LAKELAND, Fla. -- Matt Boyd and Julio Teheran put on a pitching duel Friday afternoon at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium, but JaCoby Jones hit a walkoff single to score Dixon Machado and send the Tigers to a 3-2 victory over the Braves in the back half of their home-and-home Grapefruit League set.
Boyd, trying to seal his case for a spot in the Tigers' rotation, continued to change speeds and befuddle hitters while pounding the strike zone. The third-year left-hander allowed three hits over five scoreless innings while striking out five. He reached only one three-ball count all afternoon, improving his strikeout-to-walk ratio for the spring to 21-to-0.
"He continues to pitch consistently well," manager Brad Ausmus said. "As well as anyone in camp."
Atlanta tied the game with a sixth-inning rally off Mike Pelfrey, who walked Dansby Swanson and hit Brandon Phillips before giving up an RBI single to Freddie Freeman. Jose Iglesias turned a double play on Adonis Garcia to keep the Braves from pulling ahead, but the damage continued a rough spring for Pelfrey in his quest to win a spot on the Tigers pitching staff following a disappointing 2016 season. Pelfrey, who's supposedly still in the race for a rotation spot, went only one inning for the first time all spring, though he threw extra pitches in the bullpen.
With a nasty crosswind gusting from right field to left, the Tigers took advantage and gave Braves left fielder Matt Kemp a workout with three third-inning doubles off Teheran, including a ground-rule drive from Nicholas Castellanos into the corner for his 13th RBI of the spring.
Teheran struck out five batters over six innings of five-hit ball, stretching out to 88 pitches in preparation for his Opening Day assignment in a week and a half.
"It was good for [Teheran] to get in trouble and have to work," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "He competed really well and his stuff was good."
• Braves' Opening Day lineup mostly set
After the two sides agreed to play a 10th inning, Edward Mujica retired the Braves in the top half. Machado's double created an opportunity for Jones.
"I knew I just had to put a good swing on the ball if he threw it in the middle of the plate," Jones said. "First pitch, he threw a fastball, middle-in. He got it in on me a little bit, but I still had enough to put a swing on it, and I got a hit and a walkoff."
Braves Up Next: Freeman and most of Atlanta's regulars are expected to be in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mets at ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex. R.A. Dickey is scheduled to throw the first pitch at 1:05 p.m. ET on MLB.TV.
Tigers Up Next:Anibal Sanchez makes his latest bid for a spot on the Tigers' pitching staff when he gets the start Saturday against the Pirates in Bradenton, Fla. First pitch is 1:05 p.m. on MLB.TV.
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