MLB News
Today, the Colorado Rockies lost a road game to the Texas Rangers, 9-5. (The Dolly Parton song moves much faster than today’s game did.) For more details, go here.
We’re not yet to the point where we’re doing postgame write-ups, but here is some video from today’s game.
First, here’s manager Warren Schaeffer:
And here’s Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros, who had a pretty good day:
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If you turned this game off in the second inning, that’d be understandable. Maybe you are one of the many people who woke up incredibly early to watch the US men’s hockey team gold medal match against Canada. Also, this lazy Sunday game was the first radio-only affair of the spring, held down by the broadcast crew of Rick Rizzs, Gary Hill Jr., and the affable Charlie Furbush. And by the end of the third inning, the Mariners were down 8-2. Totally get it if you went to do something else.
But if you turned the game off, you missed some fun stuff. Especially if you like [sparkle fingers] challenges. Because the fate of this game turned on Mariners prospect Jared Sundstrom making a good challenge, and butterfly-effect style, making a new game, one where the Mariners emerged victorious, 14-8.
Another story of this game: the sheer amount of pitches the Mariners batters made Reds pitching throw. The Reds used 11 pitchers, who threw a combined 240 pitches. The Mariners drew 10 walks. Mariners pitching? Issued zero walks. Mmmm, that’s some good Controlling of the Zone.
Once again, the Mariners drew first blood, foreshadowing the level of Problem this lineup could be this season. The Mariners forced Reds starter Jose Franco to throw 30 pitches in the first inning, scraping a run out on a trio of singles: a leadoff one from Luke Raley, a hard-hit one from Julio Rodríguez (99.9 EV), and a magnificent hard-won RBI from Randy Arozarena, who took the ninth pitch of an at-bat right back up the middle (107.7 EV) for a run-scoring single. Randy was wearing the number 75, because he’d forgotten his jersey back in Peoria, and you know what, Randy? Relatable.
But that early lead quickly turned into a deep deficit. Randy Dobnak had a rough Mariners debut, working around an Elly De La Cruz double in the first but unable to escape the second inning, giving up six straight hits. All but two of those hits were on the sinker, which got torched by the Reds hitters. The Mariners had to bring in one of their “jicky” (Just In Case) minor-leaguers to mop up the inning, and Ryan Hawks, 2023 eighth-rounder, took care of De La Cruz and Eugenio Suárez, buttoning up the inning by striking out Geno with a slider.
Casey Legumina picked up where Hawks left off, taking care of his three hitters 1-2-3 for a clean third inning and ending on a strikeout of Ke’Bryan Hayes, a good showing for the Bean Man in his spring debut. Maybe that energy transferred to the offense, as the Mariners got one back in the fourth thanks to a two-out double by Will “Willy” Wilson followed by a Brock Rodden triple.
I will take one ticket to the Brocketship, please and thank you.
But Ryan Loutos, making his Mariner debut, gave that run right back and then some. Loutos just wasn’t able to miss many bats: the Reds were able to contact everything he put on the plate, and by the time the next jicky came in to stop the bleeding—this time Marcelo Pérez—the score was 8-2. Once again, the minor-league callup stepped up; Pérez struck out Geno chasing after a slider and coaxed a groundout from Spencer Steer to cap the damage.
But the Mariners battled back in the second half of the game. It started in the fifth, when the Mariners played some small ball against former Mariner prospect Connor Phillips. The big hit came from Julio, who scorched a double (104.2 EV) off a sweeper well below the zone. Arozarena worked another walk, this time with two outs, bringing up Dominic Canzone, who singled to score Luke Stevenson, pinch-running for Julio. Michael Arroyo then turned in yet another polished plate appearance: he’d gotten some bad luck earlier in the game, a 107.6 mph lineout and a groundout that came off the bat at 103.2; this time he worked a walk, refusing to chase anything out of the zone, to load the bases. The defense remains an issue – he mishandled a routine throw and let a ball go past his glove today at second – but his production in the box will force him into the lineup somehow. Will Wilson then worked a bases-loaded walk of his own to cut the deficit to 8-4.
Then it was time for the Brock Star again. Facing new pitcher Julian Garcia, Rodden shot a ground ball just out of reach of former Mariners prospect Edwin Arroyo to bring in another run. Jonny Farmelo struck out to end the inning, but the game now stood at a manageable 8-5.
In the middle innings, it was time for some more Mariners debuts. Robinson Ortiz made his Mariners debut in the fifth with a clean 1-2-3 inning of three weak-contact outs (one was a little more adventurous than it needed to be thanks to a poor throw from Arroyo, but Josh Naylor was able to clean it up). Ortiz’s fastball hung out around 93 mph and he primarily threw his four-seam with a couple of sliders mixed in. In the sixth, it was time for Cole Wilcox. Wilcox definitely won the stuff battle, hanging out at 97 on his sinker and touching as high as 98.5 while collecting two strikeouts.
The Mariners added another pair of runs in the seventh against Lyon Richardson. Arozarena—wearing number 75 because he apparently forgot his jersey, oh Randy—singled in his final plate appearance. New LL heartthrob Brennen Davis worked a walk, showing some solid strike zone awareness. Blake Rambusch and Luis Suisbel then hit back-to-back singles to bring the Mariners within a run, 8-7.
The turning point of the game came in the eighth inning. With two outs, the Reds had challenged a pitch on Carson Taylor; the call was upheld, and Taylor walked. That brought up Jared Sundstrom, who was initially called out in a 1-2 count on a 98.1 mph fastball on the inside edge. Sundstrom immediately challenged, and the call was reversed. Sundstrom would go on to work a walk as Reds pitcher Zach Maxwell’s command further disintegrated. Brennen Davis and Blake Rambusch would go on to work back-to-back walks, tying up the game at 8-8.
Obviously playing for the win, Dan Wilson left Jhonathan Díaz out for the bottom of the eighth after he had worked a clean seventh. That set up the Baby Mariners for the win in the ninth: two highly-touted Mariners prospects delivered leadoff doubles, with Felnin Celesten doubling in his first at-bat of the spring and then sprinting home on a Jonny Farmelo double to give the Mariners their first lead since the first inning. Josh Caron followed that with a single to put runners on the corners with no outs, and Luke Stevenson worked the Mariners’ tenth walk of the day. Sundstrom then came through again with a two-run single into left, setting up Brennen Davis for the kill shot. Davis demolished a middle-middle fastball at 114 mph for a three-run home run to make the score 14-8, and that’s where the game would end as Domingo Gonzalez worked a 1-2-3 inning in his Mariners debut.
In a game that featured nine challenges, none was more impactful than Sundstrom’s, leading to the Mariners tying the game. With the ABS system, players have an opportunity take more ownership over their at-bats, but the risk is significant; those who have an impeccable sense of the zone will find themselves advantaged by the challenge system. The Mariners went 2-for-3 in their challenges today, but more importantly, they won the battle in the zone on both sides of the ball. The Reds recorded 12 hits, striking out eight times and, as mentioned, walking none; the Mariners recorded 17 hits, and while they did strike out 12 times, they also earned 10 free passes. No matter what innovations come to the game, commanding the zone is timeless.
Kohl Drake got the start, and it was a bit bumpy initially, as he walked the first two batters he faced. One of those came around to score, but Drake settled down nicely. He retired the next six men he faced, including strikeouts of established major-leaguers Travis D’Arnaud and Trey Mancini in the second. Arizona then got scoreless innings from two men who are competing for spots in the major-league bullpen, in Yilber Diaz and Kade Stroud, the latter disposing of the Angels on six pitches with a trio of groundouts. The D-backs tied things in the fourth, on a Nolan Arenado RBI double, but Junior Fernandez allowed the visitors back in front in the fifth, giving up two hits and a walk.
The sixth inning was… long and interesting. The Angels broke out with a four-run top half, all the runs being charged to Landon Sims while he retired two batters. But facing a 6-1 deficit, the Diamondbacks struck back in no uncertain fashion, putting up six runs in their half. Alek Thomas had a two-run double, and Jorge Barrosa later capped off the frame with a two-run homer, giving Arizona a 7-6 lead. Wholesale changes followed for Arizona, and they were unable to keep Los Angeles off the board in any inning after the fourth. A Jose Fernandez triple and LuJames Groover groundout made things interesting, but the D-backs came up just short.
Geraldo Perdomo reached base safely all three times he was up, on two singles and a walk, with Fernandez and Thomas each notching a hit and a base on balls. Tomorrow will see the Diamondbacks leave Salt River Fields for the first time this spring, heading past SnakePit Towers on their way to Goodyear, where they will take on the Guardians. Taylor Clarke will get the start for our boys, with Juans Morillo and Burgos among those expected to come out of the bullpen thereafter. It will be another 1:05 pm start.
Another lackluster effort from the A’s dropped their early spring record to 0-2 after a second straight loss, this time to a different AL Central foe in the Cleveland Guardians. The A’s couldn’t bounce back after a rough third inning and now they’re 0-2 to start 2026. Good thing spring stats and records don’t matter!
At “home” for the first time this season, the A’s went with their staff leader this afternoon, giving right-hander Luis Severino his first start of camp as they begin the ramp up process for their prized (and expensive) starting pitcher. The 32-year-old righty looked like he was in mid-season form as he tossed two scoreless innings, reaching 34 pitches. That’s about as encouraging a start as one could hope for from Sevy and we’ll all be hoping today was the start of a massive campaign for the could-be free agent.
We might only see Severino one or two more times before he departs the team to join Team Dominican Republic for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. That’ll essentially be his spring training continued, but you gotta put more stock into those outings than simple exhibition games in Arizona because you know he’ll be pitching for his team’s life. The A’s, and more or less every team in the league, will be watching that tournament closely for signs of things to come from all of their participating players.
Cleveland apparently was very happy that Sevy only went a couple frames today. Once he was pulled it was right-hander Joel Kuhnel’s turn and the Guardians jumped all over him. Without managing to finish the frame he yielded four earned runs, only getting bailed out by Kenya Huggins at the end of the inning. That seemed like it might have done it right then and there, but we still had six-and-a-half more innings to go.
Meanwhile on offense the A’s looked lost against Cleveland’s relief depth. While none of the Guardians’ primary arms were on the bump today that didn’t seem to matter for them as the Athletics’ offense managed just four hits all afternoon, with two coming off the bat of a single player.
They did have one chance to break through early. Three straight two-out walks loaded the bases for the A’s in the bottom of the second but Denzel Clarke grounded out to end that scoring opportunity. Not a great start to his camp as he went 0-for-2 in his first game this spring.
Cleveland scored another run in the fifth off of some small-ball against right-hander Luis Morales, who is widely expected to land a spot among the starting five in the rotation. One can’t help but have questions about the right-hander’s ability to begin the season in the rotation and make every scheduled start for the next six months. Are the A’s going to be limiting his outings to shorter 3-4 inning stints to keep his workload down early on? Keep in mind he set a career-high in innings pitched last year at 139 between the minors and big leagues.
The A’s had one final chance to score a run in the bottom half of the sixth thanks to a pair of hits from prospects Tommy White and Henry Bolte, but again were unable to break through and prevent a shutout. The A’s went down quietly after that, going home losers of two straight to begin Spring Training.
Well, at least it was closer than yesterday’s matchup. The offense went silent for the second straight day, collecting just four hits and three walks while striking out 14 times. Meanwhile the Guardians rode a big third inning to the win this afternoon. On the plus side for the A’s a lot of that damage came against one pitcher who was always unlikely to make the Opening Day roster. Most of the A’s arms that took the mound had a positive day and have something to build off of moving forward, most of all Severino. If today helps him get right for the next six months then this loss will be a long-forgotten memory soon.
We do it all again tomorrow as the Athletics go on the road to take on the San Francisco Giants. The A’s plan to start right-hander J.T. Ginn for tomorrow’s contest, where he’ll be expected to get up to around 25 or so pitches. Ginn is in a similar boat as Jack Perkins: lots of people are expecting them to settle into more or a longman/swingman role, but they’re fighting to prove that they can be a viable starting option for the A’s as they emerge from this rebuild. For pitchers like Ginn, these games actually do matter for their future. We’ll all be pulling for him because the A’s need to see some growth from some of these guys this coming season. The Giants will go with veteran JT Brubaker to begin tomorrow afternoon’s contest.
Ginn is scheduled to be followed by (in no order) prospects Gage Jump and Braden Nett, and relievers Elvis Alvarado and Tyler Ferguson. Others will join in but we can expect to see those arms on the mound tomorrow against the hated Giants. Who else is especially hyped to see Jump and Nett in action against big league hitters??
Notes:
Fernando Tatis Jr. appeared as the cleanup hitter for the San Diego Padres for the second time in three games. He seems to be adjusting to his new spot in the lineup, for now, as he recorded two hits in two plate appearances in San Diego’s 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Ariz. on Sunday.
Tatis came to the plate with two outs and Manny Machado at first base following a walk in the bottom of the first inning. He singled to right field to move Machado to second, but the inning ended on a Jake Cronenworth flyout to Dodgers center fielder Michael Siani.
Tatis returned to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning and lined a ball to right field with one out in the inning, giving him his second hit of the game. The inning ended one batter later when Cronenworth grounded into a double play.
It was a tough day for the Padres outside of Tatis. They managed just three additional hits in the game with two of those coming in the bottom of the eighth inning when San Diego scored its lone run. Nick Solak hit a two-out double to left field that landed just beyond the glove of an outstretched Josue De Paula. Clay Dungan followed with an infield single that was thrown up the rightfield line allowing him to reach second base, making the score 4-1.
Los Angeles scored its fifth run of the game in the top of the ninth inning with three singles off reliever Ty Adcock. The Dodgers scored their first four runs in the top of the third inning against Triston McKenzie, who was making his debut with the Padres.
McKenzie walked two of the first three batters he faced and then allowed a one-out single to Will Smith that put Los Angeles ahead 1-0. McKenzie recorded a strikeout for the second out of the inning, but then allowed a double to Nick Senzel, which scored two runs to give Los Angeles a 3-0 lead. That ended the day for McKenzie, who was replaced by Michael Flynn. He did not fare much better and immediately threw a wild pitch, allowing Senzel to move to third base. Flynn then walked a batter and hit a batter to load the bases. The Dodgers scored their fourth run of the inning, which was charged to McKenzie, on another walk allowed by Flynn. He induced a pop out by Siani with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Randy Vasquez started on the mound for the Padres and completed two innings. He allowed one hit, one walk and 23 of his 31 pitches went for strikes.
The Padres host the Milwaukee Brewers at 12:10 p.m. on Monday.
PHOENIX –– A devious smile crept across Shohei Ohtani’s face as he was presented with the hypothetical.
By all accounts, the Dodgers’ two-way star is not going to pitch in next month’s World Baseball Classic with Team Japan. Even after his first fully healthy offseason since undergoing a second career Tommy John surgery, he and the team decided it’d be best to save his arm for the grind of a long regular season.
But what if, Ohtani was asked Sunday, the opportunity arises to close out another WBC title, as he did by striking out Mike Trout for the final out in the 2023 edition of the tournament.
“I wonder,” Ohtani answered in Japanese, flashing his playful grin. “If Trout comes out at the end, maybe.”
Tempting as it may be, the only pitching Ohtani is expected to do while he is away from Dodgers camp for the international event will be much more mundane –– and not just because Trout won’t play for Team USA this time.
Earlier Sunday morning, Ohtani faced hitters in a live batting practice session for the second time this spring, throwing 33 pitches over a two-inning outing that included a couple hard line drives but also strikeouts of Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.
And now, as he prepares to depart spring camp to join Team Japan in the coming days, the Dodgers are hopeful he will be able to throw two more live BP sessions on off-days during the WBC, according to pitching coach Mark Prior.
That plan would keep Ohtani on track to be in the Dodgers’ rotation from the start of the regular season in late March, even though he might not pitch in a real game until the final week of spring training.
“We’ve talked about it, had conversations with him, and kind of mapped out some tentative schedules,” Prior said. “A lot of it will depend, as usual with him, on where he’s at, what are the logistics of everything (during the WBC) … But if we can get two more outings out of him, of him facing hitters, that would be ideal.”
To this point, everything else about Ohtani’s preparation as a pitcher has gone according to plan.
Coming off his first fully healthy offseason as a Dodger, he came into spring camp ready to face hitters right away. He is already incorporating his full mix of pitches more than he did last year, too, when he largely stuck to a fastball/slider/sweeper combination while returning from Tommy John in the second half of the campaign.
To Prior, the biggest difference has come behind the scenes.
In both catch play and bullpen sessions, the right-hander has been able to practice his pitching at a higher intensity.
“Last year’s bullpens, from a velocity and intensity (standpoint), he was very conservative,” Prior said. “I think now, he feels he’s far enough removed to where he’s been able to push it.”
Case in point: At the end of Sunday’s live session, Prior could feel Ohtani dialing up the intensity, noting how the four-time MVP hit 99 mph on one of his final pitches.
“It’s been a good week for him,” Prior said. “Obviously, he’s trying to compress a lot of stuff before he leaves.”
Staying on schedule as a pitcher will be more complicated once Ohtani departs for the WBC. He will first fly to Japan to train with his national team. The group stage portion of the tournament will include four games in a five-day span at the Tokyo Dome from March 6-10. And if Japan advances to the knockout round as expected, Ohtani will then go to Miami for as many as three more games –– including potentially the final on March 17.
That could leave little time for live pitching sessions, especially considering the narrow workout windows each team has during the event. And even if Ohtani gets all his pitching work in, it’s likely he will still begin the regular season less than fully built up, meaning his first few Dodgers outings could be on the shorter side.
That’s all fine by the Dodgers, though.
They’ve waited two years to have Ohtani available as a full-time two-way player. They remain impressed with the progress he’s already made this spring. And the fact he can even field hypotheticals like the one he got Sunday is just another sign of the promising form he continues to show.
“I do think,” Prior said, “we’re seeing more of a regular version of him.”
Apr 9, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jose Alvarado (46) reacts after shaking hands with first base Bryce Harper (3) after the Phillies defeated the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Philadelphia Phillies left-hander José Alvarado announced on social media Sunday that insurance issues will prevent him from representing Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic.
Alvarado wrote on his Instagram message the news “deeply saddens me.” He added “the insurance required for my participation was not approved. This is a situation that is beyond my control and without a doubt it fills me with sadness and is difficult to understand. I had the hope and commitment to once again wear my country’s jersey for the third consecutive time. Representing Venezuela has always been one of the greatest honors of my career.”
The tournament runs from March 5-17 in Tokyo, Houston, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Miami, where the final will be played.
Alvarado is the latest player to be blocked from participating in the World Baseball Classic by insurance issues. Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa were left off Puerto Rico’s roster due to insurance. Jose Altuve also was not included on Venezuela’s roster.
The tournament is co-owned by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, and insurance is provided by National Financial Partners.
Alvarado, 30, had a 3.81 ERA and seven saves in 28 games for Philadelphia last season. He served an 80-game suspension for violating baseball’s performance-enhancing drug policy. He was suspended on May 18 following a positive test for an external testosterone.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the positive test was caused by a weight loss drug Alvarado took during the offseason.
Dalton Rushing’s first year in the big leagues with the Dodgers didn’t go quite as planned.
Over 53 games after his May call-up, the highly regarded prospect batted .204 with a .258 on-base percentage, .582 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, four home runs and 24 RBIs. It was the only time in his baseball life — aside from his freshman year at the University of Louisville — that Rushing was not a regular fixture in his team’s lineup.
“It was very, very up and down,” Rushing said. “It was some good, some bad, some ugly. A lot of things were new to me; the scattering [of] playing time was tough. It was a little tough being able to stay on top of compete mode, keep the swing in a good spot."
But it still yielded a satisfying end result.
Read more:Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets his work in during Dodgers' Cactus League opener as WBC looms
"I got to win a World Series with this team," Rushing said. "And it’s hard to look back and think, ‘I’d take this back or I’d take that back.’ It went exactly how it was planned.”
With three-time All-Star catcher Will Smith in front of him, Rushing’s role is clear: He is the Dodgers’ backup catcher. Manager Dave Roberts feels good about Rushing’s progression.
“Dalton’s in a good spot right now,” Roberts said last week. “I want him to understand his role as a backup catcher, what that entails, really learn the pitchers, learn the swing that works for playing a couple times a week. He’s used to playing a lot more. But I think that [he’s] still maturing, because it’s not easy to not play every day when you’re used to [playing regularly]. I think that he grew last year, and I like where he’s at.”
Roberts plans to use Rushing at first base if Freddie Freeman comes out of the game or needs a day off. Rushing will not, however, play in the outfield, where he played a bit in the minor leagues.
“Outfield’s not on the table”, Roberts said. “I do think that there’s going to be some spots for him to come into games if Freddie’s out or if there’s a game he doesn’t play, we’ll see how that lines up. And I think right now for me, just seeing how the roster plays out as far as what are the options we might have at first base, but I do want to get him at-bats when I can.”
Rushing started Saturday's Cactus League opener against the Angels, driving in a run on a sacrifice fly in three at-bats. The 25-year-old said he’s fully embracing his spot on a club vying for its third consecutive championship.
“If I can keep myself ready to play two or three times a week, then it’s going to be easy to keep myself ready to play five or six," Rushing said. "To be able to go through something like this early in my career, where I have to not only earn the time on the field, but also navigate my way through my career, I think it’s a really good start to my career, to be able to understand how this game works.”
Rushing also views playing behind Smith as a valuable opportunity to learn from one baseball’s best catchers, something he believes will help him grow as a player.
“I have a spot to work behind the best catcher in baseball,” Rushing said. “And from there, I’m going to be given opportunities to see more time on the field, to get my bat in there as much as possible, and it’s up to me to take advantage of those opportunities and continue to put myself on the field as much as possible.”
Read more:What to expect with MLB's ABS system, and how Dodgers will navigate it
Rushing says he does not have personal goals he hopes to reach. This season is about team success and winning.
“The main goal especially with this role is I’m going to win as many [games as] possible,” Rushing said. “Every game I’m on the field, I want to win. I want to win 110 games in the regular season as a Dodger. We’re fully capable of it. I think that’s a good goal to put for ourselves, and it just makes each and every game that much important.”
Before the Dodgers' 5-1 win over the San Diego Padres in Peoria, Ariz., on Sunday, Shohei Ohtani threw 33 pitches in a live batting practice session at Camelback Ranch and struck out Freeman and Mookie Betts.
"I felt pretty good about today in terms of volume," Ohtani said via interpreter Will Ireton. "While in Japan, I plan to do some sort of live BP, bullpen, some kind of simulation."
After the game, Roberts revealed the star two-way player was expected to depart either Sunday night or Monday to join Team Japan for preparations for next month's World Baseball Classic.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Well, that’s one way to start a ballgame.
Five pitches into Sunday’s Giants-Cubs spring training matchup, an emergency message blared throughout Scottsdale Stadium in Arizona, creating confusion among players and fans alike.
“Attention, attention, an emergency has been reported in this building,” the automated message said. “Please cease operations and leave the building using the nearest exit or fire exit or stairway. Do not use elevators.”
The emergency alarm has gone off at Scottsdale Stadium. pic.twitter.com/JgbXkeUI2l
— SFG Network (@sfgnetwork25) February 22, 2026
Giants broadcasters Jon Miller and Duane Kuiper were audibly stunned by the announcement — but the game continued uninterrupted, even as the warning looped over the stadium speakers.
“This is very bizarre,” Miller said.
“I don’t think we’ve ever experienced something like this before,” Kuiper added.
The alarm was triggered due to someone smoking inside a bathroom at the ballpark, John Shea of The San Francisco Standard reported.
An all clear was issued – but things only got stranger moments later.
After allowing the first two Chicago batters to reach base, Giants pitcher Robbie Ray gave up a bloop single to Seiya Suzuki, igniting a chaotic sequence.
Suzuki’s flare dropped between second baseman Luis Arraez and right fielder Jung Hoo Lee. Lee charged in, scooped it up and fired to first baseman Rafael Devers, who quickly threw to second as Suzuki tried to stretch the hit.
Cubs need to work on the fundamentals. pic.twitter.com/wmzu3SDEVo
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) February 22, 2026
Meanwhile, leadoff hitter Matt Shaw and new Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman both ended up standing at third base after Bregman misread the play. Bregman was tagged out for the second out of the inning.
Then Shaw, apparently believing he had been retired on the play, stepped off third base — and was immediately tagged out to complete a bizarre triple play.
“Wow! Matt Shaw made a boneheaded, rookie mistake there,” Miller said.
Kuiper took it a step further, eviscerating Shaw over the inexplicable error.
“What an idiot,” Kuiper said. “We may not see something quite like that for a while.”
Within days of spring training games starting, there have been some memorable mishaps.
Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami nearly missed his White Sox spring debut due to a traffic jam, arriving to the stadium just minutes before first pitch.
On Saturday, a sewage issue outside George M. Steinbrenner Field flooded sections of the clubhouse and concourse, leaving a foul stench throughout the stadium.
“It’s spring training for the toilets, too,” a Yankees spokesman said.
The Milwaukee Brewers had their first split-squad day of the spring on Sunday, as part of the team visited the Chicago White Sox in Glendale, and the others stayed in Phoenix to battle the Kansas City Royals.
With a pair of losses, the Brewers fell to 0-3 in the Cactus League as their hopes for the coveted Cactus League Cup have already taken a hit. Let’s take a look at the action today.
As they did yesterday, Milwaukee’s offense got out to a quick start. Joey Ortiz started the day off with a walk and proceeded to steal second base. Andrew Vaughn then hit a soft grounder between short and third base, which he was able to beat out (with the help of a high throw), putting runners at the corners.
On a 3-2 count, Vaughn took off for second and Akil Baddoo walked on a borderline pitch, which was challenged by Chicago and confirmed — had it been called strike three, Vaughn would’ve been thrown out at second. Instead, it was bases loaded with no outs.
Tyler Black struck out and Jeferson Quero popped out, but prospect Jesús Made took a pitch off his foot to reach, bringing Ortiz home in the process for a 1-0 lead.
Logan Henderson worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the first, and the Brewers once again threatened offensively in the second. Luke Adams started things off with a single but he was caught trying to steal second before Luis Lara hit a double. Lara moved up on a wild pitch, but he’d remain there as Ortiz lined out and Vaughn flew out.
Carlos Rodriguez replaced Henderson in the second and struggled, allowing a double to Austin Hays and a one-out RBI single to Curtis Mead to make it 1-1. He did record a pair of strikeouts to get out of the inning with the game still evened up.
It wouldn’t stay that way for long, as Baddoo took the first pitch of the third 430 feet out to center field for a solo homer and a 2-1 lead.
Both offenses quieted down from there, as there was no further scoring until the bottom of the sixth, when Bryce Meccage entered and a few other prospects entered to replace the starters.
Meccage walked Kyle Teel before getting a flyout, but Dru Baker cashed Teel in with an RBI double to make it 2-2. The next batter, Sam Antonacci, brought Baker in with an RBI single before old friend Oliver Dunn got the second out via a flyout. Antonacci stole second, moved up to third on a wild pitch, and scored on an infield single by Drew Romo, making it 4-2 before the inning was over.
Tristan Peters led off the eighth with a solo homer against Sam Garcia to make it 5-2, and that was all for scoring in Glendale.
Vaughn was the only Brewer with multiple hits in this one, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. Lara and Josh Adamczewski each had doubles in the loss, while Baddoo had the homer. Made went 0-for-2 but he did get an RBI via his hit by pitch. Black and Adams also added hits, while Black and Ortiz each swiped a base.
On the mound, Henderson, Peter Strzelecki, Kaleb Bowman, K.C. Hunt, and Ryan Birchard each worked scoreless innings, while Patricio Aquino recorded the final out in Meccage’s rough seventh.
In the home game this afternoon, Robert Gasser got the start and, after allowing a single to Maikel Garcia, got Jac Caglianone to go down swinging before inducing a 4-6-3 double play from Nick Loftin, the first of (hopefully) many turned by Brice Turang and Jett Williams.
The Brewers went 1-2-3 in the first, and DL Hall worked around a two-out walk in the second to keep it at 0-0.
Jake Bauers became the first baserunner of the day for Milwaukee as he singled over the head of Garcia at short with two outs in the second, but he’d be stranded as Luis Rengifo hit into a forceout to end the inning.
Tate Kuehner allowed a pair of singles in the third but didn’t allow any runs, leaving runners at the corners. In the bottom of the frame, Williams drew a one-out walk and, after moving to third on a Gary Sánchez single, scored as William Contreras lined a double to left. Sánchez and Contreras would be left there, but Milwaukee had a 1-0 lead after three.
Brian Fitzpatrick tossed a 1-2-3 fourth, and Bauers reached for the second time in the fourth as he drew a walk, but he would remain at first.
Bishop Letson recorded a pair of strikeouts in another 1-2-3 fifth inning, and in the bottom of the frame, Williams drew his second walk of the day. He’d go on to steal second but was left stranded there.
The Royals once again got runners to the corners against Stiven Cruz in the sixth, but they wouldn’t be able to cash in as Kevin Newman went down swinging.
The Brewers were able to load the bases in the bottom of the inning via a pair of walks and a single by Bauers, his third time reaching base this afternoon. Unfortunately, Williams went down looking to end the inning, as he was unable to reach for a third time himself.
In the seventh, Dairon Blanco reached on a hit by pitch as he was hit in the head (he was removed after walking off under his own power — let’s hope he’s alright), and Connor Kaiser followed with a fielder’s choice that resulted in everyone reaching safely as Luis Peña made a fielding error. Blake Mitchell followed with a walk, and suddenly the Royals had the bases loaded with one out.
Peyton Wilson cashed in the tying run on a sac fly, but Smith was able to escape the inning with a strikeout of Carson Roccaforte.
Jacob Hurtubise took a hit by pitch to reach to begin the bottom of the seventh and went on to steal second, but he couldn’t make it home as Helcris Olivárez induced a pair of flyouts and a groundout.
After a quiet day offensively, the Royals’ reserves broke through in the eighth, as Brett Squires walked, Dustin Dickerson brought him home on a double, and Canyon Brown followed with a triple to make it 3-1 in a hurry. Gavin Cross followed with a flyout, and Greg Jones threw Brown out at the plate for the unconventional 9-2 double play.
Jones led off the bottom of the eighth with a single but he was thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double. Juan Baez would also pick up a walk in the inning but he’d remain at first.
After one run in the seventh and a pair in the eighth, the Royals tacked on another four in the ninth to break things wide open. Mitchell walked, Wilson singled, and Roccaforte walked to load the bases. Squires brought Mitchell home with a sac fly, and Dustin Dickerson then brough them all home with a three-run homer to make it 7-1.
Daniel Guilarte picked up a double in the bottom of the ninth and then scored as Brock Wilken crushed his first homer of the spring 407 feet into left to cut the lead to 7-3. Miller and Peña both went down to end the game, and the Royals took this one, 7-3.
Bauers led the offense reaching base three times on a pair of singles and a walk, while Williams drew a pair of walks and scored a run. Guilarte and Wilken scored the other runs on Wilken’s homer in the ninth, and Sánchez, Contreras, and Jones also had hits today. Also of note: Contreras went 2-for-2 on ABS challenges, getting two balls overturned to strikes behind the plate.
Gasser, Hall, Kuehner, Fitzpatrick, Letson, and Cruz all worked scoreless innings to begin the game, while Smith allowed an unearned run in the seventh but still picked up a pair of strikeouts.
Despite the pair of losses today, here’s something that may cheer Brewer fans up:
Sunday's 6-4 win at the Yankees featured two of the Mets' top prospects, Carson Benge and Ryan Clifford, in the starting lineup.
Benge led off and started in right field while Clifford batted sixth and held down left field.
Both players posted 0-for-3 afternoons at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., but gained bits of developmental experience.
"I think it's a good learning experience," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Benge's fifth-inning at-bat against Tim Hill, a 6-4-3 double play that followed leadoff singles by Cristian Pache and Grae Kessinger.
Mark Vientos subsequently lined out to right field to end the inning.
"You have a tough left-on-left (matchup), really high groundball (possibility) on Tim Hill in that situation -- first and second, nobody out," Mendoza said of Benge. "That's probably a situation where he comes up in a real game and just having the awareness -- what a pitcher's trying to do -- I think there's a lot to learn and for us as a coaching staff to teach the guy in certain situations, and that was the perfect one. So, pretty good experience there."
Benge's first two at-bats against Luis Gil were a first-pitch, first-inning lineout to shortstop to start the game and a 1-3 groundout for the third inning's second out.
The Mets' second overall prospect, according to SNY's Joe DeMayo, is in spring training with New York after logging one Grapefruit League game last year -- an at-bat during the March 7 game at the Washington Nationals.
In 116 games across the High-A, Double-A and Triple-A ranks, Benge slashed .281/.385/.472 with 15 home runs and 73 RBI.
"It's pretty cool, being able to see all these guys," Benge said. "But, at the end of the day, it's just baseball. But being able to pick their brains, they're some of the best in the sport. So, being able to pick their brains about different things that come across my mind is definitely a big help."
Most recently, the 23-year-old Benge slashed .178/.272/.311 with three home runs and 13 RBI in 24 games at the Triple-A level.
"I had a tough time finding anything he didn't do well," said Clifford, who was Benge's teammate with Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. "He was electric ... he gets his swing off early and he's able to play all three outfield positions, got a really good arm and something that third base coaches have to take notice on when they're thinking of sending runners and he's aggressive and I think he just plays the game the right way and he's always looking to take an extra base and help the team find a way to win."
Like Benge, the 22-year-old Clifford was an Aug. 11 promotion from Binghamton to Syracuse and non-roster invitee for spring training.
A fellow prospect in the top 10 of DeMayo's rankings, Clifford is a first baseman with the potential to play corner outfield.
He slashed .237/.356/.470 with 29 home runs and 93 RBI in 139 games across Binghamton and Syracuse last year.
"It's been good," Clifford said of his outfield progression. "I think, for me, just try to be quick laterally and make sure my feet are moving. I'm putting myself in the right direction and I'm getting to top speed as quick as I can, and just try to continue to get better at all parts of that."
Clifford slashed .243/.355/.493 with 24 home runs and 75 RBI in 105 games with Binghamton last season. He logged 98 Double-A games in 2024.
"I think I made a little jump last year with my aggressiveness," Clifford said. "The power's always kind of going to be there for me, so just trying to get my best swing off earlier in counts -- just not get to two strikes -- I think is a big part. So, just getting my swing off early and hunting the middle of the zone."
After slashing .219/.359/.395 with five home runs and 18 RBI in 34 Triple-A games, Clifford looks to continue his progression.
"I think, for me, it's going to happen -- not to sweat it, it's better for me to swing through an 0-0 changeup that I thought was a fastball and not hit a weak fly ball to right field or something like that," he said. "So, just look to be aggressive and trust my eyes is the biggest thing for me and I'll adjust the spin accordingly, more times than not, so just look to hunt the fastball."
I didn’t go to this game but I kind of wish I had just because of all the weird things that happened in the Cubs’ 4-2 loss to the Giants Sunday afternoon in Scottsdale.
First, as the Cubs were batting in the top of the first inning, a loud beeping sound (like a truck backing up) came over the PA system along with an announcement that some sort of incident had happened at Scottsdale Stadium and fans should leave [VIDEO].
Some did, some didn’t (I talked to some friends who were there and they stayed put). Meanwhile, Giants pitcher Robbie Ray got a bit distracted and walked Matt Shaw and Alex Bregman. Really, they probably should have stopped play until they could get the announcement, which turned out to be some sort of glitch, turned off.
Anyway, the Cubs had runners on first and second with nobody out.
Seiya Suzuki blooped a single to right. He apparently thought Shaw was going to score, so he took off for second and Bregman went toward third. But Shaw had held up between third and home thinking the ball might be caught. Suzuki was thrown out easily at second, and Shaw had returned to third… but Bregman met him there.
When two runners are on a base like that, the defending team tags both of them because one of them is going to be out. The other runner — in this case Shaw, the lead runner — is entitled to the base. Shaw should have stayed on third, but instead wandered off and was tagged out, completing a single plus 9-3-6-5 triple play. You can see Shaw talking with third-base coach Quintin Berry and I’m not sure what Berry said to him, if anything, but what has to be said is, “Stay on the base!”
Fortunately, this is Spring Training and that’s a good learning experience for Shaw. Pretty sure Bregman will lead a meeting about situations like this.
Colin Rea started for the Cubs and had a solid first inning, once the rogue announcement had been turned off, and then got touched up for a run in the second on a pair of singles sandwiched around a walk. It was a decent outing for Rea, 37 pitches (22 strikes).
Caleb Thielbar threw an efficient third inning and then left-handed prospect Riley Martin held the Giants scoreless in the fourth. In the fifth, the Giants loaded the bases off Martin on two singles and a walk and then scored twice on infield outs to make it 3-0.
The Cubs had a chance to score in the sixth, two chances, in fact, when Brett Bateman led off with a single and Miguel Amaya hit a fly ball that was lost in the sun in center. Amaya wound up on second, but Bateman was thrown out trying to score. After pinch-runner Kane Kepley stole third, Chas McCormick hit a fly to right that Jung Hoo Lee turned into an inning-ending double play [VIDEO].
Lee is moving to right field for the Giants this year because they signed Harrison Bader to play center. That’s a good defensive move for them; Lee has a great arm.
The Cubs scored a pair in the seventh. Dylan Carlson led off with a walk and was replaced by pinch-runner Kade Snell. Justin Dean singled, then the runners advanced on a fly ball. Snell then scored on a wild pitch with Dean taking third, where he scored on a fielding error.
Here is one ABS challenge that shows the perfect situation to use one [VIDEO].
There are two out with nobody on in the second. The strike three call would have ended the inning. Carlson challenged, got it overturned, the inning continued and he wound up with a single. Now, in a regular season game you probably wouldn’t do such a challenge in a scoreless game in the second inning, but in early spring games the early innings is when MLB players are in situations they might encounter during a game and I suspect they are being encouraged to try out the system. Overall there were seven challenges in this game, with four overturned. Based on what I learned at the ABS presentation I attended earlier this month, this is about what we should expect — somewhere around half of challenges overturned.
The Cubs certainly had their chances to score in this game, with nine hits and 10 (!) walks. But they went 1-for-11 with RISP and left 12 runners on base.
I am a bit surprised we have yet to see Michael Busch, Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner or Dansby Swanson in any of the three spring games. I doubt most or all of them will want the long bus ride to Surprise tomorrow, but perhaps we will see them Tuesday and/or Wednesday at Sloan Park.
As noted above, the Cubs will head to the west Valley on Monday to face the Royals at Surprise. Ben Brown will start for the Cubs and Seth Lugo will go for Kansas City. Game time is again 2:05 p.m. CT. No TV Monday, but there will be a radio broadcast via ALT 96.5, the Royals radio station.
Big innings have defined the first weekend of Dodgers spring training games so far. Sunday included a four-run third inning that fueled a 5-1 win over the San Diego Padres in Peoria.
Will Smith got the scoring started with an RBI single in the third inning, one of his two hits, and non-roster infielder Nick Senzel hit a two-run double to score both Smith and newcomer Kyle Tucker in his Dodgers debut. Senzel doubled twice against San Diego.
Josue De Paula added an RBI single in the ninth inning to cap the scoring, but some trouble getting to a few balls in and around left field.
Scoring on Sunday wasn’t as prevalent as Saturday in Tempe, when the Dodgers had innings of three, six, and four runs in a rout of the Angels. But then again, they didn’t need much offense on Sunday, thanks to a bevy of arms throttling the Padres bats.
Jackson Ferris started and worked around a walk and single for a scoreless first inning. Chris Campos struck out two in a perfect third inning.
Will Klein pitched a clean, 10-pitch second inning, one of two Dodgers on the 40-man roster to pitch in this one.
Ronan Kopp’s first spring training game as a member of big league camp came on the anniversary of his first major league spring training game last year. The left-hander appeared in two games up from the minor league side of camp last spring, both in February. This time, after getting added to the 40-man roster in November, Kopp on Sunday allowed a two-out double then committed a throwing error on what would have been an inning-ending groundout in the eighth.
That was the only run allowed by the Dodgers all game. In all, nine different Dodgers pitchers combined to allow five hits and three walks in the win, with just the one unearned run.
After two road games, the Dodgers play on their home field of Camelback Ranch with a game against the Seattle Mariners on Monday (12:05 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Landon Knack starts for the Dodgers, with Logan Gilbert on the mound for Seattle.
The first home Spring Training game started very promising for Atlanta, with the Braves’ stars looking good.
Chris Sale struck out his first two batters and ended up with three strikeouts over 2.0 innings, no walks, and only one hard-hit ball in the form of a 95.9 MPH grounder. Chris Sale looked like Chris Sale and exited healthy, which is everything you want to see as a Braves fan.
One of Atlanta’s top prospects relieved Sale in JR Ritchie. Ritchie looked good, sitting in the mid-90s with his fastballs and striking out one batter across 2.0 scoreless innings, with no hard-hit balls but only 2 whiffs. We didn’t really see any other notable names pitching out of the bullpen.
Ronald Acuna led off the Atlanta offense with a 112.4 MPH 22 degree batted ball that must have been exceptionally soggy from the rain, because it landed as a single instead of a monster homer, to the surprise of seemingly everyone except the left fielder. Ronald struck out in his other plate appearance, but that first batted ball was all we needed to see from him.
Drake Baldwin had a hard-hit single at 102.6 MPH and hit a picture-perfect homer at 107.6 MPH and 27 degrees, picking up right where he dropped off with his scalding hot end to last season.
Elsewhere on offense, Matt Olson doubled and Jurickson Profar and Austin Riley each collected a single in their two plate appearances per player. On the prospect side, John Gil and Alex Lodise each made appearances, with Lodise putting one of the uglier plate appearances I’ve seen out there, losing his bat on a whiff for the strikeout, but did have a nice play on defense at shortstop. Gil flied out in one plate appearance and put together a nice walk in another.
Overall a nice day for the Braves’ roster, despite a fairly ugly 8-1 scoreline. We’ll be back on Monday against the Orioles, with the huge lefty prospect Garrett Baumann getting the start on the mound.
Despite entering spring training as a bit of an odd man out, Luis Gil looked sharp in his first spring start, continuing an early Grapefruit League theme of strong pitching performances. The former Rookie of the Year tossed 2.2 scoreless innings against the Mets, who would win the ballgame behind a quartet of homers. The Yankees rallied to make the game close, but a pair of failed bases-loaded rallies and two runners scattered in the ninth doomed their efforts as they fell 6-4. José Caballero hit a home run for the Bombers in the loss.
Gil’s command looked solid in his first spring inning as he retired the side in order on 11 pitches. The fastball sat in the mid-90s and his changeup, which looked sharp, in the mid-to-high 80s. The second inning was lengthier and led to a run, but was in a way more encouraging.
Lefty DH Jared Young led off the frame, worked the count full and took him out to right field for a home run to open the scoring. After that, his opponents worked a variety of deep counts against him, but he worked around a single and struck out three Mets to retire the side. In the third, he collected two more outs—including a close play at first where he covered the bag in the nick of time—and departed from the game.
It wasn’t as flashy a spring debut as that of Elmer Rodríguez and Carlos Lagrange, who have drawn all the buzz at camp this year. But Gil checked all the boxes he needed. He mixed in all three pitches, maintained consistent velocity, and picked up some strikeouts; with no walks included.
The Yankees tied the game in the bottom of the third with a Caballero home run off starter Justin Hagenman. Caballero figures to be the everyday shortstop to begin the season with Anthony Volpe on the mend from shoulder surgery, and if he produces at the clip he did in 2025 after putting on the pinstripes, he may stay in it.
The Yankees worked the bases loaded after the Caballero dinger, but failed to capitalize. Luis Torrens made them pay to lead off the fourth when he took Rule 5 draftee Cade Winquest for a ride to right center field. Winquest rebounded to retire the side and hold the Mets to a 2-1 lead.
Tim Hill got his first Grapefruit League work of the spring in the fifth inning. He allowed back-to-back singles to begin his outing but recovered in characteristic fashion, inducing a ground ball double play followed by a soft liner by Mark Vientos to put up a zero on the box score. Unfortunately the Yankees bats followed in kind despite loaded the bases once again.
Then, as a wise man once said, it was dèja vu all over again. Hayden Senger led off the sixth inning and followed the earlier first-strike bombs from Young and Torrens with yet another long ball. It was a great day at the dish for the Mets, and it reminded me of how excruciating it can be to watch a team that struggles with plating their baserunners in games that matter. Thankfully, this exhibition contest does not qualify.
Things proceeded quietly enough until the top of the eighth inning, when the Mets continued their power party. They got two men in scoring position with two outs for JT Schwartz, who made their position on the basepaths moot with a towering fly to right. That put the visitors solidly in the driver’s seat, 6-1.
Well, then the Mets saw something creep up in their rear-view mirror. In the home half of the inning, center fielder Kenedy Corona stung a fastball from Brian Metoyer out to right field and got all of those runs back with a three-run jack of his own. Corona made his MLB debut last year with the Astros, appearing in three games in July. This is his first year in the Yankees organization after five seasons in Houston’s minor league system. After his homer, you might say a corona began to shine around the Yankees’ chances of winning the game … sorry, it’s spring training for us scribes, too.
The Yankees brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth inning, and it came down to Ernesto Martinez Jr., a tall lefty first baseman. But Martinez rolled over to first base, and the Mets grabbed the road victory. Oh well. It was encouraging to see Gil follow up the performances of Rodriguez and Lagrange with some fuego of his own.
Tomorrow the Yankees will travel to Bradenton and face the Pirates. Ryan Yarbrough will get the ball against a Pittsburgh starter yet to be named. Like today’s game, YES will not carry it, but the Pirates’ broadcast will be available via MLB.tv.