Adrian Gonzalez marked his debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers with a three-run homer in his new team's 8-2 victory over the Miami Marlins.
New York Yankees lose to Cleveland, but Rays also slip up
Adrian Gonzalez marked his debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers with a three-run homer in his new team's 8-2 victory over the Miami Marlins.
Gonzalez, pitcher Josh Beckett and outfielder Carl Crawford - who between them are on contracts worth 270 million US dollars - were all part of a blockbuster trade that saw them move from the Boston Red Sox to LA.
Six other players were involved in the deal, with Nick Punto also heading to LA as five Dodgers players moved to Fenway Park.
Boston duly lost on their first outing since blowing up their roster, frittering away a 9-3 lead in front of their home supporters to be edged out 10-9 by the
Kansas City Royals. Mauro Gomez, in the Red Sox team to replace Gonzalez, hit his first career home run.
Brantley homer
Michael Brantley hit a three-run homer of his own to help the
Cleveland Indians to a 3-1 win against the AL East-leading
New York Yankees.
The Yankees were not weakened by the loss, as their closest rivals, the
Tampa Bay Rays, slumped 4-2 to the
Oakland Athletics.
At the top of the AL West, the
Texas Rangers strode to a 9-3 win over the
Minnesota Twins, the highlight provided by Mitch Moreland's giant 463-foot three-run homer in the second inning.
The
Detroit Tigers were 5-3 winners against the
Los Angeles Angels, the
Baltimore Orioles trounced the
Toronto Blue Jays 8-2, and the
Chicago White Sox, who lead in the AL Central, won a fifth straight game as they overcame the
Seattle Mariners 5-4.
In the National League, Jason Heyward's three-run homer helped the
Atlanta Braves beat the
San Francisco Giants 7-3. Atlanta stand second in the NL East, with San Francisco top in the West.
The
Philadelphia Phillies toppled NL East front-runners the
Washington Nationals, for whom a 4-2 defeat was a third in succession.
Nothing looks like stopping the
Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central, and they returned to holding a seven-game lead over second-placed
St Louis by beating the
Cardinals 8-2.
The
New York Mets saw off the
Houston Astros 3-1, the
Pittsburgh Pirates beat the
Milwaukee Brewers 4-0, the
Colorado Rockies defeated the
Chicago Cubs 4-3, and the
San Diego Padres earned a sixth straight win with a 9-3 success against the
Arizona Diamondbacks.
