MLB scores and more: Harper collides with wall, Mets sign Ankiel, Astros CEO resigns

Monday’s scores

Indians 1, Yankees 0 (Gm. 1) - New York opted to save all their runs for the nightcap. Justin Masterson tossed a four-hit shutout for the Tribe as Jason Kipnis' first inning home run proved to be the only run.

Yankees 7, Indians 0 (Gm. 2) - Did you know the Yankees had pitchers named Vidal Nuno and Adam Warren? I sure didn't, but apparently they combined to shutout Cleveland last night. Nuno earned his first big-league win and fellow rookie Trevor Bauer took the loss.

Brewers 5, Pirates 1 - Milwaukee continued its domination over the Bucs Monday night. Norichika Aoki notched three hits and three RBI to back seven solid innings from Marco Estrada, who fanned five on the evening.

Cardinals 6, Mets 3 - Ty Wigginton scored the go-ahead run in the seventh on an infield single, which is normal enough until you realize he started at second base. Matt Holliday put the game away with a two-run blast.

Tigers 7, Astros 2 - Substitute leadoff man Andy Dirks walloped a grand slam in the fourth to break the game wide open. Houston lost more than just another game, as Jose Altuve (jaw) and Bud Norris (back) both left with injuries.

Cubs 9, Rockies 1 - Travis "Mountain Man" Wood put together another gem for Chicago, shutting out Colorado for seven innings. Wood gave up just two knocks, which he canceled out with a pair of hits of his own at the plate.

Twins 10, White Sox 3 - Aaron Hicks had himself a day. The rookie center fielder hit two big flies and robbed a third in the field, putting together what was easily his best effort so far as a big leaguer. Let's hope it doesn't take another 31 games before he has another multi-hit game.

Braves 10, D'Backs 1 - Justin Upton and Chris Johnson showed some serious grit in their returns to Phoenix Monday night. Seven hits between them, both launched two-run home runs and finished a triple short of the cycle. Icing on the cake: a hustle double from Upton.

Royals 11, Angels 4 - Joe Blanton: terrible offseason signing or terriblest offseason signing? Blanton is now 0-7 with a 6.46 ERA, and teams are batting .359/.389/.569 against him overall. Billy Butler had the second five-hit game of his career, knocking in a handful.

Athletics 5, Rangers 1 - Hey, look at that! Oakland finally won one against someone other than the Astros and Angels. A.J. Griffin dominated for seven innings -- fanning eight -- while Yoenis Cespedes and Brandon Moss delivered back-to-back jacks for the A's.

Nationals 6, Dodgers 2 - Jordan Zimmermann became the year's first seven game winner on Monday with 7⅔ of one run ball. The other Zimmermann plated three runs. Also... Bryce Harper, meet wall. Wall, Harper.

The Big Three

1. Man, did that look gruesome. Bryce Harper went face first into the outfield wall at full tilt in the fifth inning of last night's game and was forced to leave the contest. Hearts were in the throats of millions as he lay motionless on the track, but crisis was amazingly averted as he needed just 11 stitches on his chin. The strangest thing about the play is that it didn't appear Harper had any idea that a fence was approaching despite the feel of dirt beneath his feet for at least three steps. There's a very good reason it's called the warning track, and I think Bryce just figured it out.

2. The New York Mets do not have a very good outfield. Rick Ankiel is not very good anymore. Welcome to the Mets, Rick Ankiel! New York inked the former hurler to an MLB deal on Monday and wasted no time putting him in the starting lineup. Ankiel manned center field for the Mets last night, dropping a crucial fly ball in the seventh that led to the go-ahead run for the Cardinals. Should be interesting to see how long he can keep his K rate above 50 percent. Two whiffs last night puts him at 37 strikeouts in 69 plate appearances.

3. The Houston Astros will be shuffling their front office around a bit this week: Team president and CEO George Postolos resigned on Monday, effective immediately. While the official press releases indicated that the split was amicable, some reporters stated that there was "an increasing divide" in the organization between those who disagreed with Postolos' decision-making, and those who get their kicks by losing 80 percent of the time. If recent history is any indication (see: above), the Mets will hire Postolos and have him playing in the outfield by the week's end.

In Other News...

1. The Tigers have placed Austin Jackson on the DL with hamstring issues. He wasn't missed Monday as his replacement notched three hits -- including a grand slam -- but he will be as time wears on.

2. The Yankees demoted outfielder Brennan Boesch between games yesterday, indicating that Curtis Granderson will likely be activated from the disabled list on Tuesday.

3. The Indians demoted third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall before their doubleheader yesterday. The free-swinging infielder needs to figure out how to walk more if he wants to be a productive big-league player.