LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Tigers are supposed to win the annual exhibition against Florida Southern, and they did Monday.
The final score was 12-2 but the Moccasins scored two runs, the first time they've scored in the game since 2012.
"It's not necessarily a bad idea for us to go out there and play a team like Florida Southern anyway just to get a look at live game situations so it was good, guys had some good at-bats, pitchers for the most part threw well," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "You see some action in the field, you see the ball off the bat so it was good. It served a good purpose and it's a good tradition."
Kyle Ryan, who pitched two innings after starter Tim Melville pitched two, earned the win despite allowing the two runs.
"He was a little up with his two-seamer was the main problem," Ausmus said. "When it was down it was good, he was up a little bit and the time he got hit, he had trouble throwing strikes, he just seemed to be a little elevated."
Omar Duran, Buck Farmer, Angel Nesbitt, Joe Mantiply and Jose Valdez also pitched.
"Valdez looked good obviously at the end, Melville looked good, really the only hitch was Duran had a little trouble throwing strikes there," Ausmus said. "Other than that we were fine. You're not going to get a ton out of it but the one thing you will get out of a game like this is you have to stand on the rubber and face a hitter."
Andrew Romine (2), Manny Pina (2) Wynton Bernard (2), Hernan Perez (1), Dixon Machado (1), Jordan Lennerton (1), James McCann (1) and Austin Green (1) all drove in runs.
Miguel Cabrera has been hitting, he just hasn't been hitting in public.
That changed Monday as Cabrera joined his teammates before the Florida Southern game for batting practice.
"We've kind of checked with him on a daily basis, we knew a day or two ago that he would do it today so I guess on schedule," Ausmus said. "He looked good. I think he was running on the (AlterG anti-gravity) treadmill, too."
MARTINEZ WORKING IN LAKELAND
Victor Martinez was back at work in Lakeland Monday.
Martinez, who underwent surgery on his left knee to trim a torn meniscus, ran on the AlterG anti-gravity treadmill Monday.
Martinez also took some swings.
"I did see him after he hit," Ausmus said. "He said he was good, he took 30 swings from both sides off the tee."
Martinez has been doing his rehabilitation back near his Orlando home before coming to Lakeland Monday.
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