Phillies 2, @Braves 0: A streak-buster on two fronts. Atlanta had won Kris Medlen‘s last 23 regular-season starts, back to May 2010. Cliff Lee had lost his last 9 decisions when backed by 0-2 runs. The veteran was completely dominant, allowing just 2 singles, one of them promptly erased, in posting his highest Game Score since mid-2011.

• Counting last year, Lee now has 4 straight games with no walks in 6+ IP. He’s the first to do that since 2010, when … he also did it.

@Yankees 4, Red Sox 2: Digging into his official Crafty Lefties Club membership kit, Andy Pettitte scattered 8 hits, 7 of them singles, over 8 efficient innings. He threw 20 first-pitch strikes, and 13 of 29 batters saw 2 pitches or less. The active leader in GDPs got 3 more of ’em, including this instructional video on the 1-6-3: Be in position for the comebacker. Don’t rush the throw. Deliver a chest-high strike on the bag. Textbook.

• In 17 prior seasons, Pettitte had never gone past 7 IP in his first game.
• Shane Victorino tried to snag an uncovered dish after a “wild pitch”. But Francisco Cervelli beat him home for the third out. Rather aggressive for the 1st inning, with lefty-killer Jonny Gomes at bat and another runner already in scoring position. Has the Flyin’ Hawaiian been trying to impress his new teams of late, or is he just slowing down in his 30s? In 56 games since leaving the Phils last summer, he’s run into 4 outs at home plate; he had just one such from 2008 through the trade.

Orioles 6, @Rays 3: Those of us who pegged the O’s out of the playoffs this year didn’t realize that Chris Davis is really Roy Hobbs. He has 3+ RBI each of the first 3 games — a MLB first, at least since 1916. No other Oriole/Brown ever had more than 1 such game to start a season.

• I wouldn’t say that stealing a base up 4 runs in the 9th is a bad idea for everyone. But maybe for Brian Roberts, who’s missed three-quarters of the last 3 seasons. He “felt something kind of pop” behind his right knee as he approached the bag; sounds like he’ll be spectating for a while.

Padres 2, @Mets 1: In his 50th career start, Dillon Gee (1 run in 6.1 IP) absorbed his first tough loss. He’d won all 8 prior starts allowing exactly 1 run, and he’s 3-0 in 7 starts giving 2 runs.

• Luke Gregerson bailed his team out in the 7th, then whiffed 3 in the 8th. He’s stranded 80% of inherited runners in his career (97/121) — 3rd-best out of 97 righties with at least 60 IR in that span. (I don’t include lefties in this stat any more. Too many of their “strands” consist of one out and pass the jam to a righty.)
• Twice in the opening series, San Diego got the game’s first batter to 1st base, and then sacrificed. Neither one scored. Thursday’s leadoff man was Everth Cabrera, who went 44-for-48 in steals last year and did swipe one later in the game. OK, Will Venable‘s a good bunter, so maybe he was looking for the hit. But when you’re hitting Mark Kotsay #3, giving away outs just doesn’t seem wise.

@Blue Jays 10, Indians 8: J.P. Arencibia homered twice in a game once as a rookie (his debut), twice in 2011, thrice last year, and again Thursday. That’s 14 of his 45 career taters. Five of those games were at home, the other two in Texas.

Royals 3, @White Sox 1: Chicago’s #8-9 hitters reached safely in all 8 trips, including 4 hits by last man Gordon Beckham. In the DH era, there have been 277 regulation AL games in which a single #9 hitter had 4 safeties. One team got shut out, and four scored just once. The average team scored 9.7 runs, with a median of 9. They won almost 80% of those games; I thought that would be higher.

Cubs 3, @Pirates 2: Last year it was June before the Cuddlies won a “road” series, and July when they actually did it out of town.  Travis Wood sparkled in his 6 hilltop measures; he also singled and scored the game’s first run with some solid baserunning.

• In the 9th, Carlos Marmol walked right up to the edge and leaned over, letting 2 runs score and the tying run to 3rd with no outs. And then he escaped, with a 3-pitch whiff of Pedro Alvarez and a pitcher’s best friend.
• Through 8 innings, the teams had combined for 3 hits and 1 run.