Will Robertson ripped a grand slam as part of an eight-run ninth that the visiting Toronto Blue Jays used to pummel the Philadelphia Phillies 13-5 on Saturday in Clearwater, Fla.
Eduardo Escobar had a two-run double and Payton Henry added a two-run homer as part of the Blue Jays’ big ninth, which turned a tie game into a blowout.
The Phillies had trailed 5-1 before Edmundo Sosa clubbed a grand slam of his own to knot things in the sixth. However, the Phillies mustered just three singles the rest of the way.
Brendon Little (1-0) got the win with a 1-2-3 eighth.
Twins 10, Yankees 7
Byron Buxton homered, tripled twice, drove in four runs and scored three as host Minnesota outslugged New York in Fort Myers, Fla.
Buxton did his damage against Yankees starter Nestor Cortes (0-1), who gave up six runs on nine hits and a walk in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out six.
Christian Vazquez and Willi Castro had three hits apiece for the Twins, who collected 19 overall, and Carlos Correa drove in two runs. Austin Wells opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first for New York. The Yankees didn’t score again until the seventh, when Josh VanMeter had a two-run shot of his own.
Astros 9, Nationals 4
Jose Altuve led off the bottom of the first with a home run, Kyle Tucker smacked a three-run blast later in the frame and Houston never looked back in a victory over visiting Washington in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Yordan Alvarez added a solo shot for the Astros, who got four innings of one-run ball out of Jose Urquidy (2-0).
Nationals starter Trevor Williams (0-1) was roughed up for five runs on eight hits in three innings. Riley Adams drove in Travis Blankenhorn with a home run in the sixth for Washington.
Tigers 8, Pirates 5
Host Detroit used a four-run fourth to rally for a win against Pittsburgh in Lakeland, Fla.
Solo shots from Canaan Smith-Njigba and Henry Davis lifted the Pirates to a 4-2 edge in the third, but the Tigers stole momentum an inning later thanks in large part to Keston Hiura’s three-run homer.
Detroit’s outburst made a winner of Joey Wentz (2-1), who allowed one hit in two scoreless innings. He walked one and fanned one while watching his ERA dip to 1.29 in spring training.
Mets 9, Cardinals 3
Left-hander Sean Manaea turned in four shutout innings as visiting New York cruised past St. Louis in Jupiter, Fla.
Manaea (1-1) permitted two hits and three walks while striking out five. Francisco Lindor and William Lugo homered for the Mets, who hung nine unanswered runs on the Cardinals. Lindor also had a sacrifice fly.
St. Louis scored all of its runs in the ninth on a solo shot from Thomas Saggese and a two-run blast from Pedro Pages.
Orioles 10, Braves 3
Coby Mayo hit a two-run homer, doubled and finished with four RBIs as Baltimore defeated host Atlanta in North Port, Fla.
Dean Kremer (2-1) worked four innings for the Orioles, surrendering two runs on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
Atlanta left-hander Chris Sale (0-1) gave up three runs and four hits in 3 2/3 innings, with a walk and two strikeouts.
Angels 5, Guardians 4
Jake Marisnick recorded three RBIs and visiting Los Angeles held off a feverish comeback attempt from Cleveland in Goodyear, Ariz.
Marisnick had an RBI single and a two-run homer to help the Angels build a 5-0 cushion. That lead nearly evaporated, though, as the Guardians struck for all four of their runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Kyle Manzardo and Alexfri Planez had run-scoring doubles during Cleveland’s surge. Los Angeles southpaw Tyler Anderson (1-1) allowed four hits over 3 1/3 scoreless innings for the win.
Cubs 5, Rockies 0
Seven relievers combined for a three-hitter, allowing host Chicago to blank Colorado in Mesa, Ariz.
Cubs starter Thomas Pannone (1-0) gave up one hit across three innings before six relievers provided an inning apiece. All five of Chicago’s runs came in the third, starting with Cody Bellinger’s two-run double.
Jameson Hannah and Alan Trejo each hit a double for the Rockies. Dakota Hudson (1-1) was tagged for three runs on three hits in 2 1/3 innings.
Royals 6, Diamondbacks 5
Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino hit back-to-back home runs in the first to highlight Kansas City’s victory over visiting Arizona in Surprise, Ariz.
Things were tied at 4-4 after the Diamondbacks’ Kevin Newman went deep in the fourth, but Bobby Witt Jr. hit a solo shot in the home half of the inning and Freddy Fermin added an RBI double in the fifth for the Royals.
Arizona starter Tommy Henry (0-2) struggled mightily in his 3 2/3 innings, getting touched up for five runs on 10 hits. He gave up three homers.
Giants 5, Athletics 1
Wade Meckler lined a two-run single to center as part of a five-run rally in the seventh that pushed host San Francisco past Oakland in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Jacob Wilson scored on Ryan Noda’s groundout in the sixth to provide the Athletics with their only run, and it was all Giants from there.
San Francisco starter Jordan Hicks fanned six across three shutout innings, but it was Mason Black (1-0) who ended up coming away with the win. Black allowed one run on three hits in two innings of relief.
Dodgers 7, Rangers 1
Michael Grove picked up six strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings as Los Angeles blew by visiting Texas in Glendale, Ariz.
Grove (1-0) didn’t allow a run, issuing one walk and surrendering one hit. Chris Okey and Chris Owings each had a two-run home run for the Dodgers.
Yerry Rodriguez (0-2) went just two-thirds of an innings for the Rangers, giving up one run on two hits.
Reds 7, Diamondbacks 5
Jake Rogers hit a go-ahead two-run single in the top of the ninth that gave Cincinnati a win over host Arizona’s split squad in Scottsdale.
The Reds went into the final frame trailing 5-4, and Hector Rodriguez tied things up with an RBI double ahead of Rogers’ game-winning hit.
In the eighth, Jack Hurley hit an inside-the-park home run and Jordan Lawlar drove in a run with a double to provide the Diamondbacks with their 5-4 advantage. Lucas Sims (1-0) won despite blowing a save and allowing two runs and three hits in one inning.
White Sox 1, Padres 1
San Diego pitching weathered 11 hits in a tie with visiting Chicago in Peoria, Ariz.
The White Sox went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base, only scoring when Eloy Jimenez singled to plate Nicky Lopez in the fifth. Manny Machado had an RBI double in the first for the Padres.
Matt Waldron started and went 4 1/3 innings for San Diego, permitting one run on seven hits. He fanned three without a walk. White Sox counterpart Michael Soroka surrendered one run and two hits in three innings, with one walk and five strikeouts.
Mariners 7, Brewers 5
Julio Rodriguez’s three-run homer helped Seattle edge host Milwaukee in Phoenix.
The Mariners raced out to a 6-0 lead. Juan Baez tried to ignite a Brewers rally with a two-run home run in the seventh, but his blast ended up completing the scoring as Milwaukee failed to draw closer.
In a battle of regular-season rotational stalwarts, Seattle’s Luis Castillo outworked Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta. Castillo went four scoreless innings, while Peralta logged just 2 2/3 innings, getting shelled for five runs on seven hits.
Athletics 4, Brewers 2
Four relievers combined to allow just one run on three hits in six innings as Oakland clipped visiting Milwaukee in a battle of split squads in Summerlin South, Nev.
Gerardo Reyes (1-0), Michael Kelly and Tyler Ferguson each logged a clean inning out of the bullpen for the Athletics, while Jack O’Loughlin was responsible for the one run and three hits in three innings of relief.
Armando Alvarez had a solo home run for Oakland. The Brewers’ Jeferson Quero drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
Red Sox 4, Rays 0
Five pitchers combined to allow four hits and no runs as Boston silenced host Tampa Bay in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford (1-0) allowed two hits and struck out two in three innings for the win. Enmanuel Valdez hit a solo homer in the sixth and Ceddanne Rafaela drove in two runs for Boston.
Rays starter Yoniel Curet (0-1) gave up two runs, two hits and two walks in one inning. Jonathan Aranda went 2-for-4 and Edwin Uceta struck out six in two innings.
Marlins 4, Nationals 1
A.J. Puk struck out six in 3 1/3 shutout innings and Nick Fortes drove in two runs to help visiting Miami beat Washington in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Puk improved to 1-0, and Elvis Alvarado struck out two in a scoreless ninth to pick up the save. The Marlins struck out 15 and walked two in the win.
Starter Zach Davies (1-1) gave up three runs and three hits in 3 1/3 innings and took the loss. Joey Meneses doubled home the Nationals’ only run, doing so in the seventh.
–Field Level Media
