Category: Baseball

The A’s at least won one of these two night games they just had. They came out on top tonight against the Chicago Cubs by a 6-2 final, taking the win and putting their meaningless spring record at 13-15. Lots of good signs from tonight, and we can still finish spring with a .500 record!

It was Luis Severino on the bump tonight for the Athletics as he made his final exhibition start before his Opening Day assignment next week. Looking to put in his work and look sharp doing it, Sevy collected a quick punchout in the first but also missed with a fastball down the middle to Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya that the backstop deposited over the left field fence for a home run. Quick 1-0 lead for the Cubbies.

Things went quiet for the next few innings as both teams traded zeros. Cubs starter Jameson Taillon looked strong over the first four innings tonight, allowing just a few singles while punching out six A’s through the first four innings.

With Taillon on a roll, Max Muncy strode to the plate to lead off the top of the fourth and connected on a 1-0 fastball high and hit it over the wall in left field to tie this game at 1-1:

Muncy came into camp fighting for the starting third base job. That’s a foregone conclusion. Is the former first-round draft pick now primed for the breakout we all had hoped came last year?

That was only just the beginning. Newcomer Andy Ibanez worked a walk against Taillon, which brought up Lawrence Butler for his third at-bat of the game. And what did our right fielder do? Oh, just connect on an opposite-field two-run home run to give the A’s their first lead of the night:

That was Butler’s first home run of his short spring and it gives a bit of hope that all those reps in the batting cages and against minor league pitching wasn’t for not. If Butler and his knee are healthy then he’s a key contributor to this team. If not, we have a giant hole in right field.

That Butler blast also chased Taillon from the game, ending his night before five full innings. And yet the A’s still weren’t done. After a quick groundout Shea Langeliers stepped into the batter’s box and swatted his own home run, a solo blast to up the lead to 4-1:

Not that it means anything, but that was ‘Bangeliers’ seventh home run this spring, putting him into a tie for the league lead with Reds second baseman Matt McClain. There’s no way there was more untapped power in his bat… is there?

Now staked to a three-run lead, Severino was out from this game after going five full innings and reaching 79 pitches while only really making that one mistake to Amaya. Severino has done well in his previous Opening Day assignment and the money is on him shutting down the Blue Jays’ lineup next Friday night.

Speaking of Amaya, righty Nick Anderson relieved Severino to begin the sixth and for the second time tonight, Amaya delivered a solo home run, preventing a shutdown inning and cutting into the new lead the A’s had just built up.

The A’s had an immediate and golden opportunity to get that run back and then some in the bottom half of the frame when they loaded the bases with no outs. A forceout, strikeout, and groundout killed that rally right there however. Hopefully that wasted opportunity wouldn’t come back to bite us.

Righties Mark Leiter Jr. and Michael Kelly each did their jobs with scoreless innings apiece in the seventh and eighth, respectively, bridging the gap to the ninth.

But before that, the A’s wanted some insurance. A pair of singles from some late-game replacement prospects gave Ibanez a chance to do some damage for his new squad. He came through in the eighth with an RBI single to plate the Athletics’ fifth run of the evening. The A’s got a bit lucky on their next run as Colby Thomas hit a pop up to the left fielder than he dropped, resulting in another run for the Green & Gold.

Now with a four-run lead, why not let Kelly finish things off? Kotsay decided to let the right-hander end the game. He collected a couple strikeouts to start the frame before running into a bit of trouble but he managed to finish the game off without allowing a run. A win for the good guys!

We got a bit of it all tonight. A quality outing from our starting pitcher, who is now primed for a big outing on Opening Day. The powerful lineup showed up tonight with three home runs from three separate players. The bullpen mostly did it’s job outside of one pitch. Butler made an appearance in right field and seemed like he made it out feeling fine (though let’s check in tomorrow). Add in the fact we got a win and it was a successful night for the A’s at the ballpark.

We do it all again tomorrow in what’ll be the team’s third-to-last game of camp. We’ll shift back to daytime contests the rest of the way. The A’s head to the Dodgers’ facility to take on the defending champions. It hasn’t been officially announced but it’s expected that it’ll be left-hander Jeffrey Springs for the A’s. The Dodgers meanwhile have no qualms letting people know that it’s Emmitt Sheehan on the bump for them tomorrow afternoon. A glorious chance to get a win against these guys is always a plus.

The regular season is now officially less than a week away. Who else is ready for these games to start counting?

The Brewers announced prior to Friday night’s game that Jacob Misiorowski will be the Crew’s Opening Day starter against the Chicago White Sox. With that spot secured, Misiorowski got five “ups” in his final spring training tune-up before the regular season.

Because of re-entry rules, Misiorowski ends up with 4.1 IP, allowing four hits and four runs with three strikeouts on a blistering hot day in Arizona. He topped out at 100.1 MPH on his fastball and generated 14 swings and misses.

Logan Henderson ended up following Misiorowski and threw two scoreless innings while striking out three.

Offensively, the Brewers got WBC champions Jackson Chourio and William Contreras back in the lineup and they wasted no time making an impact. Chourio led off the game with a double and Contreras smacked a 446 foot home run in the 3rd inning. Jake Bauers followed Contreras’ homer with one of his own, which is his fifth of the spring. Both homers were off Zac Gallen.

Sal Frelick went 3-for-3 on the night with a double and 3 RBIs. In the 4th inning, 9-hole hitter Freddy Zamora led off with a home run that tied the game at 6, his first homer of the spring. In the 5th, Bauers and Frelick hit back-to-back doubles to give the Brewers a 7-6 lead.

In the 8th inning, Jose Nova came in for the Brewers to relieve Henderson and allowed a 2 RBI double to Jakey Josepha to give the Diamondbacks an 8-7 lead over the Crew. Milwaukee had no answer in the 9th inning and didn’t get a single baserunner after the 5th inning.

The Brewers will be back in action on Saturday against the Padres with Robert Gasser scheduled to start.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto was sharp in his final spring tuneup, and the Dodgers had their full complement of regulars in the lineup for the first time all spring in a 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night at Camelback Ranch.

There’s a very good chance the Dodgers lineup on Friday will also be their lineup next Thursday on opening day, including Yamamoto on the mound. The only question is whether the right-handed Miguel Rojas would start against Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen, though perhaps the cachet of the season-saving Game 7 home run and playing his final opening day would outweigh any platoon disadvantage for one night.

Rojas for his part drove in the first run on Friday, jumping on a first-pitch cutter for a double down the left field line to score Teoscar Hernández, who has reached base 23 times in 48 plate appearances this spring for a .479 on-base percentage.

The Padres had a split squad on Friday, and their lineup at Camelback Ranch was not as representative of their season plans, and Yamamoto carved through them like a hot knife through butter, with seven strikeouts in 11 batters in the first three innings.

Yamamoto finished with five scoreless innings and 68 pitches, 44 for strikes (64.7 percent), allowing only three singles and a walk. He’s the first Dodgers pitcher to complete five innings this spring.

Freddie Freeman on Friday had a single in his three-at-bats, bringing his Cactus League tally to 40 plate appearances, all of them at Camelback Ranch, pretty much right on schedule for his roughly 47 planned PA this spring.

Nice to WBC you again

Yamamoto wasn’t the only Dodger on Friday to make his game return from the World Baseball Classic.

Though Shohei Ohtani pitched on Wednesday afternoon, Friday was his first time back in the lineup since returning, and just his second Cactus League game this spring. He was hitless in three at-bats, with two strikeouts.

Will Smith started in his first game back since catching Tuesday night’s championship game for Team USA. Smith caught six innings on Friday and was 1-for-3 at the plate with a double.

Edwin Díaz pitched for the first time since last Saturday for Puerto Rico. On Friday he got two quick outs then allowed a single and two-run home run, his first runs allowed in six games this spring, counting both Cactus League play and the WBC.

Up next

One more day in Arizona for the Dodgers, who host the Athletics on Saturday (11:05 a.m., SportsNet LA) at Camelback, with Emmet Sheehan on the mound. Also on Saturday, Dodgers prospects will face White Sox prospects in the spring breakout on the very same field (6:05 p.m.; MLB Network, Amazon). It will be fun to see which prospects play in both games.

PHOENIX –– The Dodgers finally had their full team back in camp on Friday.

Which meant, after most of their biggest stars were away for the World Baseball Classic the last month, they were able to preview their likely opening day lineup for the first time this spring.

In a 4-3 win against the San Diego Padres at Camelback Ranch, the two-time defending champions showcased the full firepower of their $400 million roster.

Today’s Dodgers lineup probably a preview for opening day pic.twitter.com/TCOwHNykX8

— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) March 20, 2026

The team’s batting order boasted a combined six MVP awards, 33 All-Star appearances, 19 Silver Sluggers and eight Gold Gloves –– with Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith rejoining Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and the club’s other superstar hitters after their WBC absences.

The starting pitcher was Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the reigning World Series MVP, a 2025 Cy Young award finalist, and the team’s 2026 opening day starter –– making his first Cactus League appearance since rejoining camp earlier this week.

“We’ll see,” manager Dave Roberts joked when asked if he’d fill out the lineup card the same way for next Thursday’s season-opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks. “It’s some good players.”

The only real change Roberts might contemplate for opening day is who plays at second base. On Friday, it was Miguel Rojas. But the team could opt for a left-handed hitter in that spot against projected Arizona starter Zac Gallen.

For now, the Dodgers haven’t decided which left-handed-hitting second baseman will make the team in that spot as they prepare to break camp Saturday. Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland remain the final two candidates. Roberts said a decision would come by this weekend.

“It’s one of those things that you could argue both sides of either decision, as far as Alex or Hyeseong,” Roberts said. “I just don’t think it’s clear-cut.” 

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Roberts noted that the team hasn’t seen Kim much this spring, after he was also away at the WBC. Freeland, however, failed to take advantage of Kim’s absence, hitting just .108 in the Cactus League despite taking “great at-bats,” in Roberts’ opinion.

“There’s just deeper conversations that are going to be had,” Roberts continued.

Not that the final choice, of course, will change much about the overall starpower of the team.

Yama-mojo: In his final spring tune-up, Yamamoto already looked like he was in midseason form. In five scoreless innings against the Padres on Friday, the Dodgers’ opening day starter struck out seven batters, walked just one and scattered three singles. Several times, he appeared to be nodding to himself in approval, as he got 14 whiffs with his six-pitch mix.

“He came out with a purpose,” Roberts said. “Everything was good and very efficient. Pretty effortlessly got through five.”

Will returns: Will Smith marked his return to Dodgers camp with an extra-base hit, leading off the fourth inning with a double. It was a good sign for the catcher, who went only 3-for-13 in the WBC with one double and one RBI –– but still raved about the experience after his second career appearance in the tournament. 

“Those games were a lot of fun,” Smith said. “You’re playing for your country. There’s a lot of passion going into it. There’s a lot of excitement. The crowds are awesome. So definitely grateful for those experiences.”

Smith’s only wish: That Team USA would’ve won, having fallen short in the final for the second-consecutive tournament.

“It still stings right now,” Smith said. “But luckily we get our rings in a couple days from the World Series last year, so I think that’ll change my mind.” 

Pick to click: In recent years, Dave Roberts has named an annual “pick to click” before the season. Sometimes it has worked (Teoscar Hernández in 2024). Other times, not so much (Michael Conforto a season ago). This year, he opted for Andy Pages, predicting the third-year outfielder to take another step coming off his 27-homer campaign a year ago, and once again praising his mature approach to this spring’s camp.

“He was a young player a few years ago that didn’t like the weight room, really didn’t work with intent,” Roberts said. “But now offensively, defensively, he’s very consistent and on par with our superstar players. And on top of that, he’s learned to be a better hitter, a major-league hitter, and not just a slugger.”

Up next: The Dodgers wrap up their time in Arizona on Saturday with an 11 a.m. game against the Athletics. Emmet Sheehan will start, but few other big-league regulars are expected to play.

Box Score

The Milwaukee Brewers’ top prospects prevailed in their first Spring Breakout game on Friday evening, as they beat the Seattle Mariners’ prospects by a 7-3 final behind a big homer and a solid day from the bullpen.

With Bishop Letson on the mound, the Mariners got out to a quick lead in the first. Jonny Farmelo started the game with a single before a pair of groundouts — including an impressive play from Cooper Pratt at short — pushed him over to third. With two outs, Lazaro Montes hit a soft tapper in front of the plate, but Letson was unable to field it cleanly, and Montes reached with an RBI single, giving Seattle a 1-0 lead.

Against Ryan Sloan, the Brewers’ top prospects failed to get anything going in the first, as Jett Williams struck out, Jesús Made popped out, and Luis Peña grounded out.

Letson stayed in for the second, inducing a flyout before giving up a single and a walk. That marked the end of his day, as Brian Fitzpatrick took over. Fitzpatrick walked the next batter to load the bases with one out, but he got a 4-6-3 double play from Farmelo to escape the jam.

Milwaukee went down in order again in the second, and Bryce Meccage entered for Fitzpatrick in the third. After recording a lineout and a strikeout, Meccage gave up a single, a stolen base, and a walk to put runners at first and second. He wouldn’t allow any runs across, though, as Luke Stevenson flew out to end the threat.

The Brewers continued to struggle against Sloan in the third, going down in order for the third straight inning to begin the game.

In the fourth, the Mariners once again threatened on offense. Yorger Bautista hit a one-out triple, but he was cut down at the plate on a 4-2 fielder’s choice one batter later. After a wild pitch by Meccage, he once again got out of the inning unscathed with a strikeout.

After three perfect innings from Sloan, the Mariners replaced him with Kade Anderson. Anderson was much more to Milwaukee’s liking, as Williams doubled and Made brought him home with a single one batter later, tying it up at 1-1. Peña lined out, Made stole second, and Pratt reached on an infield single to put runners at the corners with one out. Unfortunately, Milwaukee was unable to take the lead, as Pratt was caught stealing and Jeferson Quero struck out to end the inning.

Seattle retook the lead in the fifth with some help from Milwaukee’s defense, as Michael Arroyo singled and advanced to second on a throwing error by Williams. He moved over to third on a groundout before coming around to score on a single from Montes, his second RBI of the afternoon. Meccage induced a double play one batter later, but the score was now 2-1 Seattle.

After a leadoff walk by Luis Lara in the fifth, Josh Adamczewski struck out. A passed ball moved Lara to second, and Brock Wilken followed with a walk of his own to put two runners on with one out. A bad-luck liner off the bat of Braylon Payne (it left the bat at 108.1 mph!) turned into an unassisted double play, though, as first baseman Luis Suisbel caught it and stepped on first to end the inning.

Will Childers took over for Meccage in the sixth inning with the deficit at 2-1, working a perfect 1-2-3 frame with a pair of flyouts and a groundout. In the bottom of the inning, the Mariners replaced their entire defense, and Anderson proceeded to allow each of the first four batters to reach, as Williams and Made both walked before Peña slugged a big three-run homer to right center, flipping the scoreboard to 4-2 Milwaukee. Pratt followed with a walk, and that marked the end of Anderson’s day.

Charlie Beilenson replaced Anderson and didn’t fare much better. He started with a strikeout of Quero, but he then allowed a pair of singles to Lara and Adamczewski to load the bases for Wilken. Wilken went down looking, but Payne followed with a walk to make it 5-2 before Williams popped out to end the inning.

Jaron DeBerry replaced Childers in the seventh for the Brewers, and Milwaukee also substituted a good chunk of the defense. After Aiden Taurek led off the inning with a single, DeBerry induced a double play and a strikeout to end the frame.

Mason Peters took the bump for Seattle in the seventh and, after recording a pair of outs to start the frame, he hit Brady Ebel with a pitch before walking a pair to load the bases. Unfortunately, Adamczewski struck out, and the bases were left loaded.

DeBerry worked around a single and a wild pitch in the eighth, and the Crew tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the inning with a trio of doubles by Eric Bitonti, Andrew Fischer, and Daniel Dickinson.

With a 7-2 lead, Ryan Birchard took the ninth inning, and he allowed a solo homer to Bautista but nothing else, as the game ultimately ended on a successful challenge by Brewer catcher Darrien Miller, who got an 0-2 pitch overturned from ball one to strike three.

It was a solid day all around for the prospects, as Milwaukee scored seven runs on nine hits while the pitching staff scattered three runs and 10 hits. No player finished with more than two hits for the Brewers, though five of the nine hits were of the extra-base variety, including four doubles and Peña’s homer.

On the mound, Meccage lasted the longest, spanning three frames with one unearned run allowed on four hits and a walk while striking out a pair. Childers got the win with his scoreless inning, while DeBerry went two scoreless with three strikeouts.

The Brewers’ prospects will take on the A’s prospects in their second and final Spring Breakout game on Sunday afternoon at Hohokam Stadium. First pitch in that one is slated for 3:05 p.m. CT.

Observations from Yankees spring training Friday:

Back in blank

David Bednar and Tim Hill made their returns from Team USA following the World Baseball Classic, each tossing a scoreless inning of relief.

Tech support

The scoreboard at Steinbrenner Field was not working through the first four innings, forcing public address announcer Paul Olden to give the count every few pitches.

It finally turned on in the fifth inning.

Caught my eye

Giancarlo Stanton played five innings in right field Friday, his first game action in the outfield this spring, and it was indicative of how well he is doing physically this camp.

While he likely won’t play much outfield during the regular season, the Yankees want to keep it in play in case they need to use someone else in the DH spot from time to time.

Saturday’s schedule

Cam Schlittler makes his final tuneup as the Yankees visit the Tigers for a 1:05 p.m. game at Joker Marchant Stadium.

Observations from Mets spring training Friday:

Still cruising

Carson Benge went 1-for-2 with a walk in the 4-3 exhibition loss to the Cardinals at Clover Park.

The 23-year-old outfielder is batting .412 this spring in his bid to secure the starting job in right field.

Fruitless spring

Mark Vientos went 0-for-3 with a strikeout as the DH and saw his average dip to .032 in the Grapefruit League.

Caught my eye

Luke Weaver pitched a scoreless third inning with one strikeout and still has not allowed an earned run this spring.

Saturday’s schedule

The Mets will split the squad and face the Astros at Clover Park and Nationals in West Palm Beach, Fla.

PORT ST. LUCIE — Jorge Polanco finally got to talk shop with one of the top all-time defensive players at his new position.

He left the conversation encouraged by the message.

That chat with Keith Hernandez occurred last weekend, following the former Gold Glove first baseman’s final spring training broadcast.

“[Hernandez] is a very nice guy and very humble,” Polanco told The Post on Friday.

Polanco, the new Mets first baseman — he had only one inning of major league experience at the position before camp began — said Hernandez found him in the home clubhouse at Clover Park and opened the dialogue.

“We talked about how important it is to be confident over there,” Polanco said. “Don’t [press] to be too good: You are going to be good because you used to play middle infield, so it’s, ‘You’re used to ground balls, all you have to do is try to be on time to the base and stay confident, stay positive.’ ”

Polanco said the big theme was arriving on time to the base on grounders hit to the infield.

“Know your infielders’ arms and what the balls do to them,” Polanco said. “It’s so you can be early to be a target, so being on time to the base is the most important thing. And I agree, because sometimes you might be looking and you might be late to the bag. Just get to the bag. The middle infielders, they have to wait for you, but you have to be on time. Don’t worry about looking before you get on the base.”

Hernandez won 11 straight Gold Glove Awards at first base for the Cardinals and Mets.

He was a key part of the last Mets team to win the World Series, in 1986.

“It was really good to hear from him,” Polanco said. “He’s a great man. I am going to see him again in New York, so I am looking forward to keep talking.”

In the meantime, Polanco is focused on these final few days of camp — the Mets will leave Florida following a workout Monday — ahead of Thursday’s season opener against the Pirates at Citi Field.

Polanco, after a slow start in the Grapefruit League, owns a 1.013 OPS this spring with two homers.

He arrived on a two-year contract worth $40 million after Pete Alonso’s departure through free agency.

“I am really happy with my spring so far,” Polanco said. “I am feeling really good. My body is feeling really good. I am really happy with the work we are doing over there in the training room.”

Last season, Polanco spent time working out at first base during pregame instruction, but only got into one game at the position, as a defensive replacement.

“I like how he’s using the whole bag, the footwork,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “The communication, getting used to his right and seeing where the second baseman is playing. But overall I think he’s making the transition smoothly and he’s in a good place.”

Polanco last season posted a .265/.326/.495 slash line with 26 homers and 78 RBIs.

In his new situation, he will likely hit cleanup, but in a lineup that also includes Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette, he won’t necessarily be considered a focal point.

“I feel really good to be part of this lineup,” Polanco said. “We have got a special group, special hitters, special lineup.”

Some serious shrinkage is hitting Major League Baseball.

Due to new rules surrounding the implementation of MLB’s Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System (ABS), players now have to have their height measured more precisely, and some are shorter than they previously claimed.

The height differences can be seen on players’ bio pages on MLB’s website, with fans on social media noticing some players getting smaller.

THAT IS SOME SERIOUS SHRINKAGE pic.twitter.com/Sb72fCV3MY

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) March 20, 2026

One of the largest disparities so far comes from Rays infielder Gavin Lux, who was reported at 6 feet 2 inches last season, but stands at just 5 feet 11 inches this year.

Additionally, Guardians catcher Bo Naylor dropped from 6 feet to 5 feet 9 inches. Red Sox backstop Connor Wong is now clocking in at 5 feet 11 inches this season, down two inches.

Although MLB players have been weighed and measured since the league’s inception, this year ushers in a new era of the process being seriously standardized, with some of the rules including:

• No hats
• No shoes
• Knees exposed
• Back against the wall
• Heels together
• No slouching

Furthermore, teams must record the measurements between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. local time to prevent shrinking throughout a day, MLB.com reported.

“People shrink over the course of a day,” Brewers assistant GM Will Hudgins said, according to MLB.com. “I’m not entirely sure how much, but I’ve been told that enough times to believe that it is scientifically true.”

The precision is emphasized so each player’s personal strike zone is perfectly tailored for them, as ABS challenges can overturn calls on a fraction of an inch.

“It was very detailed,” Hudgins said. “You can tell they have done this in the Minor Leagues and have thought about every part of this.”

League officials measured each player twice with an instrument similar to those in doctor offices, and if there was an inconsistency by more than a few millimeters, they took a third measurement and averaged out the three, MLB.com reported.

Each ballpark will have a measuring device for players called up during the season, with a member of the home team’s medical staff being the official measurer.

Despite all of the pinpoint measurements, however, players only got their results given to them in fractions of centimeters.

“You saw a lot of guys trying to do a centimeters-to-feet conversion in their heads,” Hudgins said.

PORT ST. LUCIE — Bo Bichette returned to his old position Friday to reacquaint himself with playing shortstop should the Mets need him there during the season.

“He didn’t get tested, but it was good to get him back there,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after the Mets lost 4-3 to the Cardinals in an exhibition game.

Bichette, the team’s starting third baseman, could be in position to serve as the backup shortstop to Francisco Lindor.

In that scenario, the Mets wouldn’t have to carry a sixth infielder, allowing for an extra outfielder on the 26-man roster.

Bichette was a shortstop for the Blue Jays before arriving to the Mets in January on a three-year contract worth $126 million.

“We can go a lot of different ways here, and that is why Bo [got] that opportunity today at shortstop,” Mendoza said. “I think after spending the whole spring training, all his work at third base, it’s kind of getting him back familiar.”

Francisco Alvarez was feeling better, according to Mendoza, a day after he departed the game early with back tightness.

Alvarez was on the bench Thursday; the plan was to give him a day off even before he incurred the back discomfort.

He is expected back in Friday’s lineup.

Freddy Peralta pitched in a minor league game Friday because Mendoza didn’t want to expose him to the Cardinals so close to the three-game series the teams will play beginning in 1 ½ weeks.

Peralta will start Opening Day against the Pirates and then conceivably return to pitch six days later in St. Louis.

The Mets will carry six starters, but Mendoza indicated the team might only use five starters for the first turn through the rotation.

Left-hander Bryan Hudson, who is competing for the final spot in the Mets bullpen, allowed three earned runs on one hit and two walks over one inning with one strikeout.

Hudson has pitched to a 16.20 ERA in his four Grapefruit League appearances.

Austin Warren, Kevin Herget and Robert Stock were reassigned to minor league camp.

This afternoon’s Spring Breakout game probably had the majority of Mariners fans’ eyeballs on it, but the big club is winding down Cactus League play, with just three games remaining after tonight. The M’s will face off against the Guardians before opening the season against them on Thursday, although the pitching matchup this evening is quite a ways from Logan Gilbert vs. Tanner Bibee.

Cleveland is rolling out what will likely be their Opening Day lineup, while Seattle is a bit more mix-and-match. Notably, Cole Young is getting the start at shortstop with J.P. Crawford still on the shelf. The M’s also made another round of roster cuts, re-assigning Brennen Davis, Dane Dunning, and World Baseball Classic champion Jhonathan Díaz to minor-league camp. Just four non-roster invitees remain in camp, and Connor Joe, manning first base tonight, is one of them. Bet you didn’t have that on your bingo card.

First Pitch: 6:10pm PDT (sorry!)

TV: Mariners.TV or MLB.tv

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, MLB.com

The Mariners prospects lost their Spring Breakout game today to the top-ranked farm, the Brewers prospects, 7-3. Offensively, the Mariners prospects did rack up some hits, but squandered run-scoring opportunities and failed to come through with clutch RBIs, outside of Lazaro Montes, who went 3-for-3 and drove in two of the Mariners’ three runs. Montes also stole a base and handled right field well, continuing to show that he’s more than just a power hitter.

The bigger issue was on the pitching side; Mariners pitching prospects struck out 10, but also walked seven, with four of those walks belonging to the normally stingy Kade Anderson, who had a tough outing. Anderson was slated to pitch three innings but couldn’t clear the third after struggling through his first two. He seemed to not have his fastball command, falling behind in counts and leaving pitches on the plate that got damaged: in his first inning of work, he allowed the tying run on back-to-back hard hits, one on a hanging slider and one on the changeup. Anderson navigated out of trouble in that inning, striking out Jeferson Quero on a wicked curveball. He also avoided damage in the fifth despite issuing two walks, one a four-pitch walk to Brock Wilken where Anderson just could not land his fastball, missing in three times.

The trouble persisted in the sixth, which Anderson opened with a five-pitch walk to Jett Williams, again failing to locate his fastball – this time missing up – and then lost a seven-pitch battle with Jesus Madé. Anderson tried to sneak a first-pitch slider past the next hitter, Luis Peña, but Peña pounced on it for a three-run home run that cracked the game open.

Things continued to devolve, with new shortstop Nick Becker committing a throwing error on what should have been the first out of the inning with a throw that would significantly raise Perry Hill’s blood pressure, and Charlie Beilenson, put in for Anderson after he failed to record an out in the sixth, didn’t fare much better, giving up a pair of singles and a bases-loaded walk to make it 5-2 Milwaukee. Casey Hintz, a 2025 draft pick out of Arizona and an under-the-radar name to know in this system, eventually came in to clean up the mess.

Mason Peters, a favorite of LL prospect guru Max, gave up the other two runs in this game, also issuing two walks, but also recorded two strikeouts in 1.1 innings of work. At this point it’s probably worth mentioning that with triple-digit heat on the field, it’s very possible we weren’t seeing the best representation of these pitchers’ arsenals or command, although it didn’t seem to affect Milwaukee’s pitchers, who issued just three walks, beating the Mariners at their own dominate-the-zone game.

The pitching story of this game for the Mariners, though, is Ryan Sloan’s performance to open the game: nine up, nine down, three strikeouts, and nothing squared up on him. Sloan got the starting nod and utterly stifled the powerful Brewers prospects the first time through the lineup, showcasing his riding fastball at 97-98 up in the zone, his heavy sinker, his swing-and-miss slider, and the cutter he can use for weak contact outs. He didn’t even throw his changeup, leaving that pitch for hitters to sweat in their nightmares. If we want to be a little picky about Sloan, we could say at times he overthrew his pitches, but he was intentional even in that, riding it up out of the zone to try to tempt hitters (it did not). Otherwise, though, it was about as close to a star-making performance as you’ll see in these games; expect the Ryan Sloan hype train to gather speed after this outing.

Outside of Montes, the other most impressive offensive performance belongs to Yorger Bautista, “La Bestia.” Bautista is a stockily-built player but showed off some speed on a triple, legging it out against a strong defensive centerfielder in Luis Lara; he was cut down at home trying to score on a fielder’s choice out. In the ninth, La Bestia decided to take matters into his own hands, launching this homer that had the whole broadcast crew oohing and aahing:

Also of note: Felnin Celesten put on a clinic at shortstop, cutting down the speedy Brewers prospects who dared to put the ball on the ground on the left side of the infield. His footwork was sure and speedy, his mechanics clean, and his throws strong and on-target. Celesten’s line in the box score doesn’t look impressive, but his at-bats were impressive, as he battled in the box—just missing a long home run at once point—and worked a walk.

Here’s tonight’s lineup:

CF Kwan

2B Rocchio

3B Ramirez

DH DeLauter

1B Hoskins

SS Arias

LF Martinez

C Hedges

RF Kayfus

P Allen

After the conclusion of tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jon Heyman reported that the Atlanta Braves have added veteran first baseman/designated hitter Rowdy Tellez on a minor league deal.

The left-handed hitting Tellez is an eight-year big league veteran who has posted double-digit home runs in every season since 2019, outside of the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He hit a career-high 35 homers with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2022.

Although is isn’t the right-handed hitting option the Braves could use as part of a DH-platoon, he could be an upgrade over Dominic Smith, who the Braves added during Spring Training as another left-handed hitting first baseman/designated hitter option.

Tellez, 31, was a teammate of Braves’ infield prospect Nacho Alvarez, Jr. on team Mexico during this year’s World Baseball Classic. He had not signed with a team this off-season after splitting 2025 between Seattle and Texas.

As the heat island of Phoenix continues to fester, I wonder if this is going to become the way of things. By that, I mean Cactus League – and possibly, Fall League – games being moved from the afternoon to the evening, to avoid the worst heat. I’m a little surprised they moved today’s game, but left tomorrow and Sunday with the usual 1 pm starts. Saturday’s forecast high temperatures is 105 F, which would be almost indistinguishable from today, and destroying the all-time record for March 21, currently eight degrees below that. Maybe weekend attendees at the Cactus League are made of asbestos or something.

After Zac Gallen, we may expect to see LHP Philip Abner, RHP Kevin Ginkel, RHP Ryan Thompson, and RHP Andrew Hoffmann. All of those definitely have a shot at a bullpen spot. Abner has likely overtaken Brandyn Garcia after the latter’s recent struggles, but as noted earlier, Ginkel has had his problems too. As expected when spring started, the Arizona bullpen was always likely to be the area most subject to change on the team. We’re now down to less than a week before Opening Day, and perhaps half the bullpen spots are still up for grabs. We’ll talk about that more tomorrow though.