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A's Luzardo cruises in spring debut

No. 12 overall prospect strikes out two in two scoreless frames
Jesus Luzardo posted a 1.50 ERA in 12 Major League innings last season. (Darron Cummings/AP)
February 25, 2020

Making his first Spring Training start, Oakland left-hander Jesus Luzardo continued to build on last year's late-season callup.MLB.com's No. 12 overall prospect tossed two innings of one-hit ball and whiffed a pair in the A's 9-6 loss to the Padres on Tuesday at Peoria Stadium.

Making his first Spring Training start, Oakland left-hander Jesus Luzardo continued to build on last year's late-season callup.
MLB.com's No. 12 overall prospect tossed two innings of one-hit ball and whiffed a pair in the A's 9-6 loss to the Padres on Tuesday at Peoria Stadium.

In the first inning, Luzardo quickly recovered from Greg Garcia's leadoff single by getting Trent Grisham to line out and Wil Myers to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. The 22-year-old bookended his second frame with whiffs against Ty France and Gordon Beckham.
Last year, Oakland's top pitching prospect posted a 1.50 ERA in 12 frames after being promoted to the Major Leagues on Sept. 9. He went 2-1 with a 2.51 ERA across three Minor League levels, including 31 innings with Triple-A Las Vegas.
Owen Miller, the ninth-ranked San Diego prospect, knocked in a run with a base hit while No. 10 Hudson Potts had an RBI double and scored during a four-run seventh. No. 13 Gabriel Arias chipped in an RBI single in the three-run sixth inning. No. 17 Jake Cronenworth also scored once as the Friars handed the A's their fifth straight loss in the Cactus League.
Twins 4, Braves 4
Earlier this month, Trevor Larnach said power was going to be a point of emphasis heading into the new season. The No. 81 overall prospect showed off that tool with his first homer of the spring -- a second-inning solo shot off Mike Foltynewicz -- and reaching in all three of his plate appearances in a 4-4 tie against the Braves. Ninth-ranked Ryan Jeffers, who entered late at catcher, was the only other ranked Twins prospect with a hit, finishing 1-for-2. No. 52 overall prospect Kyle Wright turned in a solid relief outing for Atlanta, giving up one hit and fanning two over two scoreless frames. Baseball's No. 70 prospect Shea Langeliers connected on the first Grapefruit League homer of his career with a two-run shot in the seventh. Box score
Yankees 4, Blue Jays (ss) 1
Top Toronto prospect Nate Pearson was overwhelming in his spring debut, striking out the side in the first inning of the Jays' loss. It marked the 23-year-old's first Grapefruit League appearance since being taken with the 28th overall pick in the 2017 Draft. After missing nearly all of the 2018 campaign with a broken arm suffered on a comebacker, Pearson tore through the Minors in 2019, posting a 5-4 record with a 2.30 ERA over 25 starts while rising from Class A Advanced to Triple-A. Box score
Tigers 9, Mets 6
In his first 27 Grapefruit League games, covering four springs, New York outfielder Tim Tebow amassed nine singles in 63 at-bats for a .143 average. On Tuesday, he notched his first extra-base hit on a two-run blast off veteran Tigers reliever Alex Wilson. It was part of a four-run sixth inning, but the Mets fell short in Lakeland. Shortstop Andrés Giménez, the team's No. 3 prospect, singled in three at-bats and scored a run out of the leadoff spot while No. 11 Kevin Smith yielded three runs -- two earned -- on a pair of hits in the eighth.
For the Tigers, No. 3 prospect Riley Greene homered, walked and scored twice in his first action of the spring. The 19-year-old Florida native, who is not in Major League camp, was the fifth overall pick in last year's Draft. Sixth-ranked Franklin Perez, who has thrown just 27 innings since coming over from the Astros in the Justin Verlander deal in 2017, pitched the ninth in his spring debut, allowing one run on a pair of hits. Detroit's No. 8 prospect Daz Cameron added a single and No. 30 Troy Stokes Jr. went 2-for-2 and drove in a run. Box score
Phillies (ss) 6, Pirates 2
Top Philadelphia prospect Alec Bohm continued his hot start this spring by going 2-for-3 as the Phillies cruised past the Pirates in Bradenton. The 23-year-old, the third player taken overall in the 2018 Draft, is 4-for-7 without a strikeout in his first three games. Phillies No. 18 prospect David Parkinson tossed a scoreless frame despite allowing two hits and a walk, and No. 20  Damon Jones pitched a pair of hitless innings. Twenty-year-old outfielder Cal Mitchell was the lone bright spot for the Pirates. Pittsburgh's No. 5 prospect went 2-for-2. Box score
Marlins 7, Astros 4
Jerar Encarnacion hit a go-ahead home run and Víctor Víctor Mesa singled in two at-bats as Miami held off Houston. Encarnacion, Miami's No 17 prospect, slugged his second homer of the spring in the ninth off Kit Scheetz, a three-run drive with two outs that broke the tie. Mesa, the Marlins' No. 13 prospect, went 1-for-2 with a strikeout. On the mound, No. 16  Jorge Guzman allowed four runs on two hits and a walk while fanning two in 1 1/3 innings and No. 18 Jordan Holloway worked around three walks in a pair of scoreless frames. Jeremy Pena, the Astros' No. 8 prospect, doubled in his only at-bat and Taylor Jones, the club's No. 28 farmhand, went 1-for-2. Brandon Bielak (No. 10) allowed a pair of runs on three hits and struck out three in two innings in his first start of the spring and Nivaldo Rodriguez (No. 25) was charged with one run on three hits over two frames. Enoli Paredes, Houston's No. 13 prospect, allowed a run on one hit and a walk in one inning of relief. Box score
Rays 15, Orioles (ss) 2
Randy Arozarena had two hits and knocked home a run and Peter Fairbanks struck out two in a scoreless inning in Tampa Bay's rout of Baltimore. Arozarena, the Rays' No. 12 prospect, singled twice and scored two times while Taylor Walls (No. 18) added a base hit and a run in two at-bats. Third-ranked Vidal Brujan went 1-for-3. Fairbanks, the club's No. 23 prospect, worked the fifth as the Rays held the O's to five hits. Orioles No. 24 prospect Rylan Bannon belted a solo homer in the eighth, his first of the spring, and Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore's No. 4 prospect, finished 1-for-3. Neither Zac Lowther (No. 10) or Dillon Tate (No. 28) had easy afternoons on the mound -- Lowther was charged with four runs on five hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings while Tate surrendered three runs on three hits and a walk in one frame. Both allowed a homer apiece. Box score
Nationals 9, Cardinals 6
Top Washington prospect Carter Kieboom got the start at third base and went 1-for-3 for the visitors. This spring, Kieboom is trying to win the hot-corner spot left open by the departure of Anthony Rendon. The club's No. 22 prospect James Bourque fanned one and walked one in a scoreless inning of relief. Dylan Carlson and Nolan Gorman -- the top two position-player prospects in the Cardinals' system -- combined to go 0-for-6 with a walk and two strikeouts. No. 12 Johan Oviedo surrendered an earned run on two hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings of relief. Box score

Blue Jays (ss) 13, Phillies (ss) 6
After going hitless in his first three Grapefruit League games, Kevin Smith drilled a two-run shot off Anthony Swarzak. Toronto's No. 13 prospect also added a sacrifice fly. T.J. Zeuch (No. 16) worked around a walk with a strikeout in two hitless frames. For the Phillies, No. 12 prospect Jhailyn Ortiz slugged a grand slam. Box score
Red Sox 12, Orioles (ss) 4
Connor Wong's first hit since being acquired in the Mookie Betts trade was a big one. Boston's No. 18 prospect belted a grand slam to center as part of an eight-run inning. Third-ranked Bobby Dalbec went 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored. On the mound, Denyi Reyes (No. 28) struck out a pair in two perfect frames to close out the game. Box score
Angels 7, Reds 3
Cincinnati was limited to five hits, and three came from its shortstops. Jose Garcia, the Reds' No. 9 prospect, clubbed two solo dingers in the loss. The club's No. 17 prospect Alfredo Rodriguez added a single. Box score
White Sox (ss) 4, Giants 3
Top Chicago prospect Luis Robert tripled and scored, while No. 24 Seby Zavala drove in a run with a base knock. No. 22 Zack Burdi tossed a perfect frame in the eighth. San Francisco's 16th-ranked prospect Melvin Adon worked around a walk in a hitless inning of relief. Box score
Rockies 12, Cubs 6
Colorado's 10th-ranked prospect Yonathan Daza collected a pair of hits, two RBIs, two runs and a walk. No. 13 Josh Fuentes went 3-for-3, drove in a run and scored twice. Right-hander Tyson Miller, Chicago's No. 12 prospect, tossed a perfect frame of relief with two punchouts. Box score
D-backs 7, Dodgers 3
Sixth-ranked Arizona prospect Jon Duplantier impressed in his spring debut, striking out three while allowing a hit and a walk over two scoreless frames to pick up the win. After walking Justin Turner and allowing a single to Corey Seager with one out in the first, Duplantier struck out A.J. Pollock while catcher John Hicks nabbed Seager trying to steal second. The right-hander pitched a perfect second, fanning Austin Barnes and Luke Raley to end his outing. Fifth-ranked Daulton Varsho finished 0-1 while No. 7 Geraldo Perdomo walked and scored a run. No. 2 overall prospect Gavin Lux finished 0-3 atop Los Angeles' lineup, and No. 10 Dodgers prospect Dennis Santana struck out three and allowed a hit in one inning of work. Box score
Royals 5, Rangers 4
Kansas City's No. 15 prospect Brewer Hicklen doubled and scored a run in his only at-bat. Eighth-ranked Kyle Isbel tripled and scored a run, finishing 1-for-4 in the game. For the Rangers, No. 10 prospect Sherten Apostel doubled in the sixth. No. 55 overall prospect Josh Jung grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth, while No. 74 overall prospect Sam Huff finished 0-2 with a run scored. Fifth-ranked Texas prospect Leody Taveras walked and scored a run. Box score
Indians 10, White Sox (ss) 2
Cleveland's top prospect Nolan Jones drew a pair of walks and scored a run and No. 11 Yu Chang walked. No. 17 Scott Moss yielded two hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings, but didn't give up a run and struck out three. No. 20 Jean Carlos Mejía gave up a walk and struck out one in a hitless inning of relief. Chicago's No. 12 prospect Gavin Sheets singled, drew a walk and scored once, and No. 25 Danny Mendick picked up a hit. No. 27 Bernardo Flores gave up three unearned runs on two hits and a walk as the game's starter. Box score
Mariners 2, Brewers 1
Seattle's fourth-ranked prospect Evan White went 2-for-3 with a double as the designated hitter, and top prospect Jarred Kelenic singled and scored. Ninth-ranked Justus Sheffield dealt two perfect frames, striking out three. No. 18 Joey Gerber gave up a hit in a scoreless inning, and No. 20 Wyatt Mills surrendered a run on a hit and two walks. Top Milwaukee prospect Brice Turang went hitless in his two trips to the plate. Box score