Category: MLB

Despite giving up 12 runs on 11 hits — including three home runs — Milwaukee managed to escape with a thrilling walk-off win over the San Francisco Giants. Brice Turang’s two-homer day powered the Brewers to a second straight victory.

After Carlos Rodriguez retired the Giants in order to start the game, Turang crushed his first home run deep into left field. The solo shot put the Brewers on the board in the bottom of the first.

Turang’s home run gave Milwaukee a lead they would relinquish half an inning later, when Luis Matos — who gave the Brewers plenty of trouble in the 2025 regular season — sent a Rodriguez cutter into the left field stands to tie the game at one run apiece.

Garrett Mitchell worked a walk in his first at-bat of the spring after going down in the count 0-2. The red-hot Brandon Lockridge doubled to right field to put runners on second and third, but Jackson Chourio grounded out to shortstop to end the second inning. Rodriguez wouldn’t come back out for the top of the third, with manager Pat Murphy going to Peter Strzelecki. Strzelecki hit the first batter he faced, Christian Koss, before retiring the next two hitters. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t get out of the inning unscathed. Strzelecki’s second pitch to Bryce Eldridge was a 91-mph fastball up in the zone, which Eldridge sent 391 feet for the Giants’ second home run of the game.

San Francisco would tack on five more runs off of prospect Garrett Stallings in the top of the fourth. After a Harrison Bader home run and a Jung Hoo Lee triple, the score was 8-1, and the game looked out of reach for the home team — but only briefly. The bottom of the fourth saw Giants pitcher Carson Whisenhunt (in for starter Adrian Houser) absolutely melt down, walking the first three batters he faced. Joey Ortiz then ripped a bases-loaded single into left field, scoring Andrew Vaughn from third and Luis Rengifo from second. Whisenhunt then walked Brandon Lockridge, and Giants manager Tony Vitello had seen enough. Right-hander Tristan Beck entered the game to face Chourio with the bases loaded.

Chourio worked an 11-pitch walk to keep the bases loaded for Turang. Beck’s first pitch was a slider low and away, and Turang was ready — crushing a 425-foot grand slam to center field. All of a sudden, the game was tied at eight.

Turang’s first home run today left the bat at 106.5 mph, and the grand slam had an exit velocity of 108.2 mph. Neither home run was pulled. For a player who appeared to be tapping into more power over the second half of last season, that’s an incredibly encouraging sign.

In the top of the fifth, Brewers No. 1 prospect Jesús Made entered the game defensively for Turang and wasted no time making his presence felt. In his first at-bat, Made smoked a triple to right field. He scored one pitch later courtesy of a William Contreras home run, putting the Brewers ahead 9-8. Meanwhile, prospects Tyson Hardin, Brett Wichrowski, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Manuel Rodriguez blanked the Giants over the next four innings.

By the top of the ninth, the score was 10-8 Milwaukee (thanks to an RBI single from Made). Edwin Jimenez, in the game for Rodriguez, was unable to get the save. Jimenez gave up hits to Grant McCray and Daniel Susac to start the inning. Jerar Encarnacion then hit a ground ball to prospect Brock Wilken at third base, but Wilken was unable to handle it, allowing McCray to score. Jimenez couldn’t bounce back after the error, allowing the Giants to tack on three more runs wrapped around a pitching change (to Stiven Cruz) before the inning finally, mercifully, ended with the score now 12-10.

After coming back from a seven-run deficit, it briefly looked like the Brewers were going to give this one away. That is, until Matthew Wood started off the bottom of the ninth with a double. Eddys Leonard then hit a bloop that dropped in for a single and the first run of the inning. Twenty-year-old Josh Adamczewski singled as well, putting runners on first and second for Luis Lara, who grounded into a force-out for the first out. The next batter, Freddy Zamora, lined a single into left field to tie the game at 12 and put the winning run at third. Outfielder Greg Jones lifted a fly ball to center that was deep enough to score Lara from third for the winning run, giving Milwaukee an exciting 13-12 spring victory.

Aside from Turang’s performance (2-for-3, two homers, five RBIs), Brewers fans have a lot to be excited about after this game. Made, who started last season in Low-A, looked the part today. Made went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored. Adamczewski, one of the biggest breakouts in the farm system last year, came up clutch with a single in the ninth. Ortiz is now hitting .273 this spring after his two-run (bases loaded!) single. Luis Lara scored two runs. Jackson Chourio worked an 11-pitch walk. The future is bright in Milwaukee.

The Brewers are back at it again tomorrow as they take on the Texas Rangers. First pitch is slated for 2:05 p.m. CT.

TAMPA — CC Sabathia will enter Yankees immortality later this season.

The Hall of Fame left-hander will have his No. 52 retired by the Yankees and a plaque unveiled for him in Monument Park on Sept. 26, the team announced Wednesday night.

Sabathia, who was enshrined in Cooperstown last summer, will become the 24th Yankees player or manager to have his number retired and the first since Paul O’Neill in 2022.

“From the first number that hung in my locker to 52 forever hanging in Monument Park — this HOF journey has come full circle,” Sabathia wrote in a social-media post. “To have my number retired by the New York Yankees this year is one of the greatest honors of my life. The LegaCCy continues.”

A key part of the 2009 World Series championship Yankees, Sabathia spent 11 of his 19 years in the big leagues playing in The Bronx, pitching to a 3.81 ERA across 307 games.

He recorded his 3,000th career strikeout as a Yankee and was also the ALCS MVP in 2009.

A strong presence in the Yankees clubhouse, Sabathia was revered by his teammates and pitched with a bulldog mentality. He retired after the 2019 season, having thrown his last pitch in the ALCS when he walked off the mound with a dislocated shoulder.

“When I think of him, I think of ‘teammate,’ ” said Aaron Boone, who played with Sabathia in Cleveland before managing him in New York. “He brought people together. He connected with a lot of different people from a lot of different walks of life, while having the presence of being a superstar. He made you feel welcome. And then between the lines, just a really great competitor. I loved playing with him because he was so intense.

“Just an awesome competitor and the best of the best in teammates.”

Observations from Mets spring training on Wednesday:

Back in Action

Francisco Alvarez played his first game of the spring, going 0-for-2 as the DH. He is scheduled to catch in a simulated game on a backfield in Port St. Lucie on Thursday and make his spring debut behind the plate for the Mets on Saturday.

If At 1st You Don’t Succeed …

Mark Vientos went too far to his right on a grounder by Nolan Gorman in the first, but Grae Kessinger was there to make the play to end the inning.

Vientos also made a nice scoop on a long throw from Vidal Bruján in the fourth. 

Caught by Eye

Juan Soto sat next to Eli Manning on Tuesday night at a TGL golf event and said it was his first time meeting the retired Giants quarterback. “He’s definitely a humble man,” Soto said. “It was cool to talk to a legend like that.”

The conversation, Soto said, focused mainly on golf — although they chatted about New York, as well.

Thursday’s Schedule

Nolan McLean will make the start for the Mets, who face the Astros in West Palm Beach, Fla., at 1:05 p.m.

MESA, Arizona — Things were going on swimmingly at Sloan Park for the first four innings, with good Rockies pitching holding the Cubs down and Cade Horton throwing well after Jameson Taillon got lit up early on.

Then both teams scored six runs in the fifth inning, a frame that took nearly an hour to complete. The final football-like score of Rockies 14, Cubs 7 featured 26 hits, 12 walks, a couple of pickoffs and generally looked like the minor-league game it was after the fourth inning.

About Taillon, he served up a home run to Mickey Moniak on the game’s first pitch. After that a couple more hits led to a second run in the first, and then T.J. Rumfield homered off Taillon leading off the second. Don’t know whether Taillon was still working on mechanics, as he said after his first start, or whether this was something else. Here’s what we do know:

So there’s that.

Horton made his first spring outing and it was a good one. He issued a two-out walk in the fourth after retiring the first five hitters he faced. Overall he struck out a pair and threw 17 strikes in his 26-pitch outing. Here’s the final out Horton recorded, a strikeout of Zac Veen on a nasty curveball. He was also sitting at 96 on his fastball:

Most of the damage the Rockies did in their six-run fifth was charged to Caleb Thielbar, though in fairness, with one out and a couple of runners on, Thielbar induced a ground ball that had Michael Busch been playing first base, might have turned into an inning-ending double play with only one run scoring. But it wasn’t, a run scored and the next hitter, Ezequiel Tovar, smashed a three-run homer.

The Cubs scored six in the bottom of the fifth after most of the regulars, who started en masse in this one, had departed. Of those, only Alex Bregman, Ian Happ and Miguel Amaya had hits at all. Happ’s single in the fifth drove in two runs [VIDEO].

The Cubs made it 9-7 in the sixth on an RBI single by minor leaguer Devin Ortiz. Phil Maton and Hunter Harvey both had scoreless innings, and both executed pickoff plays, which was good to see.

Luke Little, unfortunately, again got himself in trouble with walks and then served up a two-run homer to Kyle McCann and wound up charged with five runs in the eighth. I suspect Little’s headed to Triple-A Iowa again. I’d love to see him succeed but he just doesn’t throw enough strikes. Jack Neely threw an uneventful ninth.

Matt Shaw made an error in right field after a single by old friend Nicky Lopez, and I wish I could show that to you but… there’s only a limited amount of video available from these non-televised games.

You have all probably already heard this news, but I wanted to mention it here:

Which now explains why Austin hadn’t played at all this spring. And this is likely why the Cubs signed Michael Conforto. I think of Conforto, Chas McCormick (who was the DH in today’s game and went 1-for-3) and Dylan Carlson, two of those three will make the team — and Moisés Ballesteros likely becomes the backup first baseman. When Ballesteros is ready for game action I suspect we will see him playing a lot of first base.

Attendance watch: A small crowd of 8,919 attended this game, likely the smallest crowd of the spring. That makes the season total for four dates 44,822, or 11,206 per date.

The Cubs head to Tempe to face the Angels Thursday afternoon. Matthew Boyd will start for the Cubs and José Soriano goes for the Angels. Game time Thursday is 2:10 p.m. CT. Once again, no radio or TV for Thursday’s game.

The Yankees announced that they will honor CC Sabathia this season by retiring his uniform number (No. 52) and giving him a Monument Park plaque. 

The ceremony will take place Sept. 26 when the team takes on the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. 

Sabathia will be the 24th Yankees player or manager to have his number retired and the first since Paul O’Neill (No. 21) on Aug. 21, 2022. 

After signing with the Yankees as a free agent prior to the 2009 season, the southpaw helped lead the team to a World Series championship, going 19-8 with a 3.37 ERA in 34 starts. That postseason, the Yankees went 4-1 in his five starts, and he earned the ALCS MVP Award, going 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA in the Yankees’ six-game series win over the Angels.

Over his first four seasons with the Yankees (2009-12), Sabathia went 74-29 with a 3.22 ERA and nine complete games in 129 starts, logging 905.0 innings pitched and making three AL All-Star teams. 

In his 11 total seasons in pinstripes, Sabathia posted a 134-88 record with a 3.81 ERA and 1,700K in 307 games. In franchise history, he ranks fourth in strikeouts, seventh in starts, 10th in wins and 11th in innings pitched. 

Sabathia was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025, his first year on the ballot.

9.26.26@CC_Sabathia's No. 52 enters Monument Park. #legaCCypic.twitter.com/z9b9ln9WeN

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) February 25, 2026

Record: 2-4. Change on 2025: 0. 5-inning record: 1-5

And it was going so well, too… The D-backs jumped on the Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki in the bottom of the first. Nolan Arenado doubled in Geraldo Perdomo, and Ildemaro Vargas then doubled in a pair for a quick 3-0 lead. But it was more or less downhill from there. While Arizona actually outhit Los Angeles by a margin of 13-7, errors and walked doomed them: half of the ten runs conceded by the D-backs today were unearned, and their pitchers also issued nine walks. But there were positives, with three Diamondbacks going deep this afternoon for the first time: Pavin Smith (below), Tim Tawa and Jose Fernandez all homered.

It was Zac Gallen who started, though he only went one inning, being a little behind the other pitchers. That may factor into the decision as to who might replace Merrill Kelly as our Opening Day starter. He allowed a lead-off hit, but struck out two and went over 95 mph, including on the last of his 23 pitches. Drey Jameson took over in the second and was touched up for a pair of runs (one unearned), on two hits and a walk, but was also throwing hard, reaching 98 mph. That was the last pitcher the casual fan would probably recognize, and the results thereafter were… mixed, shall we say.

The Dodgers added a four-spot in the fifth, helped out by a pair of bases-loaded walks and an error by Ildemaro Vargas leading to two more unearned runs. They repeated the damage – four runs, two unearned – in the seventh, with a Jose Fernandez error a key play there. Gerardo Carillo and Hayden Durke were the only two of the ten pitchers used by Arizona to throw a full, clean frame, each striking out one in their inning of work. Despite the three errors, there were some good plays by the D-backs, notably a diving catch in left-field (below) by Ryan Waldschmidt. There were four ABS challenges today, only one being successful.

Tawa was the offensive star of the day, adding another hit and a walk to his home-run, while Druw Jones also picked up two hits, and Jordan Lawlar drew a pair of walks. Tomorrow, the D-backs hit the road again, heading off to Surprise to take on the Kansas City Royals. It’ll be our first chance to get a look at left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, with Ryan Thompson and Kade Stroud potentially also taking the mound.

The Cincinnati Reds ran their win streak to, well, a win streak on Wednesday with a 3-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox. It was their first true road game of the season as they shipped over to Camelback Ranch, and the squad got both excellent pitching and a pair of big dingers to win the day.

The Good

Nick Lodolo looked incredibly sharp in his first outing of Cactus League play, fanning 4 and scattering a pair of hits in 2.0 scoreless frames. Luis Mey rebounded from a rough initial outing of the spring to strike out the side for a hold in his perfect frame of relief, while lefty Brock Burke put up a scoreless frame of his own.

The offense, meanwhile, was powered quite literally by Sal Stewart and JJ Bleday. Sal swatted his first dinger of the spring to begin the scoring, a towering 440 foot blast to CF in the Top of the 2nd that gave Cincinnati a 1-0 lead. The following inning, Bleday knocked the snot out of an inside breaking ball, leaving a dent some 464 feet away down the LF line – a two-run shot that scored Hector Rodriguez and gave the Reds all the runs they would need on the day.

Nate Lowe singled and walked in his quest to make the Opening Day roster, while Leo Balcazar picked up yet another hit and now boasts a 1.334 OPS in this incredibly small spring sample size.

The Bad

Middle infield depth is already a bit of a question mark on this club, as the team’s regular 2B (Matt McLain) is currently the only other player projected on the roster who can cover SS when Elly De La Cruz needs a break. And on days when that happens, one of Sal Stewart or Spencer Steer would have to cover 2B, in theory, and neither of them has any real big league experience at the position in recent memory (or at all).

So, it’s a bit of a bummer to see both Edwin Arroyo and Michael Chavis have errors charged to them in this one since, in theory, both are glove-first backup options up the middle on the depth chart.

The Ugly

Lyon Richardson got bonked for a homer and a pair of hits in his one IP, failing to strike anyone out in the process. He’s now yielded 5 H and 3 ER with a walk and zero Ks in his pai of appearances so far this spring after having been DFA’d earlier in the winter (and clearing waivers).

There’s still a ton to like in his right arm, but it’s pretty clear he’s not right at the moment.

What’s Next

Chase Burns will make his second start of spring camp on Thursday afternoon back at Goodyear Ballpark when the Reds play host to Nick Pivetta and the San Diego Padres. Once again, there will be no televised coverage of the game, though audio will be provided by 1360 WSAI.

First pitch is slated for 3:05 PM ET.

If you planned on killing some time this afternoon by watching some Mariners Cactus League baseball – or more enticingly, Bryan Woo’s first outing of 2026 – you were out of luck. For the first time this spring, we were confined to the narration of Rick Rizzs, Gary Hill Jr., and Charlie Furbush, with some scant video across socials filling in some gaps. Even the humble AM radio wasn’t an option to follow along live, with the broadcast shunted to later this evening on 710. Remember when that was the norm for spring training games?

The game itself was a standard February baseball affair. Seattle slogged through ten pitchers and endless mid-inning pitching changes, while the Royals were a bit more economical at seven. The floodgates opened as the NRIs and nameless jerseys took over the game, with a dozen of the game’s sixteen runs scoring after the fifth inning. Still, as with any spring contest, there were a handful of nuggets – and ~grainy footage! – beyond the statlines that are worth touching on.

Bryan Woo

Woo tossed 28 pitches through 1.1 innings, including being pulled in the first with two outs after a nine-pitch battle with Salvador Pérez that followed back-to-back doubles from Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino to open the scoring. Spring training: where the rules are made up and the runs don’t matter! Famously fastball-forward, Woo didn’t deviate, with eleven four-seamers and seven sinkers leading the charge at their normal velocities. His sweeper was his primary offspeed offering, and he only threw a single changeup – though it got Kyle Isbel fishing in the other batter’s box for a strikeout in the second inning. Velo in line, a couple strikeouts, and no walks? We take that every time.

Postgame, Woo touched on his process and approach to his first time out: “Spring training can be a little bit of a trap, come in trying to feel things out, try new things. I think everyone has their traps. Some guys are too hard on themselves, or focused on different things. That’s the trap in spring training. For me, I try to take things like, work on what you worked on during the week. Having the head space to differentiate between those two things is important.” He also offered insight on his sweeper as he gets more comfortable with adding the pitch to his repertoire and figuring out when and where to deploy it. The double from Witt was off of one, but hey, spring brings the freedom to tinker and fail.

Rob Refsnyder

Refsnyder started in the two-hole and manned right field in his second game of the spring, and both of his plate appearances came against left-handed pitchers with predictable success. He notched a one-out single off of Royals starter Noah Cameron in the first inning, and got the Mariners on the board in the third with a ringing double into the left-center gap against indy ball veteran Chase Jessee. It’s two at-bats – one against someone whose outing was his first ever in affiliated ball – but Refsnyder producing in the exact role he was signed for was a more than welcome sight.

Andrés Muñoz and Eduard Bazardo

A pair of the Mariners’ key relievers got their second outing under their belts with no damage. Muñoz took the third, coaxing a pop-up from Luca Tresh and a groundout from Maikel García before rearing back for triple digits to blow away Witt. Bazardo followed suit in the fourth, a one-out knock from Salvy the lone blemish as he worked a scoreless frame of his own, picking up a signature called strikeout with a sinker on the outer edge against Lane Thomas. After some hard-hit balls plagued Muñoz’s spring debut, weak contact and 100 on the radar gun in a breezy outing was a perfect balm.

Brennen Davis

The former top-30 prospect has made a big impression early in camp, and checked in with a monster game off the bench. Taking over right field for Refsnyder, Davis opened the top of the sixth with a solo shot to left against José Cuas, and laced doubles in his next two plate appearances, including a 111.4 MPH shot to lead off the ninth inning. Injuries have long plagued Davis’s career – he got into just 105 combined games the past two seasons – but has shown big power when on the field. He won’t break camp with the M’s unless multiple catastrophes occur, but he’s a name worth keeping on eye on when the Rainiers kick off their season.

Connor Joe

Connor Joe is this year’s Michael Chavis, Colin Moran, or any other early-to-mid-30s corner infielder the M’s have brought aboard as a non-roster invitee you can think of. We’ll probably see him frequently this spring – especially when the World Baseball Classic gets underway – but once the regular season gets underway, he’ll be chilling in Tacoma for at least a little while as the Cactus League becomes a distant memory. That being said, he did tie the game in the ninth with a two-run bomb, so I’d be remiss not to include him here.

The Mariners will get another crack at getting back to .500 against the Guardians in Peoria tomorrow. Lefty Joey Cantillo will get the start for Cleveland; perhaps we’ll see Refsnyder in back-to-back games for the first time. It’s Bryce Miller’s turn to make his 2026 debut, but don’t fret about missing it – tomorrow’s tilt is back on TV and streaming.

Pete Alonso is doing his best to turn comedian John Oliver’s son into an Orioles fan. 

Earlier this week, Oliver appeared on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and explained how his 8-year-old son got into baseball last year and followed Oliver into Mets fandom.

The host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” then described how he watched his son learn what Mets fandom is all about as the team broke his heart and then his favorite player, Pete Alonso, left in the offseason to sign with the Orioles. 

Hey, @iamjohnoliver — the fam is always welcome in Birdland pic.twitter.com/qjs6JUBanr

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) February 25, 2026

Now Alonso is putting the pressure on Oliver and trying to convince the comedian’s son to become an Orioles fan by inviting them down to Charm City for a game. The new Orioles star, who signed a five-year, $155 million contract, appealed to Oliver and his family in a video that was posted to the team’s X account. 

“I saw what your son had to say about being upset of me signing with the Orioles, but, hey, he could always become an O’s fan,” Alonso said. “[I] would love to extend an invitation to you and your family to come down to Camden [Yards] for a game this year and you guys can get out on the field for batting practice. Hopefully, you guys come down and have some fun. Hope to see you soon. Go O’s.”

Oliver said his son had previously asked if he was allowed to change his baseball allegiance earlier in the 2025 season. The comedian said he was not.

John Oliver on his son's Mets fandom and how the Mets are actually very British. pic.twitter.com/Fi1X9Poagk

— The Mets Newsletter (@metsnewsletter) February 24, 2026

“Watching [my son] fall in love with this guy — he has a signed ball [from Alonso] — and having to go into his room and say, ‘Pete Alonso’s going to Baltimore,’ and he said, ‘Are you sure I can’t be an Orioles fan?’” Oliver said. “‘We’ve had this discussion.’”

Oliver has not responded to Alonso’s invite. The comedian, his son and the rest of the Mets faithful will not get a chance to see Alonso back in Queens until September, when the O’s make the trip to Citi Field for a three-game series.

Well, after a stretch of play that had us checking the calendar to make sure it was actually still February, the White Sox took their second loss. The Cincinnati Reds’ pitching staff effectively cooled off a South Side offense that entered the day with a flashy +20 run differential.

Unlike some of the high-scoring games the Good Guys have played recently, this one actually felt like an MLB contest. Unfortunately, though, it was one where the Sox pitching staff surrendered too many homers, and their bats went silent when it mattered, as they were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Davis Martin made his Cactus League debut and was decent in his two innings of work. He flew through the first inning on three ground outs before Sal Stewart smoked a leadoff homer in the second. Jordan Hicks took the mound for the third inning, and although he touched 100 mph on the gun, he ultimately unraveled after hanging a fat 88 mph splitter to JJ Bleday that landed over the wall in right field for a two-run homer. Jordan, just a heads-up here for future reference, the splitter actually has to split.

The real story of the afternoon, though, was Jonathan Cannon. The righthander tossed three clean innings, going nine up and nine down. Not a single blemish on the record card. If Cannon can pitch like this on the regular, the front office is going to have some very difficult (and welcome) decisions to make in a few weeks. Jordan Leasure also looked solid for a frame, surviving a 379-foot fly ball to the wall that Tristan Peters tracked down nicely.

The Sox offense ran into a buzzsaw early in Reds’ starter Nick Lodolo, who struck out the side in the first. The Good Guys had a chance in the second with back-to-back singles from Luisangel Acuña and Andrew Benintendi, but Jarred Kelenic and Korey Lee couldn’t drive them in. Munetaka Murakami tried to get things rolling once Terry Francona took Lodolo out of the game by smacking a single with two outs in the third. Unfortunately, Reds’ pitcher Brock Burke promptly picked him off to end the inning.

There was a bit of a scare early in the game for Acuña. After a single in the fourth, he swiped second but suffered some type of injury to his face. He had to leave the game to get stitches for a cut above his eye. It sounds like he’ll be fine, but it’s a tough way to earn a stolen base.

The offensive highlight of the day belonged to Colson Montgomery, who finally got all of one, obliterating a 94 mph fastball from Lyon Richardson in the fourth. Montgomery’s first homer of the spring had an exit velocity of 104.6 mph and went 421 feet to right center. Baseball is back!

The South Siders threatened late but couldn’t find the big knock. In the eighth, a walk to Oliver Dunn and yet another base hit by William Bergolla Jr. put two on with one out, but Caden Connor and Mario Camilletti went down quietly to end the threat.

The ninth got interesting when Sam Antonacci led off with a single and caught a massive break. He would’ve been gunned down trying to stretch the base hit into a double, but an interference call on first baseman Michael Toglia gifted him the bag. After moving to third on a Dru Baker K in the dirt, Antonacci scored on a Dustin Harris double to center. Unfortunately, that was the end of the line, as Kelenic and Josh Breaux both went down swinging and left the tying run stranded.

The White Sox head “away” tomorrow, although they aren’t going far. They face the Los Angeles Dodgers right back at Camelback Ranch, this time as the road team. First pitch is at 2:05 p.m. CST, and if you’re looking for a reason to tune in, Sean Newcomb gets the start against Tyler Glasnow. Hopefully, the boys’ bats will awaken from today’s desert slumber, but it’s the Dodgers, so maybe keep your expectations in check for a Thursday afternoon in February.

The Dodgers keep their undefeated start to the spring alive, improving to 5-0, as they defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks by a final score of 10-7 on Wednesday.

Roki Sasaki made his spring debut, which was also his first start since May of last season. Sasaki struggled over 1 1/3 innings of work, tossing 36 pitches with just 17 going for strikes. He gave up three runs on a pair of doubles from Nolan Arenado and Ildemaro Vargas while striking out three and walking two.

River Ryan made his spring debut, completing a scoreless bottom of the third inning while collecting a strikeout and allowing a walk. Edwin Díaz made his Dodgers debut, tossing a scoreless fourth inning while allowing a hit and picking up a strikeout. Will Klein followed Díaz for his first appearance since his World Series heroics, also completing a scoreless inning of his own.

Hyeseong Kim made his first start in center field this spring, robbing Pavin Smith of a hit with a sliding catch in the bottom of the first and making a nice running catch to end the fourth inning. He collected a pair of hits and stole two bases while also collecting his fourth RBI of the spring with a game-tying single in the top of the fifth inning.

The Dodgers added an additional three runs in the fifth inning to take their first lead of the game. Alex Freeland and Jake Gelof both walked in a run, while Nick Senzel reached on a fielding error by Ildemaro Vargas to bring home a run.

Outfield prospects Zyhir Hope and Kendall George added four insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning, with Hope driving in two on a ground-rule double and George reaching on an infield single, with an errant throw into the Dodgers dugout allowing two runs to score.

The Dodgers are now averaging 8.8 runs per game, although they have to wait at least one more day to hit their first home run of the spring.

UP NEXT

The Dodgers return to Camelback Ranch on Thursday as they host the Chicago White Sox (12:05 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Tyler Glasnow gets the ball for the Dodgers, making his first spring start, as he faces left-hander Sean Newcomb.

Good evening, everybody! Y’all enjoyig spring training so far or are you already ready for Opening Day? The floor is now yours and here’s a random clip:

Roki Sasaki took the mound Wednesday, looking to build off the success he enjoyed late last season, as he enters his second year with the Dodgers.

It did not go smoothly, with Sasaki struggling to find the strike zone and getting hit hard by the Arizona Diamondbacks when he did. The 24-year-old right-hander gave up three runs on three hits and two walks. He did record three strikeouts, with his fastball topping out at 98.6 miles per hour, but only 17 of his 36 pitches landed for strikes.

"There were some positive things, but also things I need to work on," Sasaki said via an interpreter after he was lifted from the Dodgers' 10-7 win.

Sasaki gave up a hard-hit single to leadoff hitter Geraldo Perdomo, and Tim Tawa walked. With one out, Nolan Arenado hit a line-drive double to left that scored Perdomo. Ildemaro Vargas followed with another double, scoring Tawa and Arenado for a 3-0 lead.

Read more:After 'a normal offseason,' Freddie Freeman drives in two in Cactus League debut

After a mound visit from pitching coach Mark Prior, Sasaki struck out Jordan Lawlar and Ryan Waldschmidt to end the inning. Sasaki struck out Druw Jones leading off the second, then walked Aramis Garcia and was removed.

"In the bullpen, I felt pretty good about the forkball but once I got on the mound, it didn't go well," Sasaki said. "And the four-seam, I felt pretty good in the bullpen but once I got on the mound, it felt a little off."

Sasaki emerged as a viable high-leverage relief option out of Dave Roberts’ bullpen upon his return to the club’s big-league roster in late September. He gave up just one run, six hits and five walks over 10.2 IP in the postseason. But the goal this spring is for him to cement himself as a mainstay in the club’s pitching rotation.

"I thought he was overthrowing, I hadn't seen that all spring," Roberts said after the game. "He was a little too bullish on the fastball, but he was getting behind in the first inning. It was good to see that second inning, I thought he mixed better and commanded the baseball a little bit better."

Sasaki spent the offseason working to develop a third pitch, to add to his fastball-splitter mix. The new weapon in Sasaki’s arsenal has been described by Roberts as a “slider-cutter” hybrid.

Two other notable names made their Cactus League debuts on Wednesday for the Dodgers, with River Ryan pitching a scoreless third inning while walking one and striking out one. Edwin Díaz pitched the fourth inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Paul Gervase trying to make his mark in camp

Paul Gervase is more than just the answer to a trivia question.

Yes, when the 6-foot-10 right-hander appeared in one game for the Dodgers last season, he became the tallest pitcher in team history, surpassing the 6-9 Mark Hendrickson. And this year at Camelback Ranch, the 25-year-old has cut a distinct figure on the mound as he works on his consistency and pitch mix.

“I’m working on a few things, mainly routine-oriented, trying to stay more consistent every time I go out there,” he said last week. “When I have a good outing, make sure the next one’s good and not just have spurts.”

Gervase joined the organization last year at the trade deadline as part of a minor three-team deal that became known more for netting the Dodgers catcher Ben Rortvedt, a crucial fill-in for an injured Will Smith down the stretch and early in the postseason.

But the story really begins with an ultimatum.

Gervase started his collegiate career at Pfeiffer University, a Division III school in Misenheimer, N.C. After struggling his freshman season, his father said they would not pay for school if Gervase didn't improve his performance. The right-hander pushed himself to transform his game, working with a trainer to improve his mechanics and eventually increasing his fastball velocity by 8-10 mph.

After a stint in community college, Gervase latched on with Louisiana State for the 2022 season and got drafted that year in the 12th round by the New York Mets. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024 and he made his MLB debut with the Rays last June and appeared in five games before going to the Dodgers.

Following the trade, Gervase spent most of his time with triple-A Oklahoma City but did pitch two innings against the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 20, giving up a run and two hits in two innings of work. And this spring, he's made two scoreless appearances in Cactus League play, yielding two hits and recording three strikeouts over two innings.

Read more:'Pretty healthy' Kyle Tucker content to fit in among Dodgers' galaxy of stars

"Yesterday was a good one," Roberts said Wednesday morning of Gervase's inning of work against the Cleveland Guardians. "He's looked fine. It's a really good fastball. I think the secondaries, just continue to tighten those up. I would expect Paul to pitch for us at some point this year."

Gervase's one appearance in 2025 was enough to earn him a World Series ring, which he'll be happy to share with the father who gave him an ultimatum to improve his game.

“I wish I did more to get it, but it does feel really cool,” he said. “He’ll be excited.”

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

As we continue on with spring training, it’s time for a little night baseball. Tonight, the Yankees will welcome the Nationals into Steinbrenner Field, which will feature our first look at one of the newest members of the Bronx Bombers.

Tonight, Ryan Weathers will take the mound for his first appearance as a Yankees. The team acquired him in a trade from the Marlins over the offseason, and he seems mostly slated to be a depth arm, who could appear as a starter or out of the bullpen (more likely the former than the latter, at least to begin 2026). However at 25 years old, he’s still young enough that there’s hope he could develop into something intriguing.

After loading up yesterday’s lineup, this one has fewer expected regulars. Amed Rosario, Jasson Domínguez, and Ben Rice make up the top third of the order, and even the middle one of those three has some questions about his Opening Day roster status. Besides that, we will get a look at prospect George Lombard Jr. tonight.

CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews are the big names in the Nats’ lineup tonight, while Andrew Alvarez will take the mound for them.

We hope that you’ll come join us in the game thread for tonight’s matchup, and here’s everything you need to know on how to catch the action.

How to watch

Location: George M. Steinbrenner Field — Tampa, FL

First pitch: 6:35 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES Network

Radio broadcast: none

Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv, Nationals.tv

The Nationals have had a red hot start to Spring Training. They have won four games and tied once so far in the Grapefruit League. The Nats will look to keep that up as they travel to Tampa to take on the Yankees. This is a long trip for Spring Training but multiple regulars will be in the lineup.

CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews and Keibert Ruiz are the biggest names in the lineup. Honestly, the lineup looks similar to the one the Nats threw out on Monday. Trade acquisition Abimelec Ortiz will be at first base as he tries to secure an Opening Day roster spot. Andrew Alvarez will be making his first start of the spring. He was impressive in a few starts in September.

We will not be seeing Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton or most of the other famous Bronx Bombers. However, notable names like Ben Rice and Jasson Dominguez will be in the lineup. There will be a couple of former Nats in the lineup as well, with Amed Rosario and Paul DeJong featuring for the Yankees. Ryan Weathers, who they acquired from the Marlins will be on the mound.

Game Info:

Stadium: George M. Steinbrenner Field

Time: 6:35 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV (but it will be the YES telecast)

Radio: N/A

The Nats have not been on TV since the first game of Spring Training, so it will be nice to have them back. They have been performing well so far this spring. Obviously these games do not count, but it is nice to see them securing curly W’s. Interested to see what Andrew Alvarez has in store tonight. Follow along down below and let’s go Nats!