Spring Training / Highlights : Murphy Gets Homer, Three RBIs in Braves’ 5-1 Win

Dale Murphy drove in three runs with a homer and sacrifice fly and three mainstays of the Atlanta pitching staff combined on a six-hitter to lift the Braves to a 5-1 victory over the Montreal Expos Saturday at West Palm Beach, Fla.

Murphy’s first homer of the spring came with a man on in the fourth and overcame a 1-0 deficit. Montreal had taken the lead in the third on Miguel Dilone’s triple and a ground out by Al Newman.

Len Barker, coming back from elbow surgery, pitched the first three innings and allowed a run on two hits. Pascual Perez worked four scoreless innings, allowing two hits. Bruce Sutter, who signed with the Braves as a free agent and has pitched five scoreless innings, finished up.

George Bell’s two-run homer and solo blasts by Jeff Burroughs and Fred McGriff powered Toronto to an 8-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Dunedin, Fla., for the Blue Jays’ eighth consecutive exhibition victory.

Trailing, 3-2, in the sixth, the Blue Jays tagged Ed Olwine for three runs on Bell’s one-out drive over the left-field fence and Burroughs’ two-out homer to left for a 5-3 lead. Burroughs, purchased from the Oakland A’s in the off-season, has three hits in spring training--all homers.

McGriff hit his third homer of the spring in the eighth.

Three Oakland pitchers combined on a three-hitter to lift the A’s to a 2-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners at Phoenix.

Curt Young allowed two hits over the first four innings, and rookie Jeff Kaiser pitched no-hit ball for the next three. Jose Rijo, acquired in the Rickey Henderson trade with New York, worked the last two innings.

The A’s scored a fourth-inning run against former teammate Mike Morgan on Dwayne Murphy’s single and a triple by Mike Heath. Dave Geisel allowed the other Oakland run in the sixth when Dave Collins tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Thad Reece.

Marc Sullivan snapped a scoreless tie with a two-run sixth inning homer, and Glenn Hoffman added a bases-loaded triple as the Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-0, at Winter Haven, Fla.

After Tiger ace Jack Morris blanked the Red Sox on two hits--both by Tony Armas--through five innings, Hoffman led off the sixth with a walk off Aurelio Lopez and Sullivan followed with his homer.

Four Boston pitchers combined on a seven-hitter. Roger Clemens worked the first three innings for Boston, Steve Crawford went the next three, Jim Dorsey pitched the seventh and reliever Bob Stanley finished up.

Mike Brewer hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to give the Kansas City Royals a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Bradenton, Fla.

Pat Sheridan hit a solo homer in the first inning for the Royals’ other run.

The Pirates scored in the bottom of the eighth inning on a two-run home run by Lee Mazzilli and tied the score, 3-3, on Doug Frobel’s run-scoring single in the ninth.

Eddie Murray and Fritz Connally belted three-run homers to power the Baltimore Orioles past the Texas Rangers, 14-1, at Pompano Beach, Fla.

Murray, 0 for 13 entering the game, homered in the first inning off Burt Hooton. Connally connected in the third against Hooton, who allowed nine hits and eight runs in four innings.

Floyd Rayford and Kelly Paris hit solo homers for the Orioles.

Orioles Scott McGregor, Mike Brown and Don Aase combined to stop the Rangers on seven hits. McGregor allowed five hits and a run in four innings.

Mel Hall had four hits and Julio Franco added three as the Cleveland Indians beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-3, at Scottsdale, Ariz.

Franco, who tripled in the third inning and scored on Hall’s double off Jim Gott to break a 1-1 tie, raised his spring average to .471. Hall upped his average .476 with a double and three singles in the Indians’ fifth victory in seven games.

Johnnie LeMaster had four of the Giants’ nine hits and is hitting .555, with 10 hits in 18 at-bats.