Judge homers twice as Yankees beat Tigers in spring game
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — All rise — again. Aaron Judge is back.
Judge hit his first two homers of spring training, helping the New York Yankees to a 7-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers in a split-squad game on Sunday.
Brett Gardner also connected twice and Gary Sanchez had a solo drive as New York went deep six times. The Yankees set a major league record with 267 homers last season.
Gardner and Judge hit consecutive homers off Daniel Norris in the first. Judge went deep again in the fifth, belting a two-run drive to right that went off the glove of a leaping Victor Reyes and just over the wall.
Norris allowed three runs and four hits in 1 2/3 innings. The 25-year-old left-hander is trying to win a spot in Detroit's rotation.
"Just trying to throw strikes and stay out of the middle of the zone, which I didn't do very good today," Norris said.
Masahiro Tanaka tossed three scoreless innings for the Yankees in his first spring start. Traditionally one of baseball's most deliberate workers, the right-hander had no issues with baseball's new 20-second pitch clock.
"Yes, I was conscious of that," Tanaka said through a translator. "It's something MLB is testing during spring training and it might come into effect once we get into the season. You don't want to be not prepared if that were to happen."
FROM AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUES
RED SOX 9, TWINS (SS) 7
Mookie Betts went 2 for 2 for the Red Sox, and Tony Renda hit a three-run homer. C.J. Chatham added two hits and three RBIs.
Boston's Darwinzon Hernandez, a 22-year-old left-hander from Venezuela, struck out three in two scoreless innings.
Minnesota's Chase De Jong was knocked around in his 2 1/3 innings of relief, giving up seven runs and seven hits. Ehire Adrianza hit two doubles and Brian Navarreto homered.
Trea Turner singled, doubled and drove in three runs for the Nationals. Anibal Sanchez pitched two innings of two-run ball.
Houston ace Gerrit Cole struck out three while pitching two hitless innings. Yuli Gurriel singled and doubled, and Carlos Correa had two hits.
Newly acquired catcher Mike Zunino doubled home two runs for the Rays. Avisail Garcia had two hits and four RBIs, and Ryne Stanek tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Pablo Reyes homered for Pittsburgh. Mitch Keller, a second-round pick in the 2014 draft, gave up four runs in one inning.
Adam Duvall homered twice for Atlanta, and Tyler Flowers also went deep. Sean Newcomb struck out three in three scoreless innings, and Arodys Vizcaino struck out the side in his inning of relief.
Miami's Dan Straily gave up three runs and four hits in 2 1/3 innings.
Juan Lagares had three hits, stole a base and made an impressive catch in center field with his back to home plate. Lagares won a Gold Glove in center field in 2014 but is struggling to find a place in a crowded Mets outfield.
Dominic Smith, battling for the starting first base job for New York, belted a mammoth three-run drive and finished with three hits. Travis d'Arnaud made his first start since Tommy John surgery last season and went 1 for 3 with an RBI.
Matt Carpenter and Tyler O'Neill each hit a two-run homer for St. Louis. Daniel Ponce de Leon allowed three runs in three innings.
PHILLIES 3, TWINS (SS) 3
Jake Arrieta struck out four and worked three hitless innings for the Phillies. Andrew Romine homered, and Shane Robinson singled and doubled in three at-bats.
Max Kepler and Lucas Duda each had two hits for Minnesota, and Jonathan Schoop homered. Jose Berrios gave up two runs in 2 1/3 innings.
BLUE JAYS 5, YANKEES (SS) 2
Top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled for Toronto. Billy McKinney homered, and Matt Shoemaker struck out five in 2 2/3 innings of two-run ball.
Domingo German struck out four and allowed just one hit in 2 2/3 innings for the Yankees. Luke Voit hit a solo home run.
Mike Trout and Albert Pujols hit back-to-back home runs for Los Angeles. Taylor Ward, a first-round pick in 2015 by the Angels, went 3 for 3 with two doubles.
Oakland's Marco Estrada gave up three runs in three innings.
ORIOLES 7, TIGERS 5
Anthony Santander had three hits, including a three-run homer, for the Orioles. Andrew Cashner gave up four runs and six hits over three innings.
Detroit's Matthew Boyd yielded three hits in three innings, including Austin Hays' solo homer. Niko Goodrum went 3 for 3, belting a three-run shot off Cashner in the first.
Kyle Farmer, Derek Dietrich and Phillip Ervin homered for Cincinnati. Lucas Sims was hit hard, allowing three runs in the first inning.
Reigning NL MVP Christian Yelich went 2 for 2 and ripped a first-inning homer for the Brewers. Josh Tomlin worked three innings and allowed six runs and seven hits.
MARINERS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 3
Mariners starter Marco Gonzales pitched four innings of one-run ball. Tim Beckham doubled and drove in two runs, and Shed Long added another double.
Zack Godley worked three innings for the Diamondbacks, giving up just two hits. Matt Szczur, Ketel Marte and Wilmer Flores each doubled.
Nolan Arenado hit a two-run homer for Colorado, and Pat Valaika went deep twice. Daniel Murphy doubled, and Ian Desmond went 2 for 2 with a triple.
Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland worked three innings, allowing three hits and a walk.
Giants starter Dereck Rodriguez gave up a run in three innings. Buster Posey caught for the second time this spring after undergoing major hip surgery last season and had a hit in two at-bats.
Alex Verdugo had two hits, drove in two runs and scored twice for Los Angeles. Austin Barnes had three RBIs.
Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda gave up three runs in two innings. Kenley Jansen worked a clean inning and Joe Kelly gave up one hit in his inning of relief.
Rangers starter Lance Lynn struck out five but was charged with five runs in 2 2/3 innings. Matt Davidson hit his third home run of the spring.
RANGERS (SS) 11, PADRES 3
Rougned Odor homered and drove in two runs for Texas, and Asdrubal Cabrera went 2 for 4 for the Rangers. Brock Burke struck out three in two hitless innings.
San Diego's Chris Paddack gave up two runs and four hits in 2 2/3 innings. Jason Vosler and Jose Pirela each hit a triple.
Chris Owings hit a grand slam for the Royals. Chris Ellis worked two innings, giving up seven runs.
Sam Hentges worked two innings for the Indians, striking out three and walking one. Leonys Martin and Carlos Santana homered.
Cubs star Kris Bryant singled and hit his second home run of the spring. Yu Darvish worked two hitless innings, striking out three.
White Sox starter Manny Banuelos walked four and gave up two runs in 1 1/3 hitless innings. Jose Abreu went deep for the second time this spring.
