Category: MLB

A few days ago, I took a microscope and a fine comb to some Cactus League stats for the San Francisco Giants hitters. Today it’s time to do the same thing, except for the pitchers.

The goal is simple: take data that’s already too small to be meaningful, and split it into even smaller, less meaningful segments. Because isn’t that fun?

More seriously, it’s to look at how the team’s pitchers have performed against different talent levels. To break that down, I’ve sorted every batter the Giants have faced this spring into four categories: MLB regulars (think Heliot Ramos); non-regulars who are on the 40-man roster (Luis Matos); non-roster invitees (Jared Oliva); and players from Minor League camp (Josuar González).

It’s at times an inexact science. Bryce Eldridge isn’t a regular, but he’s certainly a better hitter than many who are. But for the most part, it puts things into buckets so we can see how pitchers are performing against players they would see in a Major League game, versus players that they won’t. And it also shows us how they’re being deployed.

Additionally, I’ve looked at every ball put in play that the Giants pitchers have allowed, and tracked the exit velocities. I’ve included the data for both average exit velocity (the average of every ball in play), and EV50 (the average of the lowest 50% of that data set). For context, I’ve added what percentile that average EV would have been in 2025, and a ranking for the EV50 based on the 447 MLB pitchers with at least 100 batted balls in 2025, since percentiles aren’t available for that stat.

Well, dig in, folks. And nerd out. All of the data is through Thursday’s game.

Tristan Beck

vs. regulars: 11 batters faced, 3 hits, 1 home run, 1 triple, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
vs. 40-mans: 4 batters faced, 2 hits, 1 triple, 1 walk
vs. NRIs: 7 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 hit by pitch, 1 strikeout
vs. MiLBs: n/a

Totals: 4.2 innings, 6 hits, 1 home run, 2 triples, 3 walks, 1 hit batter, 3 strikeouts, 5.79 ERA, 7.70 FIP

Also: 1 runner caught stealing

Exit velocities(15 balls in play)
Avg EV: 92.3 (1st percentile)
EV50: 82.0 (434th out of 447)

It hasn’t been a good spring for Beck. He’s been struggling to miss bats, and hitters have been teeing off on his pitches, with seven of the 18 balls put in play against him hitting triple figures. He hasn’t pitched for the Giants that much, since he was in the WBC, but he certainly seems to be loosing ground on the rest of the swing man and middle relief competition. Luckily, he has an option remaining, which I hadn’t realized. So he seems ticketed for Sacramento.

Will Bednar

vs. regulars: n/a
vs. 40-mans: 1 batter faced
vs. NRIs: 8 batters faced, 1 hit, 3 walks
vs. MiLBs: 10 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 hit by pitch, 3 strikeouts

Totals: 4 innings, 3 hits, 4 walks, 1 hit batter, 3 strikeouts, 2.25 ERA, 5.88 FIP

Also: 1 error

Exit velocities(11 balls in play)
Avg EV: 85.5 (99th percentile)
EV50: 74.2 (21st out of 447)

Bednar, who is an NRI (as well as the team’s first-round pick in 2021), was in the first group of camp cuts on Thursday. And it’s clear from this breakdown of his opponents that the Giants never viewed him as a candidate to earn an Opening Day role … he faced 19 batters, and only one of them was a rostered player. But It was certainly a valuable experience for the righty, and one that was in line with his 2025: very good things happened when batters swung at his pitches, but very bad things happened when they did not.

Hayden Birdsong

vs. regulars: 8 batters faced, 4 hits, 1 double, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
vs. 40-mans: 5 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 home run, 1 walk
vs. NRIs: 5 batters faced, 3 hits, 1 home run, 1 double, 1 walk
vs. MiLBs: n/a

Totals: 2.1 innings, 8 hits, 2 home runs, 2 doubles, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts, 30.86 ERA, 16.91 FIP

Also: 1 runner caught stealing

Exit velocities(13 balls in play)
Avg EV: 92.2 (1st percentile)
EV50: 83.4 (446th out of 447)

There’s no need to dwell on Birdsong’s rough spring, especially given the news that came out on Thursday: he has a sore elbow. We’ll all hold our breaths. It’s been a disaster of a preseason for him, but nothing that he can’t turn around … if healthy.

Spencer Bivens

vs. regulars: 14 batters faced, 3 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
vs. 40-mans: 6 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 home run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
vs. NRIs: 9 batters faced, 4 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
vs. MiLBs: 2 batters faced, 1 strikeout

Totals: 6.2 innings, 9 hits, 1 home run, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts, 1.35 ERA, 4.83 FIP

Also: 3 stolen bases allowed

Exit velocities (21 balls in play)
Avg EV: 95.3 (worse than the highest mark of 93.2)
EV50: 80.1 (362nd out of 447)

It sneakily hasn’t been a very strong spring for Bivens. He’s done an excellent job limiting damage, but betters are absolutely spanking the ball when he throws it. He’s already given up six balls in excess of 106 mph, and he’s also had a fair amount of walks. But he’s proven, and valuable, and we know the team likes him, so I’d be surprised if he’s not on the Opening Day roster.

JT Brubaker

vs. regulars: 8 batters faced, 3 hits, 1 home run, 1 double, 2 walks, 1 strikeout
vs. 40-mans: 7 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
vs. NRIs: 6 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 double
vs. MiLBs: 3 batters faced, 1 walk, 1 strikeout

Totals: 6 innings, 5 hits, 1 home run, 2 doubles, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts, 4.50 ERA, 6.46 FIP

Also: 1 runner caught stealing

Exit velocities(16 balls in play)
Avg EV: 91.0 (7th percentile)
EV50: 79.5 (305th out of 447)

Brubaker has also had a fairly mediocre spring, and has been hit especially hard by MLB regulars. He was somewhat surprisingly tendered a contract in arbitration this winter, and he can’t be feeling too comfortable about his job status as March 25 draws nearer.

José Buttó

vs. regulars: 6 batters faced, 1 hit
vs. 40-mans: 4 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 double, 1 walk
vs. NRIs: 7 batters faced, 3 hits, 1 triple, 2 strikeouts
vs. MiLBs: n/a

Totals: 4 innings, 5 hits, 1 triple, 1 double, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 2.25 ERA, 3.38 FIP

Also: 0-for-1 on ABS challenges

Exit velocities(14 balls in play)
Avg EV: 92.3 (1st percentile)
EV50: 83.0 (443rd out of 447)

We’re noticing an unfortunate theme here: the pitchers with “B” surnames are allowing a lot of hard contact, Bednar notwithstanding. But we’re dealing with very small sample sizes, and Buttó has been completely fine, especially against the best talent.

Michael Fulmer

vs. regulars: 2 batters faced, 1 strikeout
vs. 40-mans: 9 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 home run, 3 strikeouts
vs. NRIs: 10 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 home run, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts
vs. MiLBs: 8 batters faced, 6 strikeouts

Totals: 8 innings, 2 hits, 2 home runs, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts, 2.25 ERA, 5.00 FIP

Also: 1 stolen base allowed

Exit velocities(14 balls in play)
Avg EV: 78.9 (better than the lowest mark of 84.1)
EV50: 63.8 (better than the lowest mark of 70.7)

What a funny spring Fulmer has had. He’s limited batters to comically low exit velocities, yet the only hits he’s allowed have been home runs. He’s thrown with fairly soft velocity, but earned a lot of strikeouts. The splits certainly paint a story of a player who should be in Sacramento this year, at least at the start. He hasn’t had all that much of an opportunity against MLB players, and has done the bulk of his damage against Minor Leaguers.

Matt Gage

vs. regulars: 9 batters faced, 2 hits, 1 home run, 1 double, 2 strikeouts
vs. 40-mans: 7 batters faced, 1 hit, 4 strikeouts
vs. NRIs: 2 batters faced, 1 strikeout
vs. MiLBs: n/a

Totals: 5 innings, 3 hits, 1 home run, 1 double, 6 strikeouts, 3.60 ERA, 3.43 FIP

Exit velocities(11 balls in play)
Avg EV: 93.5 (worse than the highest mark of 93.2)
EV50: 83.6 (446th out of 447)

Gage has benefitted from two things. First, in this article, he’s benefitted from the fact that the stats in San Francisco’s exhibition game against Team USA don’t count, since he not only got roughed up, but was roughed up by a group of Giants Minor Leaguers on loan to the American squad. Second and more importantly, he’s benefitted from the fact that Erik Miller, Reiver Sanmartin, and Sam Hentges also suffered injuries. Miller is still hoping to be ready by Opening Day, though that’s a big question mark, while Sanmartin and Hentges have already been ruled out. A pathway has opened for Gage to make the Opening Day roster, despite so-so results thus far.

Trent Harris

vs. regulars: 3 batters faced, 3 hits
vs. 40-mans: 6 batters faced, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
vs. NRIs: 10 batters faced, 4 hits, 2 home runs, 1 double, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
vs. MiLBs: 4 batters faced, 2 strikeouts

Totals: 4.2 innings, 9 hits, 2 home runs, 1 double, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, 9.64 ERA, 8.77 FIP

Also: 1 stolen base allowed

Exit velocities(17 balls in play)
Avg EV: 93.2 (0th percentile)
EV50: 87.1 (worse than the highest mark of 84.1)

Harris’ first time in Major League camp went similarly to his 2025 season, in that he was excellent against the lowest-level talent he faced, and struggled against the higher-level talent. Last year, he mowed through AA, but ran into a wall in AAA, and that’s reflected in the splits above, where he retired all four Minor Leaguers he faced, with two strikeouts, while allowing 11 of the 19 other batters he faced to reach base, with just two more strikeouts. He was among the first group of camp cuts, and will head to AAA to work on some stuff — hopefully we can see the curveball a little more.

Adrian Houser

vs. regulars: 9 batters faced, 2 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk
vs. 40-mans: 1 batter faced, 1 hit, 1 double
vs. NRIs: n/a
vs. MiLBs: n/a

Totals: 2 innings, 3 hits, 1 home run, 1 double, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 4.50 ERA, 11.63 FIP

Exit velocities(9 balls in play)
Avg EV: 93.4 (worse than the highest mark of 93.2)
EV50: 85.9 (worse than the highest mark of 84.1)

The main takeaway from Houser’s spring is that he’s only officially pitched once (he also pitched against Team USA, which didn’t go all that well). We’re gonna see a lot of the young arms this year, methinks, though Houser is certainly in the rotation if healthy.

Caleb Kilian

vs. regulars: 9 batters faced, 5 hits, 1 double
vs. 40-mans: 6 batters faced, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
vs. NRIs: 9 batters faced, 1 hit, 3 strikeouts
vs. MiLBs: 1 batter faced, 1 strikeout

Totals: 6.1 innings, 6 hits, 1 double, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, 1.42 ERA, 2.20 FIP

Also: 1 runner caught stealing

Exit velocities(17 balls in play)
Avg EV: 84.3 (1st percentile)
EV50: 70.2 (better than the lowest mark of 70.7)

Kilian has, in many ways, been the pitching version of Victor Bericoto this spring. He’s been one of the best performers, but if you peel things back a little bit, it’s notable that he’s doing his best work against his worst competition. The sample sizes are tiny, but if you want to overanalyze, there’s an opportunity to do so. Still, he’s throwing gas, and making quite an impression. He very well could find himself on the Opening Day roster. He’s also been a bit of an all-or-nothing guy with exit velocities: six of the 17 balls put in play against him have been below 75 mph, while four have been hotter than 104.

Tyler Mahle

vs. regulars: 14 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 double, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts
vs. 40-mans: 5 batters faced, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
vs. NRIs: 5 batters faced, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
vs. MiLBs: 2 batters faced

Totals: 6 innings, 1 hit, 1 double, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA, 4.79 FIP

Also: 1 stolen base allowed

Exit velocities(12 balls in play)
Avg EV: 84.3 (1st percentile)
EV50: 71.7 (2nd out of 447)

26 batters faced, and only 12 balls in play. Mahle is living off of strikeouts, but dying due to walks. There shouldn’t have been any doubt that his stuff plays against top competition, but if there was … well, there isn’t anymore. As long as he can find the strike zone and stay healthy, he’ll be golden.

Nick Margevicius

vs. regulars: 3 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 double
vs. 40-mans: 2 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 double
vs. NRIs: 19 batters faced, 7 hits, 2 doubles, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
vs. MiLBs: 9 batters faced, 2 hits, 1 strikeout

Totals: 8 innings, 11 hits, 4 doubles, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, 5.63 ERA, 3.25 FIP

Also: 2 runners caught stealing, 1 stolen base allowed

Exit velocities(29 balls in play)
Avg EV: 92.3 (1st percentile)
EV50: 82.0 (434th out of 447)

Margevicius, a non-roster invitee, is another player whose splits inform us less about his abilities, and more about the organization’s view of him. Despite being a 29-year old with MLB experience, it’s clear that the Giants view him as bullpen depth in AAA, given that he’s faced 33 batters, and only five of them have been rostered players.

Trevor McDonald

vs. regulars: 21 batters faced, 3 hits, 1 home run, 1 double, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
vs. 40-mans: 8 batters faced, 2 hits, 1 home run, 1 hit by pitch, 3 strikeouts
vs. NRIs: 9 batters faced, 1 hit, 2 strikeouts
vs. MiLBs: n/a

Totals: 10 innings, 6 hits, 2 home runs, 1 double, 2 walks, 1 hit batter, 11 strikeouts, 1.80 ERA, 4.93 FIP

Also: 1 runner caught stealing

Exit velocities(24 balls in play)
Avg EV: 88.4 (73rd percentile)
EV50: 79.1 (277th out of 447)

McDonald has unequivocally been one of the stars of Spring Training, and things look even rosier when you account for competition. In 10 innings he’s yet to face a batter from Minor League camp, and more than half of his opponents have been MLB regulars, while his numbers have held — or arguably gotten better — against those players. He’s played himself into being the favorite not just for the first name called when the rotation needs a sixth arm, but also for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen.

Robbie Ray

vs. regulars: 13 batters faced, 1 hit, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
vs. 40-mans: 12 batters faced, 2 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 3 strikeouts
vs. NRIs: 11 batters faced, 3 hits, 2 triples, 3 walks
vs. MiLBs: n/a

Totals: 9.2 innings, 4 hits, 2 triples, 8 walks, 1 hit batter, 7 strikeouts, 1.86 ERA, 4.97 FIP

Also: 1 runner picked off, 1 stolen base allowed

Exit velocities(20 balls in play)
Avg EV: 85.2 (99th percentile)
EV50: 69.1 (better than the lowest mark of 70.1)

Ray is the funny case of an established veteran who is performing much worse against lower competition. It certainly means nothing, but it’s funny, and I remember Wilmer Flores being the same last Spring: he was feasting against established Major Leaguers, and struggling mightily against Minor Leaguers and NRIs. Either way, the positive with Ray’s spring has been that he’s kept his exit velocities very much in check (though it’s a small enough sample size that a 24.9-mph bunt is skewing things a little). The negative is that he’s faced 36 batters and given a free base to nine of them.

Wilkin Ramos

vs. regulars: 5 batters faced, 2 hits, 1 double
vs. 40-mans: 6 batters faced, 2 hits, 1 home run
vs. NRIs: 14 batters faced, 2 hits, 6 walks, 1 strikeout
vs. MiLBs: 7 batters faced, 4 hits, 1 strikeout

Totals: 5.1 innings, 10 hits, 1 home run, 1 double, 6 walks, 2 strikeouts, 11.81 ERA, 8.69 FIP

Also: 1 runner caught stealing, 3 stolen bases allowed

Exit velocities(24 balls in play)
Avg EV: 90.7 (11th percentile)
EV50: 78.8 (262nd out of 447)

Ramos, who only recently turned 25 and was added to the system over the offseason, faced an uphill battle to make the Opening Day roster, and it’s been evident why. He’s got some funk, but he’s really struggled to miss bats, and has allowed some loud contact (including two balls in excess of 113 mph). He’ll be a fun one to monitor in AAA this year.

Landen Roupp

vs. regulars: 11 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 double, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
vs. 40-mans: 5 batters faced, 2 strikeouts
vs. NRIs: 6 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
vs. MiLBs: n/a

Totals: 6 innings, 2 hits, 1 double, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, 1.50 ERA, 2.63 FIP

Exit velocities(13 balls in play)
Avg EV: 87.4 (91st percentile)
EV50: 78.3 (223rd out of 447)

Roupp has looked good, and he’s done it without the competition being watered down at all. He certainly looks ready to resume his role as a mid-rotation starter. All good signs from him thus far.

Juan Sánchez

vs. regulars: 1 batter faced, 1 strikeout
vs. 40-mans: 3 batters faced
vs. NRIs: 12 batters faced, 1 hit, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
vs. MiLBs: 6 batters faced, 1 hit, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts

Totals: 5.1 innings, 2 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA, 3.81 FIP

Also: 3 stolen bases allowed

Exit velocities(10 balls in play)
Avg EV: 89.7 (38th percentile)
EV50: 79.7 (324th out of 447)

Given the injuries to Miller, Hentges, and Sanmartin, and Gage’s mediocrity, the door might have been open for Sánchez to earn an Opening Day role had he pitched a little closer to how he did during 2024 Spring Training, when he nearly walked away with a job. Then again, the Giants haven’t given him quite as much of an opportunity to win that role, with 18 of the 22 batters he’s faced being non-roster invitees and Minor League camp hitters. There’s a little issue with command at the moment, which isn’t surprising since he’s returning from Tommy John surgery. I fully expect him to play a big role in the bullpen at some point this year, though.

Reiver Sanmartin

vs. regulars: 2 batters faced
vs. 40-mans: 3 batters faced, 2 strikeouts
vs. NRIs: 3 batters faced, 2 hits, 1 home run, 1 double
vs. MiLBs: n/a

Totals: 2 innings, 2 hits, 1 home run, 1 double, 2 strikeouts, 4.50 ERA, 8.13 FIP

Exit velocities(6 balls in play)
Avg EV: 81.8(better than the lowest mark of 84.1)
EV50: 67.8 (better than the lowest mark of 70.7)

Sanmartin was pitching well in a very small sample size against rostered players, but suffered a hip flexor injury in the WBC. He’s out until the summer, unfortunately.

Gregory Santos

vs. regulars: 2 batters faced, 1 walk
vs. 40-mans: 4 batters faced, 3 hits, 1 double, 1 walk
vs. NRIs: 4 batters faced, 1 strikeout
vs. MiLBs: n/a

Totals: 2 innings, 3 hits, 1 double, 2 walks, 1 strikeout, 0.00 ERA, 5.63 FIP

Exit velocities(7 balls in play)
Avg EV: 92.3 (1st percentile)
EV50: 84.0 (446th out of 447)

The raw numbers haven’t been notable for Santos, but he has looked both nasty and fearless, even against the best hitters. He’s regularly hitting 100 mph, and I’m not backing off my prediction that, despite being a non-roster invitee, he’s the best reliever on the team.

Carson Seymour

vs. regulars: 14 batters faced, 2 hits, 2 doubles, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
vs. 40-mans: 13 batters faced, 2 hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
vs. NRIs: 13 batters faced, 4 hits, 2 doubles, 1 walk, 2 hit by pitches, 2 strikeouts
vs. MiLBs: 1 batter faced

Totals: 9.1 innings, 8 hits, 4 doubles, 3 walks, 2 hit batters, 8 strikeouts, 3.86 ERA, 3.52 FIP

Also: 2 stolen bases allowed

Exit velocities(28 balls in play)
Avg EV: 86.8 (94th percentile)
EV50: 73.7 (13th out of 447)

Seymour has done well against all competition levels this spring, largely because he’s earned a ton of soft contact. Of the 28 balls in play that he’s allowed, a whopping 10 have been hit softer than 80 mph. That’s impressive, especially for a power pitcher. He hasn’t been as good as McDonald, so he probably doesn’t have a path to the Opening Day roster. But he might be next in line.

Blade Tidwell

vs. regulars: 10 batters faced, 4 hits, 1 triple, 1 double, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts
vs. 40-mans: 6 batters faced, 2 hits, 1 triple, 1 walk
vs. NRIs: 9 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
vs. MiLBs: n/a

Totals: 4.2 innings, 7 hits, 2 triples, 1 double, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts, 11.57 ERA, 2.34 FIP

Also: 2 stolen bases allowed

Exit velocities(12 balls in play)
Avg EV: 91.9 (1st percentile)
EV50: 82.9 (442nd out of 447)

Like many players on this list, Tidwell’s spring performance has mirrored his 2025. He’s been dominant against NRIs, after having a 3.62 ERA in AAA last year. But he’s really struggled to put away Major League regulars, with six of the 10 that he’s faced reaching base (which is compounded by his showing against Team USA) … not a far cry from his MLB debut last year, which resulted in 15 earned runs in 15 innings pitched. He’s throwing gas, and he looks like the real deal. But he also doesn’t look nearly as ready as McDonald or Seymour.

Ryan Walker

vs. regulars: 6 batters faced, 2 hits, 1 double, 3 strikeouts
vs. 40-mans: 4 batters faced, 1 hit by pitch
vs. NRIs: 6 batters faced, 1 hit, 3 strikeouts
vs. MiLBs: n/a

Totals: 4 innings, 4 hits, 1 double, 1 hit batter, 6 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA, 1.38 FIP

Also: 1-for-1 on ABS challenges

Exit velocities(9 balls in play)
Avg EV: 93.0 (1st percentile)
EV50: 87.4 (worst than the highest mark of 84.1)

With Walker, we’re all just waiting to see how the regular season looks. So far, so good, in Spring Training. The bad exit velocities are too small of a sample to worry about (and it’s more the result of giving up consistently mid-level EVs, rather than lots of hard-hit balls), and he’s finding the zone, getting in good counts, putting hitters away, and avoiding walks. That’s what we’re all looking for.

Logan Webb

vs. regulars: 5 batters faced, 2 strikeouts
vs. 40-mans: 7 batters faced, 1 hit, 4 strikeouts
vs. NRIs: 5 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 hit by pitch, 1 strikeout
vs. MiLBs: n/a

Totals: 5 innings, 2 hits, 1 hit batter, 7 strikeouts, 1.80 ERA, 1.43 FIP

Also: 1 stolen base allowed

Exit velocities(8 balls in play)
Avg EV: 82.3 (better than the lowest mark of 84.1)
EV50: 62.5 (better than the lowest mark of 70.1)

We haven’t gotten to see much of Webb, since he’s been with Team USA in the WBC. But he’s been everything we expect out of him: extremely soft contact, tremendous control, and even some of those strikeouts that he showed off in 2025. Add in his strong appearance against Brazil (he’s pitching again as we speak, so we’ll see how he does) and he looks ready for the season to start.

Carson Whisenhunt

vs. regulars: 15 batters faced, 3 hits, 1 double, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
vs. 40-mans: 9 batters faced, 2 hits, 1 double, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
vs. NRIs: 5 batters faced, 2 hits, 1 double, 2 walks
vs. MiLBs: n/a

Totals: 5.2 innings, 7 hits, 3 doubles, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts, 14.29 ERA, 3.45 FIP

Also: 1 stolen base allowed

Exit velocities(16 balls in play)
Avg EV: 95.3 (worst than the highest mark of 93.2)
EV50: 85.8 (worst than the highest mark of 84.1)

The Giants have challenged Whisenhunt this spring, giving him primarily rostered hitters to face off against. His first two outings went fully sideways, but he was tremendous in his third showing. We’ll see how the fourth goes tonight. Whisenhunt has shown notably improved velocity with the fastball, and that’s resulted in more strikeouts than usual, which is great to see. But it also seems to be an exceptionally hittable pitch: a full 50% of the balls in play he’s allowed have been hit at at least 99.8 mph.

Keaton Winn

vs. regulars: 4 batters faced, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
vs. 40-mans: 6 batters faced, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
vs. NRIs: 13 batters faced, 3 hits, 1 triple, 4 strikeouts
vs. MiLBs: n/a

Totals: 6.1 innings, 4 hits, 1 triple, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts, 1.42 ERA, 2.68 FIP

Also: 1 runner caught stealing

Exit velocities(14 balls in play)
Avg EV: 82.9 (better than the lowest mark of 84.1)
EV50: 63.5 (better than the lowest mark of 70.1)

Winn has looked completely fantastic, regardless of the level of competition. The other-worldly EV marks will course correct with a larger sample — four of his 14 balls in play have been hit softer than 60 mph — but he’s looked extremely impressive, and he’s throwing heat. After losing much of 2025 to injuries, and never getting to really find a rhythm, he could break camp with the team.

Minor Leaguers

There’s no need to deep dive into the pitchers from Minor League camp who have appeared in games, but here are the ones who have played, and how they’ve fared.

John Michael Bertrand:1 inning, 3 walks, 0.00 ERA, 12.63 FIP
Jack Choate: 0.2 innings, 0.00 ERA, 3.63 FIP
R.J. Dabovich: 1.1 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA, 2.88 FIP
Cody Delvecchio:1 inning, 2 hits, 2 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA, -0.37 FIP
Hunter Dryden: 0.1 innings, 0.00 ERA, 3.63 FIP
Greg Farone: 2 innings, 1 hit, 2 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA, 1.63 FIP
Marques Johnson: 3 innings, 2 hits, 5 strikeouts, 3.00 ERA, 0.29 FIP
Gerelmi Maldonado: 1 inning, 2 hits, 1 home run, 3 walks, 1 strikeout, 27.00 ERA, 23.63 FIP
Ben Peterson: 1 inning, 1 hit, 1 walk, 0.00 ERA, 6.63 FIP
Braxton Roxby: 3 innings, 1 hit, 2 walks, 0.00 ERA, 5.63 FIP
Darien Smith: 2 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 0.00 ERA, 4.13 FIP
Ryan Vanderhei: 2 innings, 2 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA, 3.13 FIP
Cade Vernon: 0.1 innings, 0.00 ERA, 3.63 FIP
Tyler Vogel: 1.2 innings, 3 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 5.40 ERA, 3.03 FIP
Trystan Vrieling: 3 innings, 3 hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA, 2.63 FIP
Nick Zwack: 4 innings, 3 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, 4.50 ERA, 6.38 FIP

Well you can’t win ‘em all. The A’s dropped one and won one on Friday afternoon when they split up and played two different games. Surprisingly, the half that had all the regulars fell to the San Diego Padres by a 13-9 final, while the other half, which featured mostly bench players and prospects, came out on top in their matchup at the Brewers’ spring complex. Not what you’d expect but that’s baseball for ya.

A’s vs. Padres

The first matchup of the day saw A’s veteran starter Aaron Civale make his second start of the spring for the Green & Gold while the Pads countered with staff leader Michael King. It’s still spring training so it wasn’t like it was always going to be a pitcher’s duel or anything like that, but man did the ball fly out of the park today.

Civale struggles, still makes it through four

The 30-year-old Civale ran into trouble right out of the gate, getting tagged for three runs in the very first inning that saw him give up plenty of hard contact. Results weren’t the point of today’s outing however, it was about getting his pitch count up and getting him ready for the start of the long regular season. Things wouldn’t get much better in the second frame as he allowed more hard hit balls en route to allowing a pair of runs to cross home plate, pushing the score to 5-0 after 2 innings. He’d allow one more run to score in the fourth, which would end up being his final frame of the day as he exited after 75 pitches.

A’s bats explode in the fourth

It took a few frames as the Athletics hitters struggled against Michael King. That’s not especially surprising considering his pedigree but they would wake up soon enough.

After working just a single walk the first time through the frame things turned up quickly. The fourth started innocently enough with a single followed by two outs, making it look like it’d be another fast inning of work for King agains the A’s. That would not be the case however as the rally was only beginning. First Max Muncy singled to put runners on the corners, and that brought up the hot-swinging Henry Bolte, who delivered a 3-run blast to get the A’s on the board, his third this spring:

Bolte bomb 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/eYTz3w2RSv

— Athletics (@Athletics) March 13, 2026

The A’s weren’t done there! Immediately following Bolte was fellow outfielder Breyson Guedez, who blasted his own home run to further cut into the San Diego lead:

18-year-old prospect Breyson Guedez goes YARD 🤯 pic.twitter.com/GsCGAYGuKD

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) March 13, 2026

It was now suddenly 6-4 and we had a game on our hands. And following Guedez was “leadoff” man Nick Kurtz, who did what Nick Kurtz does and blasted his own solo home run to make it 6-5:

Klutch Kurtz pic.twitter.com/x3m3Pyg6E9

— Athletics (@Athletics) March 13, 2026

Do you think that the A’s were done there? Think again. This time it was Tyler Soderstrom’s turn to get on the fun as he blasted a two-run homer to right field to give the A’s the lead:

Sodey takes the lead! pic.twitter.com/WZ5XzTcUpr

— Athletics (@Athletics) March 13, 2026

What a way to cap the frame. Suddenly the A’s were in front and feeling like all the momentum in the world was on their side.

Quite middle frames, but Padres take late lead

For a few innings the A’s looked in control. Civale was now out of the game (and off the hook for the loss) while it was now up to the bullpen to get it done. Jake Garland, Nick Martinez, Mark Leiter Jr., and Hogan Harris all did their job getting the game to the eighth with the lead still intact. Unfortunately for the A’s their bullpen luck ran out with Nick Hernandez, who got hit up for four runs without recording a single out. CD Pelham and Dairon De Jesus finished things off allowing some insurance runs to the Padres each, again putting this game seemingly out of reach.

The A’s did have some fight left in them at the end. Guedez collected an RBI sac fly in the seventh, and one more run in the bottom of the ninth came around to score but it was just far too little too late for our A’s as they dropped the contest 13-9.

On the bright side, Civale got his work in and could probably take the ball if the regular season was here. How the results would go is anyone’s guess but he’d be ready. The offense looks like it’s in mid-season form already, and they’re still missing Lawrence Butler. We don’t have anything to worry about with the bats right now. Let’s just get them all healthy and to Opening Day unscathed.

Here’s how the box score looked today:

A’S TODAY (3/13 vs SD)
LF Soderstrom: 1-2, HR, HBP, 2 RBI
CF Bolte: 1-3, HR, 3 RBI
RF Guedez: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI
1B Kurtz: 1-4, HR
DH Rooker: 2-3, 2B, R
3B Muncy: 2-4, 2B, R
C Langeliers: 1-2, BB, R
1B Pittaro: 1-1, BB
RHP Civale: 4 IP/9 H/6 ER/0 BB/3 K
A’s lose 13-9

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) March 13, 2026

A’s at Brewers

Meanwhile while the A’s/Padres game was going on the other half of the squad was a few miles down the road at the Brewers complex. Compared to the other half of the team this lineup and pitching matchup featured many more rookies and bench players that are either on the outer edges of the roster or are just waiting to be reassigned to minor league camp.

Jump impresses in fourth appearance

It was Gage Jump on the bump for the Athletics today. The A’s #3 ranked prospect came into spring with little chance of breaking camp with the club but has done nothing but impress in his time with the big league team. That continued for Jump today as he pitched three shutout frames and got his pitch count up to 59 while allowing just four hits. He also struck out three without issuing a free pass. He’d have to leapfrog someone in the current pecking order but Jump is making that decision harder and harder on Mark Kotsay. Even if he isn’t on the Opening Day roster, it shouldn’t be long before we see him suit up for the big league squad.

A’s strike first

With the B-lineup in against the Brewers the prospects and bench players got to work against Milwaukee starter Kyle Harrison. First they scored three times in the second via an RBI triple off the bat of Michael Stefanic, which was immediately followed by a two-run home run off the bat of veteran backstop Chad Wallach, who is presumably the 3rd or 4th catcher on the depth chart at this point.

They added on a trio more runs in the next frame. A bases-loaded situation presented itself to A’s prospect Tommy White, and he came through and delivered for his squad with a bases-clearing two-bagger that doubled the Athletics’ lead over the Brew Crew. Offense isn’t the question with White; it’s where his long-term home on defense is.

The A’s added on an insurance run in the fifth thanks to a solo blast off the bat of outfielder Colby Thomas that made it 7-0 A’s, his first long ball of spring. He’s had a rough go of it in camp so it’s a positive sign to see him run into one. Maybe that’ll kick start the former top prospect right before cutdown time arrives.

Brewers fight back

Once Jump was out of the game you could almost feel the sigh of relief coming from the opposing dugout. A quick inning of work from Justin Sterner kept them off the board but then they were able to push a couple runs across against Luis Medina. A former top prospect himself, Medina has not looked quite back to his old self quite yet but he is out of options and therefore could end up on roster to open the season, obviously in the bullpen. Otherwise if the front office doesn’t feel like he’ll find his former form, they could end up cutting him near the end of camp and hope to sneak him through waivers. Unlikely to succeed on that front but who knows? Other teams are seeing the same thing we’re seeing from the right-hander.

A’s tack on, finish off Brew Crew

Not looking to blow the lead, the offense kept up the pressure with another run in the seventh (a Cade Marlowe RBI single) and a solo shot in the eight (thank you Stefanik). Then, just looking to make it embareessing, Tommy White came to the plate again, and again came through with a huge hit. Only this time, it left the park for a grand slam. It’s only spring but there’s not really much doubt he can hit, right everyone?

The Brewers added on a pair of meaningless runs in the bottom of the ninth off an RBI single but it was over by then. The A’s finished them off, securing at least one win on this beautiful Friday afternoon.

Here’s the final box from this contest:

A’S TODAY (3/13 vs MIL)
3B White: 3-5, Grand Slam, 2B, 7 RBI
2B Stefanic: 3-5, HR, 3B, 2 RBI
LF Thomas: 2-3, HR
C Wallach: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI
CF Marlowe: 3-5, SB, RBI
LF Leary: 1-2, 3B
DH Gelof: 1-3, BB
SS De Vries: 1-4, BB
LHP Jump: 3 IP/4 H/0 ER/0 BB/3 K/Win
A’s win 13-4

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) March 13, 2026

The team will regroup together tomorrow for an afternoon contest against the Kansas City Royals. It’ll be left-hander Jacob Lopez on the bump for what will be his second appearance this spring. The A’s have been taking things slowly with Lopez because he ended last year with a question mark injury. Cautiously letting him get stretched out, it seems like Lopez should be in the starting rotation come Opening Day but it’s not a guarantee quite yet. A big outing tomorrow would go a long way towards assuaging the coaches that he’s healthy and ready for the grind of a six month season. He’ll be worth watching tomorrow afternoon. The Royals will counter with righty Ryan Bergert, a promising pitcher in their system who could also be making some noise in Kansas City this coming season.

It’s a good thing these games don’t count yet. The Milwaukee Brewers struggled through a 13-4 loss to the Athletics in Cactus League play with some poor defense causing a lot of the problems.

Kyle Harrison got the start and pitched in five innings. He’s the first Brewers starter to get five “ups” this spring, but was charged with six earned runs. There was a fly ball lost in the sun and his defense did let him down on a couple of occasions leaving the Brewers in a big hole early. The Athletics were able to score three runs in the 2nd and three runs in the 3rd.

After Harrison, Trevor Megill came in and allowed a solo homer to Colby Thomas. Then Carlos Rodriguez pitched two innings of one run ball in his first Cactus League action in a couple weeks. Rodriguez was with Team Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic, who were eliminated after the pool play round. Sammy Peralta then allowed a run in his inning of work and the wheels totally fell off when Mark Manfredi entered and allowed a grand slam to Tommy “Tanks” White without recording an out.

On the offensive end, the Brewers scored a pair of runs in the 6th on a Jake Bauers RBI single and an Andrew Vaughn RBI double. Milwaukee scraped together two more runs in the 9th on a 2 RBI single by Josh Adamczewski.

Cooper Pratt had a pair of singles and went 2-for-3 on the day while getting the start at second base. He’s now hitting .280 on the spring. Braylon Payne had a double, which was one of just two extra-base hits the Brewers had, along with Vaughn’s RBI double.

The Brewers fall to 8-11 in Cactus League play. They will be back at it tomorrow against the Colorado Rockies and will have Jacob Misiorowski on the bump.

Observations from Yankees spring training on Friday:

Infield work

Ryan McMahon started at shortstop, with Cody Bellinger at first base, as Aaron Boone looks to get them work at unfamiliar positions in case the need arises during the season.

Bellinger is already comfortable at first and McMahon was relatively smooth at short, though Boone said he was a tick slow on getting in position on a potential relay play.

Coming up short

As the Yankees look to get more offense from McMahon, he’s now hitless in his last 11 at-bats, with a walk and four strikeouts.

Caught my eye

Boone said he wants a reliever — or two — to grab the final spots in the bullpen.

No one has stood out and Osvaldo Bido gave up a run on Friday.

Newcomer Yovanny Cruz did hit 100 mph, so maybe that’s something.

Saturday’s schedule

Max Fried makes another start, as the Yankees host the Phillies at Steinbrenner Field at 1:05 p.m.

Let’s just call it a technical knockout: The White Sox have reasserted their dominance over the rival Cubs.

Friday’s win, their third straight this spring over the ivy bumblers and first at Camelback Ranch, was the most pedestrian of the bunch; in other words, the White Sox clobbered only two homers in this one vs. the four homers in a 5-1 win on March 1 and the eight runs scored in the Cactus League opener on February 20.

Good progress, lil’ Cubbies, you’ll get there one day.

Friday’s win was marked by just enough hitting in support of some outstanding pitching. Davis Martin started and bested his surname counterpart in the other dugout with four scoreless innings of one-hit, four-K ball. After an intermission inning from Jordan Hicks (a hit and K in a 10-pitch, scoreless frame), Sean Newcomb came on for three strong innings (two unearned runs, three hits, walk, six Ks). Jordan Leasure wound things up with a scoreless, tw0-K frame to earn the save.

The White Sox offense spread four single runs over the first five innings, including a bomb from the suddenly-essential Korey Lee:

JUST PLAYING WITH LIKE HIS HAIR

Lee, 2-for-2 on the day, had also tapped home the first White Sox run of the game back in the second inning. He’s 10-for 26 this spring with a .529 on-base percentage.

The White Sox did allow their baby brothers from the north catch up to 3-2 in the sixth, with two gift runs from center fielder Jarred Kelenic:

Gotta say, for a fierce battle among several fringe roster players, several of whom have no options left and will be waived upon not making the team, Kelenic has been the one to consistently put his lack of want-to on display.

Like a kitten toying with a mouse, the White Sox immediately struck back in the bottom half, courtesy of an Everson Pereira home run:

The Cubs, having tumbled to 9-11, stand a chance of pulling back past .500 on the spring given that this was their final game against the White Sox. The South Siders, bristling up at 12-9, get right back at it as the home club hosting the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch on Saturday. Hannah Filippo will make her 2026 recapping debut for this radio-TV broadcast tomorrow afternoon.

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Detroit Tigers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Time/Place: 6:05 p.m., LECOM Park – Bradenton, Florida, FL
SB Nation Site:Bucs Dugout
Media: Tigers Radio Network

The Cubs didn’t send too many regulars to Glendale to face the White Sox — Michael Busch, Miguel Amaya (back from the WBC) and Moisés Ballesteros were the only ones among 40-man roster players, and Michael Conforto and Chas McCormick among the non-roster guys trying to make the team.

Plus, it was basically a bullpen day for the Cubs pitching staff.

All of that led to a 4-2 loss for the Cubs on a very warm afternoon, 89 degrees at game time. (Not as warm as it’s going to be next week, though.)

Riley Martin, a left-hander who might be in the Iowa Shuttle mix this year, allowed the Sox one run in two innings of work. One thing Martin got was the benefit of an inning-ending strikeout when Amaya successfully challenged a call [VIDEO].

Instead of ball 2, that wound up being strike three. Again, this is really good practice for the regular season, though it wouldn’t be that often you’d see this sort of ABS challenge in the first inning.

Ethan Roberts threw a scoreless third, and then the Sox scored a pair off Collin Snider in the fourth and fifth, one of the runs unearned, and another run off Jeff Brigham in the sixth.

By that bottom of the sixth, the Cubs had put two on the board on this hit by Amaya [VIDEO].

That ball was well struck and could have gone for a double, but instead it was ruled a two-base error on Jarred Kelenic. That’s a bit surprising, as I have seen many plays this spring that I thought were errors that were ruled hits. In any case, Amaya looks great. If he stays healthy I think he’s going to have a big year.

Also perhaps primed for a big year is Ballesteros, who went 2-for-3. Busch went 1-for-3 as the DH in this game.

The Cubs loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh off former Cub Sean Newcomb, but two strikeouts and a popup ended the inning with no runs scoring. Newcomb actually looked pretty good and he had a very good year split between the Red Sox and A’s in 2025. If he’d have done that with the Cubs (17 games with a 9.13 ERA in 2022) he’d probably still be a Cub. Just shows you how fungible relievers are.

After that it was all minor leaguers finishing up things.

FWIW, if you’re interested, here is a game thread for the two WBC quarterfinals tonight.

The Cubs will visit Salt River Fields in Scottsdale to take on the Rockies Saturday afternoon. Ben Brown will start for the Cubs and Kyle Freeland will go for the Rox. Game time Saturday is 3:10 p.m. CT. No TV Saturday, but there will be a radio broadcast via WSCR The Score.

Firstly, this is going up early as it will also be a thread for the WBC quarter-finals, which get under way very shortly. We start with the appetizer of Korea taking on the Dominican Republic, and at 5 pm Arizona, we get the main course: USA vs. Canada. That’s of particular interest to us, because the Diamondbacks’ Michael Soroka will be starting on the mound for Team Moose. After their manager thinking they had already sauntered into the knock-out stages, before the Italians proved otherwise, I suspect America will not be taking this game with anything other than the utmost seriousness.

As for the Diamondbacks, they have a night game today. Mind you, given how the weather is looking for next week, might be worth moving ALL games to the evening, and this seems to be happening in some case.

Extreme heat here in Az expected in the coming days. Teams are rescheduling day games for night ones. Supposed to reach 100 degrees earliest ever in Phoenix.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) March 13, 2026

Gamewise, let’s just hope today goes better than Wednesday and Thursday, where the D-backs were outscored by a margin of 25-4. While the pitching (clearly) hasn’t been good, the offense has basically evaporated over the past week or more. Over the past ten games, Arizona has scored a total of only twenty-one runs, and has not delivered (hypothetical spring) tacos in that time. Of course, it is only spring training. But, still…

Not quite got tonight’s line-up for the D-backs at this stage – I’ll update this a bit nearer first pitch in Surprise. But it is scheduled to be Merrill Kelly’s return to the mound as he ramps up again after his back problem. Following him, expect RHP Andrew Hoffmann, LHP Philip Abner, RHP Kade Strowd, RHP Paul Sewald, RHP Isaiah Campbell, RHP Jonathan Loáisiga and RHP Bryce Jarvis. And after what feels like forever, tonight’s game is reported to be available to watch, though it will be the Kansas City feed you’ll get. Personally, I look forward to getting the inevitable “The content you requested is not available. Please try again later” message from MLB.

Here’s your line-up for the D-backs.

Merrill on the mound. pic.twitter.com/crEGTmrUvE

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) March 13, 2026

The Cincinnati Reds are playing a pair of Cactus League games on Friday evening down in the desert of Arizona, but neither of those games are televised. What is televised this fine Friday evening, however, is more World Baseball Classic action.

Down in Miami, the Dominican Republic will play South Korea, with the DR serving as the home team in this Quarterfinals matchup. Veteran lefty Hyun Jin Ryu will toe the rubber for South Korea, while Philadelphia’s burgeoning ace Cristopher Sánchez – a fellow lefty – will start for the Dominican. That game can be viewed on FS2 and FOX Deportes, with first pitch at loanDepot park set for 6:30 PM ET.

The nightcap will feature the United States squad facing off against Team Canada from Daikin Park down in Houston. San Francisco Giants bulldog righty Logan Webb will start for the US while Arizona Diamondbacks righty Mike Soroka will go for Canada. First pitch in that game is slated for 8:00 PM ET, and that game will be carried on FOX (and on FOX Deportes).

You can find more information (such as tonight’s lineups and overall rosters) at MLB.com’s World Baseball Classic page.

The Dodgers take on the Seattle Mariners on Friday night in Peoria.

Lineup

Miguel Rojas DH
Kyle Tucker RF
Teoscar Hernández LF
Alex Call CF
Santiago Espinal 3B
Alex Freeland SS
Nick Senzel 2B
James Tibbs III 1B
Eliézer Alfonzo C

Landon Knack starts for the Dodgers.

Other pitchers

Blake Treinen, Ben Casparius, Will Klein, and Edgardo Henriquez are scheduled to pitch on Friday.

Veteran right-handers Yency Almonte (wearing number 93) and Keynan Middleton (95) are active in a big league game for the first time this spring. Each signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers. Also active are Kelvin Ramirez (90) and Matt Lanzendorfer (87).

Other position players

Michael Siani makes the trip to Peoria, as do non-roster invitees Ryan Fitzgerald, Zach Ehrhard, Noah Miller, Zyhir Hope, and Seby Zavala.

Up from minor league camp are Chris Newell (00), Griffin Lockwood-Powell (92), Charles Davalan (01), Austin Gauthier (89), Yeiner Fernandez (02), and Kyle Nevin (91).

The second and final battle of Camelback Ranch is upon us on Saturday afternoon, with the Dodgers taking on the White Sox, this time with Chicago as the home team.

Back on February 26, the Dodgers beat the White Sox 7-6 in their first meeting this spring. These two teams will meet during the regular season from June 12-14 in Chicago, with a weekend rematch of the 1959 World Series.

On Saturday, Justin Wrobleski continues his march toward a potential rotation spot, making his fourth appearance of spring training, and his third start. The left-hander pitched three scoreless innings last Sunday against the A’s.

Right-hander Mike Vasil starts for Chicago.

Saturday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at White Sox
• Ballpark: Camelback Ranch
• Time: 1:05 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570

We have two quarter final WBC games today.

6:30 PM: Korea vs. Dominican Republic

Hyun Jim Ryu, who you might remember, starts for Korea. Cristopher Sánchez for DR. Vlad is in the cleanup spot.

8:00 PM: USA vs. Canada. Logan Webb starts for the US. Mike Soroka for Canada.

Happy Friday, all! The Yankees played earlier today in spring training against the Braves, but a few other Yankees are actually playing tonight. And since the World Baseball Classic is now in the knockout stage, how about we have a game thread for tonight’s two contests?

First up is the Dominican Republic, who looked an absolute powerhouse while steamrolling to a 4-0 record in Pool D. They obliterated Nicaragua, Israel, and the Netherlands by a combined score of 34-5 before beating rival Venezuela in the last game to earn the top spot in the pool. The 7-5 final score doesn’t reflect how in control the D.R. felt, as it was 7-3 for most of the game until Venezuela scratched off some runs in the ninth.

Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Junior Caminero, Ketel Marte, and that familiar Juan Soto fella all had OPS’s north of 1.000 during the four games, and Yankees catcher Austin Wells chipped in a homer, too. They are hungry to match the feats of the the undefeated, Robinson Canó-led 2013 Dominican Republic squad, their only champions in tournament history.

The D.R. is a force to be reckoned with, but it also doesn’t matter how overwhelming they were in pool play. If they slip just once and they lose, it’s over. And South Korea is no foe that should be easily dismissed. They finished second to Japan in Pool A play, but they put a scare into the defending champions during their head-to-head. A narrow extra-innings loss to Chinese Taipei meant that they had to both defeat Australia in their last game, and do so by a wide enough margin to overcome the tiebreakers.

Korea did the job, with a timely sacrifice fly in the ninth giving them that last run they needed to push by the Aussies in a 7-2 triumph. They have a few MLB players on their club in Jung Hoo Lee, Shay Whitcomb, and 2024 Yankees bench player Jahmai Jones, but the true star in pool play was 25-year-old masher Bo Gyeong Moon, who homered twice and posted a 1.779 OPS across the four games. Although Korea is respected as a baseball power and won an Olympic gold medal in 2008, this is actually their first appearance past the WBC’s first round since the tourney’s early days, when they were knocked out by Japan in both the 2006 semifinals and the 2009 championship game.

The starting pitching matchup for this is a fun one too, as 2025 NL Cy Young runner-up Cristopher Sánchez squares off with one of the few active players remaining from Korea’s Olympic heroes, former Dodgers/Blue Jays standout Hyun Jin Ryu.

How to watch

Dominican Republic vs. Korea
Pitching Matchup: LHP Cristopher Sánchez vs. LHP Hyun Jin Ryu
Time: 6:30 pm ET
TV: FS2
Location: loanDepot Park — Miami, FL

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Oh, Team USA. They should be thanking their lucky stars (and stripes) that they’re still alive in this thing. Manager Mark DeRosa nearly screwed the pooch the other day when he signaled that he was punting the Pool B finale against Italy when the Americans were not, in fact, guaranteed of a quarterfinals spot just yet. Bryce Harper, Alex Bregman, and Cal Raleigh all sat, and for as much as I think he’s a decent pitcher, DeRosa stuck with Yankees swingman Ryan Yarbrough for too long in the middle innings despite better bullpen options as the Italians built just enough of a surprising lead that it was too much to overcome. If Mexico had beaten Italy the next day by the right score, then this dream team would’ve had its WBC end in a nightmare.

But hey! It’s all in the past now, and if they win three games, then Team USA will be WBC champions and that will all be a dumb footnote. We’ll see if baseball karma exists and gives underdog Canada a little extra pep in their step against the Aaron Judge and the Americans tonight. Judge had a rough final game of the pool and struck out to end it, but he was also essential to their win over Mexico and ended that first round with a 1.054 OPS. Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong homered twice against Italy, and the USA offense has also seen great work from Roman Anthony, Gunnar Henderson, and Kyle Schwarber.

To their credit, Canada outright won Pool A with W’s over Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Panama, advancing to the knockout stage for the first time since the WBC began in 2006. It was an overdue achievement for a country that has produced stars like Fergie Jenkins, Larry Walker, and Joey Votto. Josh Naylor and his brother, Bo, are among the more recognizable faces on this Canadian club, in addition to Tyler O’Neill and old friend Jameson Taillon. The retired James Paxton is also in their bullpen, amusingly. Pool A’s best hitters were the Royals’ Abraham Toro (late of the 2025 Red Sox) and Marlins prospect Owen Caissie (who led the Cubs’ package for Edward Cabrera), who both topped the 1.450 OPS mark.

The Giants’ Logan Webb will get the ball for this one after four innings of one-hit ball against Brazil in the WBC opener, the only blemish a leadoff solo shot by Manny Ramirez’s son, Lucas. (Yes, my back just suffered a twinge writing that. Don’t get me started on actual child Joseph Contreras.) Canada’s pitching is its weak point, as Arizona’s Michael Soroka doesn’t exactly measure up to Webb, who has earned Cy Young votes in four consecutive seasons. Maybe the 2019 Braves version of Soroka could measure up, but he’s had a rough go of it since brutal injuries ravaged his promising career. Then again, the Americans looked like crap again Michael Lorenzen, who had to settle for a contract with the Rockies. You never know with baseball, Suzyn.

How to watch

United States vs. Canada
Pitching Matchup: RHP Logan Webb vs. RHP Michael Soroka
Time: 8:00 pm ET
TV: Fox
Location: Daikin Park — Houston, TX

Korea at Dominican Republic, 6:30 PM EDT, FS2

Korea lineup

1. Do Yeong Kim – 3B
2. Jahmai Jones – LF
3. Jung Hoo Lee – CF
4. Hyun Min Ahn – RF
5. Bo Gyeong Moon – DH
6. Shay Whitcomb – 1B
7. Hyeseong Kim – 2B
8. Dong Won Park – C
9. Ju Won Kim – SS

SP: Hyun Jin Ryu (LHP)

Dominican Republic lineup

1. Fernando Tatis Jr. – RF
2. Ketel Marte – 2B
3. Juan Soto – LF
4. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B
5. Manny Machado – 3B
6. Junior Caminero – DH
7. Julio Rodríguez – CF
8. Agustín Ramírez – C
9. Geraldo Perdomo – SS

SP: Cristopher Sánchez (LHP)

USA at Canada, 8:00 PM EDT, FOX

Korea lineup

1. Bobby Witt Jr. – SS
2. Bryce Harper – 1B
3. Aaron Judge – RF
4. Kyle Schwarber – DH
5. Alex Bregman – 3B
6. Roman Anthony – LF
7. Cal Raleigh – C
8. Brice Turang – 2B
9. Pete Crow-Armstrong – CF

SP: Logan Webb

Canada lineup

lineup to follow