Baseball-Highlights of Friday's MLB Games

April 4 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Friday's Major League Baseball games. - - - Phillies 7, Cubs 2 Second baseman Chase Utley went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 7-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Utley clubbed a go-ahead two-run homer, his first of the season, in the fifth inning off Chicago starter Travis Wood, who took the loss on a windy, frigid afternoon in the Cubs' home opener at Wrigley Field. Right-handed starter Roberto Hernandez (1-0) worked 5 2/3 innings for the win. The Cubs led 2-0 but were run down. - - - Braves 2, Nationals 1 Third baseman Chris Johnson hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth to break a 1-1 tie and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 2-1 to spoil Opening Day in the nation's capital before a sellout crowd of 42,834. It was the first loss of the season for the Nationals (3-1). Braves reliever Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth for his third save and 142nd overall with Atlanta, breaking a tie with Gene Garber for second place in franchise history. - - - Tigers 10, Orioles 4 Rajai Davis hit a three-run home run following a 34-minute, fourth-inning rain delay and Torii Hunter added a solo shot one out later to help the Detroit Tigers improve their record to 3-0 with a 10-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera became just the ninth player in Major League history to reach 2,000 hits before the age of 31. Cabrera had four hits, including an RBI single in the seventh and a two-run home run in the eighth, his first RBI of the season. - - - Brewers 6, Red Sox 2 First baseman Lyle Overbay delivered a tie-breaking, two-run double in the ninth inning to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 6-2 win over the Boston Red Sox, spoiling the home opener at Fenway Park on a day dedicated to the defending World Series champions. Center fielder Carlos Gomez went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and catcher Jonathan Lucroy had a home run and double as the Brewers scored more runs than they had in their first three games combined. - - - Rockies 12, Diamondbacks 2 The Colorado Rockies opened their home schedule at Coors Field with an exhibition of slugging, which is not unusual there, and a strong effort from their starting pitcher, which is far less common. They overwhelmed the Arizona Diamondbacks 12-2 before a sellout crowd of 49,130 as outfielder Charlie Blackmon tied the franchise record with six hits and he and left fielder Carlos Gonzalez each hit two-run homers. Blackmon went 6-for-6, tying Andres Galarraga for the Rockies record for hits in a game. He also set a career-high with four runs scored and drove in five runs. Gonzalez, who also tripled, drove in four runs. Rockies right-hander Juan Nicasio held the Diamondbacks to four hits and one run in seven innings, while throwing 64-of-87 pitches for strikes. - - - Royals 7, White Sox 5 Jeremy Guthrie picked up his first victory, while Nori Aoki and Omar Infante each stroked three hits in the Kansas City Royals' 7-5 triumph over the Chicago White Sox. Guthrie, who won a career-high 15 games last season, yielded four runs on seven hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings. Aoki, who was acquired in a trade with Milwaukee, and Infante, a free agent signed to a four-year contract, opened the three-run first with singles. After Eric Hosmer was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Alex Gordon hit a three-run double. - - - Giants 8, Dodgers 4 Left fielder Michael Morse and pitcher Ryan Vogelsong each drove in two runs during a six-run rally in the first inning and the San Francisco Giants held on for an 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in front of 53,493 at Dodger Stadium. David Huff (1-0) picked up the win in relief. Dodgers starter Ryu Hyun-jin (1-1), who began the season with a streak of 12 2/3 scoreless innings, took the loss. San Francisco (3-1) sent 12 batters to the plate in the top of the first to score six runs on six hits, two walks and an error. Gonzalez and right fielder Andre Ethier hit back-to-back home runs for the Dodgers (3-2) in the fourth. - - - Indians 7, Twins 2 First baseman Nick Swisher had a home run, double and three RBIs and catcher Yan Gomes also homered as the Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 7-2 in the Indians' home opener. Trailing 2-0, the Indians scored three runs in the sixth inning and blew it open with a four-run seventh that was capped by a two-run double from left fielder Michael Brantley. The win went to Indians reliever Josh Outman (1-0). Minnesota starter Mike Pelfrey (0-1) took the loss. - - - Marlins 8, Padres 2 The Miami Marlins pounced on San Diego Padres pitching early and built a comfortable lead to cruise to an 8-2 win. The Marlins, losers of 100 games last season, have started 4-1 while the Padres dropped their third of their first four games. - - - Rays 8, Rangers 1 Sean Rodriguez returned from paternity leave and delivered, hitting a three-run homer and knocking in four as the Tampa Bay Rays topped the Texas Rangers 8-1. A day after the birth of his fourth child, the utility infielder went 2-for-4 and drove in the first four Tampa Bay runs. - - - Mets 4, Reds 3 Lucas Duda made quite a first impression in his audition for the New York Mets' first-base job when he hit two-run homers in consecutive at-bats to lead the Mets to a 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Duda was 0-for-12 entering the game but drew a walk in the first before delivering two-run homers in the fourth and sixth innings. - - - Yankees 7, Blue Jays 3 Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka pitched seven innings to earn the win in his major league debut as the New York Yankees spoiled the Toronto Blue Jays' home opener with a 7-3 victory. The Yankees took the lead with two runs in third, which was extended after a video review reversed an out call at first base that would have ended the inning with no runs scored. Tanaka (1-0), who gave up a home run to his first batter, left fielder Melky Cabrera, allowed six hits and three runs, while striking out eight as the Yankees (2-2) won their second in a row and the Blue Jays (2-3) dropped their second straight. - - - Pirates 12, Cardinals 2 Third baseman Pedro Alvarez broke out of his early season slump with two home runs and three RBIs and right-hander Gerrit Cole pitched seven strong innings in his season debut as the Pittsburgh Pirates routed the St Louis Cardinals 12-2. Alvarez homered in his first two at-bats after going 1-for-15 in the season-opening, three-game series against the Chicago Cubs. (Editing by John O'Brien)