ARLINGTON, Texas – The Texas Rangers are already falling into a familiar pattern.
Ruben Sierra and Hank Blalock hit two-run homers but the bullpen blew the game and the Rangers lost their home opener 6-4 to the Seattle Mariners on Friday.
Five days after opening the season with a win at World Series champion Anaheim in new manager Buck Showalter’s first game, Texas has lost three straight and is in the same place it finished the last three seasons: alone at the bottom of the AL West.
Ben Davis, hitting No. 9 in the Seattle order while filling in for injured catcher Dan Wilson, hit a two-run double in the seventh to put the Mariners ahead 5-4 and cap a two-out rally against reliever Francisco Cordero.
Kazuhiro Sasaki struck out four batters in the ninth for his first save. Sasaki, who threw a wild pitch on a third strike to Carl Everett, became the 41st pitcher since 1900 to strike out four batters in an inning.
Texas led the majors in homers the past two seasons, and already has an AL-high eight this season. Those homers have accounted for 14 of the team’s 15 runs.
The Rangers also set major league records with 38 relief losses and 33 blown saves last season.
White Sox 5, Tigers 2
CHICAGO – Esteban Loaiza pitched 6 2-3 strong innings and Joe Crede homered Friday as the Chicago White Sox won their home opener in their newly named park, beating the Detroit Tigers 5-2.
After losing their first three games in Kansas City, the White Sox waited out a two-hour rain delay to finally get their first victory, sending the winless Tigers to their fourth straight loss under new manager Alan Trammell.
Some players wore hoods to protect their ears on a bone-chilling day, the White Sox’s first home game since the team announced a $68 million naming rights deal in January that turned Comiskey Park into U.S. Cellular Field.
Yankees 12, Devil Rays 2
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – David Wells pitched eight impressive innings and the New York Yankees hit five homers Friday night to beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 12-2 for their fourth straight win.
Robin Ventura, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Alfonso Soriano and Jason Giambi all homered for the Yankees, who are 4-0 for the first time since 1992 and have won the first four games of the season on the road for first time since 1928.
They’ve done it for the most part without Derek Jeter, who dislocated his shoulder in a violent collision in the third inning of the season opener at Toronto.
Royals 5, Indians 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Michael Tucker’s two-run single capped a four-run second inning and the Kansas City Royals won their fourth straight game to match the best start in franchise history, beating the Cleveland Indians 5-1 Friday night.
The 1977 Royals were the only other Kansas City club to stay unbeaten in the first four games, and they went on to win a team-record 102 games.
The Royals, who started the cold, blustery night as one of only three unbeaten AL teams, swept Chicago in their first three games and led the Indians 5-0 after three innings.
Left-hander Chris George (1-0) went 6 2-3 innings for his first major league win since Sept. 20, 2001. He gave up five hits and one run while walking one and striking out four.
Jason Davis, making his third major league start, lasted only three innings in the chilling wind. He gave up five runs, seven hits, hit a batter and threw two wild pitches.
Raul Ibanez singled and Ken Harvey walked to open the second, then Angel Berroa and Mike DeFelice followed with RBI singles. The runners moved up on Davis’ wild pitch. Tucker, who was only 1-for-13 coming in, then singled to center to make it 4-0.
Another wild pitch put Ibanez on third base in the third and Desi Relaford’s groundout made it 5-0.
Casey Blake singled off George’s glove with one out in the Cleveland fifth, went to second on a balk and scored on John McDonald’s single.
Billy Traber made his major league debut when he relieved Davis starting the fourth and walked his first batter. He went three innings and gave up one hit and three walks.
Royals’ first baseman Mike Sweeney fouled a ball off his ankle in the sixth and was replaced in the field in the eighth by Mendy Lopez.
Notes: Going strictly by spring training records, the Indians and Royals are the teams to beat in the AL. The Royals had the best record in Arizona, going 19-10, while Cleveland had the best Grapefruit League mark, 19-11. … George made a great catch of Ellis Burks’ line drive in the second, putting his glove in front of his face just in time to stop the ball. … The Royals’ 1977 team lost to the Yankees 3-2 in the ALCS. … Only eight players remain from the 2002 opening day roster for the Indians. … Davis beat Kansas City 6-2 last Sept. 20 for his only career win.
AP-ES-04-04-03 2229EST
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