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Major League Baseball roundup

[March 06, 2017] March 5 (The Sports Xchange) - New York Mets right-hander Matt Harvey struggled in his first game action in eight months after shoulder surgery last summer.

Harvey suffered from thoracic outlet syndrome last year and had not pitched in a game since undergoing surgery to remove a rib in July.

The St. Louis Cardinals scored four runs against Harvey in 1 2/3 innings on Sunday in a spring training game in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Even though he struggled with his fastball command and decreased velocity, Harvey was pleased.

"Obviously it's been eight months since I played against another team. The biggest thing was going out there and trying, I guess get my mechanics back against another team," Harvey told reporters. "Today was kind of the first step getting my feet wet in game action and I felt it went pretty well."

Harvey allowed a three-run homer and was pulled after getting two outs in the second inning. He struck out three and threw 39 pitches, topping out at 94 mph with his fastball.

In his second season back from Tommy John surgery in 2016, Harvey went 4-10 with a 4.86 ERA in 17 starts. Overall for his career, Harvey is 29-28 with a 2.94 ERA in 82 starts.

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St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Trevor Rosenthal was scratched from Monday's scheduled spring training start against the Minnesota Twins with tightness in his latissimus muscle near his pitching arm.

Rosenthal felt soreness in that area following a one-inning stint against the Washington Nationals on Friday.

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"He's going to need a couple days," manager Mike Matheny said of Rosenthal, who came to the majors as a starter before transitioning to the bullpen.

Rosenthal posted a 2-4 mark with 14 saves and a 4.46 ERA in 45 relief appearances last season. The 26-year-old owns an 8-20 career mark with 110 saves and a 2.92 ERA in 278 appearances with the Cardinals.

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Detroit Tigers right-hander Michael Fulmer will miss his scheduled start on Monday after spraining his right ankle during workouts over the weekend.

Fulmer rolled his ankle during agility drills on Saturday, prompting manager Brad Ausmus to announce he was holding last season's American League Rookie of the Year out of Monday's game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Fulmer posted an 11-7 record with a 3.06 ERA and 132 strikeouts over 159 innings in 26 starts in 2016. The 23-year-old led all AL rookie pitchers in wins and innings pitched last season. (Editing by Gene Cherry)

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