DETROIT (AP) — ROYALS 8, TIGERS 0
Seth Lugo pitched seven scoreless innings and Kansas City won their fourth straight game, beating Detroit. Lugo allowed three singles and matched a career high with nine strikeouts in a game played at 1:10 pm due to the NFL draft festivities in downtown Detroit on Friday evening.
Tigers starter Reese Olson allowed one run on three hits and three walks in seven innings, striking out eight.
Kansas City led 1-0 before scoring seven runs in the ninth inning. The teams plays the second game of the series on Saturday evening.
NATIONALS 3, MARLINS 1
MIAMI (AP) — Joey Meneses hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning and Washington beat Miami.
Jacob Young and Trey Lipscomb had two hits each while Derek Law (1-1) struck out five over two scoreless innings of relief for the Nationals.
The Marlins lost their fourth straight and dropped to an NL-worst 6-21. They remain winless this season in series openers.
Marlins reliever Calvin Faucher (1-1) allowed a leadoff single to Lipscomb and walked CJ Abrams with one out. Jesse Winker reached on an infield single before Meneses hit a line drive to center.
Kyle Finnegan pitched the ninth for his eighth save.
CARDINALS 4, METS 2
NEW YORK (AP) — Alec Burleson hit his first homer in almost nine months, a three-run blast that powered St. Louis to a win over the New York Mets.
Burleson’s second-inning round-tripper off José Buttó was his first since he homered against the Minnesota Twins last Aug. 3. He has 10 career longballs in 143 games.
J.D. Martinez went 2-for-4 with an RBI double in his Mets debut. Martinez signed a one-year contract March 23 but was sidelined by lower back stiffness.
Willson Contreras hit a 445-foot homer off the facade along the second deck in left field in the third for the Cardinals.
WHITE SOX 9, RAYS 4
CHICAGO (AP) — Light-hitting Martín Maldonado hit a three-run homer, Eloy Jiménez added a two-run-shot and the MLB-worst Chicago White Sox snapped a seven-game losing streak with their fourth win of the season, a victory over Tampa Bay.
The nine runs were a season-high for Chicago, which at 4-22 is off to the worst start in franchise history through 26 games. Baltimore began 2-24 in 1988.
Chris Flexen (1-3) worked five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and walking three. The right-hander, who entered with a 6.41 ERA, was followed by five relievers.
Tommy Pham started in center field and had two singles in his White Sox debut after being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. The 36-year-old had signed a minor league on April 16, then went to the minors for four games to ramp up.
