Sox, Dodgers, Phillies Win Openers

Jason Bay and Manny Ramirez both proved why they’d been acquired last night. Bay hit a two-run shot to give the Red Sox a lead they never relinquished, sending Anaheim to a 4-1 defeat, while the man he was traded for hit a solo shot in the Dodgers' 7-2 win over the Cubs. But the Dodgers’ real hero was James Loney, who hit a grand slam in the fifth to erase a 2-run Cubs lead.

Jon Lester was masterful filling in for Josh Beckett; the Angels’ only run came after an error from rookie shortstop Jed Lowrie. Elsewhere, the Phillies got an even more eye-popping outing from Cole Hamels, who allowed just two hits over eight innings while striking out nine in a 3-1 win over the Brewers. The Phillies scored all three runs in a blooper-filled third, that saw Mike Cameron miss an easy fly ball. (More baseball stories.)