Mills homers in Tribe win

March 5, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Beau Mills, Cleveland’s No. 1 draft pick in 2007, hit a two-run homer in the first inning of the Indians’ 5-4 win over Chicago’s split-squad team on Wednesday.

Mills, a right-handed hitting first baseman, is slated to begin the season at Double-A Akron, but is making a good impression in his second major league camp.

“I’m a lot more comfortable this spring training,” Mills said. “The first time around you put a lot of pressure on your shoulders. You want to do well. You want to have a good showing and you force the issue too much. I’m coming in here a lot more relaxed than last year.”

“He’s a strong kid,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said. “He’s a smart baseball player.”

The 22-year-old Mills batted .293 with 21 homers and 90 RBIs last season at Class A Kinston. His father, Brad, played in the majors from 1980-83 and has been Boston’s bench coach since 2004.

Mills is batting .357 (5-for-14) with a homer and four RBIs. His homer came off starter Chad Gaudin, who allowed three runs and four hits in three innings.

Victor Martinez doubled in a run and Mills followed with a two-run homer in the first for Cleveland.

Carl Pavano, slated to be the Indians’ No. 3 starter, allowed three runs and four hits in two innings in his second start of the spring. He hit a batter and walked one. Pavano pitched two scoreless innings in his first start.

No. 2 starter Fausto Carmona relieved Pavano and threw two scoreless innings, allowing one hit.

Pirates 2, Twins 1

BRADENTON, Fla. — Andy LaRoche finally feels comfortable in the Pirates’ clubhouse. The next step is settling in at the plate.

He got a good start Wednesday, hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning of the Pirates’ victory.

“I have something to prove after that fiasco last year,” LaRoche said. “The results are starting to come a little bit. Hopefully, it will carry over to the regular season.”

LaRoche was a consistent hitter in the minor leagues, batting .295 with 95 homers in four-plus seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ farm system.

But it hasn’t translated into big league success. After arriving from the Dodgers in a deadline deal in July, LaRoche batted .152 in 49 games.

LaRoche thinks the root of late-season slump was mental — he tried to do too much after joining the Pirates. This past offseason, he flew to Seattle for one-on-one workouts with hitting coach Don Long.

“Even in the first week of spring [training] we were still tinkering with some things,” LaRoche said. “We’ve got it down now. Working with Donnie has been fantastic.”