MLB: Padres’ Wil Myers Hits First Career Cycle In 5-3 Win Vs Rockies, Cubs Beat Dodgers 3-2 In Home Opener

Wil Myers smacked a line drive to the left-center gap at the beginning of the eighth inning and recorded a triple to complete Major League Baseball’s first cycle of 2017 and the first of his career in leading the San Diego Padres to a 5-3 road victory over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.

Wil Myers Hits First MLB Cycle of 2017, Padres Beat Rockies 5-3

“I was screaming three to myself,” Myers said. “Inside. I wasn’t screaming out loud.”

Myers singled in the first inning, doubled in the third and homered in the sixth to help the Padres earn their third win in four games. The only other Padres player in franchise history to finish a cycle is Matt Kemp, who did it on Aug. 14, 2015, also at Coors Field.

“Those moments don’t happen very often,” said 39-year-old Padres manager Andy Green. “To see somebody get it, someone like Wil, kind of the cornerstone of your franchise, it’s a lot of fun to watch.”

Hunter Renfroe also hit a two-run homer for San Diego. Righty Miguel Diaz (1-0), the second of six Padres pitchers, played one inning to record his first major league victory.

DJ LeMahieu and Mark Reynolds homered for Colorado (5-3).

Jarred Cosart started for the Padres (4-4) in place of Trevor Cahill, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list Sunday with a back injury. Cosart delivered four strong innings, allowed zero runs and induced three double plays to escape jams.

“Guys are going to get on base,” Cosart said. “If they don’t score any runs, it doesn’t matter how you do it.”

Cosart exited with a 1-0 lead following Myers’ RBI double in the third, although he didn’t get the win because he lasted less than five innings.

San Diego increased its lead in the fifth on Myers’ leadoff homer. Following a one-out walk, Renfroe took Tyler Chatwood deep just over the scoreboard in right field to make it 4-0.

Chatwood (0-2), who was 4-8 with a 6.12 ERA at Coors Field last year, allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

“That’s what happens in baseball,” Chatwood said. “You go along and you give up two homers out there and you lose the game for us.”

LeMahieu fired a solo homer in the sixth and Reynolds hit a two-run shot, his fourth, with two outs in the ninth.

Green said catcher Hector Sanchez, who is out with a concussion, is progressing well and could come off the disabled list as soon as he’s eligible. Sanchez has missed four games. Green added that Cahill, put on the DL retroactive to April 3, could make his next scheduled start.

Padres catcher Luis Torrens made his first start, but didn’t learn he was in the lineup until he arrived in Denver on Monday. Torrens was hitless in three at-bats before leaving in a double-switch.

The two teams face off again for the middle game of the three-games series at Coors Field on Tuesday night at 8:40 pm EST. Right-hander Jered Weaver (0-1, 7.20 ERA) will make his second start for the Padres, after allowing four runs in five innings in the season debut on Thursday.

Rookie righty Antonio Senzatela will take the mound for the Rockies in his second career start. Senzatela threw five shutout innings in his MLB debut at Milwaukee on Thursday. He recorded six strikeouts in Colorado’s 2-1 victory.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 in their home opener on Monday night following a nearly two-hour rain delay that also bogged down the 2016 World Series championship banner-raising ceremony at Wrigley Field. Anthony Rizzo hit a walk-off single for his first RBI of the season. Kris Bryant added an RBI double and Jon Lester had an RBI while pitching six dominant innings, over which he struck out seven batters.

Corey Seager contributed an RBI double for the Dodgers, who tied it in the eighth on a reviewed force out.

“I’ll remember this day for as long as I play baseball,” Rizzo said. “The walk-off caps it off, but that pregame ceremony, I really, honestly didn’t think it would be that [emotional].”

Despite the inclement weather, the crowd of 41,166 seemed content to be at Wrigley for the regular-season opener. The Cubs also raised banners for the team’s previous two national titles in 1907 and 1908. The flags flank the center-field scoreboard.

“It was a really special night for all of us,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.

During the 1 hour, 56 minute wait before the game, the Wrigley Field video board showed catcher David Ross’ performance on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and also replayed the decisive Game 6 of the NLCS, which surely recalled bad memories for the Dodgers.

The Cubs (5-2, 1st in NL Central) and Dodgers (4-4) face off again for the second game of their three-game series in Chicago on Wednesday night at 8:05 p.m. EST following a day off on Tuesday. Righty Brandon McCarthy will make his second straight start for the Dodgers, while righty John Lackey will make his first start for the Cubs at Wrigley Field since earning the win in his first start, striking out seven or six innings against the Cardinals. The Cubs players will receive their championship rings before the game.

Article by Pablo Mena