Lackey Pitches Cardinals To Win, MLB Scores

St. Louis starter John Lackey had little trouble with the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. He threw seven scoreless innings and benefited from two Matt Carpenter doubles in helping the Cardinals to a 4-0 victory over the Brewers.

Lackey (1-0) gave up five hits, struck out eight and walked one. He has a 12 2/3 inning scoreless streak at Busch Stadium.

"I think I've just gotten better at locating stuff," Lackey said. "I definitely moved the ball a little bit better than I did earlier on when I was younger. I trust myself throwing strikes and being able to throw strikes with multiple pitches."

Lackey, who allowed a pair of two-run homers in six innings in his most recent start, faced the Brewers for just the fourth time in his career and shut down their lineup.

Nationals 3, Phillies 2

Michael A. Taylor rebounded from his latest outfield mishap with a big home run for the Washington Nationals. Doug Fister pitched effectively into the seventh inning, Yunel Escobar also homered and the Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-2 Thursday night. Taylor's error in center field helped the Phillies take the lead before his homer in the fifth put Washington ahead 3-2.

Mets 7, Marlins 5

To a man, Lucas Duda and Michael Cuddyer and the rest of the New York Mets quickly point out they've played just 10 games in April. Still, for a team with tremendous expectations after a long run of losing, they're off to a fast start. Duda got three more hits and the Mets overcame Giancarlo Stanton's blast and Ichiro Suzuki's ballet to beat the Miami Marlins 7-5 Thursday night for their fifth straight win.

Diamondbacks 7, Giants 6

Arizona second baseman Aaron Hill spent most of the game diving around on the infield dirt at AT&T Park. He ended it with a rare hit off Giants closer Sergio Romo that likely saved teammate Josh Collmenter's spot in the Diamondbacks' rotation. Hill hit a two-run double with two outs in the 12th inning and Arizona held on to beat San Francisco Giants 7-6 on Thursday night.

Twins 8, Royals 5

The Minnesota Twins were a little frustrated after their first seven games, having played about as poorly as possible. Hitting the ball over the wall was a good way to bounce back. Kennys Vargas and Kurt Suzuki each hit a two-run homer Thursday, powering the Twins past the Kansas City Royals 8-5 for their first series win this season.

Rays 4, Blue Jays 2

In the finale of their first series of the season, the Rays and Blue Jays set the stage for retaliation when they meet in Florida in eight days. Chris Archer struck out 11 in seven shutout innings, pinch-hitter Tim Beckham hit a two-run homer in the sixth and the Rays beat the Blue Jays 4-2 on Thursday night in a game that saw three batters hit by pitches.

Thursday, April 16 Scoreboard

Minnesota 8, Kansas City 5

St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 0

Washington 5, Philadelphia 2

Tampa Bay 4, Toronto 2

New York Mets 7, Miami 5

Arizona 7, San Francisco 6

Friday, April 17 Schedule (All Times Central)

Chicago White Sox at Detroit, 12:08 p.m.

San Diego at Chicago Cubs, 1:20 p.m.

Philadelphia at Washington, 6:05 p.m.

Milwaukee at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m.

Atlanta at Toronto, 6:07 p.m.

Baltimore at Boston, 6:10 p.m.

Miami at New York Yankees, 6:10 p.m.

New York Mets at Tampa Bay, 6:10 p.m

Oakland at Kansas City, 7:10 p.m.

Cleveland at Minnesota, 7;10 p.m.

Los Angeles Angels at Houston, 7:10 p.m.

Cincinnati at St. Louis, 7:15 p.m.

Texas at Seattle, 9;10 p.m.

Colorado at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:10 p.m.

Arizona at San Francisco, 9:15 p.m.