MINNEAPOLIS — Texas, Houston, Philadelphia and Arizona are off to fast starts in their best-of-five Division Series.
Justin Verlander pitched six shutout innings, Yordan Alvarez homered twice and the defending World Series champion Astros held on for a 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins in their ALDS opener Saturday.
The series continues Sunday night in Houston, with Framber Valdez on the mound for the Astros against Pablo López.
In Baltimore, Andrew Heaney and Dane Dunning helped Texas reach the sixth inning with a lead, and the Rangers’ maligned bullpen held on through some anxious moments in a 3-2 win against the Orioles.
Josh Jung homered and made a nice play at third base to start a critical double play for Texas, which improved to 3-0 in these playoffs — all on the road.
Game 2 is Sunday at Camden Yards, with Jordan Montgomery set to start for the Rangers against Baltimore rookie Grayson Rodriguez.
In Atlanta, Bryce Harper homered, Ranger Suárez and the Philadelphia bullpen stifled baseball’s most prolific offense, and the Phillies blanked the 104-win Braves 3-0 in Game 1.
In a playoff rematch between division rivals, the East champion Braves find themselves in exactly the same position as a year ago: trailing the wild-card Phillies after the opener at Truist Park.
The Phillies went on to a 3-1 upset of the Braves in 2022 on an improbable run to the World Series. Now, they’re up again heading to Game 2 in the best-of-five series Monday night in Atlanta.
In Los Angeles, Gabriel Moreno’s three-run homer highlighted a six-run first inning for Arizona against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, and the Diamondbacks rolled to an 11-2 victory in their NL Division Series opener.
Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Tommy Pham also homered for Arizona. Pham had four of the Diamondbacks’ 13 hits.
Kershaw staggered through the worst start of his 16-year career. The three-time Cy Young Award winner got tagged for six runs and recorded just one out in the 100th postseason game at Dodger Stadium.
Game 2 of the series is Monday night in LA. Zac Gallen starts for the Diamondbacks and Bobby Miller pitches for the Dodgers.
BETTING FAVORITES
The Astros are the current betting favorites to win the World Series at +340, followed by the Braves (+450) and Phillies (+480), according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
QUICK EXIT
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw crashed out of Game 1 in the NL Division Series, getting tagged for six runs and recording just one out against the Diamondbacks.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner had never made a start in which he had pitched less than one inning. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts had expected Kershaw to throw about 85 pitches.
Instead, he was gone after 35. It was the shortest start of his 16-year career, all with the Dodgers.
MAX'S STATUS
If Max Scherzer is going to pitch in this postseason, he’ll have to hope the Texas Rangers advance at least one more round.
Scherzer was left off the AL Division Series roster by Texas on Saturday. The three-time Cy Young Award winner hasn’t pitched since Sept. 12 because of shoulder problems, and now he won’t be available in this matchup with Baltimore.
The Orioles had a big omission of their own before Game 1 on Saturday. Left-hander John Means was left off their roster because of elbow soreness.
FAMILIAR FACE
Former Astros star Carlos Correa had two hits in Houston for the Twins, who continued to struggle at the plate with runners in scoring position. They went 1 for 12 after going 1 for 10 in the Wild Card Series against Toronto.
PHILLY SPECIAL
Should the Philadelphia Phillies win the World Series, save a spot at the end of the Broad Street parade route for Calum Scott.
The British singer with the pop hit about loneliness and heartbreak insists he’s coming to Philly and wearing the jersey the team sent him last season as a thank you for his part in making “ Dancing On My Own ” a staple of the postseason soundtrack at Citizens Bank Park.
Scott is as amazed as anyone the song has improbably bloomed into a playoff anthem for the Phillies, who won the National League pennant last year before losing to Houston in the World Series.
“They win the World Series, I’m there, man,” Scott said. “I think at that point, you’ll have to hold me back.”
READY-MADE ROOKIE
Texas got another big boost from rookie Evan Carter with an RBI double in Game 1 against Baltimore.
The 21-year-old Carter became the youngest player in Major League history with four extra-base hits in his first three postseason games.
The speedy outfielder batted .306 with five homers in 23 games down the stretch for the Rangers. Then he reached base in seven of his eight plate appearances during the Wild Card Series against Toronto to help Texas advance in the postseason for the first time since 2011.
“Ever since he’s gotten here, he’s just been a dude,” fellow Rangers rookie Josh Jung said of Carter. “To be 21 years old coming in and be stone cold at the plate — I’ve never seen someone come up here and not chase pitches around the zone.”
HOW TO WATCH
TBS is broadcasting the NLDS. Fox and FS1 are carrying the ALDS.
POSTSEASON SCHEDULE
Division Series: Oct. 7-14
League Championship Series: Oct. 15-24
World Series: Oct. 27-Nov. 4
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