Spring training roundup: Astros beat Nats in 10-8 slugfest

 

[March 02, 2024]  Shay Whitcomb hit two RBI doubles and Jacob Melton smashed the eventual game-winning home run as the Houston Astros put together 10 consecutive runs and held off the host Washington Nationals 10-8 in a spring training game Friday in Palm Beach, Fla.

Melton's two-run homer in the seventh inning put the Astros ahead 9-4, and Joey Loperfido added a run-scoring double in the eighth before Washington pushed back. Alex Call hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame and two runs scored on his fielder's choice in the ninth -- one on a throwing error -- before Houston put the game away.

Hunter Brown (1-0) got the win with two innings of relief for Houston, in which he allowed one run, two hits and one walk. Grae Kessinger went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs for the Astros.

Nats reliever Jake Irvin (0-1) was shelled for seven runs (six earned) on five hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. CJ Abrams opened the scoring with a solo homer in the first and an RBI single in the second to steer Washington to a 4-0 lead. The teams combined for 22 hits.

Pirates 12, Rays 8

Gilberto Celestino hit a grand slam and totaled five RBIs, Jared Triolo hit a three-run homer and host Pittsburgh outlasted Tampa Bay in Bradenton, Fla.

Bryan Reynolds hit his second homer of spring training in the bottom of the first after the Rays had opened a 3-0 lead. Mitch Keller (1-0) got the win despite allowing three runs on four hits and two walks in two innings. He struck out two.

Jose Siri had three RBIs on a sacrifice fly, a fielder's choice and a single for the Rays. Reliever Erasmo Ramirez (0-1) gave up Triolo's home run.

Orioles 3, Braves 1

Ryan O'Hearn's two-run double to cap a three-run third inning proved the difference for visiting Baltimore in a win over Atlanta in North Port, Fla.

O'Hearn finished 2-for-3 while Ryan Mountcastle had an RBI single and a run for the Orioles. Tyler Wells (1-0) yielded one hit over two scoreless innings as Baltimore's starter.

The Braves were held to six hits and scored their only run on Leury Garcia's fielder's choice grounder in the sixth. Starter Bryce Elder (0-1) was responsible for all three earned runs; he scattered four hits and three strikeouts over three innings.

Twins 5, Red Sox 3

Royce Lewis rocked a grand slam to left field to lift Minnesota past visiting Boston in Fort Myers, Fla.

Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito (0-1) allowed Edouard Julien's solo shot leading off the bottom of the first before loading the bases in the third. Lewis then took Jordan DiValerio yard on a 3-0 pitch, with Giolito finishing with four earned runs, two hits, three walks and a strikeout in 2 1/3 innings.

Twins reliever Louie Varland (1-0) struck out four with one walk over two scoreless, hitless innings. Romy Gonzalez homered for the Red Sox.

Cardinals 3, Mets 2

Dylan Carlson and Alec Burleson had RBI singles as host St. Louis edged New York in Jupiter, Fla.

Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore gave up just one run -- Mark Vientos' homer -- and scattered two hits and a walk over three innings. Burleson finished 2-for-3 while Jose Fermin went 3-for-3.

Tomas Nido hit an RBI single in the eighth for the Mets, but they drew no closer. Blade Tidwell (0-1) gave up all three Cardinals runs on four hits with four strikeouts over 1 2/3 frames.

Marlins 6, Phillies 6

Cam Gallagher launched a two-run homer in the eighth before David Dahl hit a game-tying solo shot in the ninth as Philadelphia pulled out a draw with visiting Miami in Clearwater, Fla.

Vidal Brujan hit two RBI singles and Jesus Sanchez added two hits and a run for the Marlins, who built a 6-3 lead in the seventh inning thanks to an RBI sacrifice fly and a run-scoring groundout.

The Marlins took Phillies starter Aaron Nola for four runs and seven hits over three innings. Miami starter Jesus Luzardo pitched three scoreless frames with two hits, a walk and two strikeouts.

Tigers 4, Phillies 2

Parker Meadows, Ryan Kreidler and Eddys Leonard each hit their first home runs of spring training as host Detroit beat Philadelphia's split squad in Lakeland, Fla.

Meadows put Detroit on the board in the bottom of the sixth with a solo shot and Kreidler hit the go-ahead, two-run homer two batters later. Leonard had his moment in the seventh. Tigers reliever Joey Wentz (1-0) scattered three hits and struck out one over two scoreless innings.

Nick Podkul and Carlos De La Cruz had the Phillies' RBIs. Reliever Ryan Burr (0-1) gave up the two sixth-inning homers.

Cubs 10, White Sox 6

Owen Caissie's three-run home run powered the host Chicago Cubs' rally in Mesa, Ariz.

The Cubs finished the game by scoring eight unanswered runs to get out of a four-run hole. Five of those runs came in the fifth inning, when Yan Gomes hit an RBI single, Miles Mastrobuoni had an sacrifice fly and Caissie homered off Cole Duensing (0-1). Gomes and Caissie finished 2-for-3 while Cubs reliever Javier Assad (1-1) survived giving up four runs and five hits in two innings.

Paul DeJong had two RBIs and a run and Nicky Lopez went 2-for-2 with an RBI double and two runs for the Chicago White Sox.

Royals 5, Athletics 4

Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. each hit their first homers of spring training to highlight Kansas City's win over Oakland in Surprise, Ariz.

Mar 1, 2024; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Wilson Contreras (40) throws to first base and retires New York Mets designated hitter Ji-Man Choi (not pictured) during the fourth inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Fitzgerald scored the walk-off run on a throwing error by Athletics pitcher Tyler Ferguson (0-1). That made a winner out of Royals reliever Steven Cruz (1-0), who blew the save in the top of the ninth by yielding two runs on three hits.

The A's trailed 4-0 when Max Muncy hit a two-run homer in the eighth. Tyler Soderstrom and Hoy Park had RBI doubles in the ninth off Cruz to tie the game.

Giants 11, Rangers 5

Luis Matos hit two of San Francisco's four home runs in the Giants' victory over visiting Texas at Scottsdale, Ariz.

J.D. Davis got the Giants on the board with a three-run homer, Nick Ahmed also went deep and Matos hit two solo shots. Giants starter Kyle Harrison (1-0) limited the Rangers to one run on one hit despite three walks over 2 1/3 innings. He struck out two.

Wyatt Langford and Cameron Cauley went yard for the Rangers while the game was out of reach. Starter Adrian Sampson (0-1) gave up Davis' three-run shot and three other hits over three innings, striking out two.

Angels 5, Padres (ss) 3

Logan O'Hoppe and Miguel Sano hit back-to-back home runs to lead off the sixth inning, lifting visiting Los Angeles past a San Diego split squad in Peoria, Ariz.

O'Hoppe's shot to left-center tied the game at 3, and Sano's bomb to left off Tom Cosgrove (1-1) put the Angels up for good. Willie Calhoun also went deep for the Angels, and reliever Kenny Rosenberg (1-1) scattered two hits and a strikeout over two scoreless innings.

Fernando Tatis Jr. had an RBI groundout and Tim Locastro went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run for the Padres.

Brewers 4, Padres (ss) 3

Brewer Hicklen hit the tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning for host Milwaukee to overcome San Diego's split squad in Phoenix.

Hicklen took Alek Jacob (0-1) to left-center with one out to put the Brewers up for good. Tobias Myers (1-0) recovered from blowing a save by fanning two over the final two innings.

Nathan Martorella had an RBI double and a run and Cal Mitchell went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple for the Padres.

Rockies 10, Mariners 9

Ryan McMahon and Bradley Zimmer homered for Colorado as it held off visiting Seattle in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Zimmer and Elehuris Montero each finished with two RBIs as the Rockies outhit the Mariners 16-10. Jaden Hill (1-0) yielded a solo home run to Josh Rojas during the sixth but picked up the win.

Rojas also had an RBI double and Matthew Scheffler added a two-run home run in the ninth for Seattle, but it could not finish the job despite escaping an early 4-0 hole. Ty Buttrey (0-1) gave up Michael Toglia's go-ahead double in the sixth.

Yankees 8, Blue Jays 4

Anthony Rizzo hit two home runs, including a grand slam that highlighted a six-run second inning, as New York doubled up visiting Toronto in Tampa, Fla.

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (1-0) gave up three runs and four hits in two innings, including Daniel Vogelbach's two-run homer in the first. Everson Pereira hit a two-run shot in the second, and Juan Soto also went deep for New York.

Toronto reliever Juan Nunez (0-1) was charged with four runs in just one-third of an inning, allowing one hit and issuing three walks. Davis Schneider went 2-for-3 with a solo shot.

Diamondbacks 12, Reds 8

Kyle Garlick hit a pair of homers and drove in three runs as Arizona outslugged host Cincinnati in Goodyear, Ariz.

Tim Tawa went 3-for-3 with a two-run homer and three runs scored, while reigning National League Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll went 3-for-3 with an RBI double for the Diamondbacks, who had 18 hits.

For Cincinnati, Blake Dunn finished 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run, while Michael Trautwein doubled in a pair as part of a 15-hit attack.

Dodgers 6, Guardians 4

Austin Gauthier ripped a go-ahead grand slam in a five-run eighth inning, lifting host Los Angeles over Cleveland in Phoenix.

Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-1 with an RBI single and two walks to back Tyler Glasnow in his sharp Dodgers debut. Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in the offseason, Glasnow allowed just one baserunner -- on a walk - over three scoreless innings while striking out five.

David Fry hit a two-run single to give the Guardians a 2-1 lead in the fifth, but reliever Tyler Zuber (0-1) gave up five hits, including the grand slam.

--Field Level Media

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