Tatsuya Imai threw three perfect innings, Jose Altuve hit his first home run of spring training and the Houston Astros defeated the host Miami Marlins 4-1 on Wednesday in Jupiter, Fla.
Imai, the Japanese ace who signed a three-year, $54 million contract with the Astros this winter, stuck out four and needed just 35 pitches (24 strikes) to breeze through Miami’s lineup. Isaac Paredes broke a 0-0 stalemate with a solo shot in the fourth inning before Zach Cole and Altuve went back-to-back in the sixth.
Heriberto Hernandez hit his third homer of the spring for the Marlins’ lone run. Starter Max Meyer fanned six batters in three innings before Janson Junk gave up the first home run and Bradley Blalock allowed the next two.
Braves 5, Rays 3
Matt Olson’s first-inning homer was his third longball of the spring, and Brett Wisely added a home run as Atlanta beat visiting Tampa Bay in North Port, Fla.
Olson finished 2-for-3 and Austin Riley added an RBI double for the Braves. Spencer Strider struck out five in four innings on his way to his second win of spring training.
Ben Williamson drove in all three Rays runs with a 425-foot shot in the sixth inning. He went 2-for-3, but Tampa Bay batted 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Orioles 7, Pirates 2
Taylor Ward and Jose Barrero launched three-run home runs to help Baltimore beat visiting Pittsburgh in Sarasota, Fla.
Orioles starter Kyle Bradish held the Pirates to one hit and one walk in his five innings, and Chris Bassitt took care of the final four innings, yielding two runs but fanning three.
Nicholas Cimillo had a pinch-hit home run in the ninth for the Pirates.
Twins 2, Tigers 1
Kaelen Culpepper hit a walk-off single to left with one out as host Minnesota edged Detroit in Fort Myers, Fla.
The Twins didn’t score until Ildefonso Ruiz’s sacrifice fly tied the game in the eighth. Taj Bradley struck out seven batters, scattered one run and three hits during his five-inning start.
The Tigers mustered just four hits in all, but they led for a good portion of the game thanks to Riley Greene’s fourth-inning double that scored Matt Vierling.
Nationals 3, Cardinals 1
Abimelec Ortiz and Trey Lipscomb put Washington ahead in the eighth inning, and the hosts held on to beat St. Louis in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Ortiz broke a 1-1 tie with an RBI double and Lipscomb followed two batters later with a run-scoring single for the Nationals. Cade Cavalli and four relievers combined to hold the Cardinals to five hits.
Nolan Gorman tied the game for the Cardinals in the sixth with a run-plating single after Daylen Lile put Washington on the board with an RBI double in the first.
Reds 6, Brewers 3
Matt McLain continued his blistering spring by going 3-for-3 with his fifth home run to lead Cincinnati past visiting Milwaukee in Goodyear, Ariz.
McLain boosted his batting average to .607 with a first-inning homer and two singles. He also stole a base while Noelvi Marte and Jose Trevino added solo homers for the Reds. Starter Andrew Abbott allowed six hits and two runs over 3 2/3 innings, but he fanned five.
Gary Sanchez (2-for-3) slugged a two-run homer in the first off Abbott. Reese McGuire added a solo shot in the sixth. Starter Robert Gasser surrendered five hits, four runs and three homers in 2 2/3 innings.
Athletics 13, Diamondbacks 3
The visiting Athletics bashed five homers in the first five innings to roll to the victory over Arizona in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Andy Ibanez opened the floodgates with a two-run homer in the second. Shea Langeliers went deep in the third, Max Muncy followed suit in the fourth and Tyler Soderstrom added a three-run blast in the fifth before Brent Rooker capped the spree one batter later. Starter Luis Morales gave up four hits and two runs (one earned) over 4 2/3 innings.
Ildemaro Vargas and Danny Serretti posted solo homers for the Diamondbacks, who finished with five hits. Starter Ryne Nelson gave up two hits and three runs in 3 1/3 innings to boost his spring ERA to 5.63.
Angels 8, White Sox 4
Jo Adell and Chris Taylor cracked homers as visiting Los Angeles rallied from a 4-0 deficit to knock off Chicago in Phoenix.
Adell, Taylor, Oswald Peraza and Kyren Paris produced two hits apiece for the Angels while Paris added three stolen bases. Starter Alek Manoah lasted four innings, but he gave up eight hits and four runs with four whiffs and two walks.
Austin Hays (3-for-4, three RBIs) and Colson Montgomery each smacked their third homers of the spring for the White Sox. Korey Lee went 2-for-2 with a double and a walk. Starter Anthony Kay allowed just three hits and one run over four innings and fanned four.
Rockies 11, Mariners 7
Glenallen Hill slugged a three-run homer in the eighth that gave Colorado a lead it didn’t relinquish against host Seattle in Peoria, Ariz.
Adael Amador and Braxton Fulford added homers for the Rockies, who earned extra bases on nine of their 12 hits. Starter Chase Dollander surrendered seven hits and four runs in his 3 1/3-inning effort.
Cole Young (3-for-5, three RBIs) cracked his fourth homer of the spring as he and Brock Rodden went back-to-back in the seventh to take a 7-6 lead. Rhylan Thomas went 3-for-5 as the Mariners compiled 15 hits. Starter Luis Castillo went 3 1/3 innings and allowed four hits and two runs while whiffing three.
Cubs 9, Royals (ss) 8
Matthew Halbach’s one-out double drove in Scott Kingery with the winning run as host Chicago walked off Kansas City’s split squad in Mesa, Ariz.
Pedro Ramirez belted a grand slam in the second and Nico Hoerner followed with a solo shot to stake the Cubs to a 5-1 lead. Starter Colin Rea surrendered five hits and five runs (four earned) in his four-inning stint.
Rea gave up three of the Royals’ five home runs as Brett Squires launched a two-run clout while Elias Diaz, Luca Tresh, Peyton Wilson and Blake Mitchell added solo homers. Starter Mitch Spence lasted just two innings as he allowed four hits and five runs.
Giants 5, Royals (ss) 2
Jerar Encarnacion highlighted a four-run third inning with a two-run homer as visiting San Francisco handled Kansas City in Surprise, Ariz.
Giants starter Tyler Mahle (3-0) maintained his 0.00 spring ERA by allowing just one hit in three scoreless innings. Christian Koss, Parks Harber and Jared Oliva contributed two hits apiece as San Francisco outhit Kansas City 14-3.
Gavin Cross poked a solo shot in the seventh for the Royals. Starter Bailey Falter gave up nine hits and four runs during his three-inning stint.
Yankees 8, Blue Jays 1
Giancarlo Stanton hit his second and third home runs of the spring, driving in three runs as host New York toppled Toronto in Tampa, Fla.
Jonathan Ornelas and Leonard Gabrielson added solo shots and Trent Grisham and Randal Grichuk had RBI doubles for the Yankees. Cam Schlittler went 3 2/3 innings in his start and scattered one run and two hits while fanning six.
Jesus Sanchez hit a run-scoring double to highlight the Jays’ four hits. Eric Lauer gave up four runs on four hits in a 3 1/3-inning start.
–Field Level Media
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