Dylan Cease allowed one hit over seven scoreless innings to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 3-0 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Monday afternoon.

Cease (3-1) did not walk a batter and matched a career-high with 11 strikeouts, including three of Mike Trout, while making 93 pitches, 64 of which were strikes.

Cease retired 21 of the 23 batters he faced — Angels right fielder Taylor Ward, just named the American League Player of the Week, doubled to lead off the fourth inning, and Tyler Wade was hit by a pitch leading off the sixth inning.

Shohei Ohtani was not in the starting lineup for the Angels because of a strained groin, but he pinch hit in the eighth inning and grounded out.

Kendall Graveman pitched the eighth inning and Liam Hendriks the ninth (fifth save) to finish the shutout. Hendriks fanned the side, including Trout’s fourth strikeout to end the game.

The White Sox had seven hits, including three from Luis Robert.

Angels starter Patrick Sandoval did not allow an earned run in his first three starts this season, but gave up two in the first inning on Monday.

Tim Anderson led off with a single and Robert followed with a single, the baserunners moving up to second and third on left fielder Jo Adell’s fielding error.

Anderson scored on A.J. Pollock’s groundout and Robert later scored on a sacrifice fly by Jake Burger.

The White Sox added to their lead in the sixth when Jose Abreu led off with a single and two outs later scored on a double by Adam Engel.

Sandoval (1-1) gave up three runs on six hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out two and made 96 pitches.

Meanwhile, Cease was sharp from the beginning. He retired the first nine Angels hitters in a row, the streak ending when Ward led off the fourth with a double. Ward was stranded when Cease struck out both Brandon Marsh and Trout, and got Jared Walsh on a grounder to second.

In the sixth, Wade was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He stole second base with two outs but was stranded when Marsh flied out.

–Field Level Media

Steven Matz and three St. Louis Cardinals relievers combined to blank the visiting the Kansas City Royals 1-0 on five hits Monday.

Paul Goldschmidt hit a first-inning homer to account for the game’s only run.

This game was rescheduled game from April 13 due to inclement weather. The Cardinals concluded their eight-game homestand with a 4-4 record.

After allowing four runs on six hits in four innings against the New York Mets in his previous start, Matz (3-1) cruised through six scoreless innings. He allowed four hits, struck out four batters and walked nobody.

Kodi Whitley, Nick Wittgren and Giovanny Gallegos pitched a scoreless inning each for the Cardinals. Gallegos earned his fifth save.

Starter Zack Greinke (0-2) allowed one run on three hits in six innings for the Royals, who lost for the fourth game in a row and the ninth time in their last 11 games.

Goldschmidt put the Cardinals on the board with his second home run of the season into the seats in left field.

Edward Olivares hit a one-out double off Matz in the third inning, but Whit Merrifield flew out and Andrew Benintendi grounded out to strand him.

Matz allowed Carlos Santana’s one-out double in the fourth inning, but he struck out Hunter Dozier and got Bobby Witt Jr. to pop out to end the inning.

Michael A. Taylor kept the Royals within one run in the fifth inning by leaping at the wall in center field to rob Andrew Knizner of a solo homer.

Dylan Carlson hit a leadoff double for the Cardinals in the eighth inning against reliever Taylor Clarke. But Knizner grounded out and Brendan Donovan and Harrison Bader both struck out to leave him in scoring position.

The Cardinals and Royals will move down the highway for interleague games Tuesday and Wednesday in Kansas City.

–Field Level Media

The Colorado Rockies look to match a season best with their fourth straight win when they open a three-game series against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night in Denver.

The Rockies previously won four consecutive contests from April 9-12 when they posted two wins apiece against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers.

Colorado is in position to match that run after sweeping a three-game weekend set from the Cincinnati Reds. The Rockies outscored the major league-worst Reds 24-8.

Five Colorado players had two hits in Sunday’s 10-1 rout of the Reds. Even Brendan Rodgers broke loose with two hits and four RBIs after entering the game with an anemic .078 batting average.

Rodgers’ splurge came after he missed four games due to back soreness. But his approach Sunday was more like a year ago when he batted .284 with 15 homers and 51 RBIs in 102 games.

“I’m just getting back to myself, taking the ball to right field,” Rodgers said. “That first hit was a huge, huge first step for me. Then, obviously, the next step — driving one in the gap — is a great feeling. I’ve got to stay up the middle of the field. That’s where I do most of my damage.”

Rockies manager Bud Black said timing was the problem during Rodgers’ 4-for-51 start to the campaign.

“He’s got a good swing,” Black said. “Sometimes you can overanalyze things, but he’s got as good and as efficient a swing as anybody, but his timing was off. When he hits the ball to right-center, that’s a good sign. I thought he had some good swings, too, on a couple of strikeouts. He just missed a couple of pitches, but he’ll get there.”

Washington’s bats came to life over the weekend when it scored 28 runs while taking two of three from the host San Francisco Giants.

The Nationals had lost eight straight before reaching the Bay Area. But they scored a season-high 14 runs on Friday and were touching the bases a lot again Sunday during an 11-5 victory.

Yadiel Hernandez had three hits and drove in a career-best five runs in Sunday’s victory.

“The biggest thing is pitch selection,” Hernandez told reporters through an interpreter. “We had a meeting as a team that we were swinging at very bad pitches in general. The team focused more this weekend and we had better pitch selection and the results were there.”

Juan Soto added three hits and scored three runs and Lucius Fox notched his first two big-league hits after starting 0-for-20.

Fox, known for his speed, was proud of the way his day went.

“I got two infield hits, I stole a base, went first to third, scored from third on a dirt ball — and it was all with the legs,” Fox said. “That’s special.”

The Nationals will start right-hander Erick Fedde (1-2, 6.00 ERA) in the series opener. He lost his last two outings and hasn’t pitched more than five innings in any of his four starts.

Fedde, 29, is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against the Rockies. He has experienced issues with Charlie Blackmon (5-for-8, one homer, one triple).

Right-hander German Marquez (0-1, 5.57) looks to bounce back after allowing 12 earned runs in 14 innings over his last three starts.

The 27-year-old is 2-2 with a 7.67 ERA in five career starts against Washington. Soto is 3-for-8 with a homer against Marquez.

Colorado is slated to activate utility man Garrett Hampson (right hand) from the injured list. With the roster limit dropping from 28 to 26, the Rockies optioned first baseman Elehuris Montero, infielder Alan Trejo and right-hander Ryan Feltner to Triple-A Albuquerque.

The Nationals reached the limit by sending left-handers Sam Clay and Francisco Perez to Triple-A Rochester.

–Field Level Media

Off to their worst start ever, the task doesn’t get any easier for the struggling Cincinnati Reds as they open a three-game series against the division-leading Brewers on Tuesday in Milwaukee.

Right-hander Tyler Mahle (1-3, 6.45 ERA) starts for the Reds, while the Brewers counter with right-hander Brandon Woodruff (2-1, 5.30). Both teams were off on Monday.

The Reds lost 10-1 at Colorado on Sunday, their 17th loss in the last 18 games. Cincinnati’s 3-19 start is the worst in franchise history. The Reds already are 11 1/2 games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central.

“We really just need to play better in all areas,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Our focus is turning this around, that’s it. Getting this going in the right direction. I believe so much in what we’re doing as a team, as an organization. We’ve made so much progress and I just want to keep helping contribute to pushing that forward.”

After scoring 20 runs and hitting nine homers in the first two games of its series against the Cubs, Milwaukee lost to Chicago 2-0 on Sunday, the Brewers’ third shutout loss of the season. The Brewers have scored two or fewer runs in seven of their eight losses.

Mahle, who will be making his sixth start, gave up three runs on six hits over a season-high 5 1/3 innings of his most recent outing Thursday at home against the San Diego Padres. Cincinnati dropped a 7-5 decision.

In eight career starts against the Brewers, Mahle is 1-2 with a 4.93 ERA over 42 innings. He was 1-0 with a 3.91 ERA in four starts against them last season.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto is batting .312 with 21 homers and 65 RBIs in 102 career games in Milwaukee.

After allowing no runs in 11 innings in his two previous starts, Woodruff allowed four runs on seven hits in four innings in his last outing, but did not get a decision in the Brewers’ 12-8 win at Pittsburgh.

“Woody just wasn’t quite on today,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said after that game. “His fastball didn’t feel as electric as it usually does. He used his changeup to kind of get through four innings, I thought really well. And then they got some action in the fifth, and his pitch count was kind of getting there.”

Despite Woodruff having just one quality start, the Brewers are 3-1 in games he has taken the mound, winning the last three.

Woodruff, an All-Star last season, is 4-3 with a 3.06 ERA in 11 career appearances vs. the Reds, including nine starts. He was 1-0 with a 1.02 ERA in three starts against the Reds last season, allowing just two earned runs and striking out 22 in 17 2/3 innings.

The Brewers won the season series last year, 10-9, but the Reds won seven of 10 at Milwaukee.

After concluding a six-game homestand with the series against Cincinnati, the Brewers head out for a nine-game road swing to Atlanta, Cincinnati and Miami.

–Field Level Media

Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani was not in Monday’s starting lineup and his next start on the mound is in limbo after coming away with a minor groin injury Sunday.

Ohtani made an appearance as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning of Monday afternoon’s 3-0 loss the White Sox in Chicago. He entered with two outs and a runner on first and grounded out to second base on a 3-1 pitch.

Ohtani’s next scheduled start on the mound was expected to take place this week at Boston. The right-hander’s last start came on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians.

The injury did not require an MRI. It occurred during Sunday’s game as he ran to first base while grounding into a double play. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the ninth inning.

Angels manager Joe Maddon said an Ohtani start against the Red Sox remains undetermined but he hopes he’ll be able to pitch in the series.

“We’re going to wait a day or two to figure that out. He’s feeling pretty good today,” Maddon said.

The Angels listed right-hander Noah Syndergaard as their starter Tuesday at Boston, with no starter listed for games Wednesday and Thursday.

Ohtani is hitting .228 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in 22 games this season. He’s 2-2 with a 4.19 ERA in four starts. He has a strikeout ratio of 14.0 per 9 innings.

–Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants each will introduce a new difference-maker into one of baseball’s best rivalries when the teams meet Monday at Los Angeles.

The Giants will send left-hander Carlos Rodon to the mound in the first meeting between the teams in 2022 while the Dodgers will bring first baseman Freddie Freeman into the matchup.

Each team can claim success over the other in 2021. The Giants ended the Dodgers’ eight-year run as National League West champions last season and won 107 games. San Francisco even won 10 of the 19 games in the season series and six of the 10 at Dodger Stadium.

But the Dodgers, who won 106 regular-season games, ended the Giants’ season in a five-game NL Division Series. It was the first time the rivals faced each other in the playoffs.

While San Francisco is set to unveil Rodon on the Dodgers, they will be without other key pieces. Over the past week, first baseman Brandon Belt, right-handers Dominic Leone and Zack Little, and outfielders Steven Duggar and Mike Yastrzemski all were placed on the COVID-19 list.

Indications are that Yastrzemski and outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. (knee) could be ready to face the Dodgers.

Rodon (3-0, 1.17 ERA) will enter after holding the Oakland Athletics to one run over six innings of a home win Tuesday. He did have two starts against the Dodgers during his seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox, both in 2017, going 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA.

Rodon has allowed one run or fewer in all four of his Giants starts and has at least eight strikeouts in all of them. His outing against Oakland gave the Giants a five-game winning streak, but they are just 1-3 since, dropping a home series to the Washington Nationals.

“First, we have to own that we can play better baseball than we did in (the Nationals) series,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said, per the San Jose Mercury News. “Then we can also acknowledge the way that happened, through high-quality at-bats from the Nationals but also some balls on the ground that we weren’t able to convert into outs.”

The series also will mark the return to Los Angeles of former Dodgers fan-favorite Joc Pederson, who is off to a hot start with six home runs and a 1.127 OPS in 16 games with San Francisco but has been day-to-day with an adductor strain.

The Dodgers’ offense continues to thrive without Pederson and former shortstop Corey Seager, who left via free agency. Pederson is with his third team since leaving Los Angeles after the 2020 season.

Freeman has taken over for Seager as the Dodgers’ steady left-handed power hitter, batting .309 with an .869 OPS and three home runs. But the club is in a lull, winning just two of its past five games against two last-place teams: the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers.

Julio Urias, who will take the mound for the Dodgers on Tuesday, started in one of those three recent defeats, but pitched well, allowing one run over six innings at Arizona on Wednesday. Urias (1-1, 2.50) has faced the Giants 20 times (14 starts) and is 2-3 with a 2.61 ERA.

Freeman, a Southern California native, was asked on the Dodgers’ SportsNet LA broadcast Sunday about his first rivalry game with the Giants.

“I’ve seen them on TV,” Freeman said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

–Field Level Media

Emotions will likely be running high when the San Diego Padres visit the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday.

Former Cleveland right-hander Mike Clevinger is expected to be activated from the injured list and make his first start for San Diego since Sept. 23, 2020. He was traded by Cleveland on Aug. 31, 2020, for six players, four of whom are in Cleveland’s starting lineup. He missed all of the 2021 season after having Tommy John surgery.

“I’ve had that one marked on my calendar since before the season,” Clevinger said.

He will oppose his best friend when he was with Cleveland, right-hander Zach Plesac (1-2, 3.80 ERA).

The Clevinger trade seemed to help both teams. The Guardians acquired Wednesday’s scheduled starter Cal Quantrill, catcher Austin Hedges, infielder Owen Miller and first baseman/outfielder Josh Naylor in the trade, as well as top prospect Gabriel Arias, who is at Triple-A Columbus.

Clevinger, 31, helped pitch the Padres into the 2020 National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers before his elbow injury.

A knee injury in spring training landed him on the injured list. He’s 44-23 with a 3.19 ERA in 105 career appearances (92 starts).

Clevinger made three rehab starts in recent weeks on two minor league levels, striking out 15 in 8 2/3 innings with a 2.08 ERA.

“I’m commanding all five pitches pretty well,” Clevinger said, according to MLB.com. “So, I feel like I’m ready to take that next step.”

Neither Clevinger nor Plesac has ever faced the other team.

The Padres, second in the NL West behind the Dodgers, come into the series with the top two batters in the majors — first baseman Eric Hosmer (.382) and third baseman Manny Machado (.375).

Hosmer recently hit three home runs in a five-game span for San Diego, which has won five of its last six games. Machado had four homers and 15 RBIs in April.

Padres leadoff hitter Trent Grisham recorded his first three-hit game of the season in a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

“It just feels good you get to contribute,” said Grisham, now batting .182.

Padres manager Bob Melvin is happy his hitters are starting to get hot.

“It’s important for us to get some contributions all over the board and Grisham is now swinging the bat better at the top,” he said. “You can’t rely on three, four, five guys all the time.”

The Guardians snapped a seven-game losing streak by sweeping the Oakland A’s in a three-game weekend series. Sunday’s 7-3 win gave Cleveland its first series sweep in Oakland since 2000.

The Guardians have been hitting the ball, something that pundits questioned coming into the season. They come into the San Diego series with five regulars batting over .300, including Miller (.377), Andres Gimenez (.346), Jose Ramirez (.341), Steven Kwan (.340) and Naylor (.313).

“The game is fluid,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “We’ve been very streaky. Hopefully, we’re in the midst of changing that.”

Cleveland left-hander Logan Allen and first baseman Bobby Bradley were designated for assignment after Sunday’s game. The Guardians also activated right-hander Anthony Castro from the COVID injured list and optioned him to Columbus. The Padres optioned right-hander Pedro Avila and catcher Luis Campusano to Triple-A El Paso.

–Field Level Media

A lack of timely hits and some sloppy fielding have cost the Detroit Tigers of late.

The Tigers have lost seven of their last eight games as they begin a two-game home series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.

Detroit snapped a six-game skid with a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. The Tigers then reverted to some nasty habits Sunday, leaving nine runners on base and committing two costly errors in a 6-3 loss.

“We didn’t play well enough to win. … Our reality is we make a critical mistake or two every game and it’s costing us right now,” manager AJ Hinch said.

The Tigers scored 13 runs in the first game of a doubleheader on April 23. In the eight games since, they have only pushed across 18 total runs.

Jeimer Candelario and Miguel Cabrera hit their first home runs of the season on Sunday but Candelario also committed a costly throwing error from third base, which helped the Dodgers score three second-inning runs.

“We’ve got to take care of the ball,” Candelario said. “We’ve got to play good defense then everything will go from there. We’re going to hit. We know we’re going to hit. But we’ve got to take care of the ball, like AJ says. We’ve got to take care of the ball all the time.”

There’s concern regarding Tigers right fielder Robbie Grossman, who was hit on the hand by a Walker Buehler fastball Sunday. X-rays were negative but it “was pretty black and blue,” according to Hinch, so Grossman could miss some games.

Michael Pineda (1-1, 3.60 ERA) will start the series opener. Pineda pitched five scoreless innings in his season debut April 21, then allowed four runs, including three homers, in five innings at Minnesota on Wednesday. He’s 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in two career starts against the Pirates.

He will be opposed by Bryse Wilson (0-0, 4.70 ERA). Wilson held Milwaukee to one hit in four scoreless innings while striking out four in a four-inning relief stint on Wednesday.

“I think it’s a situation for me that, coming out of the bullpen, I wasn’t able to think about stuff as much and think about my gameplan going in as much other than the fact that I wanted to attack,” Wilson said. “For me, going forward as a starter, if that’s what it’s going to be, I can take that mindset into that as well.”

He had a no-decision, giving up three runs in six innings, in his lone career start against Detroit in 2021.

Pittsburgh is also trying to shake loose from a rough patch. It has lost five of its last six games, including a 5-2 decision to San Diego on Sunday. The Detroit series kicks off a six-game road trip.

The Pirates have also had their share of fielding miscues. They have committed 17 errors in 22 games, including three on Sunday.

“I like to talk about how defense is something you can bring every day,” said Pirates outfielder Jake Marisnick, who has made multiple diving catches in recent days. “It doesn’t go away. You can go out there and it’s something you pride yourself in. It’s a way to change the ball game and help your team win every night.”

–Field Level Media

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber appears to have found his power.

Schwarber launched a home run on Saturday and two more on Sunday against the New York Mets, a trend he will look to continue as Philadelphia opens a two-game series with the visiting Texas Rangers on Tuesday.

Schwarber is hitting just .200 in his first season with the Phillies but has produced seven home runs and 16 RBI.

“You can’t look too far in the past,” Schwarber said after his club lost two of three to the Mets. “You’ve got to be able to move on to the next one. We’ve got Texas coming up. Take care of business there. These guys (Mets) come back into town, and we’ll see what happens.”

The Phillies will hand the ball to Ranger Suarez (2-0, 4.42 ERA), who has never faced the Rangers in his career.

Philadelphia has won only two of its seven series. With a pair of wins over the Rangers, the Phillies can move back above .500.

Before looking ahead to another key four-game series against the Mets, it’s time to face a talented Texas team.

“That’s a good team over there,” Bryce Harper said of the Mets. “We need to take (Monday) off, understand that we need to beat Texas and be ready for the Mets again.”

Major League Baseball rosters had to be reduced from 28 to 26 active players by Monday and the Phillies optioned pitchers Damon Jones and Christopher Sanchez to Triple-A.

The Rangers will look for their third consecutive victory when they visit Philadelphia.

Texas defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-3 on Sunday thanks in large part to playing fundamental baseball.

Since spring training, manager Chris Woodward has been imploring the team to focus on every offensive aspect, not just home runs. On Sunday, the Rangers executed sacrifice bunts, stolen bases — all the little things that help win games.

“As soon as they get on base, they’re ready to run,” Woodward said. “The goal is to just add constant pressure. And have good at-bats. Like how are we going to create offense? Guys are starting to understand that you don’t have to go out and hit five home runs to score. You can walk, you can bunt, you can do lots of things to put pressure.

“When we create that kind of pressure offensively and actually go up like that, we can score. You don’t have to blast balls all over the plate,” Woodward added.

Jon Gray (0-1, 7.00 ERA) is expected to come off the injured list to start for the Rangers. Gray is 4-3 with a 3.99 ERA in eight career starts against the Phillies.

Gray hasn’t pitched since April 19 when he allowed three hits and four runs in five innings on the road against the Seattle Mariners.

The Rangers optioned Sam Huff and Willie Calhoun to Triple-A to get down to 26 active players.

–Field Level Media