Spring training roundup: TT Bowens steps into spotlight as O's clip Pirates

 

[March 04, 2024]  TT Bowens, who was signed by Baltimore as an undrafted free agent, clubbed a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to give the visiting Orioles a 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon in Bradenton, Fla.

Bowens attended Central Connecticut State University and was not selected in the 2020 draft, which was trimmed to five rounds due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He started playing pro ball in 2021, and his first hit of spring training was an important one on Sunday.

Colton Cowser had a solo home run for Baltimore, which trailed 2-1 following Abrahan Gutierrez's RBI single in the seventh.

Pittsburgh's Connor Joe opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with a run-scoring base hit. Ke'Bryan Hayes finished with two hits for the Pirates.

Bowens' heroics made a winner of southpaw Cade Povich (1-0), who allowed one run on four hits in two innings. Povich struck out three and didn't walk anyone.

Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 1

Host Boston was kept off the scoreboard for five innings, but it still managed to rally past Toronto in Fort Myers, Fla.

Masataka Yoshida broke the stalemate with a run-scoring single in the sixth, and Nathan Hickey and Dalton Guthrie added RBI singles in the eighth as the Red Sox won for the seventh time in 10 spring-training games.

Alejandro Kirk ripped a solo shot for the Blue Jays. Andrew Bash (1-1), who allowed the singles by Hickey and Guthrie, was tagged with the loss.

Twins 4, Rays 4

Manuel Margot had a sixth-inning sacrifice fly against his former team to prevent host Minnesota from falling to Tampa Bay in Fort Myers.

Margot was with the Rays from 2020-23. Max Kepler's two-run blast and Royce Lewis' RBI single allowed the Twins to take a 3-0 lead before Tampa Bay stormed back with a four-run sixth.

Eight Minnesota pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts.

Braves 3, Phillies 2

Orlando Arcia smacked a go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth inning to allow Atlanta to edge visiting Philadelphia in North Port, Fla.

Alec Bohm's RBI single helped the Phillies grab a 2-0 lead, but Forrest Wall halved the Braves' deficit with a run-scoring base hit of his own in the home half of the fourth.

Chris Sale got the start for Atlanta, giving up three hits in 2 2/3 innings of shutout ball. He walked two and fanned five.

Tigers 7, Yankees 2

Jace Jung ignited a four-run eighth with an RBI single, helping visiting Detroit cruise past New York in Tampa, Fla.

TJ Hopkins and Buddy Kennedy both walked with the bases loaded and Dillon Dingler had a sacrifice fly to complete the Tigers' late uprising. Righty Casey Mize (1-0) brought home the win with two innings of shutout relief.

Juan Soto had his third homer of spring training for the Yankees, who went just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Nestor Cortes started for New York, logging four innings. He surrendered one run on one hit, walking one and striking out three.

Astros 5, Mets 2 (6 innings)

Jake Meyers and Corey Julks each went 2-for-3 and Yainer Diaz hit a two-run homer as Houston dispatched host New York in a rain-shortened game in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Astros right-hander Jose Urquidy (1-0) scattered three hits across three scoreless innings. He struck out two without issuing a walk.

Zack Short and Ben Gamel had RBI doubles in the fifth for the Mets. Adrian Houser (0-1) gave up three runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings to take the loss.

Cubs 5, Guardians (ss) 3

Solo home runs from Miles Mastrobuoni and Kevin Alcantara and a two-run blast from David Bote lifted Chicago to a comeback win over visiting Cleveland in Mesa, Ariz.

Deyvison De Los Santos and Tyler Freeman had RBI singles as the Guardians built a 3-0 lead ahead of the Cubs' power surge.

Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks was knocked around for three runs and five hits in three innings. He walked one and struck out one.

Royals 7, Reds 3

Salvador Perez went 3-for-3 for host Kansas City, which downed Cincinnati in Surprise, Ariz.

The Royals did most of their damage in the third, when Bobby Witt Jr. cranked a solo home run and MJ Melendez and Nick Loftin later blasted two-run shots. Witt and Melendez left the yard facing right-hander Frankie Montas (0-1), who was shelled for four runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings.

Jose Barrero hit a solo shot and Will Benson had an RBI double for the Reds.

Dodgers 7, Rockies 4

Shohei Ohtani had an RBI triple and a two-run single to headline a 3-for-3 day at the plate, pushing Los Angeles past visiting Colorado in Glendale, Ariz.

Max Muncy homered and had a sacrifice fly for the Dodgers, who raced out to a 7-0 advantage. Gavin Stone improved to 2-0 by logging three shutout innings.

Rockies left-handed Austin Gomber (0-1) was touched up for five runs and seven hits in 1 1/3 innings. Drew Romo had an RBI double for Colorado.

Giants 6, Guardians (ss) 5

Ismael Munguia laced a go-ahead solo shot in the top of the ninth to give San Francisco a victory over host Cleveland's split squad in Goodyear, Ariz.

The Guardians tied it at 5-5 in the seventh when Alexfri Planez scored on Joe Lampe's groundout. Despite losing, Cleveland outhit the Giants 13-10.

LaMonte Wade Jr. set the tone early, giving San Francisco a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer in the first. Nick Ahmed also went deep for the Giants, ripping a solo shot.

Athletics 5, Rangers 2

JP Sears racked up seven strikeouts across just three innings as Oakland held visiting Texas in check in Mesa.

Sears (1-0) gave up just one hit. Hogan Harris shut down any chance of a Rangers comeback by fanning five across two innings to tally his first save of the spring.

Seth Brown homered and had three RBIs for the Athletics. Sandro Fabian and Travis Jankowski each had a run-scoring single for Texas.

Padres 12, Mariners 4

Tim Locastro went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and four others had two RBIs apiece in host San Diego's rout of Seattle in Peoria, Ariz.

Fernando Tatis Jr. was one of those four Padres to drive in a pair, as he smacked a two-run homer in the third. Yu Darvish (1-0) was the beneficiary of San Diego's offensive showcase. He allowed two runs on four hits while striking out six without a walk in 3 1/3 innings.

The Mariners struck first thanks to Cade Marlowe's two-run home run in the second, but the game quickly got away from them.

Angels 3, White Sox 1

Mickey Moniak broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh with a two-run homer as Los Angeles edged visiting Chicago in Tempe, Ariz.

After Zach Remillard tied things at 1 in the third, the White Sox were held to just two hits. Zach Plesac and Walbert Urena put the finishing touches on the victory, combining for four scoreless innings. Plesac (2-0) earned the win, and Urena notched a six-out save.

Nolan Schanuel drove in a run with a single for the Angels.

Brewers 10, Diamondbacks 4

Milwaukee overcame a rough start from Freddy Peralta by collecting 12 hits to sink host Arizona in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Peralta was dinged for three runs and five hits in three innings, but Willy Adames, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Arroyo and Jeferson Quero each had two RBIs to ensure that the Brewers came away with a win.

Bryce Jarvis (0-1) served up five runs on four hits in just two-thirds of an inning for the Diamondbacks, who got solo home runs from Gabriel Moreno and Andres Chaparro.

--Field Level Media

[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]
 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.