Turner, Buehler help Dodgers blank Nationals 1-0

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Justin Turner homered in the sixth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their World Series ring ceremony day with a 1-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Friday. Walker Buehler (1-0) pitched six strong innings as the Dodgers won a tidy pitchers’ duel in their home opener without injured star outfielders Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger. Joe Ross threw five scoreless innings for the Nationals, who lost their third straight after starting the season late and short-handed due to coronavirus cases and quarantines. Former Los Angeles reliever Luis Avilán (0-1) got the loss. The Dodgers received their World Series championship rings in a pregame event in front of the fans who weren’t allowed inside Dodger Stadium in 2020 while their franchise won its seventh title. Clayton Kershaw, Betts and their teammates were cheered by a pandemic-limited sellout crowd of 15,036 while they got their jewelry at Chavez Ravine. Corey Knebel struck out the side in the ninth for his second save, completing the shutout by four Dodgers pitchers in this meeting of the last two World Series champions. GIANTS 3, ROCKIES 1 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Johnny Cueto pitched 8 2/3 innings of four-hit ball, helping San Francisco win its home opener. Cueto (1-0) allowed one run on Garrett Hampson’s sacrifice fly in the ninth. Jake McGee finished for his third save. Brandon Crawford snapped a scoreless tie with a two-run double in the seventh. Alex Dickerson added an RBI single in the eighth for San Francisco. Rockies starter Austin Gomber (0-2) permitted two runs and one hit in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked four. RAYS 10, YANKEES 5 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Rich Hill pitched six innings, helping Tampa Bay stop a four-game slide. Austin Meadows had three of the Rays’ 13 hits. Willy Adames and Joey Wendle each had two hits and two RBIs, and Brandon Lowe drove in three runs. Hill (1-0), a 41-year-old lefty, allowed four runs and four hits. Aaron Hicks and DJ LeMahieu homered for the Yankees. Corey Kluber (0-1) was charged with three earned runs and five hits in 2 1/3 innings. The Rays’ home opener drew a socially-distanced crowd of 9,021 to Tropicana Field. The Yankees played without slugger Aaron Judge, who sat out a second consecutive game with soreness in his left side. Gio Urshela was also out of the lineup after being placed on the COVID-19 injured list due to side effects from a vaccination. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports