Cactus League
• Zack Greinke was scratched from his spring training start for the Dodgers on Monday, went to Los Angeles and was diagnosed with inflammation in the back of his right elbow. The Dodgers said an MRI in Arizona last week "showed there was no structural damage to the ligaments or tendons of the elbow" of the right-hander. Greinke, signed to a $147 million, six-year contract as a free agent, will rest for two to three days, then go on a progressive throwing program, the team said.
• Cleveland pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed one hit in one inning before leaving because of a cramp in his right calf, overshadowing a fine performance by Scott Kazmir as the Cleveland Indians played to a 0-0 tie with Jered Weaver and the Los Angeles Angels.
• Making his second start of the spring and first since signing a new five-year, $32 million contract, Chris Sale was the picture of efficiency for the White Sox in a 3-1 win over the Rockies. He gave up just one hit and faced the minimum 15 batters through the first five innings before giving up a homer to Yorvit Torrealba and another hit to begin the sixth in Glendale.
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• Madison Bumgarner pitched four-hit ball for four innings and struck out four in the San Francisco Giants' 2-1 win over the Texas Rangers in Surprise.
• Facing his former team, Oakland, the Padres' Tyson Ross gave up two hits and struck out three in three innings, and Yonder Alonso hit one of San Diego's three homers in a 10-0 romp over the Athletics in Peoria.
Grapefruit League
• Derek Jeter went 0 for 2 in his second game as a designated hitter since returning from a broken ankle, a 4-0 win for the New York Yankees over St. Louis in Tampa, Fla. Jeter could play shortstop for the first time this spring on Wednesday.
• Stephen Strasburg dominated for five innings, then got hit hard in the sixth. Justin Upton hit a two-run single in a four-run sixth inning, helping the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 7-2 in Viera, Fla.
• Jonathon Niese knows he may get the ball on opening day if Johan Santana begins the season on the disabled list. Niese is not taking anything for granted, though. The lefty pitched one-hit ball for 4 2/3 innings, and the New York Mets roughed up Justin Verlander in an 11-0 victory over Detroit in Lakeland, Fla.
• Trying to earn a job in Baltimore's rotation, Jake Arrieta struck out five over four scoreless innings and yielded two hits in a 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh in Bradenton, Fla.
• Christian Yelich, Miami's top position prospect, hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth to lift the Marlins over Boston 8-7 in Jupiter, Fla. Yelich is hitting .375 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 14 spring games.
• St. Louis manager Mike Matheny had surgery Monday to repair a ruptured disk in his lower back, but he expects to return Thursday.
WBC
• In Tokyo, Kalian Sams' ninth-inning sacrifice fly scored Andruw Jones with the winning run, capping a comeback from a two-run, eighth-inning deficit and lifting the Netherlands past Cuba 7-6 Monday and into the World Baseball Classic semifinals. "This game will go down as the biggest game in Dutch history," Netherlands manager Hensley Muelens said. The Netherlands, the first European team to reach the final four, advanced along with two-time defending champion Japan. At the semifinals in San Francisco on March 17-18, they will be joined by two teams from among the U.S., Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Italy. The Dutch also beat Cuba 6-2 on Thursday.
