FORMER CUBS IN DODGERS CAMP: Kyle Tucker. That’s it. (Plus former Cubs prospects Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope, who went to L.A. for Michael Busch.)
CUBS vs. DODGERS: After dropping two games to the Dodgers in Tokyo last year, the Cubs took four of five from L.A. the rest of the year. These teams will meet again Sunday, March 15 at Sloan Park.
Colin Rea will start for the Cubs. Other Cubs pitchers scheduled today: Javier Assad, Jeff Brigham and Ben Brown.
Justin Wrobleski will start for the Dodgers. Other Dodgers pitchers scheduled today: Edwin Díaz, Ronan Kopp, Tanner Scott, Patrick Copen, Wyatt Mills and Jerming Rosario. The Dodgers are a split squad today.
Today’s game is on TV via the Dodgers channel SportsNet LA. No radio broadcast.
Please visit our SB Nation Dodgers site True Blue LA. If you do go there to interact with Dodgers fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
As we have done in the past, we’ll have a first pitch thread at five minutes to game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time. For today, that will be 2 p.m. CT and 3:30 p.m. CT.
These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked ”Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page. There will also be a StoryStream on the front page with all the game thread links, as well as the recap after the game is over. The pitcher photos and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.
Feb 14, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) speaks to catcher Ivan Herrera (48) inside a dugout during spring training at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Not that we’re too worried about the wins and losses too much at this point, but the St. Louis Cardinals will take their 4-win, 3-loss record against the Florida Marlins on Saturday, February 28. According to MLB.com, Michael McGreevy will start for St. Louis while it will once again be Eury Pérez for the Marlins.
SARASOTA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 16: Kyle Bradish #38 of the Baltimore Orioles smiles during practice at Ed Smith Stadium on February 16, 2026 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Baltimore Orioles/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s beginning to feel more like spring, kind of. Temperatures in Baltimore will reach nearly 60 degrees today. It’s positively balmy around here.
The Orioles, of course, have been enjoying pleasant weather for a couple of weeks now, and they’re back in action in Sarasota today. Kyle Bradish will make his second start after a somewhat rocky debut earlier this week. Most of the Orioles’ regulars will be behind him, though not Samuel Basallo, who left Thursday’s game with right abdominal discomfort. There’s no indication that Basallo’s injury will be long lasting, and he told the media yesterday that he felt fine, but there’s no reason to push him back into the lineup yet.
Gunnar Henderson and Tyler O’Neill will take the top two spots in the lineup, collecting as many at-bats as they can before they leave for the World Baseball Classic. Coby Mayo gets another start at third base. The O’s will face former NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Spencer Strider, making his spring debut for the Braves.
Orioles lineup:
SS Gunnar Henderson RF Tyler O’Neill 1B Pete Alonso LF Taylor Ward C Adley Rutschman DH Ryan Mountcastle 3B Coby Mayo CF Leody Taveras 2B Jeremiah Jackson
PORT CHARLOTTE, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 24: Walker Jenkins #75 of the Minnesota Twins lines out during the first inning of a spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Park on February 24, 2026 in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by Mark Taylor/Getty Images) | Getty Images
First Pitch (CT):12:05 TV: Twins.TV (via NESN) Radio: NA Know Yo’ Foe:Over the Monster
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 28: Starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. #43 of the Houston Astros delivers a pitch during the first inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 28, 2025 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) | Getty Images
His first Grapefruit League appearance of 2026 didn’t last long, but it was certainly encouraging.
Maybe there’s still a little gas left in the tank after all.
Friday’s 2026 Grapefruit League debut by Lance McCullers Jr. may not have seemed like much, but it was huge. For Lance, for the Astros, for fans who may not even know it yet, it was huge.
Coming off a season where his fastball velocity was so bad he couldn’t even throw it, Friday was a massive step forward. Not only could he throw his sinker, he could throw his four-seam. It allowed him to do something he couldn’t do last year at all, and that is get quick outs.
Saddled with low velocity last season that sometimes saw him unable to break 91 MPH on his fastball and sinker, Lance relied on his knuckle curve and slider. His curve is legendary in Houston, and his slider is a very good pitch, but there were several issues relying heavily on those two pitches.
The first was he struggled with command, and it was difficult for him to throw them for strikes.
Second, they are both ‘swing-and-miss’ type pitches. They aren’t designed to get weak contact, ground balls, pop ups, etc. They are supposed to make you look helpless at the plate and put you away.
Between his lack of command and inability to get any quick outs, Lance was going deep counts far too often on seemingly every batter, and usually behind in the count as well.
When you can’t throw a fastball, and can’t locate your curve, guys sit on your slider. When MLB hitters sit on a pitch with no fear of getting caught by a different one for a strike, they are going to get to you. Lance felt the pain of that last season.
It’s why there was so much consternation of what could Lance do this year to be a part of the team. Could he even make the team? Can Lance pitch out of the bullpen? Would the Astros put him through waivers for the purposes of giving him his unconditional release and eat the final year of his contract?
None of those questions can be fully answered in the 8 pitches McCullers threw on Friday, but there was something found that maybe had not been seen over the past two years for him: Hope.
McCullers second pitch of the game was a four-seam clocked at 93.2 MPH. Maybe you noticed. Maybe you didn’t. Now you will. He threw 4 pitches to C.J. Abrams, and got him to pop up on a knuckle curve.
Jacob Young stepped into the box. Sinker. 93.5 MPH. Sinker. 93.8 MPH. Ground ball to first. Two out.
Enter Dylan Crews to the box. Sinker. 94.6 MPH. Four-seam. 93.3 MPH. Pop up to 2nd. Inning over.
1-2-3. 8 pitches.
I know its spring training, but McCullers was able to lean on 2 pitches he could barely throw last season. His velocity was up. He got quick outs. These are the things Lance needs in his arsenal if he can find his way back into the rotation and ever be close to the pitcher he once was. These are things he will need if he can be a reliable arm out of the pen (provided his arm can handle the rigors of Pen Life).
It’s too early to tell if McCullers can maintain that level of velocity, let alone build off it. It’s too early to tell if he can maintain that velocity over 20 pitches, 50 pitches, 90 pitches.
But he showed a velocity increase, one that there were no offseason reports of him having.
He showed us there’s hope.
Were you encouraged by McCullers’ first outing in Grapefruit League? Let us know in the comments below.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 20, 2026: Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers in the field during the fourth inning of a spring training game against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium on February 20, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for February 28, 2026 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Rangers are squaring off against the defending World Champion Dodgers of Los Angeles in today’s spring training matchup.
The lineup:
Carter — CF
Langford — LF
Pederson — 1B
Jansen — C
Haggerty — RF
Duran — 2B
Canha — DH
Wade — SS
Bride — 3B
Jack Leiter is starting, and is expected to be followed by Carter Baumler, Michael Otanez, Luis Curvelo, Josh Trentadue and Dalton Pence.
FORT MYERS, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Sonny Gray #54 of the Boston Red Sox poses for a photo during the Boston Red Sox photo day at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Is it on TV?
Once again it’s on NESN. Moreover, it’s also on WHDH for locals who don’t have cable. The Sox have gotten a lot of crap in recent years for not broadcasting more spring training games, so let’s give them some credit for an increased broadcast schedule this spring. So far every game but two has been televised.
What’s the lineup?
What should we watch for?
It’s our first look at Sonny Gray, so expect that to take up most of the attention. But as yesterday’s first inning injury scare against the Braves reminded us, the most important thing in this game is staying healthy.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 17: (ALTERNATE CROP) Josh Jung #6 of the Texas Rangers poses for a portrait during photo day at Surprise Stadium on February 17, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers infielders Josh Jung and Justin Foscue will each miss about 10 days due to injuries, per manager Skip Schumaker, via the beats. Jung has an adductor strain, and Foscue has a hamstring strain.
Both Jung and Foscue have struggled to stay healthy during their professional careers, and these latest developments aren’t going to help either shake their reputations for being injury prone. In the case of Foscue, the timing is especially bad, as there’s a spot available on the Opening Day roster for a righthanded hitting platoon DH and bench bat, and he’ll be losing opportunities to earn that spot.
Neither player’s ability to be ready for Opening Day would appear to be impacted, which is good news, given the sudden lack of infield depth the Rangers have. After trading Marcus Semien to the New York Mets, the team is expecting Josh Smith to move from a utility role to being the regular second baseman. Ezequiel Duran is currently the utility infielder, with Cody Freeman being out the rest of the spring. Sebastian Walcott, who could have figured into the infield mix at some point in 2026, will miss most of the season after going internal brace surgery to repair the damaged UCL in his elbow.
Feb 23, 2026; Bradenton, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Paul Blackburn (58) throws a pitch during the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at LECOM Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
We’re in spring training proper now, with less than a week to go before the World Baseball Classic opens, and players on both of the teams squaring off today will represent their countries. Both the Yankees and the Blue Jays will send multiple participants to the WBC, but in the meantime the two AL East hopefuls will face off at Steinbrenner Field.
Paul Blackburn gets the ball in his second spring appearance, hoping to prove himself in a bullpen role with the MLB club. He didn’t have a great, albeit brief, stint with the club last year after coming over from Queens, but Matt Blake has worked some success with sinker-cutter combos before, and that’s Blackburn’s primary offering.
Meanwhile, José Berríos has had a rocky few months. He was on the IL for the Blue Jays’ World Series run and actually abandoned the club, returning home to Puerto Rico. This caused much discourse about the veteran’s commitment to the team, and in the midst of his apologies, Berríos was informed he was one of several Puerto Rican players who wasn’t able to be insured for the WBC, and he’ll miss the tournament. As he’s still rehabbing his right bicep, the time in camp might end up the best for him personally, but Puerto Rico is a proud baseball machine and missing what is likely his last Classic must be weighing on Berríos.
We get a pretty representative lineup today, with only Spencer Jones, who’s batting ninth, expected to not be on the Opening Day roster. Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. form a very powerful top three. Note that utilityman Amed Rosario was originally in the starting nine at third base but was scratched about an hour before first pitch, with NRI Jonathan Ornelas taking his place. This reportedly would’ve been Rosario’s last start before heading off to join Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, so an injury could be in play.
Feb 10, 2026; North Port, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider (99) works out during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
It’s another road game but this time, the lineup for our Atlanta Braves figures to be a little better than the last one that they sent out for a road game against the Yankees in Tampa. That’s probably because it’s a quicker trip from North Port to Sarasota instead of Tampa but either way, this’ll probably be less of the Braves serving as live practice partners for the Orioles like they did over at Steinbrenner Field earlier this week.
It also helps that the Braves are going to be sending one of their expected starting pitchers to the mound today as well. Spencer Strider is getting the ball and I’d say that there’s plenty of anticipation for his spring training debut. There’s been a lot of speculation about Strider’s velocity early on here in spring training so we’ll see exactly what he’s got in the tank with what he can deliver against a pretty solid Orioles lineup today.
If you live in the Orioles TV market then you can catch this game on MASN. That’s the only way you’ll be able to catch the game on TV, as the Braves will only be broadcasting this game via the radio on 680 The Fan/93.7 FM. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET.
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 26: Nasim Nuñez #26 of the Washington Nationals advances to third base during the first inning of a spring training game against the Philadelphia Philliesat BayCare Ballpark on February 26, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Mark Taylor/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a tie with the Astros last night, the Nats are back in action this afternoon against the Mets. They are headed to Fort St. Lucie to face a stacked Mets lineup. It will be a good test for this young Nats team who has shown some sloppiness in the last couple games this spring.
The Nats who did not play last night will be in action this afternoon. That means we will see the likes of James Wood, Daylen Lile, Brady House and Harry Ford, among others. Wood and Lile have had slow starts to the spring, so it would be nice to see them make a statement. Jake Irvin will be on the mound, facing a very strong Mets lineup.
As we have mentioned a couple times now, the Mets are rolling out a lineup that should be pretty similar to their Opening Day lineup. New additions Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette are in the lineup. Juan Soto will be hitting between them in the two hole. Long time Mets like Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos will also be in the lineup. Tobias Myers was part of the Freddie Peralta trade, and he will be on the mound for the Mets.
This should be a good test for the Nats. Jake Irvin will have to work his way through a big league lineup and Tobias Myers is no scrub on the mound either. There have been some slow starters for the Nats this spring, so hopefully they can wake up. Follow along down below and let’s go Nats!
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 18: Isaac Paredes #15 of the Houston Astros bats during the game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on July 18, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Mariners won 6-1. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
3B Isaac Paredes will make his 2026 Grapefruit League debut today.
The Houston Astros (1-4-2) welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates (6-2) to West Palm Beach.
RHP Mike Burrows will make his second start and appearance of the Spring as he takes on Buccos RHP Braxton Ashcraft.
RHP Mike Burrows takes on his former club with today’s start vs. the Pirates. Burrows made 23 appearances (19 starts) for PIT in 2025 before being acquired by HOU on Dec. 19 as part of a three-team, six-player deal. Burrows was selected PIT in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB Amateur Draft.
Today is the second start of the Spring for RHP Mike Burrows. He hurled 2.0 scoreless innings in his first start on Feb. 22 vs. STL (1 BB, 2 SO). In 2025, Burrows was 2-4 in 23 appearances (19 starts) for the Pirates with a 3.94 ERA (42ER/96IP) and 97 strikeouts in 96.0 IP. Burrows was solid in the second half of the season, posting a 3.27 ERA ERA (20ER/55IP) in 13 appearances (10 starts), allowing one or fewer runs in seven of his last eight appearances (2.22 ERA in that span). He earned his first win as a starter on June 4 vs. HOU (5.1 scoreless inn.).
TODAY’S POTENTIAL RELIEVERS: RHP Logan VanWey, RHP Jayden Murray, RHP Roddery Muñoz, LHP Tom Cosgrove, RHP Michael Knorr, RHP Alex Santos.
WALK THIS WAY: The Astros have drawn a combined 54 walks in seven games (7.7 per game).
Today is the first of two scheduled meetings between the Astros and Pirates this Spring. The two clubs will also play in Bradenton on St. Patrick’s Day (3/17). In the regular season, the Pirates will visit HOU for a three-game set, June 2-4.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, February 28, 12:05 p.m. CST
Location: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, Palm Beach, FL
PEORIA, ARIZONA - MARCH 13: A general view of Peoria Stadium following the cancellation of a spring training game between the Seattle Mariners and the Arizona Diamondbacks due to field conditions on March 13, 2025 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Max Scherzer Returns to Toronto With the way the contract is structured and the low potential maximum, it feels like Arizona should have been circling Scherzer themselves, though he may not have had any interest in dessert baseball.
DUNEDIN, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 21: Edmundo Sosa #33 of the Philadelphia Phillies waits for the pitch during the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark on February 21, 2026 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Mark Taylor/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Feb 17, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets infielder Brett Baty (7) works during spring training at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
