PORT ST LUCIE, FLORIDA Johan Santana struck out seven and allowed one run in five innings and Jeremy Reed drove in four runs as the New York Mets crushed the Atlanta Braves, 12-1.

Omir Santos added a three-run homer and Daniel Murphy and Luis Castillo scored three runs apiece for the Mets, who finished with 17 hits.

Matt Diaz accounted for the lone run for the Braves, reaching Santana for a solo homer in the fifth.

Other games:

At Bradenton, Florida – Aaron Harang struck out four and did not allow a hit in six innings and Jonny Gomes homered to highlight a five-run second inning as the Cincinnati Reds blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-0.

At Lakeland, Florida – Ricky Nolasco struck out eight in seven innings and Dan Meyer and Leo Nunez added one strong frame apiece as the Florida Marlins no-hit the Detroit Tigers, 2-0.

At Fort Myers, Florida – Mike Lowell hit his second home of the spring and Josh Beckett pitched five scoreless innings to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

At Kissimmee, Florida – Darin Erstad drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth and six pitchers combined to allow two hits as the Houston Astros edged the Washington Nationals, 1-0.

At Lee County, Florida – Justin Morneau highlighted an eight-run fifth inning with a three-run homer and Nick Punto drove in a pair to lead the Minnesota Twins past the Toronto Blue Jays, 11-6.

At Port Charlotte, Florida – David Price continued to make a push for a spot on the Opening Day roster, striking out four in four scoreless innings, and Carl Crawford doubled in a run to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 5-0 victory over the New York Yankees.

At Jupiter, Florida – Ryan Ludwick, Khalil Greene and Yadier Molina each had two hits and an RBI as the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Baltimore Orioles, 5-4.

Posted on March 23rd, 2009 by admin
Filed under: MLB baseball news