Trout, Cron blast off
Mike Trout hit a three-run home run and C.J. Cron had a solo shot off Chris Sale in the sixth inning as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Chicago White Sox 6-5 Thursday. Sale started with scoreless innings before the Angels tagged the lefty ace. Angels reliever Tyler Skaggs, making his Cactus League debut, gave up one run in two innings.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Mike Trout hit a three-run home run and C.J. Cron had a solo shot off Chris Sale in the sixth inning as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Chicago White Sox 6-5 Thursday.
Sale started with scoreless innings before the Angels tagged the lefty ace.
Angels reliever Tyler Skaggs, making his Cactus League debut, gave up one run in two innings. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2014.
“Tyler looked like he didn’t skip a beat,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He looked really sharp this afternoon. A good starting point for him.”
Jimmy Rollins hit his fourth spring home run and Brett Lawrie had a two-run drive for the White Sox.
The Angels broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh when the White Sox allowed Johnny Giavotella to get back to third base after he’d been caught in a rundown between third and home. Pinch hitter Rafael Ortega then came through with a two-run single.
Matt Shoemaker, a contender for the Angels’ rotation, gave up four runs in six innings. He walked one and struck out four.
SPRING TRAINING
ANGELS 6, WHITE SOX 5
NATIONALS - CARDINALS
Pitching duel
VIERA, Fla. — Max Scherzer outpitched Adam Wainwright in a matchup worthy of opening day, and the Washington Nationals defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 8-2.
Scherzer struck out 9 and walked 3 in 5 innings, allowing 2 runs — both unearned — and 3 hits.
Wainwright gave up 4 runs and 7 hits in 41/3 innings, struck out 4 and walked 1.
Michael A. Taylor hit a two-run double and a tworun home run for the Nationals. Anthony Rendon drove in two runs with his third double in two days.
Scherzer struck out eight of the Cardinals he faced, failing to fan Tommy Pham but getting Jedd Gyorko twice.
Wainwright was relieved by Seth Maness, who gave up two doubles, Taylor’s home run and a single among his first four batters.
BREWERS - ROYALS
Home-run fest
PHOENIX — Chris Carter and Martin Maldonado each hit three-run home runs, Wily Peralta threw six strong innings and Milwaukee beat Kansas City 9-2.
Ryan Braun was a late scratch for the Brewers because of lower back soreness.
Eric Young Jr. added a tworun home run for Milwaukee.
Peralta, the Brewers’ No. 1 starter, had his best outing of the spring, allowing four hits and one run, a solo homer to Eric Hosmer. It was the third home run for Hosmer.
ASTROS - METS
Where’s the ball?
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — In a bizarre play, Mets center fielder Yoenis Cespedes backed away from a ball that was in plain sight underneath the padding on the wall, giving the Houston Astros an inside-the-park home run in an 8-5 victory over New York.
A matchup of AL Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel (Arkansas Razorbacks) and Mets ace Matt Harvey was overshadowed by the strange home run.
A.J. Reed hit a deep drive in the second inning that landed in the dirt at the base of the wall. The ball was clearly visible, but Cespedes put up his hands to signal it was unplayable and should be a ground rule double.
Reed easily made it to second base, then jogged the rest of the way home while Cespedes stood by.
Second base umpire C.B. Bucknor went out to center field and rolled the ball away from the wall, showing Cespedes he should have made a play.
Keuchel threw 5 scoreless innings, giving up 3 hits and striking out 5.
RANGERS - REDS
Rangers’ rout
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Chi Chi Gonzalez allowed one hit over five scoreless innings and John Ruggiano hit a pair of two-run home runs as a Texas Rangers split squad defeated the Cincinnati Reds 12-5.
Adrian Beltre, Mitch Moreland and Ronald Guzman also homered for Texas.
Gonzalez, a 2013 firstround pick out of Oral Roberts University, gave up a double to Eugenio Suarez with two outs in the first. Gonzalez is bidding for the fifth slot in the Rangers’ rotation.
Beltre hit a three-run home run in the third inning off Anthony DeSciafani, who allowed 8 runs in 52/3 innings. Ruggiano homered in the fourth and sixth innings, while Moreland added a solo drive.