Filling in for my partner, John Autin, here’s the season’s first installment of Game Notes.

Twins@Tigers – Detroit held the Twins scoreless (4-0, 11-0) through the first two games of this set.

• Minnesota has started that way only once before – way back in 1940 when Boston beat the Senators 1-0 and 7-0 at Griffith Stadium.
• Detroit has never before shut out its opponent twice to start a season, and has done so once on only 6 prior occasions.

Indians@Astros – Pitching shines as teams swap pair of 2-0 victories

• Each team had 3 hits in the first game, the first AL season opener since at least 1914 with neither team reaching four hits.
• In the second game, the Indians used 5 pitchers to shutout the Astros on 4 hits. Since 1914, it’s the most hits allowed by the Indians in any scoreless 9-inning game with more pitchers used than hits allowed.
• Neither team had more than 7 hits in either game. The Astros and their opponent have done that only once before, in 1969 in the franchise debut of the Padres. The Indians and their opponent have done that on 5 previous occasions, the last against the White Sox in 1956.

Cardinals@Cubs – More stellar pitching as NL Central rivals swap shutout wins

• Adam Wainwright throttled the Cubs in the opener, besting Jon Lester in his Chicago debut. It was Wainwright’s second straight season opener allowing no runs over 6+ innings, making him the first Cardinal with two such opening day starts, much less two consecutively.
• In the second game Jake Arrieta outdueled Lance Lynn, with the only runs coming in the 7th inning after Lynn had Anthony Rizzo picked off, but threw wildly to first base. It was the Cubs first searchable shutout win when getting exactly one triple, HPB, sac bunt and sac fly.

White Sox@Royals – KC bats lead the way as the defending champs open with pair of wins

• In the opener, the Royals pounded Jeff Samardzija for 5 runs over 6 innings, then tacked on 5 more against Chicago’s relief corps
• In the second game, the Royals broke a 5-5 tie with an 8th inning two run HR by Lorenzo Cain off Zach Putnam. It’s only the second time for the Royals scoring 10+ runs in the opener and 17+ over the first two games, the first coming in 1979 against in Blue Jays.
• Zach Putnam entered that second game in relief of Zach Duke. The White Sox are the fifth team with two pitchers having given names starting with Z. All of those pitchers were named Zach and all of those teams have come in the past 5 seasons.

Orioles@Rays – Baltimore uses timely hitting to take two of three from the Rays

• In the opener, home runs from three players and a pair of run-scoring hits by Travis Snider paced the Os to a 6-2 win. It’s Baltimore’s 7th season opener with three or more homers, but the first to also have 10 or more strikeouts.
• In game 2, Tampa Bay closed an early 6-0 lead to trail only 6-5 after 6 innings, chasing Oriole starter Bruce Chen in the 5th when the Rays loaded the bases without a hit, but couldn’t score. But, the Baltimore pen took charge after that, retiring the last 10 Rays in order.
• Steve Pearce became the third Oriole first baseman to homer in the first two games of the season, following Rafael Palmeiro (1994) and Chris Davis (2013). The Rays have seen this movie before as Davis’s exploits (he homered in the first four games that season) also came at Tropicana Field.
• The Rays salvaged the finale 2-0 as Jake Odorizzi allowed just two hits over 6.2 innings. Evan Longoria scored both runs, including a 6th inning tally after drawing the first of four walks in the frame.

Braves@Marlins – Atlanta sweeps 2-1, 12-2 and 2-0 as Marlin bats go MIA.

• Last year, Atlanta and the Brewers were each held to exactly one extra-base hit on opening day, the first time for a Braves team and its opponent since 1949. Now the Braves have done it two years running, a back-to-back that no other team has managed since at least 1914.
• Miami becomes just the 5th team to open a season at home with 3 losses scoring two runs or less on no more than one extra-base hit. On the flip side, Atlanta becomes just the second team to win its first 3 games on the road using four or more pitchers to hold its opponent to two runs or less.

Giants@Diamondbacks – The defending champs take two of three in a high-scoring series.

• In the opener, San Francisco got two hits from 5 different players (including 3 hits from Joe Panik and Angel Pagan) but still managed only 5 runs, just enough for a 5-4 win after the Snakes scored three late runs to make it close. The Giants are now 10-0 on opening day when two or more players get 3 hits.
• In the second game, the D-Backs roughed up Ryan Vogelsong with a pair of two-run homers, then held on for a 7-6 win, retiring 11 of the last 13 Giant batters.
• In the finale, the Giants delivered a 14-hit attack, but needed a 9th inning Casey McGehee home run to finally break open the game for a 5-2 win. Those 5 runs are the fewest the Giants have scored in 23 wins against Arizona with 14+ hits.

Rangers@Athletics – The AL West rivals match stellar pitching performances in the first three of four

• In the opener, Sonny Gray took an 8-0 lead and a no-hitter into the eighth inning before Ryan Rua singled leading off the frame (and was erased by a following line-out double play). Gray’s 8 scoreless innings of one-hit ball was a first by an Athletic opening day starter in 100 seasons, since Herb Pennock beat the Red Sox 2-0 on opening day 1915, allowing only a Harry Hooper single.
• Colby Lewis was almost as good in game 2, holding the As to 3 hits and a run over 6 innings, as Texas prevailed 3-1. The top of the Ranger order went 6 for 12, with all the Texas runs scoring on a pair of Prince Fielder singles.
• In an almost reprise of the season opener, Scott Kazmir allowed a hit to the first batter of the game, then recorded 21 outs without allowing another knock, as the As coasted to a 10-0 whitewash. For Texas, it was the first time since their inaugural 1972 season to be held scoreless on 3 hits or less in two of their first three games.

Angels@Mariners – The AL West favorites split a pair of two-hit performances, before the Halos take the rubber match 5-3

• Felix Hernandez took the ball for Seattle for a 7th consecutive opening day, only the third pitcher to do so before age 30. Mike Trout‘s solo home run was the King’s only blemish as Seattle won 4-1. Trout is now slashing .365/.386/.673 in 57 PA against King Felix. Joe Mauer is the only other batter with 1.000+ OPS in 40+ PA against Hernandez.
• In the rematch, C.J. Wilson retired the last 17 Mariners he faced in 8 shutout innings of 2-hit ball, the second such start of his career. It was the first such game by an Angel when striking out two or less since Bruce Kison went the distance in a no-stress 17-0 whitewash of the Twins in 1980.
• In the finale, the Angels ambushed Seattle starter Hisashi Iwakuma for four first inning runs on four consecutive hits, but the key play of the inning was a two out error by Robinson Cano, allowing two of the four runs to score. Seattle threatened in the 8th, getting the first two men aboard, but Mike Scoscia stayed with setup man Joe Smith who struck out two to get out of the jamb unscathed.

Blue Jays@Yankees – Late Yankee comeback squares series at 1-1.

• Toronto took the opener 6-1, getting to Masahiro Tanaka for 5 quick runs in the 3rd inning. It was Toronto’s first win over the Yankees in a season opener. More surprisingly, it’s only the third time the long-time division rivals have squared off to start the season, all since 2003.
• In the second game, the Blue Jays took a 3-1 lead into the home 8th, but the Toronto bullpen couldn’t hold it, allowing three runs, one on a bases loaded wild pitch, and another on a hit batter after an intentional walk had loaded the bases again.
• Toronto had three starters (Dalton Pompey, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista) go hitless in both games, tied with 2010 (including Bautista again) for the most in the first two games of a season.

Pirates@Reds – Late game heroics lead Reds to pair of close wins.

• Todd Frazier broke open a tied season opener with an 8th inning 3-run homer for a 5-2 win. It’s the Reds’ first such searchable home run in the 8th inning or later of a season opener.
• In game 2, Joey Votto delivered an 11th inning run scoring single for a walk-off 5-4 win. It’s Votto’s 7th consecutive season with a walk-off hit, and second walk-off hit in a season-opening series, the first coming against the Angels in 2013.

Padres@Dodgers – Offense dominates as LA takes two of three.

• In the opener, James Shields bequeathed a 3-2 lead after 6 innings, but the Padre pen couldn’t hold it, yielding a Jimmy Rollins‘ 3-run home run in the 8th inning as the Dodgers prevailed 6-3. The Dodgers pounded 7 extra-base hits, their most in a season opener with more XBH than runs scored.
• A pitchers’ duel after 6 innings of game 2, the game changed complexion with the departure of the starters. The Padres broke open a 3-3 tie with 4 runs on 5 hits in the 9th inning. Adrian Gonzalez homered for the second day in a row for the Dodgers.
• Gonzalez capped his power spree with 3 home runs in a 6-3 win in the rubber match, as the two bullpens finally got the job done, allowing just a single run in 7 combined innings of work. Five home runs in the first 3 games of the season is a major league first. Gonzalez also becomes the third Dodger to homer in the first 3 games of the season, following Jim Wynn in 1974 and Carl Furillo in 1955 (both Dodger pennant-winning seasons).

Mets@Nationals –  NL East foes split pair of low-scoring games

• Max Scherzer was the tough luck game 1 loser, yielding a trio of unearned runs after two Ian Desmond errors. It was the second year in a row for the Mets and Nats to open against each other, and the second year in a row that both teams struck out 9+ times in that season opener. A team and its opponent both striking out 9+ times in consecutive season openers has happened only three other times: the Dodgers and Cards in 2014 and 2015; and the Reds in 2013 and 2014.
• In game 2, Ryan Zimmerman‘s first inning 2 run HR provided all the runs Washington would need as the Mets fell 2-1 after failing to get a runner past 2nd base after the 2nd inning.

Red Sox@Phillies – Teams split pair of homer-filled contests

• In the opener, Boston delivered an 8-0 pounding with 5 long balls, the most by the Red Sox in a season opener, previously accomplished only in 1965.
• Jeff Francoeur delivered the key blow in the second game with a 3-run shot off Rick Porcello to break a 6th inning scoreless tie en route to a 4-2 win. Jonathan Papelbon earned his save, getting 4 outs, including the last of the 8th inning facing Hanley Ramirez with the bases loaded.

Rockies@Brewers – Colorado scores 20 runs in 3 game sweep

• The Rockies become the second team (after the 1998 Indians) to open a season with three road wins with 5 runs, 10 hits and 6 extra-base hits in each. Milwaukee is the first team to do the opposite.
• New Brewer first baseman Adam Lind went 6 for 10 for the series with 1.100 SLG, but his teammates managed just 16 for 90 (.178).