SPRING TRAINING ROUNDUP Tribe & Bucs

Braves 5, Indians 4, 7 innings

ATLANTA — Mike Hampton made it through the final game of spring training without any problems. Now, it’s on to his first regular season start since 2005. Hampton pitched three innings for Atlanta, allowing four hits and a run in the Braves’ win over Cleveland in a game that was called in the seventh inning because of rain. Jake Westbrook wrapped up a perfect spring with four scoreless innings. The right-hander pitched 18 innings this spring without allowing a run, giving up just seven hits, walking six and striking out 20. Westbrook won nearly as many games this spring as he did during an injury-plagued 2007 season, when he went 6-9 with a 4.32 ERA. This looks more like the pitcher who won 44 games from 2004-06. “It went well,” Westbrook said. “I had some problems early on, but things worked out all right. I feel real The Braves play at Washington to christen the Nationals’ new stadium tonight then return home to face the Pirates Monday. The Indians open at home Monday against the Chicago White Sox.

Twins 5, Pirates 4

BRADENTON, Fla. — Delmon Young homered and went 2-for-2 to help Minnesota beat Pittsburgh. Young’s solo homer off Matt Morris in the fourth inning tied the score at 2. Young, expected to be the Twins’ starting left fielder, was acquired from Tampa Bay in an offseason trade and finished the spring with a .286 batting average and two home runs. Minnesota starter Kevin Slowey pitched three innings and allowed two runs and six hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Morris ended a rough spring on a good note, giving up two runs and six hits in six innings with three walks and three strikeouts to lower his ERA to 8.03. Backup catcher Mike Redmond also went 2-for-2 for Minnesota. Jason Bay, Luis Rivas and minor leaguers Tom Hagan and Anthony Webster had two hits each for Pittsburgh. Juan Rincon pitched one scoreless inning for the win. Matt Capps was charged with three unearned runs in two-thirds of an inning and took the loss. The Twins scored three runs in the seventh to break a 2-all tie. The two tie-breaking runs scored when Pirates minor league center fielder Edward Garcia dropped a fly ball on the warning track. Hagan’s two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning drew the Pirates to 5-4, but the Twins held on to finish the spring with a 15-15 record. Pittsburgh’s final mark was 13-17.

Associated Press