Category: MLB

Still undefeated!!! The Sox are a mighty 2-0, with total runs of 19-3. Can we call it a season now?

The A’s decided not to play any major league regulars in their Cactus League opener and the White Sox took advantage, scoring five runs in the first three innings, mainly thanks to Edgar Quero having an excellent sense of direction. He came up with the bases loaded in the first, thanks to a Chase Meidroth double and two walks, and hit a little looper to left:

That was good for two runs, then he came up in the third with runners on second and third and decided if one blooper is good, two are even better:

Hence, four RBIs on two bloops that were barely 83 mph but, as coaches teach kids, you put the ball in play and good things can happen. Quero did have one solid knock, a 98 mph double, but that was with the bases empty. He also threw out a would-be base thief and correctly challenged a ball-strike call. OK, so he maybe misplayed a pitch that led to a A’s run, but let us not quibble when he has a day like this.

The only other Sox run thanks to a player apt to be in the majors this year came via Brooks Baldwin flexing his mighty power in the second:

John Schriffen, brilliant as always, repeatedly referred to it as Baldwin’s first homer of the spring; that was pretty inevitable, because it was Baldwin’s first at-bat of the spring.

Luisangel Acuña struck out looking his first time up as a member of the White Sox, but later slashed a double. There were no plays in center that could determine whether he can play there, the only one being a double to the wall there was no way to get to.

Chicago’s other six runs came late, when Sox hitters who will mostly play Double-A to start the season faced A’s pitchers who will be lucky to make Single-A. The minor-leaguers got half of the club’s 14 hits, with William Bergolla Jr. and Dru Baker knocking two apiece. The A’s also tossed in some lousy fielding and bad base running to keep the score well spread.

On the pitching side, Chris Murphy was the first of seven Sox hurlers who got out of the game with just two runs, only one earned, despite giving up 11 hits and walking four. That was no doubt helped by the total lack of major league opposition, and very little upper minors opposition. Plus the aforementioned bad base running.

The White Sox stay at Camelback Ranch tomorrow to host Milwaukee. That game will also be televised, giving fans the first chance to watch Munetaka Murakami. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. Central.

---

After losing their spring training home opener, the Colorado Rockies came back to soundly defeat their Salt River Fields roomies, the Arizona Diamondbacks, 11-6. For more details, go here.

We’re not yet to the point in the season where we’re doing game recaps, but we wanted to share manager Warren Schaeffer’s postgame comments and some other Rockies comments.

First, here’s Schaeffer:

And here’s Tanner Gordon on his outing today as well as his evolving pitch arsenal:

---

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Well we got baseball. Some ugly baseball for A’s fans but baseball nonetheless. The Athletics dropped their first game of the 2026 season this afternoon, dropping the first Cactus League game to the Chicago White Sox 11-2 to kick things off down in Arizona.

Right-hander Jack Perkins was on the bump this afternoon, hoping to impress the coaching staff and put himself into real consideration for a rotation job. He was already facing an uphill battle in that regard and didn’t really help himself today. He allowed a leadoff double and a pair of walks to load the bases, then gave up a two-run single that actually chased him from today’s contest. He got to 26 pitches which is where the team probably wanted him to reach this afternoon but it was a lot of work to get there and he didn’t even finish the frame. Shaky spring debut for Perkins to be sure.

Right-hander Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang came next and only made one mistake in his outing, allowing a solo home run to give the White Sox a lead they wouldn’t relinquish all day. Top prospect Wei-En Lin came on next and pitched a full inning but not before allowing a pair of runs himself. The game was already getting out of hand at this point and it’d only get worse as the day went on.

Relievers Eduarneil Nunez and Nick Anderson pitched an inning apiece, with Nunez collecting a pair of punchouts and Anderson one. Nunez has a high ceiling but he’ll need to really learn how to harness his stuff if he wants to reach those heights.

On the offensive side of things, the A’s didn’t have much going for them today. They were able to push across their first run of the game in the second thanks to a pair of singles, a productive out and a wild pitch. Not exactly small ball but a run is a run.

The team scored their second and final run in the top of the fifth thanks to some more poor White Sox defense, but that was it from the A’s offense today. The Sox ended up scoring five more times over the final few frames against some depth arms trying to crack the bullpen to push the score to the eventual final of 11-2. Not a great day in the runs department but wins are meaningless this time of year anyway.

Here’s a wrap up of some of the most notable lines from today’s contest:

A’S TODAY (2/21)
C Serven: 3-3, 2 2B, RBI
1B Harris: 1-1, BB
3B White: 1-1, BB
3B Muncy: 1-2, 2B
2B Kuroda-Grauer: 1-2, 2B
RHP Perkins: 0.2 IP/2 H/2 ER/2 BB/1 K
RHP Zhuang: 1.1 IP/1 H/1 ER/0 BB/0 K
LHP Lin: 1 IP/3 H/2 ER/0 BB/1 K
RHP Causey: 1 IP/4 H/3 ER/0 BB/0 K
A’s lose 11-2

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) February 21, 2026

Third-string catcher is one of the camp battles going on this spring thanks to the departure of former first-round pick Daniel Susac, but glove-first backstop BrianServen is fighting for that spot and had himself a day at the plate, collecting a pair of doubles to cap a 3-for-3 day in the batter’s box.

And third base. Man, this could be a spring-long battle we have on our hands. Max Muncy, Darell Hernaiz, and Brett Harris, all of whom are fighting for that job, all collected hits today. No one seperated themselves from the pack but we are off to a good start at that positional battle.

Elsewhere outfield prospect Junior Perez collected a single this afternoon while fellow outfielders Henry Bolte and Colby Thomas went hitless. It’d take a massive camp for Perez to sneak his way onto the Opening Day roster but if he’s going to do it then today was a good start.

That’s about it folks. The A’s got their butt handed to them today but we do it all again tomorrow! The Cleveland Guardians roll into town for the A’s first home game of Spring Training tomorrow. The club plans to go with veteran Luis Severino for tomorrow’s contest, likely following Perkins in only doing one inning or so. Sevy will be followed by fellow starter Luis Morales, relievers Brady Basso and Michael Kelly, and at some point we’ll also get to see prospect Kade Morris on the bump. Hopefully tomorrow goes much better than today’s game! Baseball is back and everything is right in the world again.

Chase Burns got the start in Saturday afternoon’s contest between the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians in the two teams’ combined complex in Goodyear, Arizona, and in doing so officially began their Cactus League campaign.

Burns kept the Guardians off the board in a pair of scoreless frames, doing so without so much as allowing a hit. He did walk a trio against a pair of strikeouts before handing the ball over to Rhett Lowder, a fellow Wake Forest product who’s also very much in the mix for a spot in the team’s Opening Day rotation. Lowder fanned 4 in his pair of IP, though he did get dinged for a pair of hits, a walk, and a run allowed. Julian Aguiar, himself an outside candidate for the team’s starting rotation, similarly allowed a run in a pair of IP.

On the offensive side of things, it was once again Will Benson haunting his former club. Cleveland’s former 1st round pick slugged a 2-run homer off righty Colin Holderman after lefty Logan Allen – Cleveland’s starter on the day – departed after a pair of scoreless frames. in a battle for a spot on the Opening Day roster himself alongside the likes of JJ Bleday and Nathaniel Lowe as one of the team’s lefty bats with some pop, it was once again a reminder that Benson still owns a wealth of yet-to-be-tapped potential that he showed, at times, in 2025 during a horribly unlucky campaign on the surface.

Edwin Arroyo chipped in with a double and a run scored for the lone other extra-base hit on the day for Cincinnati, while Hagen Danner – a former 2nd round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays – was tagged for a pair of ER in a lone IP out of the bullpen to wrap up the pertinent portions of Cincinnati’s box score.

Jose Franco will take the ball to start tomorrow’s game against the Seattle Mariners as the Reds play host at Goodyear for the first time (they were the road team against Cleveland on Saturday). First pitch in that one is set for 3:05 PM ET, though it will only be able to be perceived with your ears via 700 WLW and the MLB At-Bat app.

Record: 1-1. Change on 2025: +1. 5-inning record: 0-2.

Yeah, after yesterday’s well-pitched endeavor, this was very much the opposite. It was probably worse than the score actually indicates, since the Diamondbacks put up a crooked number in both the eighth and ninth innings, to leave the final tallies looking more respectable than they deserved to be. After a scoreless first inning for Mitch Bratt, things got out of hand quickly. Colorado scored five in the second though to be fair, Bratt wasn’t helped by two misplays at the hot corner from LuJames Groover (only one being scored an error). His replacement out of the pen, Zane Russell, then faced four batters without retiring anyone, and that was the end of this as a contest.

All told, the D-backs needed ten pitchers to get through the game. Casey Anderson, who replaced Russell in the second, was a rare bright spot, striking out both hitters he faced. Alfred Morillo, Yu-Min Lin and Spencer Giesting were all charged with multiple runs, though Lin did come back out for a seven-pitch second inning, after initially being lifted with two outs in the fourth. I got quite excited seeing Diaz work a clean seventh with a pair of K’s, though turns out this was Indigo rather than Yilber. All told, Arizona pitchers struck out thirteen, but walked eight, all in the first six innings. Must do better there.

With all the attention on Jordan Lawlar's position, people forget about his pop 💥

Lawlar leaves the yard for the first time in 2026 💪 pic.twitter.com/UDAC1BA6sD

— Reno Aces (@Aces) February 21, 2026

On offense, Jordan Lawlar got the team on the board with a home-run in the second (above). Though he may not be a fan of the new ABS system getting rung up on three straight called strikes his next time up – two of which were successfully appealed balls! He also walked, while Tim Tawa also had a hit and a walk. Tawa’s replacement, Tommy Troy, went 2-for-2, including an RBI double in the ninth. And keeping up with the ABS score, there were eight challenges during today’s game, five of which proved successful. Rockies’ catcher Hunter Goodman was particularly effective, being perfect in his three challenges.

Tomorrow, the team gets to face someone apart from the Rockies for the first time. They face the Angels at Salt River, with another 1:05 pm start, and Kohl Drake the scheduled starter.

The Dodgers scored nine runs in the first two innings, turning their Cactus League opener into an 15-2 drubbing of the Angels on Saturday afternoon at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

Things were going so well offensively for the Dodgers that they chased starter José Soriano with two outs in the second at 31 pitches. But, this being spring training, that wasn’t a full hook by new Angels manager Kurt Suzuki, and Soriano was right back on the hill to begin the second inning. But after a five-pitch walk to open the frame, Soriano’s day was done.

That didn’t stop the scoring, as the Dodgers scored six runs in the second inning after a three-run first, turning this one into a laugher from the jump.

A six-spot in the second! pic.twitter.com/zzOJ7zP0p1

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 21, 2026

Hyeseong Kim, in the mix for playing time at second base while Tommy Edman is out, got things going early with a two-run single in the first inning and an RBI single in the second. He also shared his skincare routine with Kirsten Watson in the dugout during the game.

Shohei Ohtani was only expected to bat three times, the norm for regulars, especially this early in spring training. He got that work in by the top of the second inning, leading to an early exit. Ohtani had an infield single and scored to lead off the game, and made the first and third outs in the extended second inning.

The mention this week of Teoscar Hernández aiming for a Gold Glove Award was farfetched, even before he dropped a fly ball at the left field wall in the second inning. Though this was mostly due to the sun wreaking havoc in that part of the field. Bread and butter for Hernández though is at the plate, and he collected a hit in each of the first three innings, including a double, and scored three times.

Andy Pages doubled and tripled in his three at-bats. Non-roster invitee Santiago Espinal started and played three innings at third base, with an RBI single, two walks, and two runs scored in his three trips to the plate.

One more time

In between the outbursts in the top of innings, Yoshinobu Yamamoto got the ball for his first start in camp. After a perfect first inning with two strikeouts and a long layoff in between, Yamamoto was less sharp in the bottom of the second, giving up a double and two singles for two runs, one earned.

3 Ks for Yoshinobu Yamamoto in his 2026 #DodgersST debut! pic.twitter.com/TsePd127Sc

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 21, 2026

It was initially thought Yamamoto would only make one start for the Dodgers before leaving next week for the World Baseball Classic. But he told reporters in Tempe he’s slated to start again Friday, which is in Scottsdale against the Giants, before leaving for Tokyo.

Prospect watch

Zach Ehrhard, one of two minor league outfielders acquired from the Boston Red Sox for Dustin May last July 31, got the start in right field, and contributed a walk and RBI double in the second inning inning.

Zyhir Hope in left field and 100-steal man Kendall George in left got into the game in the third inning, with Josue De Paula in right field and James Tibbs III at first base by the fourth inning. Hope doubled and scored in the ninth, and made a diving catch to save two runs and end the sixth inning.

Left-hander Adam Serwinowski, acquired last trade deadline in a three-team deal involving the Reds and Rays, pitched a scoreless fifth inning with a walk and two strikeouts.

Luke Fox, a 2023 draft pick who ended last season with Double-A Tulsa, struck out three with a walk in a scoreless eighth inning.

Up next

The Dodgers have another road game on Sunday, battling the San Diego Padres in Peoria (12:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Jackson Ferris starts on the mound for Los Angeles. Sadly, the Padres aren’t turning to a recent non-roster invitee addition, robbing us of a Ferris-Buehler pitching matchup. Instead, Randy Vásquez starts for San Diego.

Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto toed the rubber Saturday for the team's Cactus League opener against the Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium with the expectation that it would be his only start before joining Team Japan for next month's World Baseball Classic.

Even manager Dave Roberts believed that was the case as he came out to lift his star pitcher with two outs in the bottom of the second inning of the Dodgers' eventual 15-2 win.

“Doc came to the mound, and he said, 'Good luck in the WBC,'” Yamamoto said via interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “But actually, I have one more game to pitch."

After giving up one earned run, three hits and striking out three in his 30-pitch outing, Yamamoto said he believes his next start will be on Friday against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium.

Read more:What to expect with MLB's ABS system, and how Dodgers will navigate it

Yamamoto cruised through the first inning, striking out third baseman Yoan Moncado swinging and getting shortstop Zach Neto to look at a called strike three on a darting sinker.

But then the Dodgers, who had scored three runs in the top of the first, sent 11 men to the plate, scoring six runs on five hits, two walks and a hit batter in a half-inning that took nearly 30 minutes. Yamamoto believes the long break between innings may have disrupted his workflow, contributing to a messy second inning.

A dropped fly ball on the warning track in left field by Teoscar Hernández spelled trouble for Yamamoto, scoring a run and allowing Jo Adell to reach second base with nobody out. Yamamoto struck out the next hitter, getting left fielder Josh Lowe to swing through a splitter, before allowing back-to-back outfield line drives to catcher Logan O’Hoppe and second baseman Christian Moore. After Bryce Teodosio flied out for the second out of the inning, Yamamoto's day was done.

Yamamoto reached into his five-pitch repertoire Saturday, mixing in six fastballs, eight splitters, five sinkers, four cutters, four curveballs and three sliders. His fastball sat between 91 and 93 mph, topping out at 94.9 mph.

"I was looking for some stuff I needed to get back before I go back to Japan and join the team,” Yamamoto said. “I was looking forward to the feeling, the delivery and those things.”

He added: "Yesterday's practice, I was already feeling good. And then, somehow I was able to carry that to today's game, especially the first inning. I think I was great, but due to the gap between innings, that affected me a little bit."

With Yamamoto’s time being limited with the Dodgers before the WBC, Roberts spoke pregame Saturday about what he hopes to see from his star pitcher in the time leading up to the event.

“I think that obviously, him going and pitching for Team Japan, he’s going to be trying to ramp it up and get prepared,” Roberts said. “So, I think it’s just more of what he does [on] strike one, [how he] uses secondaries, and be efficient and get some outs.”

Though Yamamoto will pitch once more before leaving for the WBC, Roberts told reporters that he isn’t concerned about the WBC interrupting Yamamoto’s preparation for the regular season.

“I think I’m confident because there’s no exact science on ramping up early and success, or being methodical and not participating to result in success during the season,” Roberts said. “There’s just no exact science. For me, and for all of us, you’re just believing in the player, knowing that he knows what it takes to be ready for a season and he takes care of himself, so I think for me, it’s an easy way to think and wrap my head around, just kind of believing in him, trusting him.”

Etc.

Just over a week into camp, utilityman Hyeseong Kim has already made a strong first impression, as he vies for more playing time in his second season. On Saturday, he went two for three with three RBIs to help spark the Dodgers' offensive outburst. Elsewhere, the top three hitters in the lineup — Shohei Ohtani, Hernández and Andy Pages — combined for six hits in nine at-bats with two RBIs. ... The Dodgers claimed outfielder Jack Suwinski from the Pittsburgh Pirates. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers transferred utilityman Kiké Hernández to the 60-day injured list.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

TEMPE, AZ — He’s the iron man of pitching, stretching the human element to limits beyond comprehension, so it only made sense that World Series hero Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the first pitcher to step onto the mound Saturday in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ spring-training opener.

“When you think about it,’’ Joel Wolfe, Yamamoto’s agent, told USA TODAY Sports, “what can’t he do?’’

Let’s see, in the past 12 months, he led the Dodgers in the regular season with 30 starts and 173.2 innings, going 12-8 with a 2.49 ERA.

In the playoffs, he became the first pitcher to throw consecutive complete games since Curt Schilling for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001, and the first to pitcher to end a World Series game by retiring 20 consecutive batters since Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956.

In the World Series, he was the first pitcher to start a World Series game one night and pitch on no days’ rest the next since Hall of Famer Randy Johnson in 2001 against the New York Yankees.

And here was Saturday, back on the mound, dominating the Los Angeles Angels in their Cactus League debut, yielding three hits and one earned run with three strikeouts, throwing 22 of his 30 pitches for strikes.

“I was already feeling good in practice,’’ he said. “I was looking forward to the feeling, the delivery, and those things.’’

When he walked off the mound, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts patted him on the back and told him, “Good luck in the WBC."

Oops. Yamamoto reminded him that he will make one more start Friday. He then is scheduled to fly to Japan and help Team Japan in its quest to win consecutive World Baseball Classic titles.

How in the world can you describe what this dude is doing?

“Easy,’’ said Wolfe, who was among the sellout crowd at Tempe Diablo Stadium watching the game, “he’s a freak. There's nobody like him. He doesn't follow the typical standards and limitations of other people.’’

It would certainly be understandable for the Dodgers to try to persuade Yamamoto to pass on the WBC. The tournament's history is littered with pitchers who either broke down or struggled in the ensuing season. Yet, the Dodgers didn’t interfere a bit. They actually encouraged him, knowing how much this means to Yamamoto wearing his country’s colors, and the pride he takes in trying to lead Japan back atop the international baseball world.

“For me, and for all of us,’’ Roberts said, “you’re just believing in the player. He knows what it takes to get ready for a season. He takes care of himself. For me, it’s an easy way to kind of think and wrap my head around, believing in him and trusting him.

“From the day we signed him, how intentional he is about his work and body care. He’s not going to put himself in harm’s way.’’

When Yamamoto was asked Saturday if he had thoughts at all about skipping the WBC, he started laughing so hard, he never answered.

Yamamoto said he already spoke to the Dodgers about his workload in the WBC. He’s scheduled to start in the opening series with their first game March 7 in Tokyo against Chinese Taipei.

The reality is that the Dodgers began planning a detailed spring-training schedule for Yamamoto two weeks after the World Series concluded, with the Dodgers’ trainers and conditioning employees keeping in contact virtually every day. He took only one month off before he began training again in December.

“They were so deeply immersed in everything that he does,’’ Wolfe said, “it wasn't like they were just winging it. They planned how spring training was going to go, the WBC, load management, and planning out the season. It’s all been carefully orchestrated.’’

Yamamoto still doesn’t consider him a hero, and blushes when folks call him a Dodgers legend, but make no mistake about it — he would love to become the first Japanese pitcher to win a Cy Young Award, and add a few more to his trophy case as he begins the third year of his 12-year, $325 million contract.

“He wants to be great,” Roberts said. “He wants to win a Cy Young. He hasn’t done that yet, so that’s a carrot. But I think he prides himself on being consistent and being really good. Every time he takes the ball, he expects to win, we expect to win.’’

Says Wolfe: “He’s so driven, but to him, personal goals are secondary. He just wants to win. You saw it in the World Series. The guy’s literally willing to do anything and everything to win. Think about how young (27) he is, too. He’s just getting better and better and stronger and stronger, and learning more and more about the hitters. He just keeps developing.

“This guy is the Michael Jordan version of pitching.’’

He’s proving why teams were tripping over each other trying to sign him two years ago, and with a full-scale bidding war, the New York Mets were actually told to stop raising their offer when Yamamoto made his intentions known that he wanted to pitch for the Dodgers.

Teams who heavily scouted Yamamoto in his last season in Japan watched him lead Japan to the WBC title in the spring of 2023. He then went on to win his third consecutive Eiji Sawamura Award (Japan’s version of the Cy Young) by leading the league in victories, ERA and strikeouts. And for a curtain call, he carried the Orix Buffaloes to Game 7 of the World Series by throwing 138 pitches and striking out 14 batters in their Game 6 victory.

“Here’s a guy who was about to be posted, get what we thought would be a $100-million-plus deal, so you think maybe he’d throttle it down a little,’’ Wolfe said. “Even we were saying, 'Hey, don’t get hurt. Be careful.’ But that wasn’t him. He just kept that throttle going.’’

So, considering Yamamoto’s resume in Japan, why should anyone be shocked watching him throw a complete game in Game 2 of the World Series, pitch six shutout innings in Game 6, pitch 2⅔ innings in relief in their 5-4, 11-inning victory in Game 7, and win the World Series MVP with a 3-0 record and 1.02 ERA with 15 strikeouts?

Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations, called it the “greatest accomplishment I’ve ever seen on a baseball field.’’

And for Yamamoto, well, it brought simple tranquility.

“I was able to get into the offseason with a great feeling,’’ Yamamoto said when he arrived into camp, “and I was able to go into the offseason with more calmness.’’

Yamamoto’s chill attitude and extraordinary work ethic is why Roberts refuses to freak out over his WBC participation, saying there simply are no hard-core facts that his early ramp-up could lead to an injury or poor performance.

“I think I’m confident because there’s no exact science on ramping up early,’’ Roberts said. “Could it affect him later this year? Absolutely,’’ Roberts said. “But it could also not affect him.

“I don’t live in that world, I really don’t. … It’s up to all of us to be mindful of workloads, short-term and long-term.’’

So, the looming question now is that, after throwing 211 innings last season, winning his second consecutive World Series title, along with the World Series MVP, what can Yamamoto possibly do for an encore?

“I think we were all blown away from what he accomplished in the World Series,’’ Wolfe said, “but you do wonder what’s next. Who knows? But knowing him, I’m sure he’ll find something.’’

Follow Nightengale on X: @BNightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yoshinobu Yamamoto dominates for Dodgers in spring training debut

MESA, Arizona — Cubs pitchers struck out 14 Rangers hitters Saturday afternoon on another gorgeous day at Sloan Park.

For whatever that’s worth. A few Cubs regulars and a bunch of minor leaguers couldn’t put together much offense, though, and so the Cubs lost their second straight Spring Training game, 3-2 to Texas.

Matthew Boyd put together what I thought was a decent outing, though he didn’t finish the second inning after throwing 36 pitches (25 strikes). He was the victim of a fly ball that Pete Crow-Armstrong lost in the sun and then dropped, generously called a double for Tyler Wade, who then scored on a single by Sam Haggerty to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the second. Boyd did strike out four, so that’s a good start to his spring season.

Here’s Boyd’s fourth K [VIDEO].

The Cubs tied the game up in the bottom of the second. Pedro Ramirez walked, stole second and scored on a single by Jefferson Rojas.

Rojas also made an offline throw in the fourth that pulled Jonathon Long off first base, and Long left with an injury [VIDEO].

It was reported after the game that Long left with a left elbow strain. As you can see in the clip that when he goes down he’s holding his arm after colliding with Mark Canha. It’s a tough blow if Long misses time in Spring Training. It’s unlikely he would have made the Opening Day roster anyway, but this obviously sets him back.

That play helped lead to a two-run inning off Hoby Milner. Otherwise the Cubs bullpen did a pretty good job, including Luke Little, who didn’t walk anyone (progress!), though he did hit a batter, and Jack Neely, who issued a walk but struck out three.

The Cubs scored another run in the fourth. Triantos led off with a single and went to third on a single by Ramirez. Rojas grounded out, scoring Triantos to make it 3-2.

That was it for scoring, and after the fifth it was all minor leaguers finishing things up.

Of note, there were five ABS challenges in this game, three of which resulted in a call being overturned. The last of these was a strike-three call which would have ended the game. Hayden Cantrelle challenged and got it overturned — by seven-tenths of an inch [VIDEO].

That is exactly the sort of situation ABS challenges are designed for — close game, bottom of the ninth, the hitter thinks he’s got a chance at another pitch instead of the game being over.

Which is what Cantrelle got — and then he struck out swinging on the next pitch to actually end the game.

But at least that call was changed to the correct one.

Attendance watch: 12,073 paid to see this Saturday afternoon contest, bringing the season total for two dates to 26,492, or 13,246 per date. The next Sloan Park game will be Tuesday vs. the Padres.

The Cubs travel to Scottsdale to face the Giants Sunday afternoon. Colin Rea will go for the Cubs and Robbie Ray will go for the Giants. There will be a TV broadcast Sunday via Giants TV and there’s also a radio broadcast with the Giants announcers on their flagship station KNBR 104.5.

Jose Miranda agreed to a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres in December of 2025. He did not receive much attention in the months following his signing and kind of got lost in the roster discussion following the frenzy of moves made by the Padres on and after Valentine’s Day. The Padres, manager Craig Stammen and the Friar Faithful are very aware of Miranda after his first two Spring Training games with the organization, the second of which netted Stammen his first managerial win.

Miranda went 3-for-3 with a walk, two singles and a double with four RBI and a run scored to help the Padres get a 10-3 win over the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Ariz. on Saturday. The production by Miranda on Saturday followed a 2-for-3 performance in a 7-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Friday. His two hits against the Mariners were a two-run home run and a double.

Jose Miranda doubles to drive in a run, making it 6-3 Padres in the top of the 8th. pic.twitter.com/UxwjUwaObY

— ⚾️ Shawn (@Shawnimack) February 21, 2026

With limited bench spots available on the San Diego roster, players like Miranda who are battling for a spot cannot afford to have a poor performance. He seems to understand that and is looking to make the most of his opportunity with the Padres.

San Diego catcher Freddy Fermin also had a productive game against Kansas City in his first action of the spring. Fermin drove in the first run of the game in his second at-bat with a double to left in the top of the fifth inning. That followed his first at-bat when he connected on a well struck fly ball to center field that was knocked down by the wind for a flyout. Fermin also showed what he can do behind the plate throwing out Bobby Witt Jr. at second base on a pitch in the dirt in the bottom of the fourth inning. He also used the ABS challenge system successfully, getting a ball overturned to a strike.

It's time for the Ferminator 🫡 pic.twitter.com/peNVb29KwX

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) February 21, 2026

Other notable offensive moments for Padres hitters against the Royals was a double by Bryce Johnson in the top of the first inning, a triple by Mason McCoy in the top of the second, a double by Ramon Laureano in the top of the third, a solo home run by Nick Solak in the top of the eighth and a double by Samad Taylor in the same inning. Taylor finished 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored in the game. San Diego racked up 18 hits in the contest.

Matt Waldron, who is in competition for one of the final rotation spots for the Padres, started the game against the Royals and delivered two scoreless innings, allowing one walk and just one hit. Waldron faced Royals starters Jonathan India, Witt Jr., Vinny Pasquantino, Salvador Perez, Kyle Isbel, Dairon Blanco and John Rave. Blanco was the only player to record a hit against the San Diego starter.

Matt Waldron discusses his two scoreless innings against the Royals today, his knuckleball usage, being out of options this Spring, and more. pic.twitter.com/T8yMwcfPPV

— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) February 21, 2026

The Padres return to the Peoria Sports Complex to host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday at 12:10 p.m.

There was quite a bit of action between today’s two split-squad games, so I’ll try to walk you all through the highlights. The Guardians won both games, against the Reds and Brewers, respectively, to start 2-0 in the Spring.

The addition of the ABS Challenge System to Spring Training games has brought Statcast to every Spring Training game, so we’ll have more concrete stats from every game.

The Reds game featured a few notable Guardians’ pitchers: Logan Allen, Doug Nikhazy, and Colin Holderman.

Allen was decent, and his velocity was up across the board. His CSW% (Called Strikes + Whiffs) was 25%, which is below average. Usage-wise, he dropped the usage on his sinker and picked up the usages on his cutter and changeup. That’s all.

Holderman gave up a loud homer. Velocity was about the same as it was last year. Did a decent enough job of missing bats (outside of the homer).

Nikhazy pitched 2 scoreless innings, and notably, Nikhazy’s sliders were 4 mph faster than they were last year. (unless Statcast was misclassifying those pitches).

On the offensive side, neither Kwan nor Jose got on base. Naylor and Arias had back-to-back doubles to start the scoring. (Naylor’s double was 101 off the bat). Fry went 1/3 with a 96mph RBI double to left. Carter Kieboom (lol) whacked a center-cut fastball to drive in the game’s winning runs. We saw a little of Khalil Watson, Ralphy Velazquez, and Juan Brito, too. Only Watson got on base, however. Singled and walked. Not much to talk about in Ralphy’s performance, but Brito’s highlighted an issue I know many scouts have had with him — his arm. There were a few plays with the potential to turn two, and it seemed like he just wasn’t getting much zip on the ball on his throw to first. Something to monitor throughout Spring Training as we’ve seen the Guardians toy around with Brito both at 1B and in RF.

We got to see a very funky righty reliever in Cam Shuelke. He pitches from a Tyler Rogers-esque arm angle, and threw a 68 mph slider! He was very effective, though, striking out the only batter he faced with the bases loaded.

The Brewers game was much more exciting, and was unfortunately not the game being televised. The starting lineup featured Cantillo on the mound, and DeLauter, Manzardo, Valera, Halpin, and Bazzana. DeLauter went 2/3, with his out coming off a 107mph lineout to the pitcher. Aram Leighton was at the game, and captured videos from all of DeLauter’s 3 BBE’s. You can watch them here. We also got to see Genao, Chourio, Ingle, and Alfonsin Rosario. Ingle clobbered a 3-run homer in his only at-bat. Genao walked, Chourio went 0/2, and Rosario went 0/1.

Cantillo’s velocity was up, though he seemed to be a bit all over the place in the 1st. They took him out and brought him back in for the 2nd, and he gave up a moonshot to Brandon Lockridge. Connor Brogdon came in in the 3rd and struck out 2 Brewers.

It’s all still here.

The Mariners played their second game of Spring Training on Saturday, the first of 33 consecutive Saturday games in 2026. There was noticeably less excitement around the blogosphere for this matchup, the novelty of the new season already faded, laying bare the sloppy, non-competitive play of February baseball. But it was nice to feel routine settling in. We’ve got a long way to go.

Like most Spring Training games, I watched this one with good intentions early, but my interest slowly faded as more recognizable faces left and the play got worse. I’m writing this sentence right now in the eighth inning against a muted TV, my eyes flicking up to see Rhylan Thomas lose a ball in the sun for a triple. (My latest peek sees him make a great catch sliding into the wall in left center to end the inning; it appears the Giants scored four times since my last glance.)

Anyways, the Mariners lost to the Giants 10-5 on Saturday. Here are some notes.

Emerson Hancock

Emerson Hancock made his first start of 2026. This is something of a make or break Spring Training for him. He now has 31 starts in MLB over the last three years with a 5.38 FIP, and there isn’t much to root for in the peripherals.  While the team thought it best move him to the bullpen at the end of last season, they’ve given him another shot as a starter at the outset of 2026. Unlike the last two seasons, however, he’s not a lock for the sixth starter job out of camp. His future in the rotation could very well hang on his performance in his first few outings.

How’d he look on Saturday? Eh, pretty good. He came out pumping 96-97 on his fastballs and picked up five whiffs in the first inning alone. His velocity dipped slightly in the second, and his command was spotty, but he ended the day with four strikeouts and nine whiffs. 

The outing was encouraging for a first look in 2026. But we’ve seen Hancock ramp up the velocity for an inning or two in the past. To take the next step, he’ll need to show he can be effective deeper into games; he didn’t quite get through his two scheduled innings Saturday.

Colt Emerson and Cole Young

Colt Emerson—the other Emerson—got into his second straight game. He’s battling for spot on the Opening Day infield. He got the start at third base and batted ninth. He struck out in both of his opportunities. 

Battling for the same infield spot is Cole Young, who delivered two pretty solid at bats, drawing a pair of walks on eight pitches each. As I detailed in his 40 in 40, Young’s power-patience combo is an exciting premise for his future at the plate. But as I highlighted in the same post, his defense is still somewhat troubling. Right on cue, he didn’t take charge on a pop up in the second inning and let it fall for an infield double. Two runs scored on the play, and two more runs scored on the next play.

Miles Mastrobuoni

Miles Mastrobuoni is also fighting for a spot on the end of the Mariners’ Opening Day bench. He’s making a strong case right out the gate. After going 1-for-2 with a double on Friday, he walloped a grand slam off Hayden Birdsong in the bottom of the first. He followed that up with a hustle double on a line drive into the left center gap in the third. That’s three extra base hits in four plate appearances to start 2026 for Mastrobuoni.

Andrés Muñoz, Gabe Speier and Eduard Bazardo

Andrés Muñoz pitched the third. He gave up a pair of leadoff doubles and also got a pair of strikeouts. I don’t have much to say about his outing, other than, hey, good to see him again. That’s roughly my assessment for Gabe Speier and Eduard Bazardo, who also pitched in the game.

After a long, eventful winter, the Milwaukee Brewers were back in action on Saturday afternoon in Phoenix, as they hosted the Cleveland Guardians. While the results don’t matter much (besides for the coveted Cactus League Cup), the Brewers did go down 9-6 in this one.

Garrett Stallings worked around a pair of singles to begin the afternoon, as Reese McGuire threw out a runner on the basepaths before Stallings induced two flyouts.

The Brewer offense hit the ground running in the bottom of the inning, as Brice Turang singled, stole second, and advanced to third on a Jackson Chourio single. With runners at the corners, Akil Baddoo cashed Turang in with a sac fly to make it 1-0 early. Joey Ortiz followed with a strikeout, and Tyler Black grounded out to end the inning.

Top of the order cashing in immediately

Turang and Chourio singles lead to a Baddoo sac fly for our first run of spring pic.twitter.com/8pXx63cFhQ

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) February 21, 2026

Blake Holub followed Stallings on the mound, working around a leadoff single for a scoreless second.

Brandon Lockridge tacked on another run for Milwaukee to lead off the second, slugging the first homer of spring on a no-doubt 440-foot bomb out to left. One batter later, David Hamilton struck out on the first Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge of the spring, as catcher Austin Hedges got what was called ball three overturned to strike three.

How about a 440-FT BOMB from Brandon Lockridge for our first spring HR pic.twitter.com/av0tboVeqH

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) February 21, 2026

In the third, Will Childers worked around another single for the Guardians, keeping the lead at 2-0. The top of Milwaukee’s lineup went down in order in the bottom of the inning, as Turang and Baddoo both struck out.

Cleveland finally put together a strong offensive inning against Jaron DeBerry in the fourth, picking up three walks paired with a throwing error (by DeBerry), a passed ball, and a double to make it 3-2 before all was said and done.

Milwaukee’s offense had a response in the bottom of the frame, as Black and Lockridge hit back-to-back one-out singles before executing a double steal to put runners at second and third. Hamilton followed with a two-run double, putting the Brewers back ahead at 4-3. Also of note: Jackson Chourio’s brother, Jaison, entered at the beginning of the inning, replacing Chase DeLauter in center.

How about a knock and some speed from David Hamilton?

An easy 28.0 ft/sec without hitting the afterburners pic.twitter.com/GKK6a1RciG

— Dominic Cotroneo (@Dom_Cotroneo) February 21, 2026

In the fifth, we got to see Jett Williams for the first time this spring, as he replaced Turang at second. Tyson Hardin also entered on the mound and, after a walk to begin the inning, picked up a pair of outs on a strikeout and a flyout. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to get that third out quickly, as he allowed a single to George Valera before Nolan Jones slugged a 421-foot three-run homer to right-center field to give the Guardians a 6-4 lead.

The Guardians swapped out most of the rest of their lineup in the bottom of the fifth, and despite loading the bases on a pair of singles and a walk, Milwaukee was unable to produce any runs.

Milwaukee then put in a few more prospects defensively in the sixth, as Josh Adamczewski replaced Baddoo in left, top prospect Jesús Made replaced Ortiz at short, and Luke Adams replaced Black at first.

Brett Wichrowski also took over the mound, recording a strikeout and a flyout before walking a pair and giving up a three-run homer to catcher Cooper Ingle, stretching Cleveland’s lead to 9-4. The inning wouldn’t end there, though, as Wichrowski gave up two more singles before finally getting a flyout to end the frame.

The Brewers went down in order in the bottom of the sixth, and after a few more substitutions (Luis Peña replaced Hamilton, Matthew Wood replaced McGuire, and Greg Jones replaced Lara), Edwin Jimenez worked a perfect seventh for Milwaukee.

In the bottom of the inning, Williams gave one a ride out to center, but Jaison Chourio was able to run it down. Brock Wilken, entering for Jackson Chourio, worked a walk and moved up on a passed ball but was stranded there.

Jordyn Adams replaced Lockridge in center in the eighth, and Manuel Rodriguez worked a perfect inning. Against Zane Morehouse in the bottom of the inning, Luke Adams walked and Peña singled to put two runners on with one out. Wood flew out, advancing Adams to third, and Peña then stole second before Jones hit a two-run single to cut the deficit to 9-6 through eight frames.

Mark Manfredi worked around a walk in the ninth for a scoreless inning, and it came down to Xavier Martinez on the mound for Cleveland. The Brewers were able to draw a pair of walks to put the tying run at the plate, but they weren’t able to cash in as Martinez closed out the game.

In a 15-run, 20-hit game, there were 19 pitchers (10 for Milwaukee, nine for Cleveland) and 36 position players (18 for each side).

Jackson Chourio, who had a huge spring in 2025 (.469/.509/.714 with a homer, nine doubles, eight RBIs, and 13 runs over 17 games), got off to another hot start, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles this afternoon. Lockridge scored two runs on a pair of hits, including a homer.

On the mound, the Stallings, Holub, Childers, Broca, Jimenez, Rodriguez, and Manfredi all worked scoreless innings, though as a staff, Milwaukee allowed nine runs (eight hits) on 10 hits and eight walks.

The Crew is back in action with a split-squad day tomorrow afternoon. The road squad faces off against the White Sox at 2:05 p.m. CT on Brewers TV, while the Brewers will host the Royals at 2:10 p.m. on 94.5 ESPN Radio and across the Brewers Radio Network.

The Astros opened their spring training schedule with a 2-1 loss to the Nationals on Saturday afternoon in West Palm Beach. While no veterans were in action, Joe Espada’s lineup was littered with guys fighting to make the Opening Day roster, making the first half of the game somewhat interesting. Here are some notes and thoughts from the game’s first five innings.

• Zach Cole has talked about wanting to be more patient at the plate, and he took that to another level on Saturday. Cole offered at just one of the 14 pitches he saw against the Nationals, working two walks and striking out, but he wasn’t given much to swing at. Nine pitches he saw were out of the zone, per Baseball Savant, and he didn’t offer at any them. of the four strikes he took, three were borderline. 

• While he wasn’t aggressive at the plate, Cole was aggressive on the basepaths. He stole three bases, and he was thrown out trying to advance to third on a fly ball to right field. His jumps weren’t great, but overall, it was a good first day for Cole, who appears to have a leg up on the Opening Day left field job.

• Brice Matthews made a nice play at second base and did not swing at a pitch outside the strike zone in three plate appearances

• Joey Loperfido’s three-pitch strikeout on all fastballs in the second inning was rough, even though it came against a lefty. Things did get better when he worked walks in his next two plate appearances. 

• César Salazar had two hits and made hard contact on a third ball while throwing out a runner trying to steal second by a mile. That’s a perfect way to start spring for a player trying to win the backup catcher job.

• Colton Gordon is probably a little further down the list of candidates for one of those final rotation spots, but a 1-2-3 first inning against the Nationals’ regulars is a good start to the spring. Only four of his 11 pitches were in the strike zone, but he did generate some chase — something that eluded him last season — including a 1-2 fastball above the zone to Dylan Crews that resulted in his lone strikeout of the day.

• AJ Blubaugh is in the same boat as Gordon, and while he didn’t allow a run in his inning of work, he had trouble locating his pitches. Blubaugh threw nine four-seam fastballs, but only two were in the zone, and most of his misses were well above the zone. In total, only six of his 18 pitches were in the strike zone. One of those misses was a well-executed changeup that Abimelec Ortiz was able to lay off.

• Peter Lambert worked around a couple of hits to put up a zero in the third inning. A second-round pick in 2015, the 28-year old is back in the States after spending last season in Japan and is likely ticketed for Sugar Land’s rotation to start the year. Lambert’s fastball velocity was up Saturday from where it was when he pitched for the Rockies two years ago, and all six breaking balls he threw were in the zone. There’s been a long list of pitchers who have gotten better in recent years after leaving the Rockies’ bubble, so Lambert is someone to watch over the next couple of months.

• Miguel Ullola’s one inning of work was underwhelming to say the least. His fastball averaged just 93.5 MPH and he couldn’t throw it for a strike, and his slider had absolutely no bite. Making matters worse, Ullola only threw 9 of his 26 pitches in the strike zone, and he did not generate a swing on any of the 17 pitches that missed.