The Associated Press

David Cone was perfect. David Wells was far from it. Cone and Wells, forever linked by their perfect games and close friendship, pitched Wednesday - with vastly different results.

Wells, perhaps distracted by the controversy surrounding his autobiography, struggled in his second spring start for the New York Yankees - giving up five runs and failing to cover first base in a 12-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Tampa, Fla.

"Boomer, I thought he threw the ball pretty well," manager Joe Torre said. "They didn't hit very many balls hard. However, he didn't execute fundamentally on the ball back to the mound and covering first. I'm sure there'll be extra work for all the pitchers because of it."

Cone, making his first appearance in his comeback with the Mets, retired the side in order in the fourth inning as New York beat the Florida Marlins 7-6 in 10 innings at Jupiter, Fla.

It was Cone's first outing since Oct. 6, 2001, when he pitched eight innings to help Boston beat Baltimore.

The 40-year-old right-hander got a standing ovation when he walked off the mound after the fourth inning, and responded by waving his cap.

"That was really nice," he said. "I've had my doubts as to whether I should be trying this. When things like that happen, it makes it worthwhile."

A reluctant retiree last year, Cone is bidding for a job as the Mets' fifth starter. Only seven of his 15 pitches were strikes, and he fell behind every batter, but he threw everything in his repertoire, including two splitters.

Cone said he was pleasantly surprised that his fastball topped out at 88 mph.

"I can pitch with that sort of stuff," he said, adding with a laugh, "I did for the last five years of my career."

Cone won the AL Cy Young Award in 1994 with Kansas City, threw a perfect game in '99 for the Yankees and owns five World Series rings. He said he'll be ready to throw a couple innings and 30 or 40 pitches in his next outing.

"We know he knows how to pitch," Mets manager Art Howe said. "We need to see him stretch out. We need to see where he is in a couple of weeks."

Wells tossed his perfect game for the Yankees a year before Cone did it. The big lefty allowed nine hits in three innings and was booed by the Legends Field crowd of 10,115 after failing to cover first in the third inning.

The play brought back memories of Hideki Irabu's failure to cover first in 1999, which caused owner George Steinbrenner to call him a "fat ... toad."

"I thought it was in the hole honestly," Wells said. "It was my fault."

Atlanta's Chipper Jones went 1-for-3 in his return from a thumb injury. New York slugger Jason Giambi was scratched because of a stiff abdominal muscle.

In other games:

Tigers 12, Astros 6

At Lakeland, Fla., Bobby Higginson hit a two-run double and Craig Paquette had two RBIs for Detroit. Jeff Bagwell and Jose Vizcaino homered for Houston.

Cardinals 1, Expos 0

At Viera, Fla., Brett Tomko allowed one hit in four innings and Eduardo Perez homered for St. Louis.

Orioles 10, Red Sox 6

At Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Sidney Ponson pitched three scoreless innings and Brian Roberts homered in a five-run second for Baltimore.

Indians 16, Dodgers 6

At Vero Beach, Fla., Wilson Alvarez, competing for a spot on the Dodgers' staff, was pounded for five runs in three innings by Cleveland.

Jody Gerut homered twice, and the Indians had 22 hits, 11 for extra bases. Fred McGriff hit his first home run as a Dodger - a two-run shot.

Pirates 11, Devil Rays 8

At Bradenton, Fla., Nick Bierbrodt pitched two perfect innings for Tampa Bay in first appearance since he was shot last June.

Brian Giles, Reggie Sanders, Kevin Young and J.J. Davis homered for Pittsburgh.

Phillies 5, Twins 0

At Fort Myers, Fla., Pat Burrell hit a two-run homer and Kevin Millwood pitched three scoreless innings as Philadelphia stopped a five-game losing streak.

Rangers 8, Cubs 4

At Mesa, Ariz., Kerry Wood had a rough outing in his first spring start, allowing five runs - three earned - and five hits in 2 1-3 innings as Chicago lost to Texas.

Carl Everett had a run-scoring triple, Todd Greene hit a two-run homer and Kevin Mench added a two-run shot for the Rangers.

Athletics 8, Brewers 6, 10 innings

At Phoenix, Erubiel Durazo homered for his first hit of the spring to help Oakland beat Milwaukee.

Durazo, acquired from Arizona in a four-team deal at the winter meetings, had been 0-for-7 with six walks. Jeremy Brown hit a two-run homer in the 10th.

Mariners 7 (ss), Angels 5

At Tempe, Ariz., Jamey Wright allowed one run in four innings and Ben Davis went 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs for Seattle.

Mariners closer Kazuhiro Sasaki, coming off elbow surgery last October, allowed one hit in one inning for the win. Edgar Martinez went 2-for-4 to give him 10 hits in 19 at-bats this spring.

Royals 16, Rockies 8

At Surprise, Ariz., Aaron Guiel had seven RBIs with a grand slam and a three-run homer as Kansas City roughed up NL Rookie of the Year Jason Jennings.

Jennings, in his first spring training start, allowed six runs - four earned - and four hits in two innings. He walked two, hit a batter and struck out three.

White Sox (ss) 11, Padres 6

At Peoria, Ariz., Tony Graffanino, Aaron Miles and Paul Konerko homered for Chicago off Oliver Perez. Graffanino had five RBIs, and Konerko went 3-for-4 with a double.

Perez allowed seven runs - four earned - four hits and two walks in two innings. Winner Esteban Loaiza gave up one run and two hits in three innings.

Diamondbacks (ss) 4, Giants 2 (ss), 10 innings

At Tucson, Ariz., Diamondbacks closer Matt Mantei blew a save by allowing his first run in three innings this spring. Doug DeVore atoned for a fielding miscue by hitting a two-run homer in the 10th.

Mariners (ss) 10, Giants (ss) 7

At Scottsdale, Ariz., Jeff Nelson gave up two runs in two innings but still got the win for Seattle. Barry Bonds singled twice and drove in a run for the Giants, winless in their last five games. He is 5-for-10 this spring with three homers and five RBIs.