last time on a big league mound Joey Rickard Jersey , Michael Pineda looked better than ever in his Minnesota Twins debut.Pineda was stellar in his first appearance since 2017, Nelson Cruz hit his first homer with the club and the Twins beat the Cleveland Indians 9-3 on Sunday.Pineda had Tommy John surgery after his previous start July 5, 2017 while with the New York Yankees, and this was his first time pitching in a regular season game. Pineda pitched four scoreless innings, striking out five with one hit and one walk.“It was a big day for me and everybody here because we won the game, you know? But especially for me, because before my start today I hadn’t pitched for like a year and a half. I’m very happy,” Pineda said.Signed by Minnesota in December 2017, Pineda earned $2 million last season while rehabbing his elbow in hopes he could be a stabilizing force in 2019, when his salary jumped to $8 million.Intimidating at 6-foot-7 and 280 pounds, Pineda struck out five of the first nine Cleveland hitters, including three in the third on 11 pitches. He was pulled after throwing 40 pitches, 28 strikes.With five days off in the season’s first 15 days, Minnesota had planned to have Pineda and Martin Perez, Minnesota’s fifth starter, split the game.“We always want to get quick outs http://www.oriolesfanproshop.com/authentic-j.j.-hardy-jersey , especially today in the cold weather,” Pineda said. “I feel so good because I only threw 40 pitches. That gave me a little rest for my next outing.”Perez (1-0), pitched 3 2/3 innings and was one pitch away from getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth before Carlos Santana lined a shot into the left-field corner. Santana had four hits.Twins starters allowed one earned run in 17 1/3 innings in the season-opening series. Jose Berrios pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings Thursday, and Jake Odorizzi allowed one run in six innings Saturday. Berrios struck out 10 and Odorizzi 11, making Minnesota the second team since 1893 to open the season with their first two starts each striking out at least 10.“In those really good environments where you get staffs that really get it done, that’s what it looks like. That’s a good competitiveness and competitive environment,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said.Cruz, Byron Buxton and Willians Astudillo each drove in two runs for the Twins.Cleveland hitters struck out 39 times in the three-game series.“It’s the first series, so I not worried for that. We go back home now for opening day, a new series, so we see what happens,” Santana said.Hitting 6 for 56 entering the game, the Twins finished with 15 hits, including 10 in 4 1/3 innings against starter Carlos Carrasco (0-1), who struggled with his breaking ball in the 34-degree weather and allowed six runs and struck out four.“Just kind of flat on some,” he said.A two-run double by Buxton gave Minnesota a 3-0 lead in the fourth.One inning later Tim Beckham Jersey , Cruz smashed a two-run drive off the second deck. Cruz has hit 37 homers in each of the past five seasons. He signed a $14.3 million, one-year deal with Minnesota in the offseason.An RBI double by Jonathan Schoop keyed a three-run eighth an 8-0 cushion.AWARE ASTUDILLOAstudillo, the Twins catcher, threw out Santana at first after a grounder to the second baseman.Schoop ranged far to his left to grab Santana’s grounder and his off-balance throw was wide of first baseman C.J. Cron. Following the runner, the burly Astudillo grabbed a carom off the fencing in front of the dugout and threw out Santana, who had turned toward second and was diving back into first base.Astudillo was 2 for 2, raising his career batting average to .368 in 100 plate appearances. That’s the highest average in major league history among players with at least 100 plate appearances, just ahead of Ty Cobb (.366).TRAINERS ROOMTwins: Manager Rocco Baldelli had nothing new to report on the quartet of Twins placed on 10-day injured list before opening day: 3B Miguel Sano (right heel laceration), LHP Gabriel Moya (left shoulder tendinitis), RHP Matt Magill (right shoulder tendinitis) and RHP Addison Reed (left thumb sprain). He anticipates providing some sort of update in a couple days.UP NEXTIndians: RHP Mike Clevinger (13-8, 3.02 in 2018) will get the ball for Cleveland’s home opener Monday against the White Sox. Chicago is to send Ivan Nova (9-9, 4.19 in 2018) to the hill.Twins: RHP Jose Berrios (1-0, 0.00) will make his second start of the season when Minnesota begins a seven-game trip Tuesday in Kansas City. Berrios tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings and had 10 strikeouts in Thursday’s season opener. RHP Brad Keller (1-0, 0.00) is scheduled for the Royals. SEATTLE (AP) — Five games into the season, Seattle manager Scott Servais had a message for Mariners fans: Don’t go to sleep.The Mariners once again battered Boston’s starting pitchers but nearly handed over another game in the ninth inning, holding on to beat the Red Sox 6-5 on Saturday night. Seattle started the ninth with a comfortable 6-2 lead http://www.oriolesfanproshop.com/authentic-j.j.-hardy-jersey , but young third baseman Dylan Moore committed three straight errors leading to three runs in his first major league start.The nervy ending came a night after Red Sox pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland hit a three-run home run in the ninth to steal a 7-6 victory.“I will say for all Mariners fans in the Midwest and the east part of the country, stay up late and watch the end of our games,” Servais said. “You never know what you’re going to get.”Jay Bruce hit his first home run for Seattle, a three-run shot to center field, and the heavy-hitting Mariners continued to dominate Boston’s starting pitching in the win.The Mariners have hit a home run in every game this season and continued to beat up Red Sox starters, with Bruce helping to chase Eduardo Rodriguez (0-1) in the fifth inning. Eight Seattle batters have hit 13 combined home runs, with nine coming against the defending World Series champions.“We’ve got a group of guys who come in here, we know what we want to do, we know what approach we want to take,” Bruce said. “What I’ve been most impressed with is the consistency of the work pregame. The game is the game, there are a lot of things you can’t control. But everybody comes here to work. It’s been crisp, consistent and I think it kind of echoes throughout the whole clubhouse.”Red Sox starters Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi and Rodriguez have given up 20 hits and 18 earned runs in the series. Bruce’s homer gave the Mariners 24 runs in their first 22 innings of the series. They’ve scored 21 of 42 runs this season on homers.“I think our guys are prepared going into games,” Servais said. “You see early in games we’re ready to hit. It doesn’t take us one time through the lineup for guys to make adjustments.”Boston manager Alex Cora had hoped Rodriquez could provide early help for his much-questioned bullpen with a goal of six or seven innings in the start. But the Mariners started hot with two runs in the first on RBI hits from Tim Beckham and Ryon Healy, both surging to start the season. Rodriquez reached 80 pitches in the fourth inning and was pulled after throwing 105 over 4 2/3 innings. He allowed eight hits, five earned runs Brad Brach Jersey , with five strikeouts and three walks.“We don’t expect this but they’re human,” Cora said of his starters. “We know that’s not going to be the norm. They’re going to be OK.”Seattle starter Mike Leake was efficient in his first start after a dodgy preseason, scattering seven hits over six innings, with seven strikeouts and two walks. Leake (1-0) allowed RBI singles to Moreland in the second and J.D. Martinez in the third and got out of a jam in the fifth when he struck out Bogaerts with two men on base.Seattle seemed on its way to an easy victory until Boston scored three times in the ninth thanks to Moore, who committed two throwing errors and one fielding error – all with two outs. With the tying run at third base after the third of Moore’s errors, Nick Rumbelow struck out Bogaerts looking for his first save. Bogaerts struck out twice with four runners left on base.“The only thing that cures something like that is hard work,” Moore said. “You go out every day and work on your craft and get better at what you do.”TRAINING ROOMMariners closer Hunter Strickland was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right lat strain following a blown save in Friday’s 7-6 loss. The right-hander experienced stiffness in the back of his shoulder before giving up a three-run pinch-hit home run to Moreland in the ninth inning. While Strickland’s status is uncertain, the Mariners brought up RHP David McKay and could get help as soon as next week with the return of right-handed reliever Anthony Swarzak, who completed a minor league appearance on Friday night. … RHP Shawn Armstrong will throw 25 pitches from the mound for the first time Sunday since straining his oblique. … The Mariners moved third baseman Kyle Seager to the 60-day injured list. Seager is recovering from hand surgery after injuring himself diving for a ball in spring training.UP NEXTRed Sox: RHP Rick Porcello (17-7, 4.28 in 2018) makes his season debut after turning in one of his strongest seasons in 2018. Porcello recorded a career best 190 strikeouts, averaging 8.94 per nine innings.Mariners: LHP Wade LeBlanc (9-5, 3.72 in 2018) makes his first appearance of the season after a quiet spring training in which he made just two starts. LeBlanc pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings in his last appearance vs. the Red Sox on June 16 last year.