UNDATED (AP) — Clayton Kershaw lasted just one inning in the shortest start of his stellar career while Kyle Hendricks pitched a complete game for the Chicago Cubs in a 7-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a split doubleheader.
Exactly 11 years after he went just 1 1/3 innings against Milwaukee in what was his shortest start, Kershaw didn’t last long in this one. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner gave up four runs and four hits. He faced nine batters in a 39-pitch inning. The Dodgers lost for the seventh time in nine games. Hendricks went seven innings in his sixth career complete game.
Elsewhere on diamonds:
— Austin Meadows hit two homers and drove in a career-high five runs, and the Tampa Bay Rays capitalized on the Los Angeles Angels’ fielding ineptitude for an 8-3 victory. Kevin Kiermaier added a two-run double for the defending AL champions, who moved back above .500 with their third straight win. Tampa Bay’s first four runs were abetted by the Angels’ first three errors in a four-error performance by the majors’ worst fielding team. Meadows then hit a solo homer in the seventh inning and a three-run shot in the eighth. Mike Trout hit his eighth homer in the Angels’ third straight loss.
— Mitch Keller tossed shutout ball into the sixth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates slipped past the San Diego Padres 2-1. Keller kept the Padres off balance by mixing his pitches effectively. He allowed two hits over 5 2/3 innings and struck out five. The right-hander entered with an 8.20 ERA after his first five outings this season. Keller also got his first major league hit, a single to right field in the fifth. Four relievers combined to give up only one run in 3 1/3 innings for the Pirates. Richard Rodriguez earned his fifth save by working a scoreless ninth.
– Kyle Lewis and Kyle Seager homered, reliever Kendall Graveman extended his scoreless streak to 18 2/3 innings and the Seattle Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-2. Lewis followed Seager’s go-ahead sacrifice fly that made it 2-1 with a three-run homer in the eighth. Lewis, the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year, became the 54th player in major league history to reach 20 home runs by his 90th game. He hit the milestone in game No. 88, tying Alvin Davis for the fastest in Seattle history. The Mariners have won four of six and are 10-4 following a loss.
— Dylan Cease pitched one-hit ball for six innings, struck out 11 and amazingly got three hits in his first pro plate appearances as the Chicago White Sox routed the Cincinnati Reds 9-0. It was a historic night at the plate for Cease, who doubled and singled twice before getting pulled for a pinch-hitter. Cease is the first American League pitcher since Jarrod Washburn in 2001 to have a three-hit game.
— Andrew McCutchen hit a pair of solo homers and Brad Miller slammed a three-run shot to back Aaron Nola, helping the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-5. Nola struck out 10 and allowed one run and five hits in six gritty innings as the Phillies held on to earn consecutive wins for the first time since they started the season 4-0.
— Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run homer, Nick Pivetta struck out eight over five innings and the Boston Red Sox beat the skidding Detroit Tigers 11-7. Alex Verdugo, Hunter Renfroe and Kiké Hernández also went deep for Boston, which led 8-2 after three innings but needed to hold off the Tigers late in a slugfest that featured 24 hits and 13 pitchers. Detroit has lost six straight and 11 of 12.
— Adolis García hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning to complete the Texas Rangers’ comeback in a 6-3 win against the Minnesota Twins. García had three hits, including his seventh home run, and three RBIs. Kyle Gibson, making his first start against his former team, gave up three runs and three hits with eight strikeouts.
— Mitch Moreland hit a two-run homer on the heels of Jed Lowrie’s two-run double in the second to back Cole Irvin’s pitching gem, and the Oakland Athletics made the early lead hold up in a 4-1 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday night. Irvin struck out a career-high nine batters while dazzling over a career-best eight scoreless innings in his first career start against the Blue Jays.
— Harold Ramirez hit a go-ahead double in the eighth, pinch-hitter Jake Bauers added a two-run homer later in the inning and the Cleveland Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3. Strong bullpen work by Nick Sandlin, Nick Wittgren and Cal Quantrill shut out the Royals over the final four innings as Cleveland rallied from a three-run deficit.
— Boos and bad words streamed loudly from the seats in the Houston Astros’ return to Yankee Stadium, and New York got a homer and four hits from Giancarlo Stanton to sate those spiteful fans with a 7-3 victory. In Houston’s first visit to the Bronx since their sign-stealing scam was exposed, an error by Astros third baseman Alex Bregman in the sixth inning let New York blow the game open.
— Dylan Cease pitched one-hit ball for six innings, struck out 11 and amazingly got three hits in his first pro plate appearances as the Chicago White Sox routed the Cincinnati Reds 9-0. It was a historic night at the plate for Cease, who doubled and singled twice before getting pulled for a pinch-hitter. Cease is the first American League pitcher since Jarrod Washburn in 2001 to have a three-hit game. He is the first White Sox pitcher with three hits in a game since Tom Bradley on May 14, 1972, a year before the designated hitter came into play. Jose Abreu homered as the White Sox won for the eighth time in 11 games.
— NL RBI leader Jesús Aguilar delivered a tiebreaking single in a six-run eighth inning, and the Miami Marlins beat Arizona 9-3. The score was 3-all when Miguel Rojas led off the eighth with a double against Kevin Ginkel, and Rojas came home on Aguilar’s single. Corey Dickerson followed with an infield single, and catcher Stephen Vogt’s throwing error allowed Aguilar to score all the way from first. Lewis Brinson added a three-run homer off Alex Young for the Marlins.
— Brandon Belt hit a go-ahead single and a grand slam in a 10-run first inning that propelled the San Francisco Giants over the Colorado Rockies 12-4 in a doubleheader opener. Belt connected for his home run on the sixth pitch after Jhoulys Chacín relieved, a 452-foot drive for his third career slam.
— Tuesday’s scheduled game in St. Louis between the New York Mets and the Cardinals was postponed because of rain. The teams will make it up Wednesday as part of a single-admission doubleheader beginning at 4:15 p.m. local time.
— Huascar Ynoa hit a grand slam and pitched seven stress-free innings in a dominant two-way performance, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 6-1 victory over the Washington Nationals. Ynoa blasted a fastball from Tanner Rainey 427 feet to center field in the sixth inning, extending his left arm on the follow-through like a polished slugger. It was the first grand slam by a major league pitcher since Cincinnati’s Anthony DeSclafani on June 23, 2018.
