Spring training roundup: Rays rally past Phillies with four-run ninth

Johnny DeLuca worked a bases-loaded walk and Tampa Bay scored four runs in the top of the ninth as the Rays defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 on Thursday in Clearwater, Fla.

Rays prospect Brock Jones hit home runs in this first two at-bats of the spring, tying the game at 4 in the top of the ninth with a two-run shot off of former Tampa Bay reliever Joel Kuhnel.

Jones came to the plate in the eighth inning for his spring debut with the Rays down 3-0 and deposited a 1-1 fastball down the middle in the picnic area in right-center. After Tampa brought another run home in the ninth, Jones dug in against Kuhnel with two outs and a runner on third. He smoked the first pitch for a game-tying home run before second baseman Curtis Mead reached base for the fifth time in the game with a single.

Mead came in to score on DeLuca's walk and the Phillies went quietly in the bottom of the ninth with two strikeouts by right-hander Nathan Wiles.

Mead went 4-for-4 to raise his batting average to .778 (14-for-18) this spring.

The Phillies went up 2-0 in the fourth when Nick Castellanos and Max Kepler belted back-to-back home runs to right field.

Castellanos lifted his first home run of the spring just over the fence in right off of Rays right-hander Manuel Rodriguez for a 1-0 Philadelphia lead. Rodriguez served up another longball two pitches later when Kepler plastered a 1-0 pitch that landed well out of the ballpark fence.

Right-hander Aaron Nola struck out six in three scoreless innings for the Phillies.

Nationals 12, Cardinals 1

Keibert Ruiz hit two home runs, Nasim Nunez had three of Washington's 13 hits and right-hander Michael Soroka whiffed six in four innings as the Nationals beat St. Louis in Jupiter, Fla.

Willson Contreras had a two hits and St. Louis collected five singles, including Brendan Donovan's run-scoring hit to center plating Lars Nootbar in the fourth inning.

Ruiz went deep in the fourth and followed No. 8 hitter Paul DeJong's three-run blast in the sixth with a fence-skimmer to right field giving Washington an 11-1 lead.

Blue Jays 7, Red Sox 4

Bo Bichette singled in his first three at-bats and Toronto got back-to-back home runs from Eric Clement and Dylan Schneider in the second inning to stroll past Boston in Dunedin, Fla.

Bichette went 3-for-4 in the leadoff spot as part of the ongoing experiment with Vlad Guerrero Jr. batting behind him and scored in the first inning. After a single, Bichette came around on Guerrero's double off of right-hander Cooper Criswell. The Jays tagged Criswell for four earned runs and five hits in 1 2/3 innings.

Jays right-hander Andrew Bash struck out the side for the save in the ninth inning.

Twins 8, Yankees 4

Matt Wallner hit a three-run homer in 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 in the third off Cole. Mike Ford and Mickey Gasper (3-for-4, two RBIs) homered off Yankees relievers.

J.C. Escarra homered in the ninth for New York and was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Cole was pulled after Wallner's blast with two outs in the second and then was brought back to pitch the third inning.

--Field Level Media