Francisco Liriano and Joe Nathan combined to give the Minnesota Twins a double dose of good news Sunday.
Liriano struck out five in four perfect innings and Nathan retired all three batters he faced in the Twins’ 2-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Liriano opened the spring with a shaky start against the New York Yankees, allowing three runs – two earned – and four hits over two innings. But he followed with three scoreless innings against Pittsburgh and dominated against Baltimore.
“Each time, it gets better,” said Liriano, who combined with five relievers for a one-hitter. “All my pitches were working today.”
Liriano was followed by Nathan, who withdrew from the World Baseball Classic with a sore shoulder. Nathan, who hadn’t pitched since Feb. 25 and rarely takes the mound in spring road games, threw a perfect fifth inning.
“No discomfort at all,” Nathan said in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “More important – I didn’t think about it all.”
ew York Yankees.
Burnett threw two scoreless innings in his spring debut, leading New York to a 12-3 win over the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland, Fla.
“It was nice to get out there and face some hitters,” Burnett said.
Burnett’s sharp outing came on the same day New York announced Alex Rodriguez will have arthroscopic hip surgery Monday and is expected to miss six to nine weeks. The slugger will need another, more extensive operation after the season.
At Tucson, Ariz., Todd Helton played in his first spring game following offseason back surgery and hit a 450-foot, two-run homer in the first inning of the Colorado Rockies’ 4-2 win over the San Diego Padres.
“It’s just one at-bat,” Helton said. “Don’t get me wrong, it is a lot better than a groundout to second base.”
In other news:
-Milwaukee released reliever Eric Gagne, who will rehab his sore shoulder in Tempe, Ariz., at a private facility. Gagne was in Brewers camp on a minor league contract.
-Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein declined comment when asked about a Yahoo.com report that left-hander Jon Lester had agreed to a $30 million, five-year extension.
Marlins 9, Cardinals 8
At Jupiter, Fla., the Marlins scored five unearned runs off six errors by St. Louis, and Ricky Nolasco breezed through four innings.
Nationals 8, Mets (ss) 3
double for Washington. Mets starter Livan Hernandez allowed a run and four hits in three innings.
Mets (ss) 18, Michigan 7
At Port St. Lucie, Fla., Freddy Garcia strengthened his case for the fifth spot in New York’s rotation while Tim Redding faltered. Garcia tossed two scoreless innings, but Redding got just one out and was charged with five runs and five hits.
Braves 7, Phillies 2
At Kissimmee, Fla., Joe Blanton pitched four solid innings for Philadelphia before retreating to the bullpen to get in some more work.
Pirates 11, Astros 4
At Bradenton, Fla., Brandon Backe threw two scoreless innings for Houston before leaving with a strained side muscle. He sustained the same injury in 2005 while warming up in the bullpen and it took about a month to heal.
Reds 6, Blue Jays 5, 10 innings
At Sarasota, Fla., Micah Owings pitched four scoreless innings, aiding his bid to become Cincinnati’s fifth starter. Scott Rolen doubled and hit his first spring homer off Reds closer Francisco Cordero.
Red Sox 8, Rays 2
At Fort Myers, Fla., Justin Masterson struck out three in three shutout innings for Boston. Jonathan Papelbon fanned three in a scoreless fourth, but allowed two hits.
Angels 8, Giants (ss) 1
ntana when the season starts. On Saturday, the Angels announced Santana has inflammation in his elbow. He might not be ready for opening day.
San Francisco (ss) 10, Oakland (ss) 1
At Scottsdale, Ariz., Bengie Molina homered off Oakland starter Dana Eveland. Giants lefty Randy Johnson pitched 3 1-3 scoreless innings, leaving after 53 pitches. He gave up three singles and walked two.
Athletics (ss) 8, Indians 5
At Phoenix, outfielder Grady Sizemore, recovering from a strained left groin, returned to the lineup for the first time since Feb. 26 and went 0-for-1 with a walk as Cleveland’s designated hitter.
Travis Hafner, playing in his second game since shoulder surgery, took over for Sizemore and had an RBI double, his first hit and RBI of the spring.
Rangers 7, Cubs 2
At Mesa, Ariz., fifth-starter candidate Sean Marshall threw four scoreless innings against Texas’ everyday lineup. Chicago has lost six straight and eight of nine.
White Sox 9, Dodgers 4
At Phoenix, Gordon Beckham, the No. 8 pick in last year’s draft, made his second start of the spring at second base and smacked three doubles for the White Sox. Gavin Floyd turned in a sharp outing, throwing four hitless innings.
Mariners 11, Diamondbacks 7
added a three-run shot.
Royals 7, Brewers 1
At Surprise, Ariz., Yovani Gallardo failed to get out of the first inning, retiring only two of his 10 batters against Kansas City. He allowed seven runs – five earned – and four hits with three walks.
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