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Team USA is back in action at the 2026 World Baseball Classic tonight.

In their second of four pool stage games, they’ll face Team Great Britain, who are looking for the first win of the tournament.

Team USA kicked off the WBC last night in a huge win over Brazil. In the 15-5 victory, the team had 10 hits and 17 walks, five of which came in the ninth inning where Team USA scored seven runs. New York Yankees and Team USA captain Aaron Judge opened scoring in the top of the first inning.

Great Britain lost their tournament-opener 8-2 to Mexico, but the game was closer than the score would suggest as it was tied going into the eighth inning.

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will be on the mound for Team USA tonight. The reigning AL Cy Young winner is set to return to Detroit’s spring training following today’s matchup.

Team USA vs. Great Britain WBC start time

Tonight’s (March 7) World Baseball Classic matchup between USA and Great Britain is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET.

How to watch USA vs. Great Britain for free

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the World Baseball Classic for free. Our favorite is DIRECTV, which you can learn more about below.

World Baseball Classic 2026: Team USA roster

• Pitchers: David Bednar (Yankees), Matthew Boyd (Cubs), Garrett Cleavinger (Rays), Clay Holmes (Mets), Griffin Jax (Rays), Brad Keller (Phillies), Clayton Kershaw, Nolan McLean (Mets), Mason Miller (Padres), Joe Ryan (Twins), Paul Skenes (Pirates), Tarik Skubal (Tigers), Gabe Speier (Mariners), Michael Wacha (Royals), Logan Webb (Giants), Garrett Whitlock (Red Sox)
• Catchers: Cal Raleigh (Mariners), Will Smith (Dodgers)
• Infielders: Alex Bregman (Cubs), Ernie Clement (Blue Jays), Paul Goldschmidt (Yankees), Bryce Harper (Phillies), Gunnar Henderson (Orioles), Brice Turang (Brewers), Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)
• Outfielders: Roman Anthony (Red Sox), Byron Buxton (Twins), Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Aaron Judge (Yankees)
• Designated hitter: Kyle Schwarber (Phillies)

World Baseball Classic 2026: Team USA schedule

• USA (15) vs. Brazil (5), March 6
• vs. Great Britain, March 7 at 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
• vs. Mexico, March 9 at 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
• vs. Italy, March 10 at 9 p.m. ET (FS1)

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Jays 1 Phillies 0

The best part of this one was that Max Scherzer started and threw 4 no-hit innings, allowing just 1 walk with 1 strikeouts. He was helped out by some defensive play, but he got through the four innings on just 40 pitches (29 strikeouts). Max was terrific. I didn’t think he’d be ready for opening day but clearly (barring something bad happening) he will be. He did a good job of getting ready, before signing with the Jays.

Other pitchers:

• Chase Lee: 1 inning, 1 walk, 1 k.
• Josh Fleming: 1 inning, 2 hits.
• Lazaro Estrada: 2 clean innings, 1 strikeout.
• Connor (two o’s) Seabold: 1 inning, 3 strikeouts. Very nice job. Throwing 94-95 mph. He hit a batter.

On offense, we only got 5 hits, but scored the run they needed.

• Myles Straw: 0 for 2, walk, k. .176. He was also picked off first.
• Jesús Sánchez: 1 for 3. .227.
• Eloy Jiménez: 0 for 3, 2 k. .346.
• Daulton Varsho: 2 for 3. .450.
• Tyler Heineman: 0 for 2, k. .222.
• Nathan Lukes: 1 for 2. .176.
• Carlos Mendoza: 0 for 2. .462.
• Josh Kasevish: 0 for 2. .389. Made a couple of very nice plays.
• Charles McAdoo: 0 for 2. .316. Looked good on defense again.

Others:

• Rafael Lantigua: 1 for 1. .529.
• Riley Tirotta: 0 for 1. .167.
• Sean Keys: Walk. .211.
• Jonatan Clase: 0 for 1, RBI. .267.
• Edward Duran: 0 for 2. .000.
• Yohendrick Pinango: 0 for 1. .118.
• Josh Rivera: 0 for 1, k. .167.
• Arjun Nimmala: 0 for 1. .143.
• Cutter Coffey: 0 for 1, k. ..071.

The Jays are 4-8-2 this spring. And they have a split squad day tomorrow, both 1:00 Eastern.

• Jays at Orioles: Cody Ponce vs. Tyler Wells.
• Tigers at Jays: Bryan Sammons vs. Kevin Gausman.

And Team Canada beat Columbia 8-2 today. USA plays Great Britain today at 8:00 tonight

The Mets came from behind to defeat the Cardinals 3-2 in Kodai Senga’s first Grapefruit League outing.

• Despite giving up two solo homers, which represented the entirety of the Cardinals’ runs, Kodai Senga looked solid in his spring debut. He touched 99 with his fastball and struck out two batters with the ghost fork working. Senga was working on his breaking stuff in the outing and filled the zone, not issuing any walks in 2 2/3 innings of work.
• Down 2-0, the Mets threatened in the fifth, but Ronny Mauricio got picked off of first base for the second out of the inning, quashing a potential rally.
• The Mets had a couple of web gems in this game. Luke Weaver made a nifty diving play on a roller toward first base in the bottom of the fifth, speeding to the bag and laying out, touching his glove to the bag to make the out; it was part of a scoreless inning of relief for Weaver. In the sixth, Cristian Pache showed off his range by leaping up against the wall to rob Nolan Gorman of a double.
• The Mets finally broke through and cut the Cardinals’ lead in half in the sixth thanks to a Mike Tauchman RBI double, as he continues to make a strong case for the right field job. The Mets could have added on, but unfortunately Bo Bichette ended the rally by grounding into a double play and they had to settle for just the one run.
• The Mets tied the game in the following frame, as Brett Baty and Luis Torrens sparked a seventh-inning rally with a pair of singles. Cardinals shortstop Yairo Padilla then committed a throwing error on a slow roller up the middle on which he rushed the throw, which skipped on by the first baseman toward the dugout to plate the tying run. Once again the Mets could not add on and left the bases loaded in the inning.
• But the Mets put runs on the board in three consecutive innings late in the game, as a walk, a single, and an RBI hit from Wyatt young gave the Mets the lead in the eighth.
• Jack Wenninger earned the win for pitching three scoreless innings to cap off the come from behind victory, striking out five Cardinals in the process. Brooks Raley and Luis García also each contributed a scoreless inning of relief.

The Mets take on the Yankees at Clover Park at 1:10pm EDT tomorrow afternoon. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward!

The Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2, on Saturday afternoon at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Fla.

New York is now 6-5 in Grapefruit League play.

Here are some takeaways...

-- Kodai Senga had an encouraging first start of spring training, despite allowing two solo home runs.

The right-hander threw 50 pitches (34 strikes) over 2.2 innings, letting up two runs on three hits with two strikeouts. He had a solid first inning, getting a pop out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play with his fastball topping out at 98.9 mph

Senga recorded his first strikeout against JJ Wetherholt for the first out of the second inning, catching the star prospect looking on a slider. After a nice catch by Mike Tauchman in right field, Senga gave up a homer to Joshua Baez on a fastball down the middle. Senga gave up the second home run to Miguel Ugento in the third inning with two strikes in the count. The righty was replaced after getting a groundout vs. Masyn Winn.

Overall, Senga's fastball averaged at 96.7 mph (hitting 98-plus three times) and he threw it 18 times (36 percent of pitches). He also worked in a cutter (nine pitches), slider (seven pitches), forkball (seven pitches), sweeper (five pitches), sinker (three pitches), and curveball (one pitch). Opposing hitters swung 25 times and whiffed six times (24 percent).

-- Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy threw four perfect innings with five strikeouts. He struck out the side in the fourth inning against Tauchman, Jorge Polanco (second time), and Bo Bichette.

-- Brett Baty recorded New York's first hit of the game in the top of the fifth inning on a line drive to left field. Baty also showed off his speed and stole second base. He went 2-for-3 at the plate, tacking on a seventh-inning single, and logged six innings at first base defensively.

Tauchman drove in Jackson Cuff from first base on a double to center field in the sixth to make it a 2-1 game. He finished the day 1-for-3 with the RBI. Luis Torrens also went 1-for-3 with a seventh-inning single.

-- Cristian Pache made an impressive catch in the bottom of the sixth inning, slamming into the center field wall to rob Nolan Gorman of extra bases.

-- Luis Garcia, Luke Weaver, and Brooks Raley all tossed scoreless innings. Garcia was the only reliever to not record a strikeout, while Raley was the only one to give up a hit. Weaver also flashed his glove by fielding a bunt and sliding to first to get the out.

-- New York tied the game in the seventh inning on an error and then Wyatt Young recorded a go-ahead RBI-single in the top of the eighth, giving the team a 3-2 lead.

-- Prospect Jack Wenniger threw three scoreless innings to seal the victory, striking out five Cardinals (three in the eighth inning) and allowing three hits. He escaped a first-and-third jam in the ninth thanks to a nice play from Young, charging the ball and throwing home to prevent the game-tying run. Wenninger threw his changeup just as much as his fastball (16 out of 52 pitches), getting seven whiffs (out of nine swings) on the off-speed pitch. His fastball averaged 96.0 mph and topped out at 97.4 mph.

Highlights

Kodai Senga's first strikeout of the spring!

(via @Cardinals) pic.twitter.com/O1wLsZYoKW

— SNY (@SNYtv) 

Cristian Pache with a LONG run to make a terrific catch as he collides with the wall!

(via @Cardinals) pic.twitter.com/5TBT6dxrhQ

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) 

Jack Wenninger fires a 1-2-3 inning 🔥

(via @Cardinals) pic.twitter.com/fcdKMauwm3

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) 

The Mets take the lead on Wyatt Young's RBI single!

(via @Cardinals) pic.twitter.com/zf5fLPhmTT

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) 

"Wenninger's really impressive, isn't he?"

Three strikeouts in the 8th for Jack Wenninger 💪

(via @Cardinals) pic.twitter.com/i2VHnQ0PAT

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) 

What's next

Opening Day starter Freddy Peralta takes the mound on Sunday afternoon against the Yankees.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. on PIX11

The 2026 season will be huge for Kodai Senga.

After the Mets right-hander burst onto the scene in 2023, quickly becoming the team's best starter and earning Rookie of the Year votes, the next two years were marred by injuries and ineffectiveness, especially in 2025. After starting the year looking like he did during his rookie campaign, Senga suffered an injury in June that derailed his season.

Senga never returned to his dominant form and became ineffective on the mound and off the field. The right-hander was simply unhappy with his mechanics to the point where the Mets sent Senga to the minors at the end of the year. Trade rumors swirled this offseason, but Senga is still in a Mets uniform and hoping to put those issues behind him.

Making his spring debut on Saturday, Senga pitched 2.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits (two homers) while striking out two batters. 

"I feel very good, felt very good. Been able to attack all the things I wanted to work on from last year," Senga said after his outing via an interpreter. "I think that’s flourishing now."

The most noticeable aspect of Senga's start was his velocity. According to StatCast, Senga topped out at 98.9 mph and his average velocity was 96.7 mph. The 33-year-old said that's a result of him feeling good physically and with his mechanics.

"It’s clear when I’m not feeling great, the velo doesn’t tick up like that," Senga said. "It’s clear the velo wasn’t there [last year], too. But like I said, I feel good. I’m content with where I’m at. Obviously, there’s still some work to do, but overall I’m happy." 

Senga said he used his first spring start to work on some things and the two solo homers were a result of that, and "no big deal" to the starter. He said he'll continue to use this spring to work on some things, especially getting acclimated to the changes in his mechanics. Senga wasn't willing to go in-depth with the adjustments -- not yet, at least, because the explanation "can get long" -- but reiterated its importance to how he pitches. 

"That’s the most important thing, the mechanical changes that I’ve made," he said. "Battling back from the injury in 2024, getting myself, getting my body back to where I need to be so I can perform. I feel like I’m there now."

In 2024, Senga started the season on the IL with a shoulder strain and when he finally returned in late July, he suffered a calf strain in his first start, which knocked him out until the postseason.

While it's just one spring start, Senga understands that MLB is all about evolution and adjustments. He's approached this offseason with that mentality and continues to attack this spring, preparing himself to be a "new" Kodai Senga.

"I know my body is different from where it was three years ago, now. I’m not really trying to get back to that," Senga said. "It’s a new me and trying to find new mechanics."

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke about that "different version" of Senga prior to Saturday's start and that new mentality is encouraging for the skipper. Part of that new mentality is Senga's self-awareness. And with accomplished vets like Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes in the rotation, and youngsters in the form of Nolan McLean, Senga's spot is not guaranteed and he needs to constantly make himself better.

"In this industry, you either perform or you don’t. I haven’t proven anything over here," Senga said. "Keeping that in mind, I was able to spend a good, productive offseason and here I am."

Angel Obando never made it out of the Dominican Summer League, hasn't been affiliated with a Major League Baseball team for eight years yet, at the age of 27, was one strike from pitching Nicaragua to an epic upset over Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic on March 7.

Instead, up two runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the bases empty and two strikes on the batter, Obando saw a dream outcome for Dusty Baker's Nicaragua squad turned into a nightmare by three major league stars.

Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddane Rafaela dunked a squibber into right field - exit velocity, 76.7 mph - to bring the tying run up. San Diego Padres All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts dribbled a ball down the third base line - that struck the bag for a fluke double.

And then, Obando delivered a first-pitch fastball over the heart of the plate to three-time All-Star Ozzie Albies, who with a simple flick sent the ball over the right field wall at loanDepot Park, delivering the heavily favored Netherlands a stunning 4-3 victory that keeps itself alive in Pool D in Miami.

OZZIE ALBIES!

A #WORLDBASEBALLCLASSIC WALK-OFF HOMER FOR TEAM NETHERLANDS 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/T2HRyL233M

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 7, 2026

Albies got the standard ice bath after crossing home plate, though his teammates were likely too stunned to produce a garish celebration.

So, too, were the Nicaraguans.

Obando cursed into his mitt after Rafaela's ball dropped into right, as if to foresee the coming calamity. Baker, soon to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, chomped on his toothpick, per usual, in the Nicaraguan dugout.

Yet nine innings of nearly pristine baseball got undone in just three batters, capping a brutal 18-hour sequence for Nicaragua.

Grant Holmes took the mound against the Orioles, as the Braves stacked their lineup with most of their regular bats.

Holmes had a mixed day on the mound, as he issued 3 walks in 2.2 innings, something Grant has been prone to in his major league career, but striking out 3 and holding the Orioles scoreless during his time on the mound. He also drew a solid 7 whiffs over his 58 pitches. Tyler Kinley and Dylan Lee each worked scoreless innings in relief with a strikeout each and Kinley issuing a walk. Didier Fuentes came into the game in the sixth and opened some eyes hitting 98 with his fastball, and ultimately ending his first inning with a whiff on 98 above the zone. He did get some defensive help from Drake Baldwin, throwing out a runner attempting to steal second who had never been thrown out in his minor league career. Fuentes came back out for the seventh and was even more dominant, striking out the side and topping out at 98.8 MPH on his fastball. Fuentes drew an impressive 7 whiffs in his 25 pitches. James Karinchak continued his dominant spring, allowing a baserunner on a soft grounder that led to some confusion between Riley at third and Gil at shortstop, but striking out 3 in a scoreless eighth.

On the offensive side, the Braves were pretty quiet for the first half of the game. Michael Harris did draw a walk early in the game, as he continues to look more patient and discerning with pitches this spring than he has been so far in his career. The offense broke out in the sixth, as Drake and Olson started the inning with two hard hit outs and then Austin Riley and Mike Yastrzemski went back to back with two solo homers as those two have been hitting the ball well this spring.

Hot prospect John Gil continued to demonstrate his advanced approach, drawing another walk in the eighth. The Orioles were able to tie things up at 2 runs on a bit of a weird sequence in the ninth, giving some Braves prospects a chance to walk things off in the ninth, but the youngsters were unable to muster a baserunner, leaving the game as a tie.

Overall, the Braves generally did what you want to see from a spring game. The bats mostly hit the ball well and the pitchers that are of any relevance looked anywhere from fine to great. We’ll be back tomorrow for another 1:05 PM ET start against the Rays.

The Milwaukee Brewers are back in action on Saturday afternoon as they’ll travel to take on the Los Angeles Angels for Brandon Woodruff’s spring debut.

Woodruff, the only pitcher to not appear this spring of the non-Quinn Priester variety (Priester’s availability to begin the season is in doubt as he deals with wrist discomfort), will get the start for the Crew. DL Hall, Trevor Megill, Grant Anderson, Easton McGee, and Drew Rom are also slated to pitch in this one.

The Brewer offense will take on Grayson Rodriguez, who was traded to Los Angeles from Baltimore this offseason. Sal Frelick bats leadoff and starts in center today, followed by Blake Perkins and Andrew Vaughn. Gary Sánchez bats cleanup as the catcher, with Luis Rengifo and Brandon Lockridge rounding out the middle of the order. Luke Adams bats seventh as the DH with Cooper Pratt and Jesús Made bringing up the back of the lineup.

The Angels are rolling with most of their starters, as a split-squad day means many of their reserves will be in Las Vegas taking on the A’s.

First pitch is slated for 2:10 p.m. CT on 620 WTMJ and the Brewers Radio Network.

Just time for the barest of Gameday Threads this afternoon. Here’s our line-up, which saw a late change with Crisantes coming in to replace Torin. There were also some shuffling of other positions, like Vargas moving over to 3B and Fernandez covering short in place of Torin:

A busy day of World Baseball Classic baseball is already well under way. Michael Soroka started for Canada in their 8-2 win over Colombia. He went three innings, and allowed a run on four hits, with a walk and a pair of strikeouts. He was followed o the mound by Indigo Diaz, who posted a zero in the fourth, allowing one walk but striking out a pair. Jatoine Kelly started for the Netherlands, as they also won, 4-3 over Nicaragua. He pitched a pair of scoreless innings on one hit, one walk and three K’s. Druw Jones went 2-for-3 with a walk in that game too.

This game is on the radio, through Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.

Here’s your Guardians’ lineup for the day:

Kwan CF

Valera LF

Ramirez 3B

Arias SS

Manzardo DH

Hoskins 1B

Rocchio SS

Hedges C

Kayfus RF

Cecconi P

Today the Texas Rangers head over to Scottsdale, AZ for a Cactus League matchup against the San Francisco Giants.

Taking the mound for Texas will be LHP Jacob Latz in his latest audition for the fifth spot in the rotation. Opposing him will be LHP Carson Whisenhunt for San Francisco.

The Giants have a telecast which will also be on MLB Network out of market, otherwise you can listen via 105.3 The Fan or follow along on Gameday. First pitch from Scottsdale Stadium is scheduled for 2:05 pm CT.

Go Rangers!

The Washington Nationals added two experienced relievers on minor league deals right as camp was starting. Drew Smith and Cionel Perez have been quality big league relievers in the not too distant past, but have seen their stock fall due to injuries in the case of Smith and a dropoff in production for Perez. Now, they will look to bounce back on a team with plenty of bullpen spots up for grabs.

Each have made two scoreless appearances so far, and have looked good. Perez has been particularly sharp. After a rough year, it seems like Perez was in the lab this offseason. His fastball is in the mid to upper 90’s and his breaking ball has looked really sharp. He caught Ronald Acuna Jr. looking on a nasty slurve the other night.

At this point, I would be very surprised if Perez did not make the team. From 2022 to 2024, Perez made at least 60 appearances each season and was a valuable member of the Orioles bullpen. At just 29 years old, there is a decent chance last year was just a blip on the radar.

Perez’s BABIP in 2025 was .391, which is just unsustainably high. The Nats infield might be somewhat problematic for the ground ball heavy lefty, but that batting average on balls in play number is inevitably going to come down. His career BABIP is .303, so I really think last year was a fluke in that regard. 

There are some pitchers, like MacKenzie Gore, who run high BABIP numbers because of the quality of contact they allow, but Perez is not like that. His expected batting average number was low at .213 and he does not allow many barrels. Perez’s ERA is inevitably going to come down, just by getting better batted ball luck.

One thing I am more worried about is his control. He has always allowed his fair share of walks, but that number spiked in 2025. His 16.4% walk rate is simply too high. Perez is going to walk people, but he needs to get that number closer to 10%, which is where he was before 2025.

If Perez does become a contributor, I think he will become a bit of a fan favorite. The amount of velocity he gets from a small frame is crazy. He also seems like a big personality. Perez has long flowing hair and can be quite fiery on the mound. He also had a funny tradition of catching home runs with his hat while sitting in the O’s bullpen. I wonder if he will bring that to DC.

The situation for Drew Smith is a bit less straightforward in my opinion. He has thrown the ball well so far, but I do not think he is a lock to make the team out of camp. I certainly think we will see him at some point, but I think he could benefit from some time in AAA.

Smith had not pitched since June of 2024 before this spring. He underwent Tommy John Surgery, the second one of his career. Coming back from a second TJ can be quite dicey. I would not be surprised to see the Nats give Smith some time to acclimate before throwing him in the big leagues.

The 32 year old was an effective reliever for the Mets from 2021 until his injury in 2024. He has missed a lot of time though, which is why he had to settle for a minor league deal. Smith is a strikeout artist who can really spin the ball though.

He has tossed two scoreless innings this spring, but his velocity has been down a tick. However, his fastball has always relied more on its shape than the pure velocity. The shape has been solid. He has been leaning heavily on his slider. The velocity of that pitch is down over 3 MPH, so I wonder if this is a different type of slider than what he was throwing before.

Before picking up Smith and Perez, the Nats bullpen was painfully short on experience. These guys are not sure things, but they have been there and done that before. That is more than you can say for most of the other guys in the Nats ‘pen. They should also be very hungry to prove themselves.

If Spring Training is any indicator, these could be shrewd additions for Paul Toboni. You just never know with relievers though. At this time last year, I was hyping up Lucas Sims and Colin Poche, and we all know how that turned out. Hopefully these guys prove to be better than that, and help the Nats bullpen improve after they were the worst unit in baseball last year.

The White Sox hit the road to face a Mariners team that’s a whole lot better than its spring record, so they may be doing a whole lot of experimenting so far. The Sox can hope the experimenting continues, which is likely given all the players the Mariners have on international rosters at the moment. One problem with that: They’ll start out facing a member of the regular rotation, in Logan Gilbert.

Gilbert, who has given up one run in 4 2/3 innings in his first three spring starts, will face a White Sox lineup that has Luisangel Acuña at second base. This is the second time in a row Acuña has been in the infield, despite the fact he was acquired ostensibly to take over center field after Luis Robert, Jr. was traded for him. Maybe the Sox have figured out what the Rangers and Mets had determined before them — Acuña’s a very good infielder but a weak outfielder. If so, that will have repercussions, good or bad, for several other players.

The Sox aren’t going the usual route of beginning the game with a regular starter, instead beginning the parade with reliever Grant Taylor. Taylor has had a nice spring so far, giving up just two hits and no runs over three one-inning appearances while walking just one and striking out four. He faces a Mariners lineup badly depleted by the absence of 18 WBC players. Yep, 18.

First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. Central (for the last time, since Arizona change to DST). CHSN has deigned to carry this game, as has ESPN 1000.

The World Baseball Classic is in full swing now, but Spring Training soldiers on with those left behind. Sure, Harry Ford continued his weird dominance of the event while Shohei Ohtani continued to do very Shohei Ohtani things, and Oneil Cruz still hits a ball harder than anyone when he can make contact. Seth “Quarterrican” Lugo pitched four scoreless innings to lead Puerto Rico to victory, and Michael Wacha had a weird outing in relief for USA during their win over Brazil. But guys like Brandon Drury and Kevin Newman still want to find a way to play in MLB this year, so the games in the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues must go on.

Here’s today’s lineup; it continues to be uninspiring while seemingly half the team is scattered around the globe doing mercenary work for their ancestral homes.

Nothing against those guys I mentioned earlier, but when they join with Josh Rojas to form the heart of your order, it’s difficult to expect much of interest to happen.

Kris Bubic will take the mound for his second official appearance of spring. The stuff looked completely normal last time out, so the goal is just to see him continue to build up and not get hurt as we trudge toward Opening Day. Here are the guys on the roster who could pitch after him:

• Sanchez, Aaron RHP
• Way, Beck RHP
• Chamberlain, Christian LHP
• Cawyer, Zachary RHP
• Johnson, Brandon RHP
• Panzini, Shane RHP
• Olivárez, Helcris LHP
• Patteson, Hunter LHP

The odds are heavily against any of these pitchers making the Opening Day roster, though I did attempt to wishcast Olivárez onto the team in my latest roster prediction. But hey, if you don’t want to listen to this extremely Spring Training game, there is still plenty of WBC to watch! Team Italy is taking on Brazil as this post goes live, and Panama at Puerto Rico isn’t far off.

Don’t lose heart, Opening Day is less than three weeks away!

HOUSTON — Tarik Skubal’s teammates refuse to pressure him.

Team USA officials won’t interfere.

The fans have openly shared their sentiments, but Skubal is undeterred.

Barring a dramatic change of plans, Skubal’s first and only appearance in the 2026 World Baseball Classic for Team USA will be Saturday evening against Great Britain at Daikin Park in Houston.

He then plans to return back to the team hotel, pack his suitcase, and fly to Florida on Sunday to be back with his Detroit Tigers teammates at spring training in Lakeland.

If USA advances to the semifinals in Miami, as expected, Skubal plans to pitch one spring-training game for the Tigers, and then join Team USA in Miami – but only to be their highest-paid and most decorated cheerleader.

“It’s only a three-hour drive," Skubal said, “I can do that."

EXCLUSIVE: Tarik Skubal talks record contract, Tigers' title dreams

Certainly, Team USA officials would love Skubal to stay, and pitch in the semifinal or final, but that would require Skubal to alter his routine. He certainly isn’t going to pitch on short rest in the WBC, and he still needs to be ready for the Tigers’ season-opener March 26 at Petco Park in San Diego.

And, yes, he also has an astronomical payday waiting that will make him the richest starting pitcher in history, likely eclipsing $400 million – and perhaps close to $500 million.

Certainly, after just being with Team USA for a week of workouts and team bonding, Skubal concedes that he is smitten in his first WBC.

“These games are going to feel like playoff games or World Series games," Skubal said. “Those environments are what baseball is and that's where baseball is kind of going. That's why it is the best sport in the world because it is pretty international.

“When you look around at every pool, you look at all the different games going on around the world, those environments are always going to be pretty special. And that's what makes the game of baseball so beautiful."

The only real flaw of the WBC is the timing of the event. Players have been in camp for less than a month, and pitchers certainly aren’t ready to compete like it’s a postseason game.

“As far as the pitching standpoint," Skubal said, “timing is everything. If they can get the timing right to where it is not in a spring training ramp-up phase, I think that will reduce the risk of injuries for pitching, you know."

That's why why Skubal is leaving town, even though WBC fans have been openly critical about his one-and-done.

“The guys have been cool about it," Skubal said, “but I mean, obviously, like publicly, it’s a little bit different perception. But I think they understand what it means for me to be here. Obviously, I want to be in the room, you know, and that's cool for them to even take that aside and be like, 'it's awesome that you're here.'"