PHILADELPHIA 12, ATLANTA 11
PHILADELPHIA Four Phillies walked with the bases loaded during an eight-run seventh inning and Philadelphia rallied for a 12-11 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
Raul Ibanez hit a two-run homer, helping the defending World Series champions overcome a 10-3 deficit and avoid a three-game sweep on a day they received their shiny, new rings.
Brian McCann and Jordan Schafer hit two-run homers for the Braves, and Javier Vazquez left with a seven-run lead after pitching six effective innings.
Clay Condrey (1-0) struck out the only batter he faced to earn the win. Ryan Madson retired the side in the eighth and Brad Lidge earned his 52nd consecutive save, including eight in the postseason.
Blaine Boyer (0-1) took the loss.
FLORIDA 6, WASHINGTON 4
MIAMI Dan Uggla hit a tiebreaking three-run double, Chris Volstad was almost flawless after a shaky first inning, and the Florida Marlins beat the Washington Nationals 6-4 to complete an opening three-game sweep.
John Baker added a pair of run-scoring singles for the Marlins, 3-0 for only the second time. The other was in 1997, when Florida won the first of two World Series titles.
Volstad (1-0) struck out seven, allowing two runs – one earned – and two hits in five innings. Emilio Bonifacio went 2-for-4, lowering his average to .571, with two runs and his fourth steal of the year for the Marlins.
COLORADO 9, ARIZONA 2
PHOENIX Dexter Fowler, Yorvit Torrealba and Ian Stewart homered and the Colorado Rockies won a series against Arizona for the first time in two years with a 9-2 victory over the Diamondbacks.
Franklin Morales (1-0) held the Diamondbacks to a run on four hits in six innings, striking out six and walking one. Ryan Spilborghs had a two-run double in Colorados three-run third inning. Stewart also singled in a run.
After homering five times in their 9-8 season-opening win on Monday, the Diamondbacks scored two runs in 18 innings against the Rockies, who were 3-15 against Arizona last season.
Stephen Drew had a solo homer for the Diamondbacks in the first.
PITTSBURGH 7, ST. LOUIS 4
ST. LOUIS Zach Duke beat St. Louis for the first time in nearly three seasons and Freddy Sanchez went 4-for-5 for his third straight multi-hit game to open the year in the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-4 victory over the Cardinals.
Jack Wilson matched his career best with four hits and two RBIs. Nate McLouths two-run homer snapped his 0-for-8 start.
Albert Pujols set a franchise record for a Cardinals first baseman with seven assists – the most in the majors by a first baseman since the Pirates Bob Robertson had eight on June 21, 1971.
NY METS 9, CINCINNATI 7
CINCINNATI Carlos Delgado homered and drove in four runs, getting New Yorks offense rolling on a clear, cool night that was much more favorable to hitters, and the Mets rebuilt bullpen barely held on for a 9-7 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
The Mets won the season opener, 2-1, on a raw, 37-degree afternoon that showcased their offseason bullpen additions of closers J.J. Putz and Francisco Rodriguez. With temperatures in the 50s on a clear Wednesday evening, the offense took over and Rodriguez pitched out of a bases-loaded threat in the ninth to avoid a bullpen collapse.
CHI CUBS 11, HOUSTON 6
HOUSTON Aramis Ramirez and Mike Fontenot drove in four runs apiece to lead the Chicago Cubs to an 11-6 victory over the Houston Astros.
Kosuke Fukudome had four hits and scored a career-high four runs for Chicago, which won an opening series for the first time since it took two of three from the New York Mets to begin the 2003 season.
Lance Berkman and Ivan Rodriguez connected for Houston, which finished with five homers. Jeff Keppinger, Kaz Matsui and Hunter Pence also went deep.
Chicago scored four runs in the first and second. Ramirez, Fontenot and Ryan Theriot had RBI singles and Derrek Lee doubled in a run in the first. Ramirez singled in a run in the second before Fontenots three-run homer made it 8-0.
LA DODGERS 5, SAN DIEGO 2
SAN DIEGO Manny Ramirez hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 5-2.
Chad Billingsley worked six solid innings and three relievers combined to finish the three-hitter. Jonathan Broxton struck out two during a scoreless ninth, earning his second save.
Ramirez also drove in a run with a first-inning groundout and Casey Blake homered for the Dodgers.
MILWAUKEE 4, SAN FRANCISCO 2
SAN FRANCISCO Yovani Gallardo pitched neatly into the seventh inning and also hit a three-run homer off Randy Johnson to spoil the Big Units debut with the San Francisco Giants, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-2 victory.
Gallardo (1-0), the Brewers promising 23-year-old right-hander, gave up six hits and struck out six while muzzling a Giants team that scored 10 runs on opening day. He also popped a two-out, two-strike pitch over the short left-field corner fence in the fifth, providing himself with all the run support he needed.
Gallardo, who missed most of last season with serious injuries to both knees, overshadowed the formal Bay Area homecoming for Johnson (0-1).
