Shaun Marcum didn't give up a hit into the seventh inning for Toronto before the Texas Rangers rallied for a 5-4 win on opening day Monday thanks to a Jarrod Saltalamacchia RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. Texas scored twice in the ninth off Blue Jays closer Jason Frasor (0-1). Michael Young, the longest-tenured Texas player in his 10th season, had a leadoff double before Josh Hamilton took a called third strike. Vladimir Guerrero then had an infield single, though second baseman Aaron Hill made a diving stab deep behind the base to keep the tying run from scoring. But Nelson Cruz hit an RBI double down the right-field line and Chris Davis was intentionally walked. White Sox 6, Indians 0: At Chicago, Mark Buehrle allowed three hits over seven innings and Paul Konerko got his 12th season in Chicago off to a good start with a two-run homer. Buehrle simply shut down the Indians, spoiling Cleveland manager Manny Acta's debut and Jake Westbrook's first start in nearly two years. Alex Rios added a solo homer off Tony Sipp in the eighth and ended the game with a diving catch on Travis Hafner's line drive to center. Buehrle looked more like the four-time All-Star he is than the guy who won just twice after his perfect game against Tampa Bay on July 23. Tigers 8, Royals 4: At Kansas City, Missouri, Johnny Damon and Brandon Inge drove in two runs each in a six-run seventh inning against Kansas City's shaky bullpen. Angels 6, Twins 3: At Anaheim, California, Hideki Matsui drove in the go-ahead run in the fifth inning and added an eighth-inning homer in his dynamic Angels debut, and Jered Weaver pitched six strong innings to help Los Angeles beat Minnesota. Mariners 5, Athletics 3: At Oakland, California, Casey Kotchman hit a go-ahead, two-run single with two outs in the ninth inning to go along with two earlier RBIs in an impressive Seattle debut, lifting the Mariners over Oakland. – APHalladay off to strong NL start WASHINGTON – Placido Polanco hit a grand slam, Ryan Howard also homered, and Roy Halladay struck out nine batters over seven innings in his National League debut as the Phillies opened the season Monday with an 11-1 rout of the Washington Nationals. The centerpiece of the Phillies' drive for a third straight World Series appearance, Halladay (1-0) allowed one run and six hits and settled down to dominate after the Nationals scored in the first. Ivan Rodriguez doubled to lead off the second, but Halladay then faced the minimum number of batters – with help from a pair of double plays – until the seventh, when he worked out of a two-on, one-out jam. Cardinals 11, Reds 6: At Cincinnati, Albert Pujols went 4 for 5 and hit two of a team-record four homers as St. Louis downed Cincinnati on opening day Monday. Yadier Molina completed the Cardinals' first four-homer opening game with a grand slam in the ninth. Only two other Cardinals have hit slams in season openers – Scott Rolen and Mark McGwire. McGwire has returned to baseball as the Cardinals' batting instructor this season, acknowledging that he used steroids when he broke the home run record in 1998. On his second swing of the season, Pujols drove a 2-2 pitch from Aaron Harang (0-1) into the Reds' bullpen area in left-center. Joey Votto and Rolen hit solo homers in the fourth. Rockies 5, Brewers 3: At Milwaukee, Ubaldo Jimenez stayed out of big trouble with his fastball and Ian Stewart homered on his birthday. Pirates 11, Dodgers 5: At Pittsburgh, Garrett Jones homered in his first two at-bats, and pinch-hitter Ryan Church doubled home three runs as Pittsburgh started the new season the way it wound down 2009 by downing Los Angeles. Elsewhere it was: Mets 7, Marlins 1; Braves 16, Cubs 5; Giants 5, Astros 2; Diamondbacks 6, Padres 3.
