Pineda's focus on maturing, not radar gun  —  Velocity better, but Yanks righty most interested in changeup  —  TAMPA, Fla. — All this talk about velocity, or the lack thereof, might be much ado about nothing.  —  There has been much talk about how Michael Pineda, the Yankees newcomer acquired …

Elarton settles down in Phillies' loss to Tigers  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — Tigers ace Justin Verlander, the defending American League Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award winner, picked up right where he left off through his first four Grapefruit League starts on Sunday, leading Detroit …

A's beat Yomiuri Giants 5-0 in exhibition game  —  TOKYO—Kurt Suzuki hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning and Tommy Milone pitched five scoreless innings and the Oakland Athletics beat the Yomiuri Giants 5-0 in an exhibition game on Sunday.  —  Suzuki connected off Yomiuri …

Pujols Homers Again for Angels  —  TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Albert Pujols hit his fourth homer and Trevor Bell pitched into the fifth inning in a bid to earn the Angels' No. 5 starter role, leading Los Angeles to a 6-5 victory over the Texas Rangers Sunday.  —  Both managers chose to keep their aces from facing a division rival.

Frank Francisco prefers jams in spring training  —  VIERA, Fla. - The mother has a routine.  Five or six days a week, she visits the same Pentecostal church in the Dominican Republic.  She prays for her children.  Three hours later, she returns home.  —  The son understands the importance of a routine.

Yankees DH Ibanez hits first HR  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — Raul Ibanez is entering his 15th big league season and will turn 40 in June, so he has been through spring trainings in which he didn't hit and others in which he did.  —  Despite entering yesterday's action against the Tigers …

Contact king for Tampa Bay Rays' Keppinger  —  PORT CHARLOTTE — It has been argued quite successfully that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports.  —  A fastball thrown at 95 to 100 mph reaches home plate in about .4 seconds and it takes humans .15 seconds to voluntarily blink …

Blue Jays demote outfielder Travis Snider  —  DUNEDIN, FLA.—The Blue Jays' competition for left field is over.  —  Fan-favourite Travis Snider was cut from the big-league team and sent down to the minors following the Jays' 6-5 spring-training win over the Boston Red Sox Sunday afternoon.

Nationals' Beat Mets 12-0, Stop 11-Game Slide  —  VIERA, Fla. (AP) — Ian Desmond, Jayson Werth and Roger Bernadina hit first-inning home runs off Matt Harvey to back Stephen Strasburg, and the Washington Nationals routed the New York Mets 12-0 Sunday to stop an 11-game winless streak.

Bold predictions for 2012!  —  Well folks, it's that time of the year once again.  Let me climb out onto a limb and pontificate on my boldest predictions for the upcoming season.  —  If you're curious about my predictive prowess, feel free to check out my column from last offseason where I made my bold predictions for 2011.

Dennis Bennett, member of 1964 Phillies, dies at 72  —  Dennis Bennett, who won 12 games for the 1964 Phillies, died Saturday.  He was 72.  —  Bennett's daughter, Vanessa, said he died at his home in Klamath Falls, Ore., after an ongoing illness.  The Herald and News reports that Bennett …

Kershaw solid for six innings against Crew  —  PHOENIX — Japanese import Norichika Aoki hit his first stateside home run — off the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, no less — and a Brewers split squad scored a 7-1 win over the Dodgers on Sunday at Maryvale Baseball Park.

Soriano, Mather lead way against Indians  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Alfonso Soriano launched a home run and drove in three to help lead the Cubs to a 6-2 Cactus League victory over the Indians on Sunday afternoon at Goodyear Ballpark.  Soriano leads the Cactus League with six blasts this spring.

Morneau hits first spring homer — and second  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Justin Morneau made his seventh straight start at designated hitter on Saturday against the Rays, and looked at home, blasting two homers in his first three plate appearances against Jeremy Hellickson.