Yankees romp to eighth consecutive win
NEW YORK (AP) - Jordan Montgomery took a shutout into the seventh inning for his first major league win while Matt Holliday homered in his return to the lineup as the New York Yankees romped to their eighth consecutive victory by beating the Chicago White Sox 7-4 on Monday night.
Holliday put the Yankees ahead with a titanic three-run shot in a five-run third inning and Aaron Judge added a two-run homer that chased Derek Holland (1-2) with the score 7-0 in the fifth. New York has rebounded from a 1-4 start with its longest winning streak since a 10-game run in June 2012.
Making his second career start, Montgomery (1-0) immediately found himself in a first-inning jam. But the 24-year-old lefty calmly pitched his way out of it by retiring cleanup hitter Jose Abreu and streaking Avisail Garcia with runners at second and third.
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge hits a two-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Monday, April 17, 2017, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
Aroldis Chapman closed out for his fourth save.
BREWERS 6, CUBS 3
CHICAGO (AP) - Eric Thames homered in his club record-tying fifth straight game as Milwaukee beat Chicago.
Milwaukee never trailed after Thames hit an opposite-field homer to snap a 3-3 tie in the third inning. Jeromy Burnitz was the other Brewer to homer in five straight games in August of 1997.
Ryan Braun and Jeff Bandy also went deep for the Brewers, the only team to hit as many as three homers in a game off Chicago starter John Lackey (1-2) last season.
Brewers starter Chase Anderson (2-0) pitched five innings of three-run, seven-hit ball to pick up the victory.
BRAVES 5, PADRES 4
ATLANTA (AP) - Dansby Swanson hit an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning as Atlanta, boosted by Freddie Freeman's two home runs, beat San Diego for a four-game sweep in its first series at SunTrust Park.
Swanson's bases-loaded hit fell just in front of diving left fielder Allen Cordoba. The Braves have followed a five-game losing streak with five straight wins.
Jim Johnson (2-0) pitched the ninth.
Kurt Suzuki hit a one-out single in the Braves ninth off closer Brandon Maurer (0-1). With two outs, pinch runner Chase d'Arnaud advanced to third on Emilio Bonifacio's bloop single in front of Cordoba's dive.
An intentional walk to Ender Inciarte loaded the bases for Swanson, whose first career game-ending hit again fell beyond the reach of a charging Cordoba.
RED SOX 4, RAYS 3
BOSTON (AP) - Andrew Benintendi hit a go-ahead, two-run single as Boston scored three unearned runs following a dropped throw by second baseman Brad Miller to beat Tampa Bay in the annual Patriots' Day game.
Knuckleballer Steven Wright (1-1) allowed three runs - one earned - and nine hits in six innings as Boston won its third straight. Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for a save for the third straight day, his sixth this season.
Blake Snell (0-2) gave up four runs - one earned - and seven hits in five innings. The Rays completed a 1-6 trip that followed a franchise-best 5-2 start.
INDIANS 3, TWINS 1
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Danny Salazar finished six innings strong after a shaky start and Michael Brantley homered and drove in two runs as Cleveland beat Minnesota.
Salazar (1-1) struck out seven and retired 15 of his last 18 batters after allowing five hits and one walk over a seven-batter stretch spanning the first two innings.
Brantley took Kyle Gibson (0-2) deep in the fifth inning, raising his career average in 13 at-bats against the Twins right-hander to .385 with four RBIs.
Cody Allen loaded the bases in the ninth, but he completed his third save by getting Joe Mauer to fly out to center field.
ASTROS 3, ANGELS 0
HOUSTON (AP) - Charlie Morton and three relievers combined for a five-hitter while Jose Altuve drove in two runs as Houston beat Los Angeles for its fifth straight win.
Morton (1-1) worked in and out of trouble over five innings, allowing five hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Chris Devenski followed Morton with two perfect innings while Luke Gregerson threw a perfect eighth and Ken Giles pitched the ninth for his third save. Astros pitchers retired the last 14 batters.
Jesse Chavez (1-2) allowed two runs and seven hits over a season-high seven innings.
CARDINALS 2, PIRATES 1
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Lance Lynn pitched seven shutout innings and Kolten Wong homered as St. Louis stopped a three-game losing streak.
The Cardinals, who had lost six of seven, are 4-9 and still have the worst record in the NL.
Lynn (1-1) allowed three hits and struck out five while walking one. Seung-Hwan Oh worked around an RBI double by pinch hitter Gregory Polanco in the ninth to record the Cardinals' first save of the season.
Ivan Nova (1-2) gave up five hits and no walks in eight innings while striking out three.
Milwaukee Brewers' Eric Thames, right, celebrates his home run off Chicago Cubs starting pitcher John Lackey, with Ryan Braun, during the third inning of a baseball game, Monday, April 17, 2017, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Jaime Garcia (54) works in the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Monday, April 17, 2017, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Boston Red Sox's Hanley Ramirez runs on his RBI single during the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays Monday, April 17, 2017, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Cleveland Indians pitcher Danny Salazar throws against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, April 17, 2017, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
Houston Astros' Jose Altuve (27) is tagged out by Los Angeles Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar while trying to stretch a double into a triple during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Monday, April 17, 2017, in Houston. The Astros' Josh Reddick scored on the play. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)