Okajima makes spring debut as A's fall to Tribe
PHOENIX -- Ryan Raburn showed no signs of slowing down Monday, collecting his fifth and sixth hits of the spring to help the Indians notch a 14-10 road win over the A's at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Raburn, a strong bench candidate who tallied three home runs in two games this weekend, upped his spring RBI total to six with a run-scoring base hit off Oakland reliever Evan Scribner in the third inning.
Cleveland's versatile veteran seems to be following a similar script, as he collected six home runs and 19 RBIs in 56 spring at-bats last year.
The Indians reached the board quickly against A's starter Andrew Werner, acquired from the Padres alongside infielder Andy Parrino this offseason in a trade that sent righty Tyson Ross to San Diego.
Werner issued a leadoff walk to Michael Bourn, who advanced to third on a routine ground ball off the bat of Raburn that A's first baseman Brandon Moss threw away. With runners at the corners, Werner induced a double-play ball from Michael Brantley, allowing Bourn to score.
The left-handed Werner enjoyed a clean second frame, finishing his spring debut having allowed one unearned run with one walk and one strikeout.
Cleveland upped its one-run lead to three in the third, when Brantley followed Raburn's RBI hit with one of his own, via a double to left field.
Meanwhile, righties Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez, who combined for 32 losses last season, looked like winners on this day, with each firing two shutout innings. Masterson, who started the game, was perfect in his debut, striking out one and relaying on five groundouts, while Jimenez offered up two hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
Both were pleased to get off to a good start.
"Definitely," Jimenez said. "It took a load off my shoulders. Even last year, even in Spring Training, I couldn't do anything right."
Southpaw Hideki Okajima made his unofficial A's debut in relief, allowing one hit and walking one in an inning of work. Okajima pitched in Japan last season, making this his first appearance back in America since May 2011.
"Even though I'm a veteran, it's been awhile since I've been on an American mound," Okajima said through a translator." So even though I was a little nervous, it turned out OK."
Former A's player Matt Carson hit a two-run homer off Oakland pitching prospect Sonny Gray in the sixth to make it 5-0, before Oakland finally joined in on the scoring by way of a two-run homer from outfielder Shane Peterson.
The long ball came again in the seventh, this time from the Indians' Yan Gomes, who drilled a three-run homer off Oakland lefty Jordan Norberto over the left-field wall.
Parrino cut into the Indians' lead in the seventh with an RBI double, and outfield prospect Michael Choice hit a two-run homer off right-hander Frank Herrmann, who is fighting for a job in Cleveland's bullpen.
Up next for A's: The A's will travel to Scottsdale on Tuesday for a road contest with the D-backs at Salt River Fields, set to begin at 12:05 p.m. PT. The spring contest will feature a matchup of right-handers, with A.J. Griffin going for the A's and Josh Collmenter drawing the start for Arizona. Choice, who has five hits in six at-bats this spring, will make his first start in center field.