Los Angeles Angels superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout went a combined six-for-10 from the plate on Friday, but their side still went down 5-4 on the road to the Baltimore Orioles after a ninth-inning collapse.
There were three runs scored in the opening six innings, and all three came from one Mike Trout swing in the third frame, sending a 376-foot shot to left-field to open up a 3-0 lead.
Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers was spectacular, allowing just two hits and one walk in six scoreless innings, striking out seven batters.
But when Detmers was withdrawn, the Orioles finally found their offense, with Ramon Urias getting them on the board with his RBI single in the seventh inning.
Ryan Mountcastle's RBI base hit an inning later trimmed the lead 3-2, but the game appeared to be put to bed in the top of the ninth inning when Ohtani connected on a 418-foot blast to center-field.
Trailing by two, with two outs in the last inning, the Orioles were able to reduce the margin to one run when rookie Adley Rutschman delivered a clutch RBI double into the gap at right-center.
As the very next batter, Cedric Mullins tied the game when his base hit brought Rutschman in to score, and after a wild pitch put Mullins into scoring position, the comeback was completed as Trey Mancini came through with the Orioles' third consecutive hit to win the game.
Raisel Iglesias takes the loss and the blown save for the Angels, giving up four hits and three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning.
For Ohtani, it was his 19th home run of the campaign – only 12 players have more this season. Trout is one of those 12 players, with his long-ball registering as his 24th, good for fourth in the majors.
Phillies pitchers dominate in St. Louis
Zack Wheeler and Alec Bohm put on a show as the Philadelphia Phillies made some unique history in their 2-0 shutout win against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Wheeler pitched seven rock-solid innings, giving up five hits and one walk without conceding a run, with Seranthony Dominguez and Brad Hand also delivering a scoreless frame each to close it out.
With the bat, Bohm scored both of the Phillies' runs with a solo home run in the sixth inning, and then another in the eighth inning.
It was the first time in MLB history that a team has won 2-0 with a multi-homer game by a player eighth or ninth in their side's batting order.
Yankees smack the Red Sox
The New York Yankees have won the first two fixtures of their four-game road series against the Boston Red Sox, hammering the home side 12-5.
Despite a poor outing from Yankees starter Nestor Cortes, where he was withdrawn in the fourth inning after giving up eight hits and two walks for four runs, the Yankees' bats were able to pick up the slack.
Aaron Judge went a disappointing zero-for-five at the plate, but Matt Carpenter and Josh Donaldson were able to hit home runs, and the Yankees racked up 14 hits as a team, although the Red Sox also had 13.
D.J. LeMahieu, Carpenter, Gleyber Torres, Aaron Hicks and Jose Trevino all finished with multi-hit games for the pinstripes as they extended their league-leading record to 61-23 – six games clear of the second-placed Houston Astros.
Rays 'optimistic' on Franco status for Opening Day after MRI on quad injury
The Tampa Bay Rays are "optimistic" emerging shortstop Wander Franco will be available for their Opening Day game with the Detroit Tigers on Thursday despite a quad injury concern.
Franco, 22, underwent an MRI on Sunday which Rays manager Kevin Cash said returned "favourable" results.
Despite the good results, Cash said Franco would not play in Tampa Bay's spring training game against the New York Yankees on Monday but was hopeful of their season opener against the Tigers.
"We've got three days to treat him," Cash told the Tampa Bay Times. "I don't think anything's been decided.
"We're optimistic that if we can get this thing treated the right way, we should be in a spot where he's good to go.
"Three days off in a row for him. Maybe get him out there that last day and take [batting practice] and see how he feels, but I'm pretty optimistic."
Franco had been scratched from the lineup for Saturday's spring training game against the Boston Red Sox due to right quadriceps soreness, although the Rays called that precautionary.
The 22-year-old has been a revelation for the Rays since debuting in 2021, including tying Frank Robinson (1956) for the longest on-base streak (43 games) in AL/NL history by a player 20 years old or younger.
Franco finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2021, before hitting .277 with six home runs and 33 RBIs in 2022.
Top Yankees prospect Volpe 'so excited' after being named starting shortstop for Opening Day
The New York Yankees have announced top prospect Anthony Volpe will start at shortstop on Opening Day against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.
The 21-year-old had been invited to spring training as a non-roster player and has won the initial battle with Oswald Peraza for the starting shortstop role.
Volpe batted .314/.417/.647 with three home runs and 10 extra-base hits in 17 games during spring.
"He's earned the right to take that spot, and we're excited for him and excited for us," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said of Volpe.
"He just dominated all sides of the ball during February and March, and that bodes well, obviously, for him as we move forward."
Yankees manager Aaron Boone delivered the news on Sunday, with the franchise releasing the video on social media.
"My heart was beating pretty hard," Volpe said. "Incredible. I'm just so excited. It's hard for me to even put into words."
Volpe will become the youngest Yankees shortstop since Derek Jeter debuted at 20 in 1995. He enjoyed a standout 2022 in the minors that ended at Triple-A, having been selected by the Yankees with the 30th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.
The Yankees topped the American League East last season with a 99-63 record before being swept by the Houston Astros in the AL Championship Series.
The team re-signed Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres in the offseason, while pitcher Carlos Rodon signed after opting out of his Giants contract.
Yankees pitcher Severino set to miss start of the season
New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino is set to miss the start of the MLB season due to a low-grade right lat strain.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone on Saturday revealed Severino will not throw for at least five days.
The two-time All-Star was due to start Yankees' second game of the season against the San Francisco Giants next Saturday, but looks likely to instead be on the injured list.
Clarke Schmidt is expected to get a start in the absence of Severino, with Gerrit Cole the man to open up in the first game of the season versus the Giants on Thursday.
Severino missed over two months with the same injury last season.
The 29-year-old has an ERA of 9.00 this spring, having allowed 15 runs in as many innings.
The Yankees are also without Carlos Rodon (forearm strain) and Frankie Montas (shoulder surgery) heading into the new season.
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