Spring training roundup: Framber Valdez makes impressive debut for Tigers

Framber Valdez, this season’s prized free agent pitching acquisition, made an impressive spring debut for the Detroit Tigers in a 5-2 loss to the visiting Atlanta Braves on Monday in Lakeland, Fla.

Valdez pitched three scoreless innings, fanning three and allowing a pair of singles. He threw 30 of 43 pitches for strikes and struck out three in the second inning. Valdez signed a three-year, $115 million contract with Detroit last month after spending eight seasons in Houston and is lined up to start the Tigers’ home opener April 3.

Braves starter Bryce Elder allowed no runs on three hits with one strikeout over three innings. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. belted a two-run homer in the sixth inning to extend Atlanta’s lead to 3-0.

Brett Callahan broke up a shutout with a home run in the seventh inning. Tomas Nido added a home run in the ninth for the Tigers.

Pirates 4, Rays 1

Yordany De Los Santos and Javier Rivas hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning as host Pittsburgh continued its hot spring with a victory over Tampa Bay in Bradenton, Fla.

Pittsburgh owns the best record of any team in the Grapefruit or Cactus Leagues, improving to 9-2. Pirates starter Mike Clevinger, who won 38 games for Cleveland from 2017-19 but has struggled with injuries since, fanned three batters and did not allow a run in three innings.

The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the third inning as Alika Williams scored on an errant pickoff attempt by Rays starter Mason Englert. Tampa Bay tied the game an inning later on a Logan Davidson single to left field.

Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 6

Nathan Hickey clobbered a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth inning to snap a 5-5 tie and lead Boston over Toronto in Dunedin, Fla.

Mickey Gasper and Allan Castro also homered among their two hits apiece for the Red Sox, with Gasper driving in three runs as they pounced on Toronto pitching for 12 hits. Red Sox starter Johan Oviedo fanned four batters and allowed only two hits in three scoreless innings.

The Blue Jays scored five runs in the fifth to rally for a 5-4 lead. Addison Barger capped the outburst with a grand slam to right field off Patrick Halligan.

Cardinals 3, Marlins 2

Colton Ledbetter’s two-out single in the ninth scored pinch-runner Michael Antico as St. Louis walked off Miami in Jupiter, Fla.

Cardinals righty Andre Pallante allowed one run on three hits and fanned two in three innings. Yohel Pozo and Jeremy Rivas drove in runs for St. Louis in the seventh as the Cardinals rallied to knot the score at 2-2.

Kemp Alderman homered in the fourth and went 2-for-3 for the Marlins. Adam Mazur started and allowed only one baserunner (walk) in two innings.

Nationals 3, Astros 3

Houston’s poor spring continued as it dropped to 1-6-3 following a tie with Washington in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Houston starter Hunter Brown allowed one run and fanned three in 2 2/3 innings. The host Astros scored single runs in the seventh and eighth to even the score — the tying run coming across on a James Nelson single to left field.

Washington catcher Keibert Ruiz snapped a 1-1 tie with a solo homer to right in the fourth. Brady House, who had two hits in three trips, added an RBI double an inning later. Andrew Alvarez, who started five games for the Nats last September, pitched three scoreless middle innings, walking three and fanning three.

Giants 6, White Sox 5

Buddy Kennedy’s two-out solo homer in the ninth inning snapped a late tie as San Francisco edged Chicago in Glendale, Ariz.

Nate Furman helped set the table by leading off the eighth with a game-tying blast as the Giants improved to 8-2 this spring. San Francisco starter Landen Roupp worked two scoreless innings, while Chicago’s Davis Martin went three and was charged with three runs. Giants right-hander Darien Smith pitched a perfect ninth to close it out.

The Giants built a 3-0 lead in the third on a Parks Harber RBI double and a two-run infield single by Christian Koss, but the White Sox surged ahead thanks to run-scoring doubles from Korey Lee and Jarred Kelenic. Luisangel Acuna’s solo shot in the fifth made it 5-3.

Reds 17, Cubs 9

Matt McLain crushed two three-run homers as Cincinnati rolled past Chicago in Goodyear, Ariz.

Sal Stewart added a three-run homer and finished with four RBIs for the Reds, who also got long balls from Noelvi Marte, Rece Hinds and Garrett Hampson. Brady Singer was tagged for five runs on seven hits over two-plus innings, but the Reds’ offense erased that quickly.

The Cubs jumped out 4-0 in the first behind Moises Ballesteros’ two-run double. The game was tied 6-6 before Cincinnati broke it open with a six-run third that featured Ke’Bryan Hayes’ three-run double and McLain’s second three-run shot. Kade Snell hit a three-run homer in the eighth for Chicago.

Rangers 3, Guardians 1

Wyatt Langford’s two-run homer in the third inning changed the game as host Texas topped Cleveland in Surprise, Ariz.

The Rangers added an insurance run in the eighth on Keyber Rodriguez’s RBI double. Texas starter Austin Gomber worked two innings and allowed one run, while Cleveland’s Slade Cecconi gave up two runs and struck out four over 2 2/3 innings. Peyton Gray earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief and Eric Loomis closed it out for the save.

Angel Martinez gave the Guardians a quick jolt with a leadoff homer in the third, but Langford answered in the bottom half by driving a 1-0 pitch to center to drive in Jose Herrera ahead of him.

Dodgers 7, Rockies 5

Elijah Hainline’s two-run homer in the eighth inning put Los Angeles in front for good, but Los Angeles had to hold off a late Colorado push to win in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Dalton Rushing, James Tibbs III and Joseph Vetrano also went deep for the Dodgers. Reliever Payton Martin picked up the win and Antonio Knowles recorded the final two outs for the save after the Rockies brought the tying run to the plate.

Rushing opened the scoring with a solo shot in the second before Ryan Ritter’s RBI single tied it. Tibbs’ two-run homer made it 3-1 in the fourth, but Colorado answered with sixth-inning solo blasts from Mickey Moniak and Kyle Karros. The Dodgers tacked on two more in the ninth, then survived bases-loaded walks to Zac Veen and Braxton Fulford that cut it to two.

Angels 5, Royals 4

Yolmer Sanchez lined a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth as Los Angeles beat Kansas City in Tempe, Ariz.

Angels starter Grayson Rodriguez allowed two runs and two hits over three innings. Jose Fermin earned the win after allowing the Royals to tie the game in the top of the ninth.

Kansas City struck for two runs in the first as Brandon Drury was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, then Nick Loftin scored on an Elias Diaz double play. The Angels answered with RBI hits from Christian Moore, Zach Neto and Mike Trout. Oswald Peraza homered in the fourth to give the Angels a 4-2 lead.

Athletics 7, Padres 2

Tyler Soderstrom launched a two-run homer and Shea Langeliers knocked in a pair as the Athletics jumped out early and beat San Diego in Peoria, Ariz.

Mason Barnett tossed 2 1/3 hitless innings to earn the win for the A’s. Padres starter Michael King was tagged for four runs on five hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Soderstrom’s first-inning shot brought home Langeliers, and Langeliers followed with a two-run single in the second that scored Henry Bolte and Junior Perez. The A’s tacked on three more in the third, highlighted by Bolte’s RBI single and Nick Kurtz’s run-scoring infield hit. San Diego got on the board in the ninth with a Freddy Fermin RBI groundout and a Jase Bowen solo homer.

–Field Level Media