Apr 20, 2021 4 min read

Matt Olson hit a grand slam, Mitch Moreland homered twice to back Sean Manaea’s shutout and the Athletics slugged past the depleted Minnesota Twins 7-0 Tuesday in the first game of a doubleheader for Oakland’s ninth straight victory.

Moreland connected for a two-run homer in the second inning and a solo drive in the fourth off Matt Shoemaker (1-1).

The left-handed Manaea (2-1) allowed six hits, struck out seven and walked one over seven innings, throwing 95 pitches for his second career complete game and shutout – he no-hit the Red Sox at home on April 21, 2018.

Olson made it 7-0 with his fourth-inning slam through a blustery wind.

The A’s matched the longest winning streak in the majors this year with Boston, which won nine in a row from April 5-14. Oakland is 10-1 since starting the season 0-6.

National League

Nationals’ Soto to IL: Washington Nationals right fielder Juan Soto went on the 10-day injured list with a strained left shoulder on Tuesday, the latest setback for the 2019 World Series champions.

Soto, the reigning NL batting champion, originally was listed in Washington’s starting lineup facing the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

But less than an hour before the game’s scheduled first pitch, the Nationals tweeted the move. The club also said that outfielder Yadiel Hernandez was being recalled from its alternate training site.

Soto is batting .300 with two homers and eight RBIs this season.

Surgery for Padres’ Morejon: San Diego Padres left-hander Adrian Morejon needs Tommy John surgery, the team said Tuesday.

Although no date has been set for the operation for the 22-year-old from Cuba, it will be performed by Dr. Neal S. ElAttrache, head physician for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Morejon came out of his second start of the season, at Texas on April 11, after throwing just 16 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. He had no record and a 3.86 ERA in 4 2/3 innings.

The Padres signed Morejon to an $11 million bonus in July 2016 as the top pitching prospect in the 2016-17 international class. He made his big league debut on July 21, 2019. He’s made 16 appearances in three seasons, including eight starts, and is 2-2 with a 5.91 ERA.

Interleague

L.A. Dodgers 1, Seattle 0: Julio Urías threw seven dominant innings of one-hit ball, striking out a career-high 11 and leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners.

The matchup between early-season division leaders out West was an entertaining pitchers’ duel with Urías getting the better of Seattle’s Marco Gonzales. Corey Seager drove in the only run with a two-out single in the third inning after AJ Pollock’s leadoff double. Those were the Dodgers’ only hits in the game.

Seattle’s Chris Taylor was thrown out at home as a potential insurance run in the ninth inning. Taylor went on contact from Justin Turner and was easily thrown out by third baseman Kyle Seager.

Urías (3-0) was outstanding, painting edges with a fastball in the mid-90s that kept Seattle’s hitters guessing. Seattle’s lone hit was Mitch Haniger’s slow infield single with two outs in the third inning.

N.Y. Yankees 3, Atlanta 1: The New York Yankees broke their five-game losing streak with little offense, getting a run-scoring wild pitch and bases-loaded walk from Atlanta Braves reliever Nate Jones in the eighth inning that lifted them to a 3-1 victory.

Gio Urshela hit a tying home run in the fifth inning off Charlie Morton and the Yankees won with five hits, which left their four-game total at 16. New York went 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position, but the last-place Yankees improved to 6-10 and avoided what would have been their worst start since 1972.