PIRATES 8, BLUE JAYS 7
DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Pedro Alvarez hit a three-run shot and Korean rookie Jung Ho Kang connected for his first major league home run, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday in the exhibition opener for both teams.
Alvarez's drive came in the first inning off Aaron Sanchez after Gregory Polanco singled and Starling Marte reached on an error by new Toronto third baseman Josh Donaldson.
Sanchez, a candidate for the starting rotation, yielded four hits, five runs -- two earned -- and walked one in 1 1/3 innings.
Alvarez added an RBI double in the fifth. The 2013 All-Star missed the final three weeks of last season with a stress fracture in his left foot and was left off Pittsburgh's postseason roster.
The Pirates bid $5 million for the rights to Kang, then signed him to a four-year $11 million contract. The shortstop hit 40 home runs in Korea last year.
RED SOX 2, NORTHEASTERN 1
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Clay Buchholz started with one perfect inning, Rick Porcello followed by retiring six consecutive batters and the Boston Red Sox beat Northeastern.
The game was tied after the scheduled seven innings, and the Red Sox won in the eighth on a throwing error. They played another exhibition against Boston College later in the day.
David Ortiz struck out in both of his at-bats for the Red Sox. Newcomer Pablo Sandoval also was 0 for 2 and while left fielder Hanley Ramirez got a hit.
Northeastern starter Aaron Civale struck out four in two innings. He fanned Ortiz and Ramirez to end the first and struck out Mike Napoli and Xander Bogaerts in the second.
REDS 10, INDIANS 0
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Brandon Phillips, Todd Frazier and Jay Bruce each had one of the Cincinnati Reds' six doubles in a victory over the Cleveland Indians, the spring opener for both teams.
Phillips doubled in his first at-bat off Cleveland starter Zach McAllister and scored on a single by Devin Mesoraco.
McAllister is trying to win a job as Cleveland's fifth starter, but the right-hander could also wind up in the bullpen. He made seven relief appearances last September and the Indians were pleased to see his velocity improve when he pitched late in games.
Jason Marquis, who is competing for one of two open spots in the Reds' starting rotation, struck out three and walked two in two scoreless innings.
Marlon Byrd drove in a run for the Reds, whose offense sputtered last year with the lack of a run producer in leftfield. The Reds traded for Byrd to fill the void.
ATHLETICS 9, GIANTS 4
MESA, Ariz. -- World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner was roughed up in his exhibition debut, and Marcus Semien hit a pair of home runs as the Oakland Athletics opened their new spring training home by beating the champion San Francisco Giants.
Bumgarner gave up four runs in 1 2/3 innings, allowing Semien's two-run shot in the first. The tall lefty was tagged for five hits and struck out two.
Bumgarner led the Giants to the title last October, giving up just one run in 21 innings against Kansas City.
A's newcomer Ben Zobrist tripled and doubled and Craig Gentry also had two hits for the A's. Billy Butler added an RBI sacrifice fly.
Adam Duvall homered and Casey McGehee also drove in a run for the Giants.
Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum also pitched for the Giants, allowing a run and one hit in one inning. He struck out two and threw a pair of wild pitches.
MARLINS 7, MIAMI HURRICANES 1
JUPITER, Fla. -- Miami Marlins left-hander Andrew McKirahan needed only 12 pitches to strike out all three batters he faced and help beat the University of Miami.
McKirahan, a Rule 5 acquisition from the Cubs, was one of nine pitchers for Miami. They combined on a six-hitter with one walk.
Slugger Giancarlo Stanton sat out, but the team went mostly with the lineup expected to open the season. Newcomer Martin Prado had a single and a walk, while most of the starters had only one plate appearance.
Marlins newcomer Dan Haren will start Thursday's spring training opener against the St. Louis Cardinals and likely throw two innings. Stanton, who signed a record $325 million, 13-year contract in the offseason, will start in right field.
YANKEES 5, PHILLIES 5
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Newly trim Ryan Howard singled in his first two at-bats of spring training, and the Philadelphia Phillies tied the New York Yankees in their spring training opener.
Trying to regain the form that made him one of the top hitters before he tore his left Achilles tendon injury during the 2011 playoffs, Howard hit an opposite-field single to left in the second inning and lined a single to right in the fourth.
Aaron Judge, a 2013 first-round draft pick, hit a tying, three-run home run for the Yankees on a 3-2 pitch with two outs in a four-run ninth off Mario Hollands.
TIGERS 15, ORIOLES 2
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Yoenis Cespedes hit a grand slam in his first game for Detroit, Ian Kinsler added a three-run home run and the Tigers routed the Baltimore Orioles in a spring training opener.
Cespedes connected in the fourth inning for an 11-0 lead. The Tigers got the slugger from Boston in an offseason trade.
Coming off a disappointing year, Baltimore starter Ubaldo Jimenez allowed six runs in 1 1/3 innings. He walked two, hit two batters and made a throwing error.
Four Detroit batters were hit by pitches. Third baseman Nick Castellanos was hit in the left hand and exited soon after that, but manager Brad Ausmus said he might play Wednesday.
Kyle Lobstein, vying for the final spot in the Tigers' rotation, allowed two hits in two shutout innings. He began last year at Class AAA before going 1-2 with a 4.35 ERA in six starts for Detroit at the end of the season.
DIAMONDBACKS 4, ARIZONA STATE 0
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Paul Goldschmidt singled in his first at-bat since breaking his left hand last August, and the Arizona Diamondbacks opened their spring training schedule with a victory over Arizona State.
Arizona's starting lineup featured several regulars, including Goldschmidt. The All-Star first baseman broke his hand when he was hit by a pitch last summer.
Goldschmidt, second baseman Aaron Hill and center fielder A.J. Pollock were each removed after one inning and one at-bat.
The Diamondbacks scored in the fifth when Danny Dorn hit a ground-rule double with the bases loaded to drive in Nick Ahmed and Ender Inciarte.
Ahmed, competing for a spot in the middle infield, played five innings. Inciarte, who played in 118 games last season with the Diamondbacks, replaced Pollock.
Ben Francisco had a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Sports on 03/04/2015