The No. 1 prospect in baseball, shortstop Konnor Griffin, hammered two home runs over the replica Green Monster at the spring training home of the Red Sox to power the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 16-7 win over Boston on Tuesday in Fort Myers, Fla.
They were Griffin’s first two homers of the spring, and they came as part of a 21-hit bludgeoning by the Pittsburgh offense. Griffin first hit a 374-foot sky ball in the second and added a 440-foot shot in the fourth. He added a fourth RBI in the fifth inning on a groundout.
Nick Gonzales (3-for-3, two RBIs), Nick Yorke (3-for-4), Jake Mangum (2-for-3, two RBIs) and Yordany De Los Santos (homer, three RBIs) also contributed to the Pirates’ feast at the plate.
Ceddanne Rafaela and Willson Contreras homered in a losing effort for the Red Sox, who went through 10 pitchers.
Yankees 8, Blue Jays 7
Paul Goldschmidt homered, doubled and drove in four runs, prospect Jace Avina hit the solo shot that provided the winning run and New York defeated host Toronto in Dunedin, Fla.
The Yankees built a 7-1 lead through five innings as they played most of their regulars, including Aaron Judge (two runs), Cody Bellinger (two hits, RBI) and Jazz Chisholm Jr. (RBI single). Will Warren (1-0) scattered one run and four hits while fanning four batters in 2 2/3 inning as New York’s starter.
The Blue Jays rallied within 7-5 in the sixth thanks in large part to Charles Mcadoo, who hit a two-run double and came around to score on a throwing error. Avina, 22, homered to left in the eighth inning, which became important when Toronto’s Jacob Casey offered up a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth.
Braves 8, Tigers 1
Matt Olson hit a two-run homer, Ozzie Albies had a two-run double and host Atlanta beat Detroit in North Port, Fla.
The Braves worked just four pitchers — Reynaldo Lopez, Grant Holmes, Joey Wentz and Owen Murphy — who combined to strike out 11 while yielding just three hits and four walks. Murphy fanned four in a three-inning save.
Jace Jung singled in the Tigers’ only run. Enmanuel de Jesus (0-1) made a 3 1/3-inning start and allowed three unearned runs on two hits.
Orioles 10, Twins 5
Jeremiah Jackson ignited a seven-hit, six-run first inning with an RBI single for visiting Baltimore to start a blowout of Minnesota’s split squad in Fort Myers, Fla.
Jackson finished with two hits and two RBIs, and Leody Taveras went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI doubles as the Orioles amassed 10 runs and 14 hits without a home run or triple. Coby Mayo and Luis Vazquez also had two hits.
Kala’i Rosario hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to make the final margin more respectable for the Twins. Byron Buxton and James Outman contributed two hits apiece.
Rays 12, Twins 1
Junior Caminero drove in Tampa Bay’s first three runs and Jake Fraley added a bases-clearing double as host Tampa Bay rode past Minnesota in Port Charlotte, Fla.
Yandy Diaz (solo) and Hunter Feduccia (three-run shot) added home runs as the Rays opened up a 12-0 lead before yielding a run in the ninth. Starter Joe Boyle (1-0) threw two innings and allowed one hit with two strikeouts.
Garrett Spain homered in the ninth to let the Twins avoid a shutout.
Marlins 6, Phillies 1
Joe Mack hit a tiebreaking grand slam in the fifth inning and host Miami beat Philadelphia in Jupiter, Fla.
Mack’s four-bagger traveled just 336 feet and scored Ethan O’Donnell, who later tacked on an RBI double, plus Otto Lopez and Deyvison De Los Santos. Nine pitchers threw an inning apiece and combined for 12 strikeouts and just four hits.
Trea Turner scored the Phillies’ only run in the first inning when he come home on a pickoff error.
Astros 6, Mets 6
Kellen Strahm hit a run-scoring fielder’s choice and Lucas Spence had the game-tying RBI single to help Houston rally from five runs down to tie host New York in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Carlos Perez went 2-for-2 with a two-run single for the Astros, while Taylor Trammell and Nick Allen added two hits apiece.
The Mets got out to a 5-0 lead thanks to home runs in the first inning by Mike Tauchman (three-run shot) and Ronny Mauricio (solo), plus a sacrifice fly in the second from new acquisition Bo Bichette.
Brewers 10, Athletics 0
Tyler Black drove in the first six runs of the game as Milwaukee cruised to a shutout of the host Athletics in Mesa, Ariz.
Black hit a two-run homer in the second inning, a three-run single in the third and an RBI double in the fifth. David Hamilton added an RBI double and Cooper Pratt and Jordyn Adams had RBI sac flies while nine pitchers worked an inning apiece for the Brewers, scattering five singles.
Star shortstop Jacob Wilson and first baseman Nick Kurtz were among the A’s few players with a hit. Mason Barnett took the loss after yielding two runs on three hits in the first two frames.
Cubs 6, Padres 5
Carson Kelly followed a run-scoring single with a solo home run and B.J. Murray Jr. added a two-run double as Chicago outlasted visiting San Diego in Mesa.
Shota Imanaga allowed three hits in two scoreless innings as the Cubs’ starter and Grant Kipp locked up the save despite encountering trouble in the ninth inning.
New Padre Nick Castellanos cracked a two-run double, and in the ninth Nick Schnell took Kipp deep with a runner on to cut the deficit to one. But the next two batters grounded out to finish the game.
Reds 5, Royals 4
Edwin Arroyo tied the game with a single in the bottom of the ninth before Michael Toglia walked it off with a two-out single into right field as host Cincinnati defeated Kansas City in Goodyear, Ariz.
The Royals had built an early 4-1 lead on the backs of Josh Rojas (two-run homer, RBI double) and Jac Caglianone (solo homer).
Elly De La Cruz and new Red Eugenio Suarez answered in the fifth inning, leading off with back-to-back jacks to cut it to 4-3. Those were the first homers of the spring for both players.
Dodgers 11, Guardians 3
Freddie Freeman’s go-ahead two-run double prompted a five-run third inning for Los Angeles that proved to be the difference in a win over visiting Cleveland in Phoenix.
Eight different Dodgers drove in at least one run, with Andy Pages matching Freeman’s two RBIs via a sac fly and a double. Nine Dodgers pitchers tossed one inning apiece and totaled 12 strikeouts to just one walk.
The Guardians got all their runs at once when Travis Bazzana belted a three-run homer in the second inning that briefly put his team ahead.
Diamondbacks 6, Rangers 4
A.J. Vukovich homered and scored twice, Ben McLaughlin went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and Arizona edged host Texas in Surprise, Ariz.
Vukovich left the yard in the fifth inning, and Ketel Marte followed suit two batters later for a 3-1 Diamondbacks lead. Alek Thomas added an RBI triple before McLaughlin’s pair of run-scoring singles in the seventh and ninth. Journeyman starter Michael Soroka fanned three and allowed one run in two frames.
Jake Burger homered for the Rangers. Wyatt Langford went 2-for-2 with an RBI.
Rockies 7, Angels 5
Charlie Condon hit a solo shot in the eighth to provide cushion in a close game and host Colorado beat a Los Angeles split squad in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The Rockies led 6-2 thanks to contributions from Ryan Ritter (3-for-3, two RBIs) and run-scoring doubles from Nicky Lopez and Chad Stevens. Starter Chase Dollander (two innings) and the bullpen had mostly kept the Angels at bay.
The Angels pulled within a run in the top of the eighth thanks to Nelson Rada’s single and Wade Meckler’s two-run triple before Condon left the yard.
Giants 4, Angels 1
Jung Hoo Lee drove in a run and eight San Francisco pitchers combined to three-hit host Los Angeles in Tempe, Ariz.
The Giants also scored runs on sac flies by Patrick Bailey, Jake Holton and Grant McCray. They only recorded four hits in the victory.
Oswald Peraza drove in the lone run for the Angels, who did not have an extra-base hit.
White Sox 12, Mariners 10
Mario Camilletti singled in his team’s 11th and 12th runs to make the difference in visiting Chicago’s win over Seattle in Peoria, Ariz.
In a slugfest (16 hits for the White Sox, 12 for the Mariners), Camilletti came on as a sub and backed up the efforts of teammates Brooks Baldwin (3-for-3, RBI, two runs) and Tanner Murray (two-run homer, RBI double).
Cal Raleigh, last year’s home run king with 60, belted his first homer of the spring in the third, a two-run shot to tie the game 3-3. Rhylan Thomas added a pinch-hit homer for the Mariners in the bottom of the seventh to bring the score to 11-10.
–Field Level Media
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