Kansas City Picks Up Win Over White Sox, MLB Scores

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Edinson Volquez must have gotten tired from all the times he tipped his cap. He certainly didn't labor much on the mound.

Volquez dazzled over eight innings in his Royals debut, and Kansas City's defense made a series of spectacular plays behind him in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday that finish off a season-opening three-game sweep.

Reds 3, Pirates 2

Marlon Byrd finally helped the team that wanted him. Joey Votto added to his resurgent series with his first homer since May 10, and Gregory Polanco's ninth-inning error on Byrd's line drive sent the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-2 victory and a season-opening sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.

Mets 6, Nationals 3

Matt Harvey was rarin' to go in his return from Tommy John surgery, right down to the knobs of his bats labeled with his nickname in all caps: DARK KNIGHT. A little more than two hours before throwing a pitch that mattered for the first time in nearly 20 months, the New York Mets' right-hander pierced the silence of the visitors' clubhouse at Nationals Park with the strains of Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle" via a portable stereo. Boy, was he back.

Dynamic right from the 96 mph called strike he began with, Harvey struck out nine across six scoreless innings to outpitch Stephen Strasburg in the Mets' 6-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday.

Giants 1, Padres 0

The pressure for Justin Maxwell was to make the San Francisco Giants in spring training, which he did as a non-roster invitee. So there wasn't much to stress about Thursday, when he delivered a pinch-hit RBI single with two outs in the 12th inning and the San Francisco Giants spoiled the new-look San Diego Padres' home opener with a 1-0 victory. The Giants won despite being held to six hits by six pitchers.

Thursday, April 9 Scoreboard

Cincinnati 3, Pittsburgh 2

New York Mets 6, Washington 3

Detroit 7, Minnesota 1

Kansas City 4,Chicago White Sox 1

Cleveland 5, Houston 1

Texas 10, Oakland 1

San Francisco 1, San Diego 0    

Toronto 6, New York Yankees 3

Boston 6, Philadelphia 2

Friday, April 10 Schedule (All Times Central)

Toronto at Baltimore, 2:05 p.m.

Houston at Texas, 3:05 p.m.

Minnesota at Chicago 3:10 p.m.

Detroit at Cleveland, 3:10 p.m.

Chicago at Colorado, 3:10 p.m.

Boston at New York, 6:05 p.m.

Washington at Philadelphia, 6:05 p.m.

St. Louis at Cincinnati, 6:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Miami, 6:10 p.m.

New York at Atlanta, 6:35 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Milwaukee, 7:10 p.m.

Los Angeles at Arizona, 8:40 p.m.

Kansas City at Los Angeles, 9:05 p.m.

Seattle at Oakland, 9:05 p.m.

San Francisco at San Diego, 9:10 p.m.