HOUSTON — Bartolo Colon carried a perfect game into the eighth inning and Robinson Chirinos drove in all three runs for the Texas Rangers during their 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros in 10 innings Sunday night.
The 44-year-old Colon turned back the clock and dominated the defending World Series champions for seven innings, retiring his first 21 batters in an entertaining pitchers’ duel with Astros ace Justin Verlander.
Colon walked Carlos Correa on a 3-1 pitch to start the eighth before Josh Reddick lined an 0-2 delivery down the right-field line for a double that put runners at second and third, spoiling the no-hit bid as well.
Opposing fans in Houston gave Colon a standing ovation, and he clapped his bare hand softly against the outside of his glove. Two outs later, he was pulled with the score tied at 1.
A fan favorite all around the majors, the beefy right-hander nicknamed “Big Sexy” is on his ninth team in his last 11 seasons.
Chirinos homered in the third for the only hit off Verlander, who struck out 11 over eight innings in his longest outing this season. That was the lone hit in the game until Reddick doubled.
In the 10th, Chirinos launched a two-run double off Hector Rondon (1-1) that short-hopped the wall in straightaway center field. Jake Diekman pitched out of trouble in the bottom half for his first save.
With runners at the corners, Jake Marisnick struck out swinging to end it and slammed his bat to the ground. Marisnick was angry that Diekman’s 3-1 pitch was called a strike even though it looked outside.
Keone Kela (2-0) tossed a scoreless ninth for the win.
Colon threw 96 pitches, 66 for strikes, and kept the powerful Astros off balance by changing speeds and working expertly to both edges of the plate. He struck out seven in 7 2/3 innings but ended up with a no-decision after Yuli Gurriel tied the score at 1 with a sacrifice fly.
On his way from the mound to the dugout, the good-humored Colon gestured toward Reddick at third base with a quick flick of his hand.
Moments earlier, Colon’s teammates left him all alone on the bench — adhering to traditional superstition — as he grinned and tossed a ball to himself.
Colon’s longest no-hit bid came with Cleveland on Sept. 18, 2000, when he held the New York Yankees hitless for 7 1/3 innings. He finished with a one-hitter in a 2-0 win at Yankee Stadium.
Kenny Rogers threw Texas’ most recent no-hitter, in July 1994.
Houston has lost four of five since starting the season 9-2.
Texas scored eight of its 11 runs in the series on seven homers. The Rangers totaled seven home runs in their 10 previous games.
RED SOX 3, ORIOLES 1
BOSTON — Andrew Benintendi got three hits and Boston extended the best start in its 118-year history by beating Baltimore at frigid Fenway Park.
Mitch Moreland also had three hits for the Red Sox, who completed a three-game sweep of the shortened series and improved to a major league-best 13-2 under new manager Alex Cora.
The series was supposed to last four games, but the traditional Patriots’ Day game scheduled for Monday morning at 11:05 a.m. was postponed late Sunday afternoon because of a forecast that calls for heavy rain throughout the day.
The game will be made up May 17. It is the first time the Patriots’ Day game in Boston has been postponed since 1984.
Manny Machado had an RBI double for Baltimore, which has lost five of six.
Boston ace Chris Sale gave up one run and two hits in five innings, striking eight and walking two.
Heath Hembree (2-0) worked two innings of scoreless relief. Craig Kimbrel got three outs for his fifth save.
Dylan Bundy (0-2) gave up three runs — one earned — and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts, two walks and two wild pitches.
PHILLIES 10, RAYS 4
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Aaron Altherr hit a three-run homer, Scott Kingery had a three-run double and Philadelphia won its sixth in a row.
Kingery’s two-out drive off the center field wall capped a four-run burst in the third inning that put Philadelphia ahead 4-2. The rookie has 12 RBIs over his past eight games.
Philadelphia took a commanding 10-3 advantage during a five-run eighth when Maikel Franco hit a two-run single and Altherr homered off Andrew Kittredge.
Reliever Yacksel Rios (2-0) went 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Denard Span homered and had two RBIs for the Rays, who have lost six straight at home.
Ryan Yarbrough (0-1), making the start on the Rays’ fifth bullpen game this season, gave up five runs, three hits, two walks and hit a batter in 4 2/3 innings.
METS 3, BREWERS 2
NEW YORK — Wilmer Flores hit a game-winning home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and New York beat Milwaukee to improve the best start in team history to 12-2.
Noah Syndergaard struck out eight batters in a row, two shy of Tom Seaver’s major league record, and Brandon Nimmo finished a double shy of the cycle. Nimmo connected for a tying home run against Taylor Williams leading off the sixth on a cold, blustery afternoon at Citi Field.
Flores broke a 2-all tie with a drive over the left-center wall against Matt Albers (2-1) for his second home run this year. New York has opened a season with five straight series wins for the first time.
Jeurys Familia (1-0) worked around a walk in a hitless ninth.
ROCKIES 6, NATIONALS 5
WASHINGTON — Ian Desmond hit a tiebreaking, two-out homer in the ninth inning against his former team, Charlie Blackmon drove in three runs and Colorado rallied to beat Washington.
After Sean Doolittle (0-1) struck out Carlos Gonzalez and Gerardo Parra to open the ninth, Desmond sent a belt-high, 3-2 fastball over the 402-foot sign in straightaway center as Colorado took three out of four in its only visit to Washington.
Adam Ottavino (3-0) got the win despite allowing a run in the eighth.
Wade Davis worked the ninth for his seventh save in eight opportunities.
PIRATES 7, MARLINS 3
MIAMI — Starling Marte went 5 for 5 with a ninth-inning homer to help Pittsburgh beat Miami.
Marte’s five hits were a career high, and his average rose from .241 to .305. He scored four times and hit his third homer off Junichi Tazawa.
The surprising Pirates (11-4) improved to 7-0 in day games, completed a 4-2 trip and head home atop the NL Central.
Ivan Nova (2-1) recovered from a wobbly start to pitch 6 2/3 innings. He allowed three runs and struck out nine, his highest total since 2016.
Jose Urena (0-3) allowed eight hits and four runs in five innings. After four starts, the Marlins’ ace has an ERA of 5.57.
CARDINALS 3, REDS 2
CINCINNATI — Carlos Martinez struck out a season-high 11 batters in seven shutout innings and Harrison Bader’s two-run home run helped St. Louis complete its first four-game sweep in Cincinnati since 1949.
Martinez (2-1) allowed two hits and four walks while helping send the Reds to their eighth consecutive loss, one short of matching their longest losing streak of last season.
The Reds scored 10 runs in the series while being swept in four games at home by St. Louis for the first time since July 8-10, 1949.
The Reds haven’t enjoyed a lead in 32 innings, going back to the fourth inning on Thursday. They are 2-13 for the first time since the 1931 Reds won two of their first 19 games.
Bud Norris allowed Adam Duvall’s ninth-inning leadoff homer and the Reds got a runner to second with nobody out. Norris struck out Alex Blandino and Phillip Ervin and got Billy Hamilton to line out to clinch his third save.
Homer Bailey (0-3) allowed four hits and three runs with four strikeouts and two walks in a season-high seven innings.
ATHLETICS 2, MARINERS 1
SEATTLE — Sean Manaea pitched seven strong innings and Jed Lowrie hit an early two-run homer off Felix Hernandez to lead Oakland over Seattle.
Oakland avoided a series sweep as Manaea (2-2) gave up just two hits and struck out four. It was the third time in four starts this season he has lasted at least seven innings.
Lowrie provided all the offense the A’s needed with his fourth homer in the first inning. Blake Treinen finished with a four-out save.
Taylor Motter homered for the Mariners, who had won four in a row.
Felix Hernandez (2-2) worked into the seventh inning for the first time this year, giving up five hits in 6 1/3 innings.
DODGERS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 2
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw struck out 12 and pitched two-hit ball over seven innings and Los Angeles Dodgers ended an 11-game losing streak against Arizona in the regular season.
Los Angeles had been 0-5 versus the Diamondbacks this year, and hadn’t beaten them in the regular season since last August. But the Dodgers swept Arizona 3-0 last year in the NL Division Series.
Chris Taylor homered, doubled and drove in three runs to help the Dodgers stop a three-game skid. The Diamondbacks, who had won three in row, finished a 6-3 road trip.
Kershaw (1-2) gave up one run, on Paul Goldschmidt’s leadoff homer in the seventh, and has a 1.73 ERA after four starts. The Dodgers totaled just three runs in three previous starts this season by their ace lefty.
Zack Godley (2-1), who led the National League with a 0.64 ERA entering the game, allowed six runs and five hits and six walks in four innings.
PADRES 10, GIANTS 1
SAN DIEGO — Joey Lucchesi struck out nine in six innings, fellow rookie Christian Villanueva homered, doubled and drove in three runs, and San Diego cruised past San Francisco 10-1.
Jose Pirela was a home run short of the cycle and had three RBIs for the Padres, who have won five of seven. The Giants have lost four of five.
Lucchesi (2-0) was sharp in outpitching Tyler Beede (0-1) in a matchup of 24-year-old rookies. Lucchesi walked none and his nine strikeouts were his most in four big league starts. The lefty allowed one run and five hits.
