Harper starts spring with a bang
2015 NL MVP looking to rebound after down year
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Welcome to spring training, Bryce Harper. The swing looks pretty good. Harper hit a long solo homer and a single, helping the Washington Nationals to an 8-6 victory over the New York Mets on Saturday.
Andrew Stevenson and Matt Skole also connected for Washington, and Gio Gonzalez struck out one in a scoreless first inning. Joe Nathan, bidding to fill the Nationals’ closer spot, gave up one hit in a scoreless third inning.
Harper led off the second inning with a drive to right-centre against Sean Gilmartin in his first at-bat of spring training, then singled in the fourth.
The 24-year-old Harper won the NL MVP award in 2015, when he hit .330 with 42 home runs and 99 RBIs in 153 games. He hopes to rebound after slumping to a .243 batting average, 24 homers and 86 RBIs last year.
Cards’ next star
Cuban outfielder Adolis Garcia could suit up for the St. Louis Cardinals at some point this season, according to general manager John Mozeliak.
Garcia, who turns 24 on Thursday, agreed Friday to a minor league contract with a $2.5 million signing bonus and was in camp Saturday ahead of the Cardinals’ exhibition opener against Miami.
Garcia earned MVP honours in Serie Nacional, Cuba’s highest league, in 2016 after hitting .319 with 14 homers and 71 RBIs in 81 games with 15 outfield assists. He then had a brief stint with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan’s Central League.
“Obviously there were other offers and there were other teams, but I picked St. Louis because of the tradition and because it is such a wonderful organization and I knew that I was going to identify with the team and fit in,” Garcia said through an interpreter.
While Garcia worked out with the Cardinals on Saturday, he won’t play in games until after he obtains a U.S. work visa, a process expected to take a few weeks.
BRAVES 7, BLUE JAYS 4
At Kissimmee, Fla., former Blue Jay Emilio Bonifacio was 2-for-2 and drove in two runs to help the Atlanta Braves beat Toronto 7-4 on Saturday in the Grapefruit League opener for both teams.
Bartolo Colon started for Atlanta (1-0), allowing one run on three hits in two innings in his Braves debut.
Glenn Sparkman, the Blue Jays’ pick in December's Rule 5 draft, took the loss. He allowed four runs on four hits through an inning of work.
Anthony Alford, Reese McGuire, Dwight Smith and Jake Elmore, who went 3-for-3, drove in runs for Toronto (0-1).
DODGERS 5, WHITE SOX 3
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Even though it was just one inning and 12 pitches, it was a good enough start for Clayton Kershaw.
The Los Angeles Dodgers ace helped begin the team’s exhibition season Saturday in a 5-3 win against the Dodgers’ spring training co-tenants, the Chicago White Sox. “It was OK. I threw one changeup that was terrible. That’s what I got mad about,” Kershaw said after his outing before 8,474 fans. “I got behind every batter today. But the results were OK, I got three outs, I’ll take it for today and get ready for the next one.”
The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner was possibly headed to his best season last year when a herniated disk sidelined him from June 26 to Sept. 9. He returned in September and finished with a 12-4 record and 1.69 ERA. He pitched 149 innings, 13 short of qualifying for what would have been his fifth ERA title.