Pirates beat Nats, are NL-best 19-8 to start season

WASHINGTON (AP) — Miguel Andujar homered and drove in three runs in his season debut, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 6-3 Saturday in a day-night doubleheader opener for their best 27-game start in three decades.

Connor Joe also went deep for Pittsburgh, a National League-best 19-8. The Pirates, coming off seven straight losing seasons, are off to their best start since opening 19-7 in 1992.

Rich Hill (3-2) allowed three runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings while striking out five. The 43-year-old left-hander has won three consecutive starts. David Bednar worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his ninth save in 10 chances.

Andujar, who started the same day he was called up from Triple-A, hit a go-ahead RBI single in the second inning and broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth with a two-run drive off Carl Edwards Jr.

Patrick Corbin (1-4) allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

REDS 3, ATHLETICS 2

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Jeurys Familia gave up a one-run lead in the ninth, Cincinnati’s Jake Fraley hit a broken-bat double and the Oakland Athletics set a major-league record of 28 games to begin a season without a win by the starting pitcher in a loss to the Reds.

A’s starter Kyle Muller tossed five innings and was in line to finally break the notorious streak. But Familia (0-1) walked Henry Ramos, surrendered Kevin Newman’s single, then walked Nick Senzel. Fraley delivered one out later.

Cincinnati’s Casey Legumina (1-0) pitched the eighth for the win and Alexis Díaz got his fourth save. Luke Maile homered leading off the third for the Reds, who have won five straight.

RED SOX 8, GUARDIANS 7, 10 INNINGS

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Verdugo drove in the winning run to cap a two-run 10th inning for Boston, which rallied for a win over Cleveland despite blowing the lead an inning earlier.

Rafael Devers had a long first-inning, three-run homer. Brennan Bernardino (1-0) earned his first major-league victory.

The Guardians notched four runs in the seventh and tied it on José Ramírez’s RBI single off closer Kenley Jansen in the ninth — it was Jansen's first blown save and first run allowed of the season.

Josh Naylor had a three-run double, and Josh Bell and Andrés Giménez both hit a solo homer for the Guardians. Emmanuel Clase (1-2) was given the loss.

BLUE JAYS 1, MARINERS 0, 10 INNINGS

TORONTO (AP) — Daulton Varsho singled with the bases loaded in the 10th and Toronto beat Seattle for its sixth straight victory after Mariners pitcher Easton McGee took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his first major league start.

Matt Chapman doubled off the center-field wall with two outs in the seventh for the only hit against McGee, who was called up from the minors before the game.

Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman matched the impressive rookie with a career-high 13 strikeouts in seven shutout innings.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled off Trevor Gott (0-2) to begin the bottom of the 10th, advancing automatic runner Bo Bichette to third. Seattle intentionally walked Chapman to load the bases for Varsho, who broke an 0-for-18 slump by lining the first pitch over Teoscar Hernández in right field.

Toronto reliever Erik Swanson (1-0) struck out three in a hitless inning against his former team.

ROYALS 3, TWINS 2

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jhoan Duran’s wild pitch allowed Edward Olivares to score the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning, and Kansas City ended a nine-game losing streak at Target Field.

Olivares doubled twice and walked on four pitches from Duran (0-1) leading off the ninth. Oliveras stole second, and Michael Massey walked for the first time in 81 plate appearances this season when Duran committed a pitch-clock violation with a full count.

Nicky Lopez sacrificed and Olivares bounced a 1-0 curveball off the mitt of catcher Ryan Jeffers, the ball bouncing to the warning track in front of the first-base dugout.

Kansas City won for just the third time in 15 games. Scott Barlow hung on for his fourth save.

José Caus, Taylor Clarke, Aroldis Chapman (1-1) and Barlow allowed one run over the final 3 2/3 innings. Chapman got his first win with the Royals.

MARLINS 7, CUBS 6

MIAMI (AP) — Jesús Sánchez hit a two-run double in the Marlins' five-run first inning, and the team held on for a 7-6 win over Chicago.

Sánchez also singled home Luis Arraez in the fourth. Arraez and Jazz Chisholm Jr. each had three hits. Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera (2-2) struck out a career-high 12 in five innings. He was charged with two runs and three hits.

Patrick Wisdom and Cody Bellinger homered for Chicago, while Trey Mancini had two hits and scored two runs. Caleb Kilian (0-1) struggled in his fourth career start for the Cubs. The right-hander was promoted from Triple-A Iowa before the game and tagged for seven runs and 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings.

TIGERS 7, ORIOLES 4, GAME 1

DETROIT (AP) — Matt Vierling had three hits and four RBIs in Detroit's win over Baltimore for the first of a doubleheader.

Zach Short homered and Eduardo Rodriguez (2-2) pitched effectively into the sixth inning for the Tigers. Rodriguez allowed one run on four hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings, striking out six. Alex Lange pitched the ninth for his third save.

Jorge Mateo hit a three-run homer, but Baltimore lost for only the second time in 11 games. Orioles starter Dean Kremer (2-1) gave up five runs on 11 hits and two walks in six innings.

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