Washington Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning of their MLB National League baseball game in Los Angeles, California on Monday. (Reuters)
Agencies/New York
Lance Lynn overcame early control woes and St. Louis used a three-run seventh inning to snap a tie and beat the New York Mets 6-3 on Monday.
‘‘Early on I was just missing and I got a little bit upset with myself and got a little bit out of my game,’’ Lynn said. ‘‘I was able to stay in and give my team a chance to win, that’s what it’s all about.’’
Lynn (6-1) allowed three runs on three hits and four walks the first two innings, and manager Mike Matheny said he was often missing to the third-base side of the plate. He only gave up one hit and one walk in his last five innings. He is 4-0 at home this season. It was the Cardinals’ 10th win in the past 12 games.
‘‘That really could have gone bad early on, but he fought his way through it,’’ Matheny said. ‘‘He’s a horse.’’
Rick Ankiel, signed by the Mets earlier in the day after clearing waivers and playing against the team that revived his career as a position player, just missed a diving catch on Ty Wigginton’s pinch-hit bloop double to shallow center off Scott Rice (1-3) to open the seventh.
Ankiel’s equipment didn’t arrive and couldn’t hang onto the ball using pitcher Jonathon Niese’s glove.
‘‘I do think if I have my glove it stays in there,’’ Ankiel said. ‘‘I’m the type of person, if I get a glove on it I feel I should have caught it.
Elsewhere, Vidal Nuno tossed five scoreless innings in his first career start while Vernon Wells and Lyle Overbay each drove in a pair of runs to lead visiting New York to a double-header split against Cleveland.
Wells opened the scoring in the first with an RBI groundout and contributed to a six-run seventh with a run-scoring single.
Trevor Bauer (1-2) kept the Yankees’ offense in check after the first-inning run until he surrendered two doubles in the seventh, where the floodgates opened for New York. Jayson Nix delivered an RBI single and Lyle Overbay added a two-run double.
Rookie Aaron Hicks homered twice and Justin Morneau had three hits and four RBIs to lead host Minnesota to a blowout win in the opener of a three-game set.
Hicks, who was dropped from the leadoff spot after a slow start, had the first multi-hit game of his career with solo shots in the fourth and sixth innings.
Morneau singled and doubled twice, including one to clear the bases in the eighth, as the Twins improved to 3-0 this season against their division rivals.
Jason Kipnis homered in the first inning and Justin Masterson made it stand up with his third career shutout as host Cleveland downed New York in the first game of a double-header.