Thursday, March 31, 2011

Baldwin resurfaces

Former BlueClaw Andrew Baldwin, after several seasons in the Seattle organization, has been in camp with Minnesota and Wednesday night at Turner Field in Atlanta, Baldwin threw a 1-2-3 9th inning for the Twins, notching a save in Minnesota's 2-0 win over the Braves. It remains to be seen whether he will be released or assigned to AAA Rochester.

15 former 'Claws on major league rosters for opening day

HomeSiders on Phillies opening day roster- Bastardo, Hamels, Kendrick, Ruiz and Howard............. other teams- Taylor Buchholz with Mets........... Matt Maloney with Reds......... Jason Jaramillo with Pirates........... Michael Bourn and J.A. Happ with Astros......... Kyle Drabek with Blue Jays........... Gavin Floyd with White Sox............ Carlos Carrasco and Lou Marson with Indians.......... Robinson Tejeda with Royals

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Drabek, Carrasco both sharp in final tune up

Both Kyle Drabek and Carlos Carrasco pitched well Monday in their final spring training game before their 2011 debuts, which will both take place on Saturday. Drabek gave up just 1 run on 5 hits, NO walks, with 5 strike outs over 5 innings against the Red Sox, while Carrasco went 6 strong, giving up only 1 run on 3 hits, NO walks, and 5 strike outs against the Cubs. In the Phillies game, Mike Cisco threw a scoreless inning and Ebelin Lugo gave up 3 runs in a shaky ninth inning performance. Michael Bourn had a hit and 2 walks, scoring a run for the Astros in Philadelphia's 7-6 win.......... Robinson Tejeda also threw 2 scoreless innings for the Royals, as K.C topped Milwaukee, 10-0.

axe falls

Several minor leaguers were released yesterday, among them HomeSiders Justin Beal, Matt McConnell, Adam Buschini, Heitor Correa, Mike Bolsonbroek and Eric Massingham. I will keep my eyes open to see if one or more of them catches on with anyone else.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Carrasco in rotation

Carlos Carrasco will start the season #2 in the Indians rotation. Fausto Carmona will start the opener for the Tribe on Friday and Carlos will go on Saturday against the White Sox. The Sox have not released their starters after Mark Beuhrle, who will make his 9th straight opening day start for Chicago, but odds are Gavin Floyd will start one for the Sox......The Blue Jays have announced their rotation, and Kyle Drabek will pitch Saturday for Toronto against Minnesota......Cole Hamels will not pitch in the Houston series, but will get the first game against the Mets........The Astros have not announced yet, but Jay Happ figures to be one of their starters and could pitch against the Phillies right out of the gate......Tuffy Gosewisch was reassigned to minor league camp as the Phillies continue to trim their roster for opening day. I would guess Tuffy goes to Lehigh Valley this year, but I have been wrong in the past, so let's see.......B.J. Rosenberg threw 2 innings for the Phillies in their 6-1 win over the Braves Sunday, and Jordan Ellis fought off a hit and 2 walks, using 2 strike outs to retire the Braves without a run in the 9th.......Ryan Howard was 2 for 3, including his 5th home run of the spring.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

'Claws prominent in Phillies game

In Clearwater on Saturday, a number of former BlueClaws got into the Phillies' 7-6 loss to the Jays. Kyle Kendrick started and threw 4.1 inning, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, NO walks, and struck out 2. Mike Stutes threw a scoreless frame, striking out 2 and Chance Chapman came in for the 9th and surrendered the winning run. Besides Ryan Howard (1 for 3) and Carlos Ruiz (2-run HR, bases loaded walk), former 'Claws Darrin Ruf (0 for 2), Tim Kennelly (0 for 1) and Travis Mattair also got game action. "Moose" got a big 2-RBI hit in the 3-run rally in the bottom of the 8th inning to tie up the game. The other part of the team went to Lakeland and dropped a 3-1 decision to the Tigers. Antonio Bastardo (who appears to have made the team with the optioning of Mike Zagurski) recorded 5 outs, allowing 2 hits and a walk, picking up 2 Ks, and Tuffy Gosewisch caught the 8th inning, but did not get an at bat. In Tampa, Jason Jaramillo had an RBI double in 4 at bats for Pittsburgh in the Yankees 4-2 win over the Pirates. With John Russell out as Pirate's manager, "J.J." has had to prove himself to a new staff and is hitting .429 with 7 RBI.

Mathieson, Zagurski sent down

The Phillies have optioned Scott Mathieson and Mike Zagurski to minor league camp where I believe both will start the season at AAA Lehigh Valley.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Friday's highlights

In what looks to be a typical Phillies game for this year, the Phils beat the Braves, 3-1 Friday. Look for well pitched, low scoring contests that keep the team in every game. Ryan Howard had an RBI triple and a walk in 3 at bats.

Jason Jaramillo was 0 for 1 in his only at bat for the Pirates in Pittsburgh's 9-5 loss to the Rays.....Michael Bourn was 1 for 4 and scored a run (he also made a throwing error) in the Astros' 6-4 loss to the Yankees........Anthony Gose was 1 for 5, scored a run and stole his 9th base of the spring as the Blue Jays beat the Red Sox, 11-8..........Gavin Floyd was strong, throwing 7 innings, allowing just 3 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk, striking out 3, to lead the White Sox to a 7-3 win over the Diamondbacks.....Robinson Tejeda threw a 1-2-3 inning for the Royals, as Kansas City beat the Giants, 15-3........Matt Maloney had his roughest outing of the spring, surrendering 3 runs on 6 hits in just 2 innings against the Padres..... Lou Marson's difficult spring continues, another 0 for 3 and Lou is hitting just .143 for the Indians, and may head back to Columbus if this keeps up.

Major cuts will be happening in minor league camps this weekend with the calender approaching April. I will try to find out all about it.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Moose goes deep

A big day for some minor leaguers as Freddy Galvis and Michael Dabbs each had 3-hit games on Wednesday. Galvis had a single, a double, a triple, scored 3 runs and drove one in, and is hitting .381 since being reassigned! Sebastian Valle had a big home run, the only run of the AAA game as the Phillies won a squeaker, 1-0. Mike Stutes threw 2 scoreless innings in that one.

Austin Hyatt, Edgar Garcia, Joe Esposito, and B.J. Rosenberg combined to win the AA game, Phillies taking that one 13-2. Korby Mintkin had 2 hits and a walk, scoring 2 runs. Other notable multi-hit games by Travis Mattair (home run), Darrin Ruf and Aaron Altherr.

Jay Happ won his 3rd game of the spring as Houston beat Pittsburgh 10-6. Happ gave up 5 runs over 6 innings and was the beneficiary of the offensive explosion by his side.....Scott Mathieson (2.00) and Antonio Bastardo (1.38) both threw shut out innings for the Philllies in the Ray's 4-1 win. Ryan Howard was 0 for 3, as the Phils only registered 6 hits.......Greg Golson had single and scored a run in his only plate appearance for the Yankees Wednesday, contributing to New York's 5-3 win over the Blue Jays...........Matt Maloney threw a shut out inning for the Reds in their 10-7 loss to the Padres.......The Royals slapped around Carlos Carrasco for 6 runs on 9 hits (2 HR) and 2 walks, in just 4.1 innings of work. Carlos seems to be behind schedule, his recent form not very impressive. Lou Marson was 0 for 3 in the game for Cleveland in an exciting game which the Indians won, 8-7.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

found another one...

I came across another HomeSider on the Internet yesterday; Will Savage, a member of the 2006 championship team is in Dodger's camp so I will add him to my watch list to see where he ends up.

There was a minimum of HomeSiders in action Tuesday in major league games as most have been reassigned by now, but there are a few notes. Michael Bourn was 1 for 4 and drove in the Astros only run in Houston's 3-1 loss to the Nats....... Greg Golson, who has sat out a few weeks with an oblique strain, played yesterday for the Yankees and had 1 hit in 2 at bats in New York's 6-2 loss to Baltimore........Taylor Buchholz scoreless streak this spring has reached 12 innings, as the original BlueClaw threw another frame in the Mets 7-4 win over the Tigers.........Kyle Kendrick threw a shut out inning in relief of Cliff Lee in the Phillies' 5-4 win over the Jays. Ryan Howard (.294) was 1 for 3 and scored a run, and Carlos Ruiz (.129) was 1 for 2, also scoring a run.

On the back fields Tuesday, Zack Collier had 3 RBI and Aaron Altheer (probable 2011 Lakewood starter), Steve Susdorf and Brian Gump all had 3-hit games as the Phillies squads took 3 win and a draw. Cesar Hernandez and Harold Garcia each had 2 knocks while Francisco Diaz. Leandro Castro and Jeremy Barnes all hit home runs. Barnes also went deep TWICE on Monday. On the mound, Jarred Cosart, Chris Kissock, Ebelin Lugo, Jacob Diekman, Vance Worley and Justin De Fratus all worked in various games.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Doc steady

The Phillies beat the Red Sox 4-1 Monday in Clearwater behind strong pitching from Roy Halladay who pitched 7.2 innings and appears ready for opening day. Ryan Howard was 1 for 1 and scored a run for Philadelphia.....Michael Bourn was 2 for 3 and scored the only run for Houston in the Astros' 9-1 loss to the Tigers. The Astros also announced that Sergio Escalona has been optioned to AAA Oklahoma City.....Jason Jaramillo was 1 for 2 and drove in the Pirate's only run in their 4-1 loss to the Twins.........6 of the 8 games in Arizona were rained out on Monday.

In minor league camp on Sunday, Julio Rodriguez, Tyler Cloyd and Mike Stutes were the most impressive pitchers in an 0-4 day for the minor league teams. Jeremy Slayden is back in camp for the Phillies after taking a year off and he had 3 hits on Sunday in the AA game. Domingo Santana, Adam Buschini and Freddy Galvis had 2 hits each in various games.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Bastardo, Zagurski continue their battle

The Yankees pounded the Phillies 8-1 in the final contest between the 2 teams this spring. Ryan Howard had a double in 3 at bats, and Carlos Ruiz was 0 for 3. Both Antonio Bastardo and Mike Zagurski pitched. Bastardo (1 run, 2 hits, 1.59) relieved Joe Blanton in the 6th and recording the final 2 outs of the inning, and Zaguski (2 UNearned runs, 2 hits, 2K, 1.13) tossed the 9th. The Phillies also announced the signing of Luis Castillo, who was released by the Mets earlier this week, as insurance against Chase Utley's availability for the opening day. Utley's knee has been slow top respond to treatment in his attempt to avoid surgery.

Taylor Buchholz pitched on back to back days for the Mets for the second time this spring and tossed another 1-2-3 inning (make it 11 zeros in a row) in the Mets 5-0 loss to Florida......The Astros beat the Pirates 3-1 in Kissimmee, Michael Bourn (0 for 3) playing for the first time this week for Houston. Sergio Escalona threw another scoreless inning for the Astros, and after a shaky beginning has settled into this spring. Jason Jaramillo was 0 for 1 for the Pirates.......Lou Marson was 0 for 1 in the Indians' 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks split squad, with the other half of the team topping the A's, 4-2. Michael Taylor was 0 for 4 (3 Ks) and is not taking advantage of his opportunity to make this team, hitting just .175. More bad news out of Athletic's camp, as Josh Outman was optioned to AAA Sacramento. If Taylor does not pick up his pace, he will join Outman and Adrian Cardenas on Sacramento's roster..... The Reds beat the Brewers, 9-8 with Darren Byrd allowing the winning run on a home run by Chris Heisey in his first inning of work this spring in major league camp.....Gavin Floyd started for the White Sox in their 9-7 loss to the Dodgers. Floyd went 6 inning, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits, NO walks, striking out 4......Robinson Tejeda recorded the final 5 outs for Kansas City in their 5-2 loss to Texas. Robinson allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, NO walks, and picked up 2 strike outs.

The 2010 BlueClaws received their championship rings before the Phillies' game in Clearwater yesterday, some good pictures on the Blueclaws blog!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

good pitching on the farm

Good pitching for the most part in minor league camp on Saturday with Jesse Biddle, Trevor May, Josh Zeid, Mike Cisco, Drew Naylor and Justin De Fratus all looking strong in various games. Two hit games for Zack Collier (A game), Jim Murphy (high A), and Torre Langley (AA).

On the major league front, Cole Hamels struggled through 3.2 innings of work against the Orioles, allowing 5 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks, striking out 5. Scott Mathieson continued his impressive spring with another 1-2-3 inning of work. Tuffy Gosewisch (still in camp) was 0 for 1 as a replacement......Jason Jaramillo (.526) was 1 for 2 and scored a run for the Pirates in Pittsburgh's 7-5 win over Boston in Bradenton.....Taylor Buchholz threw another scoreless inning against the Braves (that's 10 if you are counting, and I am) to keep his perfect spring going for the Mets and R.J. Swindel tossed another goose egg for the Rays in their 9-2 loss to the Twins...........The Blue Jays and Yankees played to a 5-5 tie, Anthony Gose playing the whole game in center filed for the Jays. He was 0 for 4.

If you are wondering about Michael Bourn, he has been under the weather and sidelined this week for Houston.

Out in Arizona, the Athletics topped the White Sox, 8-3. Michael Taylor entered the game as a pinch runner and scored a run for Oakland. The Brewers and Dodgers ended in a 6-6 tie, Zack Segovia throwing a scoreless inning for Milwaukee.

Phillies v Yankees today on CSN, if you can pull yourself away from March Madness!!

Donald sidelined

A CT scan has revealed a slight crack in Jason Donald's left hand, previously not seen on x-ray. Jason was hit in the hand by a pitch by Gavin Floyd about a week ago, and will miss the beginning of the season for the Indians.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Monte reassigned

Carlos Monasterios optioned by Dodgers to AAA Albuquerque, where he will get regular starts for the Isotopes.

Tuffy's walkoff gives Phils come-from-behind win

Tuffy Gosewisch drove in 2 runs with a 2-out single in the bottom of the 9th, to give the Phillies a 3-2 win against the Pirates. Tuffy, another HomeSider who has made some noise this spring, is hitting .444 and is getting a long look this year. Could he be 1 injury away from making the squad? Ryan Howard added 2 hits in the game, including a double and Carlos Ruiz' struggles continue, he was 0 for 3.

In Jupiter, Michael Bourn had a double, a triple, drove in 2 and scored a run to lead the Astros to a 9-2 win over the Marlins. Jay Happ started and picked up the win, throwing 5 innings and allowing 4 hits and 4 walks (too high), striking out 1 and giving up just 1 UNearned run......In Dunedin, Anthony Gose got into the Jay's 6-5 win over the Yankees, going 0 for 1.

In Goodyear, Carlos Carrasco struggled through 4.1 innings against the Rangers, allowing 5 runs on 7 hits (including 2 home runs) and 2 walks, striking out 5. Lou Marson had an RBI hit and scored a run for the Tribe, who prevailed 12-6.......In Glendale, the White Sox throttled the Athletics, 18-1. Considering that score, Josh Outman did OK. Outman went 3.1 innings and gave up 2 runs on 5 hits, NO walks and struck out 2. Michael Taylor was 0 for 2 in the game and I failed to mention earlier this week that Adrian Cardenas was assigned to AAA Sacramento......In Mesa, Matt Maloney gave up 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks in 2 innings of work for the Reds, in Cincinnati's 14-13(!) win over the Cubs.

I also noticed 2007 BlueClaw Darren Byrd was in minor league camp with the Brewers and then was called up on Wednesday when the Brewers had a few split squad games coming up. So far, I don't think he has pitched in a major league game.

3 more HomeSiders reassigned

On Friday, Phillies assigned Vance Worley and Mike Stutes to Lehigh Valley and Freddy Galvis to Reading.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Galvis goes deep

The minor league games have started in Florida, but don't tell Freddy Galvis. The former BlueClaw is still hanging around major league camp, spelling Jimmy Rollins almost daily. On Thursday, Galvis belted a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 9th of the Phillies 7-6 loss to the Blue Jays. Ryan Howard (0 for 3), Carlos Ruiz (walk in 3 at bats) and Tuffy Gosewisch (0 for 1) also saw action for the Phils. Kyle Kendrick put in 3 innings of work, gave up 2 runs (1 earned) on 7 hits, NO walks and struck out 1. Antonio Bastardo and Mike Zagurski both threw a shut out frame; Z-Man picking up 3 Ks, and Bastardo working out of trouble, and remain in a very close competition. Anthony Gose came into the game as a pinch runner in the 8th inning and scored what turned out to be the winning run for Toronto!

In Bradenton, Jason Jaramillo had a single, a walk, and an RBI in 3 plate appearances for Pittsburgh in the Pirate's 13-3 loss to the Orioles. Mike Dubee came in to record 2 outs for the Pirates, allowing 1 of 2 inherited runners to score.

Out in Phoenix, Zack Segovia threw a scoreless inning for Milwaukee in the Brewer's 4-0 win over the White Sox, and Gio Gonzalez went 6 innings for Oakland in their 6-5 win over the Cubs. Gio gave up just 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6 Cubs to lower his spring ERA to 1.76.............In Goodyear, Lou Marson had an RBI hit in his only at bat for the Indians, busting up a shut out in the 9th inning of the Indians' 5-1 loss to the Reds.


Back field highlights include 2 hits for Troy Hanzawa in the AAA game, Brian Gump with 2 hits in the High-A game, and Anthony Hewitt going deep in the Low-A game.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Wednesday hi-lights

The Phillies did not play a major league game Wednesday, so Roy Halladay threw in the AAA game. Tim Kennelly homered in that game, Matt Rizzotti had 2 hits and 2 RBI and Sebastian Valle added a hit and an RBI. In the AA game, Justin De Fratus and Jacob Diekman threw 2 scoreless frames each and Mike Dabbs picked up 2 hits.

In the "high A" game, the Phillies managed just 5 hits, but Jiwan James, Jeremy Barnes and Brian Gump had 3 of them. Brody Colvin and Julio Rodriguez threw 2 innings each.

Over in Bradenton, Kyle Drabek threw 5 innings for the Blue Jays in their 5-3 win over the Pirates. Kyle allowed 2 runs on 7 hits and a walk, struck out 2 and picked up his second spring win. Anthony Gose got into the game as a pinch runner and stole his 8th base in major league spring games!! Lakewood's all time steal leader, Gose is ready for another high energy season..... R.J. Swindel gave up a run on 2 hits for the Rays against the Marlins in Tampa's 6-3 win and Taylor Buchholz threw another shut out frame for the Mets in their 4-3 loss to Minnesota. Buchholz is still unscored upon this spring, and looking like he did a few years ago with Colorado.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

catching up....

On Monday, the Phillies beat the Astros 7-6 in Kissimmee. Cole Hamels started and was hit up for 5 runs on 7 hits (3 home runs) and a walk, striking out 4, be fore yielding to Scott Mathieson. Scott recorded the next 4 outs, allowing just 1 hit, striking out 2. Antonio Bastardo continued his perfect spring with another scoreless inning and Tyson Brummett came in to record the final 2 outs and the save. Ryan Howard was 1 for 3, an RBI single, Freddy Galvis had a sacrifice bunt in 2 at bats, and Carlos Ruiz had a walk and scored a run.

Jason Jaramillo had a single and a double, and drove in a run for the Pirates in their 8-2 pounding of the Orioles.......Michael Taylor struck out in his only at bat for Oakland and Lou Marson was 0 for 2 for Cleveland in the Indians' 9-8 win over the Athletics.

On Tuesday, R.J. Swindel threw another scoreless frame (1 hit, 1 K) for the Rays in Tampa's 11-2 win over the Marlins.... Sergio Escalona did not fare so well, giving up 4 runs on 4 hits and a walk in his inning of work for the Astros against Baltimore. Houston won anyway, 14-8. Escalona's ERA this spring has ballooned to 11.57. Yikes!!

The Phillies outscored the Jays 13-7 in Dunedin. Anthony Gose dove in 2 runs with a triple off of J.C. Romero and scored a third run himself for the Jays against his former mates. Travis d'Arnaud walked in his only plate appearance. Ryan Howard drove in his 10th run of the spring with a double in 3 at bats, Carlos Ruiz was 1 for 3, and Freddy Galvis walked and scored a run in 2 plate appearances for the Phillies. For the first time this spring, no HomeSiders took the mound for Philadelphia!

On the back fields in the Carpenter complex on Monday, Josh Zeid started and threw 2 scoreless inning with the AA team in a 12-3 win over Toronto. Trevor May also threw 2 shut out frames, and Steve Susdorf, Fidel Hernandez and Darrin Ruf had 2 hits each. Joe Savery, now a full time hitter pounded 3 hits including a double and drove in 3 runs. Savery is another guy who skipped over Lakewood and has earned himself coverage in this space. In another note, Travis "Moose" Mattair returned after taking a year off, played shortstop, and was 0 for 2. Welcome back, Moose!! In the AAA game, Drew Naylor started and went 3 innings, allowing a couple of runs and Mike Cisco went 2 frames and was charged with 3 UNearned runs. Sebatian Valle had double in this game.

Nick Hernandez, Jonathan Pettibone, and Colby Shreve all pitched in the "high A" game, while Jim Murphy, D'Arby Myers and Jeremy Barnes all had 2 hits. Jonathan Singleton was 0 for 4 as the DH. Phillies first round pick and probable BlueClaw Jesse Biddle threw 2 shut out innings and Zack Collier had a hit and 2 walks and Domingo Santana added 2 hits as the Phillies minor leaguers were a perfect 4-0 to open the preseaon.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

I will be away from the computer on Tuesday.....will catch up tomorrow......

Monday, March 14, 2011

Stutes, Kissock lead Phillies to win

HomeSiders threw 4 more shutout innings for the Phillies on Sunday, as Mike Stutes started the 6-3 win over the Twins in Fort Myers, and Chris Kissock recorded the save. Stutes was very sharp, allowing just 1 walk (1K) in 3 innings and lowering his spring ERA to 1.00. Kissock allowed a hit and a walk in his scoreless 9th. Tuffy Gosewisch picked up another hit, (he is 3 for 6) and Freddy Galvis played another entire game at shortstop, picking up a bunt single and scoring a run in the Phillies' 6-run 5th inning.

In Bradenton, and on national TV, Jason Jaramillo had a double and scored a run for Pittsburgh, as the Pirates beat the Red Sox, 9-4. "J.J." is having a good spring, hitting .500 for the Bucs...... In Lake Buena Vista, Michael Bourn took an 0 for 3 for Houston, as the Braves beat the Astros split squad, 7-1. The other half of the Astros went to Lakeland and defeated the Tigers, 3-1. Sergio Escalona tossed a scoreless inning (1 hit), and recorded a "hold" for Houston.....In Dunedin, the Jays topped the Rays, 9-3 and Anthony Gose had a single in his only at bat for Toronto, raising his spring average to .316..... In Port St. Lucie, Taylor Buchholz tossed 2 more scoreless frame for the Mets in New York's 13-3 thrashing of the Cardinals. Taylor allowed 1 hit, NO walks, and struck out 3 and, at this point, with 8 shut out innings, is looking like a favorite to win a spot in the Mets' bullpen.

Out in Peoria, Carlos Carrasco had a second consecutive rough outing for the Indians, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 2 in 3 innings of work and was tagged with the loss in Cleveland's 7-2 defeat by the Padres. Lou Marson was 0 for 1 for the Indians.....In Phoenix, Robinson Tejeda tossed another scoreless inning for Kansas City in the Royal's 7-5 loss to Milwaukee.....Over in Mesa, Carlos Monasterios had a bounce back effort for the Dodgers, throwing 2 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits, NO walks, striking out 2 in the Dodger's 4-3 loss to the Cubs. One very encouraging thing about Monasterios' spring performances is that he is throwing strikes, and I think he will go to Albuquerque to start the season in the Isotopes' rotation.

Minor league games begin today and if anybody is at any camp in Florida or Arizona and witness some of our boys in a "back field" game, please let me know what you have seen, as reports are sketchy.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Worley impressive in win

With minor league preseason games ready to begin on Monday, 19 HomeSiders saw action in major league games yesterday.

The Phillies played 2 games on Saturday and we start with the 6-2 loss to the Rays in Clearwater. Kyle Kendrick started and took the loss, giving up 5 runs on 5 hits over 4 innings. Kyle gave up 3 home runs to left handed hitters, 2 of them on sinkers that did not sink. He did not walk a hitter and struck out 3. Carlos Ruiz struck out in all 3 of his at bats, Jim Murphy started at first and took an 0 for 3, while Tim Kennelly relieved Placido Polanco at third base, and doubled in a run in his only at bat. Mike Spidale also got into the game late, striking out in his only plate appearance. R.J. Swindel threw a 1-2-3 9th inning for Tampa, striking out 1.

The other half of the team went down to Bradenton to defeat the Pirates, 11-4. Vance Worley, who may be in competition with Kendrick for the "long man" job in the Phillies pen, started and picked up the win. Vance went 3.1 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5 before being relieved by Scott Mathieson. Scott recorded the next 5 outs, giving up just 1 walk. Mike Zagurski then came on for 2 shut out frames, retiring all 6 hitters he faced. Freddy Galvis played shortstop (0 for 5) for the whole game, Ryan Howard had a walk and scored a run and Tuffy Gosewisch had a single in 2 at bats and also scored a run. Jason Jaramillo had a walk and a single in 2 plate appearances for Pittsburgh.

In Kissimmee, the Orioles defeated the Astros and Jay Happ, 6-4. Happ started and went 4 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks (1 K), and Michael Bourn was 1 for 3 for Houston.....In Lakeland, the Tigers edged the Jays, 4-3. Anthony Gose had a single and a double, knocking in a run. He was also caught stealing. Travis d'Arnaud's tough spring continued. With an 0 for 2 Saturday, Travis is hitless in 8 at bats this spring in big league camp......Out in Peoria, Adrian Cardenas got into Oakland's 10-2 loss to the Mariners, striking out in his only at bat..... In Goodyear, Matt Maloney gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk, striking out 2 in 2 innings of work against the Cubs in the Reds' 9-8 win.

On Sunday afternoon, the Phillies (my17), Mets (PIX11) and Yankees (YES) are all televised at 1:00, but if you are not in this area, MLBN has Boston v Pittsburgh (and 2 more games later in the day).

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Drabek gets win vs Yanks

In Dunedin on Friday, Kyle Drabek threw 4 good innings against Yankees. It was a split squad with only 2 regulars in the New York line-up, but Kyle was solid. He allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits and NO walks, striking out 4 in the Jays 10-3 win.

The Phillies throttled the Orioles, 13-6 with Ryan Howard belting his 4th home run of the spring. "Ryno" drove in 3 runs altogether. He was replaced by Jim Murphy, who made his maiden appearance in a Phillies game. Jim was 0 for 2 and scored a run. Freddy Galvis had a single in 2 at bats and also scored a run. Antonio Bastardo threw 2 more shut out innings, allowing just 2 walks, striking out 3. Antonio has not been scored on yet this spring, and so far the battle for the second left-hander spot (behind JC Romero) in Philadelphia's bullpen between Bastardo and Mike Zagurski is indeed very close, with both HomeSiders pitching very well. With 3 weeks to go before the season, if they both continue to pitch like this, will the Phillies take BOTH of them?

The Red Sox beat the Astros 9-3 in Kissimmee on Friday. Michael Bourn was 1 for 4, an RBI double and scored a run for Houston. Brett Myers started and was hit hard by the Sox.

The other day I mentioned Yohan Flande, who jumped over Lakewood in his progression up the system. Another guy who I kind of adopted was Gio Gonzalez, who was traded from Philadelphia with Gavin Floyd to the White Sox, and has since found himself in the Athletics's starting rotation. I bring him up today because Gio had another good outing for Oakland, going 4.1 innings against the Dodgers in Phoenix, surrendering just 1 run on 4 hits and 1 walk, struck out 4, lowering his spring ERA to 0.96. The 1 run came on a home run by Aaron Miles, and is the only run allowed by Gonzalez in 9.1 inning so far. The other half of Oakland's squad went across the complex to face the Brewers. Michael Taylor had a single and a double and drove in a run, and Adrian Cardenas played the whole game at third base, but was 0 for 4. The losing pitcher for Oakland was Josh Outman, who was hit hard. He came into the game in relief and threw 3 innings in which he gave up 4 runs on 7 hits and a walk, and was charged with the loss. The win went to Zack Segovia, who came into the 8th inning with 2 runs already in, 2 out and 2 on, and retired Taylor on a pop up to end the inning. When the Brewers scored in the bottom of the 8th, Zack was in the right place at the right time to pick up the win! A small break in a tough spring so far for Segovia. In Goodyear, the Mariners and Indians played to 5-5 draw in 10 innings. Jason Donald and Lou Marson combined to go 0 for 5 in that game.

Friday, March 11, 2011

splitting headache

It is about this time each spring when "split-squads" really start to annoy me. This should almost cease when minor league games begin Monday........OK, so in Tempe, Robinson Tejeda threw a scoreless frame for half-of-the-Royals in KC's 4-3 win over half-of-the-Angels. Tejeda allowed just 1 hit, struck out 1. The other half-of-the-Royals were in Phoenix, and played a 4-4 tie with all-of-the-Athletics. Michael Taylor was 0 for 1 in his only at bat in that game for Oakland.....Jason Donald returned to the Cleveland line-up Thursday, and singled and struck out in his 2 appearances.....Carlos Monasterios had another inning for the Dodgers in Glendale, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits, NO walks, 1 K in 1 inning against the Padres....Gavin Floyd picked up a win, throwing 4.2 innings, and giving up just 1 run on 3 hits, NO walks in half-of-the-White Sox' 5-3 win over all-of-the-D-Backs.

In Port Charlotte, R.J. Swindel came into a game start the 5th inning and allowed back to back singles to 2 hitters and was removed. 1 run scored, and the Rays took an 8-6 decision from the Red Sox..... In Clearwater, the Phillies shut out the Yankees behind Roy Halladay, and Mike Stutes added to his impressive performances this spring with another scoreless inning. In 4 games so far, Stutes has pitched 6 innings, giving up just 1 run on 3 hits, NO walks and 8 Ks!! Matt Rizzotti came on late, walked, stole a base(!), and scored a run. Carlos Ruiz was 0 for 3 in his at bats.....In Viera, the half-off-the-Nationals beat half-of-the-Mets 6-5. In that game, Taylor Buchholz tossed another 1.2 innings, allowing 2 hits and a walk. Buchholz is unscored upon in 6 innings so far this spring for New York......In Fort Myers, Anthony Gose had 1 at bat and made the most of it. Gose singled, stole second and scored a run for the Jays in their 7-4 win over Minnesota. Travis d'Anaud also played for Toronto and went 0 for 2.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Zagurski notches save for Phils

On Wednesday in Lakeland, Ryan Howard was the only former BlueClaw to bat for the Phillies (an oddity at this time of the year!), drawing a walk in 3 plate appearances. Mike Zagurski ( 1 IP, 1 run, 2 hits, NO walks, and 2 strike outs) was the only Lakewood alum to pitch. The run against "Z-Man" was the first he has allowed in 4 innings so far. O yea, the Phillies beat the Tigers, 5-3, the big blow of the game was a 3-run home run by Brian Schneider in the 2nd inning.

I know Yohan Flande never played for Lakewood, but he has been with so many of our players as a teammate, I have adopted him here. On Wednesday, Yohan got into the game for the Atlanta Braves in the 6th inning against the Cardinals. After a walk, he gave up a 2-run home run to David Freese. He did record 3 outs. I am sure Flande is a long shot to make the opening day roster, but if he pitches well, he may get his chance at some point in the season with the big club.

Anthony Gose had a single, a walk and a stolen base for Toronto in the Jays' 4-3 loss to Tampa.....Michael Bourn picked up a single in 3 at bats for Houston in the Astros' 7-2 loss to the Mets............Michael Taylor was o for 1 for Oakland in a game won 9-2 by Texas..............Carlos Carrasco made his first appearance since the birth of his daughter on Friday, throwing 3 innings for Cleveland. Carlos allowed 2 runs on 4 hits (2 home runs), NO walks, and struck out 3. Lou Marson was 0 for 1 for the Indians. The Padres won the game, 9-2......Zack Segovia gave up a run on 2 hits in his inning for Milwaukee in an 11-8 Brewers win over the D-Backs............Jason Jaramillo struck out in his only at bat for the Pirates in the Yankees 4-2 win over Pittsburgh. "J.J." is battling for his job as the man behind Ryan Doumit and is hitting .375 so far this spring.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Brown has hand surgery

Domonic Brown had his broken hand fixed on Philadelphia Tuesday, with doctors saying everything went as planned and he should be ready to go in 4-6 weeks. This has set the #1 prospect back with opening day only 3 weeks away.

Meanwhile, the Phillies won 4-3 over the Orioles in Clearwater with 2 in the 9th. Ryan Howard hit his 3rd home run in a week before being relieved by Matt Rizzotti. "Rizz" struck out in his only appearance at the plate and Carlos Ruiz was 0 for 2 for the Fightin' Phils. Cole Hamels threw a strong 4 innings, giving up 2 runs on just 1 hit and 2 walks, striking out 2. I think he is using the cutter more often in the small amounts that I have seen him so far. In Kissimmee, the Astros beat the Mets, 5-4. Michael Bourn was 1 for 3 and scored a run for Houston, and Sergio Escalona pitched the 9th for the Astros, allowing a run on 2 hits, striking out 2 and recording the save. The other part of the Mets stayed in Port St Lucie and dropped a 4-3 game to the Nationals. Taylor Buchholz record 4 outs for the Mets giving up 2 hits and striking out 2. Taylor has not given up a run this spring and looks like he is healthy and ready to go for 2011. His chances of making the Mets look better and better with each outing. The Rays beat the Jays, 3-2 in 10 innings. Anthony Gose struck out in both of his at bats for Toronto, but with minor league games starting on Monday, the Blue Jays have taken a long hard look at Anthony this spring. Totonto originally wanted Gose in the Roy Halladay deal, but the Phillies said no. Then, they sent him to Houston in the Roy Oswalt trade, and the Astros immediately flipped him to Toronto. Anthony has not played any higher than "A" ball and should be heading to New Hampshire in the Eastern League. R.J. Swindel recorded 2 outs for the Rays, walking 1 in his stint and looks to be in good shape to make Tampa's completely revamped bullpen.

Out in Arizona, Lou Marson had a double in 2 at bats for the Indians in their 16-5 loss to the Diamondbacks. The Indians have been giving up runs like crazy, and will throw new dad Carlos Carrasco on Wednesday to try to resume order. Matt Maloney threw 2 perfect innings, picking up a save for the Reds in their 5-2 win over the Royals. Matt has given up just 1 run on 3 hits, NO walks and 6 Ks in his 7 innings of work so far this spring. Finally, Michael Taylor hit his 2nd home run of the spring and also added a single for Oakland in the Athletics' 6-2 win over San Diego.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Notes from Monday

I start Monday's recap in Surprise, Arizona where Robinson Tejeda threw an inning for the Royals against the Diamondbacks, allowing a run on a home run by Arizona's Juan Miranda, but retiring the other 3 hitters he faced in the Royals 8-6 loss to the D-Backs. In Glendale, the Indians and White Sox played a 16-16 tie and decided 9 innings were enough. Lou Marson was 0 for 2 for Cleveland. Lou is having a tough spring, and so is Michael Taylor. Taylor was 0 for 2 on Monday and is hitting just .130 this spring for Oakland.

In Tampa, the Yankees beat the Phillies, 7-1. Vance Worley pitched 2 innings for Philadelphia, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk. It actually could have been worse, but Vance minimized the damage. Drew Naylor recorded 4 outs for the Phillies, 3 on strike outs, and gave up a hit and a walk. Joel Naughton, Sunday's hero, dropped another hit into open space on Monday. Other than that, Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz and Tuffy Gosewisch were 0 for 5 between them. The other half of the Yankees went down to Sarasota Monday night and played a 0-0 tie with the Orioles. Greg Golson, another HomeSider struggling, was 0 for 2 in that game. Over in Viera, the Nationals outscored the Astros, 14-9. Michael Bourn was 1 for 4, a lead off home run in the top of the first! Jay Happ pitched the first 2 innings for the Astros, giving up 3 UNearned runs on 3 hits and 2 walks.

Jason Donald, who was hit in the hand by Gavin Floyd on Saturday played catch on Monday with no ill effects. He is still a little sore and the Indians will try to get him into games later this week.

Monday, March 7, 2011

HomeSider Sunday

Former BlueClaws made quite a splash in Florida on Sunday, starting with the split-squad action of the Phillies. In Clearwater, the Phillies defeated the Rays, 5-4, on a game winning RBI single in the bottom of the 9th by Joel Naughton. Naughton, who spent parts of 2 season with the BlueClaws, was making his second appearance of the spring and got the big knock. Earlier, Ryan Howard had belted his 2nd home run and added a single to raise his spring average to .316. Ryan was the replaced by Matt Rizzotti, who smacked a home run of his own to tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the 8th, setting up the 9th inning for the dramatic finish. "Rizz" has had a good spring in the big camp; a walk, a double and a home run, 2 RBI in 5 plate appearances. Naughton's heroics made a winning pitcher out of Scott Mathieson, who retired the Rays working a scoreless top of the 9th (1 walk, 1 K). Justin De Fratus worked an inning earlier in the game, allowing a run on 3 hits, striking out 2. Justin has had a little hard luck this spring, but he certainly has not looked intimidated by the experience, so it will really help him develop.

The other half of the Phillies went over to Lakeland and dropped a 2-1 decision to Detroit. Kyle Kendrick, the forgotten one with all the hoop-la over the starting rotation, looked strong in his 3 innings. Kyle retired 9 of 10 hitters he faced, giving up just 1 hit. Mike Stutes gave up the game tying run in the 8th inning on a home run by Bryan Holaday, but struck out the other 3 hitters he faced. Carlos Ruiz was 1 for 2, and was relieved by Tuffy Gosewisch, who had a triple in his only at bat. Harold Garcia struck out in his only appearance at the plate and Freddy Galvis was 0 for 2. The 2 games featured 11 former BlueClaws, but there is more....

Greg Golson got his first hit of the spring, a home run for New York in the Yankees 10-8 win over the Astros.....Anthony Gose and Travis d'Arnaud each struck out in Toronto's 5-0 win over Pittsburgh. Jason Jaramillo was 0 for 2 for the Pirates. Chase d'Arnaud (Travis' brother) was also in that game for the Pirates.

In Arizona, Carlos Monasterios threw 2 impressive innings for the Dodgers, posting 2 zeros and giving up just 2 hits, NO walks, against the Cubs in his best game of the spring. Chicago won the game, 5-3 in 10 innings. The Oakland Athletics split their team (and our boys) on Sunday and defeated Milwaukee 5-4 in Phoenix. Michael Taylor had a walk in 4 plate appearances for Oakland. The other part of Oakland's team went to Peoria and lost a 7-6 decision to the Padres. Josh Outman started this game and gave up 4 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks, recording only 4 outs. Adrian Cardenas got into this one (0 for 2) and played third base for Oakland. Adrian can play third, shortstop and second and could become a valuable player for the A's. At 23 years old now, he seems to me on the brink of a major league career, although maybe not to start 2011.
The second half of the Brewers went into Surprise to take on the Rangers. Zack Segovia pitched through a difficult inning, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk in a game won 8-1 by Texas.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Domonic Brown breaks hand; out 3-6 weeks

Phillies top prospect Domonic Brown has broken the hamate bone in his right hand Saturday and will probably require surgery. He will miss 3-6 weeks of action. Brown ended an 0 for 15 spring slump with a single in his first at bat and then hurt his hand in his second appearance of the day. Freddy Galvis (0 for 1), Ryan Howard (walk in 2 at bats), Matt Rizzotti (0 for 1) and Tuffy Gosewisch (walk in only appearance) all played for the Phillies in their 4-3 loss to the Pirates.

The Detroit Tigers split their squad on Saturday and Justin Verlander led the Tigers to a 5-0 win over the Astros. Michael Bourn was 0 for 3 for Houston. The other half of Detroit's team faced Kyle Drabek and the Blue Jays, and Toronto rallied for 6 in the 8th for a 7-4 win. Drabek was making his spring debut and went 2 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits (NO walks) and struck out 3. Anthony Gose had a walk and scored a run in 4 at bats for the Jays. Meanwhile, the other half of Houston's team lost a 1-0 decision to the Cardinals. (So the Astros were shut out in 2 separate games Saturday!!) Sergio Escalona threw a 1-2-3 frame for Houston in that one.

The Tampa Bay Rays are using R.J. Swindel pretty regularly so far, and R.J. tossed another inning on Saturday against the Twins. Swindel gave up his first run of the spring on a Chris Parmalee home run. Minnesota won the game, 6-1. The Nationals roughed up C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees, 10-8. Greg Golson was 0 for 1 for New York, and with a camp stocked full of outfielders, it seems Golson is Scranton-bound.

In Goodyear, Gavin Floyd took on the Indians and struggled with his control. In 2 innings, Gavin gave up 4 runs (3 earned) on 2 hits, 3 walks and a hit batsman, striking out 1 in the Tribe's 8-3 victory. Lou Marson had 2 walks in 3 at bats, and stole a base, for the Indians. Jason Donald started the game, but was hit on the hand by a Floyd pitch in his first at bat and had to leave the game. X-rays were negative and "J.D." is day-to-day. Reports had him in the batting cage already early Sunday morning. In Phoenix, the Athletics shut out the Giants, 6-0. Michael Taylor took an 0 for 4 collar (and is hitting just .167) and Adrian Cardenas was 0 for 1 in his at bat. Oakland will split the squad on Sunday and Josh Outman will start the game against the Padres.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Ryno belts first spring dinger

The Phillies beat the Pirates 7-4 on Friday. Ryan Howard had a single and a home run (his 1st of the spring), driving in 2 and scoring 1. Matt Rizzotti replaced Howard and doubled in a run in his only at bat, and then scored. Freddy Galvis replaced Rollins and had a single, scored a run and drove one in with a sac fly. Harold Garcia was the starting DH and went 0 for 3. Mike Zagurski tossed a scoreless 8th inning (1 H, 1K) and Antonio Bastardo threw a 1-2-3 9th (2Ks) to record the save. Michael Dubee came in and got 2 outs ( 1H, 1K) for the Pirates in the 7th.

The Blue Jays split squad defeated the Canadian National team, 9-0. Anthony Gose had a walk and a hit and stole a base and Travis d'Arnaud belted a single and a triple, scored a run and drove in 3 for Toronto. Michael Bourn was 0 for 3 for Houston in the Astros' 10-2 loss to St. Louis, Mike Taylor was 0 for 1 in his only at bat for Oakland in the Athletics' 6-3 loss to Texas, and Greg Golson had a walk and a stolen base in 2 at bats for the Yankees in New York's 5-3 loss to Boston.

Congratulations to Carlos Carrasco, who left camp Thursday night to be with his wife Karelis for the birth of their first child.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Philadelphia 'Claws outstanding

The combination of Cole Hamels, Scott Mathieson, and Mike Stutes shut out the the Red Sox Thursday for 8 innings, giving up just 1 hit between them in the Phillies' 2-0 win. Cole gave up the hit and walked 1 in 4 stellar frames, striking out 3, while Mathieson and Stutes went 2 innings each, but Domonic Brown's hitless spring continued. Dom had a walk in 4 plate appearances, but seems to be pressing a bit.

Michael Bourn was 1 for 4 and scored a run for Houston, in the Astros' 5-3 win over Florida. The Rays and Yankees played a 1-1 tie, R.J. Swindel pitched 2 perfect innings for the Rays, striking out a pair. Greg Golson was 0 for 1 in his appearance for New York. Jason Jaramillo had 2 doubles in 2 at bats, and scored a run to help lead the Pirates to a 4-1 win over Toronto. Anthony Gose had a single in his only at bat (he was picked off thinking about his 4th stolen base of the spring) and Travis d'Arnaud was hitless in his only at bat. The Mets shut out the Cardinals, 3-0, with Taylor Buchholz tossing a scoreless 9th inning to record the save.


The Rangers outslugged the Indians 11-9, Jason Donald continued his good spring with a hit in 3 at bats. "JD' , who expects to open the season at third base for the Tribe is hitting .375 so far this spring. Lou Marson was 0 for 2 for the Indians. The Royals defeated the Angels, 8-2. Robinson Tejeda made his spring debut for Kansas City with a 1-2-3 5th inning for the Royals. Michael Taylor was 0 for 1 for Oakland in the Athletics' 11-9 loss to Milwaukee. The Cincinnati Reds topped the Dodgers by the score of 3-1. Matt Maloney, who may be coming out of the bullpen for the Reds this year, threw 3 good innings, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits (NO walks), fanning 3 hitters.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Happ solid in first appearance

The Orioles defeated the Phillies 6-5 on Wednesday, with Ryan Howard going 1 for 3, a double and his first RBI of the spring. Harold Garcia walked and scored a run in his only at bat and Tuffy Gosewisch was 0 for 1 in his only at bat. Vance Worley made his 2nd appearance of the spring, throwing 2 innings and giving up 1 run on 4 hits (NO walks) and Justin De Fratus pitched 1 inning, allowing 2 runs (just 1 earned) on 3 hits, and striking out 2. Cole Hamels will make his 2nd start of the spring Thursday against the Red Sox.

The Astros played split squad games, with Jay Happ (2 IP, 1 hit, 1 K) winning in his debut 6-3 against the Tigers. Sergio Escalona also threw for Houston, giving up 1 run on 2 hits in an inning of work. The other half of the team gave up 5 to the Yankees in the 9th to lose 6-5. Michael Bourn was 1 for 3 and Jonathan Villar struck out in his only at bat and made a key error in the Yankees game winning rally. The Blue Jays topped the Rays, 5-4, Anthony Gose had a walk in 2 at bats and stole his 3rd base of the spring for Toronto.

In Arizona, the Milwaukee Brewers improved to 3-1 in Cactus League play witha 12-5 pounding of the Cubs, Zack Segovia threw an inning for the Brewers, giving up 1 run on 2 hits and a walk. The Athletics beat Cleveland, 4-3. Michael Taylor was 1 for 4 and scored a run for Oakland and Adrian Cardenas was hitless in his only at bat. The Royals beat the Dodgers, 11-5, but Carlos Monasterios tossed 2 scorsless innings, surrnedering just 2 hits (NO walks) and struck out 1).

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Carrasco make first start

Carlos Carrasco joined the long of of HomeSider pitchers to get into the action on Tuesday in Goodyear, throwing 2 shutout innings for the Indians against the Dodgers. Carlos walked 1 and struck out 2, without giving up a hit in Cleveland's 1-0 win. Jason Donald was 1 for 3 for the Tribe.

Down in Florida, the Orioles doubled up the Rays, 12-6. R.J. Swindel tossed a 1-2-3 inning for Tampa. striking out 2 of the 3 hitter he faced. Detroit outscored the Phillies, 6-2, Kyle Kendrick making his first appearance of the spring. Kyle threw 2 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits (NO walks), picking up 1 K, and Mike Zagurski threw a scoreless 9th, surrendering just 1 walk, and striking out 1. Ryan Howard and Domonic Brown were each 0 for 3, and Matt Rizzotti (walk) and Joel Naughton (0 for 1) each made their spring debuts with the big club.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Floyd perfect; Taylor goes deep

The Phillies beat the Blue Jays 6-3 in Dunedin Monday. Michael Stutes threw 2 more scoreless innings, allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 4. Scott Mathieson gave up 2 runs on 2 hits in the bottom of the ninth. Carlos Ruiz had a double, knocking in 2 runs, and Harold Garcia had a double in 2 at bats. Freddy Galvis had a walk in 2 plate appearances in relief of Jimmy Rollins and Domonic Brown had a walk and scored a run in 5 at bats. Anthony Gose drove in a run for Toronto with a sacrifice fly and Travis d'Arnaud struck out in his only at bat for the Jays. Kyle Drabek had originally been scheduled to pitch for Toronto, but was pushed back a few days with a stiff neck.

Elsewhere in Florida, the Braves pounded the Astros 13-3, Michael Bourn had a single and scored a run in 2 at bats (he was also plunked) for Houston, and Sergio Escalona made his Astros debut, giving up 4 runs on 3 hits and a walk in just 1 frame of work. Jason Jaramillo was 0 for 2 for Pittsburgh in the Pirates' 6-3 loss to Baltimore.

In Arizona, Gavin Floyd made his spring debut for the White Sox, tossing 2 perfect innings against the Dodgers in a 6-5 L.A. win. The Indians avenged a loss to the Reds a day earlier with 12-0 victory. Lou Marson was 1 for 3 with an RBI single for the Tribe. The Giants continued their winning way with a 10-9 victory over Milwaukee, but Zack Segovia threw a scoreless frame for the Brewers, allowing 1 hit and striking out 1.

HomSider of the day goes to Michael Taylor, who had 2 hits, including a 3 run home run, and scored 2 runs in Oakland's 8-7 loss to the Angels. Adrian Cardenas also contributed with a single in 2 at bats for Athletics.

Another full slate of game scheduled for Tuesday.