A’s lose Gray for a while with strain

Oakland Athletics ace Sonny Gray will begin the season on the disabled list with a lat strain and has been shut down from throwing for the next three weeks.

A’s general manager David Forst said Thursday there’s no timetable for the right-hander beyond the preliminary stretch.

It was a big blow to the A’s and Gray, who was eager to start fresh following a forgettable 2016. He was scratched from his scheduled outing opening day last year because of food poisoning and never had the kind of season he envisioned as the leader of the rotation.

He spent two stints on the DL and went 5-11 with a 5.69 ERA on the heels of back-to-back 14-win campaigns. Gray, who received a $3,575,000, oneyear contract to avoid arbitration, initially had plans to pitch for the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic.

Cashed out — New Texas starter Andrew Cashner is being held back from throwing for the second time this spring because of soreness in his right upper biceps.

Cashner had resumed throwing after an MRI and exam last week showed nothing significant in the biceps. The right-hander then had a couple of days of light throwing without issues, but the biceps started bothering him again when the intensity increased.

Cashner, a Texas native who was a first-round draft pick out of TCU in 2008, was 5-11 with a 5.25 ERA in 28 games last season combined with San Diego and Miami.

• Athletics 12, Reds 5 — Sean Manaea, in the longest start for the A’s this spring, struck out the side in the first and went 3 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run on three hits and a walk. Jed Lowrie had three hits while Steven Vogt and Trevor Plouffe both had two hits and three RBIs.

Reds starter Tim Adelman was roughed up for four earned on three hits and four walks. He exited in the second after getting hit on the right shoulder by a comebacker. Adam Duvall hit his first homer.

• Astros 3, Cardinals 0 — Astros starter Lance McCullers, making his first start since an elbow strain ended his season last August, breezed through two perfect innings, striking out three.

Cardinals starter Lance Lynn struck out three over three innings, allowing one earned run on two hits.

• Marlins 2, NAationals 2, 9 innings — Bryce Harper hit his third home run of the spring and Derek Norris added a solo shot for Washington. A.J. Cole pitched four hitless innings, allowing just one walk. Joe Nathan, trying to join the Nationals’ bullpen mix at 42, allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in one inning.