Worldwide Sports News

Diane. It’s February 24th, 12:10 pm, mountain time. My investigation, in all it’s twists, turns, detours, and non-sequiturs has led me to the Peoria Sports Complex in the northwest corner of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Along the way, I stopped at the Whataburger just across the New River. And I have to say, it lived up to its name. What. A. Burger!

The purpose of my visit to Peoria is to investigate the Seattle Mariners. They’ve created quite a stir up in the Northwest, nearly earning a trip to the World Series! Can you believe it? But — as I’m sure you know, Diane —they didn’t quite make it, losing in heartbreaking fashion. So heartbreaking, in fact, that one is forced to wonder if nefarious spirits might not be at work. Bob, we have learned, feeds off of pain, and that loss caused enough of that.

The big name in this game is a fella they call George Kirby. No relation to the little pink guy, but I may have to look into that. Remind me to ask him, Diane. He had a tough 2025 campaign, and is looking to get his moxy back. From what I can see, he reminds me of myself after that incident in Pittsburgh. He’s on the mound now, battling his way through the Chicago White Stockings.

Oh man would you look at that, he got the first two batters out but he beaned the third guy up, the left fielder Austin Hays. George may be a little rattled by that. Everything I’ve seen tells me he has a strong preference to work within the strike zone. And to make matters worth Lenyn Sosa just hit a double to score Hays. Not a good start for Mr. Kirby. Ah, well, he did get a strikeout to end the inning. That should help.

Diane, it looks like George’s fellow Mariners have his back. Good to see comraderie among teammates. The Mariners actually loaded the bases up before getting a run on a double play off the bat of one Joshua Naylor. It’s not a pretty way to do it but the game is tied nonetheless. But in the meantime, I’m hungry. I’m going to find some concessions.

Diane, I’ve acquired a box of stadium popcorn. The texture is somewhat papery and it could use a little more butter flavoring, but regardless, it’s the perfect snack for a day like today. Since I left you, Diane, the White Sox took the lead once again on a two-run home run by Tanner Murray. George Kirby had been removed from the game. It a was poor soul by the name of Stefan Raeth that threw the errant pitch. A shame, but now I’m going to find a soda to wash down this popcorn.

While I was in line for my drink I had a tremendous revelation. A mariner is a sailor, one who lives on the seas. Yet they take their practice every year in the middle of the desert. One wonders if it is merely an irony or something that is emblematic of human nature. Perhaps by building strength and endurance in the arid heat, they are more prepared for baseball in the humid cold of the Northwest. We shall see.

Oh, I forgot to mention. That catcher fellow Sheriff Truman likes so much, Caleb Raleigh, hit a two-run home run.

Diane I’ve retaken my seat in between the two halves of the fourth inning. A series of miscues and misfortunes has returned the lead to Chicago, this time by a margin of 6-3. Spring Training has a way of bringing out the silliness inherent in baseball, as players shake of the rust. Perhaps the baseball gods themselves are more like to intervene, as they too have been desperate for the game all winter. If you asked me before this investigation, I would have said that I don’t believe in gods of any kind. But after what I’ve seen, I’m not so sure anymore.

Diane, the Mariners are fighting back. Those two kids that are playing today, Arroyo and Emerson, reached base and were subsequently doubled home by that star Julio Rodriguez I was telling you about the other day. That brought the score back within a single run.

Chicago stretched the lead back to 3-runs on a lackluster inning by trade acquisition Alex Hoppe. But the Mariners simply loaded the bases again and let Colt Emerson single in two runs with a rocket to right field. Boy that kid may be the real deal. The Mariners then tied the game on a play so captivatingly nonsensical that I am at a loss of words on how to describe it. Miles Mastrobuoni hit the ball to first base and Dominic Canzone attempted to score from third, only to be caught in a rundown. While he was returning to third base the White Sox catcher attempted to throw the baseball back to the third baseman. He failed, sending the ball sailing into left field. Canzone scored and the other two runners moved up to third and second. However they too failed to score.

Diane, I’m speaking to you now from the bottom of the 6th inning. For the first time today the Seattle Mariners are leading the baseball game. They took the lead off of a Spencer Packard single — remind me to ask if he has any relation to Catharine Packard and the sawmill — a wild pitch, a ground out by Lazaro Montes, and a solid single by Dominic Canzone. We’ll see if they can keep it.

It seems they could not. Nico Tellache pitched the 7th for Seattle, inheriting a runner on first. His second pitch went for a single, and a double steal moved those runners up to d and third. It was one of the greatest heists I’ve ever seen in all my time at the Bureau, Diane. It was a simple matter for Oliver Dunn to hit a double and score both runners. He eventually scored on a single, giving Chicago a two run lead. I feel for young Tellache. He did his best in a stressful situation. Hopefully he showed enough determination to his coaches for a second chance. We could all use one of those.

Diane, the Mariners are clawing back. Rhylan Thomas hit a ball all the way to the berm in right field and cut the Chicago lead in half. He could have tied it if it weren’t for Cal Raleigh getting thrown out attempting to steal second after a single. But that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. That’s a good idea. I’m going to try and rustle up a cookie.

Diane, I’ve been unable to find a physical cookie to eat. This disappointment has been compounded by the fact that the proverbial cookie of the baseball game continued to crumble until the very end. The Mariners were unable to score again and the Chicago team took the win. I can’t help but feel this has been some sort of distraction. A red herring, if you will, and you know that that is a fish I do not particularly care for. I’d love to stay and do some more digging, but I really should get back up to Sheriff Truman.

It is a long drive, however. Right now what I need a donut. And a damn good cup of coffee.

The Brewers and Athletics both entered Tuesday’s game seeking their first Cactus League win but it was the Brewers who were able to get it in very convincing fashion.

Tyler Black was the star of the show today, getting things started by following a single from Blake Perkins with a two run homer down the right field line in the 2nd inning.

Black then plated three more Brewers in the third inning by ripping a bases loaded, two out single to right-center. That’s right, a three run single. The count was full so the runners were off with the pitch and they just didn’t stop. Quickly, Black was 2-for-2 with 5 RBIs

That’s a great day already, but Black wasn’t done. When he came up again in the 5th inning, Black ripped a 2-0 fastball from Scott Barlow to right for a double to score Akil Baddoo. Black was 3-for-3 with 6 RBIs and finished a triple shy of the cycle. It’s only a spring training game, but for a player like Tyler Black who dealt with a hamate injury last year and faces a tough roster picture, it’s the kind of game he needs to get back on the Crew’s radar.

The Brewers finished with 10 runs but very easily could have had more if it wasn’t for the weird stadium design at Hohokam in Mesa. For whatever reason, the batter’s eye in centerfield is in play. The yellow line runs to the top of it so you have to hit it over for a home run to dead center. In the 5th, David Hamilton crushed a ball 425 feet to center, but it hit high off the batter’s eye and went for a double. Then in the 7th, Akil Baddoo hit one 434 feet to center and it still hit off the top of the batter’s eye and went for only a double. Two hits that went 425+ feet and no home runs to show for it.

Also, in the 9th inning, after the line change, #2 prospect Luis Pena ripped a double to left off the bat at 103.4 MPH. The Brewers added two runs in that 9th inning.

On the pitching side, it was domination from a laundry list of pitchers, starting with Rob Zastryzny and followed by Angel Zerpa, Sammy Peralta, and Coleman Crow from the 40 man roster. Crow was especially impressive, spinning 3,300 RPM curveballs with 20 inches of horizontal break. He also showcased a 3,000 RPM cutter with 21 inches of run.

Everyone covered one inning and they scattered five hits in the shutout. After Crow was Blake Holub, Will Childers, Mark Manfredi, Jack Seppings, and Miles Langhorne.

The now 1-4 Cactus Crew will look to make it two wins in a row tomorrow when they take on the San Francisco Giants at American Family Fields of Phoenix. That game will be available on the Brewers Radio Network.

Today, the Colorado Rockies defeated the Los Angeles Angels, 7-5.

For more details, go here.

Yes, we would be getting taco’s if this were doing the regular season, and the Rockies now have a 3-2 record.

Please take a moment to appreciate this Charlie Condon bomb:

I feel compelled to share this:

Here are manager Warren’s Schaeffer’s thoughts:

Turns out, Seth Halvorsen was working on a new pitch.

Now to today’s starting pitcher, Chase Dollander:

And, finally, here’s Charlie Condon:

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MESA, Arizona — The Cubs defeated the Padres 6-5 on a very warm February afternoon at Sloan Park, thanks to some timely hitting by Cubs catcher Carson Kelly.

Shōta Imanaga made his first start of the spring and it was a good one. He allowed three hits, one of which was an infield grounder and another a bloop to left, and struck out one. Here’s the pitch sequencing on the strikeout, and you can see Imanaga’s velocity was up several ticks from late last year:

This appears to support the theory that Shōta was never fully recovered from the hamstring injury he suffered last May, through the end of the season. He probably couldn’t get any power out of his legs late last year, thus all the home runs. If he can throw 93-94 this year, that’s significant.

The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the first. Michael Busch led off with a double, took third on a ground out, and scored on a single by Carson Kelly. Two more Cubs runs crossed the plate in the second. B.J. Murray and Justin Dean singled and Scott Kingery was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Busch then was also hit, forcing in a run. A sac fly by Matt Shaw scord the second run.

The Cubs maintained the 3-0 lead until the fourth, when Jacob Webb was touched up for a pair of runs. He walked two after retiring the first two Padres on routine fly balls. A double by former Cub Nick Castellanos plated the two runs.

Kelly homered with one out in the fifth:

As you can see, that was a well-placed high fastball (well-placed for the hitter, that is), and Kelly hit it a long way [VIDEO].

After that Dylan Carlson walked, and one out later James Triantos also walked. Murray doubled in both runners. There doesn’t seem to be any place for Murray with the Cubs, but he will be leaving soon to play for Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic. Perhaps the Cubs can trade him to a team that will give him a chance.

After Webb’s rough inning, Ethan Roberts, Hoby Milner and Gavin Hollowell all threw scoreless frames. Hollowell struck out all three Padres minor leaguers he faced.

In the top of the eighth with a Padres runner on first, a ground ball was hit to third. The throw to first was late, and the runner on first headed to third but was thrown out. The umpires immediately ruled obstruction — and made an announcement to that effect. That’s a good thing and I hope announcements on unusual plays like that are made during regular season games. It’s a big help. The runner on third scored on a ground out, and in case you were wondering, since there were no further hits in the inning, that run was unearned off Jeff Brigham.

Minor leaguer Grant Kipp threw the ninth and was touched up for a single and two-run homer, making it a one-run game, but after the homer Kipp induced two ground balls to short to end things.

The game felt slow — and no wonder, as there were 299 pitches thrown, more than the MLB average of about 250, and there was no bottom of the ninth.

Attendance watch: Not surprisingly for a Tuesday in February, the crowd at Sloan Park was under 10,000, just 9,411. That makes the season total so far for three dates 35,903, or 11,968 per date.

We still have not seen Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner or Dansby Swanson in a game. I’m assuming we will see them all on Wednesday. Also, Cade Horton and Edward Cabrera have yet to start, and I’d guess we will see one of them on Friday.

The Cubs will host the Rockies Wednesday afternoon at Sloan Park. Jameson Taillon will start for the Cubs and old friend José Quintana goes for the Rockies. Game time is again 2:05 p.m. CT. No TV or radio Wednesday.

Busy day, eh? I hope y’all are having a good evening out there. No random clip tonight, the floor is now yours.