By The Associated Press

Jeff Weaver is solidifying the fifth spot in the New York Yankees' rotation. Weaver pitched four sharp innings Sunday in New York's 8-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Sunday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Weaver allowed one run and five hits with three strikeouts to lower his spring ERA to 2.00. Weaver, the opening day starter for Detroit last year, spent much of his time in the bullpen after being traded to New York in July.

"Hopefully, I'll make the decision easier for Joe (Torre) and be where I want to be for a long time," Weaver said. "All I can do is keep throwing like I am."

Weaver came into spring competing with Cuban defector Jose Contreras and Sterling Hitchcock for the fifth spot.

Contreras, who signed a $32 million, four-year contract with New York during the offseason, struggled again. He allowed seven runs and seven hits in three innings.

"He has a lot of things going on in his life right now," Torre said.

Contreras' 80-year-old father, Florentino, was moved into the intensive care unit of a Cuban hospital Saturday after having a stroke on the left side of his body.

"That's not the reason for the results today," Contreras said. "My last few outings you haven't seen the pitcher that I am. I expect to get out of this rut that I'm in. I've never been through something like this in my career and I feel in the near future you will see."

Contreras will probably start the season in the bullpen. He has given up 15 runs in eight innings.

Elsewhere, Cubs phenom Mark Prior pitched four shutout innings for his first victory of the spring as Chicago beat Oakland 8-6 in a split-squad game.

The 22-year-old right-hander yielded five hits and struck out three, while Oakland aces Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson allowed four runs apiece.

"There was a lot of good pitching out there," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "I think our guy had the best day, but all three guys pitched like they're ready for the season."

Alex Gonzalez had two hits and an RBI for Chicago, while Sammy Sosa went 2-for-3 with a double.

In other games:

Marlins 5, Orioles 2

At Fort Lauderdale, Fla., A.J. Burnett struck out seven in four scoreless innings and Al Martin had four hits and two RBIs for Florida.

Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 4

At Fort Myers, Fla., Benny Agbayani hit a two-run homer and Shea Hillenbrand went 3-for-3 for Boston. Hillenbrand is 12-for-19 this spring.

Twins (ss) 14, Indians (ss) 3

At Winter Haven, Fla., Torii Hunter and Jacque Jones homered as Minnesota scored 10 runs in the third inning. Rookie Justin Morneau had four hits and four RBIs for the Twins.

Tigers 9, Twins (ss) 6

At Lakeland, Fla., Carlos Pena's first home run of the spring helped lift Detroit past Minnesota.

Mets 12, Astros 2

At Kissimmee, Fla., Al Leiter pitched four scoreless innings and Jeromy Burnitz drove in three runs as New York won its seventh straight.

Pirates 5, Indians (ss) 2

At Bradenton, Fla., Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run homer, Brian Giles added a solo shot and Josh Fogg pitched four scoreless innings for Pittsburgh.

Braves 6, Cardinals 1

At Jupiter, Fla., Gary Sheffield hit two home runs off Garrett Stephenson to lead Atlanta.

Rangers 14, Angels (ss) 8

At Tempe, Ariz., Kevin Mench had three hits, including a three-run homer, and top prospect Mark Teixeira also homered for Texas.

Anaheim starter Kevin Appier allowed five earned runs in one inning.

Athletics (ss) 5, White Sox (ss) 3

At Tucson, Ariz., Rontrez Johnson hit a grand slam in the eighth inning off Tom Gordon to lift Oakland. Magglio Ordonez hit a solo home run for Chicago.

Giants 8, Royals 7

At Surprise, Ariz., Andres Galarraga hit a two-run homer as San Francisco pounded Chris George for five runs in three innings. Former Royal Neifi Perez had three hits, including two doubles.

Rockies (ss) 19, Mariners 6

At Tucson, Ariz., Denny Neagle pitched three hitless innings and Colorado scored 10 runs in the eighth. Bret Boone hit a grand slam for Seattle.

Cubs (ss) 5, Padres 2

At Peoria, Ariz., Corey Patterson was 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored for Chicago. Padres right-hander Jaret Wright strained his left oblique muscle and had to leave after two batters. He is expected to miss seven-to-10 days.

Diamondbacks 6, Brewers 1

At Phoenix, Elmer Dessens pitched five shutout innings and Alex Cintron hit a two-run homer for Arizona. Dessens (3-0) has allowed one run and three hits in 10 spring innings.

Giants (ss) 4, Angels (ss) 1

At Scottsdale, Ariz., pinch-hitter John Pachot's two-run single with two outs in the eighth inning lifted San Francisco over Anaheim in a World Series rematch.

Rockies (ss) 11, White Sox (ss) 7

At Tucson, Ariz., Mark Sweeney's two-run triple keyed a sixth-run seventh inning as Colorado beat Chicago. Brad Hawpe added a two-run homer for the Rockies and Darren Oliver (2-0) worked four innings for the win.