Day 3 Recap: MLB News and Notes for April 9th

For the first time this season, all 30 teams played in a single day, with 15 games played Wednesday. Many teams that lost their Opening Day games evened their series or won their first game, while others remain winless yet again.

For the fourth consecutive day, there was at least one game that featured a shutout. And for one team, they are looking to score runs for the first time since last September.

Take a look at some of the news, notes, highlights and numbers from Wednesday, April 8. All of Thursday’s matchups listed are Eastern time.

April 8th Recap & Player Notes

• The Detroit Tigers earned their first back-to-back shutout to start a season in history by pounding American League Central Division rival Minnesota Twins 11-0, at Tiger Field in Detroit. … The Tigers scored nine runs between the third and fifth innings … Tigers’ second baseman Ian Kinsler knocked in four RBIs and catcher Alex Avila scored four times. … James McCann, who replaced Avila in the eighth inning, earned his first career RBI. … The Twins have been shut out in three consecutive games – all against the Tigers – since a 3-0 blanking in the 2014 season finale. Combined with the penultimate game of 2014, the Twins haven’t scored in 28 consecutive innings. … The Twins’ last victory came September 27, 2014. … The final of the three-game series is 1:08 p.m. Thursday.
• Three days after they were shut out in the first regular season game of the 2015 Major League Baseball season, the Chicago Cubs posted a shutout of their own, winning their first game of the season 2-0 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. … Both runs came in the seventh inning. … The Cubs only garnered two hits during their contest, the fewest hits for a team that won a game this young season, and are still seeking their first homerun. … The Cardinals, meanwhile, only earned three hits. … The Cubs victory was the first for new manager Joe Maddon. … Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Linn struck out nine. … Both teams have Thursday off (their third off day in five days) before returning Friday. The Cubs begin a series at the Colorado Rockies (first game 4:10 p.m. Friday), while the Cardinals travel to Cincinnati for a series with the Reds (first game 7:10 p.m. Friday).
• Jonathan Papelbon ended a rally by his former teammates as the Philadelphia Phillies earned their first victory of 2015 against the Boston Red Sox, 4-2, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. … Phillies right fielder Jeff Francoeur ended a 15-inning scoreless drought for the team with three-run homer off Red Sox starer Rick Porello; it broke a scoreless tie and was Francoeur’s first homerun since October 2013. … Phillies starter Aaron Harang struck out eight in going 6 1/3 innings. … Their final matchup comes at 7:05 p.m. Friday.
• The New York Yankees evened their series with the Toronto Blue Jays with a 4-3 victory Wednesday at Yankee Stadium in New York. … The Yankees scored three runs in the eighth inning with their first win of 2015. … Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury and third baseman Chase Headley each had two hits, while Ellsbury scored both runs for New York. … Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis had two hits and a run for Toronto. … The final game of the series is at 7:05 p.m. Thursday.
• The Washington Nationals scored both of their runs in the first inning, and it was enough for their first victory of the season, in a 2-1 win against the New York Mets at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. … Washington starter Jordan Zimmerman went six innings and gave up five hits and struck out four. … Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper had a team-high two hits. … Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy scored the Mets’ only run and was one of six Mets players with one hit. … The third and final game of the series is at 1:05 p.m.
• Joey Votto had two hits, including the game-winning hit in the 11th inning, lifting the Cincinnati Reds over the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. … This was the first extra-inning game in the majors this season. … Reds third baseman Todd Frazier and shortstop Zack Cozart each scored twice, with Frazier hitting his second homer of the season in the first inning. … Eight different players had a hit for the Pirates, who had five singles and three doubles. ... The Reds, 2-0, have scored five runs in each of their outings this year. … The final game of the matchup is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. Thursday, though there is a 60 percent chance of rain early this afternoon.
• Tampa Bay avoided a three-game sweep at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg by shutting out the Baltimore Orioles 2-0. … The two teams combined for only eight hits. … Rays pitching combined for 13 strikeouts, with starter Jake Odorizzi striking out seven in 6 2/3 innings. … Both teams have off Thursday. The Orioles host the Blue Jays at 3:05 p.m. Friday, and the Rays visit the Marlins at 7:10 p.m. Friday in an intrastate matchup.
• The Atlanta Braves earned their third straight victory to start 2015 by sweeping the Miami Marlins on Wednesday with a 2-0 victory at Marlins Park in Miami. … The Braves only gave up three runs. In two of the games, the Braves only scored two runs. … Both Braves runs Wednesday came on catcher A.J. Pierzynski’s homerun in the seventh inning; it was his first of the season. First baseman Freddie Freeman also scored. … The Braves host the Mets Friday at 7:35 p.m., while the Marlins host Tampa Bay at 7:10 p.m. Friday. The two Florida-based teams are a combined 1-5.
• The Kansas City Royals broke a 5-5 tie with two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to win 7-5 and earn its second straight win at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. … The tiebreaker was center fielder Lorenzo Cain’s 420-foot homerun to left-center field, which also scored shortstop Alcides Escobar. … The two teams combined for 24 hits, tied for the most in a game (Rockies/Brewers on Monday). … The final game of the series is 2:10 p.m.
• Colorado swept Milwaukee on Wednesday with a 5-4 victory at Miller Park in Wisconsin. … Rockies pinch hitter Wilin Rosario hit his first homerun of 2015 in the 10th inning to put Colorado ahead. … Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez and left fielder Corey Dickerson each had two hits. … Brewers first baseman Adam Lind also had two hits. … The Brewers, down 4-2 in the ninth inning, rallied with runs on two singles to send the game into extra innings. … Colorado’s home opener is Friday at 4:10 p.m. against the Chicago Cubs, while Milwaukee hosts the Pittsburgh Pirates at 8:10 p.m. Friday.
• The Cleveland Indians won their first game of 2015 on Wednesday, avenging a 2-0 setback in their opener against the Houston Astros with a 2-0 win at Minute Maid Park in Houston. … Indians left fielder Mike Aviles went 2-for-3 with his first homer of the season, and starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco struck out 10 Astros in 6 1/3 innings. … The two teams, which have combined for four runs in two games, square off again Thursday at 2:10 p.m.
• San Francisco won its first series Wednesday with a 5-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, taking two of three games at Chase Field in Phoenix. … Giants left fielder Nori Aoki went 3-for-4 with a run and his first RBI, while third baseman Casey McGehee knocked in his first two runs of 2015. … Both of the Giants’ victory against the Diamondbacks came when they scored five runs. … Diamondback pitching only struck out four Giants batters. … With Thursday off for both teams, the Giants return to action Friday with another division series on the road, this time against the San Diego Padres. First pitch is slated for 10:10 p.m. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks host another division series, with a trio of games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, starting at 9:40 p.m. Friday.
• For the second time in three games, the Oakland Athletics blanked the Texas Rangers, with a 10-0 victory Wednesday at O.com Coliseum in Oakland. … Athletics first baseman Mark Canha and third baseman Brett Lawrie each went 3-for-5 with a run, while Canha knocked in four RBIs, his first four of the year. … All nine Athletics starters scored a run; second baseman Tyler Ladendorf scored twice. … The Rangers only managed three hits, while committing four errors and striking out only four. … Both teams have Thursday off. Oakland hosts American League West rival Seattle Mariners for a three-game set, starting Friday at 10:05 p.m. The Rangers host in-state rival Houston Astros next, with the first game at 4:05 p.m. Friday.
• Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez went 4-for-4 with three homeruns as Los Angeles beat the San Diego 7-4 at Dodger Park. … Gonzalez now leads the majors with five homeruns, as he hit one in each of his first two games. Gonzalez has also earned three hits in each of the first three games, and is slugging 2.077. … Both teams had 11 hits. … The Dodgers won the series 2-1. … The next game for the Dodgers is Friday at 9:40 p.m. against Arizona. San Diego hosts the Giants starting Friday at 10:10 p.m.
• The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim scored four runs in the first inning and beat the Seattle Mariners 5-3 in the final of the three-game series at Safeco Field in Seattle. … Angels left fielder Efren Navarro went 2-for-3 and scored a run to lead Los Angeles, while first baseman Albert Pujols hit his first homerun of the year, a two-run shot that scored center fielder Mike Trout. … Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano and shortstop Brad Miller each went 2-for-4 and scored a run, while third baseman Kyle Seager had two RBIs. … Seattle visits Oakland on Friday at 10:05 p.m., while the Angels take on the Royals at home Friday at 10:05 p.m.
• Teams combined for 228 hits Wednesday, bringing the total to 545 hits on the season. Leading Wednesday’s games were the Tigers with 15; the Royals, Giants and Athletics each had 14.
• The Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Braves are the only teams to sweep series on the road this season. None of the teams Wednesday has the chance to match that, though the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds are looking to sweep their series at home.
• There have been eight one-run games this season.
• Thirteen of the 37 games played this year have resulted in a shutout, and there has been at least one shutout in each of the first four days of this season.The Rangers and Twins have been shut out twice each. Also shut out once have been the Cubs, Brewers, Phillies, Indians, Mariners, Cardinals, Orioles, Marlins, and Astros.
• Seventeen players hit their first home run Wednesday: Jeff Francoeur (Phillies); Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals); A.J. Pierzynski (Braves); Tyler Flowers (White Sox); Eric Hosmer (Royals); Lorenzo Cain (Royals); Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies); Wilin Rosario (Rockies); Adam Lind (Brewers); Carlos Santana (Indians); Mike Aviles (Indians); Casey McGehee (Giants); Justin Upton (Padres); Will Middlebrooks (Padres); Albert Pujols (Angels); Brad Miller (Mariners); Kyle Seager (Mariners). A total of 51 players have hit at least one homerun this season.