PHILADELPHIA — Ryan Braun hit three home runs and tied a franchise record with seven RBIs to lead the Milwaukee Brewers over Philadelphia 10-4 Tuesday, spoiling the Phillies’ home opener. ADVERTISING PHILADELPHIA — Ryan Braun hit three home runs and
PHILADELPHIA — Ryan Braun hit three home runs and tied a franchise record with seven RBIs to lead the Milwaukee Brewers over Philadelphia 10-4 Tuesday, spoiling the Phillies’ home opener.
Coming off a three-game sweep of the World Series champion Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, the Brewers won their fourth straight game and improved to 5-2.
Kyle Lohse (1-1) allowed three runs and seven hits, walking five.
Braun connected twice off Kyle Kendrick (0-1), snapping the longest homerless drought of his career. The 2011 NL MVP came in with only three singles in 20 at-bats this season.
But Braun, who is bothered by a right thumb injury, felt just fine, as usual, in Philadelphia. He has 10 homers and 21 RBIs in 20 career games at Citizens Bank Park.
GIANTS 7, D-BACKS 3
SAN FRANCISCO — Michael Morse hit a two-run single to back Tim Hudson as each made memorable home debuts with their new team, and Brandon Belt hit a two-run homer for San Francisco.
Hudson (2-0) shut down the D-backs for the second time in seven days with an eight-inning gem in his first outing at AT&T Park since agreed to a $23 million, two-year contract in November.
Belt’s drive off Trevor Cahill (0-3) gave him five homers and the Giants a majors-leading 12.
New Giants left fielder Morse emphatically pumped his fist at first base after a third-inning single, then added a two-out double in the fifth.
Belt became the first Giants player since Jose Cruz Jr. in 2003 to hit five home runs through the first eight games.
NATIONALS 5, MARLINS 0
WASHINGTON — Gio Gonzalez threw six crisp innings to lead Washington.
Gonzalez allowed three singles and two walks. He allowed one baserunner to get as far as second, and struck out five hitters. He retired his last 10 batters and is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA.
Adam LaRoche had three hits and drove in a run off Henderson Alvarez (0-2). Anthony Rendon went 2 for 4 with three RBIs as Washington improved to 5-2.
Miami entered an NL-best 5-2, a year after finishing with a league-high 100 losses. Led by Giancarlo Stanton, the Marlins were averaging a majors-best six runs a game, but they couldn’t solve Gonzalez or four relievers.
METS 4, BRAVES 0
ATLANTA — Bartolo Colon combined with two relievers on an eight-hitter, Ruben Tejada drove in two runs with two hits and New York beat Atlanta.
Jose Valverde loaded the basses in the ninth before Jason Heyward flied to the warning track in center field to end it.
The 40-year-old Colon (1-1) was dominant through seven innings. He gave up six hits and no walks, struck out five and didn’t allow more than one baserunner in any inning until the seventh as he outpitched Atlanta’s Aaron Harang (1-1).
Tejada scored on a wild pitch by Harang in the third and had run-scoring singles in the seventh and eighth innings.
CARDINALS 7, REDS 5
ST. LOUIS — Matt Holliday hit a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning that glanced off right fielder Jay Bruce’s glove on the warning track and St. Louis beat Cincinnati.
Yadier Molina homered and Peter Bourjos had three hits and an RBI to help the Cardinals clinch their 26th series win to go with three losses and two splits since 2003 against Cincinnati.
Bruce had a two-run triple in the first, Billy Hamilton’s second hit of the season drove in a run and Ryan Ludwick had two RBIs for the Reds.
The Reds squandered a 4-0 second-inning lead by the bottom half of the inning, and Lance Lynn (2-0) got enough support to beat Cincinnati for the second straight time.
Trevor Rosenthal finished for his third save in three chances.
PIRATES 7, CUBS 6
CHICAGO — Pedro Alvarez had two hits and two RBIs and Pittsburgh overcame two home runs by Starlin Castro.
Russell Martin drove in the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning for Pittsburgh and Jason Grilli closed with a perfect ninth.
Cubs right-hander Pedro Strop (0-1) walked two batters in the eighth and recorded only one out before being replaced by left-hander James Russell. Russell immediately walked Pedro Alvarez to load the bases and Martin followed with a fly ball to right field that made it 7-6.
The Cubs tied the game in the seventh against Tony Watson (1-0) on Anthony Rizzo’s hit up the middle scoring Emilio Bonifacio, who went 3 for 5 and is batting .515.
INTERLEAGUE
WHITE SOX 15
ROCKIES 3
DENVER — Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia each hit two of Chicago’s six homers.
Jose Quintana (1-0) pitched seven sharp innings, and Tyler Flowers and Alexei Ramirez also went deep for the first time this season. The White Sox had six total home runs before the fireworks in this one at hitter-friendly Coors Field.
The long balls were the first of the season for both Garcia and Abreu, the Cuban slugger who signed a $68 million, six-year contract in October. Garcia finished with four hits and three RBIs, while Abreu had a three-run homer in the seventh and a two-run shot an inning later.
Marcus Semien also had four of Chicago’s 19 hits.
RANGERS 10, RED SOX 7
BOSTON — Robinson Chirinos started a five-run third inning with his first homer of the season and the Texas Rangers won 10-7 as the Boston Red Sox hit into five double plays.
The Red Sox scored three runs in the ninth against Joakim Soria on an RBI single by Jonny Gomes and a two-run double by David Ortiz, but Mike Napoli struck out to end the game.
Boston’s five double plays were one fewer than the American League record for a nine-inning game shared by eight teams. The major league mark of seven was set by the San Francisco Giants in 1969.
All of them came against Martin Perez (1-0).
ORIOLES 14, YANKEES 5
NEW YORK — Delmon Young, Adam Jones and Matt Wieters homered as the Baltimore Orioles teed off for 20 hits, battering the New York Yankees 14-5 Tuesday.
Young and Wieters each drove in three runs, and Jones delivered one of the Orioles’ four doubles at a half-empty Yankee Stadium.
Everyone in Baltimore’s starting lineup got a hit and scored a run. The Orioles posted their second-highest hit total in the Bronx, eclipsed only by a 22-hit outburst in 1986.
Wei-Yin Chen (1-1) weathered five innings for the win, giving up four runs and nine hits.
Ivan Nova (1-1) was tagged for seven runs and 10 hits in 3 2-3 innings.
RAYS 1, ROYALS 0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — James Loney hit an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning to lift Tampa Bay over Kansas City.
Rays starter Chris Archer wriggled out of two bases-loaded jams and went seven innings in an impressive pitchers’ duel between top young arms. Royals rookie Yordano Ventura dazzled in his season debut, holding Tampa Bay to two hits in six shutout innings.
Loney’s grounder to right scored Wil Myers, who snapped an 0-for-15 slump when he reached on an infield single to start the ninth. Myers advanced on a two-out wild pitch by Greg Holland (0-1).
BLUE JAYS 5, ASTROS 2
TORONTO — Melky Cabrera homered for the fourth straight game, Jose Bautista also went deep and Toronto handed Houston its fifth loss in six games.
Cabrera hit a two-run shot off reliever Kevin Chapman in the seventh, connecting on an 0-2 pitch. Cabrera has hit more home runs in eight games this season than he did in 88 last year, when he missed time with leg injuries before having a benign tumor removed from his spine on Aug. 30.
Mark Buehrle (2-0) allowed one run and eight hits in 5 1-3 innings. Sergio Santos struck out the side in the ninth for his third save.
INTERLEAGUE
INDIANS 8, PADRES 6
CLEVELAND — David Murphy hit a three-run homer and had four RBIs as Cleveland took advantage of outdoor batting practice and San Diego’s sloppiness in their delayed interleague series opener.
Murphy’s shot in the fourth inning off Tyson Ross (0-2) gave the Indians a 6-2 lead. He added an RBI double in the sixth and is 6 for 8 with five RBIs in his past two games.
