Rays lose first Charlotte game
Carlos Hernandez faced major league hitters for the first time in three years Wednesday when he pitched the first two innings of the Tampa Bay Rays’ 7-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Charlotte Sports Park.
After moving their spring training headquarters downstate from St. Petersburg, the defending American League champions opened their new park in front of 6,028 fans, many of whom sat in traffic for hours as cars and trucks backed up for two miles along State Road 776, the only road that runs past the stadium.
Those caught in traffic missed Hernandez’s two hitless innings. The 28-year-old lefty struck out one and didn’t walk a batter.
Reds shortstop Jerry Hairston hit a grand slam off Randy Choate in the fifth inning, and Adam Rosales hit a two-run homer off Mitch Talbot in the ninth.
Marlins 5, Cardinals: Hanley Ramirez embraced his move to the third spot in the order, hitting a two-run homer against St. Louis in the spring training opener for both teams. The Marlins committed four errors in the game, which ended in a tie after 10 innings.
Red Sox 7, Boston College 1: Josh Beckett pitched two perfect innings in his first outing since struggling in the playoffs with a strained side muscle, and a Boston split squad beat Boston College at City of Palms Park.
The right-hander struck out two and didn’t allow a ball out of the infield in the Red Sox first spring training game.
Beckett threw 22 pitches, 15 for strikes, before BC, which is 0-19 in the series, took a rare lead when Mike Belfiore singled in a run in the fourth inning off Kris Johnson.
The Red Sox had one hit through four, a double by Nick Green, then scored six runs on six hits in the fifth on a two-run double by Angel Chavez, an RBI double by Yamaico Navarro and a three-run double by Chris Carter. Navarro homered in the sixth.
Yankees 6, Blue Jays 1: Booed and taunted by opposing fans in New York’s spring training opener, Alex Rodriguez homered and drew two walks in a victory over Toronto that was anything but routine.
It was his first game since admitting he took performance-enhancing drugs from 2001-03 with Texas. He left after drawing a walk in the fifth inning, then signed autographs for five minutes before calling it a day.
Cubs 5, Dodgers 3: Micah Hoffpauir hopes to find a spot on the Chicago Cubs’ roster this spring and made sure he was noticed, hitting a grand slam to power a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The game on a brilliant 80-degree day at HoHoKam Park drew 7,916 fans for two of the marquee teams in the NL.
Newcomers to the Arizona spring, the Dodgers trained in Vero Beach, Fla., for six decades before moving to a new state-of-the-art complex they share with the White Sox west of Phoenix.
Padres 4, Mariners 3: Jake Peavy breezed through a scoreless frame to start the Padres’ exhibition victory in 10 innings over Seattle.
Using fastballs and an effective changeup, Peavy took another positive step away from an offseason he spent waiting to be traded.
The 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner allowed a ground-ball single and then got an inning-ending double play.
Twins Bonser: Minnesota Twins right-hander Boof Bonser is expected to miss the entire season after arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder detected partial tears in his labrum and rotator cuff.
Bonser had the procedure Wednesday in St. Petersburg with Dr. Coco Eaton, who repaired the problems.
Bonser will need six to eight months to recover, leaving little room for him to return before the end of the 2009 season.
Wednesday’s Exhibition Baseball Scores
Mets 9, Orioles 3
Marlins 5, Cardinals 5 (10), tie
Astros 6, Nationals 3
Tigers 5, Braves 4
Yankees 6, Blue Jays 1
Pirates 8, Phillies 2
Reds 7, Rays 0
Angels 12, White Sox 3
Cubs 5, Dodgers 3
Athletics 3, Brewers 3 (10), tie
Giants 10, Indians 7
Rangers 12, Royals 7
Diamondbacks 5, Rockies 3
Padres 4, Mariners 3 (10)
Twins 5, Red Sox 2