ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Zach Eflin took a shutout into the seventh inning, Isaac Paredes hit a three-run homer in a four-run fifth and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Texas Rangers 5-2 on Tuesday night.
Eflin (1-1) allowed three of his five hits and lone run in the seventh, then was removed after Jonah Heim's one-out RBI single. Heim also had a two-out run-scoring single in the ninth off Pete Fairbanks, who retired Leody Tavares on a game-ending flyout near the left-field wall with with two on.
"He really sets a tone for our rotation," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "We needed a start like that. He easily was the right guy to provide it."
Tampa Bay had been outscored 18-5 in losing its previous two games.
"It was to kind of get back on track and (try to) take that momentum into tomorrow," Eflin said.
Tampa Bay has a home run and stolen base in each of its first six games, matching Cleveland in 1998 as the only teams since 1901 to accomplish the feat.
Yandy Díaz, hitless in his previous 11 at-bats, put the Rays up 1-0 with a third-inning RBI single that deflected off pitcher Andrew Heaney's glove and into right field.
Heaney (0-1) struck out his first two batters in the fifth before first baseman Jared Walsh was charged with an error for dropping Díaz's pop fly in shallow right. Heaney was removed after Harold Ramírez's single on his 90th pitch.
Randy Arozarena hit a two-out, run-scoring single on a 3-2 pitch off Yerry Rodríguez and Paredes drove the next pitch into left-field seats.
Walsh's error was the Rangers' first on the road since last Aug, 22 at Arizona and ended a 22-game streak.
"He just got to it and you know, just dropped it," Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's a tough place to catch popups, especially as far as he went. He felt horrible, trust me. It happens and and we couldn't pick him up."
Heaney allowed three runs -- one earned -- and four hits over 4 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts in his first start this season.
"I was really happy with how he threw the ball," Bochy said. "He had good stuff, good command. He just ran out pitches. Terrific job. We just couldn't get some runs for him."
ROYALS 4, ORIOLES 1
BALTIMORE -- Alec Marsh pitched seven innings of two-hit ball, Maikel Garcia drove in three runs and the Kansas City Royals breezed past the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 Tuesday night at wet and chilly Camden Yards.
Marsh (1-0) turned in the best performance of his budding career, dominating the defending AL East champions with an exceptional display of control. He struck out five, walked one and retired the side in order five times.
"He was outstanding," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of Marsh. "Adverse conditions to pitch in against a really good lineup, and he did nothing but attack, right from the get-go."
Now in his second season, Marsh previously hadn't gone more than six innings and never allowed fewer than three hits in any outing longer than an inning. In this one, the right-hander threw 72 pitches, only 18 of which were called balls.
"You couldn't ask for anything more," Quatraro said.
Marsh received offensive support from Garcia, who hit a two-run double in the second inning and added an RBI triple in the fourth.
A persistent, light rain soaked the players and the announced crowd of 9,404. Temperatures dipped into the 40s soon after the game started, and a crisp breeze provided the stouthearted fans additional discomfort.
The Orioles gave their supporters little reason to stand up and cheer. Baltimore's only run came in the third inning on successive doubles by Jordan Westburg and Colton Cowser, but that only served to cut the deficit to 3-1.
Kansas City answered in the fourth with a walk and a triple by Garcia on a liner off the right-field wall. That was more than enough backing for Marsh, who earned the fifth spot in the Royals rotation with a strong showing in spring training.
As a rookie in 2023, Marsh lost his first eight decisions before ending up 3-9 with a 5.69 ERA.
The solid finish, along with his productive spring, gave Marsh some momentum heading into the 2024 season.
WHITE SOX 3, BRAVES 2
CHICAGO -- Garrett Crochet pitched seven sparkling innings, pinch-hitter Paul DeJong had a tiebreaking homer and the Chicago White Sox got their first win by beating the Atlanta Braves 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Michael Kopech pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth and gave up a solo drive to Marcell Ozuna with one out in the ninth. He walked Michael Harris II with two out sand gave up a single to Orlando Arcia, putting runners on first and second, before retiring Travis d'Arnaud on a pop fly for the save.
Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn hit RBI singles, and the White Sox overcame two home runs by Ozuna to win after an 0-4 start.
Crochet (1-1) held the Braves to one run and three hits in his second professional start. The hard-throwing left-hander struck out eight and walked one after an impressive performance in Chicago's opening 1-0 loss to Detroit.
PHILLIES 9, REDS 4
PHILADELPHIA -- Bryce Harper homered for his first three hits of the season, including a grand slam, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-4 on Tuesday night.
Brandon Marsh also connected for Philadelphia, which bounced back nicely after dropping the series opener on Monday. Spencer Turnbull struck out seven in five effective innings.
Harper went 0 for 11 with a walk while playing in three of the Phillies' first four games, but he broke out in a big way against the Reds.
The two-time NL MVP hit a solo shot in the first and fourth innings against Graham Ashcraft. He capped Philadelphia's five-run seventh against Brent Suter with his seventh career grand slam, a 422-foot drive to right-center.
It was Harper's second career three-homer game and his 26th multihomer game overall. He finished with a career-best six RBIs.
It was the first time a Phillies player hit three home runs in a game at Citizens Bank Park since Jayson Werth on May 16, 2008, against Toronto.
ANGELES 3, MARLINS 1
MIAMI -- Tyler Anderson pitched seven scoreless innings, Aaron Hicks homered and the Los Angeles Angeles beat Miami 3-1 on Tuesday, sending the Marlins to their worst start in franchise history.
Anderson (1-0) scattered four hits, walked two and struck out five. The left-hander was lifted after 83 pitches.
"Honestly, today I just wanted to make as many good pitches as I could," Anderson said. "There is no goal of trying to throw more. Sometimes I feel that could put you in a bad spot, trying too hard as opposed to just trying to make as many good pitches as you can."
Hicks' solo blast in the fourth put the Angels ahead 1-0. He drove a fastball from Miami starter Jesús Luzardo inside the foul pole in right for his first hit with Los Angeles, snapping an 0-for-11 start.
"You definitely want to start the season quick and get the first (hit) out of the way and enjoy your season with the highs and lows," said Hicks, who signed with the Angels as a free agent in the offseason. "Today, it felt good, especially with the way that it came."
The Angels increased their lead on run-scoring singles from Hicks and Taylor Ward in the sixth.
Bryan De La Cruz homered in the ninth inning for the Marlins, who lost their sixth straight game to start the season.
Luzardo (0-1) gave up three runs and four hits, walked two and struck out five over 5 1/3 innings.
BREWERS 3, TWINS 2
MILWAUKEE -- Jackson Chourio singled in a run in his first American Family Field plate appearance, Christian Yelich homered and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on Tuesday to open a season with four straight wins for the first time since 2006.
Chourio stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the third inning after consecutive one-out singles by Rhys Hoskins, Oliver Dunn and Brice Turang. The 20-year-old followed with an RBI single into shallow right field.
"I was just looking to make good contact there and bring in the first run of the game," Chourio said through an interpreter.
Chourio, who signed an $82 million, eight-year contract in the offseason before making his big league debut, is hitting .375 (6 for 16).
Home after a three-game sweep at the New York Mets, the Brewers never trailed in front of a sellout crowd of 41,659 that saved its biggest cheers for the introduction of Bob Uecker as he began his 54th season of broadcasting Brewers baseball.
Turang went 2 for 3 with an RBI single, improving his batting average to .500 (7 for 14).
Milwaukee is 4-0 for the fourth time after winning its first 13 games in 1987 and its first five in 1978 and 2006.
CUBS 12, ROCKIES 2
CHICAGO -- Cody Bellinger, Seiya Suzuki, Christopher Morel and Garrett Cooper homered, and the Chicago Cubs pounded the Colorado Rockies 12-2 on Tuesday night for their third straight win.
Bellinger's two-run drive off the right-field scoreboard at Wrigley Field was his first homer of the season. The 2019 NL MVP re-signed with the Cubs for a $80 million, three-year contract in February.
Cooper hit a three-run shot in the sixth that gave Chicago a 10-0 lead. He also doubled and tripled in his first home start with the Cubs.
Nick Madrigal added two hits and three RBIs on a chilly, breezy night at Wrigley Field. Ian Happ and Dansby Swanson each had two of the Cubs' 14 hits.
Chicago right-hander Javier Assad allowed four hits in six scoreless innings. He struck out five and walked one in his first start of the season.
Texas Rangers' Andrew Heaney pitches to a Tampa Bay Rays batter during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Rays' Isaac Paredes, second from right, celebrates his three-run home run off Texas Rangers relief pitcher Yerry Rodriguez with Randy Arozarena, right, Harold Ramirez, second from left, and Amed Rosario during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Rays' Randy Arozarena reacts after his RBI single off Texas Rangers relief pitcher Yerry Rodriguez scored Yandy Diaz during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Rays' Randy Arozarena sconnects for an RBI single off Texas Rangers relief pitcher Yerry Rodriguez during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
Tampa Bay Rays' Jose Caballero, right, steals second base ahead of the tag by Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien during the third inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Rays' Jose Caballero gets hit with a pitch by Texas Rangers' Andrew Heaney during the third inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Rays' Yandy Diaz slides into third base ahead of the throw to Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Smith on a single by Harold Ramirez during the third inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)