Vicente Padilla threw two hitless innings and Reed Johnson drove in a pair of runs, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to an 8-3 win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday. The Dodgers played most of their projected starters in their spring training opener at Camelback Ranch. Regular left fielder Manny Ramirez was the designated hitter and had a pair of singles in three at-bats.
Never mind the hard hit three-run homer he gave up to Juan Uribe. Jeff Francis felt good. And that’s a big deal. After missing 18 months because of shoulder problems that required surgery, Francis was back on the mound again. He gave up four runs, four hits and two walks in two innings of the Colorado Rockies’ 7-4, split-squad loss to the San Francisco Giants on Friday.
Ben Sheets acknowledged being a little nervous but insisted it had nothing to do with facing his former team. It was more about facing hitters for the first time in 17 months. Sheets, who signed a $10 million, one-year contract with the Oakland Athletics in the offseason, started Friday’s 8-7 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers and tossed 1 2-3 healthy innings.
Thanks to freshly minted Arizona Diamondbacks multimillionaire Justin Upton and a slew of Chicago Cubs prospects, it was an afternoon for youth at HoHoKam Park. Upton’s sixth-inning grand slam, his first hit since signing a $51.25 million, six-year contract, wasn’t enough for the Arizona Diamondbacks in an 8-7 loss to Chicago on Friday.
Brad Penny’s debut in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform was rocky, yet he was pleased with his first outing of the spring. Penny pitched two innings, allowing three runs and six hits in the Cardinals’ 7-3 loss to a New York Mets’ split squad Friday. Three of those hits were soft flyballs that landed just beyond the infield.
Zack Greinke spent spring training last year working on a changeup and ended up with a 9.21 ERA — then he dominated the regular season and won the Cy Young Award. What will he do this year now that he’s off to a stellar start? Greinke allowed one hit over three scoreless innings in his first spring outing and the Royals beat the Texas Rangers 4-2 Friday.
Joba Chamberlain and the New York Yankees were not concerned about his first outing of the year. Chamberlain allowed five runs, three hits and three walks over 1 1-3 innings Friday in New York’s 12-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Slowed by flulike symptoms this week that cost him eight pounds, Chamberlain threw just 14 of 33 pitches for strikes in relief of Phil Hughes, competing with him to be…
Justin Morneau and Tim Wakefield each made encouraging returns to the field after a long offseason dealing with back injuries. Morneau marked his return to Minnesota with a two-run double and Wakefield tossed two scoreless innings for Boston in his first post-surgery appearance in a 5-0 victory by the Twins over the Red Sox on Friday.
