Category: Baseball

The Spring Breakout game may be the most fun game of Spring Training and the Cubs prospects hit four solo home runs to beat the Padres prospects, 7-5 at Sloan Park.

Will Sanders started for the Cubs and he was impressive, throwing his fastball at an average 95 miles per hour, which is about 2.5 mph harder than he threw it last year. Yes, it’s expected that pitchers throw harder in early in the season and when they know they’ll be on a low pitch count, but he was still hitting 94.8 in his third and final inning.

The Cubs broke out to an early 1-0 lead when DH Owen Ayers golfed a low fastball 419 feet to dead center. [VIDEO]

Ayers was the big Cubs story of the Arizona Fall League last year, so he’s definitely one to keep an eye on this year.

But the Padres tied the game up in the top of with a solo home run by Kale Fountain off of Sanders. But that’s about all Sanders would give up. He would leave after throwing three innings and allowing just the one run on two hits. He struck out three and walked no one.

The Cubs would go back up in the top of the fourth. First baseman Cole Mathis doubled with one out, went to third on a ground out to second and scored on an infield single by pinch hitter Carter Trice.

Brooks Caple replaced Sanders to start the fourth inning and he pitched around a leadoff single and an error in that inning. But in the fifth, he got rocked by a three-run home run by top Padres prospect Ethan Salas. [VIDEO]

Caple finished with having allowed three runs on three hits and two walks over two innings. He struck out four.

The Cubs re-took the lead with a four-run sixth inning. First, last year’s fifth-round pick Kade Snell clobbered one 449 feet to dead center to make it 4-3 Padres. [VIDEO]

That’s Cubs prospect James Triantos going “Wow, that’s really far” on the call. Triantos went 1 for 3 in the game.

Two batters later, catcher Ariel Armas tied it up with a 398-foot home run. [VIDEO] As Triantos said, “Oh my gosh!”

The Cubs would plate two more runs later in the sixth. Trice, who stayed in the game, singled after Arias. Next, last year’s second-round pick Kane Kepley doubled to put runners on second and third. Two wild pitches would score both Trice and Kepley.

Both teams had just one more run in them after that. Trice hit the Cub’s fourth solo home run in the eighth inning. [VIDEO]

The Padres scored once in the top of the ninth off of reliever Luis Martinez-Gomez, who gave up a leadoff double. The runner then went to third on a flyout to right field and scored on a sacrifice fly. Martinez-Gomez got the save after giving up one run on one hit over one inning. He did not walk or strike anyone out, but he did hit one batter.

Yenrri Rojas threw two innings of relief and got the win. Rojas gave up no runs on two hits. He struck out two and walked one. Last year’s fourth-round pick, Kaleb Wing, pitched the eighth inning. He issued a two-out walk, but no other baserunners. Wing struck out one.

Trice didn’t even start this game, but he ended up as the big bat, going 3 for 3 with the home run.

Mathis was 2 for 3 with a double.

Kepley played the entire game in center field and went 2 for 4 with a double, a walk and a stolen base.

Didier Fuentes has indeed made the Braves’ Opening Day roster and that is an exciting development for Braves fans, as the 20 year old has looked phenomenal this spring. There have been shades of vintage Spencer Strider from Fuentes this spring, but he may still need that third pitch to be able to consistently be effective multiple times through major league batting lineups. There is hope that his splitter can be that effective third pitch, but that fastball-slider combo with his command could be quite deadly. It will be interesting to see if he can earn his retention on the major league roster beyond the period when a six-man rotation is needed, though an injury or two could easily pave the way for that. Either way, Fuentes will be one of the most exciting players to track early this season in Atlanta.

Braves News

The Braves more or less finalized the back end of their pitching staff and position-player crew, as Jeff Passan later confirmed Didier Fuentes’ presence on the Opening Day roster.

The Braves’ Spring Breakout squad had a strong showing in a 8-3 win against the Yankees prospects, as John Gil homered and the pitching staff showed out well.

Chris Sale and Austin Riley performed well in Saturday’s big league spring training game.

MLB News

Mets’ Freddy Peralta is reportedly unlikely to agree to an extension before Opening Day.

Pirates’ top prospect Konnor Griffin has been reassigned to minor league camp and will not begin the season on the Opening Day roster.

Phillies’ top prospect Justin Crawford has made their Opening Day roster.

Associated Press: The Yankees took a giant step into finalizing their roster on Saturday, letting outfielder Randal Grichuk know that he made the team despite a .308 spring OPS (no, not OBP) in limited action. His ability to mash lefties (career 118 wRC+ vs. LHP) ended up earning him a place. It was a busy day of roster moves for New York, as they reassigned big-league veterans infielder Paul DeJong and utilityman Seth Brown to minor league camp and optioned utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera and infielder Max Schuemann to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Bryan Hoch | MLB.com: The aforementioned moves helped clear the Yankees’ bench picture, as we now have more clarity about personnel and roles. Barring a huge surprise, New York will go with J.C. Escarra, Paul Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario, and Grichuk as their reserves. All of them will play a lot: except for Escarra, they are all right-handed hitters who perform better while facing lefties giving New York plenty of platoon options to deploy.

NJ Advance Media | Randy Miller: Speaking for the first time since learning he will open the season in Triple-A on Friday, Yankees outfielder Jasson Domínguez reiterated that the decision didn’t catch him off guard. “They said it first thing, before we even started,” he said Saturday.

Instead of complaining, the switch-hitter had a great game on Saturday, going 2-for-3 with three batted balls over 100 mph, including a three-bagger. The Martian did most of his damage against southpaw Framber Valdez, proof that he has done very well facing lefties and hitting right-handed in the 2026 Grapefruit League. He has a 1.000 OPS with a triple and a homer.

“This spring, my right side has been pretty good,” Dominguez said. “Even when I wasn’t getting many hits, I was hitting the ball well and seeing the pitches well.”

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Following today’s game, the Yankees reassigned RHP Yovanny Cruz to minor league camp.

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 21, 2026

In another roster move, the Yankees sent right-hander Yovanny Cruz to minor league camp, ending his unlikely bid for a roster spot. Cruz tossed another scoreless frame on Saturday, giving him three in spring training with five strikeouts. The flamethrower, who can hit the triple digits but has below-average control, could potentially be a summer asset if he can throw strikes consistently in the minors.

It was another unseasonably warm day up in the valley, perfect (not) for the Diamondbacks to host the Texas Rangers at Salt River Fields in the penultimate spring training game of 2026. The starting lineup was comprised of pretty much what I think we can expect to see breaking camp with the team in a few days: it was mainly the usual suspects, aside from Brian McCann catching and Tim Tawa playing third base, with Nolan Arenado hitting in the DH spot and Corbin Carroll getting the day off. Ryne Nelson took the mound against former Rockie Austin Gomber in his last tuneup before the regular season gets underway.

It went quite well, all things considered.

Nelson pitched five shutout innings, striking out seven, walking none, and surrendering only four hits along the way. He threw 76 pitches overall, 45 of them for strikes, as he brought his spring ERA down to a nice, eminently respectable 3.18. Taylor Clarke and Paul Sewald followed with a scoreless inning apiece, and the only pitching blemish came from Isaiah Campbell, who gave up two runs in the top of the eighth on two hits and two walks. Lefty farmhand Ryan Giestling pitched a scoreless ninth to notch his second save of the spring.

Meanwhile, the offense staked Ryno an early lead in the bottom of the third, thanks to a one-out Jordan Lawlar single, a Ketel Marte double, and an Alek Thomas three-run homer over the fence in right center field. Lawlar, I’m pleased to say, really does seem to have figured out something with the bat, though of course it’s spring training so we probably shouldn’t read too much into that. Likewise Alek Thomas, who’s been raking this month and is making a reasonably convincing case that he was the outfielder to keep and that Jake McCarthy was the one to send away. Anyway, Nolan Arenado homered to left to lead off the sixth inning against old friend Jalen Beeks, who is trying to win a spot in the Texas bullpen, and the good guys scored their fifth run in the eighth thanks to back-to-back one-out doubles by Ildemaro Vargas and some creature named Jean Harvin Walters who was manning the hot corner for us at that point in the game.

Meanwhile, there was a bit more game action earlier this evening, with the Diamondbacks prospects going up against their counterparts for the Rockies. Our prospects are clearly better than their prospects, as we stomped them to the tune of 10-3. I’m not sure there’s anything terribly noteworthy from that game—LuJames Groover had a hit, Druw Jones had a couple, Jose Fernandez had three. Our offense, as it often does these days, definitely offensed. Beyond that, the only thing from the box score that caught my eye, was that Wellington Aracena, one of the pitching prospects we got from Baltimore in the Blaze Alexander trade, pitched three innings of one-run ball, so that’s kind of cool.

We’ll be in Peoria tomorrow for the final game of spring training, facing off against the Padres at 6:10pm AZ time. Non-roster invitee Joe Ross starts for us, going up against Walker Buehler, who I saw the other day made the San Diego team and will be breaking camp with the Padres.

Thanks for reading, and see you all next Saturday for some actual baseball that counts! Go Diamondbacks!

A contingent of Colorado Rockies prospects faced off against a contingent of Arizona Diamondbacks prospects in the third annual Spring Breakout game, and the heat ended up being a little too much for the Rockies prospects to handle. It was 104 degrees at first pitch, and 93 by the time the game ended around 7pm local time.

The first-pitch heat nearly foreshadowed the final score, with the Arizona team ultimately coming out on top in the duel in the desert.

Brecht got wrecked

Brody Brecht (No. 3 PuRP) got the start for the Rockies prospect crew, and he did not have a good outing. Things unraveled early, as an error by Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) allowed JD Dix to reach. Then, Jansel Luis singled, followed by back-to-back walks by LuJames Groover and Ryan Waldschmidt to put the Snakes up early. Brecht came back and struck out Gavin Conticello, but then Jose Fernandez and Druw Jones hit back-to-back singles to score three more runs. However, Carlos Virahonda struck out to end the inning after Jones was caught stealing.

Brecht would come back for the second and got a quick ground out of Kayson Cunningham. However, Dix and Luis walked again and Groover drove in Dix as Groover was out at second. After that, Brecht’s day would come to an end.

Final line: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K

Extra! Extra! (Bases)

Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP) had an excellent day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. He also attempted to steal a base, but was throw out by catcher Carlos Virahonda to end the second inning.

Ethan Holliday (No. 2 PuRP) went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBI, a walk and a strikeout, also knocking a double. He scored Brito and Wilder Dalis (No. 24 PuRP) in the first inning to put the Rockies up 2-0 early before things fell apart on the pitchers mound (see above).

Dalis went 1-for-3 with a double, a run scored and a walk; while Andy Perez went 1-for-3 with a triple, a run scored and strikeout. Condon didn’t have any hits, but he did walk twice.

Walks still haunt

In total, Rockies pitching gave up 10 walks. The only relievers who did not give up a walk were Fidel Ulloa (0.1 IP), Jackson Cox (2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 K), and Welinton Herrera (No. 17 PuRP; 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER)

In the seventh inning, JB Middleton (No. 7 PuRP) came in relieve Antoine Jean, and he immediately issued three-straight walks to start the inning. He got Jose Alpuria to ground into a force out at second, but then an error by Sebastian Blanco put Anderdson Rojas on and allowed Angel Ortiz to score and put the Snakes up 9-3.

Cade Denton entered in relief of Middleton, immediately walking Cristofer Torin. But then he induced an inning-ending double play to get out of the jam.

Up Next

The Major League Rockies will finish up their regular spring training schedule tomorrow against the Athletics. They then host the Detroit Tigers in two exhibition games on Monday and Tuesday before heading to Miami for Opening Day.

First pitch is at 2:10pm MT, and hopefully we don’t all melt.

See you (on MLB Gameday) then!

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Although arguably the team’s three best prospects were not apart of the roster, the Atlanta Braves top prospects completed the third season of the Spring Breakout Series with an 8-3 win over the Yankees prospects on Saturday night, going up early and leading almost the whole way. Even with Didier Fuentes, JR Ritchie, and Cam Caminiti not being included on the roster, it didn’t seem to matter to this group.

John Gil, 3B: 1-3, HR, BB, HBP, 2 R, 2 RBI

Diego Tornes, CF: 1-3, RBI

Tate Southisene, 2B: 1-4, BB, R, SB

Rolddy Munoz, RP: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Garrett Baumann, RP: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K

On the pitching side Owen Murphy started, and it looked like it would be a promising outing as he struck out Top 20 prospect in baseball George Lombard Jr. swinging in the first at bat, but his stuff and performance were more up and down as he battled shaky command and a high pitch count. Murphy went 2.2 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks with three strikeouts. Murphy needed 71 pitches to go one out shy of three innings, though only 38 were strikes.

Rolddy Munoz followed and went the next inning and a third, not allowing any base runners and striking out three batters. Munoz pitched well, though narrowly escaped a mistake that was hit just foul. Garrett Baumann followed, and he was the most impressive pitcher of the night for the Braves, going three innings with no hits, runs, or walks, going with five strikeouts. Baumann’s five strikeouts included four swinging on four different pitches – the fastball, sinker, slider, and splitter plus another looking on the fastball.

Herick Hernandez went the final two innings and things started out rough in his first inning of work, before he got on track and finished off his outing strong. Hernandez allowed a run on two hits and a walk with four strikeouts, three on the slider and the other on his fastball.

Offensively the star of the day had to be John Gil, though pretty much everyone in the lineup seemed to be taking quality at bats all day. Gil ended the day one for three with two runs scored and two batted in, as he homered, walked, and was hit by a pitch.

First round pick Tate Southisene went on for four with a walk, run scored, and stolen base with a pair of exit velocities above 105 MPH. Conor Essenburg was hitless in three at bats, but drew a pair of walks, while Dixon Williams was hitless in two at bats with his pair of walks. Diego Tornes was one for three with an RBI single, as were Jose Perdomo and Alex Lodise. Eric Hartman added a single and stolen base in two at bats, while catcher Colin Burgess was one for three with two runs batted in as every player in the starting lineup reached base in the win.

Off the bench we saw Isaiah Drake and Patrick Clohisy each get a pair of at bats, with Drake going hitless and Clohisy hitting a single and stealing a base. Owen Carey and Cody Miller each went hitless in their lone at bats, while Jim Jarvis and Archer Brookman played but didn’t record plate appearances.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Arizona Diamondbacks fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Let’s start off with the national poll results, which also discussed the World Baseball Classic this week. The questions there were a little more focused. The first asked what was the most enjoyable part of the tournament. This was followed by getting respondents to choose the team which was most entertaining. Finally, they were asked how they felt about international baseball events generally. Here are the results:

Personally, in regard to the first question, I’m firmly on the side of National Support. High-intensity baseball is nice, but we’ll have plenty of that beginning in about five days. Player celebrations? If I wanted to watch that kind of thing, I’d be a fan of the NFL For me, it’s the fact that players are playing for their country (ok, for a fairly loose definition of “their country” in some cases!) which inherently separates this tournament from the mercenary endeavors of the regular season. I would agree with Italy though: they were certainly the underdogs all the way to the semi-final, and I’d have loved to have seen them in a rematch with Team USA.

Here on the SnakePit, we kept things considerably simpler. But before we get to that, let’s just have a quick round-up of how the various Diamondbacks performed on their national rosters, and some memorable moments from the event.

• Nolan Arenado (Puerto Rico) – Played in all five games, but underwhelmed at the plate, going 4-for-19 with no walks or extra-base hits, for an OPS of just .449
• Corbin Carroll (United States) – Did not play. He was originally listed on the roster, but the broken hamate bone disappointing put an end to his chances of participation.
• Wallace Clark (Great Britain) – A rare player on Team GB actually born in Britain, Clark went 0-for-3 but did draw two walks and scored a run.
• Indigo Diaz (Canada) – The newest D-backs, signing a minor-league contract on Christmas Eve, appeared twice, allowing a run over 1.2 innings, on two hits and two walks with three K’s.
• Jakey Josepha (Netherlands) – Another late call-up, replacing Jurickson Profar after his PED ban. Josepha went 0-for-2 with two K’s, but to be fair, has never played above A-ball.
• Druw Jones (Netherlands) – Andruw’s son led the Dutch team in OPS, with a line of .400/.563/.500 – in large part thanks to five walks, tied for most among teams eliminated in pool play.
• Jaitoine Kelly (Netherlands) – Became the youngest pitcher ever to start a WBC game, against Nicaragua, and tossed two scoreless innings in a 4-3 win.
• Yu-Min Lin (Chinese Taipei) – Pitched in the 14-0 drubbing of Czechia, working 2.1 scoreless innings, on two hits and no walks with three strikeouts.
• Ketel Marte (Dominican Republic) – Appeared all six games, mustering a line of .263/.423/.474 for an .897 OPS, and walked more times (5) than he fanned (4).
• Geraldo Perdomo (Dominican Republic) – Even more remarkably, had it not been for THAT call, Perdomo would have had a K:BB of 1:6 in the WBC.
• Kristian Robinson (Great Britain) – Had a rather disappointing WBC, going 1-for-9 with five strikeouts, leaving his OPS of .311, below even Clark.
• Eduardo Rodriguez (Venezuela) – His start in the final, 4.1 innings of one-hit ball, ensured he’ll never buy a drink at home ever again. Gave up three in 2.2 IP against the DR, including a home run to Marte.
• Carlos Santana (Dominican Republic) – It’s cool 3/4 of our starting infield was on the DR team. Though behind Vlad Jr, Santana didn’t see as much time, going 1-for-6.
• Michael Soroka (Canada) – Started two games, getting the W against Colombia, but was unable to get through the third in the quarter-final versus Team America.
• Alek Thomas (Mexico) – Though not making it out of pool play, Thomas led the team with six RBI, going 4-for-15 and scoring three runs.

What did we think of the event here?

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Well, that’s pretty conclusive. Nobody at all went with the two lowest options on the poll, “Poor” or “Terrible”. I’m not sure I can remember that ever being the case before. Instead, ninety percent voted for one of the two most enthusiastic choices. I think it’s safe to say we are all looking forward to the event’s return in 2029 – hopefully, it will also come back to Chase Field again, so we can experience it in person.

Braves infielder Tate Southisene’s 105.7-mph single to start off the evening was a precursor of what was in store for Kyle Carr and the Yankees. It was a pretty underwhelming performance for the New York prospects, dropping the Spring Breakout game by a final score of 8-3.

For the first two innings, Carr found a way to limit the damage and keep the Yankees in the game, allowing only a run in each of them, but the rally felt somewhat inevitable when you consider that all three recorded outs in the second inning came on hard-hit balls. What was a tightly contested affair early on finally got out of hand in the fourth inning, when—unlike in previous frames—the Braves didn’t need to connect that well on his pitches. Atlanta, instead, was able to rely on three free passes and a wild pitch to help string a rally together. The Braves found a way to score four runs in the fourth without the benefit of a single extra-base hit, routinely finding their way on with soft contact up and down the order.

Ultimately, though, it’s hard to come to any conclusion other than that of Carr’s diversified arsenal doing very little to stifle Brave hitters. The sweeper did OK as a weapon against right-handers, but no whiffs on seven swings on the changeup left a lot to be desired. Carr was removed in the middle of the fourth inning, but the Yankees trailed 6-2 when the dust had settled.

One of only two Yankee hitters in the starting lineup to strike out multiple times, George Lombard Jr., the Yankees’ leadoff batter, was unable to set the tone for a team that didn’t match the Braves’ offensive effort, scoring only a pair of runs through seven. Both tallies came in the first and briefly gave New York a 2-1 lead, as Core Jackson singled, moved to third on an error, Jace Avina walked, and Coby Morales singled in Jackson for the game’s first run. Avina crossed home plate when Braves catcher Colin Burgess threw a ball into center field on a Morales stolen base. They had a chance for more, but Garrett Martin hit an absolute bullet of a liner with a man on. Alas, it was in the wrong spot at the wrong time, leading to an inning-ending double play. After that, it was only downhill for the Yankees’ offense.

For his part, Morales had a nice day on both sides of the ball, driving in another run in the eighth and throwing out two runners at the plate — first on a heads-up play at first base and then on a seed from left field.

Atlanta starter Owen Murphy never quite really settled down and wrapped up his appearance with four walks and not even three full frames. However, the Yankees didn’t hurt Murphy after those two first-inning runs, and a little later on, the star of the game would appear. With neither starter impressing too much, it was Garrett Baumann coming out of the pen for the Braves who stole the show on the mound. The right-hander came into the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, and he tossed three perfect frames. Baumann struck out more than half of the hitters he faced, nullifying any chance the Yankees had of making this a more tightly contested matchup in the end.

Morales made it an 8-3 game with a bases-loaded single in the eighth, but Roderick Arias was thrown out at home trying to score the second one. The Yankees still had the chance to make it a close one with two runners on, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the frame. They went quietly in the ninth to end the night in a Braves win. Morales registered three of the Yankees’ five hits, with the only other knocks going to the aforementioned Jackson single in the first and the other a double by Arias in the eighth.

The more familiar faces on the Yankees will be back in business tomorrow afternoon, as they host the Phillies in Tampa. Will Warren is set to face Aaron Nola with first pitch at 1:05pm ET.

Box Score

Top Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr. went hitless and had a throwing error, while the young pitchers struggled to keep the Braves prospects off the board in their 8-3 loss in the Spring Breakout game on Saturday.

Here are the takeaways...

-Kyle Carr, the team's No. 11 prospect, started this game and got off to a rough start. After Braves No. 4 prospect Tate Southisene led off with an infield single, Southisene stole second and advanced to third base on a wild pitch by Carr. After walking the next batter, Carr bounced back by striking out Braves No. 12 prospect Diego Tornes swinging on a sinker on the outside corner. 

John Gil, the Braves' No. 10 prospect, beat out the attempted 6-4-3 double play to push across the game's first run. 

Carr had some bad luck in the second. Lombard Jr.'s throwing error and a two-out single put runners on second and third. Carr then balked to push across the Braves' second run. 

Carr settled in to pitch a 1-2-3 third inning, but the opposite happened in the fourth. Carr allowed the first two runners to reach (walk, single) before he threw a wild pitch to get both runners into scoring position with no outs. A walk loaded the bases, and Jose Perdomo (No. 25 prospect) hit a bloop single to drive in a run. After getting a pop-up, Carr's night was done after a two-run single from catching prospect Colin Burgess.

Carr had his moments, but he either struggled with command or couldn't execute the out pitch. Carrs pitched 3.1 innings (67 pitches/41 strikes), allowing six runs (five earned) on five hits and three walks, while striking out three.

-Harrison Cohen, the Yankees' No. 27 prospect and someone who started a game for Team Israel in this past WBC, came in to relieve Carr and although he allowed an inherited runner to score on a walk and a hit, he got the two outs to get out of the fourth inning. 

Jack Cebert had the best pitching performance for the Yankees. He allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in his four innings of work, but he struck out five batters, including striking out the side in the eighth inning.

-The Yankees prospects did have the lead in the bottom half of the first after Core Jackson (No. 12 prospect) singled and went to third base on a fielding error in the outfield. After Jace Avina (No. 20 prospect) walked, Coby Morales drove home Jackson with a single. Morales stole second and Avina scored from third after a throwing error by Burgess. 

However, the Yankees hitting prospects could not get on base consistently. In total, they had just five hits and five walks. Morales had the best hitting performance, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.

-Lombard Jr. was the highest-profile hitter in Saturday's game for the Yankees and was left hitless.

In his first at-bat, Lombard Jr. struck out swinging as he couldn't catch up with Owen Murphy's high fastballs -- Murphy is the Braves' No. 6 prospect. His second at-bat saw the young infielder come up with two outs and runners on first and second. Lombard Jr. battled in a six-pitch at-bat, but grounded out to third base to end the threat. 

Lombard Jr.'s third at-bat saw him strike out swinging on three pitches, the final one up out of the zone. 

Looking at the schedule and the Astros’ plan to open with a 5-man rotation, there are certainly clues.

Back on January 5th, at the press conference introducing SP Tatsuya Imai, Astros manager Joe Espada said the team would likely employ a 6-man rotation frequently this season and that we would “probably see it from the get-go.”

With 26 games in 28 days to open the season, and their new prized pitcher used to pitching once a week in Japan, it seemed to make the most sense the Astros would utilize the 6-man rotation as much as possible to keep things as close to “normal” for Imai as they could as he adapted to the MLB schedule and level of play.

A little over a week ago, that started to change, and the Astros were unsure whether they would go 5-man or 6-man to start the year. That question was answered today by the manager.

Astros manager Joe Espada said the club will open the season with a five-man rotation.

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 21, 2026

That definitive statement was made before the Astros took on the Mets in Port St. Lucie today, in their penultimate Grapefruit League game of the 2026 season. It was a game stated by Mike Burrows, who followed Hunter Brown as the Astros line up their rotation for the season.

Cristian Javier will pitch tomorrow. Imai, who hasn’t pitched since he threw 3 shutout innings March 11, is scheduled to pitch Monday (March 23) in Houston against the Space Cowboys. The regular season begins March 26.

Lance McCullers Jr., who last pitched March 17, would presumably follow as the fifth starter. Spencer Arrighetti, the other prime candidate for the rotation’s fifth spot, has not started a game this spring and he was just away from the team due to the birth of his twins. He will likely either begin the season in the bullpen.

The Astros will play 7 games in a row to open the season. Right now, the way the Astros lineup, that rotation would run Brown, Burrows, Javier, Imai, McCullers, Brown, Burrows, DAY OFF.

Houston would then play six straight games: Javier, Imai, McCullers, Brown, Burrows, Javier, DAY OFF.

They would then play 13 straight games, and this is where the sixth starer would be introduced: Imai, McCullers, Brown, Burrows, Javier, Arrighetti as 6th starter, Imai, McCullers, Brown, Burrows, Javier, Arrighetti, Imai, DAY OFF.

After that stretch of 26 games in 28 days, they have a 3 game series with the Yankees and then another off day. This could lead to McCullers being skipped and giving him some extra rest before he would make his next start.

Against the Yankees, the Astros could go with Brown, Burrows and Javier all on 5 days rest.

Houston will then play 9 straight. With McCullers having been potentially skipped for the Yankees series, that could ultimately lead to Arrighetti not starting again until they need to create a fifth day of rest for Imai again.

The rotation coming out from the off day following the Yankees series could be Imai, McCullers, Brown, Burrows, Javier, Arrighetti, Imai, McCullers, Brown.

The Astros will want to keep Imai on 5 days rest, and in the 4th starter spot, it all seems to lineup that way for him.

Dodgers major leaguers are done with the Arizona portion of spring training, but there’s one more game at Camelback Ranch, with Dodgers prospects taking on White Sox prospects in the spring breakout game.

Spring breakout game info

• Teams: Dodgers prospects vs. White Sox prospects
• Ballpark: Camelback Ranch
• Time: 6:05 p.m. PT
• TV: MLB Network
• Streaming: MLB app, Amazon

Among two games that won’t count, the more interesting contest pits top White Sox prospects at the top Dodgers prospects, held conveniently enough at Camelback Ranch. Ostensibly this roster represents the top players in every organization, and thus it stands to reason that the best at each position are starting in this game. See if you agree:

I mean, see if you agree with the White Sox; as of 100 minutes before game time, the Dodgers had not produced a lineup. Pro tip: It will be a really, really, really, really good one. Bonus pro tip: Some of these guys will be White Sox one day, given the habit the front office has had in trading with L.A. over the past decade or so.

No argument with anyone here, really. Interesting to see that Caleb Bonemer is already being pushed to third base, with Billy Carlson earning the start at short. Grant Magill gets the start at backstop somewhat by default; with the talent on the major league roster, the White Sox are top-heavy at catcher for sure.

Hagen Smith earning the start over, say, Tanner McDougal or Noah Schultz, is instructive — possibly. Coming off of a stellar (short) start on Sunday, Smith may be positioning himself as first man up when the inevitable injury hits the big-league rotation.

This originally was an afternoon game, but due to the scorching heat squatting on Arizona it’s now an 8:05 p.m. Central start. It’s listed as both a CHSN and MLB.TV game, but these days your guess is as good as ours.

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With games that go on their permanent record looming (remember when adults threatened you about stuff going on your permanent record?) and a bunch of the NRIs playing in the Spring Breakout game, the White Sox are sporting a starting lineup that is at least very close to what they’ll feature in Milwaukee on Thursday, when things count.

Well, except for the pitcher. MLB listed Ryan Borucki, but he was cut yesterday. So, opening on the mound will be Rule 5 draftee Jedixson Paez, who appears to have made the team despite a lousy spring line (seven earned runs in 8 2/3 innings, but six came in one one-inning outing).

The Reds counter with 2025 All-Star lefty Andrew Abbott, who is set to be their Opening Day pitcher with Hunter Greene out for months. Abbott is having a horrific spring of 20 earned runs in 13 innings. Unfortunately for his spring stats, Abbott won’t be facing any minor-leaguers tonight:

Paez will also be facing most of the lineup the Reds are apt to use against the Red Sox come Thursday:

First pitch in Goodyear is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. Central, when the temp may have drifted below 100° for the first time since early morning. No TV or radio on the White Sox side of things, as the broadcast teams are at the prospects game; try Reds radio, if you can.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced that outfielder Mike Tauchman is set to undergo an MRI for a knee issue that he experienced in the team’s split-squad spring training game against the Astros this afternoon.

Tauchman collided with the right field fence early in the game and was visibly uncomfortable while continuing to play in the game before exiting before the top of the fifth inning got underway.

Signed to a minor league deal in mid-February, Tauchman seemed like a very shrewd acquisition and figured to earn a spot on the Mets’ Opening Day roster if healthy. If the results of the MRI don’t show a significant injury, perhaps that’ll still happen, but it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if he were to begin the season on the injured list, even if only for precautionary reasons.

Fellow outfielders Juan Soto and Luis Robert Jr. are locked into the starting gigs in left and center, of course, and Tyrone Taylor always looked like a near lock to make the roster despite his poor 2025 season. And both Tauchman and top prospect Carson Benge appeared likely to make the roster. If Tauchman were to miss any time, Benge would obviously be lined up to the take the vast majority of reps in right field during his absence.

After he went 2×4 with a 3-run HR today, Astros manager Joe Espada said he believes Christian Walker’s bat is coming around:

"He's not playing tomorrow, so a good way to end camp," Espada said. "He's making some adjustments. The timing, it looks like it's coming." https://t.co/BekKqXDm3w

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 21, 2026

Espada raved about SP Mike Burrows, who has been better than advertised this spring:

Joe Espada said Burrows has exceeded their expectations: "He had one heck of a Spring Training. We're really happy with his performance, but also (being) open to some ideas for us to help him. We're really happy with the way he compares and the way he competes."

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 21, 2026

Burrows also said the ball he took off the leg is of no consequence:

Burrows said the ball hit him in the left calf and that's he's fine. Just a bruise. https://t.co/qzUM3Pyw7k

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 21, 2026

Did Espada hint that OF Zach Cole may need some more seasoning in Triple-A?

Espada on Zach Cole: "He's getting on top of fastballs. When they're missing with offspeed pitches, he's driving the ball. He needs to do that. We need to have him find the barrel more. He's always swung at good pitches, but needs to be more consistent making solid contact."

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 21, 2026

Cam Smith has made some adjustments to improve at the plate, both physically and mentally:

Cam Smith is making it a point to “play free” this spring and “looks really good offensively” in bid to retain his roster spot:https://t.co/K2bxL7cp9g

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) March 21, 2026

The Astros have decided to open the season in a 5 man rotation:

The Astros will open with a five-man rotation, Joe Espada said, then likely go to a six-man during a stretch of 13 games with no off-day starting April 10.

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) March 21, 2026

This may indicate that Tatsuya Imai will open up as the 3rd starter in the order based on the Astros schedule and off days. It will also lead to bullpen decisions that will likely include multiple relievers who can go multiple innings.

SS Jeremy Pena has swung a bat 2 days in a row as he tries to be ready for Opening Day:

Jeremy Peña swung a bat yesterday and will do so again today, Joe Espada said.

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 21, 2026

Could Brice Matthews make the team as an outfielder?

Everything the Astros are doing signals that Brice Matthews could make an impact as an outfielder. Some matchups early in the season could give Matthews a runway for regular at-bats — and perhaps bring some stability to left field – https://t.co/Tw28pZmXlX

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 21, 2026

Enjoy these short games while they last, because this one could have gone on for hours. The A’s and Dodgers ended their Saturday afternoon contest in a tie, finishing the game after nine innings of work and tying 5-5 uner the hot sun. Who wanted those extra innings anyway?

More to come…