Category: MLB

This recap is late because it is being typed out on the bar of a lovely establishment in Twin Falls, Idaho, called Scooter’s. I am on my way to spring training and listened to this game – even though it was televised – while driving up and down various mountain passes. This country hilly as heck, y’all. I thus did not have time before stopping for the evening to recount what happened in today’s game, which you have likely already seen, but in case you, too, were consumed with other things, here is what happened in today’s game, another back-and-forth spring training affair where the Mariners eventually came out on top, 8-7.

Bryce Miller

Miller made his season debut and went 1.1 innings, allowing three hits and punching out one on a pitch the broadcast crew was divided between being a splitter or a curveball (Gameday says splitter now, although Gary Hill initially announced it as a curve). Miller came out firing in his spring debut, touching 98.4 on his four-seam – he did give up a double on that pitch, but it was located well across the plate and David Fry sort of stuck his bat out at it and got lucky. Shannon Drayer said on the broadcast that Miller opted not to get the surgery for his bone spur because he found a gel injection that has been working for managing the pain should it crop up, which it hasn’t; he’s not concerned, and therefore I’m not concerned.

The WBC Guys Are Getting Their Hacks In

Julio Rodríguez leaves on Saturday to join Team Dominican Republic and they’ll be happy to have him; he had a double but also worked two walks in his four plate appearances. Not to be outdone, Cal Raleigh had two doubles, although he didn’t catch seven innings this time. Randy Arozarena, who will also leave soon for the WBC, also had a double in a particularly fun first inning that saw that trio go back-to-back-to-back with doubles.

Luke Raley-Dominic Canzone: Heated Rivalry

In the position battle I’m watching most closely this spring, the healthy revenge tour of Luke Raley continues; he added another hard-hit double today off former Mariner Matt Festa, smoked at 109.8 mph. Dominic Canzone also had a hit, a line-drive single to center on a pitch inside that he fought off and got to drop.

The Spring Awakening Continues

Continuing to see a lot of playing time at second base, Michael Arroyo collected another pair of hits today, including his second double of the spring, and worked a walk. He also initiated another successful challenge; this kid really knows the strike zone. Meanwhile, Colt Emerson had two hits of his own, including a triple.

Brocketship to the Moon

While I was driving up a mountain in eastern Oregon to what felt terrifyingly close to driving onto the moon’s surface itself, Brock Rodden was checking in with his first home run of the spring. Yes it was a middle-middle first-pitch cutter that he ambushed, but still, we love healthy Brock Star.

Pitching Pile Update

It was a mixed bag for the bullpen hopefuls today. One of the best lines was posted by a pitcher I had no idea was a Mariner, one Abdiel Mendoza, who came in during to relieve Miller and polished off the second inning cleanly. Casey Legumina also had a solid outing, working a clean fifth inning with a strikeout. Cooper Criswell didn’t have as dazzling an outing as he did in his spring debut, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks, but showcased his ability as a swingman or multi-inning reliever, going two innings. Ryan Loutos struggled again, getting himself into some trouble and surrendering a big hit in the form of a three-run homer to Kate Fave Petey Halpin. Maybe the most intriguing outing for me today was Cole Wilcox, who again showcased his big stuff; he does have trouble commanding it at times, issuing a free pass, but he also collected a strikeout. It’s…so…tantalizingly…close with Wilcox.

Also close: spring training, for me. I’ll unfortunately just miss a bunch of the WBC guys as they’re leaving but will have plenty up about everyone else over the coming weeks. Make sure you’re following us on Bluesky (@LookoutLanding) for the video content and let me know if there’s anything in particular you want to hear about. I’m aiming for my first day there to be Saturday, Kade Anderson’s professional debut, so unless I fall into a canyon there will be lots of content about that come the weekend.

NJ.com | Randy Miller: Giancarlo Stanton is obsessed with winning a World Series with the Yankees. It’s too bad his elbows keep getting in the way. In an interview with Miller, the slugger explained why he didn’t want to undergo surgery to address the chronic tendinitis that is still affecting him, and reminded the world that he can’t open a bottle or a bag of chips. However, he clarified that he wants to play a full season and take home the trophy. As his 158 wRC+ and 24 home runs in 77 games last year proved, Big G can still mash with his current condition.

SNY | Alex Smith: The Yankees beat the Braves 7-3 on Thursday, with another solid outing by Elmer Rodríguez and home runs by Paul Goldschmidt, Spencer Jones, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. Rodríguez allowed two runs in three innings of work, striking out four and walking one. His changeup looked on point; he got seven whiffs and his spring ERA now stands at 3.00.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Spring training star Ryan Weathers changed his offseason routine with the intention of staying healthy. The new habits, explained in detail by Phillips, involve the elimination of “some lifting patterns in the weight room” and the implementation of “more ground-based rolling exercises that, with the help of a foam roller, focused on his spine.” Yankees fans are praying to every god they know for these habits to pay off, because he is looking fantastic on the mound.

CBS 58 News Milwaukee | Kathryn Merck: Retired MLB umpire Bruce Froemming, whose career spanned from 1971 to 2007, passed away on Wednesday, aged 86. He umpired the third-most games in league history, and spent most of his career in the National League. His strike call was unique, and he is best known by Yankees fans for being the umpire who ejected Billy Martin in Game 4 of the 1976 World Series. Rest in peace.

Manny Machado got his first two hits of Spring Training in dramatic fashion on Thursday. Machado came to the plate with the San Diego Padres trailing the Cincinnati Reds, 3-1 in the top of the third inning and blasted a two-run home run to left to tie the game, 3-3. He then watched the Reds put up six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and returned to the plate in the top of the sixth with the bases loaded and a chance to tie the game again. Machado did just that with a grand slam to center field that tied the game, 9-9. In the end, Cincinnati was able to scratch out one more run than San Diego and Machado and the Padres dropped the game at Goodyear Stadium in Goodyear, Ariz., 11-10.

The Reds won the game, but Machado was the top story from the Padres side. He was quickly followed by Sung-Mun Song who recorded his first hit in MLB action on a 96.5 mph cutter from Cincinnati reliever Graham Ashcraft, which resulted in a single to start the six-run top of the sixth inning. The base hit was a step forward for Song, who admitted in a recent report he was going to need some time to adjust to pitch velocity in the majors. Song also worked two walks in the game.

With all the offensive fireworks, the fact that Nick Pivetta started the game for San Diego kind of got lost in all the numbers. He worked two innings and allowed three runs on three hits with two walks and a strikeout. It was not the outing Padres fans expected to see from Pivetta who was the staff ace in 2025, especially after Michael King looked so dominant in his start against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. However, it was the first start of Spring Training for Pivetta and play-by-play announcers Jesse Agler and Tony Gwynn Jr. made note on the broadcast that it appeared the right-hander was working on specific pitches in his outing.

Padres pitchers Miguel Mendez and Justin Yeager each had difficult outings, which resulted in a combined six runs for the Reds. Mendez lasted 0.2 innings and allowed three runs on four hits with two walks and a strikeout. Yeager was called on to finish the inning for Mendez and he allowed two runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout.

On the offensive side, Machado and Song were joined by Nick Solak, Gavin Sheets, Anthony Vilar, Marcos Castonon, Clay Dungan and Rodolfo Duran who all recorded at least one hit in the game. Duran had two hits, one of which was a solo home run to open the top of the third inning.

San Diego will travel to Salt River Fields at Talking Stick to take on the Colorado Rockies on Friday at 12:10 p.m.

Longtime MLB umpire Bruce Froemming, who worked the third-most games in league history and a record 11 no-hitters, died Wednesday in Milwaukee, his son Steven confirmed to the Associated Press.

He was 86.

Froemming struck his head during a fall at his Mequon, Wisc., home on Tuesday night, and doctors failed to stop the bleeding in his brain due to blood thinners he was taking, according to his son.

Known for his loud, distinctive strike call, Froemming umpired 37 consecutive seasons from 1971-2007 in the majors, working a total of 5,163 games, trailing only Bill Klem (5,373) and Joe West (5,460).

Froemming briefly pursued a semi-professional playing career, but ultimately started umpiring at age 18, working his way through the minor leagues, at times making $250 a month, before reaching the National League in 1971.

“Every game to me is important,” Froemming told NPR after he umpired his 5,000th career contest in 2006. “You know and I learned early on it’s not the level of play that you’re umpiring or officiating, it’s how you attack the sport as an official. And every game is important. It’s important to somebody. It’s important to the people that are playing, no matter at what level.

“You may think you’ve got a B game or a game that’s not important. To those kids or people that are playing it, it is important. So every game that you work you have to work at a high level.”

During his nearly four-decade career, Froemming often found himself at the forefront of some of the most memorable moments and skirmishes in MLB history.

On Sept. 2, 1972, Froemming was behind the plate for an afternoon Cubs-Padres game at Wrigley Field as three-time All-Star pitcher Milt Pappas closed in on a perfect game. With pinch-hitter Larry Stahl representing the final out, Froemming called a close 3-2 pitch ball four, ending Pappas’ bid for perfection.

While Pappas retired the next hitter to complete a no-hitter, the right-handed pitcher was upset by Froemming’s call, which remained a source of controversy.

“The word ‘close’ came in,” Froemming told MLB.com in 2016 about the call, shortly after Pappas’ passing. “The pitches were ‘close.’ I said: ‘To me, this is my perception about umpiring. It’s a ball or a strike; it’s not “close.” I’ve got it a ball or a strike.’

“When that came up the next day — ‘You could have given it to him, it was close’ — I said, ‘I’m an umpire, not a fan. I called what I saw.'”

Froemming worked 10 more no-hitters during his career, and was behind home plate for three of them: Ed Halicki (1975), Nolan Ryan (1981) and José Jiménez (1999).

The Milwaukee native was involved in a bevy of melees during his career, including working as the second base umpire during Game 3 of the 1973 National League Championship series at Shea Stadium when Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose fought near the bag.

More than three decades later, Froemming was working the plate at Fenway Park on July 24, 2004, when Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek shoved his glove into Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriguez’s face, inciting a brawl.

Not shy about giving anyone the hook, Froemming also recorded 125 career ejections, good for the 13th most all-time. Perhaps none were as memorable as him ejecting Yankees manager Billy Martin in Game 4 of the 1976 World Series.

The Yankees skipper chucked a baseball toward home plate in the ninth inning with Froemming at first base during first of five Fall Classics he’d work in his career.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Froemming asked Martin, according to a 1985 Los Angeles Times story.

“None of your f–king business!” Martin reportedly shot back before his ejection.

During his final season in 2007, Froemming drew the ire of then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for not delaying Game 2 of the ALDS between the Yankees and Indians after midges swarmed inside Jacobs Field.

“The umpire was full of [expletive],” Steinbrenner said of Froemming, who served as the crew chief. “He won’t umpire our games anymore.”

MLB stood by Froemming, who said Steinbrenner was “entitled” to his opinion, as the Yankees dropped the series to Cleveland in four games.

“He loved the fact that baseball was like a fraternity,” his son Steven told The Athletic. “You argued like hell on the field, and after the game was over, you left it at the stadium, and it was a new day tomorrow.”

After his retirement, Froemming worked as a special assistant to MLB’s vice president on umpiring.

Froemming is survived by his wife, Rosemarie, whom he married in 1957; two sons, Steven and Kevin; sister Cathy Seizer; half-brother Johnny Froemming; and two grandchildren, Nicolas and Christopher.

With Post wires

On Tuesday, I asked which pitching prospect you thought would make a name for himself in 2026.

Tonight, let’s look to the position player side of the roster.

Which Rockies prospect do you see stepping up this season?

And if you need a refresher, the most-recent PuRPs rankings are here.

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

Observations from Yankees spring training on Thursday.

Having a blast

Jazz Chisholm Jr., Paul Goldschmidt and Spencer Jones all crushed home runs in a 7-3 win over the Braves — Chisholm’s first of the spring and the second each for Goldschmidt and Jones. 

Downer for Doval

Camilo Doval made his spring debut and gave up a home run to ex-Yankees minor leaguer Ben Gamel in an inning of work. But he rebounded by striking out a pair to strand a runner on third. 

Caught my eye 

Goldschmidt’s homer came off the bat at 102.4 mph, but his single in the bottom of the first inning (against former Yankee Carlos Carrasco) was smoked at 108 mph.

Results can be deceiving in spring, especially for veterans, but quality of contact is a better measuring stick and in that regard, Goldschmidt has consistently been hitting the ball hard during the first week of games. 

Friday’s schedule

Luis Gil makes his second start of the spring when the Yankees travel to face the Twins in Fort Myers, Fla.

Takeaways from the Mets’ training camp on Thursday:

Laser show

Ronny Mauricio, whose first major league hit was clocked at 117 mph in 2023, drilled a 111-mph single to center in the fourth inning as he tries to show enough offense, as well as defensive versatility, to stick around.

First things first

Mark Vientos is 0-for-10 on the spring after going hitless again Thursday, but he made a pair of solid plays at first base.

He’s expected to be at third base when he leaves to play for Team Nicaragua in the WBC.

Caught my eye

Houston right-hander Tatsuya Imai, who was one of the more high-profile signings of the offseason, got drilled with a comebacker from Marcus Semien to lead off the game. Imai stayed in the game and pitched a scoreless first inning before departing.

Friday’s schedule

Two of the Mets’ biggest acquisitions to their pitching staff will make their debuts in Jupiter, Fla., against the Cardinals, with Freddy Peralta starting and Devin Williams out of the bullpen. Game time is 1:05 p.m.

For the second straight day, the San Francisco Giants engaged in a Cactus League slugfest. And for the second straight day, the power they provided was surpassed by the power they allowed. This time, it wasn’t quite as close as on Wednesday, as the Giants fell to the Colorado Rockies 11-3.

The good was extremely encouraging, and the bad was extremely concerning. So let’s begin with the bad, and get it out of the way as quickly as we can.

Hayden Birdsong, who opened up the spring for the Giants a week ago and only retired one batter, made his second appearance of the preseason. In the most basic statistical sense, it went better this time around. But in reality? Honestly, it might have been worse.

Birdsong entered in the fifth inning, and the first batter he faced — non-roster invitee designated hitter Chad Stevens — took him deep. In Birdsong’s defense, it was the epitome of a Spring Training, humid desert home run: it left the bat at just 99.1 mph, it traveled a mere 365 feet, and, per Statcast, it had an expected batting average of only .170. Were this a Major League game, it probably would have been an out that we didn’t think too much about … unless the Rockies were hosting the game, that is.

He recovered against the next batter, blowing a 97.1-mph fastball past center fielder Jake McCarthy in a 2-2 count.

Then the hiccups started again. Catcher Brett Sullivan had a hard-hit double, and scored on an even harder-hit single by shortstop Cole Carrigg. Right fielder Jordan Beck singled, and then Birdsong’s defense both helped him out and hurt him. Luis Arráez committed an error on what should have been a fielder’s choice, allowing third baseman Kyle Karros — son of Eric — aboard, but then Patrick Bailey threw out Beck for the second out of the inning. Birdsong, slightly rattled, engaged in an eight-pitch battle with first baseman Charlie Condon, which resulted in a walk, before retiring second baseman Adael Amador to end the inning.

Allowing three runs in one inning is emphatically better than allowing five runs in a third of an inning, but the bad results felt mere emblematic of the performance this time around, with Birdsong throwing just 19 of 32 pitches for strikes, and having a few uncompetitive encounters. Critically, after Tony Vitello expressed optimism about Birdsong’s stuff following Saturday’s rough-up, things were quite different on Thursday. This time, the manager made no attempt to put any window dressing on a bad game.

The spring is still young, but unfortunately, the early returns suggest that Birdsong has not been able to fix what doomed his season a year ago. It appears this may not be the quick fix we were all looking for.

San Francisco’s other young, ultra-electric arm in this game was better than Birdsong, though certainly not great. Blade Tidwell got the start and set down the side in order in the first, albeit narrowly avoiding the only-in-Scottsdale home run that damaged Birdsong’s ERA. The second inning was a different story for Tidwell, who was sitting around 96 and, unlike most of the team’s starters this spring, did not lose velocity in his second frame.

He lost effectiveness, though. Tidwell opened the inning with a six-pitch walk in which all six pitches were outside of the zone. That run immediately scored when Karros scorched a triple at 108.1 mph, making it the fourth hardest-hit ball of the entire game. The next batter, Condon, one-upped Karros with the second-hardest hit ball of the game: a 111.2-mph RBI single.

While that wasn’t ideal, Tidwell’s composure most certainly was. Despite having given up a pair of runs, and despite there being a runner on base with no outs, and despite a flurry of hard contact, Tidwell settled in and set down the next three batters on just six pitches, without throwing a single ball.

I wasn’t at the game, and it wasn’t televised, so I can’t speak to how Tidwell or Birdsong looked. But Tidwell’s composure to bounce back in that inning, juxtaposed against Vitello’s comments about Birdsong’s body language, certainly paint a picture for us.

While those were the most notable pitchers to take the bump for the Giants, there were a trio of other arms who joined Birdsong in giving up long balls. Lefty Reiver Sanmartin pitched the fourth and gave up a solo shot to Condon, which left the bat at 102.8 mph. Non-roster invitee Wilkin Ramos handled the sixth, and it did not go well for him. He ceded a 105-mph, 410-foot dinger to Ryan Ritter on the first of 28 pitches that he needed to get through the inning. He gave up two walks, two singles, a double, and two more runs before mercifully getting through the frame.

Prospect and NRI Trent Harris also allowed a long ball, though his performance was fairly encouraging. The undrafted reliever mostly shelved his signature curveball — something to keep an eye on — and instead leaned heavily on his cutter and slider. In the seventh inning, it worked wonders: he struck out the first two batters he faced, and then induced an inning-ending groundball.

But he stayed on the mound for the eighth inning and, while he struck out the ultra-talented Zac Veen, he also gave up a single and a two-run home run. In Harris’ defense, that dinger — Colorado’s fourth and final one of the day — was also a vintage Cactus League bomb. It was hit at just 95.2 mph, and carried an expected batting average of only .190. In all, even though he allowed as many runs as innings pitched, it was an encouraging outing for Harris, though he was pitching at the point of the game where there aren’t many Major Leaguers to be found.

The Giants couldn’t match that thump, but they did have a pair of powerful swings of the bat, including the most impressive swing of the day. In the bottom of the first inning, Matt Chapman — who is once again having a delightful swing — absolutely caught hold of one and let it ride. On the first pitch he saw from fellow righty Valento Bellozo, Chapman hit the ball 108.4 mph (the third hardest-hit ball of the day), and a staggering 460 feet for an absolute no-doubter. A thing of beauty!

In the fifth, it was the man with a new look: left fielder Heliot Ramos. Sporting bleached hair to match his Puerto Rican teammates as he heads off for the WBC, Ramos looked in midseason form against veteran reliever Viktor Vodnik, a fellow righty. Ramos got ahead in the count 2-0, and then blasted a 99-mph challenge fastball 400 feet into the opposite-field desert air for his first home run of spring.

The Giants would score their third and final run of the game two batters later: after Patrick Bailey singled and was replaced by pinch-runner Grant McCray, Harrison Bader continued his excellent spring with an RBI double.

A few more notes from the game:

• Bailey, after going a perfect 3-for-3 on challenges in his last game, lost a challenge in the first inning of this one. I’m guessing that’s not something we’ll see in the regular season.
• Ramos, as we’ve grown accustomed to, hit the absolute snot out of the ball. His home run was the seventh-hardest hit ball of the game, while his other at-bat was a single on the fifth hardest-hit ball of the day. Chapman, similarly, had the third-hardest hit ball on his homer, and the sixth hardest-hit ball on a groundout.
• NRI Parks Harber has been opening eyes ever since the Giants acquired him in the Camilo Doval trade, and there’s one primary reason: he hits the stitches off the ball. That was on display Thursday, when Harber only had one at-bat, but used it to record the hardest-hit baseball all game, a 111.8-mph single.
• If you were listening to the audio of the game, the highlight came during Harris’ strong seventh inning. The broadcasters were sitting near Harris’ family, and you could hear them screaming and cheering very loudly with every strike thrown and every out recorded. It was a great moment.
• Right-hander Spencer Bivens worked around a pair of singles to record a scoreless third inning.
• Lefty NRI Juan Sánchez made his second appearance of the spring, and it went very well. He handled a scoreless ninth inning and struck out two batters, while giving up a single. He peaked at 95.3 mph in his first spring since 2024, after missing all of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery.
• The Giants host the Dodgers tomorrow at 12:05 p.m PT and hey, what do you know, there will actually be video for that game! It’s Robbie Ray vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Tyler Mahle is expected to make his Giants debut on Saturday.

TAMPA — Next stop for Elmer Rodríguez: Puerto Rico, for a chance to pitch in front of his family.

The Yankees pitching prospect made his second and final start Thursday before leaving for the World Baseball Classic this weekend, continuing to flash his pitchability across three innings in a 7-3 win over the Braves.

“I feel like I’m building the momentum to [the WBC],” said Rodríguez, who scattered two hits and one walk for two runs while striking out four. “The past couple games felt great. So trying to keep going and see where I’m at in another week and a half.”

Rodríguez believes he is in line to pitch Puerto Rico’s third game of pool play against Cuba on March 9 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan.

It will be a special setting for the 22-year-old, who has not pitched on his home soil since being drafted by the Red Sox in 2021 (and then flipped to the Yankees last winter for catcher Carlos Narváez).

“I’ve always wanted to pitch in front of my family,” Rodríguez said. “So getting the chance to pitch there, all the fans from Puerto Rico follow me and support me, so I’m just trying to go out there and put on a show for them.”

Giancarlo Stanton remains on track to make his spring debut either Sunday or Tuesday, as the Yankees slow-play him into games to keep him as healthy as possible.

The veteran DH, who has said all along he will have to manage the pain in his elbows due to tendinitis, has been getting his work in mostly behind the scenes during the first week of games, but was out in right field Thursday morning getting some reads on balls during batting practice.

“No change,” Boone said. “He’s been doing well. He’s ready to roll.”

Ryan McMahon once again went the other way for a two-run double off Carlos Carrasco in the first inning against the Braves, flashing more opposite-field ability with his shortened stance.

“He’s capable of that,’ Boone said. “And he’s got big power that way too. So he can drive the ball the other way with authority.”

Joe Torre arrived at camp Thursday, spending time around the batting cage before the game and then sitting with Boone during the game.

“I love having him around,” Boone said. “I just like being around him. Guys love seeing him. So as long as he keeps wanting to do it, I’m going to keep on inviting him.”

Randal Grichuk, who agreed to a minor league deal with the Yankees on Wednesday night, had not yet arrived to camp as of Thursday.

But the veteran outfielder will receive $2.5 million if he makes the Yankees, The Post’s Joel Sherman reported.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Jorge Polanco has some time to work on the finer points of playing first base — but not too much time, with Opening Day less than a month away.

The veteran infielder took another step in that direction Thursday, playing in a simulated game at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie as he looks to get more comfortable as part of the Mets’ shortstop-filled infield.

“It was a little different at the beginning,’’ Polanco said.

That’s to be expected, as the Mets are rolling the dice on Polanco moving to the corner spot — likely backed up by Mark Vientos and Brett Baty, who are also inexperienced at the position.

Vientos played first base in a 5-0 win over Houston at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches and made a pair of nice plays. Baty, still working his way back from hamstring tightness, also took part in the simulated game and is expected to get time at first base in a Grapefruit League game soon.

Polanco, who Carlos Mendoza said would be used as a DH, said he spoke with Carlos Santana to get some first-base pointers.

Polanco said Santana advised him about the mental challenges of his new position and his responsibilities from pitch to pitch, which are considerably different than they are in the middle of the infield.

Perhaps the most challenging plays, according to Polanco, will be those that involve decision-making, like when to go for a ball hit to his right or let the second baseman get it.

“You’ve just got to go do it,’’ Polanco said before channeling Ron Washington: “Everyone says first base is easy, but it’s harder than you expect,’’ Polanco said. “But this is the perfect time to get ready.”

Tyrone Taylor, somewhat of an afterthought in the early part of spring with Luis Robert Jr. set to take over in center field and Carson Benge grabbing most of the attention in right, slammed a three-run homer after getting the start in center. … Luis Torrens had a pair of hits.

With Francisco Lindor still out with a fractured hamate bone in his left hand, Ronny Mauricio got the start at shortstop Thursday, and Marcus Semien said he was impressed with Mauricio’s communication in the middle of the infield.

Earlier today, the Colorado Rockies absolutely pounded the San Francisco Giants.

[Clears throat: taco’s.]

For game highlights, click here.

First, here’s manager Warren Schaeffer’s thoughts on the day’s performances:

And Jordan Beck — and please appreciate an exceptional throw:

Cole Carrigg weighs in on his spring training so far:

Here’s Charlie Condon:

And finally, Kyle Karros discusses the Rockies’ new hitting approach as well as the triple he hit today:

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

PHOENIX — In the hypothetical scenario presented to him, Dave Roberts wasn’t the manager of the Dodgers. 

He was a reporter assigned to cover the team, and he had an itch to stir things up.

What would he write about?

“It’d be hard to stir things up in this camp,” Roberts said.

Didn’t Roberts want to inject some excitement into spring training by, say, suggesting that Roki Sasaki could be demoted to the minor leagues?

Roberts cracked up.

“That ain’t going to happen,” he said.

Welcome to the Most Boring Spring Training Camp in the major leagues. 

There are no controversies, no serious concerns. The lineup is basically set. There is only one starting position up for grabs, and that’s to be the left-handed-hitting half of a platoon at second base until Tommy Edman recovers from ankle surgery.

The Dodgers are built to withstand the loss of any player in the regular season, which explains why Roberts is nonchalant when speaking about how Blake Snell is still just playing catch.

The team is slow-playing Snell this spring, knowing it has a rotation that also includes three other Cy Young-caliber starters: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow. They have enough starting pitching depth in the likes of Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone, Justin Wrobleski and River Ryan to reach the postseason. The real season starts in October, and all the Dodgers care about is that Snell is healthy by then.

Mookie Betts? He’s also being slow-played so that he can recover from a grueling World Series run. He won’t appear in his first Cactus League game until Sunday or perhaps early next week, but so what? The Dodgers have the luxury of playing the long game.

There are some questions about the degree to which Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez can fight off the effects of age. But any of them returning to peak form feels more like a luxury than a necessity in the wake of the addition of 29-year-old All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker.

The other high-profile acquisition, closer Edwin Diaz, has introduced a feeling of stability to what was the team’s greatest weakness last year, the bullpen. The group looks as if it would be a strength, as Diaz’s presence in the ninth inning will allow Roberts to deploy the other relievers in favorable situations.

Speaking of Roberts, the once-polarizing manager is now a three-time World Series champion who is in the first season of a four-year extension he signed last year. Roberts is enjoying whatever the opposite of the hot seat is.

The Dodgers are stable, and they’re really good. 

About the only developing story is about Sasaki, the second-year fireballer from Japan. Regardless of what he does, Sasaki won’t elevate or sink the Dodgers. His ongoing saga is fascinating because he’s a generational talent, not because of how he will affect the team in the short term.

The Dodgers have a $400 million payroll, and that has bought them enormous margins for error. Another way to look at their situation is that a lot has to go wrong for them to not win the National League West.

“I like it in the sense that it’s peaceful, but it’s very intentional,” Roberts said. “I think if you watch our guys work through the day, it’s very thoughtful and intense and yet very fun. I think that’s sustainable.”

The Dodgers had to move up and shorten spring training in each of the last two years because of season-opening trips to Japan and South Korea. Yamamoto, Diaz, Will Smith and Hyeseong Kim will depart soon to join their respective national teams for the World Baseball Classic. Ohtani has already left.

Ohtani’s exit dramatically reduced the number of reporters in camp, as many of the Japanese journalists who were here followed the two-way player to Japan. Then again, it’s not as if any players are looking for extra space to horse around.

“Guys are focused on getting ready,” Roberts said. “Guys are smart. They don’t want distractions. We don’t need them.”

As for stirring anything up, Roberts said, “Good luck with that.”

The No. 3 Texas Longhorns are set up how head coach Jim Schlossnagle prefers — tuned up after an eight-game homestand at UFCU Disch-Falk Field to open the 2026 season before heading to Houston for the BRUCE BOLT College Classic at Daikin Park for three games starting on Friday.

Still undefeated, Schlossnagle expects the Longhorns to face some adversity this weekend, even more so than the self-imposed adversity of playing from behind in several games to start the season.

“Everybody has a plan until you get punched. So I’m sure we’ll take some punches this weekend, and I’m looking forward to seeing how guys handle the different environment,” Schlossnagle said on Thursday.

Last year, when the Longhorns traveled to Globe Life Field to open the season Shiners Children’s College Showdown, Texas bounced back from an extra-inning loss to Louisville on Friday with wins over Ole Miss and No. 17 Oklahoma State.

“You have the season opening, you have the new coach thing going, and then you’re in a big league stadium against great teams, so there were a lot of sped up heart rates last year. Two things you’re always dealing with in competitive sports are adrenaline and adversity,” Schlossnagle said.

Now the coaching staff has a greater level of familiarity with each other, there’s more talent on the team thanks to highly-ranked high school signees and talented NCAA transfer portal additions, and the Horns have built a sustainable culture within the program. They’ve also played those eight games to start the season instead of opening in a classic.

“It is nice, certainly, to have games under your belt any time because experience matters,” Schlossnagle said.

So while the Texas head coach has some concerns about his team playing on grass for the first time this season, which he expects will cause an adjustment period early in the weekend, something he’s used to seeing from the Longhorns when he coached at other programs.

“That’s going to be something that will be interesting to see how it plays out,” Schlossnagle said.

To help prepare his infielders, Schlossnagle took them up to Dell Diamond on Wednesday to work on their fielding on a natural surface.

When Texas opens the classic against No. 9 Coastal Carolina on Friday, the Horns won’t have to face ace Cameron Flukey, who is projected as a top-10 prospect in this year’s MLB Draft, has a stress fracture in his ribs that is expected to keep him out for two months. Also out is left-hander Hayden Johnson, a key bullpen piece for the Chanticleers last season who earned preseason All-Sun Belt recognition. Another preseason All-Sun Belt pitcher, right-hander Ryan Lynch, is yet to make his first appearance for Coastal this season due to injury.

Expected to start in Flukey’s place is sophomore right-hander Luke Jones (0-0, 2.35 ERA), who allowed two runs on five hits in 3.1 innings last Friday in a win over VCU.

“We’re preparing for the guy that we’re going to face right now and he’s got outstanding stuff as well. I don’t think there’s another pitcher in the country similar to Flukey. So it’s definitely going to be different, but we’re still facing a great team, and still have to go play the game,” Schlossnagle said.

Coastal Carolina is coming off an appearance in the national title series last year in Kevin Schnall’s first season after taking over for Hall of Famer Gary Gilmore, under whom Schnall served as associate head coach for nine seasons and as an assistant for two seasons prior to three years as an assistant at UCF.

Pitcher Jacob Morrison and catcher Caden Bodine, stars on the 2025 team, were both selected early in last year’s MLB Draft, but in the outfield, Dean Mihos is back for his senior season and is batting a team-leading .424, and newcomer Rex Watson, a San Diego transfer, is hitting .381. Both have on-base percentages of .500. Designated hitter Trace Mazon is the only other hitter for Coastal batting over .300 at .371.

As a team, the Chanticleers haven’t hit particularly well so far with a .260 batting average, seven home runs, and a .402 slugging percentage through eight games. On the mound, Coastal Carolina has been much better with a 3.80 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 71 innings while holding opponents to a .216 batting average.

On Saturday, Texas reprises its Big 12 rivalry with Baylor for the 376th time after not playing last season for the first time since 1919 (excluding the pandemic and World War II). Left-hander Ethan Calder (0-0, 0.00 ERA), a Lake Travis product, will take the mound for the Bears.

Picked to finish 11th in the 14-team Big 12, Baylor enters the weekend 5-3 on the season with five home wins, including a midweek 14-4 win over Texas State. In the Round Rock Classic at Dell Diamond last weekend, however, fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson’s team lost to two ranked teams in Oregon and Southern Miss while also dropping the Saturday matchup against Purdue.

Preseason All-Big 12 selection Travis Sanders, the team’s shortstop, is leading the Bears with a .448 batting average and first baseman Tyce Armstrong is hitting .323 with four home runs, three of which were grand slams in the season opener against New Mexico State, only the second time in college baseball history a player has accomplished that feat in a single game.

The Baylor staff has been solid with a 4.02 ERA and 1.41 WHIP with opponents batting .274 against them.

In the weekend finale, the Horns face the Buckeyes and right-hander Pierce Herrenbruck (1-0, 2.70 ERA). After a weekend sweep of Saint Louis in Florida, Ohio State lost two games to Louisiana Tech in the Grind City Classic before winning two against host Memphis.

The Buckeyes are batting .242 as a team, led by center fielder Miles Vandenheuvel at .391 and designated hitter Mason Eckelman at .346. Outfielder Noah Furcht is hitting .364. Although Ohio State was not picked to finish in the top six of the Big Ten, the pitching staff has been a strength with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP with opponents batting .232.

First pitch for Texas is scheduled for 7 p.m. Central on Friday and Saturday, times that will likely be delayed, and at 2 p.m. Central on Sunday. All three games will stream on Astros.com and the Astros YouTube channel.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Marcus Semien is still adjusting to his new surroundings.

The Mets second baseman, acquired from Texas in exchange for Brandon Nimmo this offseason, is looking not just to help solidify a revamped infield, but also get back to the type of hitter he was in 2023.

Since then, his struggles at the plate have been well-documented, and though the Mets don’t need Semien to get back to that All-Star level, a resurgence at the plate by a 35-year-old can’t exactly be counted upon.

But if he plays defense like he’s capable of, the Mets will take it.

Losing Francisco Lindor to hand surgery for a stress fracture in his left hamate bone slowed the duo’s learning curve in the middle of the diamond, but with Lindor set to begin fielding drills as soon as Friday, their work can begin in earnest.

“It sounds like his hand is feeling pretty good,” Semien said. “I’m looking forward to seeing it because he’s one of the best in the game. He’s a person I can learn from on the defensive side as well.”

Though each of them has plenty of experience, they want to figure out the nuances of playing together before the regular season begins.

“It is [important],’’ Semien said of the duo building chemistry. “Both of us are veteran players. We’ve played a lot of baseball in our careers, but playing together and getting a feel for how it is to communicate. What balls can I get to and what balls he can get to and making sure we’re standing in the right places is something we should do as quickly as we possibly can.”

He has no doubt that with new infield instructor Kai Correa, as well as Tim Leiper, they’ll be able to get on the same page.

“We’re gonna be a good combination,’’ Semien said.

At the plate could be a different story, but Semien’s homer in a 5-0 win over the Astros on Thursday at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches was a positive sign.

“When he’s healthy, we know there’s a lot of things he can do, not only defensively, but offensively,’’ Carlos Mendoza said.

The manager added there’s been an adjustment to Semien’s posture that should help his swing path, and Semien said he and the coaching staff are “looking at whenever I was at my best and, ‘How do we get back to that?’ They’re working relentlessly to do that.”

And he’s hoping being around offensive minds like Lindor, Juan Soto and fellow newcomer Bo Bichette will help.

“Those guys are great to get feedback from,’’ Semien said. “Those conversations are gonna happen all year. This is a good place to be as a hitter.”