by Washington in a three-game series to open, falling to 0-3 for the first time since 2003. It also trailed in all 27 innings – the Nationals scored in the first inning each time.
After getting their traditional opening parade, the Reds finally got a lead, too, when Eugenio Suarez tripled in the fourth and scored on Adam Duvall’s groundout.
Mahle (1-0) earned the victory in only his fifth major league start, outpitching Tyler Chatwood (0-1) in his Cubs debut.
The Cubs were coming off a 6-0 loss in Miami and managed only four baserunners against Mahle, who walked two, hit one and struck out a career-high seven.
Detroit 6, Kansas City 1: Francisco Liriano pitched into the seventh inning in his Detroit debut and Victor Martinez drove in three runs to give the Tigers their first win of the season, 6-1 over the Kansas City Royals.
Liriano (1-0) allowed a run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings. The 34-year-old lefty, signed as a free agent in February, struck out three and walked two while throwing 94 pitches.
The Tigers scored four runs in the fifth, with Martinez delivering a two-run single off Jason Hammel (0-1).
Boston 7, Miami 3: Brian Johnson gave the Boston Red Sox their fifth solid start in five games, allowing one run in six innings in a 7-3 victory over the Miami Marlins.
All five Boston starters have allowed less than two runs, a franchise first to begin a season.
Hanley Ramirez and Mookie Betts each hit his first home run of the season for the Red Sox, who doubled their season total. They scored 10 runs in their first four games but are 4-1 because they have allowed only 12 runs.
Johnson (1-0) gave up rookie Brian Anderson’s first career homer but stranded six runners. The Red Sox improved to 6-0 in Johnson’s starts over the past two seasons.
Trevor Richards (0-1), the Marlins’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2017, retired the first seven batters in his major league debut but then allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings.