Ryan Howard went deep, Pat Burrell got a warm reception from Phillies fans and Philadelphia banged out 13 hits in an easy victory.
It was just like old times.
Howard hit his first home run of the spring, Burrell was cheered in his first game against Philadelphia and the Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays 12-5 Saturday in a rematch of last year’s World Series.
It was the defending world champions’ first victory of the spring after opening with three consecutive losses.
“We got Ruben Amaro his first win,” manager Charlie Manuel said of Philadelphia’s first-year general manager. “He won’t be able to buy dinner tonight, but we’ll get him.”
There were also familiar results for former Cy Young Award winners Barry Zito, Chris Carpenter and Roy Halladay, who were all terrific in their spring debuts.
drick in Clearwater, Fla.
“The fans were pretty amazing,” said Burrell, the No. 1 overall selection by the Phillies in the 1998 amateur draft. “It was a fun day. I was just thrilled to be on the field.”
Howard, hitless in his previous two spring games, launched the first pitch he saw from Mitch Talbot into the Phillies’ bullpen beyond the left-field fence in a five-run first inning.
At Jupiter, Fla., Carpenter needed only 19 pitches to throw two hitless innings in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 9-2 victory over the Washington Nationals.
It was Carpenter’s first appearance in a game since September. He was sidelined by injuries for most of the past two seasons.
“I’ve been in a lot of spring trainings, and spring training is a lot different than the regular season, but like I’ve said all along I’ve felt strong and I’ve felt good, and my stuff’s there,” Carpenter said. “Now I have just got to be able to continue to progress my arm strength and pitch count, and get ready to go.”
Zito’s debut in Peoria, Ariz., also was a smashing success.
The stronger, sleeker Zito looked like the dominant left-hander of years ago in San Francisco’s 6-4 loss to Seattle, freezing the Mariners with his familiar, bending curveball in two hitless innings.
ion, seven-year deal.
“I’m getting back to being myself again.”
Zito spent the winter working out twice a day, six days a week doing yoga, high-intensity karate and weight lifting. He even long-tossed – extremely long tosses of 200-plus feet across a canyon in Southern California.
“It’s a new year,” said Zito, who won the AL Cy Young Award in 2002 with Oakland.
At Dunedin, Fla., Halladay tossed two shutout innings but Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan failed to get through the third in Toronto’s 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
Halladay allowed two hits and struck out two.
“Doc looks like he’s ready to go, huh?” manager Cito Gaston said. “Outstanding. But any time he takes the mound he’s that way. He looks like he’s ready to open the season right now.”
Derek Lowe worked two innings in his Braves debut, allowing one run and five hits. He struck out three and walked none.
In other spring training games, it was:
Royals 2, Padres 2, 10 innings
At Surprise, Ariz., Brian Bannister retired all six San Diego batters he faced in his spring training debut.
Kansas City also shored up its bullpen, agreeing to a two-year contract with right-hander Juan Cruz that includes an option for 2011.
Twins 7, Yankees 3
At Tampa, Fla., Francisco Liriano allowed three runs – two earned – and four hits over two innings in his first spring start for Minnesota.
Alex Rodriguez, who went 0-for-1 with a sacrifice fly for New York, is scheduled to meet with Major League Baseball officials on Sunday to discuss his admission that he used performance-enhancing drugs from 2001-03 while with Texas.
Brewers 5, Angels 3
At Phoenix, Milwaukee’s Braden Looper was scratched from his Cactus League debut after feeling tightness in his left oblique muscle near the end of his bullpen warmup.
“I stepped off and thought it felt funny,” Looper said. “I thought about throwing a pitch and thought, ‘you know, it’s just not worth it.”’
Athletics 1, Indians 0
At Phoenix, Carl Pavano worked two perfect innings in his Cleveland debut.
Tigers 7, Mets 2
At Lakeland, Fla., Miguel Cabrera, Brandon Inge and Mike Hessman went deep for Detroit.
Orioles 4, Marlins 2
At Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Baltimore’s Jeremy Guthrie tossed three shutout innings in his only spring start before he joins the United States team for the World Baseball Classic.
Cubs 13, White Sox 0
At Mesa, Ariz., Aaron Heilman pitched two scoreless innings and Brad Snyder hit a grand slam during the Cubs’ nine-run seventh.
Pirates 6, Astros 5
At Kissimmee, Fla., Brandon Moss, Craig Monroe, Jeff Salazar and Robinzon Diaz homered for Pittsburgh.
Rangers 6, Diamondbacks 4
is first start for the Rangers, giving up two runs and two hits in two innings.
Dodgers 13, Rockies 5
At Tucson, Ariz., Matt Kemp hit a two-run homer as Los Angeles beat Colorado to drop the Rockies to 0-4.
Red Sox (ss) 14, Northeastern 0, 6 1/2 innings
At Fort Myers, Fla., Jed Lowrie hit a three-run triple, and Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis had RBI singles.
Add A Comment