The Yankees won 6-2 in a pitching battle between their left-hander C.C. Sabathia and Tigers RHP Rick Porcello. It was a game Sabathia might have needed; his pitching line of 5 1/3 42228 brought his ERA down to 6.43. Porcello’s ERA went up a tick to 0.75. Three of the runs against him were unearned; his line was 344113. New York 3B Alex Rodriguez hit a home run.
The Twins defeated the Mets 7-3 in another good pitching matchup, which didn’t go the way most people would have expected. Minnesota RHP Kevin Slowey had a line of 331122, giving up a homer to New York C Omir Santos. The Twins battered LHP Johan Santana for a line of 3 1/3 95513. Rookie 3B Danny Valencia, who could take the starting job away from Brendan Harris and Nick Punto, homered against Santana.
Four days after leaving 16 runners on base, the Royals stranded 11. They also scored 24 times in a 24-9 rout of the Diamondbacks. Kansas City built an early 21-0 lead – battering Arizona’s starter, RHP Billy Buckner, for a line of 298813. KC OF Brian Anderson was like one of those old Army ads – “We get more done by 9 a.m. than most people do in a day.” He went 5-for-5, hit for the cycle, drove in seven runs and scored three – and left the game in the fifth inning. The winning pitcher, RHP Brian Bannister, kept his concentration to post a line of 420013. The Royals’ scoring onslaught didn’t stop until the D-backs’ pitching stiffened when RHP Abe Woody pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
The Pirates defeated the Red Sox 9-7 with OF/2B Delwyn Young hitting his fifth home run this spring, against Boston RHP Josh Beckett. OF John Raynor, a Rule 5 draft pick, also homered against RHP Junichi Tazawa, who apparently will be battered this spring all the way to Triple-A Pawtucket.
The Orioles held the Phillies to one hit, OF John Mayberry’s eighth-inning single against RHP Dennis Sarfate, to win 2-0. Baltimore’s starter, LHP Brian Matusz, was sensational. His line was 500026. He could be a reasonable third or fourth fantasy starting pitcher.
The Cubs treated White Sox LHP John Danks badly, handing him an 8-4 loss. He allowed homers to 1B Derrek Lee and OF Marlon Byrd as part of a line of 565514.
RHP Stephen Strasburg was the Nationals’ winning pitcher in their 13-5 victory over the Cardinals. He gave up solo homers to 3B/1B Allen Craig and SS Tyler Greene in his line of 442208. RHP Kyle McClellan took a step backward in his quest for a starting role. He was the losing pitcher with a line of 453242.
Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols hit his first homer, against Marlins RHP Anibal Sanchez, but St. Louis lost 7-6 in another split-squad game. That was because Florida lit up Cards RHP Chris Carpenter for a line of 4 10 7705. RHP Scott Strickland earned a save for the Marlins, who might need help closing games.
Teams are beginning to get serious about using closers in their regular-season role. The Giants had RHP Brian Wilson pitch the ninth inning in their 7-6 victory over the Indians. He struck out the side to pick up a save. LHP Tony Sipp, who could save some games for Cleveland, pitched the eighth and was the losing pitcher. A passed ball led to an unearned winning run; Sipp’s line was 111011. Giants OF/2B Eugenio Velez went 3-for-3 at bat and 2-for-3 stealing bases.
Because the Astros’ scheduled starter, RHP Bud Norris, had the flu, RHP Josh Banks made an emergency start and posted a line of 320012. He was the winner in a 2-0 win over the Blue Jays. The save went to RHP Roy Corcoran, who could have some regular-season saves.
An Indians split squad pounded the Rangers 12-2. Cleveland had a good start, with 1B/3B Andy Marte hitting a grand slam against RHP Brandon McCarthy. His line was 455534. OF Shin-soo Choo also homered against RHP Luis Mendoza.
Athletics 1B Daric Barton hit a home run and went 2-for-3 to raise his average to .440, but the Rockies won 10-4.
The Padres assaulted Dodgers RHP James McDonald for a line of 1 1/3 66621 in relief to take a 9-4 victory. C Dusty Ryan’s three-run homer contributed to raising McDonald’s ERA to 20.25.
The day’s tie game was the Tigers 4, Braves 4, in 10 innings.
Major league leaders:
HR – Rays 2B Sean Rodriguez and Pirates OF/2B Delwyn Young, 5
RBI – Rays SS Reid Brignac and Young, 14
BA (30-plus at-bats) – Mets OF Fernando Martinez, .500, and Cubs OF Tyler Colvin, .486 (at the other end is Braves OF Nate McLouth, .032, 1-for-31)
SB – Brewers OF Carlos Gomez, 8
R – Rangers OFs Julio Borbon and Nelson Cruz, Brewers OF Lorenzo Cain and Rodriguez, 11
W – Blue Jays LHP Ricky Romero, 3
ERA (10-plus innings pitched) – Marlins RHP Clay Hensley, 0.00
WHIP – Twins RHP Kevin Slowey, 0.82
S – Seven with 2 – including Giants RH Sergio Gomez and Astros LHP Wesley Wright, who might have some chances to save games in the majors this season
SO – Orioles LHP Brian Matusz, 18
A Derek Jeter Rule?:
Is Bud Selig running the NFL now too? That’s the only reason I could think of that would make the football league propose a ridiculous idea like the “Brett Favre Rule” that would change its overtime procedure in the playoffs. Of course, if that rule is enacted, expect Selig to decide that if the Yankees in Derek Jeter’s final year (or the Brewers in any year) lose the seventh game of the World Series, it would be extended to best-of-nine.
Sample Scouting Report:
Shin-soo Choo, OF, Indians
Ht.: 5-11 Wt.: 200 B: L Age: 27*
{2010} Choo began last season with a sore elbow that bothered him with South Korea’s entry in the World Baseball Classic. For the rest of the year, he was a pain to American League pitchers. He batted .275 against left-handers, allowing him to avoid being platooned. Choo strikes out a lot, but he also has walked enough to produce on-base percentages of .397 and .394 during the past two seasons. Batting third in Cleveland’s lineup, he should both drive in and score plenty of runs. Born: July 13, 1982, South Korea*. 2009: 583 AB, .300 BA, 20 HR, 86 RBI, 21 SB, 87 R.
Projection
AB: 556 BA: .302 HR: 21 RBI: 92 SB: 17 R: 93 Value: $17
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