ATLANTA (AP) -Rick Porcello, making a bid to be more than a fill-in starter for Detroit, pitched two scoreless innings and the Tigers beat the Atlanta Braves 8-4 on Saturday in each team's final exhibition game.
The 20-year-old Porcello, making the jump from Class A, gave up only one hit. With Jeremy Bonderman opening the season on the 15-day disabled list, Porcello won a spot in the rotation during spring training and will make his major league debut Thursday at Toronto.
The right-hander isn't assured of keeping his spot when Bonderman is cleared to pitch.
``I'll have to take it one day at a time and see how it goes,' said Porcello, the Tigers' 2007 first-round pick.
Porcello struck out one and threw 21 of his 26 pitches for strikes.
``He looked like he was right at home to me,' manager Jim Leyland said. ``He handled himself quite well. It was good to get him out there.'
Porcello showed no sign of being awed by the start at Turner Field.
``I tried to tell myself before the game to just go out and do what I did in my last game,' he said. ``I was able to lock in. I felt good today. It was good preparation for Thursday.'
Armando Galarraga followed Porcello and gave up two runs, one earned, in 5 2-3 innings.
Detroit's Carlos Guillen hit a two-run homer, his first of the spring. Miguel Cabrera and Brandon Inge each had two hits and two RBIs.
Kenshin Kawakami walked seven batters and gave up four runs in 2 2-3 innings for Atlanta. He issued bases-loaded walks in the second and third.
``I don't think I've ever walked as many in nine innings let alone three innings,' Kawakami said through an interpreter. ``I think that must be a first in my baseball life.
``I felt like my curve just wasn't breaking well today. I just didn't have full control of it.'
Kawakami will follow Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens and Javier Vazquez as the Braves' No. 4 starter.
Kawakami was 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA in five spring appearances before his shaky start on Saturday.
``It's not the best time to have it,' manager Bobby Cox said of the right-hander's only poor spring start.
``You want to get it out of your mind as quick as possible. I've got a lot of confidence in him. I think he'll be fine. ... The only difference is the control factor, that's all. He was off-target.'
Atlanta's Jeff Francoeur had two hits, including a homer, to finish the spring with a .328 batting average.
Braves pitching prospect Tommy Hanson, headed for Triple-A Gwinnett, replaced Kawakami in the third inning and struck out Placido Polanco to strand three runners.
Hanson gave up run-scoring singles to Cabrera in the fourth and sixth. Cabrera scored on Guillen's two-run homer in the sixth.
Notes: 3B Chipper Jones was sick, Cox said, but ``should be fine, I think,' for Sunday night's opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. ... Despite the loss, the Braves (21-12) had their most wins in spring training since moving to Atlanta in 1966. ... Cabrera finished spring training with a .400 batting average. ... Detroit is off Sunday before beginning a four-game series at Toronto.
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