MIAMI: Jose Fernandez allowed his first two walks of the season, and they came back to back. When his foot slipped on a delivery, the pitch bounced several feet in front of the plate. One frustrating inning ended with the Miami Marlins’ precocious ace shaking his head and screaming angrily into his glove.
Fernandez was at less than his best yesterday, but still good enough to beat the San Diego Padres. He struck out eight in 6 2-3 innings while lowering his ERA to 0.71, and Miami beat the punchless San Diego Padres 5-0 in their Major League Baseball game. The Marlins improved to 5-1, their best start since 2009. Last year their fifth victory came in their 21st game, and they finished with 100 losses.
“Another win. It’s incredible,’’ Fernandez said. “To be 5-1 is pretty amazing.’’
Fernandez (2-0) improved his career record at home to 11-0 despite being miffed about a high pitch count early in the game.
Pinch-hitter Ike Davis hit a walk-off grand slam to lift the New York Mets to a dramatic, replay-aided home victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
Center fielder Juan Lagares was originally was called out at second base, but Mets manager Terry Collins used his replay challenge, the first used this season by the Mets, and Lagares was ruled safe upon review.
Shortstop Ruben Tejada walked to load the bases and bring up Davis. After taking J.J. Hoover’s first pitch for a strike, Davis crushed the next offering into the right field seats.
Torii Hunter hit a three-run double and a two-run home run to back a strong start by Rick Porcello that kept the Detroit Tigers undefeated after four games, despite a five-run ninth inning by the Baltimore Orioles.
Right-hander R A Dickey pitched into the seventh inning for his first win of the season as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the New York Yankees.
Catcher Josh Thole singed in a run in the second inning and left fielder Melky Cabrera and right fielder Jose Bautista homered in a three-run eighth.
Knuckleballer Dickey (1-1) held the Yankees to five hits, one walk and a hit batter in 6 2/3 innings (108 pitches, 69 strikes).
Brian Dozier hit the second pitch of the game out of the park and starter Kyle Gibson pitched five solid innings to lead the Minnesota Twins to a road victory over the Cleveland Indians.
In his first start of the season, Gibson held Cleveland to one run on three hits over five innings to get the win. Cliff Lee bounced back from his rocky Opening Day start to throw a dominant game as the Philadelphia Phillies won on the road against the Chicago Cubs.
Lee scattered 10 hits, struck out six and did not walk a batter in seven shutout innings.
Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija also had a strong outing but did not receive offensive support. He allowed two runs and six hits while striking out eight in seven innings.
Catcher Salvador Perez doubled home the winning run with two out in the eighth inning as the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox at home.
Perez’s double off right-hander Maikel Cleto, who was released by the Royals in February, scored left fielder Alex Gordon.
Felix Hernandez has an unbeaten streak of 10 consecutive starts at the A’s ballpark after the Seattle Mariners beat Oakland.
Fernandez allowed six hits in 8 1/3 innings. Since the start of the 2009 season, he is 5-0 with a 2.76 ERA in Oakland.
His 10-start streak is the second-longest undefeated streak by a visiting starter at the Coliseum after Mike Flanagan’s 13 unbeaten starts with Baltimore from 1977 to 1984.
Third baseman Pablo Sandoval hit a three-run homer in the top of the fifth inning to lead a four-run rally that helped the San Francisco Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Left fielder Michael Morse and catcher Buster Posey added solo homers to support starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (1-0). The left-hander amassed 10 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings and retired 13 of 16 batters between the second and sixth innings.
First baseman James Loney’s two-run double in the eighth inning led the Tampa Bay Rays to a comeback home win against the Texas Rangers.
Reuters
