Category: MLB

We’re a couple games into spring now, and already seen a few highlight performances from the handful of innings that each player has gotten into thus far. Aaron Judge stole the show in the home opener with a two-homer showcase, but right before the Captain went off we got a glimpse of Judge’s potential protege going deep for the first time this year too. Spencer Jones launched one out to right field on Saturday, displaying the power that so many have been captivated by… and he also struck out twice, underscoring the primary concern scouts have had with his development.

This season figures to be a critical one for Jones’ future as a Yankee. Many of the cards are out of his control, namely the packed Yankee outfield that is set to get consistent playing time that doesn’t even include Jasson Domínguez as a regular yet. Jones would be next in line afterwards, meaning that unless the injury bug strikes particularly hard or Jones goes on a season-long scorcher to force their hand, he probably isn’t seeing much time on the major league roster.

With that in mind, unless the Yankees swing a trade involving him he’ll have a full season in Triple-A to develop his power further and work on the big swing and miss flaws in his game. So what should we expect from the outfielder entering his age-25 season? He took a major leap last year, jumping his OPS up from .789 in Double-A in 2024 to a .932 mark split between Double-A and Triple-A. The power skyrocketed, going from 17 long balls to 35, and the notorious strikeouts continued to pile up as he whiffed 179 times in 438 plate appearances compared to 200 times in 482 PAs.

Jones is one of the most volatile prospects to project that the Yankees have had in a while. His ceiling could genuinely be a left-handed version of the Captain’s prowess in the box, but his floor could be a bat with pop that cannot convert on it because he struggles too much to make any contact. Will he take another leap and fill out the holes in his swing, especially given that he’s made changes to his stance already? Will we see more of the same from Jones, talent to be tapped into with enough frustrating flaws to hold him back? Will the Yankees even be the ones to see how it all pans out, or will they ship him out for other needs somewhere midseason? What’s your take on the Yankees’ biggest bat down in the minors?

Today on the site, we’ve got a double-feature for Josh leading off with a birthday tribute to Elston Howard and his legacy with the franchise as a barrier-breaking great before kicking off our team previews with a look at the lowly Rockies out west. In-between we’ve got Sam giving us a preview of the funky lefty in the bullpen, Tim Hill, and then after the exhibition game I’ll be back to open up this week’s mailbag for questions.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Time: 1:05 p.m. EST

Video: Gotham Sports App, SportsNet-PIT

Venue: LECOM Park, Bradenton, FL

Observations from Yankees’ spring training on Sunday:

Where they ain’t

Making his spring debut, Cody Bellinger picked up a pair of singles — neither of which was hit particularly hard, but both found the right spots.

The left fielder used his contact skills and speed — the latter resulting in an infield single — to his advantage.

Bucky Dent talking through infield mechanics with Jazz Chisholm Jr. pic.twitter.com/rQAxUcHaKy

— Greg Joyce (@GJoyce9) February 22, 2026

Swing & miss

Trent Grisham used up an early challenge on the ABS, unsuccessfully trying to get a strike turned into a ball in the bottom of the first.

Caught my eye

Bucky Dent arrived at Yankees camp Sunday as a guest instructor and spent time talking with both Jazz Chisholm Jr. and, in an even longer conversation, Anthony Volpe.

“There’s wisdom to impart there,” manager Aaron Boone said. “For these guys to come back and offer some of that is always valuable.”

Today’s schedule

The Yankees travel to Bradenton, Fla., for a 1 p.m. game against the Pirates.

Lefty Ryan Yarbrough is set to make his first start of the spring, with Ben Rice among the regulars in the lineup.

TAMPA — The Yankees did not pooh-pooh their pregame workouts Sunday; they just had to move them across the street.

A sewage leak, caused by a clogged drain in a pipe outside of the footprint of Steinbrenner Field, forced the Yankees to hold their breath and move over to their player development complex for morning workouts while crews finished the cleanup before the team returned for a game against the Mets.

The leak sprung up Saturday afternoon and spilled into areas around the home clubhouse.

It did not do any real damage in the main area where players dress and house their equipment, though.

“In spots, it was really bad,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday after returning for a 6-4 loss to the Mets. “Fortunately, it didn’t get into the clubhouse where it could have seeped in and we would have had to pull up carpet and lockers and equipment in the clubhouse. So that part of it was good.

“There’s some sensitive areas that need to be addressed; I’m sure they will be in the coming days. But for the most part, we should be good. We should be normal postgame, with everyone showering and doing what they need to do to end the day.”

The coaches room appeared to have the carpet pulled up, and other areas were more affected, in addition to a brutal stench wafting through the area Saturday, though it had mostly dissipated by Sunday morning as workers finished off an around-the-clock cleanup.

“I was surprised at how much they were able to get things cleaned up and sanitized,” Boone said. “Credit to a lot of people that put in a lot of hours overnight and this morning. Hopefully, we’re in a good position moving forward. We got probably some longer-term things that got to get fixed but should be in a good spot.”

Luis Gil made his spring debut, striking out four across 2 ²/₃ innings while giving up a solo home run to Jared Young.

His fastball averaged 94.5 mph and topped out at 96.6, but the right-hander said he still believes he can get back to his 2024 form — both in velocity (averaging 96.6 mph) and in overall performance — after he averaged 95.3 mph in 2025.

“I feel like I’m on the right track,” Gil said through an interpreter. “I think the work we’ve done together has been very, very good and has put me in the right lane. I feel like I’m where I need to be right now. I don’t have any doubt in my mind that I can get back to that level, where I was in 2024. God willing, I’ll be.”

With Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger in Sunday’s lineup, Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton are now the last two regulars who have yet to play in a Grapefruit League game.

Rice is expected to make his debut Monday against the Pirates after being slowed earlier in camp by a stiff neck, which kept him from hitting for a few days.

Stanton, meanwhile, is being slow-played into games in an attempt to keep him fresh in the long run.

Boone is targeting either side of the March 2 off day to get Stanton into his first game, with the 36-year-old DH being limited to workouts and live batting practice in the meantime.

On Sunday morning, he was shagging fly balls in right field as his teammates took batting practice.

NJ.com | Randy Miller: When Spencer Jones launched a fly ball deep into the Tampa sky and out of George M. Steinbrenner Stadium during his first plate appearances this spring, Yankees fans were immediately reminded of the towering moonshots that Aaron Judge so regularly graces us with in the Bronx. However, eagle-eyed fans clued into not the flying ball, but the center fielder’s swing, would have been reminded of another multi-time MVP winner: Shohei Ohtani. The 24-year-old left handed hitter spent the winter once again trying to rework his swing in order to cut down on his strikeouts without sacrificing power, and this year, he has settled on a stance that even Judge and manager Aaron Boone describe as Ohtani-like. Hopefully, the results will begin to look similar, too.

New York Post | Greg Joyce: The prevailing assumption at the moment is that, once shortstop Anthony Volpe finishes rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery, he will return to the starting role that he has filled, rather underwhelmingly compared to expectations, since Opening Day 2023. That being said, José Caballero has a chance to make the decision a difficult one. Acquired at the trade deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays, Caballero immediately injected energy into the Yankees lineup both through his speed and his ability to play all over the diamond. Now, with a month-plus manning the shortstop job to start the season, Caballero has a shot to show that he needs to stay in the lineup and partner up once more with his minor league double play partner, Jazz Chisholm.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: (subscription required, but same report found elsewhere) Former Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling visited Rickie Ricardo on WFAN yesterday, and dropped some news on us: he suffered a heart attack back in January. Fortunately, Sterling said that “all things are good,” and that he has spent the last few weeks in bed watching the Winter Olympics while recovering.

The Guardians shoutout the A’s yesterday and scored another right-handed hitter on their roster by adding Rhys Hoskins on a minor-league deal.

We covered the Hoskins’ signing here, and Zack Meisel also covered it well for the Athletic here. It’s nice to have some more left-handed hitting-ability and slugging in camp. So, let’s see how it goes from here.

In the Guardians’ 6-0 win over the Athletics yesterday, the Guardians had 9 of the top 11 exit velocities, with Ralphy Velazquez leading the Guardians with a 111.1 mph single. Stuart Fairchild had two 105 mph singles and has looked solid to begin camp, as has Kahlil Watson who had a 105.7 single. George Valera hit a 104.7 mph home run. Travis Bazzana and Angel Genao didn’t light up the scoreboard, with only Genao registering a single, but both put up good at-bats, in general.

All of Parker Messick’s pitches were up a little bit in average speed, which is good for the beginning of camp. Will Dion struck out three batters in two scoreless innings pitched.

Tim Stebbins had a nice piece on David Fry’s return to playing catcher in yesterday’s game, for MLB.com.

The Guardians play the Diamondbacks at 3:05PM ET today.

TAMPA — Quick: Which member of the Yankees double-play combination — at least to start the season — is Aaron Boone discussing?

“He plays the game with a ton of confidence. Sometimes, I got to try to rein his confidence in a little bit, but it’s a gift that he’s got. When he’s out there, he thinks he’s the best player on the field.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr. would be an understandable guess.

But the manager was, in fact, referring to José Caballero, who starts the season as the Yankees starting shortstop next to Chisholm, at least until Anthony Volpe is ready to return from offseason shoulder surgery.

The Yankees got a taste of Caballero’s impact over the final two months of last season — felt most consistently with his speed on the basepaths, ability to play all over the field and his legitimate defense as a backup shortstop — and now, he has an opportunity to build on that in an everyday role over the first month-plus of this season.

“That’s out of my control,” Caballero said Sunday after hitting a home run in a 6-4 loss to the Mets when asked how the shortstop dynamic might play out. “I control what I can control. I’m going to go out there and do my best every day. They make the decision.”

The reality is that even if Caballero crushes it over the first month-plus of the season, the Yankees are likely to give a healthy Volpe a runway to show that he can still be their starting shortstop.

Since late last year, when there were questions about whether Caballero should take over for Volpe at the position, the Yankees have believed they are at their best when Caballero is their 10th man and a weapon off the bench.

But Caballero at least has a chance to make the decision an interesting one by taking advantage of the everyday playing time.

“He’s just so good at so many different positions, and there’s some fast-twitch in there, which obviously [helps with] stolen bases, he’s so dynamic on the basepaths,” Boone said. “You want the ball hit to him, wherever you put him. He’s good in the outfield; he’s good at all the infield positions. But there’s just a confidence, if he’s sitting over there for a few days, he brings a lot to the table that you want to have of a bench player late in a game. So just a lot of things he brings to the table.

“He’s one of those guys that’s a really good complete-your-roster [player] for a winning club.”

Boone paired up Caballero and Chisholm for the second time in three games Sunday and plans to have them play three more games together this week before they each leave to play in the World Baseball Classic — Caballero for Panama and Chisholm for Great Britain.

The good news is that the two already have prior history together as young minor leaguers in the Diamondbacks organization.

Each eventually was traded away, but their comfort working together has quickly returned now that they are Yankees.

“He’s not scared to play his game,” Chisholm said. “A lot of guys get to the big leagues or New York and try to play a different game and not be themselves. That’s the best thing about him is that he comes out there and he is himself. He’s not afraid to be himself. That’s what helps him with his overall game.”

That also applies to Chisholm, which is perhaps another element that makes them simpatico in addition to their confidence.

(When asked who was more confident in their abilities between Caballero and Chisholm, Boone grinned and answered Clarke Schmidt.)

Caballero, coming off leading the majors with 49 steals, is more of a burner while Chisholm has more power.

But Caballero flashed his own pop Sunday, a home run off Justin Hagenman reminiscent of some of the power shows he puts on during batting practice.

“I can hit the ball hard,” Caballero said. “It’s not [always] showing in the game, so I’m trying to be more consistent with it.”

TAMPA — Mets fans weren’t the only ones waiting to get their eyes on Carson Benge on Sunday.

So was Carlos Mendoza.

“I’m excited to watch him play for the first time — other than on video,” the manager said before Benge made his Grapefruit League debut for the Mets in a 6-4 win over the Yankees at Steinbrenner Field.

There were no highlights from the 23-year-old, who started in right field and led off, but that’s not what the Mets are looking for.

After their 2024 first-round draft pick shot up the minor league system last year — his first full season in professional baseball— expectations were only heightened when president of baseball operations David Stearns said in November that Benge “is going to come into spring training with a chance to make our team.”

And then Stearns’ actions backed that up, as Brandon Nimmo was traded to the Rangers.

Luis Robert Jr. was acquired from the White Sox to play center, but there remains a vacancy in right field — now that Juan Soto is in left — for Benge.

“At the end of the day, I’m gonna try and be me — and nothing else,” Benge said before the game. “And let things work out for themselves.”

The lefty-swinging Benge opened with a pair of rough at-bats against Yankees right-hander Luis Gil before facing left-handed sidearmer Tim Hill.

For Benge, who’s played just 131 games in the minors after two seasons at Oklahoma State as a two-way player, the argument could be made that he needs more experience before he’s ready for Queens.

Whether that can be accomplished in time for Opening Day remains to be seen, but the skill set has impressed scouts, who nearly universally believe Benge has a shot at success in the majors soon — if not by the end of March.

“It’s Day 1 and we want him to be himself, compete, play [his] game and don’t try to do too much,” Mendoza said.

And instead of focusing on results, the manager pointed to “quality of at-bats, laying off pitches, baserunning [and] defense.”

Benge struggled for stretches after his mid-August call-up to Triple-A Syracuse and endured an 0-for-24 stretch before finishing the season better.

Still, it’s unusual for a player to jump to the majors after just 24 games at Triple-A.

But his mind is on making the Opening Day roster.

“Definitely,” Benge said. “I want to come in here, do my best, be myself, and whatever happens, happens.”

And whatever happens, the spotlight will remain on Benge, and Mendoza will be watching to see how he handles it.

“I like to see how he handles adversity,” Mendoza said of the outfielder, who began last season at High-A Brooklyn. “He’s gonna go through it. It’s always tough, especially when there’s so much out there. There could be a lot of noise — good or bad. It’s part of the process. You could have a great camp or you could go out there and it’s hard for you. But one thing we told him is to control what you control and let the people that make the decisions make the decisions.”

Benge said he’s aware of the organization’s stated confidence in him — and also knows that will only get him so far.

“It’s pretty cool,” Benge said. “No matter what, I’ll still try to be myself and play the game like I’ve always played it.”

PEORIA, Ariz. –– As each of the Dodgers’ first three batters came to the plate at the start of Sunday’s spring training game against the Padres, the blue-clad portions of Peoria Sports Complex erupted in cheers.

The first ovation for one of the club’s returning World Series heroes, infielder Miguel Rojas. The last was for another, catcher Will Smith.

But in between them, the team’s newest star acquisition was serenaded for the first time by his new fan base.

Kyle Tucker, welcome to the Dodgers.

“It’s been pretty easy to feel welcomed and everything,” the four-time All-Star and $240 million offseason signing said after the Dodgers’ 5-1 win over the Padres, in which he made his spring training debut with the club. “Everyone from the front office to the players and coaching staff and everyone, they make it easy to just come in here and kind of do your thing.”

Here are four takeaways from Sunday’s game, starting with Tucker’s debut:

King Tuck takes the field: Though Tucker only took two at-bats Sunday, he said he felt good about both. In the first inning, he smoked a 108.6 mph grounder, albeit right to a fielder at second for an out. In the third inning, he worked a four-pitch walk (one of the balls was via a pitch clock violation) to help spur a four-run rally.

“Saw the ball decently well, hit it decently well, just kind of on the ground,” said Tucker, who joked that his goal this spring is to improve on his 3-for-30 showing in Cactus League play last year.

Call taking it slow: One Dodgers outfielder who has not yet appeared in Cactus League play, and likely won’t for at least a little while longer, is Alex Call. Though last year’s trade deadline acquisition has been participating in team workouts this week, he is also nursing a minor foot issue that has put him on a slightly slower progression this spring.

“Just woke up one morning and my foot hurt, which was weird,” Call said. “But didn’t do anything (specifically to hurt it). Not too concerned about it.”

Caught my eye: While Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland are the leading candidates to help fill in for Tommy Edman while he recovers from offseason ankle surgery, several non-roster invites are in camp competing for an infield spot. That includes six-year MLB veteran Nick Senzel, who impressed Sunday with a pair of hard-hit doubles and a nice play charging in on a ball at third base. Senzel was a minor-league signing this offseason.

Up next: The Dodgers will have their home opener in Cactus League play on Monday when they face the Mariners at Camelback Ranch. Landon Knack is scheduled to start on the mound.

TAMPA — Mark Vientos has started just 12 games at first base in the majors — and 66 in the minors.

But there’s a chance he could get a lot more time at the position this season, with Jorge Polanco likely to be at DH frequently.

Mendoza has pointed to both the right-handed Vientos and lefty-swinging Brett Baty as something of a backup platoon, and Vientos got his first game action at first on Sunday.

“It’s good to get my feet wet in the first game,” said Vientos, who’s been working with infield coach Tim Leiper and bench coach Kai Correa. “Getting everyday reps over there [will] for sure get me a lot more comfortable.”

There are some scouts who believe Vientos fits better at first than he does at third, where his defensive issues have been clear throughout his career.

“I think sometimes he tries to do too much at third,” one National League scout said. “That could be less of an issue at first.”

Mendoza said he’s confident in Vientos’ ability to receive the ball at first and is more focused on his work around the bag.

“We know he’s got really good hands, but I think his ability to use the whole bag — corner to corner — when he’s going to stretch for throws [is important],” Mendoza said.

If Ryan Clifford makes it to the majors, it will likely be due to his bat.

He hit a combined 29 homers in 579 plate appearances last season split between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse.

But he’s also working to become a more versatile player on defense, as evidenced by starting 66 games at first base, 27 in left field and 24 in right last season.

On Sunday, he was in left in his Grapefruit League debut as he works on his technique in the outfield.

“I try to be quick laterally and make sure my feet are moving and I’m putting myself in the right direction, getting to top speed as quick as I can,” Clifford said.

He’s also trying to be more aggressive at the plate in order not to miss the best pitch of an at-bat.

Mendoza believes Clifford could be a potential option in the outfield at some point and is looking for more consistent contact at the plate.

The 22-year-old’s strikeout rate decreased at Double-A from 2024 to 2025 and then dipped a bit lower when Clifford was promoted to Syracuse last season.

“We know the power and the ability to control the strike zone [is there],” Mendoza said. “It just comes down to him making contact on a consistent basis. He did that in Triple-A.”

Cristian Pache hasn’t played in the majors since 2024 and spent all of last season with Arizona’s Triple-A Reno affiliate.

The 27-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Mets in the offseason in an effort to win an outfield job with the organization.

He was in the lineup in center field on Sunday and had a pair of hits.

Justin Hagenman, a 29-year-old right-hander who pitched nine games for the Mets last season, including one start, gave up one run on a pair of hits and three walks in 2 ¹/₃ innings in his start against the Yankees.

He also struck out three.

The Cincinnati Reds fell to 0-2 in Cactus League play after a 14-8 loss to the Seattle Mariners at home in Goodyear on Sunday afternoon. Let’s take a closer look at what went down.

The Good

Veteran righty Randy Dobnak has thrown exactly 15.0 big league innings since the end of the 2021 season. He was brought in on a minor league deal with the M’s, and he got the start on Sunday for them.

The top of the Cincinnati lineup wrecked him.

Dobnak was smashed for 7 hits and 5 ER in 1.1 IP. The top of the Reds order flourished as TJ Friedl (1 for 2, R, 2 RBI), Matt McLain (2 for 3, R, 2 RBI), and Elly De La Cruz (2 for 3, 2 RBI) all looked in peak form.

Down in the bullpen, Graham Ashcraft fired a scoreless, hitless IP with a pair of Ks, while TJ Antone continued his way back from a third Tommy John surgery with a perfect frame of his own (with a K).

The Bad

Eugenio Suarez started for the second straight day with his new-old club, and he went 0 for 3 with a pair of Ks. He’s now 0 for 6 with a trio of Ks across his first two Cactus League games with the Reds.

It’s ok, though. We know Geno is streaky as can be, and frankly I’d prefer he get his bad streak out right now when the scoreboard doesn’t matter.

The Ugly

While Ashcraft and Antone were effective, the bulk of the rest of the relief corps fighting for Opening Day roster spots got smashed on the day.

Luis Mey (0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER), Zach Maxwell (0.2 IP, ER, 4 BB, K), and Connor Phillips (0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K) couldn’t finish their innings, while Lyon Rirchardson (1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, O K) didn’t fare much better.

While the Reds invested heavily in more established bullpen arms so that these young bucks wouldn’t need to be locked in from day one, it’s still a bit alarming that all of them looked so lost at the same time this early in spring camp.

What’s Next

The Reds will have the day off on Monday before facing off against the Kansas City Royals at home on Tuesday. First pitch is once again slated for 3:05 PM ET, though it will also not be televised. You’ll be able to listen to it via 1360 WSAI, however.

Andrew Abbott will get the start for his Cactus League debut, while KC is currently scheduled to roll out veteran righty Michael Wacha for the start.

New manager Tony Vitello is new to life in the Majors. He’s never experienced baseball like this first hand. Quality at this quantity right between the eyes. The Big Time. The Show. Professionalism oozing from the pores of the ticket scanners to the players. These diamonds shine — even in Spring Training.  

Five pitches into Robbie Ray’s debut the stadium alarm system went off. Somewhat worryingly the incessant beeping and declarative voice over the loud speaker, directing everyone in attendance that an emergency had been reported and everyone should vacate the building, was collectively ignored.

Because this ain’t college ball, coach. This is the PROs. The game doesn’t just stop because there’s some kind of “emergency.” These gladiators don’t just seek safety — like sheep — because some automated, disembodied voice says so. As the sirens roared and all of Scottsdale burned in the distance, Robbie Ray pitched on, walking the first two batters he faced, then before giving up a bloop single to Seiya Suzuki…

No matter, this is the Major Leagues, in case you forgot, where two walks + a single = three outs. 

Welcome to the Big Leagues, Mr. Vitello — this is what it’s like every damn day.

Obviously, Cactus League play in February is not the Lincoln Center. One does not usually venture down to the Phoenix metropolitan area in search of grace and elegance. The Spring Training version of black-tie is a loose-fitting Hawaiian shirt, a straw hat, and an inner-thigh sunburn. Games this early on are about as edifying as three hot dogs and a beer for lunch. 

The Giants 4 – 2 win over the Chicago Cubs was a circus of lost fly balls, booted grounders, brainless base-running, poor command, and overcooked offerings. 10 walks and 9 hits allowed by pitching, 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position — this is not a blueprint for success. The rust showed all the way up in the broadcaster’s booth as well. At one point Duane Kuiper stated that Alex Bregman “helped us win a World Series.” Jeff Kent called Alex Rodriguez “a fat ass” and a “son of a bitch” on live radio (but that might be an example of Kent in form), and Jon Miller referred to Bryce Eldridge as Bryce Harper.

But bad baseball is better than no baseball. Man, it feels good to be back. 

Things to note: 

Matt Chapman rocketed doubles with exit velocities of 109 MPH and 107 MPH in his first two at-bats of spring. Guess the hand’s feeling good. 

Carson Seymour made his spring debut with a scoreless frame in the 2nd. He surrendered a single, touched 97 MPH multiple times on the radar gun, and showed off three different fastball types (four-seam, sinker, cutter). While Seymour came up as a starter, there has been some early camp chatter about him wiggling his way on to the roster by way of the bullpen.  

Luis Arraez didn’t look like a complete kook in his first start playing second base. He actually made a somewhat heads up play on Suzuki’s 1st inning bloop with an off-balanced throw that went right to Rafael Devers who initiated the improbable triple play. A rangier defender might have tracked down that flare — thank god Arraez didn’t. Can you imagine settling for only one out on that play?

Jung Hoo Lee lined an outside splitter 103 MPH to left field in his first at-bat. Spraying hits and using the whole field is the key to sustained success at the plate for Lee in 2026. More positive news for the Hoo Lee Gans: Right field seems like a decent fit so far. In the 6th, Lee ranged far to the foul line to track down a fly ball before a strong and accurate one-hop throw home bagged the runner tagging from third.

There were seven ABS challenges in the game. The Cubs went 2-for-4 while the Giants went 2-for-3 Patrick Bailey botched his first one on an elevated sinker that he thought scratched a corner. Turns out his framing is so good he can even fool himself.

Here’s the Giants’ box score, courtesy of Baseball Savant.

And here’s the pitching breakdown, courtesy of Baseball Savant.

Today, the Colorado Rockies lost a road game to the Texas Rangers, 9-5. (The Dolly Parton song moves much faster than today’s game did.) For more details, go here.

We’re not yet to the point where we’re doing postgame write-ups, but here is some video from today’s game.

First, here’s manager Warren Schaeffer:

And here’s Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros, who had a pretty good day:

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

If you turned this game off in the second inning, that’d be understandable. Maybe you are one of the many people who woke up incredibly early to watch the US men’s hockey team gold medal match against Canada. Also, this lazy Sunday game was the first radio-only affair of the spring, held down by the broadcast crew of Rick Rizzs, Gary Hill Jr., and the affable Charlie Furbush. And by the end of the third inning, the Mariners were down 8-2. Totally get it if you went to do something else.

But if you turned the game off, you missed some fun stuff. Especially if you like [sparkle fingers] challenges. Because the fate of this game turned on Mariners prospect Jared Sundstrom making a good challenge, and butterfly-effect style, making a new game, one where the Mariners emerged victorious, 14-8.

Another story of this game: the sheer amount of pitches the Mariners batters made Reds pitching throw. The Reds used 11 pitchers, who threw a combined 240 pitches. The Mariners drew 10 walks. Mariners pitching? Issued zero walks. Mmmm, that’s some good Controlling of the Zone.

Once again, the Mariners drew first blood, foreshadowing the level of Problem this lineup could be this season. The Mariners forced Reds starter Jose Franco to throw 30 pitches in the first inning, scraping a run out on a trio of singles: a leadoff one from Luke Raley, a hard-hit one from Julio Rodríguez (99.9 EV), and a magnificent hard-won RBI from Randy Arozarena, who took the ninth pitch of an at-bat right back up the middle (107.7 EV) for a run-scoring single. Randy was wearing the number 75, because he’d forgotten his jersey back in Peoria, and you know what, Randy? Relatable.

But that early lead quickly turned into a deep deficit. Randy Dobnak had a rough Mariners debut, working around an Elly De La Cruz double in the first but unable to escape the second inning, giving up six straight hits. All but two of those hits were on the sinker, which got torched by the Reds hitters. The Mariners had to bring in one of their “jicky” (Just In Case) minor-leaguers to mop up the inning, and Ryan Hawks, 2023 eighth-rounder, took care of De La Cruz and Eugenio Suárez, buttoning up the inning by striking out Geno with a slider.

Casey Legumina picked up where Hawks left off, taking care of his three hitters 1-2-3 for a clean third inning and ending on a strikeout of Ke’Bryan Hayes, a good showing for the Bean Man in his spring debut. Maybe that energy transferred to the offense, as the Mariners got one back in the fourth thanks to a two-out double by Will “Willy” Wilson followed by a Brock Rodden triple.

I will take one ticket to the Brocketship, please and thank you.

But Ryan Loutos, making his Mariner debut, gave that run right back and then some. Loutos just wasn’t able to miss many bats: the Reds were able to contact everything he put on the plate, and by the time the next jicky came in to stop the bleeding—this time Marcelo Pérez—the score was 8-2. Once again, the minor-league callup stepped up; Pérez struck out Geno chasing after a slider and coaxed a groundout from Spencer Steer to cap the damage.

But the Mariners battled back in the second half of the game. It started in the fifth, when the Mariners played some small ball against former Mariner prospect Connor Phillips. The big hit came from Julio, who scorched a double (104.2 EV) off a sweeper well below the zone. Arozarena worked another walk, this time with two outs, bringing up Dominic Canzone, who singled to score Luke Stevenson, pinch-running for Julio. Michael Arroyo then turned in yet another polished plate appearance: he’d gotten some bad luck earlier in the game, a 107.6 mph lineout and a groundout that came off the bat at 103.2; this time he worked a walk, refusing to chase anything out of the zone, to load the bases. The defense remains an issue – he mishandled a routine throw and let a ball go past his glove today at second – but his production in the box will force him into the lineup somehow. Will Wilson then worked a bases-loaded walk of his own to cut the deficit to 8-4.

Then it was time for the Brock Star again. Facing new pitcher Julian Garcia, Rodden shot a ground ball just out of reach of former Mariners prospect Edwin Arroyo to bring in another run. Jonny Farmelo struck out to end the inning, but the game now stood at a manageable 8-5.

In the middle innings, it was time for some more Mariners debuts. Robinson Ortiz made his Mariners debut in the fifth with a clean 1-2-3 inning of three weak-contact outs (one was a little more adventurous than it needed to be thanks to a poor throw from Arroyo, but Josh Naylor was able to clean it up). Ortiz’s fastball hung out around 93 mph and he primarily threw his four-seam with a couple of sliders mixed in. In the sixth, it was time for Cole Wilcox. Wilcox definitely won the stuff battle, hanging out at 97 on his sinker and touching as high as 98.5 while collecting two strikeouts.

The Mariners added another pair of runs in the seventh against Lyon Richardson. Arozarena—wearing number 75 because he apparently forgot his jersey, oh Randy—singled in his final plate appearance. New LL heartthrob Brennen Davis worked a walk, showing some solid strike zone awareness. Blake Rambusch and Luis Suisbel then hit back-to-back singles to bring the Mariners within a run, 8-7.

The turning point of the game came in the eighth inning. With two outs, the Reds had challenged a pitch on Carson Taylor; the call was upheld, and Taylor walked. That brought up Jared Sundstrom, who was initially called out in a 1-2 count on a 98.1 mph fastball on the inside edge. Sundstrom immediately challenged, and the call was reversed. Sundstrom would go on to work a walk as Reds pitcher Zach Maxwell’s command further disintegrated. Brennen Davis and Blake Rambusch would go on to work back-to-back walks, tying up the game at 8-8.

Obviously playing for the win, Dan Wilson left Jhonathan Díaz out for the bottom of the eighth after he had worked a clean seventh. That set up the Baby Mariners for the win in the ninth: two highly-touted Mariners prospects delivered leadoff doubles, with Felnin Celesten doubling in his first at-bat of the spring and then sprinting home on a Jonny Farmelo double to give the Mariners their first lead since the first inning. Josh Caron followed that with a single to put runners on the corners with no outs, and Luke Stevenson worked the Mariners’ tenth walk of the day. Sundstrom then came through again with a two-run single into left, setting up Brennen Davis for the kill shot. Davis demolished a middle-middle fastball at 114 mph for a three-run home run to make the score 14-8, and that’s where the game would end as Domingo Gonzalez worked a 1-2-3 inning in his Mariners debut.

In a game that featured nine challenges, none was more impactful than Sundstrom’s, leading to the Mariners tying the game. With the ABS system, players have an opportunity take more ownership over their at-bats, but the risk is significant; those who have an impeccable sense of the zone will find themselves advantaged by the challenge system. The Mariners went 2-for-3 in their challenges today, but more importantly, they won the battle in the zone on both sides of the ball. The Reds recorded 12 hits, striking out eight times and, as mentioned, walking none; the Mariners recorded 17 hits, and while they did strike out 12 times, they also earned 10 free passes. No matter what innovations come to the game, commanding the zone is timeless.

Record: 1-2. Change on 2025: +1. 5-inning record: 0-3

Kohl Drake got the start, and it was a bit bumpy initially, as he walked the first two batters he faced. One of those came around to score, but Drake settled down nicely. He retired the next six men he faced, including strikeouts of established major-leaguers Travis D’Arnaud and Trey Mancini in the second. Arizona then got scoreless innings from two men who are competing for spots in the major-league bullpen, in Yilber Diaz and Kade Stroud, the latter disposing of the Angels on six pitches with a trio of groundouts. The D-backs tied things in the fourth, on a Nolan Arenado RBI double, but Junior Fernandez allowed the visitors back in front in the fifth, giving up two hits and a walk.

The sixth inning was… long and interesting. The Angels broke out with a four-run top half, all the runs being charged to Landon Sims while he retired two batters. But facing a 6-1 deficit, the Diamondbacks struck back in no uncertain fashion, putting up six runs in their half. Alek Thomas had a two-run double, and Jorge Barrosa later capped off the frame with a two-run homer, giving Arizona a 7-6 lead. Wholesale changes followed for Arizona, and they were unable to keep Los Angeles off the board in any inning after the fourth. A Jose Fernandez triple and LuJames Groover groundout made things interesting, but the D-backs came up just short.

Geraldo Perdomo reached base safely all three times he was up, on two singles and a walk, with Fernandez and Thomas each notching a hit and a base on balls. Tomorrow will see the Diamondbacks leave Salt River Fields for the first time this spring, heading past SnakePit Towers on their way to Goodyear, where they will take on the Guardians. Taylor Clarke will get the start for our boys, with Juans Morillo and Burgos among those expected to come out of the bullpen thereafter. It will be another 1:05 pm start.

Another lackluster effort from the A’s dropped their early spring record to 0-2 after a second straight loss, this time to a different AL Central foe in the Cleveland Guardians. The A’s couldn’t bounce back after a rough third inning and now they’re 0-2 to start 2026. Good thing spring stats and records don’t matter!

At “home” for the first time this season, the A’s went with their staff leader this afternoon, giving right-hander Luis Severino his first start of camp as they begin the ramp up process for their prized (and expensive) starting pitcher. The 32-year-old righty looked like he was in mid-season form as he tossed two scoreless innings, reaching 34 pitches. That’s about as encouraging a start as one could hope for from Sevy and we’ll all be hoping today was the start of a massive campaign for the could-be free agent.

We might only see Severino one or two more times before he departs the team to join Team Dominican Republic for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. That’ll essentially be his spring training continued, but you gotta put more stock into those outings than simple exhibition games in Arizona because you know he’ll be pitching for his team’s life. The A’s, and more or less every team in the league, will be watching that tournament closely for signs of things to come from all of their participating players.

Cleveland apparently was very happy that Sevy only went a couple frames today. Once he was pulled it was right-hander Joel Kuhnel’s turn and the Guardians jumped all over him. Without managing to finish the frame he yielded four earned runs, only getting bailed out by Kenya Huggins at the end of the inning. That seemed like it might have done it right then and there, but we still had six-and-a-half more innings to go.

Meanwhile on offense the A’s looked lost against Cleveland’s relief depth. While none of the Guardians’ primary arms were on the bump today that didn’t seem to matter for them as the Athletics’ offense managed just four hits all afternoon, with two coming off the bat of a single player.

They did have one chance to break through early. Three straight two-out walks loaded the bases for the A’s in the bottom of the second but Denzel Clarke grounded out to end that scoring opportunity. Not a great start to his camp as he went 0-for-2 in his first game this spring.

Cleveland scored another run in the fifth off of some small-ball against right-hander Luis Morales, who is widely expected to land a spot among the starting five in the rotation. One can’t help but have questions about the right-hander’s ability to begin the season in the rotation and make every scheduled start for the next six months. Are the A’s going to be limiting his outings to shorter 3-4 inning stints to keep his workload down early on? Keep in mind he set a career-high in innings pitched last year at 139 between the minors and big leagues.

The A’s had one final chance to score a run in the bottom half of the sixth thanks to a pair of hits from prospects Tommy White and Henry Bolte, but again were unable to break through and prevent a shutout. The A’s went down quietly after that, going home losers of two straight to begin Spring Training.

Well, at least it was closer than yesterday’s matchup. The offense went silent for the second straight day, collecting just four hits and three walks while striking out 14 times. Meanwhile the Guardians rode a big third inning to the win this afternoon. On the plus side for the A’s a lot of that damage came against one pitcher who was always unlikely to make the Opening Day roster. Most of the A’s arms that took the mound had a positive day and have something to build off of moving forward, most of all Severino. If today helps him get right for the next six months then this loss will be a long-forgotten memory soon.

We do it all again tomorrow as the Athletics go on the road to take on the San Francisco Giants. The A’s plan to start right-hander J.T. Ginn for tomorrow’s contest, where he’ll be expected to get up to around 25 or so pitches. Ginn is in a similar boat as Jack Perkins: lots of people are expecting them to settle into more or a longman/swingman role, but they’re fighting to prove that they can be a viable starting option for the A’s as they emerge from this rebuild. For pitchers like Ginn, these games actually do matter for their future. We’ll all be pulling for him because the A’s need to see some growth from some of these guys this coming season. The Giants will go with veteran JT Brubaker to begin tomorrow afternoon’s contest.

Ginn is scheduled to be followed by (in no order) prospects Gage Jump and Braden Nett, and relievers Elvis Alvarado and Tyler Ferguson. Others will join in but we can expect to see those arms on the mound tomorrow against the hated Giants. Who else is especially hyped to see Jump and Nett in action against big league hitters??

Notes:

• Nick Kurtz went 0-for-3 today with a punchout as the first hitter in the lineup, a spot he’s not unfamiliar with. Nothing to make you worry but we’ll be having this discussion all spring: does he really belong in the leadoff spot?
• Reliever Michael Kelly had a great day as he faced three batters and struck all three out. He’s been mentioned as a possible option to close games. Could he make it a no-brainer with a fantastic spring?
• Infielder Max Muncy didn’t start today’s game but pinch-hit for Brent Rooker in the sixth. He popped out there but later drew his first walk of the spring a couple of innings later. We did not see Darell Hernaiz take the field today…
• Second baseman Jeff McNeil got his first hit as an Athletic!
• But Jacob Wilson went 0-for-2. Thankfully no strikeouts, or else we’d really start worrying.
• Outfielder Carlos Cortes and infielder Andy Ibanez both went 0-for-1 with a walk each. Both are fringe roster players but there’s a decent enough chance both end up joining the A’s in Toronto next month. Today didn’t help or hurt their chances.
• Tommy White had two base hits today, displaying some of that hitting that is his calling card. If only he could manage a passable third base. Then we’d really be cooking with gas.
• Two errors today, both from expected starters. McNeil messed up fielding a grounder in the second frame, while Kurtz messed up a throw during that wild top of the third. Get these easy mistakes out of the way now, guys.