TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -Although shaky at times, Felix Hernandez was sharp when he needed to be in his spring debut.
The Seattle ace pitched out of early trouble, allowing four hits over 2 2-3 innings in the Mariners' 5-4 loss to Colorado on Sunday.
Not to be outdone, Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez turned in a stellar showing, allowing one hit in four innings.
This spring, the Mariners have been slowly bringing along Hernandez, who won 19 games last year and finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting.
Before Sunday, Hernandez had thrown just two simulated games. He was on a 50-pitch count against Colorado, but went three over as manager Don Wakamatsu allowed him to throw into the third.
Todd Helton was 0 for 2 with a walk in his first game this spring.Cardinals 7, Nationals 3
VIERA, Fla. (AP) - Stephen Strasburg pitched three scoreless innings and Washington fell to 0-10 in exhibition play.
Strasburg, the top overall pick in last year's draft who signed a record $15.1 million contract, allowed two singles and a walk in his second spring training start. The right-hander threw 29 of 49 pitches for strikes, often battling gusty crosswinds.
He struck out two - getting David Freese looking on an 80 mph breaking pitch to end the first - and threw first-pitch strikes to seven of the 11 hitters he faced.
Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright allowed two runs on three hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out two.Marlins 5, Mets 1
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) - Johan Santana resembled the pitcher that many call the premier left-hander in the game the last six years.
Santana pitched four scoreless innings against the Marlins, allowing three hits in his second spring training start since undergoing surgery on his left elbow in September.
Santana and fellow Venezuelan Anibal Sanchez left a scoreless game before the Marlins did all their scoring in the fifth off John Maine.Pirates 10, Yankees 5
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) - CC Sabathia struggled while pitching into the fifth inning of his third spring start, giving up a home run to Aki Iwamura.
Sabathia left after Andy LaRoche lined a one-out single to center that glanced off his glove and put runners on first and second. Sabathia threw first-pitch balls to 12 of his 17 batters and only 29 of his 57 pitches for strikes.
The Yankees' ace allowed three runs, three hits, two walks and struck out two.
Pittsburgh starter Charlie Morton, on the other hand, bounced back from a difficult outing against New York on Tuesday to limit the Yankees to a hit over four innings.
The Pirates got two homers and three RBIs from Bobby Crosby, who entered in the third after Ronny Cedeno departed with a cut to his right hand.Cubs 8, Angels 7
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - Kevin Millar hit a home run and double and drove in three runs. The 38-year-old Millar signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs over the offseason.
Cubs starter Randy Wells, who was 12-10 with a 3.05 ERA last season, had his scoreless string of five innings over two spring starts snapped. The Angels got to him for six runs and six hits in the second.
The Angels' Joel Pineiro was also hit hard in his second spring start, allowing seven hits and four earned runs in three innings.
Kendry Morales hit his first spring homer for the Angels. Morales' spring was delayed because of immigration paperwork.Reds 5, White Sox 5
GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) - Brandon Phillips got his first two hits of spring training, including a two-run homer, and Cincinnati blew a four-run lead in the ninth before settling for a tie.
The second baseman was 0 for 14 before he singled home Drew Stubbs. Phillips added a two-run homer off J.J. Putz in the seventh inning, putting the Reds ahead 5-1. Minor leaguer Jordan Smith gave up four runs in the ninth, and the teams called it a tie.
Chicago starter John Danks struggled, giving up six hits, four walks and three runs - two earned - in 3 2-3 innings. Left-hander Matt Maloney, who is competing for the fifth spot in Cincinnati's rotation, gave up three hits in three scoreless innings.Orioles 4, Phillies 3
SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) - Brian Matusz gave up three hits and a run in his five innings - the longest and most effective outing by an Orioles starter this spring.
Matusz faced a lineup full of veterans from the NL champions. Philadelphia scored when Jimmy Rollins doubled leading off the fourth and Chase Utley drove him in with a single.
Matusz struck out two and did not walk a batter.
Kyle Kendrick pitched four scoreless innings for the Phillies. He allowed two singles, hit one batter, and did not walk or strike out any.
Adam Jones had two hits and a seventh-inning sacrifice fly that drove in the game-winning run for the Orioles.Braves (ss) 8, Blue Jays 5
DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) - Joe Thurston homered and Martin Prado and Freddie Freeman drove in two runs apiece.
Prado's two-run single capped Atlanta's three-run second inning against Brandon Morrow. Thurston's first home run of the spring and Freeman's two-run single highlighted the Braves' four-run fourth that chased Jason Frasor after 1-3 of an inning.
The Blue Jays took a brief 5-4 lead against Atlanta reliever James Parr in the third inning on Adam Lind's two-run triple, Lyle Overbay's RBI double, and Randy Ruiz's two-run homer to center.Dodgers 6, Rangers (ss) 4
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Matt Kemp hit a towering two-run home run, his second of the spring.
Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda gave up two runs in three innings, but neither were earned. A two-out error by Blake DeWitt, who is in a battle for the Dodgers' starting second base job, opened the door for the Rangers' two first-inning runs.
Rangers starter Derek Holland pitched well, giving up two hits over three scoreless innings. Nelson Cruz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia had RBI doubles.Red Sox 6, Twins 4
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) - Kevin Slowey threw three perfect innings for Minnesota, but Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis drove in fifth-inning runs for Boston.
The Red Sox scratched starter Josh Beckett because of an illness. Minor league reliever Ryne Miller took his place and gave up three first-inning runs.
Slowey struck out four, including David Ortiz, who is 1 for 19 this spring.
Jason Varitek made his first appearance in a spring game, having returned from tending to family business. He struck out and was hit by a pitch, catching four innings.
Twins catcher Joe Mauer was held out for the second game with a sore right shoulder. He said before the game the injury is not a concern.Athletics 10, Royals 3
PHOENIX (AP) - Kurt Suzuki doubled in two runs and Rajai Davis had two hits and two RBIs for Oakland.
Trevor Cahill's third start was his best yet. He tossed a two-hitter over four innings with a walk and two strikeouts and felt so good he threw 12 more pitches in the bullpen.
Kansas City's Kyle Davies wasn't so fortunate. He struggled through 2 2-3 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits. He walked three and did not strike out a batter. Vance Wilson hit a two-run homer and Buck Coats doubled in a run for the Royals.Diamondbacks (ss) 9, Rangers (ss) 3
SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) - Justin Upton was 3-for-4 with his third homer of the spring.
Rusty Ryal also homered and Chris Young added an RBI double for the Diamondbacks. Josh Hamilton hit his first home run for the Rangers.
Rangers starter Colby Lewis allowed six runs, all earned, on six hits in 3 1-3 innings with a walk and four strikeouts.
Arizona starter Billy Buckner scattered three hits over four innings, including Hamilton's two-run homer in the first.Tigers 9, Rays 6
LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) - Rick Porcello pitched four scoreless innings and rookie Austin Jackson tripled twice.
Porcello, a 21-year-old right-hander who won 14 games in 2009 as a rookie, has yet to allow a run in nine exhibition innings. On Sunday, he faced 15 batters, giving up two hits while striking out one and walking two in an efficient effort.
Jackson, who started in center, was 3-for-4 with three runs.
Rays starter Jeff Niemann also pitched well. He allowed three hits and one earned run in 3 2-3 innings.
Catcher John Jaso and outfielders Sean Rodriguez and Justin Ruggiano homered for Tampa Bay.Padres 5, Indians 3
PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) - Chris Young had his second straight solid start in his comeback from a shoulder injury. Young, whose season ended in June last year, allowed five hits and two runs over 3 2-3 innings.
Indians starter Aaron Laffey got the first two outs in his scheduled third inning of work, then things fell apart. He was touched for two walks, two doubles and four two-out runs.
Kyle Blanks and Nick Hundley each had two hits for the Padres.Brewers 10, Giants 8
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Catcher Gregg Zaun kept up his solid spring with a two-run double.
Brewers starter Jeff Suppan gave up four solo home runs.
The game was played in front of a second straight sellout crowd of 12,000 at Scottsdale Stadium, including commissioner Bud Selig, a former owner of the Brewers.
Suppan gave up home runs to Aaron Rowand and Aubrey Huff in the first inning, but the Brewers rallied to take a 3-2 lead with three runs in the second. Milwaukee scored four more times in the third, two on Zaun's double.Astros 8, Braves (ss) 5
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) - Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee hit back-to-back homers during a six-run fourth inning, and Brett Myers struck out six over four innings.
Pence hit his third home run of the spring and drove in three runs, while Lee's homer was his first and he added a double and two RBIs. Michael Bourne also had two RBIs for the Astros.
Braves starter Kenshin Kawakami was battered for six runs - only three of them earned - on eight hits over 3 2-3 innings.
Brian McCann hit his first two home runs of the spring and drove in three runs for Atlanta, while Omar Infante went 3 for 3 at the plate.Diamondbacks (ss) 8, Rockies (ss) 7
HERMOSILLO, Mexico (AP) - Conor Jackson and Adam LaRoche homered for Arizona. LaRoche finished the afternoon 3 for 3 to raise his average this spring to .389.
Tony Abreu and Cole Gillespie added two hits for the Diamondbacks.
Greg Smith pitched four innings for Colorado, giving up two runs and seven hits. Smith remains a contender for a spot in the rotation.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
