CLEARWATER, Fla. — Jon Lester gave up four hits in 5 2/3 scoreless innings, struck out five and walked one Friday, helping the Boston Red Sox to a 2-2, 10-inning tie against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I felt good,” Lester said. “I felt like I got in a rhythm a little bit earlier today than I did last time. I still don’t have too good of a feel for my breaking ball, my changeup, but that will come. Overthrowing a little bit on those pitches. But all in all I was happy with the fastball command.”
Cliff Lee of Philadelphia struck out six over six innings in his next-to-last tuneup for opening day.
Scheduled to start the March 31 opener at Texas, Lee allowed two runs, three hits and one walk, just his third in 19 2/3 innings during spring training. The 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner led the major leagues last year in fewest walks per nine innings (1.3) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.94).
TIGERS-ANGELS: Detroit quickly moved to help replace injured shortstop Jose Iglesias, acquiring Andrew Romine from Los Angeles for left-hander Jose Alvarez.
INDIANS: Justin Masterson and the team suspended contract talks to focus on preparing for the regular season.
Masterson threw six strong innings Friday in a 14-3 rout of Colorado at Scottsdale, Ariz.
RANGERS: Pitcher Yu Darvish was scratched from his minor league start because of a stiff neck.
• Prince Fielder hit a two-run homer and Tanner Scheppers pitched six strong innings to help Texas beat Milwaukee 7-5 at Surprise, Ariz.
TIGERS: Reliever Bruce Rondon needs surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow and will be sidelined for the entire season.
• Justin Verlander tuned up for his opening-day start by extending his spring-training scoreless streak to 13 2/3 innings and helping Detroit beat an Atlanta split squad 3-0 at Kissimmee, Fla.
PHILLIES: Reserve infielder Freddy Galvis was hospitalized with a staph infection and is being tested for a potentially deadly strain of the bacteria.
REDS: Manager Bryan Price doesn’t expect right-hander Mat Latos, who had surgery Feb. 14 to repair cartilage in his left knee, to be ready for the start of the season.
• Chris Heisey hit his sixth spring-training homer and tripled, helping Cincinnati beat a Kansas City split squad 9-3 at Goodyear, Ariz.
CUBS: Luis Valbuena hit a three-run homer just inside the right-field foul pole to highlight the Chicago Cubs’ 7-0 victory against the Chicago White Sox at Glendale, Ariz.
METS: Ricky Nolasco allowed seven straight batters to reach in a seven-run first inning for New York, which beat Minnesota 9-1 at Fort Myers, Fla.
ANGELS: C.J. Wilson allowed three runs and struck out nine over 5 2/3 innings as Los Angeles defeated a Kansas City split squad 7-3 at Tempe, Ariz.
CARDINALS: Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz went 2 for 2 in his spring-training debut, and Adam Wainwright allowed three hits over eight innings as St. Louis beat Washington 2-0 at Jupiter, Fla.
MARLINS: Garrett Jones homered in the first inning and drove in three runs, leading Miami to a 7-2 victory against Houston at Kissimmee, Fla.
BLUE JAYS: Brett Lawrie hit his first homer of the spring and Toronto held Tampa Bay to three hits at Port Charlotte, Fla.
ORIOLES: Miguel Gonzalez, who got the start after Chris Tillman was scratched because of an illness, tossed six innings of three-hit ball in an 8-0 victory against an Atlanta split-squad at Sarasota, Fla.
YANKEES: CC Sabathia pitched seven sharp innings but Derek Jeter remained in a funk, going hitless in three at-bats during New York’s 4-0 victory over Pittsburgh at Tampa, Fla.
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