Category: MLB

With most of the expected big hitters out of the lineup after yesterday’s split-squad games, some other sources made Tanner Bibee’s first inning of the spring a miserable one. For him.

No. 2 hitter Sam Antonacci started things off for the White Sox when he got a 2-0 cutter that had too much of the plate.

Antonacci knew that was gone from the start, all 107.1 mph, 416´worth. That shot was followed by Miguel Vargas and LaMonte Wade Jr. doubles, with Wade later scoring on a wild pitch for a 3-0 Sox lead.

Bibee settled down for two scoreless innings after that, but Shane Smith showed his weak first start had just been working out the kinks as he kept the Guardians off the board until one run in the third, although a sweet play by William Bergolla Jr. at short kept the damage from being worse.

Lousy Cleveland defense (see, other teams have that, too) helped the Sox to two more runs in the fifth, with Bergolla and Antonacci scoring after walking and getting hit by a pitch, the first of two HBPs for Antonacci in the game. Bergolla also had an RBI single in the sixth, making it 6-1, and Antonacci scored in the seventh for a 7-1 lead. Both players are making management decisions on which middle infielders to keep when camp breaks ever more difficult.

Three Sox relievers cruised their way to the seventh, when Tyler Davis decided the game was too much of a yawner and coughed up three runs on two hits and a walk in the bottom of the seventh. Cleveland added one more in the eighth and had the tying run at the plate, but Adysin Coffey got a three-pitch K to end the threat. Shane Murphy then had an easy ninth for the save.

The Sox only had seven hits for their seven runs as they ran their spring record to 6-4, but six walks and those two HBPs, along with bad Guardian fielding decisions, helped things out.

Next up is a rematch with the Cubs, first pitch at 2:05 p.m. Central tomorrow. It will be on ESPN 1000, but you won’t get to watch the game unless you’re on of those turncoats who get Cubs TV.

Record 5-4. Change on 2025: +0.5. 5-inning record: 2-7.

Whenever a pitcher is leaving the mound with a trainer after having hit two batters and walked a third, while showing sharply lower velocity… Yeah, it’s never a good thing. Such was the situation this afternoon in Tempe for Brandyn Garcia. His fifth inning appearance was sharply curtailed, and the worst was feared. Not least because, if he went down, the only left-handed reliever left on the D-backs’ 40-man roster would be Philip Abner, and the non-roster invitees wouldn’t help much either [there’s only three, and Yu-Min Lin is already reassigned] However, it appears to have been just a stomach bug for Garcia, rather than looming Tommy John surgery. Phew.

While we make our way back from the SnakePit Fainting Couch, the D-backs notched their third consecutive win, though as has become a habit this year, it required a late comeback. A five-run eighth inning proved key, with a three-run homer by Yassel Soler the big hit. Later in the inning, Wallace Clark drove in the final run with a single. I think that might be the first hit ever in a D-backs jersey by a player born in the United Kingdom, Clark being a native of London. Arizona’s other runs came on a two-run homer by Luken Baker in the fourth inning, and a Jorge Barrosa triple the next frame. Soler also walked in addition to his home-run: Baker and Aramis Garcia each had two hits.

Mitch Bratt’s start started well, with a 1-2-3 first, but he ended up lifted in the second after allowing two runs, and also gave up a homer in the third inning, after returning. His final line: 2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. The D-backs ended up using ten pitchers again. The other runs came off Paul Sewald – good to see him in mid-season form already – and Jonathan Loasiga, making his Arizona debut. Bryce Jarvis got the save with a clean ninth, and Abner also appeared, loading the bases but escaping without damage thanks to a pair of strikeouts. A good day for home-plate umpire Jonathan Parra: three ABS challenges, but all confirmed his call.

Tomorrow, it’s back to Salt River Fields where the Guardians will be visiting. Michael Soroka gets his second start, with a 1:10 pm first pitch. Several members of the A-bullpen are scheduled to work behind Soroka.

PORT ST. LUCIE — In the wake of the hamate injury that has sidelined Francisco Lindor for the spring, there have been more opportunities at shortstop.

While the 29-year-old career minor leaguer Jackson Cluff is expected to be minor league depth, he made perhaps the best play of the spring Friday in Jupiter, Fla., when he went deep into the hole on a grounder and fired a strong throw to first to get the out. 

It’s unclear how Cluff could find a path to Queens this season, but he isn’t ruling it out after an unusual professional journey that’s so far taken him to Triple-A, but not the majors. 

Cluff, a practicing Mormon, played at BYU and following his freshman year, he took two years off from school — and baseball — to go on a mission for the church. 

So while players his age were continuing their baseball careers, Cluff was instead taking part in the voluntary mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

“You don’t have to do it, but for people who grow up and are active in the faith, it’s an expectation if you’re asked,’’ Cluff said. “My dad did it and my little brother is on a mission right now. Most people do it.” 

After being unsure prior to BYU, Cluff said he became confident in his choice. 

“I decided it was something I wanted to do and put my career on pause for two years,’’ Cluff said. “Everyone was very supportive, saying, ‘You need to do what you want to do.’ ” 

Cluff ended up spending his two years in Atlanta, not exactly the far-flung places others have gone. 

“You should have seen the look on my face when I found out where I was going,’’ Cluff said. “My dad went to Norway and learned Norwegian. My father-in-law went to Japan. I had teammates go to Mexico and Brazil. But I went to Atlanta and it was awesome.’’ 

As part of his work, Cluff focused on proselytizing and community service. 

“We knock on doors and walk around town,’’ Cluff said. “You get on a bus in Atlanta and talk to people.” 

When the two years were up, Cluff returned to BYU, this time as a 22-year-old sophomore. 

“I wanted to play one more year and it was really important to have a good season because I wanted to play professionally,’’ Cluff said. “Most college players are getting drafted as a 21-year-old junior.” 

Cluff responded with a solid season and called it a “no-brainer” to sign with the Nationals when they took him in the sixth round of the 2019 amateur draft. 

“I told every team, ‘If you pick me, I’ll go,’ ” Cluff said. 

Then, Cluff’s first full professional season was wiped out by COVID-19, before working his way up to Triple-A in 2024, where he spent all of last season. 

His goal this year is to “help this team win games at the big league level at some point this season.” 

Cluff said he knows the infield depth with the Mets will make that difficult, and despite his slow road through the minors, he’s only appreciative of his experiences. 

“The only time my religion comes up in the clubhouse is when people ask if I really took two years off,’’ Cluff said. “I don’t have any regrets. How the mission impacted me personally and helped my faith and perspective on life is much more important than baseball. It’s given me so much direction.” 

And as for his pursuit of his major league dream, Cluff said, “As long as I have a jersey on my back, anything is possible.”

The Mets' spring training plan of stretching Tobias Myers out as a starter continued on Saturday afternoon as the right-hander toed the rubber in the top of the first inning against the Washington Nationals for the first time in camp and ended his outing after three innings of one-run ball.

Myers allowed two hits, both in the third inning, walked one and struck out four while throwing 46 pitches (34 strikes). Through two appearances, Myers has a 1.69 ERA in 5.1 innings.

But it wasn't the results that Myers was most pleased with after the game; it was how he felt during and after the game that Myers was most pleased with.

"It felt good, definitely felt good," he said. "Body felt like it was under control, like I’m not trying to do too much out there, so I feel like when I’m in that mindset and kind of letting everything kind of take care of itself, I keep myself in a better spot than trying to go out there and do a little too much. That’s my key takeaway from today – felt under control and body felt great."

New York acquired Myers from the Milwaukee Brewers in the same deal that brought over Freddy Peralta and after proving to be a Swiss army knife in two seasons with the Brewers, the Mets are hoping the right-hander can do a little bit of everything for them this season. Saturday's start was another chance at showcasing that.

It also gave Myers and Francisco Alvarez a chance to connect in a game for the first time after Myers threw to prospect Kevin Parada in his spring training debut on Monday. While it was the first time the duo played together in a game, it was not the first time Myers had thrown to Alvarez.

"It was great. I actually got to throw to Francisco two weeks before camp started," Myers said. "He was down in South Florida, I was living down there in the offseason so me him, Freddy, couple [other] guys met up and were able to get some work in before camp started. 

"It’s really, really cool – especially this morning – like being able to communicate all morning what we wanna do. Alvy’s full of energy, he’s fun back there. I mean he’s obviously really good at framing pitches because we had like five or six overturned back there, so he’s making them all look like strikes."

While spring training offers the chance for new pitchers and catchers like Myers and Alvarez to familiarize themselves with each other, it's also the time for pitchers to work on new pitches and grips or perfect old ones. It's no different for Myers, who has added a slider to his repertoire this spring to go along with a splitter that he unveiled last season.

"The splitter is fairly new," Myers said. "Last year I started throwing it middle of the season, so trying to fine-tune that pitch and make sure it’s in a good spot when camp breaks. Same pitch, same grip [for my] slider. I’m just spiking it a little bit, so not much different there. We’re just kinda looking for a little bit more depth to get some more swing and miss, so that’s coming along pretty well. It’s been only two weeks throwing it, so it’s been pretty decent."

Whatever role the Mets end up needing out of Myers this season, he'll need his array of pitches to get outs like he did on Saturday. The next step for the 27-year-old, relayed to him by Carlos Mendoza and David Stearns, is to build up his pitch count to 60-65 pitches before re-evaluating the situation.

But no matter how New York uses Myers, he's excited for the opportunity and keeps the same mindset.

"I’m comfortable on the mound, so I feel like if you start a game, if you’re relieving, you’re closing, you still got to get three outs or whatever the case may be so for me I just try to keep that mentality and keep everything simple," he said.

Myers also trusts everybody in charge and knows they have his best interests at heart.

"I like to pride myself on [being] a coachable pitcher, so I like to put my trust in my coaches," he said. "It’s something I did [in Milwaukee] for sure, being a younger guy and kinda getting thrown into like the starting rotation over there.

"Here, very similar. I know everybody here is very, very smart. I know these guys have a great track record and it’s pretty easy to tell when you talk to them and talk to other guys that communicate with those guys, so for me it’s like put my trust in those guys and let them guide me."

The bats of the Cincinnati Reds have been alive for most of Cactus League play in the early going, and that was very much still the case on Saturday. The Reds went on the road and beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-7 in their own ballpark, even doing so while television cameras were broadcasting their action for the first time in seemingly a millenium.

The Good

Matt McLain got the party started in the Top of the 1st with his first dinger of the spring, a solo shot that was part of an overall excellent 2 for 3 day that included a pair of runs scored. Elly De La Cruz smacked another double – every single one of his hits this spring, so far, has been of the extra-base variety – and Sal Stewart singled, stole a base, played 3B, and scored a run.

Michael Chavis – in camp as a non-roster guy – socked a homer, Dane Myers drove in a trio on a two-hit day as he angles to be a right-handed hitting option all across the outfield, and Blake Dunn drove in a trio and scored a run as he angles to be a right-handed hitting option all across the outfield.

Down in the bullpen, big offseason additions Pierce Johnson and Caleb Ferguson both fired scoreless frames, even though neither was completely clean.

The Bad

Lyon Richardson surrendered another run, something he’s done in every one of his appearances so far this spring. But because baseball is weirdly beautiful, he also picked up the win on the day.

Wins! Still a stat in 2026, for whatever reason!

At the plate, Christian Encarnacion-Strand made his own spring debut after dealing with hamstring issues, but was limited to just DH duties and went 0 for 3 with a K. I really, really hope there’s a CES redemption story somewhere in the near future, but I’m beginning to think that ship may well have sailed.

The Ugly

Hunter Greene made his spring debut and got shelled immediately.

He did not retire a single batter in the Bottom of the 1st before being pulled, though thanks to the fun rules of spring training play he returned to the mound for the Bottom of the 2nd to get in more work. His second frame was markedly better, but he was ultimately responsible for 4 ER on 5 H and a walk while fanning nobody.

The good news, though, is that he looked fine. His heater hit triple digits repeatedly, he just wasn’t putting hitters away in vintage mid-season form. Nothing looked like a problem, per se – just a lot of rust and getting his feet wet in an exhibition that didn’t mean a thing in the win column.

What’s Next

Cincinnati’s central Arizona road trip will continue on Sunday, this time at Hohokam Stadium over in Mesa against the Athletics. Andrew Abbott will toe the rubber, with first pitch set for 3:05 PM ET.

No, there’s no TV coverage of it. It’ll be on 700 WLW for your ears, though.

Don’t call it a debut. Since his family didn’t come to see this, Kade Anderson says his first game action as a member of the Mariners’ organization doesn’t count as a debut. But whatever noun you use to describe it, the adjective is “impressive.”

Using a fluid, repeatable delivery, Anderson sat 94-95 with his fastball, freezing up hitters while his slider looked sharp in the zone and induced whiffs outside it, all setting up a changeup that got some Matt Brash-esque swings and misses.

Anderson struck out the very first batter he saw on three pitches. Whiff on a fastball, whiff on a changeup, freeze on a fastball. The victim? Xander Bogaerts, hardly a guy off the backfields. Interrupted by an infield base hit that should have been an out and a full-count walk, Anderson completed the inning by striking out the side. That first inning featured 18 pitches, 13 for strikes, with seven whiffs on ten swings and a 100% first-pitch strike rate.

He came back out for the second, which opened with back-to-back hits. Since both of those runners scored after Anderson was pulled, his final line won’t jump off the page, but Anderson showed every bit of the potential that’s had us salivating since he fell to the Mariners with the third pick of last summer’s Draft.

Cal Raleigh was effusive: “Very impressive. So he can locate the ball, he can command it, he can throw off-speed in the zone for strikes. There’s not…I mean there’s going to be a learning curve, for sure, he was just a little picky around the zone, but for the most part I thought he threw the ball great, especially for the first time out.” (In an extremely Cal move, he used the opportunity to take a potshot at his bro to provide additional context on Anderson’s performance, “I think Logan gave up 10 runs in his first spring training game.”)

Perhaps because he didn’t consider it a debut, Anderson says he wasn’t nervous. “I think you’d be surprised. It’s just another game for me. And when you have that mindset, it makes it much easier on yourself, you don’t get as many nerves.” In the comments, please rank the BS on a scale of 1-10. I’m leaning toward a 4.

Unfortunately for those in attendance, as Anderson got pulled, someone called Houston Roth, who I have definitely heard of before, quickly let all the air out of the room that Anderson had just filled, letting the Padres score a decisive five runs.

But the game got interesting again as Emerson Hancock came out for the third and pitched a 1-2-3 inning, showing the extra velo he’d flashed in his relief appearances last summer. The Mariners plan to begin the season with Hancock as a depth starter, so whether he can hold that extra velo will be a key question. He kept it in his second inning of work, wherein he struck out the side in order, but lost it a bit in an attempt at a third inning. Even so, he was 94-96 in that third inning of work, which, while not 97s of his first inning, is still a couple ticks above where he’s been before.

More promising to me is his slider. He’s got an interesting history with the pitch. In 2023, he was averaging 87 with it, but only getting 30 inches of break. He made an adjustment that offseason and swapped some velo for movement, making it a much better whiff-generator in 2024 and 2025. But what he’s shown so far this spring has been a marriage of the 2023 velo with the 2024-2025 movement. It’s a promising development for a guy whose fastball is coming in harder, and whose sweeper was getting all the praise from Jerry Dipoto on the broadcast. To be sure, I’ve been burned too many times by Emerson Hancock seeming to improve, but Emerson Hancock seems to have improved.

Other Notes

• In the battle for the fourth infield spot, Ryan Bliss had a bad day in the field, missing his landing on one play and showing his noodle arm in another, resulting in two infield base hits that could have been outs. He made up for it a bit with a walk at the plate. Colt Emerson was 0 for 2.
• Luke Raley accounted for the Mariners’ sole run today with his first dinger of the spring, which went to the deep part of the park.
• I would make fun of a new entry in the Randy Arozarena defensive canon, but it’s his birthday, so he gets a pass.
• Cal Raleigh had an unremarkable day except that he’s the first man to play nine full innings this spring, prepping his body for the WBC, which he departs for this afternoon.
• The first Sun Hat Award of 2026 (the award for a noteable contribution to a game I recap) goes to Hancock.

Getting built up as a starter to provide flexibility for a Dodgers pitching staff that thrives in its depth, Justin Wrobleski made his second appearance and first start this spring training against the Cubs in a split-squad day. One of the more experienced and battle-tested of the Dodgers’ young options, Wrobleski was very efficient in two scoreless innings of work against a Cubs lineup built entirely of right-handed options.

Interestingly, usually a pitcher with a pretty even split of four-seamers and sinkers, Wrobleski shelved the sinker and only tossed four-seamers when he went fastball against the Cubs, according to Baseball Savant. That’s partially due to the fact that Wrobleski saw no lefties, for whom he normally reserves most of his sinkers, but it’s still something to keep an eye on.

Edwin Diaz and Tanner Scott, the two primary pieces of the Dodgers’ bullpen, followed Wrobleski—even though it was Díaz who ran into some trouble, losing his command with a couple of walks, Scott’s scoreless frame of work brings a bit more concern, inducing only a single whiff on eight swing attempts against a Cubs team missing all of its primary hitters.

The efficiency that was present in Wrobleski’s performance was what Jackson Ferris lacked against the Texas Rangers in the other game, albeit facing a more talented lineup, including the likes of Wyatt Langford and Joc Pederson. Ferris needed 37 pitches to get the five outs and was ultimately pulled without being able to complete the second inning.

Some things there’s no rushing, including the opportunities of Dalton Rushing himself. The Dodgers’ most effective hitter on this split-squad day, Rushing, hit a two-run homer against the youngster Jack Leiter. Too good for a backup catching role or to return to the minors come Opening Day—without an opportunity available elsewhere in the lineup—Rushing is doing what he can, which is utilizing this spring to showcase his skill set. This home run was Rushing’s first extra-base hit in spring. Sadly, postseason-legend Will Klein ran into some issues late against the Cubs, blowing a lead Los Angeles had acquired due to another two-run shot, this one by Nic Senzel. In the end, Los Angeles dropped both games, losing 7-6 to the Rangers and 6-2 to the Cubs.

Next up, the Dodgers will take on the Angels on Sunday, with Landon Knack making his second appearance of spring against the left-hander Reid Detmers.

The Brewers’ offense was firing on all cylinders today, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Reds in a high-scoring spring training contest, despite outhitting them 17 to 10.

Hunter Greene is an excellent pitcher who will very likely be a significant foe for the Brewers during their regular season battles with the Reds. But today, he wasn’t fooling anyone. After Matt McLain got the Reds on the board first in the top of the first with a solo home run off of today’s starting pitcher Coleman Crow, the Brewer hitters jumped all over Greene. Sal Frelick hit a 99 mph fastball off the wall in center field for a triple, then scored on a wild pitch. Jackson Chourio got to another 99 mph fastball in the upper part of the zone and drove it at 106.9 mph into right field for a base hit. William Contreras hit another single on the eighth pitch he saw. Brice Turang hit a 100 mph fastball through the hole on the left side of the infield, scoring Chourio. Andrew Vaughn golfed a 100 mph fastball into right to score Contreras, and Greene was pulled from the game: he’d faced five batters, all five of them got hits, and three of them had scored.

Julian Garcia, who relieved Greene, got Gary Sánchez and Joey Ortiz out but Blake Perkins also lined a single into right field, which scored Turang and made it 4-1. David Hamilton followed with another single, the seventh Brewer hit of the inning, but Vaughn was thrown out at home for the third out. An eventful first inning was over with the Brewers ahead 4-1.

After Crow retired the Reds in order in the second, Greene returned for the Reds. He walked Frelick to start the inning but got Chourio to ground into a fielder’s choice and then got Contreras to ground into a double play, and his second inning was much smoother than his first.

Ángel Zerpa pitched a clean third for Milwaukee as the first pitcher off the bench. The Brewers got a couple hits in the bottom of the third, from Vaughn and Ortiz, but did not add to their lead.

Jared Koenig struggled a bit in the fourth. McLain and Elly De La Cruz started the inning with a single and a double, and after a Sal Stewart strikeout, Spencer Steer walked to load the bases. The next batter, Blake Dunn, cleared the bases with a double into the left field corner, and that was all for Koenig after 22 pitches. Jesús Broca replaced Koenig and struck out Christian Encarnacion-Strand for the second out, but Dane Myers knocked a single into right to give the Reds a 5-4 lead.

The Brewers got a couple baserunners to start the bottom of the fourth when Hamilton picked up his second hit (and stole second base) and Frelick walked, but Chourio struck out and Contreras grounded into his second double play of the game.

Rob Zastryzny pitched a 1-2-3 top of the fifth. Turang led off the Brewer half of the inning with a walk and Vaughn snuck a bouncer through the middle for his third single of the day. The next two batters struck out, but Perkins got around on a fastball up and in and lined it into the right-field corner for a run-scoring double.

Sammy Peralta pitched in the sixth for the Brewers, and a couple guys on but he thought he was out of the inning when Myers looked at strike three on a 2-2 pitch… only to challenge it, get it overturned, and then line a two-run double into left on the very next pitch. Two pitches later, and another double, this one from Will Banfield, extended Cincinnati’s lead to 8-5.

Luis Lara led off the bottom of the sixth with a ground-rule double, advanced to third on a Chourio groundout, and scored on a Contreras groundout. The Reds added one on a Michael Chavis solo homer off of Joe Corbett in the seventh, and big-time Brewer prospect Andrew Fischer smoked a homer at 110 mph to right field in the eighth. Jesús Made tried to spark a two-out rally in the ninth when he hit a 111 mph single and then stole second base, but the game ended one batter later, and Cincinnati won 9-7.

Brewers regulars showed out today: they had 12 hits through five innings. Highlights included Vaughn (3-for-3, an RBI), Frelick (1-for-1, a triple, two walks, a run), Turang (1-for-2, two runs, an RBI, a walk), Perkins (2-for-3, a double, two RBI), and Hamilton (2-for-2). The additional extra-base hits belonged to Lara (a double) and Fischer (the homer).

On the pitching side, Milwaukee got clean innings from Zastryzny, Zerpa, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Mark Manfredi. Among other notable pitchers, Koenig struggled (four earned runs, three hits, a walk, one out), as did Peralta (three runs on three hits in one inning).

The Dodgers were a split squad Saturday, but many of their regulars played against the Cubs, among them Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández.

And three Cubs pitchers who are all in the mix for swingman/relief/starter roles threw very well and the Cubs shut out the Dodgers 6-2. And today, if you missed the game, we have video highlights!

Colin Rea threw the first three innings and allowed just one hit, a single, striking out two. He threw 51 pitches (29 strikes). Here’s a breakdown of Rea’s outing [VIDEO].

Here’s Rea’s strikeout of Miguel Rojas that ended the third [VIDEO].

Ben Brown threw the fourth and fifth and was very efficient, throwing just 27 pitches (18 strikes). He also allowed one hit, and struck out three. That’s really encouraging for the tall right-hander. It’s still unclear whether Brown will open 2026 in the Cubs bullpen, or head to Triple-A Iowa to start.

Javier Assad threw the sixth, seventh and eighth. He also allowed just one hit, a single, and struck out four, with another efficient pitch count (37, 24 of which were strikes). Assad will be heading out to pitch for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic soon, and he was very good in the last WBC in 2023. Assad might wind up starting the season at Iowa, stretching out to start.

That’s all really good! Overall those three threw eight innings with just 115 pitches (71 strikes).

The Cubs sent mostly a team of subs and non-roster guys. It was the first game action for Kevin Alcántara and Christian Bethancourt. Alcántara went 0-for-4 as the DH and Bethancourt 1-for-4. Perhaps we’ll see Moisés Ballesteros play tomorrow.

The Cubs broke the scoreless tie in the fifth. B.J. Murray led off with a double and Justin Dean was hit by a pitch. A single by Scott Kingery loaded the bases. Two outs later, Murray scored on a wild pitch [VIDEO].

Another Cubs run crossed the plate in the seventh. With one out, Brett Bateman walked and stole second. Bateman took third when Bethancourt hit a ground ball to short that was booted for an error. A high bouncer by Pedro Ramirez in front of the plate was fielded too late by Dodgers pitcher Ronan Kopp. Ramirez beat it out for a single and Bateman scored. Here’s the play, in the middle of an interview with Freeman [VIDEO].

Cubs minor leaguers put two more on the board in the eighth. Kane Kepley led off with a double and Owen Miller singled him to third. Miller stole second, and one out later Carter Trice walked. Bateman worked a nine-pitch at-bat before singling in two runs [VIDEO].

Bateman has talent and is worth watching going forward. He’ll be 24 in a couple of weeks and likely plays this year at Iowa. He profiles as a fourth outfielder, good defender with a good batting eye (.385 career minor-league OBP) and good baserunning skills (63 stolen bases in three minor-league seasons).

The Cubs added two in the ninth. The first one scored on a double by Drew Bowser and triple by Kepley [VIDEO].

Then Kepley scored on a sac fly by Owen Miller [VIDEO].

Then the ninth inning got messy. Jeff Brigham entered the game. He challenged a called ball and got it overturned, the first challenge of the game, but wound up walking Zyhir Hope anyway. Brigham wound up loading the bases on two walks and a single and walked in a run, ruining the shutout bid. After that Craig Counsell removed Brigham in favor of minor leaguer Dawson Netz. A passed ball scored a second Dodgers run, but Netz ended it with a ground out.

The Cubs had a lot of chances to score even more runs in this game, as they left 13 on base and went 5-for-17 with RISP. Nevertheless, the solid pitching was enough to win, and definitely the story of the game from a Cubs standpoint.

The Cubs return to Sloan Park Sunday to take on the White Sox for the second time this spring. Shōta Imanaga will make his second spring start and he’ll be opposed by a former Cub, Anthony Kay, who’s now with the Sox. Game time is 2:05 p.m. CT. The team returns to TV coverage on Marquee Sports Network for Sunday’s game. There will also be a radio broadcast on the White Sox flagship station, WMVP/ESPN 1000.

Spring training, left unchecked, can be a bit of a drag. After the excitement of the opening of camp and the first Grapefruit League action, what follows can be a six week slog of games that don’t count for anything. Veteran players often opine that spring camp goes on too long, and by the time the regular season arrives, guys are a little burned out by the amount of meaningless games they’ve played in March. Fortunately, the league continues to add special events to help break things up.

As this is a World Baseball Classic year, we’ve got that to focus some attention on soon. While major league teams hold their breath hoping no one gets injured in what tends to be pretty heated competition with national pride on the line, for fans it’s a pretty exciting high stakes tournament that has produced some amazingly good baseball moments. Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout to lead Samurai Japan over Team USA in 2023 was an absolute classic moment, delivered in the midst of March when the baseball isn’t supposed to matter.

MLB has also instituted the Spring Breakout series over the past few seasons. Seeing franchises’ top prospects face off with each other is a really fun showcase for the next wave of talent. The Tigers prospects, featuring some, if not all of the top 100 prospects, Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark, Bryce Rainer, Josue Briceño, Thayron Liranzo, and more, will square off against the Pittsburgh Pirates’ system, led by Konnor Griffin, the nearly unanimous top prospect in baseball, on March 20.

But there’s another extra event on the calendar as the Tigers head to the Dominican Republic to play a two-game exhibition series on March 2-3. There, they’ll match up against Team Dominican Republic, in what should be a fun trip for the Tigers, and a decent warm-up for WBC action for Team DR. The two-game exhibition on Tuesday and Wednesday will be played in Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal, a ballpark and concert venue in Santo Domingo, the capitol of the Dominican Republic. The Tigers plan to bring 35 players along for the trip, more than half the players in major league camp at this point.

A.J. Hinch told reporters that getting the Tigers’ Dominican contingent, featuring catching prospect Thayron Liranzo and outfielder Wenceel Pérez, into those games will be a priority. It should be a nice opportunity for them to visit with and play in front of family and friends in their home country before the grind of the long season begins. The Tigers will take 35 players total on the excursion. Ty Madden is expected to start Tuesday’s game, but otherwise the Tigers will be deploying a full contingent of bullpen arms to handle those games.

Riley Greene, Javier Báez, Jake Rogers, Colt Keith, Spencer Torkelson, Kevin McGonigle, Josue Briceño, and Max Clark are all expected to play in the series, per Evan Petzold of the Free Press. Framber Valdez, a Dominican himself, will travel home but isn’t expected to pitch. The Tigers will also play a game against Team Panama in Lakeland on Wednesday, so that will be a split squad game using players who didn’t make the trip.

Team DR is managed by legendary slugger Albert Pujols, while noted Tiger killer Nelson Cruz serves as general manager. Obviously they have a pretty stacked roster, with Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Julio Rodriguez, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., among many other MLB stars. The Tigers collection of minor league arms in the bullpen will be sorely pressed to keep them in check.

Jackson Merrill capped a five-run bottom of the second inning with a two-run home run to left-center field that put the San Diego Padres ahead of the Seattle Mariners, 5-1. It was the second hit of the day for Merrill, who also reached on an infield single in the bottom of the first inning.

The Padres added to their lead on a Nick Schnell two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to give San Diego a six-run lead. Padres relievers controlled the Mariners hitters for the remainder of the game, and the Padres went on to win, 7-1.

JP Sears got the start for San Diego and had a much better performance than his first time out. He completed three innings and allowed one run on three hits with a walk and a strikeout. San Diego relievers Jeremiah Estrada, Mason Miller, Alek Jacob, Bradgley Rodriguez, Ty Adcock and Kyle Hart combined to allow just one hit over the final six innings of the game. The group also combined for seven strikeouts and no walks allowed.

Merrill, who was batting second in the lineup, has appeared in five games during Spring Training and is 3-for-8 after his two-hit performance on Saturday. His other hit was a double. Merrill also has two walks and just three strikeouts and appears to be well past the injuries that hampered him throughout the 2025 season.

San Diego travels to Scottsdale, Ariz. to take on the San Francisco Giants on Sunday at 12:05 p.m.

Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

Gary_Lambert asks:Is Jazz under or overrated?

Jazz Chisholm Jr. certainly made his mark last season, putting up a 30/30 campaign with a 126 wRC+ and 4.4 fWAR. That’s a very strong season, and it looks even better when you consider that he started out the year playing out of position at third base still while the Yankees tried to accommodate the last gasp of DJ LeMahieu’s tenure with the team. Once he made the shift back to second base, it was like flipping a switch on his defensive value: whether you’re looking at his OAA (-3 as a third baseman, 8 at second) or DRS (-4 at third, 2 at second) there was a major improvement.

Put all of that together, and the full package is a top five second baseman in the league, which is exactly where Chisholm ranked by fWAR. And just like Nico Hoerner and Ketel Marte, two of the few names that placed above him last year, he was subject to trade rumors for a portion of the offseason as the Yankees considered how to retool the offense. Those talks ultimately went nowhere, and we have no idea if the Yankees even seriously pursued any calls that came for their star infielder, but there were enough folks on the outside who seemed willing to hear out trading away Jazz ahead of his walk year.

I think a lot of Chisholm’s perception right now is tied to the additional discussion revolving around his future free agency. There’s a lot to speculate on with regards to how he’ll perform on a big-money deal and just how much he should get, whether teams will weigh his improvement in New York enough against his earlier days as a Marlin, and so on. But that’s all parts of a debate on how much to pay Chisholm into his 30s, not where he stands entering this season here and now. And with that in mind, I think Chisholm is a tad underrated compared to the skills he’s showcasing right now. It’s not a massive slight — I don’t think there’s anyone who would try and say Jazz isn’t in the top 10 or so — but there’s a real possibility that he ends up the best second baseman in baseball this year, and a strong one that he could finish in the top three. Only Hoerner showcased a balanced skillset like Chisholm did, flashing the glove as well as swinging an above-average bat, so if you had to bet on candidates to stick near the top those two stand out.

IndyAnaJones asks:What happened to the daily PSA thread ending with two questions for the fan base?

It’s not common that we get a question more directed at the site rather than about the team, but this one has an easy answer. We changed the format slightly, taking one question and giving a little bit of our own thoughts on it before posing the question towards you all — all while including the old gameday tune-in information and look ahead to what was on the site that day. You can find them at the start of the day just like the old Today on Pinstripe Alleys led off our daily coverage (here’s today’s edition for example). By all means, give us feedback on whether you like the adaptation!

Craig Kimbrel kicked off his bid for a Mets bullpen spot on Saturday, and he did so with a new weapon in his arsenal. 

Kimbrel had to battle, but worked his way through an inning in a loss to the Nationals. 

The veteran found himself in immediate trouble, as Bo Bichette was beat down the line for a double, then a groundout and sacrifice fly resulted in Washington’s second run of the game.

He lost his command a bit from there, issuing back-to-back two-out walks, but was able to settle down and generated another fly out to escape without further damage. 

Overall, Kimbrel liked how things went.

“It was good,” he said. “Frustrated by the two walks, but other than that I felt pretty good -- it was good to get back out there and compete and get back on the track to where I want to be.”

Though it’s still early, Carlos Mendoza felt there were some good signs from the 37-year-old. 

“Some 92-93, life on the fastball, shape on the breaking ball,” the skipper said. “On the backfields in live BP, the velo was sitting around 88-89, but today, facing the other team, we saw some 92-93 and the breaking ball was there.”

Kimbrel also broke out a cutter for the first time, a new weapon he’s been developing over the last few weeks.

“It’s a pitch I’m trying to mix in,” he said. “Just trying to get guys off my fastball and open up some off-speed opportunities. It’s coming along, how much I’m going to use it -- how well I can command and control it will have a lot to do with that.”

By Game 7 of last year's World Series, the Dodgers' faulty bullpen issues were apparent even in the midst of dramatic triumph.

Not only did the Dodgers use all four starters in their postseason rotation — Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — they also tapped Justin Wrobleski and Emmet Sheehan, who combined to start 14 games in the regular season, to navigate the 5-4, 11-inning win that secured the team's second consecutive championship.

The Dodgers shored up the bullpen over the winter, signing three-time all-star Edwin Díaz to a three-year, $69-million contract. With the closer role firmly defined for the first time since Kenley Jansen was on the team in 2021, how the rest of the bullpen falls into place remains a work in progress during spring training.

Read more:'Maybe you're in the wrong business.' Blake Treinen fires back at Dodgers' spending critics

“Obviously, adding Díaz to the back end is huge for us and getting Alex Vesia [back] is going to be good, and also Blake [Treinen]," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Blake wasn’t right last year, clearly. He’s throwing the baseball really well. Having guys that you trust is everything for the pen. ... You’ve got to count on those veteran guys for sure.”

Now included in that veteran group is left-hander Tanner Scott, who joined the Dodgers before last season on a four-year, $72-million deal. Scott struggled to find his footing, primarily as a closer, before a left elbow injury placed him on injured list in mid-July, causing him to miss a month of action. He returned the final week of August, and never looked quite right. Scott posted a 4.74 ERA across 61 appearances and 57.0 IP in his first year with the Dodgers.

On Saturday against the Chicago Cubs in a split-squad game at Camelback Ranch, Scott made his Cactus League debut and pitched a scoreless inning, recording a strikeout and giving up one hit on 17 pitches. With the ninth inning spoken for, Roberts believes this will allow for Scott to bounce back this season.

“I think being able to use Tanner in any inning of leverage, is going to be good for him,” Roberts said. “And it’s going to be good for us.”

Díaz, for his part, has settled in, making his second and final appearance of the spring on Saturday before he joins Team Puerto Rico for the World Baseball Classic. He worked around two walks to pitch a scoreless inning, striking out one. Vesia, who missed the World Series due to the death of his newborn daughter, has pitched two scoreless innings while Treinen pitched a perfect inning on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox in his first Cactus League outing.

The 37-year-old Treinen, who's been on all three of the Dodgers' recent World Series teams and was a stalwart in the 2024 postseason, struggled last season, going 1-5 with a 9.64 ERA in September.

“You never know what the body throttles back,” Treinen said earlier in camp. “I had a UCL injury, so I don’t know if that’s part of the problem, but something was different. I mean, velocity was there, movements were there, execution wasn’t, and when pitches were in the zone, it was a harder-hit rate. So, that tells me something was different, how to handle hitters. So, just trying to go back and cleaning things up to where the ball does more of what it has done most of my career.”

Read more:Shaikin: Dodgers hype time: How many games will they win in 2026?

On the flip side, right-hander Brusdar Graterol — who has not pitched since the 2024 World Series — remains in a holding pattern during spring training as he works his way back from right labrum surgery. And right-hander Evan Phillips is not expected back for several months after Tommy John surgery ended his season last June. But for the most part, the relievers who are healthy have shown glimpses of what it could look like this season.

“I don’t think that there’s one way to manage a pen,” Roberts said. “But when you have a guy like Edwin Díaz as your closer, I do think it frees up other guys. ... I think that’s freeing for me and allows for getting the matchups we need in the prior innings.”

Blake Snell not expected to pitch in Cactus League

After Roberts ruled out Snell for opening day on Friday, the manager provided some more context on Saturday.

Roberts says he expects the 33-year-old left-hander to continue to progress, but he doesn’t expect Snell to pitch in the Cactus League. Roberts feels good about Snell’s headspace during his recovery.

“I think he’s working through it in the sense of, last year he was on a new team,” Roberts said of Snell, who was limited to 11 starts and 61.1 innings last season. “He pushed through things to start the season healthy, which is understandable. And you learn from it, he was never right all year. I think that this year, he’s going to make sure that he is ready to go. So, I do think that he feels comfort in knowing that we need him, we count on him, we believe in him and then there’s an individual part, where I do think that he wants to get another Cy Young.

"And what that means is, you’ve got to be healthy, you have to make starts, and so, that’s something that personally he’s striving for. But at the end of the day, he’s got to be healthy and we’re going to do whatever we can to make that happen.”

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Following the Yankees' 5-1 win over the Blue Jays on Saturday in spring training action, manager Aaron Boone spoke on a number of topics...

Giancarlo Stanton's spring debut set

Every spring, the status and health of Stanton are a question, and 2026's camp is no different. 

Last season, Stanton experienced tennis elbow in both arms and played through it. He's experiencing the same ailment this year, hence why the Yankees are slow-rolling his time in camp. However, Boone revealed after Saturday's game that the tentative plan is for the slugger to see his first spring training action on Tuesday against Team Panama.

Stanton told NJ.com on Wednesday that he has "good days and bad days" with his elbow pain and that he can't open a bottle or a bag of chips. Despite that, Stanton is determined to get through the season and this will be his first step.

Although Stanton missed the beginning of the 2025 season, he still hit 24 home runs and posted a .273/.350/.594 slash line once he made his debut on June 16. 

Cody Bellinger dealing with back discomfort

Missing from the Yankees lineup for the second consecutive game was Bellinger, and the reason is physical.

Boone told the media, including MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, after Saturday's game, that the former NL MVP is dealing with back discomfort. The Yankees skipper said Bellinger's back is a little "unaligned," but the team expects him to return for Tuesday's game.

“He’ll probably, I’m guessing, [miss] a couple of days,” Boone said. “He’s quite a bit better today. So we don’t think it’s anything. The trainers aren’t too concerned about it. This is something that crops up on him every now and then, usually sometime in the spring or earlier in the year. We dealt with it a little bit in-season early last year.”

So far this spring, Bellinger has played in three games, going 4-for-9 with an RBI.

Gerrit Cole update

Cole continues on the road to recovery after Tommy John surgery a year ago and the reports from Yankees camp is better than even the organization could have imagined.

The former AL Cy Young winner threw a 26-pitch live batting practice on Friday and came out of it good.

"He was live, threw all his pitches in this one," Boone said on the YES broadcast during Saturday's game. "He's been great. Stuff has been excellent, command has already been there and I feel like he's sharp already. I shouldn't be surprised because it's Gerrit, but he's in a really good spot here."

Yankees GM Brian Cashman was in Tampa before the game and spoke to the media and he was asked about Cole's progress. 

“Not surprisingly, he’s done everything he can in a very methodical way,” Cashman said. “It’s all playing out as you would hope. There’s twists and turns to rehab. You have good days, you have bad days. But it feels like he’s had nothing but good days, which is fantastic.”

The Yankees said early in camp that they hope to have Cole appear in Grapefruit League games this spring. The organization is targeting a late May or June return to the team for Cole, but so far so good for the ace of the rotation.