Split-squad Rays fall to host Tigers 9-4
LAKELAND — Anibal Sanchez pitched into the fifth inning and the Detroit Tigers beat a split squad of Tampa Bay Rays 9-4 Friday.
Anthony Gose and Nick Castellanos each hit their second home run of the spring for the Tigers. Gose went 3 for 3, drove in three runs and scored twice.
Justin Upton drove in two runs for Detroit.
Sanchez gave up four runs on seven hits and two walks in 42⁄ innings.
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Sanchez is set to be the Tigers’ No. 2 starter this season when Detroit opens at Miami. He pitched for the second time this spring and said he could have gone longer.
“I threw 91 pitches, so I am ready,” he said. “I am at 100 percent and am just trying to locate my pitches. I have a few days to figure it out before it’s time to go for real.”
Matt Moore gave up three runs on one hit and three walks in three innings in Tampa Bay’s last day of exhibition games.
Moore ended the spring with a 3.38 ERA.
“I’m pretty happy with the results this spring,” he said. “It’s all a long process. The ball is coming out fine and I am a lot more confident. I might make adjustments on the fly, but I’ll be fine.”
Tim Beckham homered for the Rays.
This was the last exhibition game at home for the Tigers this year. It was their 51st season at cozy Joker Marchant Stadium, and the ballpark will look a lot different when they return next season.
Little will remain except the field at the park where Al Kaline and Alan Trammell played for so long. New clubhouses, a new press box, a boardwalk surrounding the outfield and plenty of other amenities will emerge.
“We’ll miss it, but it’s still the same field,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. “It was time.”
Rays, Braves tie
KISSIMMEE — Jhoulys Chacin pitched 42⁄ in
3 nings in his final spring start Friday and the Atlanta Braves played a split squad of Tampa Bay Rays to a 2-2 exhibition tie.
Chacin gave up one run on three hits and goes into the season as the projected No. 4 starter.
“I did the best I could since I came to spring training to try to get a spot in the rotation,” the 26year-old right-hander said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
The Braves plan to announce their final roster decisions today. So far, they have only picked Julio Teheran, Bud Norris and Matt Wisler as their starters
With two scheduled offdays in the first week, they plan to open the season Monday with only four starters and eight relief pitchers.
“We’ll talk about it,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “[Chacin] has pitched well enough to warrant a really good conversation about it.”
Jeff Francoeur and Tyler Flowers drove in the Atlanta runs with singles in the fourth off Rays starter Adam Wilk.
Logan Forsythe drove in a run for the Rays with a sacrifice fly in the fifth after Dayron Varona doubled.
Varona had one of three hits to help tie the game in the ninth.
After giving up 25 hits in 161⁄ innings in five preced
3 ing outings, Chacin didn’t give up a hit until after getting two outs in the fourth.
“I think I can still get better, especially on breaking balls,’’ Chacin said.
Rays righthander Chris Archer will pitch on opening day against the Toronto Blue Jays in St. Petersburg on Sunday.
For the Braves, righthander Williams Perez will pitch against the Tigers on Sunday before the flight to Atlanta for Monday’s opener against Washington.