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Welcome to The Walk Off, the nightly MLB recap from Big League Stew. Here we'll look the top performers of the night, show you a must-see highlight and rundown the scoreboard. First, we start with a game you need to know about.
An ugly first series for the San Diego Padres got even uglier on Wednesday as they set a record in offensive futility.*
In being shut out 7-0 by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Padres became the first team in MLB history to*be shut out in three consecutive games to open a season. The Dodgers, meanwhile, became the first team since the 1963 Cardinals to begin with three consecutive shutouts.*
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In San Diego's defense, they've run into some tough customers in Clayton Kershaw, Scott Kazmir and the debuting Kenta Maeda on Wednesday. Maeda was as good as advertised on the hill, tossing six innings of shutout ball. He also had an unexpectedly productive game at the plate, launching a home run in his second career at-bat. He had two previously in Japan.*
Despite that painful blow, the Padres weren't without their share of chances. The best came in the fourth inning, when they had runners at the corners with one out. Wil Myers hit a ground ball right at*Adrian Gonzalez. The Dodgers first baseman gloved the ball and fired it toward home, where Cody Spangenberg attempted to slide by the tag of A.J. Ellis.*
It's a rough way to start a season. But if there's a silver lining, it's that Thursday's an off day where they can relax and hopefully put this series behind them. From there, it's a weekend in Colorado, where offenses always leave healthier than when they arrived.*
TOP PERFORMERS
Starlin Castro*— In a slugfest at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees defeated the Astros 16-6 thanks largely to Castro's four-hit, five-RBI game. New York's new second baseman set the tone with an RBI single and three-run homer in the first two innings. Mark Teixeira chipped in two hits and four RBIs of his own. The Astros got two solo homers from Carlos Correa and a grand slam from George Springer, but it wasn't enough.*
Steven Souza Jr. — The third-year outfielder led the resilient Tampa Bay Rays to a split in their four-game season-opening series with a 4-for-4 afternoon at the plate, including a pair of home runs. Souza pulled the Rays to within one with a solo shot in the sixth. Then in the eighth, he turned the game around with a three-run shot that locked up Tampa Bay's 5-3 victory.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia — The former Marlins catcher wreaked havoc on his old team in Detroit's 7-3 victory. In the first inning, he threw out speedster Dee Gordon on a stolen base attempt. In the next half inning, he launched a two-run homer against Jose Fernandez. If that wasn't enough, he also contributed a two-run double.
Juan Nicasio*— The veteran right-hander earned his way on to the Pirates roster with a terrific spring. That excellence carried over into the regular season as he dominated the Cardinals in Pittsburgh's 5-1 series-sweeping win. Nicasio held the Cardinals to one run on two hits over six innings. He added seven strikeouts as the Pirates improved to 3-0. *
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
Colorado Rockies rookie shortstop Trevor Story continues to be the story of Major League Baseball this week. After homering in each of his first two career games at Arizona, including two in the season opener on Monday, Story became the*first player since 1900 to open his big league career with homers in three consecutive games. His two-run first-inning keyed Colorado's 4-2 win.*
THE SCOREBOARD
Brewers 4, Giants 3: Chris Carter and Domingo Santana each drove in two runs to help Milwaukee avoid a three-game sweep.
Mariners 9, Rangers 5: Robinson Cano homered for the third straight game to open the season, only this time he doubled by hitting two. Cano started with a two-run first-inning home run against Texas starter Colby Lewis. He would bookend his big game with a two-run homer in the ninth inning as well, this time off Texas closer Shawn Tolleson.
Indians 7, Red Sox 6: In a game that featured five home runs, the Indians got the final word thanks to Mike Napoli. The former Red Sox first baseman hit the go-ahead solo shot in the seventh inning.*
Orioles 4, Twins 2: Chris Davis launched his first home run of the season and Yovani Gallardo pitched five innings of one-run ball in his Orioles debut.*
Reds 3, Phillies 2: The resilient Reds? Perhaps. In their first two games, they've rallied late against Philadelphia's bullpen to pull out a win. Here, it was Scott Schebler delivering a walk-off two-run double in the ninth.*
Nationals 3, Braves 1: Matt den Dekker's two-run double in the seventh inning capped a three-run Washington rally. Stephen Strasburg earned the win with six innings of one-run ball.*
Athletics 2, White Sox 1: It was Sonny Gray's opening day and he absolutely dazzled, holding Chicago to one run over seven innings. Perhaps most importantly to Oakland, they won a one-run game after losing two to begin the season. They were 19-35 in one-run games last season.*
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