The Cincinnati Reds’ Spencer Steer, left, celebrates hitting a grand slam with his teammates during the 10th inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday in Philadelphia.
AP photo
Mets still looking for first win after falling to Tigers
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Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto, right, looks to tag out the Cincinnati Reds’ Jonathan India, left, during the first inning of a game Monday in Philadelphia.
AP photo
Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto, right, tags out the Cincinnati Reds’ Jonathan India, left, during the first inning of a game Monday in Philadelphia.
AP photo
PHILADELPHIA — Spencer Steer hit a grand slam in the 10th inning to lift the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night.
Steer clubbed a 2-1, 91 mph fastball off Connor Brogdon (0-1).
“Feels good,” Steer said. “Nice to do something positive for the team. I like being in those situations. It was just a really cool moment. I was just happy to come through for the squad.”
Bryce Harper was hitless again in his return to Philadelphia’s lineup after an off day. He was in his usual spot, batting third and playing first base, after being off in Sunday’s 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves. He went 0 for 5 with two strikeouts, falling to 0 for 11 with five strikeouts in three games.
“It’s always timing with him,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said. “He’ll get it.”
Harper represented the tying run at the plate in the 10th when Tejay Antone (1-0) struck him out with runners on second and third.
Reds manager David Bell decided against intentionally walking Harper and bringing the go-ahead run to the plate.
“Of course,” Bell said when asked if he thought about walking him. “He’s a great hitter. At some point, you have to trust your guys. You don’t ever want him to come to the plate, but tonight we were able to get it done.”
With pinch-runner Bubba Thompson starting the 10th on second base, Brogdon walked Will Benson and Jonathan India. He started Steer with two balls before a called strike made the count 2-1. Steer lined the next pitch over the wall in left-center field.
“You can’t leave a ball there to a big-league hitter,” Brogdon said.
The game was played on a cool, drizzly night that felt much colder than the game-time temperature of 52 degrees. The weather is expected to be even colder and wetter on Tuesday night in the second contest of the scheduled three-game series.
Thomson said he didn’t consider resting Harper on Monday but made no promises for Tuesday.
The 31-year-old Harper is in his first full season playing first base after reconstructive elbow surgery forced him to move from right field. The two-time NL MVP was fooled and swung through a breaking ball in the first. He flied out to medium center in the third, lined out hard to the pitcher in the sixth and popped out to short center in the eighth with runners on first and second and no outs before striking out in the 10th.
“I think it was just a really good approach against him,” said Reds starter Andrew Abbott, who allowed two runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings. “We had a really good plan about keeping him off-balance as much as possible. When you’re able to execute, it kind of plays into your favor.”
Philadelphia starter Cristopher Sánchez retired 11 straight Reds, striking out eight of them, before a walk to India and double by Steer to lead off the sixth ended the lefty’s night. India and Steer scored on RBI singles by Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Jeimer Candelario that tied it at 2.
Bohm’s two-run double off the end of the bat in the first gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead.
Alexis Diaz (1-1) got the win for the Reds.
TIGERS 5, METS 0
NEW YORK — Carson Kelly hit a three-run homer to cap a five-run 10th inning, and the Detroit Tigers extended their best start in almost a decade with a victory over the New York Mets, who fell to 0-4 for the first time since 2005.
The teams combined to get just two runners — one apiece — into scoring position in the first nine innings before the Tigers broke the tie in the 10th.
Spencer Torkelson and Parker Meadows scored on a grounder by Colt Keith and a sacrifice fly by Javier Báez, respectively, before Kelly homered to left against Michael Tonkin (0-1).
Jason Foley (1-0) struck out two in the ninth before Shelby Miller tossed a perfect 10th for the Tigers, who are 4-0 for the first time since going 6-0 in 2015.
The Mets were hitless in 19 plate appearances with a runner on base. New York lost its first five games 19 years ago.
Sean Manaea opened with 5 2/3 no-hit innings — the deepest no-hit bid by a Mets pitcher making his debut — before Andy Ibañez singled. Carson Kelly, who walked with one out, was thrown out by Brandon Nimmo trying to score on the hit.
Manaea walked two and struck out eight.
Edwin Díaz struck out two in the ninth inning for the Mets in his second appearance since missing last season due to a torn right patellar tendon in his right knee. He trotted in from the bullpen to “Narco” and a synchronized light display at Citi Field, where the Mets played a night game for the first time since overhauling the lighting system in the offseason.
Tigers starter Reese Olson allowed three hits and whiffed three in 5 2/3 scoreless innings.
CUBS 5, ROCKIES 0
CHICAGO — Shota Imanaga pitched six sparkling innings in his major league debut, and the Chicago Cubs used another defensive mistake by Nolan Jones to beat Colorado.
Working in short sleeves on a cold, gray afternoon, Imanaga struck out nine in Chicago’s home opener. The Japanese left-hander, who signed a $53 million, four-year contract with the Cubs in January, allowed two singles and walked none.
Dakota Hudson also was impressive in his first start for Colorado, but a pair of errors on Jones on one play in the sixth sent the right-hander to the loss.
With one out and runners on first and second in a scoreless game, Christopher Morel lined a single into left field. The ball went under the glove of a charging Jones and rolled all the way to the wall.
Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki raced home as the Wrigley Field crowd of 40,072 roared its approval. Jones’ throw from the warning track got away from second baseman Brendan Rodgers in the outfield grass, and Morel scored on a headfirst slide.
BRAVES 9, WHITE SOX 0
CHICAGO — Austin Riley hit a three-run homer, Charlie Morton threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings and the Braves beat the White Sox in a game shortened to eight innings because of rain.
The 40-year-old Morton (1-0) — the oldest starter in the majors this season — allowed three hits, walked two and struck out six in his season debut to hand Chicago its fourth loss in as many games.
“I felt fine,” Morton said after the start of his 17th season. “We used all the tools today and anytime you can do that, it’s fun.”
Riley’s homer, off reliever Dominic Leone, came one pitch after the end of a 44-minute rain delay. He finished the day with four RBIs.
“I don’t know how the heck he did that,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Riley’s first home run of the season. “That’s why these guys knock in a hundred runs; they don’t leave many out there.”
The game was halted again after the eighth and called 20 minutes later.
PIRATES 8, NATIONALS 4
WASHINGTON — Pittsburgh improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1983, beating Washington.
Michael A. Taylor, a former member of the Nationals, had three hits, and Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen, Alika Williams and Henry Davis delivered two apiece. Reynolds stretched his on-base streak to 33 consecutive games dating to last season with a first-inning single and tacked on a two-run double in the ninth.
Pittsburgh led 3-1 entering the seventh, but backup catcher Riley Adams — playing for the first time this season — tied the game for Washington by depositing a four-seam fastball 427 feet off reliever Roansy Contreras for a two-run homer. Contreras (1-0), though, got the win.
That’s because his teammates produced a three-run eighth off relievers Robert Garcia (0-1) and Matt Barnes. The big hit was Joe’s double to left that scored Taylor, who reached on a bunt. Ke’Bryan Hayes and McCutchen also drove in runs.
Aroldis Chapman got Lane Thomas to pop up for the final out with two men on, earning his first save of the season.
ORIOLES 6, ROYALS 4
BALTIMORE — Jordan Westburg hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to carry Baltimore past the Kansas City.
Westburg’s opposite-field drive to right came on an 0-2 pitch from Nick Anderson (0-1) after the Royals rallied to tie the game in the top of the inning.
Ryan Mountcastle homered and drove in three runs for the Orioles.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez homered for the Royals, the second straight game in which each went deep.
RANGERS 9, RAYS 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Dane Dunning took a one-hitter into the seventh inning and Josh Jung homered and drove in four runs Monday night to lead the defending World Series champion Texas to a victory over Tampa Bay.
In a rematch of clubs that met during the Rangers’ postseason run last fall, Dunning limited the Rays to Jose Siri’s third-inning double until Richie Palacios homered with one out in the seventh.
The right-hander didn’t retire another batter, departing after sandwiching a pair of walks around Siri’s two-run homer that trimmed Tampa Bay’s deficit to 6-3.
ANGELS 7, MARLINS 4
MIAMI — Mike Trout hit two solo homers and the Los Angeles Angels rallied from an early four-run deficit and beat the Miami Marlins.
Trout’s second shot — a 473-foot blast in the sixth — landed in the walkway high above the wall in left-centerfield. It was the 26th multihomer game of Trout’s and the two blasts put him at 371 in his career, surpassing Gil Hodges for 81st on the all-time list.
Trout’s bid for a third homer ended when Miami reliever Tanner Scott (0-2) walked him to load the bases in the seventh. Brandon Drury then reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Anthony Rendon from third and snapped a 4-4 tie.
The Angels padded their lead in the ninth on Jo Adell’s RBI single and a balk by reliever Anthony Bender that scored Adell from third. Trout grounded out to third to end the inning.
Adam Cimber (1-0) induced a double play grounder against Jake Burger to end the sixth and pitched a scoreless seventh. Matt Moore followed with a perfect ninth and Carlos Estevez pitched the ninth for his second save.