Cubs Blank Dodgers, White Sox Win, MLB Scores

By ESPN

Brett Anderson said he owes Albert Almora Jr. his paycheck from Thursday.

The center fielder said a high-five or a fist bump will do.

Anderson beat his former team with five solid innings, and Almora made two outstanding catches against the ivy as the Chicago Cubs blanked the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0.

Anderson (1-0) won in his Wrigley Field debut for the Cubs. The lefty lowered his ERA to 0.84 through two starts with his new club.

Anderson, the only member of the Cubs without a World Series ring after Wednesday's celebration, allowed three hits but walked four. He stranded seven runners, helped by Almora's defense.

"Those are plays that you don't expect to be made behind you and he made two web gems," Anderson said. "You don't ever want to have to have those guys make those plays behind you, but it was one of those days where it was a grind from pitch one."

Almora went high and hard into the ivy to rob Corey Seager, the second batter of the game, of extra bases.

Kyle Schwarber tried to match him in the third inning, but his bobbled catch of Kiki Hernandez's fly to deep left field was overturned after replay showed the ball hit the vines before he controlled it. The replay took 3 minutes, 55 seconds before it was reversed and Hernandez was awarded second base.

Almora later prevented Seager of another extra-base hit, stranding Hernandez with a running catch on the warning track with his back to home plate.

Earlier this season, Almora made a leaping catch at the wall in St. Louis at a key moment.

Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell hit long solo home runs, their first of the season. Both came off Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-2).

Rizzo's drive to right field in the first inning opened the scoring and sent a fan's beer all over the bleachers. Russell's homer to left in the fourth landed on Waveland Avenue.

"That ball was mangled," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "That came out hot."

This was a rematch of last year's NL Championship Series and produced three entertaining games, with the Cubs taking took two.

"We look at our club and we know we're evenly matched," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I think they know it as well. They won the series. We'll get them at our place. They know we're not going anywhere."

The teams will conclude the season series May 26-28 in Los Angeles.

Carl Edwards Jr. threw two scoreless innings in relief, and Koji Uehara and Wade Davis threw one apiece for the Cubs.

Anderson's last scoreless outing of at least five innings came on May 3, 2015 when as a member of the Dodgers he blanked the Arizona Diamondbacks in six innings of a no-decision.

White Sox 10, Indians 4

Josh Tomlin's first pitch of the game landed on the home run porch. The night ended with infielder Michael Martinez on the mound.

The defending AL champion Cleveland Indians are in tough stretch.

Tim Anderson homered to start the game, Matt Davidson added a three-run shot in a five-run first inning and the Chicago White Sox beat the slumping Indians 10-4 on Thursday.

Cleveland has lost five of six after sweeping Texas to begin the season and dropped to 4-5. Manager Terry Francona was forced to go with Martinez in the ninth after using five pitchers in the first eight innings.

"I don't like doing it," Francona said. "It's no fun to lose. Using up your pitching staff is even worse."

Tomlin (0-2) gave up seven runs in 1 2/3 innings, matching the shortest outing of his career. The right-hander took full blame for the long night and remained in the dugout after being removed.

"The other players had to do it, why not me," he said.

The White Sox, obviously, had a different point of view about what happened early in the game.

"Obviously, it was nice to see Timmy (Anderson) hit it out, and the rest of the guys kept the line moving," manager Rick Renteria said. "It was a great first inning."

Making his first career appearance on the mound, Martinez retired Yolmer Sanchez and Omar Narvaez on groundouts. After allowing a hit to Leury Garcia, Martinez got Anderson on a ground ball.

"It was a lot of fun," he said. "In the eighth inning they told me if the game continued like that I'd have the chance to pitch."

Avisail Garcia was 3 for 4 with three RBI. Anthony Swarzak (1-0) relieved starter Miguel Gonzalez in the fifth and allowed one hit in 1 2/3 innings.

Michael Brantley, who played in just 11 games last season because of two shoulder operations, homered in the fifth -- his first since Sept. 10, 2015.

Gonzalez was handed an early 7-1 lead, but allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings and was pulled after the Indians scored twice in the fifth.

Lonnie Chisenhall had an RBI single in the fifth for Cleveland, which has scored 35 runs in nine games.

Edwin Encarnacion, who signed a three-year, $60 million contract in January, was 0 for 3 with two walks, dropping his average to .156. Encarnacion hit a solo homer on opening day for his only RBI of the season.

Davidson was replacing Todd Frazier at third base for the second straight game. Frazier is battling the flu, but is expected to return this weekend.

Yan Gomes hit a solo homer in the eighth, snapping an 0-for-12 slump.

Thursday, April 13 Scoreboard

MInnesota 11, Detroit 5

Boston 4, Pittsburgh 3

Chicago Cubs 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 0

Texas 8, Los Angeles Angels 3

Chicago White Sox 10, Cleveland 4

New York Yankees 3, Tampa Bay 2

Baltimore 2, Toronto 1

Milwaukee 5, Cincinnati 1

New York Mets 9, Miami 8 (F/16)

Kansas City 3, Oakland 1

Colorado 3, San Francisco 1

Friday, April 14 Schedule (All Times Central)

Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs, 1:20 p.m.

Philadelphia at Washington, 3:05 p.m.

St. Louis at New York Yankees, 6:05 p.m.

Baltimore at Toronto, 6:07 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Boston, 6;10 p.m.

Detroit at Cleveland, 6:10 p.m.

Milwaukee at Cincinnati, 6:10 p.m.

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

San Diego at Atlanta, 6:35 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Minnesota, 7:10 p.m.

Los Angeles Angels at Kansas City, 7:15 p.m.

Houston at Oakland, 9:05 p.m.

Texas at Seattle, 9:10 p.m.

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

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

Saturday, April 15 Schedule (All Times Central)

St. Louis at New York Yankees, 12:05 p.m.

Philadelphia at Washington, 12:05 p.m.

Baltimore at Toronto, 12:07 p.m.

Milwaukee at Cincinnati, 12:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Minnesota, 1:10 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs, 1:20 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Boston, 3:05 p.m.

Houston at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Colorado at San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.

Detroit at Cleveland, 3:10 p.m.

San Diego at Atlanta, 6:10 p.m.

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

Los Angeles Angels at Kansas City, 6:15 p.m.

Texas at Seattle, 8:10 p.m.

Arizona at Los Angeles Dodgers, 8:10 p.m.

Sunday, April 16 Schedule (All Times Central)

Baltimore at Toronto, 12:07 p.m.

Detroit at Cleveland, 12:10 p.m.

Milwaukee at Cincinnati, 12:10 p.m.

New York Mets at Miami, 12:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Boston, 12:35 p.m.

San Diego at Atlanta, 12:35 p.m.

Philadelphia at Washington, 12:35 p.m.

Los Angeles Angels at Kansas City, 1:15 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs, 1:20 p.m.

Houston at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

Colorado at San Francisco, 3:05 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Minnesota, 3:10 p.m.

Texas at Seattle, 3:10 p.m.

Arizona at Los Angeles Dodgers, 3:10 p.m.

St. Louis at New York Yankees, 7 p.m.