GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE Thursday's games

Indians 1, Braves 1, 10 innings
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- John Thomson set aside questions about his future in Atlanta, pitching six strong innings for the Braves. Thomson allowed one run, five hits and walked none. C.C. Sabathia was equally impressive for the Indians, allowing one run in six innings. Sabathia got off to a slow spring start, entering with an ERA of 8.76. But he allowed just four hits and struck out six. The Indians opened the scoring in the sixth when Todd Hollandsworth doubled and former Braves prospect Andy Marte followed with a run-scoring double. The Braves tied it in the bottom half when Tony Pena scored on a sacrifice fly by James Jurries. Thomson also has struggled all spring and entered the game with a 7.71 ERA in four starts. He is one of seven pitchers looking for a spot in the rotation and has heard his name mentioned in trade speculation since last season, when he missed three months with a strained flexor tendon in his right middle finger.
Reds 6, Pirates 2
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Maybe facing his former club was all left-hander Dave Williams needed to show the Cincinnati Reds why they traded for him. Williams limited the Pirates to an unearned run and two hits over three innings, and Brian Buchanan, a non-roster outfielder, had another big day with three hits and four RBIs. The game was delayed by rain for a half-hour in the fourth inning and was called before the Pirates could bat in the ninth when the rain resumed, shortly after Pittsburgh reliever Ryan Vogelsong hit Reds catcher David Ross in the helmet with a pitch. "I'm glad we got out of it without anyone getting hurt," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. Williams, traded during the offseason for first baseman Sean Casey, had been roughed up for 16 hits and 11 earned runs in seven innings over his previous two starts. Partly because of his poor spring, Williams had fallen to the No. 5 spot in manager Jerry Narron's rotation. But Williams frequently worked ahead in the count against the Pirates and walked only one after walking seven in his three most recent starts. Williams was the Pirates' top winner last season, going 10-11 with a 4.41 ERA on a 95-loss team, but he has a 7.20 ERA this spring. Pirates rookie starter Paul Maholm was ineffective, giving up six hits and six runs over four innings.
Associated Press
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