CHICAGO (AP) — Martín Pérez threw six hitless innings in a sparkling debut as Chicago beats Minnesota.
Andrew Vaughn and Andrew Benintendi hit three-run homers in the first and second innings. Michael A. Taylor made it 9-0 with a two-run drive in the third against Twins starter Chris Paddock (0-1), sending the White Sox to an easy win after they lost two of three in their season-opening series against the Los Angeles Angels.
The Twins’ only hits were singles by Willi Castro in the seventh against Mike Vasil and Ryan Jeffers in the eighth. They fell to 0-4 following a sweep at St. Louis, their worst start since the 2016 team dropped its first nine games.
Pérez (1-0) threw 93 pitches while tying a career high with nine strikeouts and walking three. The left-hander retired the first 11 batters before walking Jeffers.
Pérez, who turns 34 on Friday, was an All-Star with Texas in 2022 and helped the Rangers win the World Series the following year. He pitched for Pittsburgh and San Diego last season before signing a $5 million, one-year contract with Chicago in January.
Vasil retired the first two batters in the seventh before Castro singled.
Paddack got tagged for nine runs in 3 1/3 innings.
ROYALS 11, BREWERS 1
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kris Bubic struck out eight in six shutout innings in his first start in nearly two years, and Kansas City spoiled Milwaukee’s home opener with a victory over the winless Brewers.
Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez homered for the Royals. Jonathan India had three hits and drove in two runs one day after on the left side of his face by a 98.9-mph pitch from Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase.
Bubic (1-0) allowed three hits and walked two in his first start since The 27-year-old left-hander had later that month, and he filled a relief role in all 27 of his appearances last season, going 1-1 with a 2.67 ERA.
The two-time Brewers are 0-4 for the first time since 2015, when they finished 68-94.
Garcia connected for a 428-foot drive to center on a 2-1 fastball from Elvin Rodriguez (0-1) in the second. Perez went deep on a 2-2 slider from Elvis Peguero in the seventh, sending a 418-foot drive just inside the left-field foul pole.
Brewers associate manager Rickie Weeks was ejected from the game by home plate umpire Brennan Miller after arguing a ball-strike call from the dugout in the seventh.
ORIOLES 8, RED SOX 5
BALTIMORE (AP) — Tyler O’Neill had four hits in his home debut for Baltimore, and the Orioles used a pair of big offensive innings to beat Boston.
Baltimore scored four runs in the first and four more in the eighth in its home opener, and the Orioles’ bullpen threw 4 2/3 innings. Matt Bowman, Seranthony Domínguez (1-0), Keegan Akin and Yennier Cano blanked Boston in relief. Then Félix Bautista came on for the ninth to a big ovation — the big closer missed all of last season because of Tommy John surgery.
Bautista allowed two runs and had to face Alex Bregman as the tying run with two on. Bregman hit a game-ending popup.
Orioles starter Cade Povich allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings but struck out eight. Sean Newcomb (0-1) threw three shutout innings after allowing four runs in the first in his Boston debut.
Baltimore began the bottom of the first with four straight singles, including RBI hits by O’Neill and Ryan Mountcastle. Cedric Mullins added a two-out, two-run double to make it 4-0.
O’Neill, who signed with the Orioles in the offseason, had three singles and a double.
Jarren Duran hit a two-run triple in the second for Boston, and the Red Sox scored again in the third, but the Orioles pulled away in the eighth. Heston Kjerstad singled home a run, Mullins drove in two more with a bases-loaded single, and Jackson Holliday hit an RBI single.
PHILLIES 6, ROCKIES 1
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Edmundo Sosa ripped a two-out, go-ahead two-RBI double in the seventh inning and Kyle Schwarber followed with a mammoth homer to center field to rally Philadelphia to a win over Colorado.
Philadelphia Eagles and Saquon Barkley surprised the roaring crowd with a pair of first pitches. With two runners on base in the seventh and two out, the Phillies put Graham on the big screen and he raised his arms exhorting the crowd to get loud.
Sosa delivered for the just-retired Graham. He lashed his second double of the game, this one to right-center off Rockies reliever Victor Vodnik to score Bryson Stott and Trea Turner for a 2-1 lead.
Schwarber then connected for his of the season, a 434-foot blast that made it 4-1.
Max Kepler and Nick Castellanos hit back-to-back homers in the eighth.
José Alvarado and Jordan Romano each worked a scoreless inning of relief to preserve the win.
