Spring training roundup
Giambi begins image rehab; Beltran wows new fans Jason Giambi took his image rehabilitation tour on the road for the first time this spring and was given a warm reception. Carlos Beltran needed just one at-bat to hear how his new fans felt about him.
Giambi got his first hit of the year in the New York Yankees’ 9-8 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in Lakeland, Fla., on Saturday.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Giambi said after going 1-for-4. “You never know, and that way you never set yourself up to be let down.”
Giambi repeated several times that he was “humbled” by the reception he’s been given following a winter of accusations about steroid use.
Giambi, however, wasn’t involved in the play that will find its way into the most highlight shows.
Detroit’s Dmitri Young violently collided with Yankees catcher John Flaherty on a play at the plate, and Young needed five stitches on his ear. Young said the blood was worth it because the aggressive play was meant to convey how the Detroit Tigers intend to play this season.
“We’re the Tigers – not the kittens,” Young said.
At Port St. Lucie, Fla., Beltran hit a two-run homer in the first inning of his first home game with the Mets. Beltran also singled in three at-bats and helped New York beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4.
“When you go out, you don’t want to let the fans down,” said Beltran, who signed a seven-year, $119 million contract in January. “You want to make them proud of your team. That’s what we did today.”
Free-agent signee J.D. Drew got his first hit for Los Angeles, a two-run homer off Mets starter Steve Trachsel in the third inning.
Sammy Sosa, who hit his first homer with the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, did something even more memorable Saturday: He got ejected while playing the outfield during the second inning of the Orioles’ 9-6 loss to the Nationals at Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – the first time in 34 years that Baltimore and Washington met on a baseball diamond.
The sequence of events that led to Sosa’s ejection by second base umpire C.B. Bucknor began in the bottom of the first inning when he was called out by home plate umpire Joe West on a high third strike. Sosa briefly expressed his displeasure with the call before taking his place in right field.
After Baltimore starter Daniel Cabrera opened the second inning by going to a 2-0 count on leadoff hitter Brad Wilkerson, Sosa was ejected.
“I said, ‘That was a strike,”‘ Sosa said, “and then the second-base umpire was like, ‘Knock it off.’ I said something back to him, and that was everything. I was all the way in right field, but I guess he took it the wrong way and threw me out of the game.”
Sosa’s ejection was not the only outrageous occurrence Saturday. At Surprise, Ariz., Kansas City’s Calvin Pickering hit a grand slam in the sixth inning but was called out when he passed baserunner Justin Huber at first base. Pickering was credited with a three-run, 385-foot single to left.
“That was the batter’s fault,” Royals manager Tony Pena said. “We want our runners to tag up in that situation and we want the batter to be watching the runner. It’s good these things happen down here.”
In other games:
Twins (ss) 12, Red Sox (ss) 7
At Fort Myers, Fla., David Ortiz hit a grand slam for Boston against his former team. Brad Radke, making his first spring start for Minnesota, gave up one unearned run in two innings and revealed that he was close to joining the World Series champion Red Sox over the winter.
Devil Rays 8, Blue Jays 4
At Dunedin, Fla., Denny Neagle pitched two scoreless innings for Tampa Bay in his first outing in nearly 19 months. He allowed two hits and struck out one. He threw 26 pitches – 19 strikes.
Braves 4, Astros 3, 10 innings
At Kissimmee, Fla., Horacio Ramirez, coming off a shoulder injury, pitched a hitless and pain-free inning in his spring debut for Atlanta. Houston’s Roy Oswalt, the only 20-game winner in the NL last year, also made a strong start with two perfect innings on 22 pitches.
Indians 5, Phillies 3
At Clearwater, Fla., prized prospect Gavin Floyd worked three scoreless innings for Philadelphia, but Jose Morban and John Rodriguez each hit a two-run homer in the eighth to rally Cleveland.
Giants (ss) 5, Padres (ss) 4, 10 innings
At Scottsdale, Ariz., Jason Schmidt was pleasantly surprised by his strong outing, throwing three scoreless innings on a windy day. Darrell May, trying to become San Diego’s fifth starter, held the Giants scoreless for two innings.
Cubs 8, Giants (ss) 2
At Mesa, Ariz., San Francisco’s Moises Alou went hitless in two at-bats against his former team. Giants starter Jerome Williams gave up six hits and five runs in the first inning. Ryan Dempster pitched two perfect innings, striking out three.