Verlander homers off Verlander
Sandoval benched; Matzek returns
LAKELAND, Fla. — Ben 1, Justin 0.
Justin Verlander gave up a home run during a minorleague game Thursday to his younger brother, Ben, an outfield prospect for the Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers’ right-handed ace was able to chuckle about it afterward.
“One epic swing for him,” Justin said. “I’m sure I’m going to be hearing about it. Probably glad I’m getting out of town.”
Ben Verlander, 24, added: “I got in there and I was telling myself to look for a first-pitch fastball, and the rest is history, I guess.”
ORIOLES: With each day that South Korean outfielder Hyun Soo Kim remains in major league limbo, his impasse with the team becomes more apparent.
Kim hasn’t played a Grapefruit League game since Saturday, and on Tuesday evening, executive vice president Dan Duquette said it wasn’t looking like he would make the Opening Day roster.
On Thursday, after another meeting between Kim and manager Buck Showalter, Duquette explained the organization’s desire for Kim to accept an assignment to the minors in a text message to The Baltimore Sun.
RED SOX: Pablo Sandoval has become a $95 million bench player.
Travis Shaw, a 25-year-old who made his big league debut last May, will be their starting third baseman.
“If it’s the right decision to help the team win, I’m going to be happy. I’m going to be ready for the bench. I’ll get ready for everything in the season and do my job,” Sandoval said.
ROCKIES: Left-hander Tyler Matzek returned to spring training Thursday after spending two weeks taking brain tests and undergoing coaching for performance anxiety.
Matzek started the Rockies’ home opener last year, but ended up in the low minors because of control and confidence issues. He failed to get anybody out in his first spring appearance on March 2, was scratched from his next start and then left camp on March 14 .
he T25-year-old Matzek spent the past two weeks in Denver with the Rockies’ new mental skills coach, former NFL linebacker and psychologist Dr. Rick Perea.
“He’s got a lot of holistic views of how to connect your mind and your body,” Matzek said. “He’s got a lot of strategies on how to do that. A lot of good information, coaching and stuff like that.”
YANKEES: Masahiro Tanaka will be New York’s opening day starter Monday against Houston, manager Joe Girardi said Thursday.
Tanaka rebounded from a slow spring training start by allowing one run over four innings in Tuesday’s game against Philadelphia. He had a procedure in October to remove a bone spur from his throwing elbow.
… Yankees reliever Andrew Miller plans to pitch with a broken wrist in his glove hand. “I think I can work around it,” Miller said.
BRAVES: After 51 years in baseball, longtime Atlanta executive John Schuerholz is moving to an advisory role he says is perfectly timed to finally provide more family time.
As the team approaches its final season at Turner Field, it announced several frontoffice changes on Thursday, including Schuerholz moving from team president to vice chairman.
SALARIES: The Cubs and Brewers illustrate baseball’s boom-bust cycle.
At Wrigley Field, the Cubs have boosted payroll by about $50 million to $170 million this year in an effort to win their first World Series title since 1908.
At Miller Park, the Brewers overhauled their roster after finishing last in the NL Central and cut their big league player budget to under $60 million. That’s the lowest in the major leagues, according to a review of contracts by The Associated Press. Just eight of the Brew Crew make over $525,000, which is barely above the big league minimum.
They’re many rungs below pitchers Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and David Price, the first trio to reach $30 million in the same season.
The Dodgers remain baseball’s biggest spender with their opening-day payroll of around $230 million.
Small spenders include the Florida pair of Tampa Bay (about $65 million) and Miami ($73 million).