Category: Baseball

New York Post | Mark W. Sanchez: As he recovers from offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum, shortstop Anthony Volpe addressed reporters this week. At the moment, the former top prospect, who may have suffered the injury last May, has progressed in his rehab from simply fielding grounders to diving, has yet to face live pitching, and has no current timeline for his return to game action. When he does, he will face competition for the starting job for the first time since he won the position battle with fellow prospect Oswald Peraza in 2023, as the Yankees — not to mention their fans — are high on José Caballero.

SNY | John Flanigan: Ever since watching the 2017 World Baseball Classic ahead of his rookie season, Aaron Judge has been eager to join Team USA for the international tournament. When asked about the experience, this year’s Captain America stressed the “lack of egos” in the group, noting that the roster is filled out with ace pitchers, closers, and star hitters willing to play supplemental roles. So far, this collection of All-Stars have worked out, as Team USA won their first two games and are currently all-but-guaranteed to advance to the knockout stage of the tournament.

MLB.com: We’re still a few weeks out from Opening Day, but that doesn’t mean it’s not time to think about the Opening Day lineups are going to look like. As is usual, the MLB.com projections are fairly cookie cutter — the Yankees’ projected lineup and rotation have absolutely no surprises — but the collection of all 30 teams in one place does provide a nice way to get up to speed on news throughout the league all in one spot.

On Sunday, the Braves lost to the Rays 9-8 in a game that was no too enjoyable if you like good pitching. Bryce Elder was rocked from the start, while Joey Wentz left the game due to a knee injury (early indications are it is not serious.)

Overall, the Braves have got good production from their pitching this Spring, including Wentz and Elder. However, today was an all too familiar sight. The need for the Braves to add to the rotation remains clear as day, And with the additional money in place after Jurickson Profar’s suspension, the lack of urgency to strengthen the staff as the season draws closer is odd. Hopefully, at some point this week, common sense will prevail and a move will be made to strengthen the staff.

Braves News

Mauricio Dubon was elated to talk with Chipper Jones and responded with some great production at the plate.

A lot of fun moments in the WBC this weekend.

MLB News

Zach Littell signed a one year deal with the Nationals.

Following a rough day yesterday, the Athletics flipped the script today, winning both games of the spring training split-squad double-header to end the weekend on a positive note. The A’s in Arizona came back from a seven-run deficit to defeat the Las Angeles Dodgers 11-7, while the other half of the team beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-4, splitting the two-game preseason series in Las Vegas.

A’s vs Dodgers

Making his first start of the spring, A’s left-hander Jacob Lopez did not have his best performance, yet that was expected as he is getting back into the groove and likely had to shake off some rust. Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages hit a two-out solo home run off Lopez in the first inning and then Lopez allowed Nick Senzel and Ryan Ward to hit back-t0-back RBI doubles the next inning.

In the fourth inning, the Dodgers added to their lead, scoring three more runs off of A’s pitchers Matt Krook and Kenya Huggins. Up 7-0, it seemed like the Dodgers would coast to another Cactus League victory. However, the A’s top prospect, 19-year-old shortstop Leo De Vries, said not so fast. The best prospect the A’s acquired from the San Diego Padres in the Mason Miller trade singlehandedly willed the A’s comeback against the defending champions, with the caveat that it came against Dodgers minor league pitchers.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, De Vries hit his first homer in an A’s uniform, a two-run blast to right field. An inning later, he came up again, this time with the bases loaded and two outs. De Vries made more noise, hitting a grand slam over the right field fence to trim the A’s deficit to one.

It is hard to believe that the Padres traded this rising star for a reliever. That leaves them without a successor should their starting shortstop 33-year-old Xander Bogaerts start declining as he ages.

De Vries got the A’s back in the game and then his teammates picked up the slack to take the lead and secure the victory. Third baseman Andy Ibàñez’s RBI double tied the game in the sixth inning and then the A’s put up a four-spot in the eighth inning to take their first lead of the game. Minor league outfielder Clark Elliot’s single scored the go-ahead run and then Colby Thomas capped off the scoring with a two-run double. Ibàñez had another run-scoring hit in that inning, finishing the game an impressive 4-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI.

Meanwhile, A’s pitching prospects Zane Taylor and Steven Echavarria shut down the Dodgers for the game’s final three innings. With all the attention on the lefties Gage Jump and Jamie Arnold, do not sleep on these two right-handers as they also have the talent to make waves in the A’s minor leagues this season.

A’s vs Angels

Taking the mound for the second time in an A’s uniform, offseason acquisition Aaron Civale put forth a solid performance. He accumulated four strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings pitched. Civale’s lone blemish was Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe’s two-run home run in the fourth inning. O’Hoppe’s home run gave the Angels the lead, erasing the A’s 1-0 advantage which came courtesy of third base prospect Tommy White’s second home run of the spring in the second inning.

Angels starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz pitched well, only allowing White’s home run in his four inning outing. Once the Angels ended his day, the A’s took advantage, tying and then taking the lead against Angels relievers. The A’s tied the game in the fifth thanks to doubles by Henry Bolte and fellow prospect Joshua Kuroda-Grauer. Bolte, who finished the game with four hits in four at-bats, came up with another big hit later in the game. His two-run home run in the seventh inning gave the hosts a lead that they would not relinquish.

White added his third hit and second home run of the game an inning later to give the A’s a three-run cushion going into the ninth inning.

Relievers Wander Suero and Nick Hernandez protected the A’s late lead in this game, only allowing one run over the final three innings. While they are likely to start in Triple-A, it would not be surprising to see at least one of them with the MLB club this season, especially given the relative dearth of experienced bullpen arms on the A’s roster.

The fact that the A’s won two games today despite getting limited contributions from their core offensive starters bodes well, even if these are just meaningless spring training games. Tomorrow, the team coalesces back into one unit as they travel to Goodyear, AZ to take on the Cincinnati Reds. It will be a matchup of promising young right-handed pitchers with Jack Perkins to start for the A’s and Rhett Lowder for the Reds. Can the A’s make it three in a row or will their week get off to a losing start? Tune in tomorrow to find out.

Carson Benge -- No. 2 in Joe DeMayo's ranking of the Mets' top 30 prospects for the 2026 season -- impressed during Sunday's 10-4 spring training win over the Yankees.

"It's exciting," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of the young players, including Benge's 2-for-3 afternoon at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, Fla. "Again, I've been saying it for a few days now that their ability to impact the game in so many different ways. There wasn't an easy matchup there, left on left, with (Ryan) Weathers with the way he was throwing the ball. A couple two-strike-approach (hits) there where they're putting the ball in play and just make things happen. The way they run the bases, how they play defense. It's just good baseball from them so far."

Starting in center field and batting sixth, Benge had a pair of singles -- the first a second-inning knock that scored Francisco Alvarez and put the Mets on the board, 2-1 -- and made the most of his latest opportunity.

"For me, I don't really care -- if you throw it in the zone, I'm going to try to hit it, try my best to hit it," Benge said. "So, it doesn't really matter who's throwing -- I just look at it that way."

Through seven games this spring, the 23-year-old is slashing .350/.381/.350 with three runs, an RBI and a stolen base, and embracing what he can learn from his veteran teammates along the way.

"Definitely -- all of 'em, I'd say," Benge said. "Everyone -- Tyrone Taylor, (Juan) Soto, all the outfielders, even (Marcus) Semien a lot -- ut I'd say all those guys have been really kind to me."

The Texas Rangers have claimed outfielder Dairon Blanco off waivers from the Royals. Blanco had been designated for assignment earlier this week to make room for the signing of free agent Starling Marte.

The 32-year-old Blanco was the sixth-oldest player on the 40-man roster, despite not yet being arbitration-eligible. He had a late start to his career after defecting from Cuba and was acquired by the Royals in 2019 in a mid-season trade with the Athletics for pitcher Jake Diekman. In parts of four seasons with the Royals, he hit .257/.312/.416 with seven home runs. Speed was his calling card, and he was frequently called on as a pinch-runner, stealing 59 bases, despite just 66 career hits. Blanco appeared in just nine games with the Royals last season, and hit .253/.332/.405 with eight home runs and 32 steals in 77 games for Triple-A Omaha.

Blanco had blazing speed, but for one day, he hit like Babe Ruth. On August 17, 2024, against the Reds, Blanco had a career night with two home runs and 7 RBI, tying a club record. He used a yellow crayon bat for Players’ Weekend, choosing yellow because it was his mom’s favorite color.

Blanco could be erratic at times in the outfield despite his speed. But he wasn’t totally bereft of power like many speedsters, and could be a threat offensively at times. The decision to part ways with a potential base-stealing weapon instead of an outfielder like Drew Waters probably won’t matter much, but it is a bit curious.

The Dodgers on Sunday afternoon made their second round of roster cuts in spring training, sending a dozen players to minor league camp, including top prospect Josue De Paula.

Ryan Ward and pitcher Ronan Kopp, each of whom were added to the 40-man roster in November, were optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. The other 10 players cut were non-roster invitees sent to the minor league side of camp — pitchers Carlos Duran, Carson Hobbs, Garrett McDaniels, Jackson Ferris, Wyatt Mills, Jordan Weems, and Lucas Wepf; catcher Griffin Lockwood-Powell, plus outfielders De Paula and Kendall George.

These are the first cuts since 11 players were sent to minor league camp on March 2.

De Paula is tied for the Dodgers’ lead this spring with 15 games played, playing every day but once since the Cactus League schedule started on February 21, including the exhibition against Team Mexico last Wednesday. He had nine hits, including a double, in 27 at-bats this spring, with four walks and eight strikeouts.

Wepf is the only player sent down on Sunday who has yet to play in a game yet this spring.

After these roster moves, the Dodgers have 51 players remaining in minor league camp, including 26 pitchers and 25 position players.

TAMPA — Among the competition for the last spot on the Yankees bench is an excellent, flexible defender with a bat perhaps capable of more than it has shown. 

Max Schuemann played six positions just last year for the A’s.

He is a natural infielder who most often manned second base but is capable at shortstop, which is part of why he is in the mix for a spot on the Opening Day roster.

The 28-year-old brings a strong glove to each position and can be a backup to José Caballero while Anthony Volpe recovers. 

The path to a spot and playing time would be much wider if Schuemann, playing in a different organization for the first time and enjoying life and technology with the Yankees, can hit more than he has in the past. 

With the A’s, Schuemann hit like, well, a utility player, sporting a .212 average and .603 OPS in 234 games the past two seasons. 

With the A’s last season, Schuemann played his home games at a minor league ballpark without modern luxuries.

A tool such as the Trajekt machine — which is basically a robot that mimics any pitcher’s delivery and repertoire — was not available because the A’s didn’t have one. 

“That’s been fun to use,” Schuemann said Sunday from Steinbrenner Field, where he has played with the machine just about every other day. “Whether it benefits me or not, I’m not really sure. But I do feel like it’s helpful for timing going into a game. 

“I mean, you’re basically facing a pitcher before you actually face him.” 

The machine is universally praised by hitters who have access and is standard prep for Yankees hitters.

For a hitter like Schuemann — who has shown a strong knowledge of the strike zone, rarely chases or strikes out but has not hit the ball hard in his short career — it can’t hurt, and the way-too-early returns have been nice: 5-for-12 with seven walks plus two steals in 19 Grapefruit League plate appearances. 

The different minds around the team can help, too.

Schuemann had been with the former Oakland franchise since being drafted in 2018 until the trade last month in which the Yankees gave up minor league righty Luis Burgos.

The Yankees do have a strong history with infielders from Michigan. Schuemann was born in Kalamazoo. 

“I have my fair share of [Derek] Jeter memorabilia,” Schuemann said with a smile. “He was definitely a role model of mine.” 

Schuemann has several minor league options so he will be with the organization regardless, but continuing his strong camp would give the Yankees plenty to think about in constructing their roster.

Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario will be on the bench, and Randal Grichuk is the leading candidate for another spot as a righty-hitting outfielder.

If the Yankees do not believe Ryan McMahon can ably fill in at shortstop and if Oswaldo Cabrera is still recovering, perhaps Schuemann becomes the 26th man rather than, say, J.C. Escarra. 

Such decisions and concern over those decisions are for another day. 

“Really just trying to get my feet on the ground, basically, and show [the Yankees] that I can play all the positions that I’m set to play,” Schuemann said. “My goal in camp is just check as many boxes as possible.”

Box Score

Jake Bauers and Andrew Vaughn both had two extra-base hits, Ethan Murray channelled his inner Barry Bonds, and Kyle Harrison struck out over half of the batters he faced to earn Milwaukee their fourth straight spring victory.

The only batter to reach base for either team in the first inning was Jake Bauers, who laced a one-out double into right off of Mariners starter George Kirby. In the top of the second, a passed ball by Jeferson Quero allowed Patrick Wisdom to reach on a strikeout. The next batter up was Leo Rivas, who hit a 441-foot home run to give Seattle an early 2-0 lead.

Aside from the Rivas home run, Harrison — Milwaukee’s starting pitcher — pitched incredibly well today. Harrison struck out eight Mariners in just three innings of work, with four of those strikeouts coming in the second inning. He walked two batters, but only allowed two hits — the other a double off the bat of Lazaro Montes in the second.

Milwaukee finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth.

Andrew Vaughn led off with a ground-rule double, prompting Mariners manager Dan Wilson to remove Kirby in favor of Troy Taylor. Taylor got David Hamilton to fly out for the first out, but Blake Perkins ripped a single into right field to score Vaughn from second. Perkins advanced to second on the throw home, giving Milwaukee another runner in scoring position with only one out. After Brock Wilken popped out for the second out, Quero walked on a 3-2 count to keep the inning alive. That brought up prospect Ethan Murray, who crushed a monster 477-foot home run (110-mph exit velocity) to give the Brewers a 4-2 lead.

The scoring didn’t stop there, either.

In the bottom of the fifth, Bauers homered off of Josh Simpson for his second hit of the game. The next batter, Christian Yelich, worked a walk, and Vaughn doubled again to knock him in. Vaughn then advanced to third on a wild pitch — still with nobody out. Unfortunately, despite a two-out walk by Brock Wilken, Simpson was able to bear down. Hamilton, Perkins, and Quero all struck out to end the inning with the score 6-2 Milwaukee.

Jacob Misiorowski gave up a home run to Brennan Davis to start the top of the sixth, but the scoring would end there as the Brewers picked up their fourth straight win.

Harrison and Misiorowski (3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 6K) both looked ready for the season. Jared Koenig, Jesús Broca, and Will Childers all held the Mariners scoreless in their appearances. Vaughn and Bauers both had multiple extra-base hits. Murray only had one hit, but his moonshot was probably the highlight of the game.

The Crew will look to make it five straight tomorrow in an NLCS rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers. First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. CT.

PORT ST. LUCIE — The power has always been there for Ryan Weathers. 

Where the hard-throwing lefty has had issues in the past is in pitching effectively and staying healthy. 

He was not at his sharpest on Sunday against the Mets, but the 26-year-old, expected to be an important new piece to the rotation, said he’s still getting used to being in game competition at this point in the spring. 

For a pitcher who’s never started more than 18 games in a major league season, just staying healthy is key. 

“He has immense talent,’’ pitching coach Matt Blake said Sunday. “The biggest thing is supporting him to keep his routine together to help keep him on the field.” 

Blake has a good understanding of what kind of potential the 26-year-old has. 

Part of Blake’s job when he worked in player development with Cleveland before the Yankees hired him to be their pitching coach prior to the 2020 season was to be involved in the draft process. 

It was when Blake was in that role when he first encountered Ryan Weathers, then a top prospect at Loretto High School in Tennessee. 

“He was a baseball player, not just a pitcher,’’ Blake said Sunday, before Weathers started at Clover Park. “He had a good feel for the game. And you wouldn’t necessarily think he was a great athlete, you watch him on the mound and he moves really well. He handles himself and has good instincts.” 

Aaron Boone talked about the 26-year-old’s athleticism and power. 

But the lefty has yet to put it all together in the majors after San Diego made him the No. 7 overall pick in 2018. 

“I saw him there and then watched him ascend from San Diego to Miami,’’ Blake said. “It’s hard to know, especially when they come out of high school, what direction they’re gonna go in. You think they can improve their body and throw harder, but it takes a guy to commit to the process. Young guys like that can get chewed up in the minors, but he got up there quickly and has had to go through some ups and downs and fight to stay on the field.” 

If that happens, the Yankees believe the results will follow. 

Sunday was not a great example of that, as Weathers was knocked around for six runs — five earned — in two innings over a 59-pitch outing. 

He routinely hit 99 mph on the radar gun, but allowed seven hits and a pair of walks as he rushed his delivery, especially with runners on base and when he was trying to finish off at-bats. 

“What I didn’t do well, because it’s been so long since I’ve been in that game-type atmosphere where there’s traffic, is I’ve got to do a better job of slowing down and not trying to do too much,” Weathers said. 

Boone, who remains confident Weathers can be a “front-line starter,” agreed. 

“I think he has a lot of room to grow,’’ the manager said. “These are good situations to be in right now.” 

Blake said they are working with Weathers — the son of former Yankees reliever David Weathers — to alter his workout routine in an effort to avoid injuries. 

He spent time on the IL with a strained lat and a flexor strain a year ago. The Yankees are counting on more than that. 

“He’s really impressed everyone,’’ Aaron Boone said. “His stuff is real. The big thing for him is getting out there and going to the post. I think he’ll do special things. He’s a beast.”

MESA, Arizona — The Cubs who played in this game who will actually be on the Opening Day roster did very well. They got five runs out of (most) of the starting lineup and three relievers who will be in the Opening Day bullpen threw scoreless innings (and so did Luke Little, which is a good sign).

Then things went off the rails with guys who aren’t going to sniff Wrigley Field this year. The Cubs lost to the Giants 9-5, but the result is meaningless. Let’s talk about the good stuff, which includes some more ABS challenges won by Moisés Ballesteros.

The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the first. Nico Hoerner doubled with one out, and one out later, after a Dansby Swanson walk, Michael Conforto singled Nico in [VIDEO].

The Cubs got another run in the fourth. Dansby Swanson led off with a triple and one out later, scored on a ground out by Ballesteros.

Three Cubs runs crossed the plate in the fifth. Michael Busch led off with a single and advanced to second on a walk by Hoerner.

Swanson’s double scored Busch [VIDEO].

Hoerner took third on the double and he and Swanson both scored on this single by Ballesteros [VIDEO].

Here’s Dansby on his two-hit afternoon [VIDEO].

As I noted in the game preview, this was a bullpen day. Caleb Thielbar, Phil Maton and Hoby Milner combined for three no-hit innings. The only baserunner was Luis Matos, who was hit by a Maton pitch leading off the second. So that’s all good. So was Luke Little’s scoreless inning. He allowed a leadoff walk to Jesus Rodriguez, but then picked him off and retired the next two hitters.

The Giants teed off for 13 hits and nine runs off Corbin Martin, Connor Schultz, Vince Reilly and Brooks Caple, and you will not likely hear those names as MLB Cubs after March 24.

The other thing I wanted to mention was more successful ABS challenges by Ballesteros. Here’s one [VIDEO].

There were also two by Busch — in the same at-bat! Here’s the first [VIDEO].

Here’s the second — 0n the very next pitch! [VIDEO]

Busch wound up with a single in that at-bat and later scored. I like that the guys are taking advantage of challenge situations to try them. It’s good practice, in my view, for using them during the season, what situations are best to use them, etc.

Attendance watch: A near-sellout of 15,033 saw this game on a very warm (86 at game time) afternoon. That makes the season total 120,808 for 10 games, or 12,081 per date.

The Cubs are off Monday, one of two scheduled off days this spring. They will resume the spring schedule Tuesday afternoon in Surprise against the Rangers. Cade Horton will go for the Cubs. At the posting time of this recap, the Rangers did not have a starter listed. No TV or radio Tuesday.

Monday, there will be six WBC games, three in the afternoon and three in the evening. The evening games include the USA vs. Mexico. I will post two game threads Monday, one for the afternoon games at 10:30 a.m. CT (first games are at 11 a.m. CT) and another for the night games at 5 p.m. CT (the first night games are at 6 p.m. CT). Stick around, there will be plenty to discuss here Monday!

With the Dominican Republic leading Team Netherlands deep in the game Sunday afternoon, manager Albert Pujols was considering pulling some of his starters.

Mets slugger Juan Soto was among those he spoke to, but with his turn in the order due up and the offense quickly closing in on the mercy rule, he told the skipper that he wanted to stay in. 

“I was paying attention to the game and I knew that I would come to bat that next inning,” he said via a translator. “He wanted to remove me, but I said no let’s continue, let me hit.”

So Pujols obliged, and the All-Star slugger was sure to deliver. 

Soto dug in and immediately crushed the first pitch 419 feet to right-center for a game-ending two-run homer. 

He turned and pointed towards the DR dugout after the ball left his bat, then made his way around the bases, before being paraded on by his teammates as he crossed the plate. 

“It’s a beautiful experience,” Soto said. “The homer, the feel of the game -- we have a long way to go, yet I have to thank God -- I’m very happy I was able to execute, it’s definitely one of the most important and beautiful times in my career.”

It was Soto's first homer of the tournament, but the team’s seventh through two games. 

The loaded DR lineup also has them second among teams with a total of 24 runs over that span.

“It’s great what we can do,” Soto told MLB Network. “We’ve been passing the baton, we don’t try to be the hero -- I feel like we have a great lineup, everybody can do damage, but we’re playing team baseball -- it’s fun to play like that.”

Just how fun? Soto said this is one of the most enjoyable teams of his career.

“I’ve been on a lot of great teams,” he said. “2019, 2024, those were really fun teams that I played with but this has to be top of the top -- you have the whole family, the whole Dominican Republic cheering for you being there for you, there’s nothing better than that.”

After briefly flirting with a win yesterday the Mariners went back to their comfort zone today, losing 3-6 in Maryvale to the Brewers. All three of their runs came off homers: a two-run shot by Leo Rivas and a mammoth tank job by spring breakout star Brennen Davis.

Lefty Kyle Harrison, Milwaukee’s big trade acquisition this off-season, looked sharp in his outing, blowing through the top of the Mariners’ lineup in the first on six pitches, including a three-pitch strikeout looking of Brennan Davis.

George Kirby worked around a hard-contact out in the first —111.6 off the bat of Garrett Mitchell, snagged by a surehanded Will Wilson at third – and then a double from Jake Bauers where Lazaro Montes made a strong throw in from right field but Leo Rivas wasn’t able to get the tag down in time.

The Mariners got on the board in the second against Harrison when Patrick Wisdom reached on a dropped third strike and then Leo Rivas leaned on a first-pitch fastball that landed directly in his turn-and-burn zone, pulling the ball 441 feet for a two-run homer. Little lion man ahoy!

Lazaro Montes kept the inning going with a “double” that he hit against the shift and then made the mistake of not going full steam into second, just squeaking underneath the tag. We can allow that since he got robbed of what should have been a solid putout at second earlier.

Kirby had to work around some more traffic in the second inning, some his fault and some not. He lost a nine-pitch battle with Blake Perkins, walking him on a splitter, and then Will Wilson mishandled a routine groundball to put two on with two outs. (Willllll I have said so many nice things about your defense this spring come onnnnn man). But Kirby was able to put out the fire, coaxing an easy inning-ending groundout off the bat of Ethan Murray. His third inning was even sharper, as he put down the Brewers in order, striking out Mitchell on the changeup then getting a pair of groundouts.

NB: Do not trust Statcast’s analysis on Kirby’s day. Statcast will tell you he threw an 88 mph four-seamer (he did not) and a 94 mph four-seamer. Those were actually the changeup and cutter, respectively, which Kirby was playing around with today. Pitching coach Pete Woodworth said postgame he told Kirby not to focus on throwing a bunch of changeups when he was on a limited pitch count, but George Kirby do what George Kirby want to do, especially when armed with his own PitchCom device that allowed him to call some of his pitches.

Kirby’s day ended on a sour note, unfortunately, as he hung a slider (a real one) in a 3-2 count to Andrew Vaughn, who torched the pitch into the outfield where it hopped over the fence for a ground-rule double. Postgame, Kirby said he wasn’t entirely satisfied with his sliders in this outing. “Just kind of felt like I was trying to make them too nasty. Should just trust the grip and let it fly.”

Troy Taylor couldn’t keep the inherited runner from scoring, and then gave up a three-run homer to put the Brewers ahead 4-2. (110 off the bat. 477 feet. Brutal.) Peyton Alford came up to clean up the mess, and did.

Josh Simpson was not so fortunate, and gave up another two runs on a home run to Jake Bauers and an RBI double to Christian Yelich. But he also struck out the side, one looking and two swinging. Command remains an issue for Simpson, but there’s definitely something there. It’s just not quite something fully formed yet, but he’s another depth piece that’s valuable to have in Tacoma.

Brennen Davis got one of those runs back in the sixth inning, because Brennen Davis will not be denied a tank shot of his own when everyone else is getting one. He took Jacob Misiorowski very deep, a 464 foot blast to deep left-center with a 115.8 EV.

Other notes:

• Cole Young worked a walk off the lefty Harrison in the third. Good job, Cole Young. He then stole second. Good-er job, Cole Young.
• Yosver Zulueta had a very good outing, allowing one hit on a bad-luck weak contact double but striking out the side. That is his fourth outing this spring and he’s yet to give up more than a pair of hits while striking out six. Another one to keep an eye on for the pile.
• Gabe Mosser recovered from a rough outing last time out to pitch two solid hitless innings to close this game out.
• The Brewers like to show each player’s hometowns on the board, which is how I found out Jonny Farmelo and Andrew Knizner were born just two hours along I-95 from each other in Centreville and Glen Allen, VA, respectively. Old Dominionheads rise up.

PORT ST. LUCIE — Freddy Peralta was a ball of energy in the Mets clubhouse before facing the Yankees on Sunday. 

Whereas most pitchers prefer solitude on their scheduled day to pitch, even in spring training, Peralta was engaged in a basketball game, shouting as he attempted off-balance shots and laughing most of the way. 

“I just be myself every day,” Peralta said. “It doesn’t matter if I’m pitching or not pitching, that is what I do.” 

On this day he faced a skeleton Yankees lineup at Clover Park.

After a rough first inning — with a misplay and weak contact contributing factors — Peralta rebounded into form over the next two to provide the home crowd with a glimpse of the ace who will head to the mound for Opening Day in 2 ½ weeks. 

Peralta struck out four over three innings, allowing three hits and one walk with two earned runs in the 10-4 victory. 

An adjustment helped. After relying on his fastball early, Peralta turned to his changeup in the second inning and curveball in the third. The Yankees were tamed. 

“After the first inning, me and Alvy had a conversation and we thought that was the right way to do it,” Peralta said, referring to Francisco Alvarez. “We saw that they were swinging a little like they were trying to hunt the fastball earlier and we tried to miss it a little bit more. I told [Alvarez] and asked him and he said, ‘Yes,’ and it worked.” 

It was the first time Alvarez handled Peralta (who was starting his second exhibition game this spring) in the Grapefruit League. 

What has Alvarez learned about Peralta? 

“He commands his fastball, he commands the curveball and he’s got a great changeup, too,” Alvarez said. “For him it’s more about command. Every pitch is nasty, so he has just got to command the pitch and that’s it.” 

Peralta was asked about his chemistry with Alvarez. 

“I had conversations with him even before we got here to spring training,” Peralta said. “And back then I knew that he was going to be very good because he’s very interested and makes you do well for ourselves, for the team, for everything. He showed me that he wants to win, he cared about it, he cared about performance and that is No. 1 for catching.” 

Already together in camp with Peralta for over a month, Alvarez has come to appreciate the energy the pitcher has brought to the clubhouse. 

“He’s a great teammate,” Alvarez said. “He’s always happy. He brings a lot of energy and he’s going to be big for us.” 

The two will work together (provided they remain healthy) more often than not this season. This day against the Yankees represented a nice beginning for the duo. 

“It’s in a good place,” manager Carlos Mendoza said, referring to the chemistry between Peralta and Alvarez. “This goes back to the very first few days of camp when he was throwing bullpens and Alvy was catching him and just kind of get to know some of the targets that he likes, some of the things he likes to do with the baseball as far as the changeup, the breaking ball, the fastball, against lefties and righties. 

“Now, the way they are talking about the game between innings it’s just in a good spot. Alvy is asking good questions and Peralta is giving him really good feedback.” 

Peralta likely has another two starts remaining in the Grapefruit League before getting the ball against the Pirates on March 26 at Citi Field. The next step will be buildup to four and five innings. 

And there could be additional pregame basketball games. 

“We’re always betting a coffee or something,” Peralta said. “So, somebody has to bring me a coffee.”

The White Sox and their spring winning continued on Sunday, as they picked up their 10th win of the preseason with a 5-4 showing against Kansas City.

Perhaps feeling the heat after I so boldly declared prior to the game that he was “rapidly …” Jarred Kelenic got the South Siders on the board with a lefty-on-lefty home run off Royals starter Noah Cameron, a 430-foot blast that would’ve been gone just about anywhere.

Unfortunately, Sox starter Jordan Hicks was not sharp, walking four over 1 2/3 innings and allowing two runs, one coming on a bases-loaded walk. Hicks’ fastball velocity was down a notch, sitting around 98 mph after being in the 99-100 mph range his first two appearances. He’ll be ticketed for the bullpen sooner rather than later.

The game became tied at two when Luisangel Acuña continued his spring heater, sending a 110 mph line drive screaming up the middle for an RBI single.

Pitching in the multi-inning, middle relief role he’ll see during regular season action, Sean Newcomb looked sharp for two innings before getting touched up in this third, grooving one to Royals first baseman Nick Loftin, who took it out to left field for a 4-2 K.C. lead.

Fortunately, the Sox have Colson Montgomery, who tied the game at four with a blast of his own in the bottom of the inning:

The homer’s 105.9 mph exit velocity just narrowly edged out the 105.7 mph fly out he delivered his first time up, completing a good day for the team’s former top prospect. Anywho, immediately afterward Kelenic gave the Sox a 5-4 lead with his second homer of the game — this one of the Little League variety.

Scoreless innings from Jordan Leasure, Chris Murphy and Tyler Gilbert kept that the score the rest of the way, leaving the final 5-4 as the Sox reached the double-digit win mark in Spring Training.

They’ll be back at it again tomorrow, when they host the Rockies at 3:05 p.m. CT at Camelback Ranch and Chrystal O’Keefe makes her 2026 recapping debut.

Justin Wrobleski continued his impressive spring with three scoreless innings on Sunday in the Dodgers’ 11-7 loss to the Athletics in Mesa

Wrobleski struck out three, with two finished off by his slider and another by his four-seam fastball. The left-hander is in the mix for an early-season spot in the starting rotation, but there’s likely room for him on the active roster even as a bulk reliever.

“I feel like the same guy, I just have a little more experience,” the left-hander told Kirsten Watson during an in-game interview on SportsNet LA. “You can’t get experience until you get experience.”

Andy Pages is also having a nice spring, and got the scoring started with a solo home run in the first inning.

Pages, who also singled on Sunday, has eight extra-base hits in 29 plate appearances this spring.

Notes

Like Pages, Alex Call had two hits in three at-bats, including a home run. Call’s second hit was a two-run single, giving him three RBI.

Dodgers built a 7-0 lead in their first four trips to the plate, but Leo De Vries personally cut that A’s deficit to just one. The 19-year-old consensus top-13 prospect in baseball, ranked as fourth at MLB Pipeline, hit a two-run home run off Kyle Hurt in the fourth inning and a grand slam off Carson Hobbs’ second pitch in the fifth, cashing in all three runs left by Cam Day.

Nick Senzel started Sunday at second base, his ninth start this spring, and reached base all three trips to the plate. His leadoff walk in the six was the taking of CD Pelham’s 1-2-3 inning.

Paul Gervase struck out three in his 1 1/3 scoreless innings, preserving a tie, the most noble task during exhibition season. The 6’10 right-hander has nine strikeouts among his 28 batters faced this spring (32.1 percent).

Jordan Weems, who took the loss in the ninth inning Thursday in Goodyear by allowing four runs without recording an out, allowed four consecutive hits then a two-run double in a four-run eighth inning to decide Sunday’s contest.

Up next

The Dodgers are in Maryvale to face the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday afternoon (1:05 p.m.; SportsNet LA, MLB Network), with Emmet Sheehan back on the mound in his second spring outing and first start.