Coming off his American League Cy Young Award season, Tigers ace Tarik Skubal delivered two scoreless innings in his first spring start, a 4-0 Detroit loss to the visiting Minnesota Twins in Lakeland, Fla.
Skubal allowed one hit and struck out one, throwing 14 of his 19 pitches for strikes. Detroit’s offense wasn’t able to support him or the bullpen, collecting just two hits.
Meanwhile, Minnesota scored its runs on home runs, as DaShawn Keirsey Jr., Allan Cerda (two-run HR) and Rubel Cespedes went deep. Twins starter Andrew Morris, who tossed two scoreless innings, combined with five relievers on the two-hit shutout.
Phillies 9, Blue Jays 6
Philadelphia star Bryce Harper injured his right elbow after being hit by a pitch in a victory over host Toronto in Dunedin, Fla.
After the game, Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters that Harper’s initial diagnosis was a bruised right triceps, adding that the team will know more on Thursday.
Gabriel Rincones Jr. belted his second spring homer for Philadelphia, which pulled away with a five-run sixth inning. In his spring debut, Toronto starter Jose Berrios allowed one run on two hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Astros 3, Nationals 0
In his first outing of the spring, Houston ace Framber Valdez limited Washington to one hit over two innings in a victory at West Palm Beach, Fla.
Yainer Diaz got the Astros on the board early, belted a two-run shot in the first inning. Chase Jaworsky had the other RBI on a ninth-inning single.
Starter DJ Herz took the loss, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. Washington totaled eight hits but couldn’t push a run across.
Pirates (ss) 7, Orioles 3
Matt Gorski swatted his third homer of the spring and finished with three RBIs, leading host Pittsburgh to a victory over Baltimore in Bradenton, Fla.
Ke’Bryan Hayes collected an RBI and scored on a wild pitch for Pittsburgh, while starter Bailey Falter pitched two scoreless frames in his spring debut.
Dylan Carlson singled in a run and scored, while Livan Soto and Samuel Basallo added an RBI apiece. Tomoyuki Sugano blanked the Pirates for two innings in his Baltimore debut.
Rays 8, Red Sox 2
Junior Caminero ripped a three-run triple in the fifth inning, putting Tampa Bay ahead to stay in a road victory over Boston in Fort Myers, Fla.
Curtis Mead went 2-for-2 with a second-inning solo home run in support of Rays starter Ian Seymour, who held the Red Sox scoreless in two innings.
For Boston, relievers Aroldis Chapman and Liam Hendriks — who didn’t pitch in 2024 following 2023 Tommy John surgery — tossed scoreless outings in their spring debuts. Alex Bregman drove in both Red Sox runs.
Braves (ss) 9, Pirates 4
Atlanta slugger Matt Olson drilled his first spring home run, a two-run blast in the first inning, in a victory over visiting Pittsburgh in North Port, Fla.
Cade Bunnell went 2-for-2 with four RBIs, putting the Braves ahead for good with a two-run single in the seventh. In his spring debut, starter AJ Smith-Shawver fanned three over two scoreless frames.
Jack Suwinski hit his first spring homer as part of a 2-for-3 day for Pittsburgh. DJ Stewart also went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Starter Mike Burrows gave up two runs in two innings.
Yankees 7, Cardinals 0
Dominic Smith opened a six-run third inning with his second spring homer in New York’s victory against visiting St. Louis in Tampa, Fla.
New arrivals Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt also had RBI hits in the third, along with Jasson Dominguez and Austin Wells (two-run double). Yankees starter Will Warren struck out four over three sharp innings.
For St. Louis, starter Michael McGreevy delivered a pair of scoreless innings, then Tink Hence came on and gave up all six New York runs. Meanwhile, the Cards managed just three hits.
Marlins 4, Mets 1
Max Acosta smashed a solo shot and Mark Coley II added a two-run blast, leading Miami to a victory over visiting New York in Jupiter, Fla.
In his first spring outing, Marlins starter Max Meyer (one inning) and seven relievers combined to limit the Mets to five hits.
Pete Alonso delivered the Mets’ run with a double in the sixth, his third RBI of the spring. Paul Blackburn made his spring debut and tossed a scoreless frame.
Rockies 7, Royals 6
Nick Martini went yard twice and collected three RBIs as the Rockies outslugged the Royals in Surprise, Ariz.
Colorado collected 13 hits compared to Kansas City’s 10, including a Keston Hiura RBI single in the eighth that provided Colorado its winning margin.
Nick Loftin and MJ Melendez each notched two hits for the Royals, who scored twice in the eighth but couldn’t generate the tying run.
Cubs 4, Giants 4
The Cubs overcame 13 runners left on base and scored three in the eighth to salvage a tie with the Giants in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Casey Schmitt homered in the second inning to give the Giants a 2-1 lead, then Jerar Encarnacion made it 4-1 with a run-scoring double in the fifth.
After a sacrifice fly, Greg Allen capped the comeback with a two-run homer in the top of the eighth. Nicky Lopez and Benjamin Cowles had multi-hit games for Chicago, while Willy Adames (2-for-3) was the only Giant to get more than a single hit.
Rangers 7, Guardians 4
Texas built a 5-1 lead through 6 1/2 innings and used strong relief pitching to lock in its second win of spring ball in Goodyear, Ariz.
Dane Dunning earned the win after pitching two scoreless frames of relief, while Jacob Webb, Matt Festa and Cole Winn also held opposing batters scoreless. Nick Ahmed led the way offensively with two hits, two RBIs and a home run.
Jose Devers homered off Hoby Milner to highlight a three-run seventh to cut into Texas’ lead.
Padres 3, White Sox 1
San Diego used eight pitchers and scored two late runs to beat host Chicago in Glendale, Ariz.
The Padres’ stable of pitchers combined to surrender just two hits and a Mike Tauchman homer that tied the game in the sixth. J.B. Wendelken collected the win with one scoreless inning, while Francis Pena collected the save.
Forrest Wall (two hits) gave San Diego its lead back in the eighth with a line drive homer to left. Tirso Ornelas scored on a throwing error during a Clay Dungan steal in the ninth.
Reds 9, Angels 4
Cincinnati batters exploded for 15 hits, including three home runs, a triple and five doubles, as the Reds hammered Los Angeles in Tempe, Ariz.
Matt McLain went 3-for-3 with a homer and two doubles, while Elly De La Cruz had a home run and a double with two RBIs, Jacob Hurtubise (2-for-2) added a double and run scored.
Mike Trout homered and Gustavo Compero collected two hits and an RBI for Los Angeles.
Athletics 8, Mariners 5
Oakland pitchers dominated in building an 8-1 lead through 8 1/2 innings, as the Athletics downed the Mariners in Peoria, Ariz.
Four pitchers combined to surrender one run on five hits through seven innings, with Joey Estes collecting the win.
Zack Gelof had three RBIs on 2-for-2 hitting, while five other batters collected RBIs. Seattle’s bats woke up in the bottom of the ninth, with Carlos Jimenez doubling in a run and Jack Lopez adding a two-run double.
Diamondbacks 7, Brewers 1
A six-run second inning provided Arizona all the scoring it would need against Milwaukee in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Jordan Lawlar (1-for-3) led things off with a two-run home run, and Corbin Carroll (2-for-2) slugged a grand slam to make it 6-0.
Arizona pitchers surrendered one run on six hits. Ernesto Martinez Jr. (1-for-3) hit an RBI single.
Dodgers 9, Brewers 3
Milwaukee also surrendered a six-run inning against Los Angeles in Phoenix, as the Dodgers took a 6-3 lead in the fourth and only padded their advantage.
David Bote, Hunter Feduccia, Josue De Paula and Miguel Rojas all plated runs with hits in the decisive fourth, then Andy Pages and Bote tacked on insurance home runs in the fifth.
Vinny Capra and Garrett Mitchell hit home runs to help the Brewers build an early 3-0 lead.
–Field Level Media
