LaMarre doubles in 10th as Bosox top Jays in Montreal
Teagarden suspended 80 games
A photo from the previous tournament.
MONTREAL, April 2, (AP): It was a big night for Russell Martin, even if his Toronto Blue Jays lost to the Boston Red Sox.
An energetic crowd of 52,682 watched the Red Sox post a 4-2 exhibition win over Toronto on a two-out, two run double in the top of the 10th inning from outfielder Ryan LaMarre.
But the ovations for Martin, who was born in Toronto but grew up in Montreal — and a pregame tribute to some of his old Montreal Expos heroes — had the Blue Jays catcher beaming after the game.
“It’s still exhibition, but when you play in front of a crowd like this it gets your juices flowing,” Martin said. “Our minds are still getting ready for Tampa on opening day (Sunday). “Those are the games that count. But you still want to compete and to play to win. It gets your mojo going and it’s a perfect way to get ready for the season.”
Kevin Pillar and Canadian outfielder Michael Saunders hit solo home runs off Red Sox starter Steven Wright for a 2-0 lead after two innings, but Boston tied it in the fifth.
It is the third year in a row that the Blue Jays have ended training camp with a pair of games at Olympic Stadium, where near sell-out crowds turn out for a taste of major league ball they have missed since the Montreal Expos left and became the Washington Nationals after the 2004 season.
A pregame tribute was paid to former Expos Tim Raines, Pedro Martinez, Ellis Valentine, Marquis Grissom, Vladimir Guerrero and Jose Vidro. Martin grew up watching those players.
“It was awesome, especially Rock (Raines),” Martin said. “You see in his eyes how emotional he got.
“It shows how much baseball is missed in Montreal.”
Exhibition games can go no longer than 10 innings under major league rules and this one looked like it might end in a tie until LaMarre’s shot off the wall in right-center field scored Travis Shaw and Chris Young, who had each walked after reliever Pat McCoy got the first two hitters to ground out.
“For a guy who has been in Triple-A, who’s had some opportunities at the major league level, that’s a good moment to come through with a key base hit,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “I’m sure it’s a night he’ll remember.”
The teams play a second exhibition game Saturday afternoon in Montreal to end spring training for both clubs. Martin with be the designated hitter in that game to save his knees for the season opener.
Farrell was impressed with the knuckleballing Wright, who went five innings, surrendering seven hits and two earned runs but struck out eight.
“His knuckleball was really working in a dome, which is what we’ve seen,” Farrell said. “It’s got extra action to it.
“He threw a number of curveballs, which he’s been working on. A couple of home runs, but a good outing for Steven.”
Pillar got the crowd going when he led off the first by taking a 2-1 pitch over the left field wall.
Victoria native Saunders led off the second with a line drive homer to center field.
“It was a 3-1 heater, but it felt good,” Saunders said. The Red Sox got one back off starter J.A. Happ in the third when Mookie Betts doubled and, two batters later, scored on Xander Bogaerts’ groundout. Betts drove in Jackie Bradley Jr. with a single in the fifth off Joe Biajani.
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Former major league catcher Taylor Teagarden, among the athletes accused of using performance-enhancing drugs in a December report by Al Jazeera, was suspended for 80 games on Friday by Major League Baseball.
In its announcement, MLB said Teagarden violated the big league drug program but did not specify the nature of the violation.
Al Jazeera accused several high-profile athletes of using performance-enhancing drugs, among them Philadelphia first baseman Ryan Howard, Washington first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and then Denver quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning denied the allegations, and William Burck, a lawyer for Howard and Zimmerman, called the charges “outright lies.”
Oakland Athletics pitcher Kendall Graveman throws to the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of an exhibition baseball game on April 1 in
San Francisco, California. (AP)
points for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Wild lost earlier in the night, but Colorado couldn’t capitalize.
Jarome Iginla scored his 609th career goal and Gabriel Landeskog also scored for Colorado.
In Anaheim, California, Emerson Etem scored the tiebreaking goal against his former team with 6:37 to play as Vancouver rallied from a thirdperiod deficit for its second straight victory.
Dan Hamhuis scored the tying goal shortly after Nate Thompson put the Ducks ahead in the third period. Etem then batted home a rebound in the longtime Ducks forward’s first game back at Honda Center since Anaheim traded the native of nearby Long Beach last summer.
Bo Horvat also scored and Jacob Markstrom stopped 34 shots for the Canucks, who snapped their nine-game winless skid Thursday in San Jose.
John Gibson made 25 saves and Josh Manson scored in the opening minute for the injury-depleted Ducks, who had won three straight.
Stanislav Galiev #49 of the Washington Capitals takes a shot as John Mitchell #7 of the Colorado Avalanche follows the play at Pepsi Center on April 1 in
Denver, Colorado. (AFP)
In St Louis, David Krejci had two goals and two assists as the Boston Bruins snapped out of a scoring funk to beat the St. Louis Blues 6-5 Friday night to hang onto third place in the Atlantic Division.
Loui Eriksson got his 500th career point with a goal and an assist and Patrice Bergeron scored his 30th this season for the Bruins, who totaled 10 goals while dropping six of their previous seven games. They’re a point ahead of Detroit, which beat Minnesota 3-2, with four games remaining.
Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist and Alexander Steen and David Backes each had two assists for the Blues. St Louis ended a five-game winning streak, during which it allowed one goal and recorded for consecutive shutouts. The Blues are second overall in the Western Conference with 101 points and have four games to go.
In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Brent Seabrook scored 1:02 into overtime after Artemi Panarin tied it late in the third period with his second goal of the game as Chicago beat Winnipeg.
Panarin also had two assists, including orchestrating a 2-on-1 with Seabrook in overtime. Panarin passed across the slot to the defenseman, and Seabrook beat Ondrej Pavelec with a shot inside the near post.
Patrick Kane and Brandon Mashinter also scored for the Blackhawks, who sneaked away winners in a game with