Austin Riley hit a two-run home run to break an early tie and the host Atlanta Braves got past ace right-hander Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 on Wednesday in North Port, Fla.
Skenes allowed one run, one hit and four walks with four strikeouts in facing 12 batters over 2 1/3 innings in his first start of spring training. The 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner also lost four strike calls to challenges won by the Braves using the automated ball-strike system.
He and the other Pirates pitchers didn’t get much run support as Ryan O’Hearn delivered the team’s lone RBI on a first-inning single — one of six Pittsburgh hits. The Braves totaled only five hits, including Jurickson Profar’s RBI double and Riley’s 419-foot shot to center field, both in the third inning.
Atlanta pitchers totaled 13 strikeouts, including a team-high three by starter Bryce Elder in two innings of work.
Orioles 4, Rays 3
Vance Honeycutt hit a 410-foot solo homer in the seventh inning for the winning run as host Baltimore came from down 3-1 to edge Tampa Bay in Sarasota, Fla.
In the fourth, the Rays’ Jonny DeLuca hit a three-run homer to center after Nick Fortes drew a leadoff walk and Ryan Vilade reached on third baseman Weston Wilson’s fielding error.
Baltimore, which had notched the game’s first run on Tyler O’Neill’s RBI double, drew even in the fifth on a fielder’s choice marred by second baseman Cooper Kinney’s throwing error that allowed two runs to come home. Honeycutt homered off right-hander Derrick Edington to lift the Orioles.
Blue Jays 4, Tigers (ss) 4
Toronto scored in the top of the ninth on two errors sandwiched around a single to forge a tie with host Detroit’s split squad in Lakeland, Fla.
Toronto’s Riley Tirotta led off the ninth by reaching on first baseman Josue Briceno’s fielding error and went to third when Jimenez singled but was thrown out at second. Arjun Nimmala followed by grounding into a fielder’s choice with Tirotta scoring and Nimmala safe at second on shortstop John Peck’s throwing error.
The Blue Jays got a big game from leadoff hitter Ernie Clement, who went 3-for-3 with two RBIs, a double and a triple. Eloy Jimenez added two hits, including a double. Thayron Liranzo hit a three-run homer for the Tigers in the sixth inning.
Red Sox 5, Twins 3
Boston scored four runs in the third inning en route to a 5-0 lead and held off host Minnesota in Fort Myers, Fla.
Each team collected eight hits, with the Red Sox getting doubles from Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell. Jarren Duran was the only Boston player with two hits. Boston used nine pitchers who combined for eight strikeouts with four walks.
Luke Keaschall got the Twins on the scoreboard with a two-run double in the fifth. Tanner Schobel hit an RBI single in the eighth. Nine Minnesota pitchers yielded six walks while fanning five.
Phillies 5, Tigers (ss) 3
Otto Kemp homered and host Philadelphia never trailed in downing a Detroit split squad in Clearwater, Fla.
Alec Bohm was the lone Phillies batter with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with RBI singles in the third and fifth innings. Kemp slammed his first homer of spring training, a 419-foot solo shot in the fourth. Bryce Harper had his first RBI of the spring on a double.
Javier Baez singled home a run in the fourth and Brett Callahan homered in the ninth — a 405-foot shot — for the Tigers.
Astros 4, Marlins 1
Taylor Trammell and Anthony Huezo homered as visiting Houston scored all of its runs on extra-base hits to beat Miami in Jupiter, Fla.
Walker Janek drove in two with a double in the fourth inning to jump the Astros ahead of the Marlins 2-1. Trammell followed in the fifth with a 353-foot solo shot, and Huezo knocked a 364-foot homer to left center in the eighth. Houston starter Hunter Brown allowed one hit with two strikeouts in two scoreless innings.
Miami totaled just five hits, including leadoff batter Jakob Marsee’s double to open the bottom of the first inning. But he was picked off and the next two batters lined out to end the threat.
Cardinals 6, Mets 0
Nolan Gorman hit a three-run homer, which was all St. Louis pitchers would need in shutting out host New York in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Starter Richard Fitts earned the win with two hits and one strikeout over two innings as seven Cardinals hurlers combined on the eight-hit shutout. They yielded just one walk with six strikeouts.
Mets starter Jonah Tong gave up three runs on three hits and one walk with two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings. Right fielder Carson Benge, one of New York’s top prospects, batted leadoff and went 3-for-3 while the rest of the team totaled five hits.
