Tebow 0-for-4 in OF; big 4th boosts Astros
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Infielder Colin Moran homered to highlight a six-run fourth inning, and also took a potential hit away from Tim Tebow in the Astros' 7-6 win over the Mets on Friday at First Data Field.
Moran, who finished 2-for-3, hit a two-run homer to cap the fourth against Mets reliever Addison Reed. A.J. Reed also homered that inning and Derek Fisher plated two runs with a single, ballooning Reed's Grapefruit League ERA to 16.20.
The offensive outburst came after Mets starter Matt Harvey allowed just one run -- a Reid Brignac homer -- in three innings. Though his fastball velocity still sat around 92 mph, much as it did in his Grapefruit League debut last weekend, Harvey struck out two and allowed just one other hit.
• Harvey says upper-90s velocity will return soon
Joe Musgrove, a candidate for the Astros' fifth-starter spot, fared even better with four strikeouts over three shutout innings, commanding both his fastball and slider for strikes.
"I've been hesitant the last couple of outings to really let [the slider] go and trust in it," Musgrove said. "I think my arm has caught up and my body has been feeling good, and I kind of went game speed today like I would in the season, and it was sharp. It felt good."
It was not until after Musgrove departed that the Mets plated their first run, on a Yoenis Cespedes homer that ricocheted off the batter's eye in straightaway center field, his fourth spring blast. Two more came in the sixth, when Lucas Duda launched his first home run since last May.
Tebow, meanwhile, finished 0-for-4, playing both left and right field for the first time this spring. His loudest contact came in the fifth, when he hit a sharp ground ball to third base. But Moran scooped it up with ease, firing to first to beat a hustling Tebow.
• Tebow takes positives out of Mets' camp
Astros Up Next: Francis Martes, the Astros' top prospect and MLB's No. 20 overall prospect per MLBPipeline.com, will make his first and likely only Grapefruit League start in place of Mike Fiers, who has a sore right hamstring, Saturday at 12:05 p.m. CT against the Marlins at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. The game will be broadcast on Gameday Audio.
Mets Up Next: Left-hander Steven Matz will make his second spring start when the Mets face the Nationals on Saturday in a 1:10 p.m. ET game at First Data Field on MLB.TV. Matz pitched two scoreless innings in his Grapefruit League debut Monday against the Marlins.
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