Baseball notes: Gonzalez 'ready to go' for Reds

Associated Press

Alex Gonzalez proved his fitness in the field and at the plate.

The Cincinnati Reds shortstop made an outstanding play in the field and doubled in a run in a 9-6 victory over the club's top minor-leaguers in Dayton.

Gonzalez, who also turned two double plays, missed all of last season with a compression fracture in his left knee and strained his right hamstring in a Grapefruit League game on March 23.

"I'm ready to go," Gonzalez said. "I'm excited to be back in uniform and with my teammates. Monday will be a big day for me."

Gonzalez ranged behind third and made a strong throw to first to take a hit away from one prospect, earning raves from Manager Dusty Baker.

"This guy's one of the best I've seen," Baker said.

Edwin Encarnacion and Jerry Hairston Jr. each hit a two-run homer for Cincinnati, which lost 12-4 to the prospects on Friday night. Johnny Cueto allowed one run and four hits in four innings.

Chris Valaika, the Reds' minor-league player of the year in 2008, hit a three-run homer and Todd Frazier had a two-run shot for the Futures team.

Saturday's highlights

Marlins 1, Blue Jays 1: Anibal Sanchez finished his first healthy spring training in three years on a strong note.

Sanchez threw three scoreless innings as the Marlins tied Toronto in Jupiter, Fla. Florida's No. 4 starter allowed two hits, struck out one and walked one.

Sanchez, who threw a no-hitter as a rookie in 2006, made his 2008 debut on July 31 after recovering from right shoulder surgery. He went 2-5 with a 5.57 ERA.

Yankees 10, Cubs 1: Mark Teixeira homered twice and drove in four runs to lead New York over the lethargic Cubs.

Derek Jeter added a three-run shot and the Bronx Bombers opened their glitzy new ballpark by sweeping a pair of exhibition games from Chicago. They made the $1.5 billion palace look like a Little League band box, hitting seven home runs in two days.

Around the league

Red Sox: Right-hander Clay Buchholz was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket and Boston placed five players on the 15-day disabled list, including right-hander John Smoltz (right shoulder surgery), outfielder Mark Kotsay (right elbow) and shortstop Julio Lugo (right knee surgery).