Associated Press
Associated Press
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — His left elbow swollen and wrapped, Troy Tulowitzki felt confident that he’d be ready for opening day.
He wasn’t so certain on whether or not former Colorado teammate Ubaldo Jimenez deliberately drilled him, putting the All-Star shortstop’s status in jeopardy.
Jimenez nailed Tulowitzki with the first pitch Sunday, carrying their festering feud onto the field and causing the Indians and Rockies to clear the benches during Cleveland’s 12-10 win.
“You guys will have to talk to him and see if it was intentional or unintentional,” Tulowitzki said. “I didn’t expect anything and the emotions took over. A couple of words were exchanged but nothing more than that.”
Tulowitzki and Jimenez jawed up close, with the plate umpire and players on both sides holding them back from getting at each other. Tulowitzki was taken to a hospital for precautionary X-rays on his elbow, which were negative.
“From my take, as soon as he hit me it just seemed like he wanted a little more. That’s when the confrontation started,” Tulowitzki said. “I definitely wasn’t happy about being hit. I don’t think you ever are … so it was back and forth. Not saying it was just him or me.”
Rockies manager Jim Tracy, however, called it “the most gutless act I’ve seen in 35 years in the game, that’s what I saw.”
“That’s exactly what I witnessed,” Tracy said. “He intentionally threw at him, he should be suspended. I’ll be very disappointed if he doesn’t get suspended because he deserves to be suspended.”
Jimenez said it was an accident.
“I don’t want to hurt him at all. Just one pitch that got away that could happen to anybody,” he said.
RAYS 8, ORIOLES 5
SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Desmond Jennings hit three home runs, including a grand slam, to lead Tampa Bay over Baltimore.
Jennings connected twice off left-hander Wei-Yin Chen and added a solo shot off reliever Kevin Gregg in the seventh. He finished with six RBIs.
Before Sunday, Jennings had no homers and one RBI in 42 at-bats.
Jennings hit a tape-measure shot off Chen in the third to give the Rays a 2-1 lead, and homered again in the fourth after the Rays loaded the bases on Jose Molina’s double, a walk to Matt Joyce and an error by Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy.
Chen gave up seven runs, three earned.
Baltimore got two homers from Hardy and one apiece from Nick Johnson and Nick Markakis.
YANKEES 10, MARLINS 8
MIAMI (AP) — Marlins Park is just about ready. Same goes for CC Sabathia.
Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher each had two hits, Robinson Cano drove in two runs and New York beat Miami in the first exhibition between major league clubs at the Marlins’ new $515 million ballpark.
Sabathia tuned up for Friday’s opening day start at Tampa Bay, allowing four hits and three runs in four innings.
Yankees closer Mariano Rivera worked one inning, allowing his first a spring training earned run since March 15, 2008.
Giancarlo Stanton had two hits and two RBIs and Gaby Sanchez homered for the Marlins, who host the Yankees again Monday, the stadium’s last rehearsal before Wednesday’s season-opener against St. Louis.
WHITE SOX 13, REDS 10
GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Jake Peavy pitched four shaky innings and Paul Konerko had three hits for Chicago in a win over Cincinnati.
Peavy, hampered by injuries since 2009, allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk.
Konerko had an RBI double and two singles. Dayan Viciedo hit a three-run homer off Cincinnati starter Mat Latos.
Acquired in an offseason trade with San Diego, Latos allowed five runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings. Joey Votto had three hits for Cincinnati, and Jay Bruce added an RBI double.
MARINERS 6, ROYALS 4
PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Miguel Olivo and Kyle Seager hit consecutive home runs during a six-run sixth inning and Seattle rallied past Kansas City in its first game since opening the regular season in Japan.
The Mariners split two midweek games against Oakland at Tokyo Dome.
Munenori Kawasaki had three hits for the Mariners, who used six projected starters. He had two hits in the sixth inning alone.
Olivo’s three-run homer tied it at 4. Seager followed with his fourth home run of the spring.
Mike Moustakas homered and doubled for the Royals. Starter Bruce Chen struck out six and walked one while allowing just three hits in four innings.
BREWERS 7, GIANTS 4
PHOENIX (AP) — Yovani Gallardo outlasted Tim Lincecum in a matchup of opening day starters and Milwaukee beat San Francisco.
Gallardo, slated to start at home against World Series champion St. Louis on Friday, pitched 5 2-3 innings. He allowed four runs and eight hits while walking one and striking out seven. He gave up a three-run homer to Brandon Crawford in the second.
Lincecum, who will pitch at Arizona on Friday, gave up six runs and eight hits in 4 2-3 innings. He walked one and struck out four.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner gave up a pair of doubles to Rickie Weeks and also hit Weeks with a pitch. Ryan Braun had a two-run double off Lincecum in a three-run fifth.
DIAMONDBACKS 6, DODGERS 2
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Chris Young hit his fourth homer of the spring and Daniel Hudson allowed one hit in five innings to lead Arizona past Los Angeles.
Ryan Budde also homered off Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley, a two-run shot. John McDonald added a solo drive and scored twice for the Diamondbacks. Justin Upton tripled and drove in a run.
Billingsley, penciled in as the No. 2 starter for Los Angeles, gave up four runs and six hits in three innings. Young hit a solo homer in the third.
RANGERS 5, PADRES 3
SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Colby Lewis tuned up to start on opening day, pitching four innings and Texas beat San Diego.
Lewis allowed two runs and four hits. He’ll pitch Friday at home against the Chicago White Sox.
Closer Joe Nathan pitched a perfect ninth for Texas.
Adrian Beltre hit an RBI double and David Murphy added a two-run single for Texas. Jesus Guzman hit his fifth home run for the Padres.
San Diego starter Cory Luebke struggled for the second consecutive start, giving up all five runs and six hits and two walks in two innings.
TIGERS (SS) 4, ASTROS 2
LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Jhonny Peralta drove in three runs with a home run and a double and a Detroit split squad earned a victory against Houston.
Peralta’s third spring home run came off Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez in the third inning.
Doug Fister went six innings. He gave up four hits and one run, finishing spring training with a 4-0 record and a 1.86 ERA.
Rodriguez, the Astros’ opening day starter, gave up three runs and eight hits in five innings.
Jason Castro homered for the Astros.
TIGERS (SS) 9, METS 2
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — R.A. Dickey needed two stitches in his right heel after being spiked in a loss to a split squad of Detroit.
Dickey was covering first base when Corey Jones stepped on him in the third inning. Dickey stayed in the game and left after the fourth, allowing one run and three hits.
Prince Fielder hit a long home run, his third of the spring for the Tigers.
While most of his teammates struggled with Dickey’s knuckleball, Fielder connected his second time up. He sent a drive deep to right field, where it landed on the canopy of the pavilion behind the berm and bounced into a marsh.
James McCann hit a grand slam during a seven-run burst in the sixth.
Ike Davis and Lucas Duda singled for the Mets’ only hits.
NATIONALS 2, CARDINALS 1
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Mark DeRosa singled to right field in the ninth inning, scoring Danny Espinosa on a close play at the plate and lifting Washington over St. Louis.
The Cardinals had an opportunity in the bottom of the ninth, putting runners on the corners with two outs, but Ryan Mattheus struck out Matt Carpenter to end the game.
Jaime Garcia cruised through the first 5 2-3 innings for St. Louis, allowing only four hits. Danny Espinoza finally put the Nationals on the board with an opposite-field home run that sailed over the wall in right.
Washington starter Gio Gonzalez put two tough outings behind him by allowing one run on three hits and a walk while striking out seven in five innings.
PIRATES 3, BLUE JAYS 1
DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Nate McLouth and Matt Hague homered and Pittsburgh beat Toronto.
Michael McKenry singled before McLouth homered off Drew Carpenter with two outs in the eighth inning and sent it over the left field wall for a 2-1 lead.
Toronto starter Brandon Morrow allowed two hits in four innings and struck out four.
Matt Hague added his seventh spring home run in the ninth off Jim Hoey.
Jeff Karstens allowed one run and four hits in four innings for the Pirates.
RED SOX 5, TWINS 1
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez each went 2 for 4 with a double and Boston earned a win over Minnesota.
Garrett Mock earned the win for the Red Sox. He threw two scoreless innings, allowing Chris Parmelee’s home run.
Carl Pavano took the loss, dropping his Grapefruit League record to 0-3 with a 6.17 ERA. He went 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and seven hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
Before the game, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine announced the final two starters for his rotation. Left-hander Felix Doubront and right-hander Daniel Bard will join Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Daniel Bard.
CUBS 8, ANGELS 1
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Darwin Barney hit an RBI triple off Jered Weaver that broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning and Chicago beat Los Angeles.
Weaver, expected to start on opening day against Kansas City, left after the sixth. Jeff Baker added a three-run homer off Angels reliever Jason Isringhausen in the eighth.
Cubs left-hander Chris Rusin worked 5 1-3 scoreless innings.
PHILLIES 7, BRAVES 7, 9 INNINGS
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — Cliff Lee allowed one run over four innings in his final Grapefruit League start, and Philadelphia and Atlanta played to a tie in nine innings.
Lee, who is set to pitch Saturday in the Phillies’ second regular-season game against Pittsburgh, allowed five hits and walked one.
Julio Teheran, is a tight battle for the final spot in Atlanta’s rotation, saw his spring ERA climb to 9.37, allowing four earned runs in 3 1-3 innings. Teheran, the Braves’ top pitching prospect, is competing with rookie Randall Delgado. The Braves signed veteran Livan Hernandez on Friday as a spot starter.
The Braves trailed 7-3 entering the bottom of the ninth before Josh Wilson hit a two-run homer. After Tyler Pastornicky scored on a double play to make it 7-6, Eric Hinske doubled in Luis Durango to tie it.