White Sox club M’s
Ross Gload hit his first home run of spring training and added an RBI double in the fourth to help the Chicago White Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 10-3 on Thursday.
Chicago’s Ryan Sweeney hit a solo homer in the fourth. Josh Fields hit a three-run shot in the eighth, and Darren Blakely added a two-run homer in that inning.
Starter Brandon McCarthy allowed three runs (two earned) and struck out three in four innings to improve to 1-1 this spring.
McCarthy gave up a two-run homer to Raul Ibanez in the first and allowed an unearned run in the second before settling down.
Seattle starter Jesse Foppert walked four and allowed a run on no hits.
Foppert developed a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand but didn’t say anything about it until he was out of the game.
Scott Atchison relieved and gave up four runs in two innings, losing for the second time.
“My arm felt great,” Foppert said. “The ball was just moving out of the zone.”
Once a top prospect for San Francisco, Foppert is trying to establish himself with the Mariners as he comes back from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in 2003
“The Mariners have allowed 10 or more runs in five of their seven Cactus League games.
By allowing nine earned runs Thursday, the team ERA actually went down, to a major league-high 11.70.
“M’s pitcher J.J. Putz said his back felt fine, one day after he pitched his first exhibition game. Putz had been slowed because of back spasm. Pitcher Clint Nageotte is better after suffering a strained hamstring.
Idle U.S. team advances
The United States team advanced in the World Baseball Classic – on a tiebreaker formula – when Mexico (a 9-1 winner) scored four runs in the top of the first inning against Canada.
After losing to Canada 8-6 in a first-round game Wednesday night, Team USA’s fate was in the hands of the Canadians and their next opponent, Mexico. Those teams played at Chase Field in Phoenix.
The three-way tiebreaker is based on runs allowed.
In this odd system, the United States would’ve been eliminated – before it plays South Africa – if Mexico had beaten Canada by scores of 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1.
Roger Clemens is set to pitch for Team USA today at Scottsdale Stadium, though most players on the team wished they could play again Thursday and get a chance to bounce back from the demoralizing performance against Canada.
Manager Buck Martinez compared the feeling to losing a playoff game in October.
“It was almost worse,” reliever Joe Nathan of the Minnesota Twins said.
“In other WBC action: Cuba downed the Netherlands 11-2 in Group C action; and in Group D, the Dominican Republic downed Italy 8-3 and Venezuela shut out Australia 2-0.