Exactly one week since the full regular-season slate started in earnest, we have several home openers, which are especially exciting because all three of them should be in front of fan bases that are currently excited. 

Sure, the Orioles' (4-3) and Tigers' (4-3) starts are unlikely to continue, but both returned home after very successful road trips. Home openers always tend to garner extra attention anyway, but perhaps those fan bases are energized by the early surprising successes of those teams. 

The Mets were the other home opener and they come back to Queens after a 5-1 road trip, blazing through D.C. and Miami. There were supposed to be two more home openers, but both the Cardinals (vs. Padres) and White Sox (vs. Mariners) postponed theirs due to weather and will instead hold their openers on Friday. 

Select games can be streamed regionally via fuboTV (Try for free). For more on what channel each game is on, click here.

Baseball scores for Thursday, April 4

Indians fall short of no-hitter

The Cleveland Indians lost their bid for a combined no-hitter in the ninth inning on a leadoff single from Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Freddy Galvis. Indians starter Trevor Bauer threw seven hitless innings in Cleveland's 4-1 win over Toronto on Thursday. In the top of the third inning, Bauer got himself out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam with back-to-back strikeouts and a popup for the final out.

Bauer was pulled by manager Terry Francona in the seventh inning as his pitch count increased, he finished with 117 pitches. Bauer's final stat line included six walks, one hit by pitch and eight strikeouts. Reliever Brad Hand gave up the Galvis single in the ninth. It would have been the Indians' first combined no-hitter and just the 13th combined no-hitter in MLB history. 

On a better note ... in Bauer's two starts of 2019, he has only given up one hit while striking out 17 batters. As MLB Stats notes, he's the first pitcher in MLB history to go five innings or more in back-to-back starts to begin a season and give up only one total hit. 

The Blue Jays have not been so fortunate when it comes to the start of the 2019 season. This would be the fourth time (in eight games) that the Blue Jays have been held without a hit through six innings. It's not what you want.

Braves complete sweep over Cubs

In Max Fried's first start of the season (after two scoreless relief appearances), the 25-year-old took a perfect game into the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs. He was dealing Thursday night ...

I mean ...

Right fielder Mark Zagunis broke up Fried's perfect game with a single in the sixth inning to become Chicago's first baserunner. But at least there's this:

The Cubs put up some runs late, but the Braves were never threatened and went on to win 9-4, completing their three-game sweep. It's the first time Chicago is 1-5 since 2012, when the Cubs lost 101 games.

Veteran outfielder Nick Markakis also helped lock up the Braves' sweep of the Cubs as he drove in five runs with five hits (5 for 5, 3 R, 5 RBI, 3 2B) in Thursday's game. He matched his career-high with the three doubles and five hits.

Torres brings the Yankees back to life

The New York Yankees got off to a rough start, with an MLB-high 11 players landing on the injured list. But in Thursday's 8-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, shortstop Gleyber Torres powered the Yanks out of a slump. Before Thursday's win, the injury-riddled Yankees had lost their first two series, to the Orioles and the Detroit Tigers, finishing off their initial 2019 homestand at 2-4.

Torres homered twice, finished with a career-high four hits, drove in four runs and was a triple shy of the cycle. With New York trailing 3-0 in the third inning, Torres' first home run of the game put the Yankees on the board. Then, after a Gary Sanchez homer in the sixth inning, Torres followed up with his second homer -- a three-run blast -- to put New York ahead 5-4. Luke Voit put the game away with a home run of his own in the ninth inning. Here's homer No. 1 and 2 for you:

At just 22 years old, Torres is the youngest Yankees player since Joe DiMaggio to have a four-hit game including three extra-base hits. Plus, it was the third career multi-home run game for Torres and the only Yankees player with more multi-home run games before turning 23 years old was Joe DiMaggio, who had eight.

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge put it best ... it was "Gleyber day" on Thursday.

Worst start for defending champs since '98

The Boston Red Sox suffered their third loss in four games to the Oakland Athletics. They've now lost three of four in each of their first two series. With Thursday's 7-3 loss at Oakland Coliseum, the reigning World Series champions are 2-6 on the season. It's the worst start for a defending World Series champion since the Marlins in 1998. Yeah, it's only eight games into a 162-game season... but still, not a good look.

Athletics center fielder Ramon Laureano was a big part of Boston's struggles in this series. Laureano threw out another Sox runner in a key spot during Thursday's game. In the ninth inning, reigning American League MVP Mookie Betts led off with a walk and then tried to go for third when Andrew Benintendi hit a bloop single off right-hander Liam Hendriks. Take a look at what happened ...

And that wasn't the first time Laureano got a Red Sox runner in this series. He nabbed Xander Bogaerts twice in two different games.

Laureano, 24, made his MLB debut just last August. Now, he has 12 assists through 57 games in the outfield with Oakland. It's the most by any outfielder in MLB, the next closest has six.

Nationals bullpen holds up, spoils Mets opener

As noted in this very space Wednesday, the Nationals' bullpen has been awful on the young season. It brought an 11.02 ERA and 2.33 WHIP to Citi Field for the Mets home opener. Even in the two Nats' wins, the bullpen blew a lead and the Nats were forced to respond on offense. 

That wouldn't be necessary in this one. Mets starter Noah Syndergaard pitched very well, allowing just two runs on one hit (not a typo!) while striking out six in six innings. But he got the 2018 Jacob deGrom treatment when it came to run support. The two runs were certainly his fault (walk, walk, wild pitch leading to a bunt to score a run and later a solo homer), but the damage was limited and he probably deserved a win. 

The Nats got what you would expect from a healthy Stephen Strasburg. He worked 6 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out nine and walking just one. He only allowed three hits, all singles. He was in complete control. Handing the ball over to that bullpen was likely a scary moment, but it did the job in this one. Matt Grace, Justin Miller, Tony Sipp and Sean Doolittle combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and one walk while striking out five.  

Now, after the low point earlier this week watching Bryce Harper go upper tank with the Bat Flip Heard 'Round The World and sitting 1-3, the Nationals have battled back to 3-3. And there are 156 games remaining. Anyone mention yet that it's a long season and we shouldn't overreact? 

On the Mets' end, they just got beat by a very talented pitcher with a good team behind him (and, again, let's note them playing a day game after a road night game and flight from Miami). After going 5-1 on the road, surely they would have loved to give their home fans a win in their opener, but they are still 5-2 and that's great. 

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