PHOENIX -- Chris Owings singled home the winning run and the Arizona Diamondbacks scored twice with two outs in the ninth inning off new San Francisco closer Mark Melancon to beat the Giants 6-5 in a wild season opener Sunday.
Derailed by a dreadful bullpen last year, the Giants started this season the same way -- even after trying to fix the problem by bringing in Melancon on a $62 million, four-year contract as a free agent. They wasted a record-breaking performance by pitcher Madison Bumgarner, who homered twice and retired his first 16 batters.
Arizona got a double and three singles after Melancon (0-1) retired the first two batters in the ninth. A.J. Pollock singled in the tying run and Owings dumped a base hit into right field to end it.
Bumgarner became the first pitcher to hit two home runs on opening day.
Archer outduels Tanaka as Rays win MLB opener vs. Yankees
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Chris Archer pitched seven solid innings and the Tampa Bay Rays won the first game of the new Major League Baseball season, roughing up Masahiro Tanaka and beating the New York Yankees 7-3 Sunday.
Evan Longoria and Logan Morrison homered and drove in three runs apiece before a sellout crowd of 31,042 at Tropicana Field on opening day. Tanaka, who had baseball's ERA in spring training, was tagged for a career-worst seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings.
Philadelphia Phillies
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A first-time All-Star in 2015 who lost an AL-leading 19 times last season, Archer limited New York to two runs and seven hits. He narrowly escaped a bases-loaded jam and turned a five-run lead over to a revamped bullpen.
Closer Alex Colome replaced rookie Austin Pruitt with the bases loaded in the ninth, yielding a sacrifice fly to pinch hitter Chris Carter before finishing for a save (see full recap).
