San Diego Earns Split With Bucs
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By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH -- The San Diego Padres needed a boost with a showdown against the Los Angeles Dodgers looming.
Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer didn't wait to provide one.
Machado hit his third home run of the season during a four-run first and Hosmer added a two-run single in the second as the Padres jumped on the Pittsburgh Pirates early in an 8-3 win on Thursday.
The early outburst against Mitch Keller (1-2) helped San Diego earn a split of the four-game series against the Pirates and finish 5-2 during an eastern swing through Texas and PNC Park.
"We felt like a day like this was coming," said Hosmer, one of four Padres with two hits as San Diego bounced back from consecutive losses to the rebuilding Pirates.
The victory set the stage for San Diego's first meeting of the season with the reigning World Series champions, who visit Petco Park for a three-game series starting Friday.
The two met in the NL Division Series last fall, a 3-0 sweep by Los Angeles on its way to the franchise's first championship in 32 years. Nearly every move San Diego made during the offseason was designed to close the gap on the Dodgers in the NL West. This weekend offers a glimpse of how much progress the Padres have made.
"I think it's a little different heading in," Hosmer said.
"Obviously having a little bit of history with them in the postseason last year, maybe that'll spice things up a little bit."
Chris Paddack (1-1) labored at times but managed to get through five innings and give San Diego's overtaxed bullpen some semblance of a normal workload after being forced to cover a combined 11 innings in losses Tuesday and Wednesday. Craig Stammen worked three innings to pick up just the sixth save of his 12-year big league career and first since 2019.
"We were hoping to at least get through two," San Diego manager Jayce Tingler said of Stammen's innings. "For him to be able to finish that game up for us, that was huge."
KELLER CRUMBLES
Keller dazzled in his previous start against Chicago but returned to the erratic form that's dogged him most of the spring. Machado punished a 90 mph curveball over the heart of the plate to make it 3-0 four batters in and Keller never really recovered. The 25-year-old, considered to be part of the nucleus the Pirates are attempting to build around, eventually exited after 3 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs and nine hits with three walks and just one strikeout as his ERA rose to 8.74.
"We wanted him to attack the zone, and he was in the zone," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of Keller. "But the fact that the sharpness of the breaking ball wasn't there against a good hitting team and they took advantage of it."
PADDACK PERSEVERES
Pittsburgh tested Paddack in the fifth when Tucupita Marcano -- filling in right field for an injured Wil Myers -- couldn't come up with Bryan Reynolds' sinking line drive, allowing two unearned runs to score. Colin Moran followed with a single but Paddack induced Erik Gonzalez into a fielder's choice to end the threat.
Paddack admitted he thought Tingler was coming out to get him when Tingler made a mound visit after the error before realizing the manager was just giving the 25-year-old a chance to regroup.
"To step off, take a breath and bring the same mentality … that's huge," Paddack said. "My guys pick me up behind me and I'm going to pick them up as well. "
San Diego's bullpen -- which hadn't allowed more than two runs in any game this season before surrendering four each on both Tuesday and Wednesday -- returned to form thanks in large part to the 37-year-old Stammen.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: Gave Myers (patellar tendinitis in right knee) a second straight day off. … SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (partial shoulder dislocation) is eligible to come off the injured list on Friday.
Pirates: 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes (left wrist discomfort) is swinging a bat but has yet to face live pitching. General manager Ben Cherington said Thursday there's no firm timeline for when Hayes -- who is eligible to come off the injured list -- will be back but reiterated there are no long-term concerns.
UP NEXT
Padres: LHP Ryan Weathers (1-0, 1.50 ERA) will make his first major league start on Friday. The 2018 first-round pick pitched 1 1/3 innings in his major league debut last fall against the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NL Division Series.
Pirates: Begin a nine-game trip on Friday in Milwaukee. JT Brubaker (1-0, 1.93) starts in the series opener. Brubaker allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings last Sunday against Chicago to pick up his first win of the season.
INDIANS 4, WHITE SOX 2
CHICAGO (AP) -- Slumping Jose Ramirez connected for a go-ahead, two-run homer off Lance Lynn in the sixth inning and the Cleveland Indians bounced back from being no-hit, beating the Chicago White Sox.
After Carlos Rodon just missed a perfect game Wednesday night, there was a different kind of tension this time as the benches emptied in the bottom of the first.
Adam Eaton singled and tried to advance when Indians right fielder Josh Naylor threw to third, hoping to get the lead runner. Eaton arrived ahead of the throw back to second, but was called out when his hand came off the bag while shortstop Andres Gimenez stood his ground and held the tag.
Eaton grabbed Gimenez's leg, began barking and then pushed Gimenez in the chest with two hands. Indians starter Aaron Civale plunked Eaton with a pitch in the upper arm in the third.
Civale (3-0) allowed only a run -- in the first -- and five hits through six innings in his third straight strong start. Nick Wittgren and James Karinchak followed with a scoreless inning each. Emmanuel Clase allowed an unearned run in the ninth, but got his his third save.
Lynn (1-1) permitted his first two earned runs this season on five hits through six innings, while striking out 10 and walking none.
TWINS 4, RED SOX 3
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Max Kepler's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning stopped a five-game losing streak for Minnesota and broke a nine-game winning streak for Boston.
The Red Sox, who tied it in the eighth on Alex Verdugo's three-run double, were on their longest winning streak since a 10-game run in 2018.
Luis Arraez opened the Minnesota ninth with his fourth hit, a single off Adam Ottavino (1-1), and Jorge Polanco was hit by a pitch.
After Nelson Cruz struck out, Kepler came through with his hit to shallow center, helping the Twins avoid a four-game sweep.
Alex Colome (1-1) pitched a scoreless ninth for the victory.
BRAVES 7, MARLINS 6
ATLANTA (AP) -- Dansby Swanson's RBI single with the bases loaded capped a two-run rally in the ninth inning, and Atlanta beat Miami to snap a four-game losing streak.
The Braves recovered after blowing a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth. Garrett Cooper singled to put Miami ahead.
Dylan Floro (0-1) couldn't hold the 6-5 lead. Ender Inciarte and Ronald Acuna Jr. singled and Freddie Freeman walked to load the bases with no outs.
Ozzie Albies walked to force in a run before Swanson singled to left. The Marlins were trying for their first four-game sweep over the Braves.
A.J. Minter (1-0) blew the save in the ninth but got the win.
MARINERS 4, ORIOLES 2, 1ST GAME
MARINERS 2, ORIOLES 1, 2ND GAME
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Mitch Haniger became the first Seattle player to homer out of the leadoff spot in both ends of a doubleheader, hitting a tiebreaking drive in the second game that led the Mariners to a sweep of Baltimore.
Haniger's fifth-inning homer to left-center off Bruce Zimmermann (1-1) broke a 1-all tie and gave him four home runs this season.
J.P. Crawford hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in the sixth inning that lifted Seattle to a 4-2 win in the opener.
Seattle won three of four from Baltimore and has won five of its last six.
Justin Dunn (1-0) allowed two hits in the second game, including Freddy Galvis' homer.
Keynan Middleton pitched the seventh for his second save in as many attempts, finishing a three-hitter.
In the first game, Crawford hit a go-ahead two-run double off Tanner Scott (0-2).
Marco Gonzales (1-1) yielded Trey Mancini's two-run homer in the first, but settled down to retire 13 of his last 14 batters. He gave up two runs and three hits in five innings while striking out five. Kendall Graveman pitched a perfect seventh for his second save to cap a four-hitter.
DIAMONDBACKS 11, NATIONALS 6
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Andrew Young delivered a grand slam for his first hit of the season to cap Arizona's 10-run outburst in just two innings against Patrick Corbin, and Arizona beat struggling Washington.
An announced crowd of 6,666 booed as Washington dropped to 3-7. The Nationals, who dealt with a COVID-19 outbreak earlier this month, have yet to win consecutive games.
Corbin owns an 0-2 record and a 21.32 ERA after allowing nine earned runs while getting merely six outs against the Diamondbacks (5-8), an outing that included a pair of hit batters, a trio of homers and a quartet of walks.
It was 3-0 after the top of the first, and while the Nationals went up 4-3 after the bottom half against Merrill Kelly (1-2), thanks in part to Starlin Castro's two-run shot, the Diamondbacks piled on in the second.
ROYALS 7, BLUE JAYS 5
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Jakob Junis ran his consecutive scoreless streak to 14 innings as Kansas City staked him to a seven-run lead Thursday, and a shaky bullpen held on after giving most of it back to beat Toronto.
Junis (1-0) was charged with two runs on five hits and a walk while pitching into the sixth, but both runs scored with reliever Jake Newberry on the mound.
Kyle Zimmer gave up a run, and Scott Barlow put two on with one out in the ninth before getting Bo Bichette to pop out and striking out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for his first save.
Guerrero finished a triple shy of the cycle for the Blue Jays. The highlight for them was his two-out homer in the seventh that soared over the fountains in left field and landed an estimated 456 feet from home plate.
Toronto spot starter Anthony Kay (0-1) gave up five runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings.
RANGERS 6, RAYS 4, 10 INNINGS
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Adolis Garcia's first major league homer, a two-run shot in the 10th inning, gave Texas the victory over Tampa Bay.
Garcia drove a 1-2 pitch from Cody Reed (0-1) the other way into the right-field stands. Nick Solak and Charlie Culberson also homered for the Rangers, who have won three straight following a four-game losing streak.
Josh Sborz (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning, and Ian Kennedy finished up for his third save in three opportunities.
Mike Brosseau homered for the Rays, who went 3 for 13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12 overall.