BOSTON (AP) — Shota Imanaga continued an impressive start to his major league career by pitching one-run ball into the seventh inning to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 7-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday.
Signed to a $53 million, four-year deal during the offseason after an eight-year, professional career in Japan, the 30-year-old Imanaga (4-0) beat Boston right-hander Kutter Crawford in a matchup of two pitchers with impressive ERAs.
“Just more of the same,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of his left-hander. “Just attacking the strike zone. Again, No. 1, just in the strike zone. That’s how he pitches every single time. … By being in the strike zone so much you start to get hitters that start to get aggressive on him, and then he’s getting some quick outs.”
Coming off a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field over the Astros, the Cubs rode a two-hit, two-RBI night by rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong for their fifth win in six games. Patrick Wisdom added a pinch-hit, two-run double.
ROYALS 8, TIGERS 0
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DETROIT (AP) — Seth Lugo pitched seven scoreless innings and Kansas City won their fourth straight game, beating Detroit. Lugo allowed three singles and matched a career high with nine strikeouts in a game played at 1:10 pm due to the NFL draft festivities in downtown Detroit on Friday evening.
Tigers starter Reese Olson allowed one run on three hits and three walks in seven innings, striking out eight.
Kansas City led 1-0 before scoring seven runs in the ninth inning. The teams plays the second game of the series on Saturday evening.
NATIONALS 3, MARLINS 1
MIAMI (AP) — Joey Meneses hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning and Washington beat Miami.
Jacob Young and Trey Lipscomb had two hits each while Derek Law (1-1) struck out five over two scoreless innings of relief for the Nationals.
The Marlins lost their fourth straight and dropped to an NL-worst 6-21. They remain winless this season in series openers.
Marlins reliever Calvin Faucher (1-1) allowed a leadoff single to Lipscomb and walked CJ Abrams with one out. Jesse Winker reached on an infield single before Meneses hit a line drive to center.
Kyle Finnegan pitched the ninth for his eighth save.
CARDINALS 4, METS 2
NEW YORK (AP) — Alec Burleson hit his first homer in almost nine months, a three-run blast that powered St. Louis to a win over the New York Mets.
Burleson’s second-inning round-tripper off José Buttó was his first since he homered against the Minnesota Twins last Aug. 3. He has 10 career longballs in 143 games.
J.D. Martinez went 2-for-4 with an RBI double in his Mets debut. Martinez signed a one-year contract March 23 but was sidelined by lower back stiffness.
Willson Contreras hit a 445-foot homer off the facade along the second deck in left field in the third for the Cardinals.
WHITE SOX 9, RAYS 4
CHICAGO (AP) — Light-hitting Martín Maldonado hit a three-run homer, Eloy Jiménez added a two-run-shot and the MLB-worst Chicago White Sox snapped a seven-game losing streak with their fourth win of the season, a victory over Tampa Bay.
The nine runs were a season-high for Chicago, which at 4-22 is off to the worst start in franchise history through 26 games. Baltimore began 2-24 in 1988.
Chris Flexen (1-3) worked five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and walking three. The right-hander, who entered with a 6.41 ERA, was followed by five relievers.
Tommy Pham started in center field and had two singles in his White Sox debut after being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. The 36-year-old had signed a minor league on April 16, then went to the minors for four games to ramp up.
GUARDIANS 6, BRAVES 2
ATLANTA (AP) — Chris Sale shook off a homer on the seventh pitch of the game and Marcell Ozuna kept up his torrid start with two more RBIs, leading Atlanta past Cleveland in the opener of a series matching MLB’s two best teams.
The reigning NL East champion Braves won for the 10th time in 11 games to improve to 18-6, pushing them a game ahead of the AL-leading Guardians (18-8).
Sale (3-1) surrendered a homer to the very first hitter, Steven Kwan, whose 389-foot shot down the right-field line bounced around in the Chop House restaurant. Braves right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. barely moved as Kwan circled the bases with the third leadoff homer of his career.
That was pretty much it against Sale, who gave up only one more hit while going seven innings for his third straight start. He walked one, struck out six and threw 67 of 95 pitches for strikes.
ATHLETICS 3, ORIOLES 2
BALTIMORE (AP) — Brent Rooker doubled in the tiebreaking run in the 10th inning to cap a late comeback that carried Oakland past Baltimore.
After Oakland rallied from a 2-1 deficit to pull even in the ninth against Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel, Rooker put the A’s in front with a two-out liner into the left-field corner off Jacob Webb (0-1).
Mitch Spence (2-1) worked the ninth and Mason Miller got three outs for his seventh save. After Miller stuck out Gunnar Henderson on a 101.8 mph fastball with a runner on third to end it, the righty punched the air in delight.
Shea Langeliers homered in the first and scored in the 10th for the A’s, now 2-15 when trailing after eight innings.
DODGERS 12, BLUE JAYS 2
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TORONTO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani responded to boos from the Toronto crowd by hitting his seventh home run, Max Muncy and Will Smith also went deep and the Los Angeles Dodgers extended their winning streak to five games with a rout of Toronto.
Smith had four hits and three RBIs as the Dodgers won in their first trip to Canada since 2016.
Muncy’s fifth homer of the season was a three-run shot off Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt (2-4) that highlighted the Dodgers’ six-run third inning.
Smith hit a solo homer off righty Trevor Richards in the fourth, his second of the season.
Dodgers right-hander Gavin Stone (2-1) allowed one and two hits over a career-high seven innings, earning his second win in three starts.
