Apr 16, 2023 6 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – Gerrit Cole pitched a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts for his fourth career shutout and the second complete game in the majors this season, leading the New York Yankees to a 2-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

DJ LeMahieu homered and hit an RBI single for the Yankees, who earned a split of the four-game series after putting slugger Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list with a hamstring strain before the game. New York has won or split its first five series for the first time since 2010, the Elias Sports Bureau said.

Cole (4-0) lowered his ERA to 0.95 in four starts, finishing off the Twins on 109 pitches in 2 hours, 7 minutes. He got the final nine outs on just 25 pitches and retired former Astros teammate Carlos Correa on a fly ball to end it.

Clay Holmes was warming up in the ninth and Correa would have been Cole’s last hitter.

It was Cole’s seventh career complete game and his first shutout since July 10, 2021, at Houston. The only other complete game in the big leagues this year also came against Minnesota, when reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara threw a three-hitter for Miami in a 1-0 win on April 4 that lasted 1 hour, 57 minutes.

After giving up an AL-high 33 home runs last season, Cole hasn’t allowed any this year. He’s opened a season with four straight wins for the second time. The right-hander also won his first four decisions as a rookie with the Pirates in 2013.

Brewers 1, Padres 0

SAN DIEGO – Wade Miley pitched seven sharp innings and Devin Williams escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth, helping the Milwaukee Brewers beat Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres.

Brian Anderson hit a sacrifice fly in the second as Milwaukee took three of four in the series. The game’s only run was set up by a disengagement violation on Darvish.

The Brewers also improved to 4-3 on a 10-game trip.

Miley (2-1) allowed four hits, struck out eight and walked none. San Diego threatened in the second, putting a runner on third with one out, but Miley struck out Trent Grisham and Jose Azocar.

Cubs 3, Dodgers 2

LOS ANGELES – Patrick Wisdom homered for the third straight game, Cody Bellinger also went deep and the Chicago Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Wisdom and Bellinger connected back-to-back in the sixth inning, and the Cubs took two of three in the series. Drew Smyly (1-1) allowed one run and four hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Chris Taylor homered for the Dodgers, who scored six runs all weekend. Julio Urías (3-1) gave up two earned runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings, the first time this season he allowed multiple runs in a start.

Phillies 14, Reds 3

CINCINNATI – The Philadelphia Phillies bounced back from one of their worst losses of the season to quickly take control on the way to a drubbing of the Cincinnati Reds and earn a split of their four-game series.

Bryson Stott hit a lead-off home run, Brandon Marsh had four hits, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm each had three hits for the Phillies. Jake Cave tied his career high with four runs batted in as the hot-and-cold Phillies reached double figures in runs for the second time in less than a week. They beat Miami 15-3 on Monday.

The defending National League champions piled up a season-high 23 hits and have won two of their last three games after dropping four of five.

Aaron Nola (1-2) gave up five hits and three runs, two earned, with three walks and four strikeouts in six innings. He had started a game with such a large lead.

Orioles 8, White Sox 4CHICAGO – Cedric Mullins had three hits and four RBIs, including a tiebreaking single in Baltimore’s three-run eighth inning, and the Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox.

Gunnar Henderson had two hits and scored three times as Baltimore rallied for the win in the rubber game of the weekend series. The Orioles erased a shaky start by Grayson Rodriguez with a 12-hit attack.

Chicago scored each of its four runs in the first. Gavin Sheets hit a three-run homer, and Jake Burger added a solo drive.

But that was it for the White Sox for the rest of the day, and their pitching faltered once again in the team’s fourth loss in five games. Dylan Cease issued five of the team’s seven walks, running its total to 26 walks for the series.

Red Sox 2, Angels 1

BOSTON – Garrett Whitlock threw seven innings of one-run ball, Justin Turner hit a two-run homer and the Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels in a game that lasted just under two hours.

Making just his second start after opening the season on the injured list while recovering from offseason hip surgery, Whitlock (1-1) allowed three hits with five strikeouts and two walks. He’s the first Boston starter of the season to go more than six innings.

Los Angeles star Shohei Ohtani had his 36-game on-base streak halted; it had been the longest active in MLB.

With regular closer Kenley Jansen unavailable after working the previous two games, Ryan Brasier got the final three outs for his first save. He struck out Mike Trout and got Ohtani to fly out to close the 1-hour, 57-minute game.

Braves 5, Royals 4

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Vaughn Grissom hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the ninth, Ozzie Albies homered and the Atlanta Braves beat the Kansas City Royals for the series sweep.

Grissom’s RBI single came after Albies hit a one-out double. Albies went 2 for 4, including his 376-foot solo homer to right field in the fourth for his fifth RBI of the series. Matt Olson hit a two-run triple in Atlanta’s three-run third inning.

Atlanta starter Kyle Wright struck out six across 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits with three walk. Relievers Michael Tonkin and Nick Anderson (1-0) combined to strike out three batters, and A.J. Minter got his third save of the year.

Zack Greinke gave up four runs on four hits in six innings with six strikeouts and a walk. Scott Barlow (0-2) allowed a run on two hits with two strikeouts.

Rays 8, Blue Jays 1

TORONTO – Shane McClanahan pitched six effective innings in his fourth straight win, and the Tampa Bay Rays avoided a three-game sweep.

Christian Bethancourt hit a three-run homer as the Rays rebounded from their first two losses of the season. Yandy Díaz reached four times, and Josh Lowe had two hits and three RBIs.

The Rays have homered at least once in all 16 games this season.

Only Seattle (20 games in 2019) has started a season with a longer streak.

McClanahan (4-0) allowed one run and four hits. He struck out six and walked two.