SAN ANTONIO — Jesus Guzman and George Springer hit consecutive home runs in the first inning, Jonathan Meyer had a grand slam in the fifth and the Houston Astros rolled to a 13-6 victory over the Texas Rangers in the
SAN ANTONIO — Jesus Guzman and George Springer hit consecutive home runs in the first inning, Jonathan Meyer had a grand slam in the fifth and the Houston Astros rolled to a 13-6 victory over the Texas Rangers in the Alamodome on Saturday.
SAN ANTONIO — Jesus Guzman and George Springer hit consecutive home runs in the first inning, Jonathan Meyer had a grand slam in the fifth and the Houston Astros rolled to a 13-6 victory over the Texas Rangers in the Alamodome on Saturday.
Nolan Fontana added a three-run shot in the seventh to help the Astros sweep two weekend games in the Alamodome, designed primarily for football and special events such as the NCAA Final Four. With an odd configuration for baseball, the building hosted Rangers spring training games for the second straight year.
Texas opens the regular season Monday afternoon at home against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Houston plays El Aguila de Veracruz in its exhibition finale Sunday before hosting the New York Yankees in the season opener Tuesday night.
Rockies 2, Mariners 1
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Chris Young tossed shutout ball in his Seattle debut Saturday, providing a much-needed pitching boost for the Mariners as they closed spring training with a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies.
With pitchers Hisashi Iwakuma, Taijuan Walker and Stephen Pryor all sidelined, the Mariners signed Young on Thursday after he was released by Washington. The 34-year-old right-hander allowed four hits, struck out two and issued no walks in 4 2-3 innings as he moves into a rotation spot.
Kyle Seager’s RBI single in the second was the lone run off Rockies starter Franklin Morales. He worked around five walks and three hits in 5 1-3 innings, a day after he was selected as the fifth starter.
Seattle newcomer Robinson Cano struck out and flied out before exiting in the third, finishing with a .412 spring average.
Brewers 7, Royals 2
MILWAUKEE — Marco Estrada pitched five scoreless innings and Jonathan Lucroy hit a two-run double, leading the Milwaukee Brewers past the Kansas City Royals 7-2 on Saturday.
The Royals managed only two hits off Estrada, who retired his last 10 batters. Estrada finished the spring by pitching 17 consecutive shutout innings.
Lucroy, who struggled at the plate this spring, connected off hard-throwing starter Yordano Ventura with two outs in the third.
Aramis Ramirez singled, doubled and drove in a run for the Brewers. Logan Schafer had three hits and two RBIs. Minor leaguer Michael Ratterree hit a solo home run in the seventh.
Kansas City scored two ninth-inning runs off reliever Francisco Rodriguez.
The Brewers finished the spring 13-18, while the Royals went 12-16-2.
Braves Future Stars 13, Braves 4
ROME, Ga. — Mike Minor retired all four batters he faced in his first game this spring, and the Atlanta Braves lost 13-4 to the Braves Future Stars in an exhibition game Saturday.
Minor will open the season on the 15-day disabled list as he recovers from tendinitis in his left shoulder. He said he felt good in his rain-shortened start against Atlanta prospects.
The Braves need a healthy Minor after losing starting pitchers Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy to season-ending elbow injuries.
General manager Frank Wren announced Saturday that reliever Cory Gearrin has a “significant” ligament injury in his right elbow. Wren said Gearrin will see Dr. James Andrews next week for a second opinion.
Former Braves manager Bobby Cox managed the Future Stars.
Orioles 4
Tides 3, 5½ inn.
NORFOLK, Va. — Matt Wieters hit a three-run homer and the Baltimore Orioles topped their Triple-A affiliate Norfolk Tides 4-3 in a rain-shortened spring training finale Saturday at Harbor Park.
The game was played in a persistent rain and was halted after five and a half innings following a 28-minute rain delay.
Wieters’ homer gave the Orioles a 3-0 lead and Ryan Flaherty added a RBI single in the third.
Nelson Cruz, who left Thursday’s game against Tampa Bay after getting hit in the helmet with a pitch, had a single and two walks in three plate appearances.
Orioles starter Suk-min Yoon went four innings, allowing two earned runs and four hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
Baltimore optioned right-hander Kevin Gausman, left-hander T.J. McFarland and infielder Jemile Weeks to the Tides.
Padres 9, Indians 8
SAN DIEGO — Seth Smith and Chase Headley homered, and Yonder Alonso hit a three-run double to lead the San Diego Padres to a 9-8 victory against the Cleveland Indians on Saturday at the University of San Diego’s Fowler Park.
The Padres will host the defending NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers in baseball’s North American opener at Petco Park tonight. The Indians open at Oakland on Monday night.
Padres starter Eric Stults held the Indians to one run and one hit in four innings.
Cleveland’s Danny Salazar, who will start the home opener Friday, allowed six runs — five earned — and seven hits with five strikeouts in five innings. He gave up Alonso’s bases-clearing double in the third and Headley’s opposite-field homer to left-center in the fifth.
Cleveland’s Matt Carson drove in five runs.
