THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — To Johan Santana and the New York Mets, this was a most pleasant spring sight.
The lefty ace returned to the mound for his first game against major league hitters in 18 months and pitched two scoreless innings Tuesday as a Mets split squad beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-6.
Santana walked his first batter on five pitches. But a single marked the only other runner against Santana, who threw 17 of 29 pitches for strikes.
The two-time Cy Young winner last pitched to big league hitters on Sept. 2, 2010, in a game in Atlanta. Two weeks later he underwent surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder.
"Finally I had an opportunity to go out there and finally get the first one out of the way," Santana said. "… I was excited about today. Even as I was preparing myself prior to the game, I was anxious to go out there and do it."
This time last year, Santana was working toward a potential return in June, but the Mets shut him down in August after he pitched just five innings with the Class A St. Lucie Mets.
MARINERS 8, REDS 6
PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Seattle ace Felix Hernandez struck out four in three hitless innings.
Hernandez hit the first batter he faced this spring, then retired nine in a row. The right-hander threw 26 of his 35 pitches for strikes.
Seattle star Ichiro Suzuki went 3 for 3 with two RBIs.
Mat Latos, expected to serve as Cincinnati’s No. 2 starter, allowed two hits in two scoreless innings in his spring debut. The Reds acquired the right-hander when they traded four players to San Diego in December.
TIGERS 3, MARLINS 1
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Jose Reyes was hitless in three at-bats in his spring debut for the Marlins.
Reyes was part of an off-season overhaul for Miami. The speedy shortstop agreed to a $106 million, six-year contract with the Marlins over the winter, leaving the New York Mets in free agency.
Tigers starter Rick Porcello allowed an unearned run and a hit over two innings.
ANGELS 6, WHITE SOX 2
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Albert Pujols doubled again and scored in the Angels’ victory.
Pujols narrowly missed his first spring homer, doubling deep to left-centre field off Matt Thornton in the third. His first time up, Pujols walked and scored on Jorge Cantu’s two-run single off John Danks.
Pujols left the Cardinals and signed with the Angels in the off-season. The three-time NL MVP went 2 for 3 with a double Monday in his exhibition debut with his new team.
PIRATES 7, YANKEES 4
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Andrew McCutchen had two hits and two RBIs hours after agreeing to a new deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
McCutchen hit a run-scoring single off Yankees ace CC Sabathia in the first and doubled in the third.
The Pirates and McCutchen announced a $51.5 million, six-year contract for the All-Star centre fielder earlier in the day.
Sabathia pitched two innings and allowed a run and three hits. Right-hander Phil Hughes reached his pitch limit in 1 1-3 innings and was charged with two runs and four hits.
CUBS 11, ROCKIES 4
MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Alfonso Soriano hit two home runs and a double to send Dale Sveum to his first victory since he was hired to manage the Cubs in November.
Soriano led off the Cubs’ four-run second inning with a drive that hit halfway up the scoreboard in left field. He led off the third with a double to the wall in centre and added a two-run homer in a four-run fifth.
Guillermo Moscoso gave up four runs and five hits in two innings for Colorado.
Cubs right-hander Matt Garza allowed two runs and three hits over two innings in his spring debut.
GIANTS 8, DODGERS 4
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Melky Cabrera homered from both sides of the plate in the Giants’ win.
San Francisco left-hander Barry Zito gave up four hits and two runs in two innings. He threw 28 strikes in 35 pitches in his first spring outing.
Dodgers starter Ted Lilly struggled, yielding five runs, including two homers, in two innings.
Andre Ethier homered for Los Angeles.
NATIONALS 5, BRAVES 2
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Gio Gonzalez pitched three scoreless innings in his Washington debut, leading the Nationals over the Atlanta Braves.
Gonzalez, acquired in a trade during the off-season from the Oakland Athletics, allowed one hit, walked one and struck out two. He was 16-12 last season with Oakland and had a 3.12 ERA. No other Nationals pitcher had more than 10 wins last season.
Jayson Werth, coming off a disappointing 2011 season, homered to put the Nationals ahead.
ATHLETICS 6, BREWERS 0
PHOENIX (AP) — Jemile Weeks had two hits and tackled his older brother Rickie to end a rundown, helping the Athletics get the victory.
Oakland left-hander Tommy Milone pitched three innings of one-hit ball. Milone is one of four players acquired from Washington for right-hander Gio Gonzalez on December 23.
Milone walked Rickie Weeks to lead off the game but picked him off first base. Jemile was the last player with the ball in the ensuing rundown and he chased his brother from halfway between first and second before getting down a diving tag at the first-base bag.
Yovani Gallardo struck out four in two shutout innings for Milwaukee.
RANGERS 16, DIAMONDBACKS 3
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Elvis Andrus singled, doubled, scored twice and had a sacrifice fly for Texas.
A day after going 3 for 3, the star shortstop started out with two more hits.
Conor Jackson hit a solo home run and Nelson Cruz singled in two runs for the Rangers, who outhit the Diamondbacks 19-5.
Texas starter Matt Harrison threw two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and hitting a batter. Arizona’s Joe Saunders gave up two runs and five hits in two innings.
ASTROS 4, METS (SS) 1
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — Wandy Rodriguez pitched three shutout innings and the Houston Astros beat a Mets split squad.
Brad Snyder and Chris Snyder homered for the Astros, and first baseman Carlos Lee went 1 for 3 in his first spring game. Lee also made a sliding catch in front of the Mets’ dugout.
Josh Satin had two of New York’s five hits and drove in a run.
RED SOX 5, ORIOLES 4
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Daniel Bard, who’s in the process of converting from a reliever to starter, opened with two hitless innings and the Boston Red Sox beat Baltimore.
Bard struck out two and walked one. The 26-year-old righty has made 192 appearances in three seasons, all of them in relief.
Jacoby Ellsbury doubled and scored for Boston. Wilson Betemit drove in two runs for Baltimore and Nick Johnson singled and scored.
TWINS 3, RAYS 2
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) — Scott Baker pitched two hitless innings in his spring debut as the Minnesota Twins beat Tampa Bay.
The outing was a good sign for Baker, who went 8-6 with a 3.14 ERA for the Twins before an elbow injury ended his 2011 season.
The Rays are winless in their four exhibition games, with three of the losses to Minnesota.
ROYALS (SS) 7, PADRES 4
SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Luke Hochevar worked two scoreless innings for the Royals’ split-squad, and Max Ramirez hit two homers and drove in four runs.
Hochevar, the first player picked in the 2006 draft, allowed one single, walked one and struck out one. He threw 19 of 29 pitches for strikes.
Ramirez, a non-roster invitee, hit a solo homer in the fourth and a three-run shot in the sixth.
Tim Stauffer, the Padres’ opening-day starter last season, gave up a run and two hits in two innings.
INDIANS 3, ROYALS (SS) 2
GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Shelley Duncan hit a three-run homer to power Cleveland to the victory.
Duncan connected in the third inning against reliever Zach Miner, working his way back from Tommy John surgery in 2010.
Starting pitchers Will Smith for Kansas City and Kevin Slowey of Cleveland each worked two scoreless innings.
Irving Falu hit a two-run homer for Kansas City.
