Pablo Lopez's seven shutout innings lead Marlins past Cardinals

MIAMI – Pablo Lopez pitched three-hit ball over seven dominant innings and the Miami Marlins beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 Thursday night.

Jesus Sanchez and Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered for the Marlins, who snapped an eight-game losing skid against St. Louis. The Cardinals swept two series last season and won the first two games in Miami.

Lopez (2-0) struck out nine, including Cardinals star Albert Pujols three times. The right-hander retired his final 11 batters and extended Miami starters’ scoreless innings streak to 15 innings after Sandy Alcantara threw eight shutout innings Wednesday.

Sanchez raced home from third on Paul DeJong‘s throwing error in the second to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead.

Miami increased its advantage in the fourth after St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina‘s passed ball from reliever Drew VerHagen‘s sinker allowed Sanchez to score again from third.

Sanchez drove reliever Aaron Brooks‘ changeup into the seats in right-center for his third homer. Moments after being hurried into the batters’ box by plate umpire Phil Cuzzi, Chisholm hit a two-run shot against Brooks in the seventh.

Tanner Scott pitched a scoreless eighth and Anthony Bass closed.

Converted reliever Jordan Hicks made his first career start for St. Louis, working three innings on 46 pitches. Hicks, who has appeared in 114 relief outings with the Cardinals, allowed one run, two hits, struck out two and walked two. He threw 14 pitches at least 100 mph.

The Cardinals plan to moderately extend Hicks’ workload as he adapts to his new role.

Nolan Arenado had three of St. Louis’ five hits while Tommy Edman went hitless in three at-bats, ending his 12-game hitting streak dating to last season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Lars Nootbaar (left ear abrasion) had minor discomfort after fouling off a pitch in Wednesday’s game but pinch hit Thursday and struck out to end the game.

Marlins: IF Jose Devers (right shoulder impingement) extended his throwing to 90 feet and is taking batting practice.

NEW CONTRACT FOR WENDLE

Marlins infielder Joey Wendle signed a one-year contract and avoided arbitration. Miami acquired Wendle from Tampa Bay in the offseason. The contract includes a mutual option for 2023.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: LHP Steven Matz (1-1, 7.27) will start the opener of a three-game series at Cincinnati on Friday.

Marlins: LHP Trevor Rogers (0-2, 12.15) will attempt to snap a seven-decision losing skid when he starts the opener of Miami’s series at Atlanta on Friday.

CHICAGO (AP) Shohei Ohtani homered in consecutive innings, including a 459-foot drive that was the longest of his Major League Baseball career, and drove in four runs to lead the Los Angeles Angels over the Chicago White Sox 12-5 Wednesday.

Mike Trout put the Angels ahead 2-0 with a 476-foot home run in the first that was four rows shy of clearing the left field bleachers. Taylor Ward also went deep as the Angels hit four two-run homers plus a solo shot.

“Those are the guys you lean on,” manager Phil Nevin said. “They can certainly put the team on their backs and carry us and that’s what they did today.”

Ohtani drove a first-pitch fastball from Lance Lynn (4-6) just to left of straightaway center in the third, where the ball was dropped by a fan who tried to glove it. That 425-foot drive put the Angels ahead 4-1.

Lynn didn’t even bother to turn and look when Ohtani hit a full count fastball more than a dozen rows over the bullpen in right-center in the fourth. The two-way Japanese star is batting .269 with 15 homers and 38 RBIs to go along with a 5-1 record and 2.91 ERA.

“I’m feeling good right now,” Ohtani said through a translator. “I’m putting good swings on pitches I should be hitting hard.”

Ohtani increased his career total to 13 multihomer games with his first this season.

Trout pulled a hanging curve for his 13th home run. Ward hit a two-run homer against Jesse Scholtens in the seventh and Chad Wallach, pinch hitting for Ohtani, had a solo homer in the ninth off Garrett Crochet.

“Usually when that happens, we’re in a good spot to win,” Trout said.

Trout and Ohtani have homered in the same game for the fifth time this season. The Angels hit a pair of 450-foot or more home runs in the same game for the first time since Statcast started tracking in 2015.

Lynn allowed eight runs, eight hits and two walks while hitting two batters in four innings, raising his ERA to 6.55. He has given up 15 home runs, one short of the major league high of Kansas City’s Jordan Lyles. Lynn had won his previous three starts.

“It seemed like he didn’t get away with any today,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “Just one of those days, man.”

Jaime Barria (2-2) gave up one run and four hits in five innings with six strikeouts and two walks.

Los Angeles won two of three from the White Sox after being swept by Miami last weekend.

Jake Burger homered for Chicago, which has lost four of five. Burger hit his 11th homer in the ninth and Hanser Alberto had a two run double off Tucker Davidson.

Chicago’s Romy Gonzalez, who’d homered in three straight games, went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

THE NATURALS

Twenty-three people became naturalized U.S. citizens during a pregame swearing-in behind home plate.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: Trout fouled a pitch off his right leg in the fourth but remained in the game.

White Sox: INF Elvis Andrus (strained left oblique) and RHP Mike Clevinger (right wrist inflammation) are close to returning but Grifol wouldn’t elaborate on either player’s status.

UP NEXT

Angels: Reid Detmers (0-4, 4.93) starts Thursday’s series opener at Houston against fellow LHP Framber Valdez (5-4, 2.38).

White Sox: Have not announced a starter for Friday’s series opener against visiting Detroit, which starts RHP Reese Olson in his major league debut. Olson is 2-3 with a 6.38 ERA in 10 starts at Triple-A Toledo.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

Lopez’s seven shutout innings lead Marlins past Cardinals

Ohtani homers twice, including career longest at 459 feet, Angels beat White Sox 12-5