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BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) – A.J. Burnett had little trouble the first time through Boston’s batting order. The second time around was different.
Burnett left with runners on in the third inning, David Ortiz and Pablo Sandoval followed with home runs off Ryan Beckman that erased deficit, and the Red Sox beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 Thursday.
After starting with two hitless innings, Burnett walked Blake Swihart and Shane Victorino opening the third. Dustin Pedroia flied out and Beckman relieved.
As Burnett walked off the mound, the 38-year-old right-hander looked at Ortiz and shrugged.
“Did they take me out because you’re up?” he asked.
Ortiz, a .295 career hitter against Burnett, smiled and stepped back into the box. He took two strikes from Beckman, a young right-hander with no experience above Double A, and homered his third pitch over the center-field wall for a 3-1 lead.
Hanley Ramirez lined out, and Sandoval homered to center, his first home run in a Red Sox uniform.
Burnett walled three and struck out two in 2 1-3 hitless innings.
“You tell yourself it doesn’t matter who is in the box,” Burnett said. “You get ready for a righty or lefty, doesn’t matter if it’s David or Victorino, (Mike) Napoli or Pedroia. But deep down it matters. I faced those guys when I was in New York and Toronto, and it was fun to go up against them again.”
Pirates closer Mark Melancon allowed two hits and a run in an inning, giving up an RBI double to Shane Victorino that boosted Boston’s lead to 5-1 in the fourth.
Sandoval, who signed a $95 million, five-year contract during the offseason, went 2 for 3.
OFFENSE
SPUTTERING
Since scoring eight runs in their spring training opener March 3 against Toronto, the Pirates have scored 15 runs in 10 games. “It gives talk radio something great to work with,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “The lineups are mixed and matched. We’re going to continue to work on being the offense we know we can be.”
KC beats Indians
GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) – Salvador Perez got three hits and the Kansas City Royals beat the Cleveland Indians 10-5 Thursday.
Paulo Orlando hit a two-run triple off Cleveland reliever Bryan Shaw. Orlando, an outfielder from Brazil, also had a single and an RBI forceout.
“Shaw was up with everything and he paid for it,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “When the lights go on, I’ll put my money on Shaw.”
Roberto Perez homered off Royals starter Danny Duffy. Carlos Santana hit a two-run homer off reliever Casey Coleman. Michael Bourn had two hits for Cleveland.
“It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t as bad as it looks,” Duffy said after giving up three runs in three innings.
Bourn was hampered by left hamstring problems last season. He is hitting .538 so far this spring.
“This is my ninth year,” Bourn said. “You look for motivation in these games. I haven’t had to back off anything. I am trying to simplify things and stay on top.”
Indians starter Nick Maronde allowed a run and four hits in three innings.
Reds rout Arizona
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Brandon Phillips and Brayan Pena each had three hits Thursday and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Arizona Diamondback 12-4.
Phillips doubled twice. Pena broke out of an 0-for-12 start to his spring training with three RBIs.
Reds starter Mike Leake pitched three shutout innings, giving up two hits. He hasn’t allowed a run in five innings this spring.
Arizona starter Allen Webster, among a host of candidates trying to win one of the spots available in the rotation, gave up four runs and seven hits in 2 2-3 innings.
Actor and comedian Will Ferrell made the game his third stop on a one-day, five-game whirlwind tour of Arizona spring training. He played third base for the Reds and left field for the Diamondbacks, helping to raise money for charity while filming an HBO special.
Ferrell had three balls come his way in the outfield, one that went for a triple and two for doubles.
Todd Frazier went 2 for 4 with three RBIs and Jason Bourgeois and Brennan Boesch each had two hits and scored twice for the Reds.
“That’s a nice offensive explosion there and fun to watch,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “It’s nice to be able to create some separation early in the game and keep the lead and have some of your big guys swinging the bat well.”
SIDE SHOW
Josh Collmenter, Arizona’s opening day starter, allowed a run in three innings in a ‘B’ game on a side field before the game. Shortstop Chris Owings tested his surgically-repaired left shoulder by playing five innings of defense. “He looked healthy, that’s the main thing with him right now,” manager Chip Hale said. “We’ll see how he feels (Friday) and get him back in there for the Saturday day-night doubleheader.”
SING IT
Craig Wayne Boyd, winner of Season 7 of the TV show “The Voice,” sang the national anthem before the game.
STARTING TIME
Reds: Mike Leake continued his tuneup for the regular-season starting rotation with three shutout innings. He allowed two hits, struck out two and walked one and is unscored upon in five innings this spring. “He’s been working really hard on his changeup and making that kind of a priority pitch,” Price said. “He’s a stabilizer on our staff. There was a lot of teams that were interested in him in the offseason and we just felt like he was a piece we couldn’t move.”
Diamondbacks: Allen Webster is among a host of candidates for one of the spots available in the Arizona starting rotation, and he didn’t help himself much on Thursday. Webster was shelled for three runs and five hits, all well-struck balls. The first four Reds he faced reached base with hits in the first inning. Webster settled down for his next two innings, but was charged with four runs and seven hits for the day. He’s allowed six earned runs and 10 hits in 4 1-3 innings this spring after going 2 2-3 on Thursday.
“I was trying to get ahead of batters, and they jumped on all the first or second pitches,” Webster said. “If I’d go back, I’d throw a little more off-speed on first pitches.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Diamondbacks: C Oscar Hernandez underwent surgery to remove the hamate bone in his left wrist on Thursday morning, and he could be out for months. Hernandez left Tuesday’s game with pain in the wrist. . Closer Addison Reed had a positive bullpen session Wednesday, and he could make to five to seven appearances before spring training ends, Hale said. Reed is coming off shoulder soreness. . RHP Matt Stites (right elbow soreness) threw a bullpen session and has yet to appear in a game.
UP NEXT
Reds: RHP Jason Marquis gets the start against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Glendale, his third of the spring. Closer Aroldis Chapman is also scheduled to pitch.
Diamondbacks: RHP Jeremy Hellickson makes his second spring training start after a successful Diamondbacks debut Sunday. He faces the Cleveland Indians in Goodyear.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.