Feb 25, 2025; Port Charlotte, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second base Curtis Mead (25) hits a RBI double in opposition to the Philadelphia Phillies through the fourth inning at Charlotte Sports activities Park. Necessary Credit score: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Photographs Johnny DeLuca labored a bases-loaded stroll and Tampa Bay scored 4 runs within the high of the ninth because the Rays defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 on Thursday in Clearwater, Fla.
Rays prospect Brock Jones hit residence runs on this first two at-bats of the spring, tying the sport at 4 within the high of the ninth with a two-run shot off of former Tampa Bay reliever Joel Kuhnel.
Jones got here to the plate within the eighth inning for his spring debut with the Rays down 3-0 and deposited a 1-1 fastball down the center within the picnic space in right-center. After Tampa introduced one other run residence within the ninth, Jones dug in in opposition to Kuhnel with two outs and a runner on third. He smoked the primary pitch for a game-tying residence run earlier than second baseman Curtis Mead reached base for the fifth time within the sport with a single.
Mead got here in to attain on DeLuca’s stroll and the Phillies went quietly within the backside of the ninth with two strikeouts by right-hander Nathan Wiles.
Mead went 4-for-4 to lift his batting common to .778 (14-for-18) this spring.
The Phillies went up 2-0 within the fourth when Nick Castellanos and Max Kepler belted back-to-back residence runs to proper area.
Castellanos lifted his first residence run of the spring simply over the fence in proper off of Rays right-hander Manuel Rodriguez for a 1-0 Philadelphia lead. Rodriguez served up one other longball two pitches later when Kepler plastered a 1-0 pitch that landed nicely out of the ballpark fence.
Proper-hander Aaron Nola struck out six in three scoreless innings for the Phillies.
Nationals 12, Cardinals 1
Keibert Ruiz hit two residence runs, Nasim Nunez had three of Washington’s 13 hits and right-hander Michael Soroka whiffed six in 4 innings because the Nationals beat St. Louis in Jupiter, Fla.
Willson Contreras had a two hits and St. Louis collected 5 singles, together with Brendan Donovan’s run-scoring hit to heart plating Lars Nootbar within the fourth inning.
Ruiz went deep within the fourth and adopted No. 8 hitter Paul DeJong’s three-run blast within the sixth with a fence-skimmer to proper area giving Washington an 11-1 lead.
Blue Jays 7, Crimson Sox 4
Bo Bichette singled in his first three at-bats and Toronto acquired back-to-back residence runs from Eric Clement and Dylan Schneider within the second inning to walk previous Boston in Dunedin, Fla.
Bichette went 3-for-4 within the leadoff spot as a part of the continued experiment with Vlad Guerrero Jr. batting behind him and scored within the first inning. After a single, Bichette got here round on Guerrero’s double off of right-hander Cooper Criswell. The Jays tagged Criswell for 4 earned runs and 5 hits in 1 2/3 innings.
Jays right-hander Andrew Bash struck out the facet for the save within the ninth inning.
Twins 8, Yankees 4
Matt Wallner hit a three-run homer within the second inning and Minnesota roughed up New York ace Gerrit Cole for six runs in 2 2/3 innings at Tampa, Fla.
Wallner’s blast capped a five-run second inning and Brooks Lee added a solo shot within the third off Cole. Mike Ford and Mickey Gasper (3-for-4, two RBIs) homered off Yankees relievers.
J.C. Escarra homered within the ninth for New York and was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Cole was pulled after Wallner’s blast with two outs within the second after which was introduced again to pitch the third inning.
–Area Degree Media
