WACO, Texas (AP) — Taliah Scott scored 20 points and made five 3-pointers, Bella Fontleroy added 16 points and four makes from distance, and No. 18 Baylor beat Kansas State 80-54 on Monday night in its final home game of the regular season.
The Bears pulled away by starting the third quarter on a 13-2 run, highlighted by three 3-pointers by Fontleroy, for a 48-28 lead. Fontleroy scored 12 points in the third on 4-of-5 shooting.
Baylor finished 13 of 26 (50%) from 3-point range, while Kansas State shot 34% overall from the floor with 14 turnovers.
Darianna Littlepage-Buggs had 10 points and 11 rebounds to help Baylor (24-6, 13-4 Big 12) outrebound Kansas State 43-29. Jana Van Gytenbeek added eight assists to go with five points. Scott reached 20 points for the 19th time this season and Littlepage-Buggs recorded her 12th double-double.
Jordan Speiser and Tess Heal each scored 12 points for Kansas State (15-15, 8-9). Brandie Harrod added 10 points. Taryn Sides, averaging a team-high 12.7 points per game, did not score in 12 minutes.
NO. 23 GEORGIA 74, AUBURN 52
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Dani Carnegie had 17 points, Rylie Theuerkauf and Mia Woolfolk both scored 16 and Georgia rolled to a victory over Auburn.
Carnegie added four rebounds and four steals for the Lady Bulldogs (21-7, 7-7 Southeastern Conference). Theuerkauf shot 4 for 7 from 3-point range and Woolfolk made 5 of 8 shots and 6 of 7 free throws.
Khady Leye had 16 points for the Tigers (14-14, 3-11). Ja’Mia Harris scored 13 and Kaitlyn Duhon added 11.
Adam Silver and the NBA league office singled out the Utah Jazz among the myriad of tanking teams this season because the way Utah went about it — playing their best players, including Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., for three quarters then sitting them in the fourth — was bad PR and a black eye for the league. Silver slapped Utah with a $500,000 fine. However, other teams have sat players for extended periods after injuries — or come up with dubious medical reasons to keep them out — and gone untouched.
Center Jusuf Nurkic is going to miss the remainder of the season following surgery to his nose, a story broken by NBA insider Chris Haynes. The Jazz have yet to confirm this, but it tracks and we can expect that on Tuesday or Wednesday.
With Walker Kessler out for the season following shoulder surgery, Nurkic, 31, has stepped into a larger role and is averaging 10.9 points and 10.4 rebounds a game for Utah, although he has not played since the All-Star break.
Without Nurkic out of the rotation, look for more Kyle Filipowski, Kevin Love and Oscar Tshiebwe.
Utah owes its first-round pick this year to Oklahoma City, but it is top-eight protected, which is why the Jazz are tanking — they want to hold on to a high pick in what scouts believe to be an exceptionally deep draft. Utah currently has the sixth-worst record in the NBA and, with that, a 96% chance of retaining its pick. This is the kind of tanking that has NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on a crusade, one that generates a lot of headlines but largely feels misguided and likely will end in "solutions" that don't fix the core issues of improving paths for bad teams to get the kind of elite players needed to turn their fortunes around. Silver is treating the symptom, not the problem, but that's the topic for longer stories coming later in the week here at NBC Sports.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Basketball center Charles Bediako is asking the Alabama Supreme Court to let him play the rest of the season for the Crimson Tide.
The recent NBA G-League player on Monday filed an appeal of Tuscaloosa Circuit Court Judge Daniel Pruet’s recent decision that ended Bediako's temporary playing status with the University of Alabama. While Bediako appeals the decision to the state Supreme Court, his lawyers asked Pruet to grant interim relief and allow him to return to play.
Bediako spent two seasons (2021-23) at Alabama, averaging 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, and helped the Crimson Tide make the NCAA Tournament both years. He wasn’t selected in the 2023 NBA draft, but he played for the Motor City Cruise in the G League as recently as mid-January.
He returned to Alabama this season and filed a lawsuit against the NCAA after it denied Alabama’s request to allow him to return to collegiate competition. His lawyers argued that Bediako remains within his five-year college eligibility window. NCAA President Charlie Baker and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey have opposed Bediako’s reinstatement.
A judge, who later recused himself from the case, issued a temporary restraining order that allowed Bediako to play while the case moved forward. But Pruet on Feb. 9 ruled against Bediako, writing that the player “failed to demonstrate that he is entitled to the injunctive relief that he seeks.”
On Monday, Bediako’s lawyers asked the judge to issue an interim order while the appeal is pending requiring the NCAA to reinstate Bediako as a student-athlete immediately eligible to compete in NCAA competition. They noted that the end of the season and collegiate tournaments are rapidly approaching, and it is unlikely that the Supreme Court will rule on the appeal before the season concludes.
“Without interim injunctive relief, the whole purpose for Plaintiff’s appeal — the ability to play basketball for the University of Alabama for the remainder of play in 2026 — will be null,” lawyer David W. Holt wrote.
Alabama’s regular season ends on March 7. The SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament takes place in mid-March, and the NCAA Tournament will be held from March 17 through April 6.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 22: Jordan Walker #18 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates with teammates in the dug out after scoring against the Houston Astros during the third inning of a spring training game at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on February 22, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I cannot remember going into a St. Louis Cardinals season with so many different expectations than what the team faces in 2026. I’ll ask a question that does not just have one good answer and that is what would make the St. Louis Cardinals upcoming season a success to your eyes?
A majority of the baseball metrics sites project the St. Louis Cardinals having a losing record in 2026 with the best-case scenario being around a .500 team. The season I hope to see is not connected to the win-loss record, though. One of my biggest gripes with the St. Louis Cardinals for the past 3 seasons was the lack of direction and clarity. Ownership and management were giving unclear signals from 2023 through the 2025 season about whether they planned to add to the current team or if some kind of teardown was required. For 2026, we now have that answer.
I will look back at the 2026 season as a success for the St. Louis Cardinals if there is clarity about which players (if any) are worth building around for the next few seasons. I want to see Masyn Winn add offense to his prolific defense and have a relatively injury-free year. Can JJ Wetherholt make the major league roster and establish himself as the St. Louis Cardinals everyday 2nd baseman? Will Alec Burleson follow up his Silver Slugger year with another great offense campaign and is there a place for him on the team moving forward? What about Ivan Herrera as a catcher and/or DH? Don’t even get me started on the Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker development question. I also want to see where Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy settle into the rotation. Is Liberatore capable of being a #1 starter? I have hopes and questions.
I also want to see what Chaim Bloom will do with the roster now that the first big teardown is complete. Will he make smart trades at the deadline this summer? What free agents will he be able to lure into the organization once the Cardinals want to add and compete again? I’ll admit that this past offseason was just a honeymoon period. Now, the roster building begins and we’ll start to learn more about what type of builder Chaim Bloom is. I also want to see another year of Oli Marmol managing to decide if he’s the type of leader this team needs to take it back to contention. While I think I’ve seen enough to know how I feel about Oli, 2026 will be another year to observe and measure.
Yes, I would love it if the St. Louis Cardinals shocked the baseball world and contended in 2026, but I think the season can still be a success if they don’t. If I more clearly understand the core group of players that will be a part of this team for the next 3 years or so, I’ll consider the 2026 season a success. What is your measuring stick for a successful Cardinals season? I expect the answers will vary wildly and it will be fun to look back after the season is over to compare notes on how this plays out.
First baseman Romeo Sanabria | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The San Diego Padres had a late start to their practice routine on Monday, before they played the Milwaukee Brewers at Peoria Sports Complex. The players had their MLBPA union meeting as well as their normal team meetings and didn’t appear on the practice fields until 10:30 a.m. or later.
That did not seem to slow down the minor league players that rallied late in the game to score six runs in the eighth inning for a come-from-behind 7-5 victory. Nor did it affect catchers Freddy Fermin and Ethan Salas, who combined for four challenges that were upheld by the ABS system, all overturning umpire calls.
Jose Miranda came in as a sub for Miguel Andujar, after he hit his first home run of the spring in the bottom of the fourth inning and got the Padres on the board, contributing to the eighth inning rally and challenging a called strike that was changed to a ball and earned a walk. He scored on Romeo Sanabria’s bases loaded double that cleared the bases.
Overall, the Padres challenged five times, winning all of them. The Brewers challenged twice and lost both.
The system appeared to work flawlessly to those of us in the stands, with the calls coming very quickly after the appeal and the umpire’s request for a review. The game was not slowed by the system even though it did end up being a three-hour and one-minute contest.
For the experts who have declared the Padres farm system dead, they should have watched as outfielder Pablo Reyes started off with a walk and was followed by a Luis Campusano single, a Miranda walk, the Sanabria double and a Salas walk. All of which were topped off by outfielder Samad Taylor’s second hit of the day. There was a Brewers pitcher balk called in there as well.
Ramon Laureano and Fernando Tatis Jr. were the only regulars to start this game, with neither getting a hit. The damage was done by Andujar’s home run, and the rally in the eighth inning.
Padres pitching did not have its best day. JP Sears started and couldn’t get out of the first inning, allowing four runs on four hits as well as a hit-by-pitch. He got two outs and was followed by Carlton Loewen who struck out the next hitter. David Morgan, Mason Miller, Wandy Peralta and Jeremiah Estrada did not allow a run over the next four innings but there were walks and/or hit batters by everyone but Morgan.
After going through nine pitchers to get through eight innings, Padres manager Craig Stammen gave the ball to Garrett Hawkins to close out the ninth. He got two quick outs before allowing a hit and a walk but then got the final out on a strikeout. The 6-foot-5-inch reliever that was added to the roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft before the winter meetings, got his first save of the spring. Reliever Manuel Castro, who pitched the top of the eighth, got the win.
All-in-all, a pretty typical Spring Training game but enjoyable for Padres fans, although the umpire certainly did not enjoy his afternoon.
As a side note, Tatis Jr. came out into the autograph signing area for a prolonged period during practice today. He did have a member of security with him but fulfilled the desires of multiple fans by signing for many minutes before continuing with his game prep for today.
The Padres travel to Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz. on Tuesday for a game against the Chicago Cubs. Most of the regulars do not travel during away games in the spring but tomorrow could be an exception as all but Laureano and Tatis Jr. got today off for the home game.
With many of the WBC attending players set to leave this coming weekend, more playing time in Arizona could lead to an unusual lineup for tomorrow’s game.
Veteran all-rounder Deandra Dottin has become the first West Indies cricketer in history to be dismissed obstructing the field, achieving the unwanted feat during Sunday’s second ODI against Sri Lanka in St George’s.
Australia will play Test cricket in South Africa for the first time since the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal later this year, with dates and venue for the highly-anticipated tour confirmed on Monday.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Early on at spring training, Giants veterans Willy Adames and Matt Chapman pulled some of the young position players in camp aside with a simple message: just be yourself.
It hit right at home for Bryce Eldridge. There are tall expectations on the San Francisco first baseman, among the tallest position players in the major leagues at 6-foot-7 — “and some change,” Eldridge shared of what he was told during his official measurements.
Hearing from Adames and Chapman only helped put Eldridge more at ease in his second major league spring.
“They were just saying, ‘be yourself, don’t try to be anyone else,’” Eldridge said at his locker Monday. “I think that was a good message to me. If I try and do more, I’m a power guy, I’m not going to wow anyone on the basepaths. I’m going to make the plays at first. If I try to be a slap hitter or bunt, I’m going to try and be myself, not go outside of that and not compare myself to others. I think that’ll keep me in a good space.”
The 21-year-old Eldridge is trying to take in everything and committing himself to learning less than three years after being selected 16th overall in the first round of the 2023 amateur draft out of James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia.
After going through his pregame routine Monday, Eldridge spent about 10 minutes signing autographs for kids near the Giants dugout.
The infielder made his major league debut last Sept. 15 and went 3 for 28 with a pair of doubles and 13 strikeouts over 10 games.
“It’s been awesome,” he said. “Compared to last year I was kind of on my toes a little bit, a little nervous, uncomfortable just being around a lot of new guys and being in a new situation for the first time. But this year I feel really relaxed. Getting to play with them last year in spring and at the end of the year last year was huge for me just to get comfortable with the people around here and the staff. Definitely a lot more relaxed this year, just trying to continue to be myself and not be anyone else.”
Buster Posey, San Francisco’s president of baseball operations, hasn’t said firmly one way or the other where Eldridge will begin the year.
It very well might be at Triple-A Sacramento to provide him with more experience and repetitions for what is expected to be a greater role with the Giants very soon — likely as a middle-of-the-lineup hitter given his raw power.
Eldridge’s average exit velocity during his September stint with the Giants was 95.6 mph. He exhibits elite bat speed and plate discipline but also regular swings and misses.
In addition, he only has 321 total plate appearances over 74 games at Triple-A over the past two years.
Manager Tony Vitello can’t wait to see continued progress by Eldridge in the coming months, saying “as his feet get better” the rookie’s defense will catch up, too.
Infield instructor Ron Washington has already applauded Eldridge’s strides.
“He takes it all in,” Vitello said Monday. “I think for a kid who was drafted where he was drafted and all that, he could approach things differently with his teammates and kind of be like, ‘I got it,’ but he seems to be wanting to soak up information. When you’re like that, then people want to go to you even more, and so I think all of his teammates do a good job of looking after him and providing advice.
”... On top of it, he’s pretty gifted. If you give him something to work on or something to do, he takes to it pretty quick.”
For now, Eldridge leans on his deep faith and strong connection to family — he lived at home in Virginia this offseason — to stay grounded and maintain perspective each day.
“It kind of just goes back to my faith, my family’s very big on faith,” he said. “Just not letting baseball be my entire life.”
Feb 23, 2026; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto (7) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the second inning against the New York Mets at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
The important news is that Kazuma Okamoto homered, a two-run shot.
Beyond that, Jose Berrios pitched 2.2 innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 earned, 1 walk with 2 strikeouts. It doesn’t sound great, but he allowed them in his third inning of work. And I think he’s the first Jay to throw more than two innings in a game this spring.
Other pitchers:
Connor Larkin got the last out of the third.
Braydon Fisher threw one inning with a hit, walk and two strikeouts.
Mason Fluharty: 1 inning, 2 strikeouts.
Jorge Alcala: 1 innings, 1 unearned run, 1 walks and a strikeout. He got the loss, because of a C.J. Stubbs throwing error trying to catch a stealing baserunner.
Josh Fleming gave up a hit (a home run, walk, earned run, with a strikeout in his 1.1 innings.
Chad Dallas got the last five outs, four of them strikeouts.
Hitters, starters:
Andrés Giménez: 0 for 2, k.
Ernie Clement: 0 for 1, k and a hit by pitch.
Vlad Guerrero: 0 for 1, walk.
Alejandro Kirk: 0 for 2.
Addison Barger: 0 for 1 walk, k.
Daulton Varsho: 0 for 2.
Nathan Lukes: 0 for 2, k.
Davis Schneider: 0 for 2, k.
Others:
Ben Cowles: 0 for 2, k.
Carlos Mendoza: 2 for 2.
Sean Keys: 0 for 2.
C.J. Stubbs:1 for 1.
Geovanny Planchart: Walk.
RJ Schreck: 1 for 2, double, k.
Charles McAdoo: 1 for 2, RBI. He’s been in all three games and has a .500 BA. I’ve liked his defense.
Feb 21, 2026; Arlington, TX, USA; Florida State Seminoles vs Auburn Tigers during the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Last week, I guessed that even after a strong start to the season, FSU likely wouldn’t look exactly like the Seminoles of the past two years, when the year started with double-digit win streaks (15 in 2025, 19 in 2024).
My prediction was proven correct, just earlier than expected.
After winning the first two games of the week, including the opening matchup of the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series against Michigan, by a combined score of 19-4, FSU’s weekend fell apart with back-to-back defeats to Auburn and Nebraska, leaving Link Jarrett’s team .500 on the week and 4-2 on the season.
Losses are a part of baseball, and we’ve known that the lineup and bullpen were always going to be a work in progress to begin the year, so sounding the alarm bells six games into the year is not needed. However, the way Florida State was outclassed by both the Tigers and Cornhuskers does raise eyebrows.
Both of those squads knew what they were, with their lineup and decisions reflecting that. Florida State, on the other hand, lacks a true identity right now. Jarrett believes his team will be buoyed by its pitching and defense, yet each made numerous mistakes over the weekend and was the main culprit of the two defeats.
At the plate, the lineup lacks the veracity to continue flipping over, leading to inconsistent at-bats and a team that is not working together to break down opposing pitching staffs. Auburn and Nebraska fired secondary pitches over and over again, and nobody in the batting order found a response or a way through.
Jarrett does not know his best nine players right now, where they fit in the field and how they should work together. And while there’s confidence that he eventually will, until he does, more losses like the ones on Saturday and Sunday will be in the picture.
Three up
No. 1: Wes Mendes
While the roster is littered with question marks, Wes Mendes is providing an answer on the mound. A week after going 5.0 shutout innings to begin the year, the junior fired 5 1/3 innings on Friday without allowing a run, running his scoreless streak to 10/3 innings to begin the season.
“The slider and changeup were definitely in play,” he said of his performance. “I got a lot of weak contact, a lot jams, some foul balls. Everything felt great, really.”
Almost everything that Mendes set out to work on in the offseason has borne fruit in his opening two starts. His fastball looks more lively and can attack both sides of the plate. He has a feel for multiple secondary pitches, including a nasty slider and changeup. With multiple pitches in play, and with the help of pitching coach Micah Posey, he methodically works through starts by showing different pitches at different times in his outing. On Friday, he went almost exclusively fastball the first time through the order, before going offspeed-heavy as the lineup flipped over. However, above all, Mendes appears to have the mettle this year to be a bona fide Friday-night ace and not let appearances spiral on him anymore. In the fourth inning on Friday, an error and another ball that could have been fielded put two Wolverines on with nobody out. The lefty bailed out his defense with a strikeout and back-to-back popups to retire the side.
Of course, it is early in the year, and the Tampa native still has to prove he can fill the massive shoes left by Jamie Arnold last season. But, to start the campaign, he has been Florida State’s best player, and that might be the most valuable development on the roster.
No. 2: Gabe Fraser
With so much uncertainty and turnover in the batting order, especially in the bottom half, Link Jarrett needs somebody to lock down a spot for themselves. Arkansas transfer Gabe Fraser took a step toward doing that this week.
After picking up an RBI in Tuesday’s midweek game against Jacksonville, Fraser put together his best performance as a Seminole on Friday, going 3-5, with two runs scored and finishing a home run shy of the cycle. A day later, versus Auburn, the sophomore was the only Florida State player to record a multi-hit game, going 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. He walked on Sunday to run his on-base streak to six games.
“There’s power to all fields. It’s plus arm strength. He can really run,” Jarrett said of Fraser’s three-hit day on Friday. “We just have to find the right spot for him and let him settle.”
While the defense is still a work in progress, it is hard not to get excited about the potential of Fraser at the plate. His extra-base hits on Friday were each to the opposite field, as he possesses the power and ability to spray the ball all over the yard. The infielder also plays an important role in the order as he offers Jarrett another left-handed bat behind Brayden Dowd and Myles Bailey.
It will be a lot for Fraser to play every day after recording only 52 at-bats a season ago, but Florida State needs him to reach his potential if they want to reach theirs.
No. 3: John Abraham
This is what John Abraham is supposed to look like.
The right-handed reliever made two appearances this week, against JU and Michigan, and overpowered whoever came to the plate. On Tuesday, Abraham went 2.0 innings while striking out three and allowing only one base runner. Three days later, in the series opener in Arlington, the Tampa native relieved Mendes and went 2.1 innings, a season-long, without giving up a run or hit, as he continued to shut down the Wolverine lineup. The piggybacking of Mendes and Abraham has been a successful partnership for Florida State, with opponents needing to deal with an LHP and an RHP back-to-back whose pitches profile differently. Abraham has also proven he can go multiple innings and run his pitch count to 40-50, helping shorten the game on the back end.
“Abraham continues to be sharp,” Jarrett said. “That’s a good mixture to go from Mendes to Abraham. I think that’s tough on any group of hitters.
Abraham has been plagued by inconsistencies during his career, but if this start to the year is true, FSU may finally have a trusted, high-octane arm out of the bullpen they desperately need.
Three down
No. 1: Quality of at-bat
Florida State’s weekend can almost perfectly be summed up as an awesome first 10 innings and a horrid 17 innings in 27 frames of play in Texas. As Brett Nevitt tweeted out on Sunday, FSU finished the final 17 innings in Arlington going 4-57 with 25 strikeouts and two runs scored, with one of those being a solo homer from Myles Bailey.
“The quality of at-bat was clearly not good enough,” Jarrett acknowledged after the Nebraska game. “Again, a lot of strikeouts…The ratio of good at-bats was not enough.”
Florida State did not work together to control the zone and struggled mightily against secondary pitches, mainly sliders. On Saturday, FSU struck out 13 times with four players punching out multiple times, with only two walks drawn. Sunday was a similar number as Florida State struck out 14 times with only three walks.
Sometimes teams have bad weekends, and that is certainly the case here, but the amount of swing-and-miss may be a feature and not a bug of the FSU lineup, with a number of players being asked to play in elevated roles for the first time in their careers.
No. 2: Defensive savviness
To describe strong defense, Link Jarrett often uses the word savvy instead of looking at obvious numbers like errors or fielding percentage.
The head coach knew that they fell short of that this week.
“We have to play cleaner,” he said after FSU’s win over Michigan. “There were some things that were unsettling for me in the infield, but we’ll keep working on it.”
Florida State committed an error on Tuesday before committing three more on Friday against Michigan. The Noles only had one error the rest of the weekend, but that did not tell the whole story. Multiple balls got over the heads of outfielders, Bryson Moore threw a pick-off attempt into center field, and the catchers struggled to block pitches in front of them, which allowed a free 90 feet to runners on base. Whether it was obvious errors like Cal Fisher’s woeful throw to first in the top of the fourth on Friday, or small mistakes, none of the defense felt clean throughout the weekend. Jarrett often told the press how worried he is about replacing the consistency of Alex Lodise and Drew Faurot, and to begin the year, Florida State has not done that.
No. 3: Leadership
Admittedly, this is hard to objectify, but being in Arlington this weekend, I felt like Florida State lacked someone to take the games by the scruff of the neck and pull the team into the fight. Obviously, that does not mean it needs to be a vocal leader, but nobody stepped up as the games got away from them. However, FSU did not have someone consistently loud on the bench or in the dugout, as Brennan Oxford was two years ago and Mason McDougall was last season. I felt that the Seminoles needed someone to provide more energy for them, and as the coaching staff sorts out the hierarchy on the field, it seems the players need to figure it out off of it.
Luis Arraez (1) and Willy Adames (2) hype each other up before their spring training game between the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (Photo by Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Spring Training is a mirage. It’s a wavery vision that sits atop the horizon, and in this oasis, we see what we want to see, trying to discern, predict, manifest, what lies further on up the road in the regular season.
I put this into practice as I ventured out into the blizzard currently pummeling the Northeast coast. As a Californian expat living in New England, I understand now that February is the longest month. Baseball, in these conditions feels, like an impossibility, but I tried to lean into the sensory dissonance by wandering around the snow-driven streets with the voice of Joe Rizzo in my ear and the atmospheric soundtrack of a ballgame popping and sizzling in the background. That ethereal warmth competed with the rumbling of plows, the grinding engines of snow blowers fountaining powder into the air, as my nose ran and fingertips numbed. I stared as far as I could out into the white-out conditions of my town in an attempt to envision Luis Arraez’s RBI bloop in the 3rd.
This is certainly what was promised to us. The gamble of 2026 lies in that 70 MPH ball-in-play, scooped from a shin-high slider, somehow finding grass. I saw it — briefly. Contact when it counts. Batted balls as numerous as a blizzard’s snowflakes, in this specific instance brought on perhaps by the three-pitch strike out Arraez suffered against A’s starter J.T. Ginn in the 1st inning. If the stories are true, that means his next 30 plate appearances or so would produce a ball in play. Arraez is well on his way — he delivered that single against lefty Gage Jump; with another runner in scoring position in the 5th, he lined a hanging slider 100 MPH 390 feet to right-center for a ground-rule double. The guy hates to strike out — even I saw that in the far-off February of Massachusetts.
Early trends of camp so far are becoming established. Loose command by the pitching corps continued with JT Brubaker, Trevor McDonald, and Gregory Santos combining for five free passes (4 BB, 1 HBP) over the first three frames. The defense received more gifts from baserunning gaffes. They caught A’s Max Muncy between third and home after a poor initial read from second on a double to right. A batted ball by Joshua Kuroda-Grauer in the 7th struck Tommy White trying to advance to second, and they nearly turned another odd triple play after Rafael Devers relay after a 4-6-3 double play arrived a fraction of a second late to nab Austin Wynns advancing to third.
Despite starter Brubaker’s command struggles, who allowed two earned runs in the 1st, the subsequent train of eight San Francisco arms (mostly from the minor league camp) held the A’s to just two runs. Six consecutive single tally frames, from the 3rd through the 8th, erased the early deficit and secured the Giants 6-2 win. They are undefeated.
The expected starting outfield sandwich of Heliot Ramos, Harrison Bader, and Jung Hoo Lee made their spring debut together. All three will be leaving Arizona to play for their respective national teams in the World Baseball Classic ((Puerto Rico (which I guess is not considered a part of the United States to most international sports governing bodies), Israel, and South Korea).
Trevor McDonald made a debut with a relatively clean, 15-pitch 2nd. The sinker, which he threw 40% of the time over his 15 innings, looked to be in mid-season form from the jump. He dotted a 97 MPH sinker at the top of the zone to retire the first batter he faced. Though his next sinker went awry and struck Junior Perez, a nicely located knee-high fastball on the outer-third of the plate got reigning Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz to roll out to first, before a buried curveball got Austin Wynns swinging. The right-hander caught everyone’s attention after his dominant pair of starts last September. He’s turning 25 in a couple of days and will be someone to watch over the coming month, considering how in-flux the bullpen is, and how uninspiring and injury-prone the back-end of the rotation is.
Jung Hoo Lee slapped another hard-hit single through the 5.5 hole. Hell yeah, Lee!
Non-roster invitee Victor Berricoto launched the Giants first long-ball of Spring to lead-off the 8th. The bat-first corner outfield replaced DH Drew Gilbert and shot an RBI single to right field in his first at-bat. Both hits went to the opposite field.
Bo Davidson and Luis Matos both bagged their first hits as part of the mid-game roster change. After slugging his way into Double-A last year, the number-3 prospect could possibly break camp in Sacramento if all goes well in Arizona. While the field of possibility is wide-open for Davidson, the outfield walls must feel like they’re closing in on Matos. Even though he just turned 23 years old, the outfielder has lingered on the cusp of Major League relevance since 2023 and is now out of options.
GOODYEAR, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Gabriel Moreno #14 of the Arizona Diamondbacks warms up prior to a spring training game against the Cleveland Guardians at Goodyear Ballpark on February 23, 2026 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Record: 1-3. Change on 2025: 0. 5-inning record: 0-4.
Once again, the D-backs waited until late for their offense to show up, only getting their first run on the board when they were already down by seven. That put a thin veneer of respectability on a score which was never really in doubt. Though after being 7-0 down. they did get the tying run in scoring position in the eighth – but Ivan Melendez grounded out with the bases loaded. However, they have trailed all of their games after five innings, which is the point at which the regular players normally clock out. Early days, but that is a bit concerning. On the other hand, there were some positives to take from today’s performance.
Indeed, both teams had the same number of hits (11) and extra-base hits (4), with the D-backs actually having more home-runs (2 vs. 1). The big difference was in the free passes, where Arizona had only two walks, compared to Cleveland’s eight. Only the Giants have given up more bases on balls than the Diamondbacks’ 23. However, again, it wasn’t the expected major leaguers who were the problem. Taylor Clarke and Juan Morillo each pitched scoreless innings with no walks and a strikeout to get things underway: it was back-end pitchers like Wilkin Paredes, and his four walks to six batters, that inflated the numbers today.
Jordan Lawlar had another good day. Starting in center, he went 3-for-4 including his second home-run: that ties him with the like of Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso for the pre-season lead. Ryan Waldschmidt also went deep, for the first time this year, and drew a walk, while Ildemaro Vargas notched a pair of hits, as did right fielder Oscar Mercado. Only four ABS challenges in today’s games, two of which were successful and two of which confirmed the call. Tomorrow, the D-backs travel again, this time off to Surprise for a meeting with the Texas Rangers. It will see winter signing Michael Soroka take the mound for the first time.
Kyle Tucker made his Cactus League debut on Sunday against the San Diego Padres, grounding out to second and walking in his two plate appearances. (Norm Hall / Getty Images)
There are expectations surrounding new Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker — not surprising for someone with a four-year, $240-million contract.
But first things first.
“Last year I got one hit in spring, so hopefully I get more than that,” Tucker said, sharing a laugh with reporters after grounding out and walking in two plate appearances in his Cactus League debut Sunday. “So, that’s the goal. But I mean, just feeling comfortable.”
In a clubhouse full of superstar players, the feeling seems mutual with his teammates.
“I’m glad he’s with us,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith said, adding: “There might be other superstars on this team, but it’s not really anyone’s focus here. It’s all about getting in every day, working hard, helping us win a ballgame that day and working toward the ultimate goal of winning the World Series.”
Last year was a tale of two seasons for the 29-year-old Tucker.
Through the first three months, Tucker had the Chicago Cubs’ offense humming, powering the club to a 53-35 start. Entering July, Tucker was batting .291 with a .395 on-base percentage, .931 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 17 home runs, 52 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. Tucker found himself in the middle of the National League most valuable player discussion as the Cubs sat in first place in the National League Central.
But from July 1 through the end of the season, he batted just .225, posting a .690 OPS, five home runs and 21 RBIs, a far cry from his first half that earned him a start in right field in the All-Star Game.
It was later revealed that Tucker sustained a hairline fracture in June, which he played through. In September, he suffered a calf strain, landing him on the injured list.
He finished the season with a .266 batting average and 22 homers, career lows. That did not deter the Dodgers, and it was an easy sell for Tucker as well.
“Every organization is unique in its own sense,” Tucker said. “But this organization obviously the last couple of years has done pretty well, so I think that’s a huge part of the front office and them doing their part and trying to get a great group together. Just great people and great athletes, and then trying to just put the best product out on the field for the city of Los Angeles and the fans. I think they’ve done a pretty good job of that so far. Hopefully, we can keep winning for them.”
Despite what happened last season with Tucker, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is confident in the newly signed star.
“For me and the people that I talked to and how he goes about it, there’s nothing negative for me,” Roberts said last week. “I love guys that just come to work and love playing and competing. So, he just wants to win. He’s not a self-promoter; he’s not going to give [the media] a bunch of great soundbites. He wants to play to win, and I love guys like that. So, I’m excited to have him and get to know him even more.”
Tucker missed a little less than three weeks in last season’s final month. He did not return to the outfield, manning the designated-hitter spot for the Cubs, whose season ended at the hands of the Brewers in five games in the NL Division Series.
Tucker says he felt good all offseason and is feeling even better in the early days of camp with his new team.
“It was a pretty healthy” offseason, Tucker said. “At the beginning, I might have still been kind of nursing the calf a little bit. But it was kind of feeling pretty good right at the end. I think if we had moved on to the next series, I probably would have gone to the outfield, so I wish I could have gotten out there for that. Overall, in the offseason, I felt pretty healthy, and [feel pretty healthy] going into camp so far.”
Alex Vesia returns to the mound
Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia made his Cactus League debut in Monday’s 3-0 win over the Seattle Mariners — the first time he’s pitched in a game of any kind since his newborn daughter died last fall.
Entering in the fifth inning to a loud ovation, Vesia struck out one and retired the side in order. He then received a warm greeting from teammates in the dugout.
“Being around the guys, it’s really been comforting,” Vesia said. “These guys are my brothers, I truly love all of them. It’s meant a lot.”
Dodgers set starting pitchers for the week
Before Monday’s game, Roberts revealed starting pitchers for this week. Gavin Stone will take the mound Tuesday, Roki Sasaki will start Wednesday and Tyler Glasnow makes his first start of the Cactus League on Thursday. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start for the second time Friday in what likely will be his last before joining Team Japan for the World Baseball Classic.
Over the last two offseasons, the Dodgers spent a combined $141 million on relief pitchers Edwin Díaz and Tanner Scott, both of whom are expected to make their first spring appearances this week.
“Tanner and Edwin are going either Wednesday or Thursday in the Cactus League games,” Roberts said. “Those guys, we’ll start to see them this week.”
PHOENIX - It may have been a meaningless spring training game, but for Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia, it meant everything.
He slowly walked to the mound Monday, listening to the crowd at Camelback Ranch give him a rousing ovation, took a deep breath, and with his heart pounding, proceeded to do what he does best.
Vesia pitched a 1-2-3 inning against the Seattle Mariners, and he walked off the mound, the cheering grew louder and louder. He patted his chest and looked to the crowd in appreciation. He reached the dugout, and every single one of his teammates stood up to hug him, shake his hand, or pump fists.
“It’s been hard,’’ Vesia said. “I guess it’s hard in a good way because I want to interact with all of the fans and stuff like that, but I have a job to do.
“Even on the backfields, first day, I walk out the doors and cheers and lots of love. So, yeah, it means a lot, not only for myself, but for [wife] Kayla, too.’’
This was the first time Vesia pitched in a game since he and Kayla lost their newborn daughter, Sterling Sol, on Oct. 26, just before the start of the World Series. He left the team, but watched every pitch of every game on TV, and celebrated when they won the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
He stayed home with his wife during the World Series parade, still in mourning, and after months of working out fanatically in the gym, and undergoing counseling with his wife, is back with the Dodgers, with life ever so slowly feeling as normal as could be in the aftermath of heartache and tragedy.
“Being around the guys, it’s really been comforting, you know,’’ Vesia said. “We’ve had multiple conversations and guys are asking me questions and just trying to, you know, feel for me. That’s honestly been a blessing. I do like talking about it with the guys and whatnot. I don’t want them to feel like they can’t. These guys are my brothers, man. I truly do love them all.’’
“It was a little overwhelming,’’ said Vesia, who was immediately praised by Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior and assistant Connor McGuiness. “I was just trying to take it all in. Definitely, it was nice.’’
Vesia’s teammates certainly showed their love right back by standing in the dugout when he came off the mound, making sure he understood what he means to them, too.
Vesia, 29, a key left-hander in the Dodgers bullpen, says he had been working out nonstop since the tragedy. He spent hours and hours in the gym, perhaps too much he says, but it was his haven to keep his mind temporarily free from reliving the nightmare of losing a child.
Now, being around his teammates, and playing baseball once again, it’s the therapy Vesia savors.
“Obviously, what Alex and Kayla went through,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “you don’t wish that upon anyone. They’re getting to the other side of things. And to see him getting back out here in a baseball game, and to have a clean inning and be received by the fans, I know it meant a lot to him. Obviously, his teammates feel for him and want to support him.’’
And, now, ever so slowly, day by day, life is starting to become routine again being in spring training.
“I think the main thing is getting back to normalcy,’’ Roberts said. “That’s something I know that he wants and to kind of move forward and focus on 2026. We obviously know what went on, and what they’ve been through, but I think the main thing is getting back to doing what he loves to do, and that’s playing baseball.
“He’s in a good place.’’
Says Vesia: “It’s going to be a fun year. I’m really excited. I think we’re going to do some really cool things this year.’’
It wasn’t the best baserunning game for the White Sox, as Chase Meidroth demonstrates. | (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)
That was a bummer.
Wait, you don’t know what I’m talking about?
Well, MLB returned to the theoretical on Monday, as the Rockies and White Sox played one of those tree-falls-in-the-forest games, with no video or audio record of it left behind. Statcast is a component of every Spring Training game this season, which is great … but we still live in a world where not all, not even close to every, White Sox game is available to watch. Hard to get hyped for the season when about a third of games are televised, and not even 100% of them ramping up to the regular season (say, every game after St. Patrick’s Day) are so covered.
The White Sox lost, today, 5-4, on a titanic blast from Zac Veen with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. White Sox reliever Shane Murphy was just two strikes from sending the game to extras (or, calling it a “tie”) but dropped a cutter a bit too hittable to Veen, who cleared the fence by 50 feet with a no-doubter:
Sorry friends, a Statcast visualization is the best we can do here for you today.
Murphy’s toss wasn’t crushingly bad; unfortunately his goal of staying away from Veen and making him chase out of zone failed, and his cutter crossed the heart of the plate and set the purple-haired left fielder to drooling. When your off-speed is truly out-of-gas (84.6 mph), barrels come easy: Veen’s clout was by far the hardest-hit ball of the day, at 113.3 mph.
Don’t let the close game fool you. The White Sox were pretty bad, choosing a good time to minimize the exposure of being outclassed by the worst team in baseball. There were errors, wild pitching, and some horrid baserunning that helped the Good Guys snatch defeat from victory. It’s only February 23, sure, but then again the numerous flubs weren’t only coming from players with three digits on their uniforms.
Presumptive Opening Day starter Shane Smith got things off to a rocky start, drilling Brenton Doyle with his third pitch of the game, and was knocked from of the box with two outs. The righty yielded two runs on his watch, the big blow a golfed RBI double by Willi Castro:
After Smith hit a second batter in the inning and departed for reliever Jacob Heatherly, it was Kyle Teel’s heel turn: Yet another error from the young catcher, as his attempt to nail Troy Johnston (Smith’s second HBP victim of the frame) stealing second led to Castro trotting home from second base.
There is so much to love about Teel. I’m just not sure his catching is one of them.
The White Sox, from this 3-0 hole, chipped away before finally tying the game, 4-4, in the eighth. But even in that triumph came tragedy: Mario Camilletti was thrown out at home trying to score from second on a Ryan Breaux double to left in the seventh, killing a rally with the White Sox still down, 4-3. And even the game-tying play one frame later came out of Bizarro world, as Tristan Peters sac-flied into a double play with Caden Connor trying to advance to second base as Matt Hogan crossed home.
From there, it was a 1-2-3 ninth for the White Sox, followed by a 1-2-BOOM sayonara homer from Veen.
