Joey Gallo slugged a three-run homer and Tyler Mahle struck out seven batters, leading the Minnesota Twins to an 11-1 win over the host Miami Marlins on Monday night.

Max Kepler also homered for the Twins, but he was removed in the fourth inning due to soreness in his right knee. Kyle Farmer took his place after Kepler beat out an infield single.

Gallo’s homer in the second inning was his third in three at-bats, counting two he hit against Kansas City on Sunday. His hot bat has helped the Twins to a 4-0 start. It’s Minnesota’s best start since 2017.

Trevor Larnach also had a big game for the Twins, going 2-for-5 with a homer, a triple and three RBIs.

Mahle (1-0) allowed five hits, one walk and one run in five innings, earning his first win since Aug. 12.

Johnny Cueto (0-1) made his Marlins debut, retiring just three batters and allowing three hits, one walk and four runs. He was removed three batters into the second inning due to tightness in his right biceps. His last pitch was the home run ball to Gallo.

Ironically, this was the 15th-year anniversary of Cueto’s MLB debut. Cueto, 37, was much better in that 2008 game, beating Arizona by allowing just one hit and one run in seven innings, striking out 10.

The Marlins were also without shortstop Joey Wendle, who was scratched due to oblique soreness. Jon Berti took his place.

Miami, just 1-4 on its season-opening homestand, was led by ex-Twins second baseman Luis Arraez, who extended his hitting streak to 14 games dating back to last season. Arraez, who won a batting title for the Twins last year, went 2-for-5 with one RBI, and he is now hitting .524.

Minnesota took a 1-0 lead on the fourth pitch of the game as Kepler — who had gone 0-for-13 in the Twins’ opening series — smashed a 2-1 changeup for his home run.

The Twins made it 4-0 in the second as Jose Miranda walked, Nick Gordon singled and Gallo pulled his homer on a 112 mph liner to right.

Minnesota extended its lead to 6-0 in the third on Larnach’s RBI triple to the right-field corner and Miranda’s run-scoring single.

The Twins made it 8-0 in the fourth on Carlos Correa’s two-run double to the left-center gap before Miami finally got on the board in the fifth on Arraez’s run-scoring single.

Larnach’s two-run homer in the seventh gave Minnesota a 10-1 lead.

Miami used catcher Jacob Stallings on the mound in the ninth, and he allowed a home run to Ryan Jeffers.

–Field Level Media

Jason Vosler, who began the night on the bench, delivered a clutch three-run homer and made a game-saving stab of a line drive to lead the Cincinnati Reds past the visiting Chicago Cubs 7-6 on Monday.

Alex Young (1-0) finished the fifth inning to earn the win. Derek Law pitched out of a two-out jam in the ninth to earn his first major league save since Sept. 18, 2019, when he was with the Toronto Blue Jays.

With two outs in the ninth, Law allowed back-to-back singles before Vosler at first base snared pinch hitter Miles Mastrobuoni’s line drive to end the game.

Vosler entered the game in the second inning as a pinch runner when starting center fielder Jose Barrero left with right hamstring tightness following a single to left field. Vosler scored later in the inning.

The Reds, who opened 2022 with a major-league-worst 3-22 mark, won their third straight to move to 3-1. It’s the first time they are two games over .500 since finishing the 2021 season with an 83-79 mark.

The Cubs wasted no time getting after Cincinnati starter Connor Overton. Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson opened the game with singles.

Following a strikeout of Ian Happ, Cody Bellinger snapped an 0-for-11 start to the season by hammering a hanging curveball from Overton into the seats in right for a 3-0 Cubs lead.

The Reds responded in kind off Cubs starter Drew Smyly (0-1). Jonathan India worked a leadoff walk. The Reds then rattled off four consecutive singles to tie the game, featuring an RBI single from Wil Myers and a two-run single from Kevin Newman that leveled the score at 3-3.

After the Reds took a 4-3 lead in the second, the Cubs chased Overton in the fifth when Swanson singled and Happ doubled to open the inning. With runners at second and third, Trey Mancini’s groundout tied the game at 4-4, before Eric Hosmer’s two-out, two-run double off Young scored Happ and Patrick Wisdom for a 6-4 Cubs lead.

But the Reds again had an immediate answer against Smyly. Tyler Stephenson opened with single, and Stuart Fairchild was hit by a pitch with one out. With two outs, Vosler lifted a Smyly sinker to the opposite field and the ball landed several rows back in left field for his second homer and a 7-6 Cincinnati lead.

Smyly took his first loss in six career decisions against the Reds, allowing seven runs — six earned — on nine hits, striking out three and walking two over 4 2/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

New York Mets right-hander Max Scherzer will offer a veteran challenge for the Brewers’ young hitters on Tuesday in the second game of Milwaukee’s first home series.

Scherzer (1-0, 4.50 ERA) will be opposed by veteran lefty Wade Miley, who will be seeking his 100th career victory in his first start of the season.

Milwaukee took the series opener 10-0 on Monday behind a grand slam homer from rookie Brice Turang and six scoreless innings from starter Freddy Peralta. It was the Brewers’ third straight win after a season-opening loss to the Cubs.

Turang’s first career homer capped a seven-run fifth. Brian Anderson had a two-run homer in the fourth, the Brewers’ first long ball of the season. Milwaukee had been one of two teams without a home run.

Turang, who got his opportunity when the Brewers traded Kolten Wong to Seattle in the offseason, has reached base in seven of his last nine plate appearances. He had two hits and two walks in a 9-5 win over the Cubs on Sunday, and also walked and singled against the Mets.

Turang has five hits in 10 at-bats with five RBIs and two stolen bases.

“He’s off to a good start,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “The thing that we’ve talked about Brice, is that he’s capable of impacting the game kind of in every different way. Through the first four games, I think that’s what he’s done, he’s impacted in a lot of different ways.”

Fellow rookie Joey Wiemer singled and reached on a walk, and second-year speedster Garrett Mitchell singled, walked and scored twice on Monday. Wiemer also made a perfect throw from right field to second to cut down Daniel Vogelbach, trying to stretch a single into a double.

“They’re good players,” Counsell said. “Good players aren’t intimidated.”

Mets starter Carlos Carrasco, a 15-game winner last season, lasted just four innings, giving up five runs on four hits with four walks. Tommy Hunter was tagged for five runs in two innings. Luis Guillorme, who started at third base, pitched the final inning.

The Mets opened the season with two consecutive road series, winning three of four at Miami before the trip to Milwaukee.

“I knew coming into the season, I think we were one of three teams playing eight (seven) games on the road, it was going to be a challenge pitching-wise,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said.

Scherzer, 11-5 with a 2.29 ERA in 23 starts for the Mets last season, allowed three runs over six innings in a 5-3 season-opening victory against the Marlins. He gave up four hits with six strikeouts and two walks in his 91-pitch outing.

Scherzer is 3-3 with a 2.14 ERA in 11 career appearances (10 starts) versus Milwaukee. He is 2-1 with a 2.31 ERA in seven appearances (six starts) at American Family Field.

Miley, who missed most of last season with three trips to the injured list, was limited to nine games (eight starts) with the Cubs, going 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA.

Miley, who also pitched for Milwaukee in 2018, is 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA in six career starts against the Mets.

–Field Level Media

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon accepted a four-game suspension for his role in an altercation with a fan Thursday night in a road game against the Oakland Athletics.

He began serving the ban on Monday when the Angels faced the host Seattle Mariners. Earlier Monday, Major League Baseball initially banded Rendon a five-game suspension, but after he discussed appealing the punishment, a settlement was reached.

The incident occurred shortly after the final out of the Angels’ 2-1 loss at the Oakland Coliseum on Opening Day.

In a video of the incident, Rendon grabs the fan’s shirt through a railing in Oakland and accuses him of calling him a “b—.” The fan denied the name-calling and Rendon called him a “mother—er” and took a swipe at him but missed.

Rendon addressed the incident with the media for the first time on Monday after agreeing to the four-game ban.

“It sucked,” Rendon said of his exchange with the fan. “My emotions got the best of me. I’m usually pretty good about interacting with fans … have fun with it. But the gentleman (and I), we spoke on the phone, and we both apologized about what had happened. And so we’re both ready to move forward.”

Rendon, 32, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk on Thursday. He has appeared in two games this season and is hitless in six at-bats with one RBI.

Rendon has been a disappointment for the Angels as he begins the fourth season of a seven-year, $245 million deal. He has just 20 homers and 90 RBIs and a .249 average in 159 games over three seasons plus the two 2023 appearances.

Last season, a wrist injury helped limit Rendon to 47 games. He batted .229 with five homers and 24 RBIs.

–Field Level Media

David Villar had a grand slam among two home runs, and the visiting San Francisco Giants hit four of their seven home runs during a five-batter span in the fifth inning to run away with a 12-3 victory over the host Chicago White Sox on Monday afternoon.

Michael Conforto, Thairo Estrada and Mike Yastrzemski joined Villar in the home run parade in the fifth against White Sox starter Michael Kopech (0-1). Joc Pederson and Bryce Johnson also went deep for the Giants, who overpowered the White Sox after totaling just two homers in their season-opening, three-game series at the New York Yankees.

Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (1-0) was the beneficiary of the powerful support, coasting through six shutout innings and allowing three hits. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.

Pederson’s homer, his second of the season, led off a two-run second that gave the Giants the lead for good. Roberto Perez’s two-out single scored Yastrzemski, who had walked, later in the inning.

Yastrzemski, who had two doubles in the New York series, added a third to plate Estrada in the third, before the Giants busted the game open in the fifth.

The homer spree came over a 17-pitch stretch, with Conforto, Estrada, Yastrzemski and Villar all belting their first of the season.

Kopech was pulled two outs into the fifth, having allowed seven runs and eight hits. He walked three and struck out five. The five home runs allowed marked a career high. He had previously served up four homers in a game on two occasions, including last July against the Minnesota Twins.

Villar’s grand slam, the first of his career, and Johnson’s solo shot, the first of his major league career, made for a five-run ninth and gave the Giants five more runs (12) than they’d totaled in three games in New York (seven).

The last time the Giants hit seven home runs in one game was in 2002 in a game at the Colorado Rockies.

Luis Robert Jr. had a solo homer, his second of the season, for the White Sox. Andrew Vaughn had an RBI double and Yasmani Grandal added a run-scoring infield out in a two-run seventh.

Villar’s five RBIs were a career high, while Yastrzemski scored three runs and finished with two hits and two RBIs for the Giants, who have alternated losses and wins in their four games. Conforto, Estrada and LaMonte Wade Jr. joined them with two hits apiece.

–Field Level Media

The New York Yankees transferred Frankie Montas to the 60-day injured list and also signed fellow right-handed pitcher Ian Hamilton to a major league contract and added him to the active roster on Monday.

The Yankees optioned right-hander Jhony Brito to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Sunday’s game.

Montas underwent arthroscopic surgery on his throwing shoulder in mid-February and is not expected to return to action until late in the regular season at the earliest.

The Yankees acquired Montas from the Oakland Athletics at last season’s trade deadline. He made eight starts for the Yankees and went 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA after pitching to a 3.18 ERA in his first 19 starts of the year for Oakland.

Hamilton, meanwhile, appeared in just one game for the Minnesota Twins in 2022. In 15 career bullpen outings for the Chicago White Sox (2018, 2020) and Twins, the 27-year-old has amassed a 1-2 record and a 4.91 ERA across 14 2/3 innings.

The Yankees originally signed Hamilton to a minor league deal in February.

Brito made his major league debut Sunday by starting New York’s third game of the season. He yielded just two hits and one walk while striking out six over five scoreless innings to earn the decision in a 6-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.

–Field Level Media

Rookie Brice Turang had a grand slam for his first career home run and a healthy Freddy Peralta tossed six scoreless innings to lead Milwaukee to a 10-0 victory over the visiting New York Mets in the Brewers’ home opener on Monday.

Turang’s slam capped a seven-run fifth-inning that put the Brewers in front 10-0 as Milwaukee won its third straight after a season-opening loss.

Christian Yelich and Jesse Winker opened the fifth with back-to-back walks, chasing starter Carlos Carrasco. Tommy Hunter relieved and Willy Adames lined an RBI single off the glove of shortstop Francisco Lindor. Rowdy Tellez walked and William Contreras followed with an RBI groundout to make the score 5-0.

Garrett Mitchell walked to load the bases and Brian Anderson blooped an RBI single into shallow right. Turang then drove an 0-1 pitch 417 feet over the wall in right-center.

Turang has four hits and eight total bases plus three walks in his past eight plate appearances. He had two hits and two walks in a 9-5 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

Peralta (1-0), limited to 78 innings last season due to shoulder issues, allowed just two singles, striking out seven and walking three in an 85-pitch outing.

Bryse Wilson followed with three scoreless innings for his first save.

Carrasco (0-1), a 15-game winner last season, allowed five runs on four hits in four innings, walking four and striking out four in his season debut.

The Mets, who open with seven road games, had won three of four in Miami.

Anderson put Milwaukee up 3-0 in the fourth with a two-run homer, the Brewers first of the season, after a two-out single by Mitchell.

Turang’s speed led to a Brewers run in the third. Turang walked to open, stole second and came in on Winker’s two-out, opposite-field single to left.

–Field Level Media

Chicago White Sox right-hander Liam Hendriks began his final round of chemotherapy Monday in his battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The All-Star closer provided an update on a video tweeted by the team ahead of Monday’s home opener against the San Francisco Giants.

“Just want to let you know I’m starting my last round of chemo today,” Hendriks said. “So I’ll see you guys on the South Side soon. Play ball!”

A special message from Liam Hendriks: pic.twitter.com/kSE1bjBkZD

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 3, 2023

Hendriks, 34, announced his diagnosis in early January and there is no official timeline for his return, although the team elected not to move him to the 60-day injured list last month.

Hendriks recorded 75 saves over his first two seasons with the White Sox, making the All-Star team both years. His 38 saves in 2021 led the American League and he followed up with 37 last season.

Hendriks, a native of Australia, also was an All-Star in 2019 when he was a member of the Oakland Athletics.

In 471 career games (44 starts) for the Minnesota Twins (2011-13), Kansas City Royals (2014), Toronto Blue Jays (2014-15), Oakland Athletics (2016-20) and White Sox, Hendriks has a career 3.81 ERA with a 31-34 record and 115 saves. He has 724 strikeouts against 158 walks across 645 innings.

–Field Level Media

The Atlanta Braves selected the contract of left-hander Dylan Dodd on Monday.

The team also optioned lefty Jared Shuster to Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move, and designated outfielder Jordan Luplow for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Dodd, 24, is scheduled to make his major league debut with Tuesday’s start against the host St. Louis Cardinals.

A third-round pick by Atlanta in 2021, Dodd went 12-9 with a 3.36 ERA in 26 starts across three levels in the minors in 2022.

Shuster, 24, made his MLB debut in Sunday’s start at Washington. He took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits and five walks in 4 2/3 innings in a 4-1 setback to the Nationals.

Luplow, 29, signed as a free agent in December. He batted .176 with 11 homers and 28 RBIs in 83 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season.

–Field Level Media