Former National League Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara struck out four and retired all nine batters he faced on Thursday to help the Miami Marlins post a 2-0 win over the Houston Astros at Jupiter, Fla.
Alcantara threw 31 of his 43 pitches for strikes at the outset of a contest in which five Miami pitchers combined for a one-hit shutout and 13 strikeouts. Alcantara was the NL’s top pitcher in 2022 before a major arm injury helped derail him in recent seasons.
Robby Snelling replaced Alcantara and fanned six in three innings. He gave up the lone Houston hit, a single by Zach Cole to start the fourth inning.
Xavier Edwards had an RBI single in the third and Esteury Ruiz delivered a run-scoring single in the sixth.
Twins 15, Yankees 0 (7)
Luke Keaschall went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs and James Outman hit a two-run shot as visiting Minnesota ended New York’s eight-game winning streak at Tampa, Fla., in a game called in the top of the seventh inning due to rain.
Noah Cardenas drove in three runs and Gabriel Gonzalez knocked in two as the Twins racked up 16 hits. The Yankees had just two hits in their 18 at-bats with Jasson Dominguez getting a single in the first and Ryan McMahon doubling in the fifth.
Cardinals 3, Pirates 2
Jimmy Crooks hit a tiebreaking single to score Joshua Baez with two outs in the eighth inning as visiting St. Louis registered the victory over Pittsburgh at Bradenton, Fla.
Nolan Gorman smacked a two-run homer for the Cardinals, who had six hits. Alika Williams hit a two-run blast for the Pirates.
Nationals 7, Mets 4
Trey Lipscomb ripped a tiebreaking two-run double during a four-run sixth inning to help host Washington knock off New York at West Palm Beach, Fla.
Matt Mervis had a run-scoring single and Seaver King had an RBI double later in the inning for the Nationals. For the Mets, Brett Baty hit a two-run homer and prized free agent Bo Bichette went 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Braves 9, Blue Jays 5
Tristin English lined a three-run double and Chris Sale gave up one run in three innings as Atlanta best visiting Toronto at Venice, Fla.
Dominic Smith hit a two-run homer and Drake Baldwin added a two-run single for the Braves. Addison Barger and Cutter Coffey each had two-run doubles for the Blue Jays.
Orioles 4, Rays 3
Will Robertson hit a two-run homer and Jose Barrero drilled a solo shot to lead visiting Baltimore past Tampa Bay at Port Charlotte, Fla.
The blast by Robertson gave the Orioles a 4-0 lead in the sixth. Jose Perez, Gregory Barrios and Nicandro Aybar had run-scoring singles for the Rays.
Phillies 6, Red Sox 2
Jesus Luzardo struck out five and gave up two hits in three scoreless innings to help Philadelphia defeat visiting Boston at Clearwater.
Dylan Moore had a two-run single in a three-run third inning and Christian Cairo added a solo shot in the seventh. Braiden Ward went 2-for-2 with two steals for the Red Sox to raise his spring average to .450 to go with 10 thefts.
