Arizona outfielder Corbin Carroll put on an offensive showcase, blasting a home run and recording a triple while driving in four runs as the Diamondbacks held off a late Detroit comeback to defeat the Tigers 9-6 in Phoenix on Monday night.
Carroll got Arizona rolling early with an RBI triple in the opening frame, then followed up with a three-run blast in the second inning to stake his team to a commanding 5-0 advantage against Justin Verlander, who was making his Detroit debut after returning to the organization on a one-year deal following his departure in 2017.
The veteran right-hander Verlander (0-1) struggled in his Tigers homecoming, surrendering six hits and five earned runs across 3 2/3 innings of work. The former Cy Young Award winner from 2011 had spent his first 13 major league seasons in a Detroit uniform.
Arizona starter Michael Soroka (1-0) delivered five shutout innings while matching his career-best with 10 strikeouts in his first outing for the Diamondbacks, who bounced back from being swept by Los Angeles in their season-opening series to capture their home opener. Soroka achieved an “immaculate inning” in the fifth frame, retiring three consecutive batters on exactly nine pitches. Paul Sewald closed out the victory with a perfect ninth inning to record his first save.
White Sox 9, Marlins 4
Miguel Vargas launched a grand slam and finished with six RBIs while Austin Hays connected on a three-run homer as Chicago captured its first victory of the season with a road win over Miami.
Japanese star Munetaka Murakami, who became the first player in White Sox history to homer in his initial three games, went 1-for-5 as his home run streak came to an end. Chicago rebounded after dropping three consecutive contests. Davis Martin (1-0) scattered five hits and three runs across five innings for the victory.
Miami suffered its first defeat following a three-game season-opening sweep. The Marlins received offensive contributions from Liam Hicks, who delivered a two-run homer and added an RBI single. Chris Paddack (0-1) made his Miami debut but struggled, yielding eight hits and eight runs in four innings.
Rockies 14, Blue Jays 5
Troy Johnston connected on a two-run homer to spark a seven-run sixth inning explosion as Colorado claimed its first victory in four games this season with a road triumph over Toronto.
Ezequiel Tovar collected three hits and three RBIs while TJ Rumfield contributed three hits and two RBIs for the Rockies. Braxton Fulford added a solo homer and an RBI single. Relief pitcher Chase Dollander (1-0) earned the win despite allowing four runs, five hits and two walks while striking out five over four innings.
Davis Schneider homered twice for Toronto while George Springer, Andres Gimenez and Kazuma Okamoto each added solo shots in the Blue Jays’ first loss in four games this season. Toronto starter Cody Ponce injured his right knee attempting to field Jake McCarthy’s grounder in the third inning and required assistance leaving the field.
Astros 8, Red Sox 1
Jose Altuve connected twice and Lance McCullers Jr. took a shutout into the seventh inning of his season debut as Houston dominated visiting Boston.
Yordan Alvarez and Brice Matthews also homered for the Astros, who captured their third consecutive victory after losing their first two games. Altuve recorded his 15th career multi-homer game and went 4-for-4 with a walk and four runs scored. McCullers (1-0) permitted one run on four hits with nine strikeouts over seven innings.
Houston jumped on Ranger Suarez (0-1) in his Boston debut. The southpaw gave up four runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Mariners 2, Yankees 1
Cal Raleigh delivered a walk-off single in the ninth inning to give Seattle a victory over visiting New York.
Seattle reliever Matt Brash (1-0) threw a scoreless inning for the win. Luis Castillo tossed six shutout innings with seven strikeouts as the Mariners improved to 3-2.
Ryan Weathers went 4 1/3 innings and allowed one run on four hits in his Yankees debut. New York suffered its first loss after winning three straight.
Additional Games
In other action around the majors: Cincinnati’s Chase Burns threw five one-hit innings with seven strikeouts in his first major league victory, a 2-0 win over Pittsburgh; Washington routed Philadelphia 13-2 behind Luis Garcia Jr.’s three RBIs; Kansas City defeated Minnesota 3-1 in their home opener; Atlanta shut out Oakland 4-0; Chicago Cubs beat the Angels 7-2; Texas topped Baltimore 5-2; Tampa Bay rallied past Milwaukee 3-2; the Mets edged St. Louis 4-2; San Francisco defeated San Diego 3-2; and Cleveland handed the defending champion Dodgers their first loss of the season, 4-2.
