Chicago Cubs

Romero leads Twins past Cardinals 6-0 for 4th straight win

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:56 p.m. ET

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) George Springer went 6 for 6 with a home run to match a Houston record as the Astros routed the Oakland Athletics 16-2 on Monday night.

Last year's World Series MVP doubled and scored in the first inning, hit a three-run homer in the second and then singled and scored in the fourth. Needing a triple for the cycle, he reached on infield singles in the fifth and seventh before adding a fourth single up the middle in the ninth.

Springer's batting average jumped from .264 to .292. He became the second player in team history to go 6 for 6 and the first to do it in a nine-inning game.

Marwin Gonzalez also went deep and matched his career high of five RBIs. Dallas Keuchel (2-5) yielded one run and five hits over eight innings.

Oakland lefty Brett Anderson (0-1) failed to make it out of the fourth in his first start at the Coliseum in an A's uniform since Sept. 22, 2013. Anderson allowed seven earned runs and 10 hits.

TWINS 6, CARDINALS 0

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Fernando Romero struck out nine in six innings in his second straight scoreless start to begin his major league career, leading Minnesota to its season-high fourth straight win.

The Twins have won 13 of their last 16 games against National League opponents dating to last year.

St. Louis had its season-best five-game winning streak snapped, one night after finishing a weekend sweep of the rival Cubs at nearly 1 a.m.

Romero (2-0) permitted just three hits while throwing 97 pitches. The 23-year-old right-hander tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his debut last week, a win over Toronto.

Romero got a lift from left fielder Eddie Rosario, who reached over the wall in the first inning to catch a possible two-run homer for St. Louis' Dexter Fowler.

John Gant (1-1) gave up six hits and four runs in 5 1/3 innings for the Cardinals.

METS 7, REDS 6

CINCINNATI (AP) - Jay Bruce hit a two-run homer against his former team, rounding the bases to a familiar ''BRUUUCE'' chant, and Adrian Gonzalez connected twice in the Mets' victory.

The Mets hit the road after getting swept during a six-game homestand that included three shutout losses and 11 runs total by New York's offense. Michael Conforto got it going with a leadoff homer against Homer Bailey (0-5), and Bruce had a two-run shot off his former teammate in the third for a 4-0 lead.

Gonzalez had a pair of solo shots as the Mets set a season high with four homers.

Robert Gsellman (4-0) pitched 2 2/3 innings for the win. Jeurys Familia retired the side in order in the ninth for his 10th save.

Billy Hamilton, Eugenio Suarez and Scooter Gennett homered for the Reds.

CUBS 14, MARLINS 2

CHICAGO (AP) - Ian Happ homered from both sides of the plate, helping the Cubs stop a five-game slide.

The Cubs collected 15 hits after scoring three or fewer runs in 10 of the previous 11 games. Kris Bryant and Javier Baez connected, and Happ finished with five RBIs.

Kyle Hendricks (3-2) also provided a lift for Chicago by pitching eight innings of two-run ball. The only downer for the Cubs was an early exit for Baez, who departed in the sixth with right groin tightness.

Miami starter Jarlin Garcia (1-1), who entered with a major league-best 1.09 ERA, was rocked for seven runs and six hits in four innings.

Cameron Maybin had two hits and drove in a run for Miami, which had won six of eight.

NATIONALS 8, PADRES 5

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Matt Adams homered in consecutive innings, Trea Turner went deep in his first at-bat at Petco Park and Washington's Stephen Strasburg beat his hometown team again.

Adams hit a towering two-run drive to right off Tyson Ross in the sixth and a three-run shot to right-center in the seventh off Matt Strahm.

Turner, San Diego's first-round pick in the 2014 draft who never played for the Padres, drove a 1-1 pitch from Ross an estimated 396 feet into the home bullpen in center field with one out in the first inning.

Strasburg (4-3) improved to 7-2 in nine career starts against the Padres. He allowed three runs in seven innings.

Jose Pirela had three hits and drove in a run for San Diego. Ross (2-3) allowed five runs in six innings.

PHILLIES 11, GIANTS 0

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Odubel Herrera homered twice and drove in five runs, helping Zach Eflin and the Phillies to the runaway win.

Carlos Santana and Cesar Hernandez also connected for Philadelphia, which had dropped six of eight. Santana drove in four runs, and Hernandez had two RBIs.

Eflin (1-0) struck out a career-high nine in 6 2/3 innings. He allowed four hits and walked three.

Herrera hit a three-run drive off Jeff Samardzija (1-2) in the first and a two-run shot off D.J. Snelten in the sixth.

Buster Posey had two of San Francisco's six hits.

RANGERS 7, TIGERS 6

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Jurickson Profar hit a tiebreaking RBI triple, Nomar Mazara homered again and the Rangers beat the Tigers after a strange seventh inning.

Delino DeShields and Shin-Soo Choo both scored from first in the seventh. DeShields reached on a two-out error and then raced around the bases when Choo singled on a grounder that trickled off the outstretched glove of second baseman Dixon Machado. Profar followed with his big hit.

Detroit blew a 5-1 lead, and then jumped in front again with an unearned run in the top of the seventh after a replay review.

JaCoby Jones ran home from second when Jose Iglesias hit a fly ball to right with two out. Mazara was nearing the line when the ball hit off his glove and dropped into foul territory.

First base umpire Bill Miller ruled a foul ball, but manager Ron Gardenhire challenged the call and the replay showed Mazara was clearly in fair territory. Jones was awarded home to make it 6-5.

Jose LeClerc (1-0) pitched the seventh, and Keone Kela worked the ninth for his seventh save. Daniel Stumpf (1-2) got the loss.