Two-time defending American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal delivered two shutout innings in his spring training debut, but his Detroit Tigers were blanked in a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins Monday in Lakeland, Fla.
Skubal, who will earn $32 million this season after winning his arbitration case, struck out two batters to strand a pair in the first and finished with four strikeouts. He told reporters after his start that he only plans to start one World Baseball Classic round-robin game for the U.S. before returning to Tigers camp.
Emmanuel Rodriguez and Alex Jackson homered for the Twins, who got three shutout innings with five strikeouts from Mick Abel.
The Tigers managed just three hits, one of which was a triple by Matt Vierling and another a Javier Baez double.
Mets 4, Blue Jays 3
Cristian Pache homered and MJ Melendez had an RBI double to help New York outlast Toronto in Dunedin, Fla.
A pair of major league veteran starters had mixed results in their spring-training debuts, with Clay Holmes and Jose Berrios allowing two earned runs apiece for the Mets and Blue Jays, respectively.
Kazuma Okamoto, Toronto’s big offseason acquisition out of Japan who signed a four-year, $60 million deal, delivered his first homer, a two-run shot, in the second inning.
Braves 10, Orioles 7
Jorge Mateo capped off an eight-run sixth inning with a grand slam to propel Atlanta past Baltimore in Sarasota, Fla.
The Braves racked up 13 hits, getting two apiece from Dominic Smith, Eli White, Lizandro Espinoza and Aaron Schunk.
Vance Honeycutt hit a two-run homer for the Orioles, who left 11 on base.
Rays 2, Red Sox 1
Jonny DeLuca delivered a walk-off two-run single to help Tampa Bay rally past Boston in Port Charlotte, Fla.
Drew Rasmussen struck out three over two scoreless innings for the Rays, who had three hits in the ninth after managing just two through the first eight innings.
Mickey Gasper opened the scoring with an RBI triple in the top of the ninth for the Red Sox.
Cardinals 5, Marlins 4
Ryan Weingartner and Jeremy Rivas had RBI doubles before a walk-off wild pitch as St. Louis plated three in the ninth to beat Miami in Jupiter, Fla.
Rivas accounted for two of the Cardinals’ five hits, and Jose Fermin added an RBI single in the first inning off Marlins starter Eury Perez.
Jakob Marsee opened the scoring with his first spring homer in the first inning, but Miami was just 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13.
Yankees 6, Pirates 2
Ben Rice and Jasson Dominguez provided RBI hits during a four-run second inning to create separation in New York’s win over Pittsburgh in Bradenton, Fla.
Dominguez followed Rice’s two-run single with an RBI double. The Yankees also got a homer from prospect Miguel Palma, working 11 walks to overcome only managing five hits.
Touted Pirates pitching prospect Bubba Chandler was erratic in his spring debut, issuing four walks and allowing four runs in 1 2/3 hitless innings. Marcell Ozuna, whom Pittsburgh signed to a one-year, $12 million deal, opened the scoring with an RBI single.
