Cardinals Nab Home Opener, White Sox Fall To Rockies

Cardinals Beat Reds In Home Opener

(St. Louis, MO) -- Yadier Molina hit a three-run double in the first inning as the Cardinals beat the Reds 5-3 in their home opener at Busch Stadium. Matt Holliday drove in a run and scored twice for the Redbirds, who improved to 4-3. Michael Wacha tossed six innings of one-run ball for his first win. Roger Bernadina doubled in a run in the fifth, while Zack Cozart and Neftali Soto plated a run each in the ninth for Cincinnati, which slipped to 2-5. Tony Cingrani gave up three runs in four frames as he fell to 0-1.

The Cardinals and Reds continue their three-game series tonight at Busch Stadium. St. Louis sends Lance Lynn to the hill looking for his second win in as many starts. Cincinnati counters with Homer Bailey, who looks to bounce back from a rough first start. First pitch is set for 7:15.

Rockies Blow Out White Sox

(Denver, CO) -- Troy Tulowitzki [[ too-luh-WIT-skee ]] went 3-for-3 with a solo homer as the Rockies crushed the White Sox 8-1 at Coors Field. Carlos Gonzalez was 2-for-5 and also went deep for Colorado, which improved to 4-4. Jordan Lyles tossed 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball to improve to 2-0 and was 3-for-3 with two RBI at the plate to help his own cause. Felipe Paulino was tagged for six runs in four-and-a-third innings as he fell to 0-1 for Chicago. Alexei Ramirez had an RBI double for the Sox, who fell to 3-4.

The White Sox and Rockies continue their three-game series at Coors Field in Denver tonight. Left-hander Jose Quintana gets the ball for Chicago looking to build off a solid first start. The Rox counter with 28-year-old southpaw Franklin Morales. First pitch is set for 7:40.

The White Sox are taking a flyer on veteran pitcher Tommy Hanson. The club has signed the right-hander to a minor-league contract. He's expected to report to Triple-A Charlotte after a stint at extended spring training in Arizona. The 27-year-old was in camp this spring with the Rangers.
 

Yankees Beat O's In Jeter's Final Home Opener

(Bronx, NY) -- Derek Jeter went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored in his final home opener as the Yankees beat the Orioles 4-2 in the Bronx. In his final season, the Yankee captain took part in the ceremonial first pitch as he and former catcher Jorge Posada were on the receiving end of former Yankee greats Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte. Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits and an RBI for New York, which improved to 4-3. Hiroki Kuroda pitched into the seventh inning for the win and Shawn Kelly notched his first save. Ubaldo Jimenez failed to get through five innings and fell to 0-2 with the loss. Matt Wieters and Nelson Cruz each had two hits and an RBI for Baltimore, which has lost five-of-six since a season-opening win over Boston.

Angels Rock Astros In Series Finale

(Houston, TX) -- Raul Ibanez and Howie Kendrick each drove in three runs as the Angels routed the Astros 9-1 at Minute Maid Park. Kole Calhoun homered and scored three times for Los Angeles, which took three-of-four in the weekend wrap around series. C.J. Wilson struck out seven over eight innings of four-hit, one-run ball to even his record at 1-and-1 with the win. Jarred Cosart gave up five runs in six frames to fall to 1-and-1 with the loss. Carlos Corporan hit a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth inning for Houston's only run. The Astros have lost four-of-five since starting the season 2-0.

A's Roll Twins

(Minneapolis, MN) -- Yoenis Cespedes and Brandon Moss each knocked in two runs to help the Athletics top the Twins 8-3 in the first game at Target Field this season.  Derek Norris lifted a solo home run for Oakland, which improved to 4-3. Scott Kazmir tossed six innings of three-run ball for his second win. Kevin Correia allowed six runs in the start for the loss. Jason Kubel, Kurt Suzuki and Aaron Hicks all drove in a run for Minnesota, which slipped to 3-4.

Red Sox Cruise Past Rangers

(Boston, MA) -- Jackie Bradley Jr. went 3-for-4 with two RBI and John Lackey tossed seven strong innings, as the Red Sox cruised past the Rangers 5-1 in the opener of a three-game series at Fenway Park. Lackey gave up just an unearned run on five hits and two walks over seven frames as he improved to 2-0.  Daniel Nava and Dustin Pedroia also plated a run each for the Sox, who were swept by Milwaukee over the weekend. Mitch Moreland drove in the lone run on a sac-fly in the fourth inning for Texas. Tanner Scheppers permitted two runs on nine hits in five innings as he fell to 0-1 with the loss. Both teams are 3-4.

Royals Hold Off Rays

(Kansas City, MO) -- Jason Vargas fired eight-plus innings of one-run ball as the Royals topped the Rays 4-2 in the opener of a three-game set at Kauffman Stadium. Vargas gave up a solo homer in the top of the ninth to Ben Zobrist before Greg Holland came on. Holland gave also up a run but held on for his third save.  Eric Hosmer singled in a run in the first inning, while Alcides Escobar hit a three-run double in the sixth for the Royals, who evened their record at 3-3. Matt Joyce drove in a run after Zobrist's homer in the ninth for Tampa, which slipped to 4-4. Matt Moore allowed a run in 4 1/3 frames before leaving with a left elbow injury. He fell to 0-2 with the loss.

Cubs Host Pirates Tonight

(Chicago, IL) -- The Cubs welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Friendly Confines tonight for the start of a three-game set. Chicago lost two-of-three in Pittsburgh last week. Edwin Jackson gets the start for the Cubbies while the Bucs counter with Charlie Morton. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05.

Monday, April 7 Scoreboard

MLB NL

Milwaukee Brewers at Philadelphia Phillies (PPD, Rain)

St. Louis Cardinals 5, Cincinnati Reds 3

MLB AL

New York Yankees 4, Baltimore Orioles 2

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 9, Houston Astros 1

Oakland Athletics 8, Minnesota Twins 3

Boston Red Sox 5, Texas Rangers 1

Kansas City Royals 4, Tampa Bay Rays 2

MLB Interleague

San Diego Padres at Cleveland Indians (PPD, Rain)

Colorado Rockies 8, Chicago White Sox 1

Tuesday, April 8 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

3:05 p.m. - Milwaukee Brewers at Philadelphia Phillies

3:35 p.m. - Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants

6:05 p.m. - Miami Marlins at Washington Nationals

6:10 p.m. - New York Mets at Atlanta Braves

7:05 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs

7:15 p.m. - Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals

MLB American League

12:05 p.m. - Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees

5:10 p.m. - Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox

6:07 p.m. - Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays

7:10 p.m. - Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals

9:10 p.m. - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Seattle Mariners

MLB Interleague

6:05 p.m. - San Diego Padres at Cleveland Indians

7:40 p.m. - Chicago White Sox at Colorado Rockies

9:10 p.m. - Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Dodgers