WASHINGTON -- Tanner Roark's spring training workload was cut by participating in the World Baseball Classic and having his final tuneup rained out. So neither he nor the Washington Nationals were quite sure what they would get in the righty's regular-season debut.
For a couple of innings Wednesday night, it was rough: Two runs, two singles, two hit batters, two walks, a wild pitch. A whopping 46 pitches.
And then? Roark got down to business, retiring 13 of the last 14 batters he faced and helping the Nationals come back to beat the Miami Marlins 6-4 as Ryan Zimmerman homered while Bryce Harper and Matt Wieters each drove in a pair of runs (see full recap).
Colon sharp at old home, Kemp leads Braves over Mets in 12th
NEW YORK -- Bartolo Colon drew all sorts of nods, taps and tributes in his return to Citi Field during a sharp debut for Atlanta, and Matt Kemp's third double of the game in the 12th inning led the Braves over the New York Mets 3-1 on Wednesday night.
Kemp's two-out, bases-loaded liner off Rafael Montero (0-1) gave Atlanta its first win of the season after losing on opening day. Jim Johnson (1-0) worked two scoreless innings.
Colon was perhaps the most popular Mets player over the previous three seasons. He led the team in wins, starts and innings last year, then became a free agent and signed with a guaranteed spot in the Braves' rotation.
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The Mets honored Colon with a pregame montage on the video board, highlighting his pitching, fielding and first career home run last year. Fans cheered as the clips ended with: "Welcome Back Bart (see full recap)."
Leon homers to end Boston's 3-0, 12-inning win over Pirates
BOSTON -- Sandy Leon hit a three-run homer in the 12th inning - his third hit of the game - and Chris Sale pitched seven dominant innings in his Red Sox debut to lead Boston to a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.
Leon also doubled in the third inning but got thrown out at the plate after running through third base coach Brian Butterfield's stop sign. It was scoreless into the bottom of the 12th, when Antonio Bastardo (0-1) walked Jackie Bradley Jr. and Pablo Sandoval with one out.
Leon followed with a drive over the Green Monster to end a cold night for the Red Sox, who also beat Pittsburgh in the season opener on Monday.
Joe Kelly (1-0), the sixth Red Sox pitcher, earned the victory with two innings of one-hit relief (see full recap).
Bundy stymies Blue Jays and Orioles hit 2 HRs in 3-1 victory
BALTIMORE -- With a year of experience behind him and an additional pitch in his repertoire, Dylan Bundy appears poised to make the next step in his progression to big league ace.
Bundy struck out eight over seven impressive innings, and the Baltimore Orioles used home runs by Adam Jones and Chris Davis to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 Wednesday night.
Making his 15th career start, Bundy (1-0) allowed one run and four hits. The 2011 first-round draft pick did not issue a walk and retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced.
Bundy went 10-6 last year, his first full season in the big leagues. The 24-year-old is being counted on this season to build on that performance, and the right-hander certainly did not disappoint in his 2017 debut (see full story).
