Offseason acquisitions Justin Verlander and Chris Bassitt set the tone on the mound as the Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles battled to a 1-1 tie in spring training action Tuesday at Lakeland, Fla.
The 43-year-old Verlander, who won his first of his three Cy Young Awards with the Tigers in 2011, returned to Detroit this offseason and struck out six while walking none over 4 1/3 innings of one-run work to lower his spring ERA to 5.40.
Bassitt, 37, signed with the Orioles after spending the last three years with Toronto. He was even better in his start, allowing no runs on three hits with four strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings to lower his ERA to 2.51.
Bryan Ramos provided Baltimore’s only run with a fifth-inning homer, while Detroit’s sole run came on an eighth-inning wild pitch from Jose Espada which scored Max Clark. The teams each stranded eight runners and were a combined 0-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
Yankees 3, Rays 2
Jacob Morales’ two-run single in the ninth pushed New York past Tampa Bay in Port Charlotte, Fla.
J.C. Escarra (3-for-4) added a solo homer for the Yankees, who preserved their one-run lead when Kervin Castro worked around the tying run at second base with no outs for his second save.
Raynel Delgado cut the 3-1 lead in half with a ninth-inning single, and Ben Williamson drove in a run with an RBI groundout. Ryan Pepiot issued more walks (three) than strikeouts (two), but he allowed just one run over five innings to maintain his spring ERA at an impressive 0.90.
Mets 5, Marlins 5
Bo Bichette drove in all five New York RBIs with two extra-base hits, but Jacob Jenkins-Cowart’s eighth-inning homer helped Miami come away with a tie in Jupiter, Fla.
Bichette, who signed a three-year, $126 million contract in January, hit his unofficial first homer as a Met and surpassed his RBI total (three) from his first 11 spring games combined. Sean Manaea tossed four perfect innings in his start.
Jenkins-Cowart’s three-run homer paired with an Esteury Ruiz sacrifice fly helped the Marlins rally from a 5-1 deficit in the final three innings. Ace Sandy Alcantara (5.63 ERA) continued an underwhelming spring showing, allowing two runs over four innings.
Red Sox 4, Braves 3
Nate Eaton’s two-run single in the fourth put Boston ahead for good in its defeat of Atlanta in Fort Myers, Fla.
Carlos Narvaez recorded the other two RBIs on a groundout and a single for Boston, which got a two-hit day that included a triple from Trevor Story. The No. 1 Red Sox prospect per MLB Pipeline, Payton Tolle, preserved the win with five strikeouts over four scoreless relief innings for a hold.
Brett Wisely, Kyle Farmer and Jordan Groshans each had RBI singles for the prospect-laden Braves squad. Reynaldo Lopez struck out six and allowed three runs over 3 2/3 innings but still has a 2.84 ERA this spring.
Nationals 1, Cardinals 0
Jake Irvin tossed five scoreless frames to set the tone for Washington’s four-hit shutout of St. Louis in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Irvin struck out five and scattered three hits, while Brady House plated the only run of the game on a first-inning double, his sixth of spring.
The Cardinals got a similarly strong start from former Dodgers and Red Sox pitcher Dustin May, who allowed one run over five innings. The top four hitters in the Cardinals’ lineup were 0-for-12 with six strikeouts.
Phillies 2, Twins 0
Adolis Garcia knocked in both runs of Philadelphia’s shutout victory over Minnesota in Clearwater, Fla.
The former Ranger, signed to be Nick Castellanos’ replacement, went 4-for-4 with a homer, accounting for over half of the Phillies’ seven hits. Jesus Luzardo’s five shutout innings headed the combined shutout by five different pitchers and lowered his ERA to 2.31.
Brooks Lee had two of Minnesota’s six hits, all of which were singles. Bailey Ober suffered a tough-luck first loss of spring, allowing one run on two hits over four innings.
Astros 10, Pirates 2
Top-11 Houston prospects Brice Matthews and Zach Cole cranked back-to-back homers to spark a runaway victory over Pittsburgh in Bradenton, Fla.
Shay Whitcomb added a pair of RBI singles for the Astros, who also got a two-run single from Cavan Biggio, who signed a minor league contract with his dad’s longtime team this offseason. Lance McCullers Jr. (3.38 ERA) allowed one run over four innings.
After a strong start to spring, Pirates starter Mitch Keller was lit up for six runs over four innings of work, striking out six but walking four. Pittsburgh mainstay Bryan Reynolds provided the team’s only run-scoring hit of the day, an RBI single in the third.
–Field Level Media
