March 28, 2024

MLB Capsules

ROYALS 7, TWINS 4

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jeremy Guthrie won his career-best seventh straight decision, dating to last season, and Alcides Escobar had three hits and an RBI as the Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins.

The Royals, who had not scored in the first two innings in their first seven games, sent nine to the plate in a five-run first.

Mike Pelfrey (1-1) gave up hits to the first five batters he faced.

Joe Mauer, Josh Willingham and Eduardo Escobar each hit solo homers to keep the Twins close.

Guthrie (2-0) improved to 7-0 in his past 13 starts dating to last August. He allowed four runs on six hits, including the three home runs, in 6 2-3 innings.

Greg Holland picked up the save, but not before walking two and giving up a single to Escobar, his third hit, to load the bases. Holland struck out Mauer to end the game.

CUBS 6, BREWERS 3

CHICAGO (AP) — Pinch-hitter Scott Hairston had a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the eighth inning and David DeJesus added a two-run single, lifting the Chicago Cubs over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Carlos Marmol (1-1) pitched a scoreless eighth. Kyuji Fujikawa worked a scoreless ninth for his second save, stranding two runners when he got Jonathan Lucroy to pop out.

The Cubs rallied from an early 3-0 deficit.

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke was in the dugout after spending part of the day at a hospital emergency room because of back pain. One day after being demoted as the Brewers’ closer, John Axford (0-2) took the loss after giving up three runs in two-thirds of an inning.

INTERLEAGUE

NATIONALS 8, WHITE SOX 7

WASHINGTON (AP) — Adam LaRoche ended an 0-for-15 start to the season with homers in consecutive at-bats, Jayson Werth and Ian Desmond also homered, and the Washington Nationals opened an early interleague series by edging the Chicago White Sox.

Werth and LaRoche hit two-run shots off Jake Peavy (1-1) in the sixth, an inning after Desmond went deep. LaRoche added a solo homer off Matt Thornton in the eighth.

That allowed Washington to hold on even though Alex Rios hit a two-run shot off closer Rafael Soriano with two outs in the ninth. Soriano got Paul Konerko to fly out to end it and record his third save in four chances.

Reliever Craig Stammen (2-0) got the win.