Josh Hamilton wants to turn over a new leaf with his new team. The free-swinging slugger is planning to practice better plate discipline in his first spring with the Los Angeles Angels.
Hamilton then swung at the first pitch he faced in an Angels uniform Tuesday, grounding out to short in Los Angeles’ 7-7, nine-inning tie with an Arizona Diamondbacks split squad in Tempe, Ariz.The slugger who spurned the Texas Rangers to sign for $125 million went 0 for 3 in his Los Angeles debut. He also ran out of unbroken bats in the process, forcing him to use teammate Mark Trumbo’s lumber in the fifth inning for his second flyout.Although hes still trying to remember to take a few pitches, Hamilton was pleased to get back on the field after moving from the Rangers to their longtime AL West rivals in the off-season. He’ll only get used to the new uniforms and teammates with time, and he’s grateful to get the clock started.“You get those first little jitters when you're walking up to the plate, but it was a fun day,” Hamilton said. “It’s a little awkward at first. You’ve been going against a team for five years, and the first day is a little awkward. But the guys are the guys after a while. It’s tough to find a clubhouse where you don’t fit in.”After Hamilton promised hitting coach Jim Eppard he would try not to swing at everything in the strike zone this season, Hamilton hacked away at his first pitch of the spring from Eddie Bonine.Hamilton finally took the first pitch of his second at-bat, getting a laugh from his teammates when he stepped out and pointedly looked over at Eppard in the dugout, before hitting a harmless fly into center off Zeke Spruill on the second pitch.“Everybody knows I like to swing,” Hamilton said. “I’m trying to work on it a little bit, but if it’s around the strike zone, I usually like to swing.”The Angels fielded a lineup consisting of every likely regular except Mike Trout, who debuted Monday, and Albert Pujols, who won’t play until mid-March while returning from knee surgery. But Los Angeles isn’t using its top five starting pitchers in its first week of games in the extra-long spring training necessary for the WBC.Loria defensiveIn his first interview since the team’s controversial trade with the Toronto Blue Jays in November, Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said Monday night his team is not for sale and the breakup of the 69-win, last-place 2012 squad was necessary for the franchise to move forward.“We didn’t break up the 1927 Yankees,” Loria said to a small group of writers invited to speak with him by his new public relations firm inside the high-end Diamond Club at Marlins Park.“We broke up a losing ballclub that was going nowhere for two straight years. I’m about winning. I like to win. I love winning. I love Miami. I love this ballclub, and I love what we’ve done now. Little painful for a lot of people. But no pain no gain.”Loria, who bought ad space for an 800-word letter directed to fans in Sunday’s editions of several South Florida newspapers, explained the reason he has kept quiet until now is because he wanted to “decompress” and get out of the way of “a runaway train” of negativity.“I have a sense of [the public anger],” Loria said. I’m sorry we built this amazing ballpark and fans are feeling the way they do. But we did this for a reason. We weren’t going anywhere … we had to do something swiftly, quickly and bold.”Loria said he was approached by maybe 20 to 30 people on Saturday night at the South Florida food and wine festival. He said all of them congratulated him and some asked to take pictures.“I haven't seen anything,” Loria said referring to displays of negativity in his presence. “I got a few silly phone calls. But that was in November, and it stopped. … I’m hoping we can call a halt to it all and try to get behind the home team here.”Loria reiterated how the Marlins “raided” the Blue Jays’ farm system and now have six of the top 100 prospects in baseball. Loria said former franchise player Hanley Ramirez, traded to the Dodgers last July, called the Marlins this off-season to rave about new shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria.As far as whom the Marlins traded, the only player that seemed to sting Loria was the loss of Jose Reyes, who a week ago said Loria had encouraged him to buy a home just before the trade to Toronto. Loria called that claim “inaccurate” but later added that he still loves Reyes.Indians pick top starterNew Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona has named Justin Masterson his starter for Opening Day.Francona told the right-hander in the dugout Tuesday before Cleveland played the Kansas City Royals.It will be the second time Masterson starts a season opener. A year ago, the 28-year-old struck out 10 over eight innings against the Blue Jays in Cleveland.Meanwhile, outfielder Michael Brantley will be sidelined at least three days after suffering a cut Monday that required stitches. He was hurt when the spikes of the Athletics’ Josh Donaldson caught him on a slide into third base.Youk takes it easyKevin Youkilis said he was “fine,” that he had “no concerns whatsoever.”The Yankees’ response?Not so fast.With an aging roster and having already lost a starting pitcher for a short time and a starting outfielder for quite a bit more than that, the Yankees weren’t taking any chances.After Youkilis told trainers Monday about feeling “tight” in his left oblique, the Yankees scratched him from Tuesday’s game against the Phillies in Clearwater, Fla.“I'm fine,” Youkilis said. “I could have played today and been perfectly fine, but they were like, ‘we’re going to sit you out, it’s Feb. 26.’ ”In the last seven days, the Yankees lost Phil Hughes for at least two weeks because of two bulging discs in his back and Curtis Granderson for 10 weeks after a J.A. Happ pitch broke his right forearm Sunday.Youkilis, 33, has been injury- plagued in recent seasons. A back problem limited him to 122 games for the Red Sox and White Sox last year.Briefly• Giants: Right-hander Tim Lincecum struggled in his spring debut, giving up three runs and failing to get through two innings in an 8-8 tie with the Dodgers.• Athletics: Right-hander A.J. Griffin was sharp, giving up one hit and ringing up three strikeouts in two scoreless innings of a 9-4 loss to the Diamondbacks.• Cardinals: Left-hander Jaime Garcia returned to the mound for the first time since suffering a shoulder injury in the playoffs, pitching two shutout innings in a 15-4 rout of the Red Sox.• Cubs: Edwin Jackson, signed to a four-year, $52 million deal in the off-season, pitched two scoreless inning in his debut with Chicago. The Cubs beat the Rockies 4-2.• Marlins: Giancarlo Stanton homered and Casey Kotchman hit a grand slam in a 7-5 victory over the Mets.• Twins: Justin Morneau had two hits, including a run-scoring double, in an 8-4 victory over the Blue Jays.Have more to add? News tip? 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