Friday brought us an odd schedule. There were only 12 games, thanks to lingering funkiness from early-season schedules mostly due to home openers. Speaking of, the Cardinals, White Sox, Rockies, Giants, Diamondbacks and Astros all played their first home game on Friday. Here is everything you need to know about the day in baseball.

Select games can be streamed regionally via fuboTV (Try for free). For more on what channel each game is on, click here.

Baseball scores for Friday, April 5

Brewers, Cubs heading in opposite directions

It wasn't the prettiest game you'll ever see, but a win is a win, and the Brewers picked up a win against the Cubs on Friday. Milwaukee improved to 7-1 on the young season. The Cubs are 1-6 and already 5 1/2 games out of first place. Five games back in the loss column one week into the season isn't easy to do, but the Cubs did it.

Lorenzo Cain, Christian Yelich, and Ryan Braun went a combined 6 for 14 (.429) with two doubles and a home run atop the lineup Friday night. They drove in six runs combined. Orlando Arcia went 3 for 3 at the bottom of the lineup and hit his second home run of the season.

The Cubs have lost six straight games since their Opening Day win and, amazingly, they are hitting .307/.394/.496 as a team and have averaged 7.67 runs per game. Offense has not been the problem. It's the pitching that has been dreadful.

Although the season is only a week old, the Cubs have done some real damage to their NL Central title hopes, and the Brewers have helped themselves quite a bit. According to FanGraphs, the Cubs have seen their division title odds go from 47.4 percent on Opening Day to 30.5 percent following Friday's loss. The Brewers have gone from 14.9 percent to 33.5 percent.

If you're a Cubs fan, take solace in the fact your team is hitting so well in the early going, and that the Brewers have five one-run wins and had to sweat out Friday's game despite taking an early 8-0 lead. Milwaukee's wins haven't been all that convincing. If you're a Brewers fan, enjoy banking all these wins. The more they win now, the less they'll have to stress later.

Red Sox hit rock bottom?

It is April 5 and the Red Sox have to hope this is rock bottom. Boston got rocked in their series opener with the D-Backs on Friday -- Mookie Betts and Mitch Moreland hit garbage time homers to make the 15-8 loss look more competitive than the game really was -- to fall to 2-7 on the young season. Rick Porcello was the latest BoSox starter to get beat up.

player headshot
Rick Porcello
NYM • SP • #22
April 5 vs. D-Backs
IP4 2/3
H10
R7
ER7
BB3
K5
HR2
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Reliever Brian Johnson was tagged for seven runs, including a Ketel Marte grand slam, in 1 1/3 innings. Utility infielder Eduardo Nunez had to throw an inning to get the Red Sox through the game.

How poorly have things gone for the defending World Series champions early this season? This poorly:

  • This is the first time they've lost seven times in a nine-game span since July 2016.
  • They lost their seventh game on April 5. Last year they lost their seventh game on April 28.
  • Their starters have a 9.60 ERA, worst by baseball by more than two full runs.
  • They've allowed 23 homers in nine games. Last year they allowed their 23rd homer in their 26th game.
  • Their minus-26 run differential is the worst in baseball by 12 runs.

Keep in mind Boston's two wins were hardly routine. They had to erase a 6-1 deficit in their first win, and, in their second win, a Mookie Betts ground ball deflected off the third base bag and away from Matt Chapman to drive in the winning run. The Red Sox are still waiting for their first routine "the starter pitches well, the offense scores early and often, and the team coasts the rest of the way" win of 2019.

According to FanGraphs, the Red Sox's postseason odds have dropped from 90.3 percent on Opening Day to 72.0 percent following Friday's loss. Yes, Boston still has 153 games to play, so there's plenty of time to right the ship. These early season games do count though, and the Red Sox have made life hard on themselves one week into the season. Their margin of error the rest of the way is much smaller.

Bellinger's hot start continues

There is no one hotter than Dodgers first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger so far this season. Bellinger went into Friday's game against the Rockies with a .438/.455/.906 batting line while leading the majors in runs (nine), home runs (five), RBI (13), and total bases (29). He's been a one-man wrecking crew.

Bellinger adding to those MLB-leading totals with a three-run home run against Tyler Anderson on Friday. Check it out:

Last year Bellinger hit his sixth home run in his 41st game. This year he has six in eight games. Also, Bellinger has already hit two home runs against lefties this year (Anderson and Madison Bumgarner). He hit six homers against lefties all last season.

Bellinger attributed his hot start to improved preparation -- "I think it's the consistency factor of the cage work that the coaches have helped me with that I'm learning, and I've been feeling pretty good," he told NBC 4's Eric He -- though it's also worth noting the Dodgers have a new hitting coach: Robert Van Scoyoc, the man who helped turn J.D. Martinez into one of the game's elite hitters.

The Dodgers as a team have hit 21 home runs this year, the second most ever through the first eight games. (The 2000 Cardinals had 23 homers in their first eight games.) Also, Bellinger's six home runs are the most ever for a Dodgers player in their first eight games.

The season is very young and inevitably Bellinger will slump at some point. Right now, the Dodgers have to be encouraged by what they're seeing after a disappointing (but not dreadful) sophomore year from their young slugger.

Moncada helps ChiSox outlast Mariners is wild game

The home opener on Chicago's south side was one of the wildest games so far this season. The White Sox led 6-1 after two innings, the Mariners rallied to take an 8-6 lead in the sixth, then the ChiSox came back to win the game 10-8.

Yoan Moncada had a two-run double in the second inning and the go-ahead two-run single in the seventh inning. Tim Anderson went 3 for 4 with a home run as well. He scored four runs and drove in three. Dayn Perry has more on Moncada's day.

Six games into the season, Moncada is hitting .458/.519/.875 with a mere 14.8 percent strikeout rate. Last year he struck out in 33.4 percent of his plate appearances. The year before it was 32.0 percent. Moncada's always made great contact. Consider his 2018 Statcast ranks:

  • Average exit velocity: 90.6 mph (82nd percentile)
  • Hard-hit rate: 44.2 percent (85th percentile)

The problem was Moncada didn't make enough contact. It's early and this could be nothing more than a conveniently-timed hot streak. Then again, Moncada is still only 23, and he wouldn't be the first player to improve his contact rate as he gains experience. Maybe this is nothing. Or maybe it is a sign Moncada is poised to break out as a star.

As a reminder of how early it is in the season, Anderson's 3 for 4 game raised his batting line 409 OPS points Friday. 409! He has one strikeout in 17 plate appearances this year. His strikeout issues weren't as extreme as Moncada's (24.6 percent last year), but more contact is obviously a good thing. At the very least, keep an eye on these two young ChiSox infielders. They might be on the cusp of becoming special players.

Stat of the day: Polanco hits first cycle of 2019

The first cycle if the new season belongs to Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco. He did the deed in Friday's loss to the Phillies and threw in a fifth hit for good measure. Here's the video:

Polanco's cycle is the first in baseball since Charlie Blackmon last September 30. It is the first cycle by a Twins player since Michael Cuddyer in May 2009.

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