GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) -- Sitting on a counter in Cleveland's noisy clubhouse, more than one year and nearly 2,300 miles away from a rough finish in Boston, Terry Francona looks content, at ease.
As players sip coffee and layer up for their workout on a chilly Saturday morning, Cleveland's new manager is perched under two large flat-screen TVs, his back pushed up against buckets of bubble gum and sunflower seeds. This is where Francona belongs, the place he enjoys most.
Being around the guys.
From the moment he slipped on his No. 17 Indians jersey for the first time this spring, Francona has relished being back in the majors.
"I'm not really big on looking backwards," Francona said the other day. "But if you ask me if I'm having a ball here? Yeah."
It's obvious.
Whether he's hitting grounders to the club's first basemen, catching throws to the plate for third base coach Brad Mills during an infield drill or simply leaning on a netted batting cage to watch Nick Swisher and Jason Giambi launch homers through Arizona's thin air, Francona is savoring it all.
He missed the game. He had no idea how much.
On Friday, Francona got to fill out a lineup card and was back in a dugout for the first time since the end of the 2011 season, when his days in Boston came to a crashing halt. Other than the four hours it took, he thoroughly enjoyed Cleveland's exhibition opener over Cincinnati, an 11-10 win pulled off with bottom-of-the-ninth rally.
"It was fun," he said. "It's amazing how fast the game looks the first week."
For the Indians, Francona's arrival has meant everything. He's re-energized a franchise that lost 94 games last season under Manny Acta and helped revived a soured fan base that had lost faith in ownership. Without him, the Indians don't sign Swisher to the largest free agent contract (four years, $56 million) in club history or entice All-Star center fielder Michael Bourn to come to Cleveland, either.
He's brought excitement to the Indians -- and expectations.
But even before he signed his contract in October, Francona made an imprint. He contacted all of Cleveland's players in person or by text message. He wanted to make a personal connection with them before building one on a professional level.
It's the first step toward trust, and hopefully championships.
"He reached out right away, and from then on he's been in the clubhouse all the time, getting to know the guys and telling stories," All-Star closer Chris Perez said. "It's stuff like that that helps. This game is so serious during the season, it's the human side that gets some teams through and he has a great rapport. That goes a long way."
Almost everyone calls Francona "Tito," which is also his dad's name. Tito Francona played six seasons for the Indians, and there's a photo in Cleveland's media guide of the Franconas posing in front of Cleveland's dugout at the father-son game in 1963.
The Indians track through his veins, which is why Cleveland's job was the only one Francona considered when he could have had his pick.
After he was fired after four seasons as Philadelphia's manager, Francona spent 2001 working as an assistant to Indians president Mark Shapiro and with general manager Chris Antonetti. The trio formed a tight friendship that made it easy for him to return to managing after one year at ESPN.
Indians 13, Reds 10
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Once the Tigers tossed Ryan Raburn aside, the Indians happily snagged him.
Raburn helped his chances to make Cleveland's roster as a utility player by hitting two more homers Saturday, and the Indians outlasted the Cincinnati Reds in another high-scoring exhibition between Ohio's major leaguers.
Raburn also homered in Friday's spring opener and has connected for a homer in his three at-bats this spring, driving in five runs.
He was released by Detroit in November following a disappointing season. Raburn opened 2012 as the Tigers' starting second baseman, but batted just .171 in 66 games and was demoted to the minor leagues. When Indians manager Terry Francona was hired in October, he targeted Raburn, telling general manager Chris Antonetti that if the 31-year-old ever became available to scoop him up.
"Sometimes by the luck of the draw you might have a chance to get a guy like that," Francona said. "Maybe we caught a break."
Raburn can play second, third, right or left field. His versatility is what initially attracted him to Francona, who has seen players in the past move to a new team and thrive.
"He had a tough year," Francona said. "That happens. If he would have had a good year, we wouldn't have had a chance to get him."
Raburn hit six homers with 19 RBIs last spring in Detroit's camp.
For the second straight day, hitters on both teams teed off on pitchers still working on mechanics and location. The Reds and Indians have combined for 44 runs and 62 hits while playing for 6 hours, 47 minutes.
Shin-Soo Choo singled and scored twice for the Reds, who plan to bat the center fielder in the leadoff spot this season. Cincinnati had the NL's lowest on-base percentage from the top of the order last year, and manager Dusty Baker believes Choo can get the Reds started.
Choo, who batted in the No. 1 spot 98 times for the Indians in 2012, has reached base three times and scored three runs in two games.
"That's what Choo is here for," Baker said. "You can read into it as much as you like. We like that if he gets on like this, think of the year that Brandon (Phillips) is going to have Joey (Votto), (Ryan) Ludwick and (Jay) Bruce. This is going to be exciting."
Indians starter Brett Myers allowed two earned runs in two innings. The right-hander is in Cleveland's rotation after making 70 relief appearances for Houston and the White Sox a year ago. He still doesn't understand why the Astros made him a reliever after he started 66 games in two seasons -- "Call them. I still don't know," he said -- and he's focused on pitching as many innings as he can for the Indians.
"It's all pitching. It's all about getting people out," he said. "I don't want them (relievers) to have the workload. It's not too good to have four or five guys with 70 appearances. That's tough on the guy's arms. So if I can get us deep into ballgames and minimize their appearances, they'll be fresh in the second half."
Blue Jays 10, Tigers 3
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Prince Fielder's drive sailed well past the wall in right field, toward the roof of the batting cages at Joker Marchant Stadium.
Not to be outdone, Miguel Cabrera hit a home run two innings later to the back of the grassy berm in left-center.
"I have no idea how far either of them went, but they were both bombs," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said.
Detroit's two sluggers put on an impressive power show, and they were just the opening act in the Tigers' loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Bruce Rondon, the hard-throwing 22-year-old who could be Detroit's new closer, struck out J.P. Arencibia and Josh Thole to escape a fifth-inning jam.
The revamped Blue Jays, meanwhile, won their exhibition opener as John Gibbons began his second stint as Toronto's manager. The Blue Jays were without new shortstop Jose Reyes, but Brett Lawrie hit a two-run single in the third.
Brandon Morrow allowed Fielder's two-run shot in the first.
"Obviously down and in for a strike to Prince Fielder is not a good pitch," Morrow said. "I wouldn't be throwing that during the season, but we're working on stuff."
Lance Zawadzki hit a grand slam in the sixth to break a 3-all tie. There was a scary moment in the seventh when Toronto outfielders Mike McCoy and Ryan Langerhans collided on a flyball to right-center. McCoy left with a left quad contusion.
In their exhibition home opener, the Tigers started what could end up being their opening day lineup. Fielder gave Detroit a 2-0 lead, and Cabrera's solo homer in the third made it 3-all.
Tigers fans then had a chance to check out Rondon, the 6-foot-3, 275-pound Venezuelan who may end up closing in Detroit after Jose Valverde was let go.
He started off with a couple quick strikes to Maicer Izturis, but his next pitch was inside and appeared to catch plate umpire Jeff Gosney in the foot.
"I'm sure he was a little nervous his first time out, a little wild, but he settled down," catcher Alex Avila said. "It was fun to catch him. By far he has one of the best arms I've ever seen."
Izturis hit a weak flare that Cabrera caught in foul ground near third base. After a walk to Lawrie, Adam Lind doubled to right-center.
But the Blue Jays stranded both runners, giving Rondon a scoreless frame.
"It wasn't anything I didn't expect to see -- a little antsy his first time out," Leyland said.
Anibal Sanchez threw two scoreless innings for Detroit. He caught a break in the second when center fielder Austin Jackson threw out Toronto's Moses Sierra at third for the third out, just as it looked like a run was about to score.
Detroit's baserunning wasn't much better. Sierra threw Jhonny Peralta out from right field for the first out of the bottom of the second when Peralta was trying to go from first to third on a single.
Cubs 11, Angels 2
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Luis Valbuena got off to a great start in his bid to win more playing time with the Cubs, hitting a home run that helped Chicago beat a Los Angeles Angels split squad in the spring training opener for both teams.
Cubs left-hander Travis Wood and Angels right-hander Jerome Williams each went two innings. Both pitchers are trying to win a rotation spot.
Brett Jackson tripled twice for the Cubs.
Valbuena, one of three players in the running for the team's starting third base position, homered to the opposite field off Williams in the second inning. Valbuena also went deep in an intrasquad game Friday.
Valbuena hit .219 with four homers and 28 RBIs in 265 at-bats for the Cubs last season.
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