Spring Training Capsules: Astros smack 5 homers to top Nats split-squad 15-5
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Brett Myers showed off his new threads during the Astros’ windy spring training opener.
Unfortunately, the veteran pitcher’s control wasn’t quite as sharp as his new uniform.
Myers, the longtime Phillies hurler, allowed three runs — two earned — in two innings, but the Astros rallied with nine runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and cruised to a 15-5 win over a Washington Nationals split-squad on Thursday.
Myers is projected to be the Astros’ No. 3 starter behind Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez.
He walked three and allowed one hit while striking out one in his first trip to the mound since Game 3 of last season’s World Series. With winds gusting to 20 mph, he threw only 18 of his 40 pitches for strikes.
"The good thing was that my ball was moving a lot," Myers said. "The bad thing is I couldn’t control where it was moving."
Myers signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Astros in January after spending his eight previous seasons with the Phillies. He went 73-63 with a 4.40 ERA during his tenure in Philadelphia. He had a career-best 14 wins in 2003 and went on a streak of four straight seasons where he won at least 11 games from 2003-06.
Myers values the experiences he had in Philadelphia, but he says he’s ready to move on.
"I have to put my focus on this team instead of things in the past," he said. "It’s time to focus on this ball club and take them that extra step."
Hunter Pence had a great start to his spring. The rightfielder doubled and then homered in back-to-back at bats during a nine-run, fourth inning for the Astros. He finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored and four RBIs.
Pence, who has hit 25 home runs in each of his last two seasons, says he was chomping at the bit to get the spring games started.
"I love the game. I had trouble sleeping last night," Pence said, drawing a chuckle from teammate Michael Bourn. "I know everyone will make fun of me, but I was very excited and it feels good to get out and play some baseball and play well."
Third baseman Pedro Feliz, one of the Astros major offseason acquisitions, went 2 for 3 with a run scored. J.R. Towles, who is in competition with Jason Castro for the starting catcher job, went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Reserve outfielder Jason Michaels and minor leaguers Chris Johnson and Yordany Ramirez also homered for the Astros. Michaels finished 3-for-3 with two runs.
Two of the Nationals key offseason additions to their bullpen, righty Matt Capps and lefty Eddie Guardado, failed to impress.
Capps, who signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal this December, gave up a home run to Michaels in the fifth on the first pitch and allowed two runs in an inning of work. Guardado, who signed a non-guaranteed, minor league deal in December, allowed a homer to Ramirez and gave up three runs on four hits in an inning.
Washington starter Garrett Mock, who’s trying to earn a spot within the starting rotation after the team added free agent starters Chien-Ming Wang, Jason Marquis, Livan Hernandez and Miguel Batista, tossed two scoreless innings, allowing just three hits. He threw 13 of his 21 pitches for strikes.
Saltalamacchia leads Rangers over Royals 13-3
SURPRISE, Ariz. — This is a pitcher-catcher partnership that Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Rich Harden could like.
Harden, in his Texas debut, pitched two innings of one-hit ball and Saltalamacchia and Matt Brown each hit a three-run homer, leading the Rangers to a 13-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday.
The Rangers pounded five KC pitchers for 21 hits in the spring opener for both clubs. Mitch Moreland was 3 for 3 with two RBIs.
Harden, who spent the past 1½ years with the Chicago Cubs, had one walk and one strikeout and gave up one unearned run.
"Rich looked great," said Saltalamacchia, the Rangers’ catcher. "He was throwing all his pitches with command, which is big, and he was just working on things. He looked comfortable. I could call anything at any time."
In another good sign for Harden, the right-hander had little trouble getting ground balls from the Royals, who managed only six hits off six Texas pitchers.
"Overall, I was pretty happy with the way it went," said Harden, who is expected to be the Rangers’ Opening Day starter. "First time out, just getting comfortable out there. The key for me is to try to get ahead and throw first-pitch strikes. I got a lot of grounds balls today, and that’s what I want to do."
Davies got through the first inning with only one baserunner before the Rangers sent eight men to the plate in the second. Nelson Cruz singled and Chris Davis walked before Saltalamacchia worked the count to 2-2 and slammed the next pitch over the fence. Julio Borbon doubled and made it 4-0 on Michael Young’s single.
"We haven’t played in a while, so to get out there and get all the kinks out is great," said Saltalamacchia. "But to start off like that is always good. You get a little confidence."
Davies was charged with four runs on five hits. Robinson Tejeda, trying to make the transition from reliever to starter, didn’t fare much better. He gave up four hits and two runs.
Billy Butler had one hit in two at-bats for the Royals, striking out on a changeup in the first inning.
"Rich Harden has been around for a while," he said. "I want to see the best to get you ready for the first game. I don’t care who is out there. The better pitchers are always better for seeing good pitches."
Brown connected off Matt Herges in the Rangers’ four-run ninth.
Harden was also pleased to make a good first impression with his new team.
"Yeah, but you don’t want to go out there and change what you do just because of that," he said. "But, yeah, being with the new team, I want to go out there and pitch well for them. But I’ve been around long enough to realize this is just spring, a time to get ready. And good or bad, you can’t win championships in spring. It’s a time to work on things."
-- Doug Tucker
Rangers sign Cruz, Andrus and 12 others to deals
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Outfielder Nelson Cruz and shortstop Elvis Andrus are among 14 Texas Rangers who signed one-year contracts Thursday before the team’s first spring training game.
With the moves, the Rangers have every player on their 40-man roster signed for the 2010 season.
Cruz, who hit .260 with 33 home runs and 76 RBIs in 128 games last season, got the biggest contract Thursday at $440,000. Andrus got $418,420 after being one of the AL’s top rookies (.267, 33 stolen bases).
Jarrod Saltalamacchia ($418,580) and Taylor Teagarden ($407,010), catchers competing for the starting job, also signed.
The others who signed, all for at least the $400,000 major league minimum, were infielder Joaquin Arias; first baseman Chris Davis; left-hander Matt Harrison; right-handers Eric Hurley, Warner Madrigal, Guillermo Moscoso, Darren O’Day, Alexi Ogando and Pedro Strop; and catcher Max Ramirez.
Phillies 3, Yankees 2
CLEARWATER, Fla. — If first impressions are important to baseball fans in Philadelphia, new Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay aced his entry exam.
Halladay got the Grapefruit League schedule under way with two near-perfect innings in the Phillies’ 3-2 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday.
The 32-year-old Halladay threw a pair of hitless innings while striking out three. He allowed just one base runner in his first outing with the Phillies.
CC Sabathia wasn’t too bad himself in his first game since the World Series. He allowed two walks and two hits but kept zeros on the scoreboard through two innings.
But even the jovial, giant Sabathia couldn’t overshadow Halladay’s debut.
Mets 17, Cardinals 11
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Jason Bay’s debut was low key, but David Wright homered in his first at-bat and Gary Matthews Jr. sparked a three-run fifth inning with a leadoff home run for the Mets.
Bay, a former Red Sox left fielder, went 0 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout in his first game of the spring and first live action with the Mets since signing a four-year, $66 million contract in December.
Blue Jays 9, Tigers 7
LAKELAND, Fla. — J.P. Arencibia hits a two-run homer in the ninth inning for the Blue Jays. Arencibia’s homer came off Zach Miner after a single by Adam Loewen.
Left-hander Zach Jackson, who struck out four in two relief innings, got the win for Toronto.
Brent Dlugach homered for the second straight and Dontrelle Willis pitched two scoreless frames day for Detroit.
Marlins 10, Nationals (SS) 4
JUPITER, Fla. — Anibal Sanchez and Rick VandenHurk pitched two innings each, and the Marlins held the Nationals’ split squad to eight hits.
Sanchez gave up two hits, one walk, two stolen bases and one run in two innings. He threw 41 pitches, 23 for strikes. VandenHurk allowed one hit and one walk in two scoreless innings, struck out two and threw 35 pitches.
Florida rookie Logan Morrison had a two-run triple.
Rays 6, Orioles 5
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Koji Uehara’s comeback from an injury-shortened rookie season is off to an encouraging start, the Baltimore reliever working one perfect inning in the loss in his first game action since being sidelined last June with tendinitis in his right elbow.
The Orioles’ first Japanese-born player made 12 starts in 2009, going 2-4 with a 4.05 ERA. He’s expected to work out of the bullpen this season, a role he became familiar with as a closer for the Yomiuri Giants.
Matt Joyce’s base-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth won it for the Rays.
Cubs 9, Athletics 3
MESA, Ariz. — Randy Wells pitched two perfect innings, and Derrek Lee and Marlon Byrd each homered for the Cubs.
Wells, coming off a surprising rookie season in which he went 12-10 and had the NL’s 10th-best ERA (3.05), struck out two and didn’t let the ball out of the infield.
Byrd, who signed a three-year contract to play center field for the Cubs after getting 20 homers and 89 RBIs for Texas last season, also singled.
Mariners 9, Padres 3
PEORIA, Ariz. — Jason Vargas went two innings and minor leaguer Tommy Everidge hit a grand slam during Seattle’s six-run eighth inning.
Vargas, a candidate for the fifth spot in the rotation, allowed one hit, and Ryan Garko also homered for Seattle.
Padres pitcher Chris Young fought through a 33-pitch first inning, giving up one run on three hits, and was encouraged after his first outing since June 14. Young has shoulder surgery Aug. 14.
Rockies 11, Diamondbacks 1
TUCSON, Ariz. — Seth Smith had a three-run homer along with a single and double as the Rockies cruised in their spring opener.
Jason Hammel, with the fifth spot in the Colorado rotation locked up, threw just 23 pitches in two innings. He allowed a run and four hits with one strikeout and no walks.
Two Arizona pitchers in the fight for a spot at the end of the rotation saw action. Starter Billy Buckner allowed two first-inning runs but struck out four of the last five batters he faced. Rodrigo Lopez gave up Smith’s homer in the fifth.
Giants 5, Brewers 3
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Andres Torres hit a run-scoring single to highlight a four-run fifth inning and the San Francisco Giants came back from a three-run deficit.
The game featured a first-inning confrontation between Giants left-hander Barry Zito and Milwaukee first baseman Prince Fielder.
With two outs and a runner at first base, Zito’s first pitch hit Fielder squarely in the back, an apparent retaliatory gesture for Fielder’s antics during a walk-off home run against the Giants on Sept. 6 at Milwaukee’s Miller Park.
Braves 4, Pirates 2
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Nate McLouth scored a run to lead off the first inning against his former team and Kenshin Kawakami pitched two scoreless innings in his spring training debut.
Kawakami struck out two, and Brooks Conrad had two doubles in three at-bats for Atlanta.
Pittsburgh starter Charlie Morton, who was part of the deal that sent McLouth to the Braves last year, allowed one hit and one run in two innings but walked three. Reliever Brian Burriss walked four and gave up two runs to take the loss. Pirates pitchers walked 10 batters.
Andy LaRoche homered for Pittsburgh.
Angels 4, White Sox 4, 9 innings, tie
TEMPE, Ariz. — Chicago’s A.J. Pierzynski hit a two-run homer to highlight a three-run third inning, and Los Angeles catcher Mike Napoli also homered as the White Sox and Angels played to a 4-4 tie before the Cactus League opener for both teams was called after nine innings.
John Danks worked two scoreless innings in his first spring start. His brother, Jordan Danks, went 0 for 2 with a walk. He was caught stealing in the ninth.
Angels’ right-hander Joel Pineiro worked two innings and allowed three hits and one run with a walk and two strikeouts.
Red Sox 2, Twins 1
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Mark Wagner’s tiebreaking single in the eighth inning gave Boston a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins in the spring training opener for both teams.
The catcher, ticketed to start the season in the minors barring an injury to Victor Martinez or Jason Varitek, singled in Josh Reddick, who had doubled and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Darnell McDonald.
The Twins scored in the first on Jason Kubel’s RBI single off Josh Beckett. Boston tied it in the sixth on Dustin Pedroia’s run-scoring single. Scott Atchison got the win and Jose Lugo took the loss.
