Willson Contreras made his return to Chicago and delivered a tiebreaking double in the sixth inning among his two hits as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cubs 3-1 on Monday night.
St. Louis has posted back-to-back victories for the first time in nearly a month. Before a Sunday win at Detroit, the Cardinals had lost eight consecutive games. Chicago lost for the eighth time in 11 games.
Greeted with noticeable cheers but several boos, Contreras went 2-for-4 against the Cubs, the team he left to sign a five-year, $87.5 million deal with the rival Cardinals in the offseason.
St. Louis reliever Genesis Cabrera (1-1) threw 1 1/3 shutout innings for the win, and Ryan Helsley recorded the last four outs for his fourth save. Cubs starter Marcus Stroman (2-3) yielded two runs on four hits in six innings.
Pirates 2, Rockies 0
Rodolfo Castro’s two-run home run in the seventh inning backed a brilliant start by Mitch Keller as Pittsburgh downed visiting Colorado to end a seven-game losing streak.
Keller (4-1) produced a four-hit shutout in his first career complete game. He struck out eight and walked one.
Colorado starter Kyle Freeland (3-4) gave up two runs and seven hits in seven innings, with four strikeouts and three walks. The Rockies had won two in a row and six of their past seven.
Brewers 9, Dodgers 3
Joey Wiemer and Willy Adames each had a three-run homer and Freddy Peralta allowed one run over six innings to pace Milwaukee to a win over visiting Los Angeles.
Peralta (4-2) allowed three hits, all doubles, while striking out five and walking two. Wiemer knocked in four runs, and Christian Yelich added a two-run single.
Dodgers starter Tony Gonsolin (0-1) allowed three unearned runs on three hits in six innings. Chris Taylor connected for a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth.
Tigers 6, Guardians 2
Andy Ibanez singled, homered and scored three times to help visiting Detroit post a win against Cleveland in the opener of a three-game series.
Eric Haase had three hits and scored two runs and Riley Greene added two hits and two RBIs for the Tigers, who have won six of seven. Tigers starter Joey Wentz (1-3) allowed two runs and three hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Guardians starter Tanner Bibee (1-1) gave up four runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. Jose Ramirez homered for Cleveland, which had won two in a row.
Rays 3, Orioles 0
Josh Lowe and Luke Raley each hit solo home runs and Shane McClanahan pitched six shutout innings to lead Tampa Bay to a win over host Baltimore.
McClanahan (7-0) allowed just four hits and four walks while striking out seven as the Rays won for the ninth time in 11 games. Wander Franco went 2-for-3, while Raley went 2-for-4 with his solo homer in the ninth inning to cap the scoring.
The Orioles, who have dropped their past three games, wasted a quality start by Kyle Gibson (4-2). He allowed just two runs on six hits in six-plus innings.
Yankees 7, Athletics 2
Gleyber Torres hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth and DJ LeMahieu hit a two-run shot later in the inning as New York beat visiting Oakland.
Oswaldo Cabrera and Aaron Hicks also belted two-run homers for the Yankees. New York starter Nestor Cortes allowed two runs and six hits in five-plus innings, and Ron Marinaccio (2-1) got the win in relief.
Athletics starter JP Sears (0-3) yielded five runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Royals 12, White Sox 5
MJ Melendez homered and drove in four runs as Kansas City came from behind to beat visiting Chicago in the opener of a four-game series.
The Royals were buoyed by an eight-run sixth, breaking a 4-4 tie by sending 12 batters to the plate. Kansas City loaded the bases with no outs, chasing White Sox starter Dylan Cease (2-2) from the game.
Cease went five-plus innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits while walking one and striking out six. Jose Cuas (2-0) got the win in relief of Zack Greinke, who allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Rangers 2, Mariners 1
Jon Gray pitched seven strong innings to outduel Logan Gilbert as Texas defeated host Seattle in the opener of a three-game series.
Gray (2-1) allowed one run on four hits and no walks with eight strikeouts. The only run Gray allowed was a solo homer by Ty France in the first inning. Will Smith struck out the side in the ninth for his fifth save.
Gilbert (1-2) had a perfect game through six innings, but in the seventh, Josh Jung hit a sacrifice fly to tie the score and Jonah Heim added a go-ahead single. Gilbert gave up two runs on three hits and one walk in 6 2/3 innings. He finished with 10 strikeouts.
Diamondbacks 5, Marlins 2
Christian Walker hit a tiebreaking homer and drove in two runs and Zac Gallen tossed seven strong innings to lead Arizona past Miami in Phoenix.
Gabriel Moreno went 3-for-4 with one RBI as the Diamondbacks won for the seventh time in 10 games. Walker’s tape-measure homer in the sixth inning put Arizona ahead to stay and helped send the Marlins to their sixth setback in seven games.
Gallen (5-1) gave up one run and five hits while winning his fifth straight decision. Miami’s Braxton Garrett (1-2) was charged with four runs and seven hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Nationals 5, Giants 1
CJ Abrams capped a five-run first inning with a two-run single and Washington opened a three-game road series against San Francisco with a victory.
Washington right-hander Jake Irvin pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his first major league win. He allowed four hits and three walks while striking out five.
Joc Pederson’s solo home run in the ninth provided the Giants’ lone run. San Francisco starter Anthony DeSclafani (3-2) got through seven innings, allowing five runs on 10 hits.
Angels 6, Astros 4
Brandon Drury’s RBI triple in the eighth inning made the difference as Los Angeles opened a three-game series against Houston with a win in Anaheim, Calif.
With score 4-4 in the eighth, Anthony Rendon drew a leadoff walk off Rafael Montero (0-2). After Hunter Renfroe flied out, Drury blasted a first-pitch sinker to deep center, and the ball caromed off the wall and gave Rendon ample time to advance home from first base.
Los Angeles tacked on another run when Matt Thaiss’ deep sacrifice fly scored Drury, giving Carlos Estevez a cushion to pick up his eighth save of the season. Hunter Brown pitched 4 1/3 innings for Houston, allowing four runs on nine hits.
–Field Level Media
