Category: Baseball

The Milwaukee Brewers stayed hot in sunny Phoenix on Friday afternoon, taking down the Chicago White Sox for their fourth consecutive win to move to .500 at 4-4 in Cactus League play. The Crew did it behind a balanced offensive attack and some solid bullpen work late.

Right-hander Brandon Sproat, one of Milwaukee’s acquisitions in the Freddy Peralta trade, made his spring debut in this one. He allowed a leadoff single in the first before striking out the next two hitters. After Chase Meidroth stole second, catcher Edgar Quero singled him home to make it 1-0 early. Sproat would pick off Quero at first base, but the Brewers faced an early deficit.

Milwaukee went down 1-2-3 against Sean Burke in the first, and after Sproat recorded a strikeout of Jarred Kelenic, he allowed a walk and a single. That marked the end of Sproat’s day, as he went 1 1/3 innings with three strikeouts and a run allowed on a walk and three hits.

Kaleb Bowman worked around a passed ball to finish out the inning with the score still 1-0.

After once again going down 1-2-3 in the second, Abner Uribe got the ball in the third. He allowed a run on a walk, a sac bunt, and a double as Quero picked up his second RBI of the day.

With the score now 2-0, Luis Rengifo cut that lead in half to lead off the third, slugging his first homer of the spring 345 feet over the wall in right. Milwaukee wasn’t done there either.

Garrett Mitchell followed with a walk, Joey Ortiz singled, and Jackson Chourio singled to tie it up at 2-2. Brice Turang then flew into a 7-5-6 double play as Ortiz was thrown out on the basepaths, and William Contreras popped out to end the rally.

Shane Drohan, one of Milwaukee’s acquisitions in the Caleb Durbin trade, made his spring debut in the fourth and proceeded to strike out the side (all swinging).

The Brewers took the lead in the fourth against new pitcher Tanner McDougal, as Jake Bauers doubled and was brought home by Rengifo to make it 3-2 entering the fifth.

Drohan’s fifth inning didn’t go quite as well as the fourth, as he allowed a single and hit Meidroth with a pitch before recording an out. He was able to induce a pair of groundouts — including a fielder’s choice at the plate to cut down Oliver Dunn — and Quero lined out to end the inning with no damage done.

Milwaukee tacked on another in the fifth, as Ortiz singled, stole second, and later scored on a Brice Turang double to make it 4-2.

Most of Milwaukee’s starters were substituted in the sixth and seventh, as Chourio, Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Turang were all removed before Bauers and Rengifo exited the next inning.

The Brewers were able to tack on one more run in the seventh, as Ortiz, Jacob Hurtubise, and Contreras all singled to make it 5-2.

The White Sox nearly mounted an eight-inning rally against Drew Rom, as Rom walked the bases loaded before his replacement, Will Childers, was able to get a called strike three upon review (initiated by catcher Darrien Miller) to escape the inning unscathed.

Both teams went down in order in their final at-bats, and the Brewers locked up another win to push them to 4-4 this spring.

Ortiz and Rengifo were the big hitters offensively, as Ortiz went 3-for-3 with three singles, two runs scored, and a steal, and Rengifo went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored on his homer. Five other Brewers collected hits in the win, including doubles from Bauers and Turang.

Shane Drohan picked up the win in his Brewer debut, pitching two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Blake Holub got the save with three strikeouts in the ninth, while Bowman, Easton McGee, Rom, and Childers also had scoreless outings. The two runs went to Sproat and Uribe.

The Crew will look to make it five straight and move over .500 tomorrow, as they’ll stay home to take on the Reds. First pitch in that one is at 2:10 p.m. CT on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.

The Los Angeles Mike Trouts of Anaheim sent the Cincinnati Reds to their showers with a 4-3 defeat on Friday at Goodyear Ballpark in Arizona. The Reds had been riding a 3-game win streak heading into this game, which did not feature Mike Trout even though I insinuated that it did with a misleading nickname in the very first words of this article.

The Good

Rhett Lowder was simply brilliant as the starter for the Reds today. He fired a trio of scoreless, hitless innings in his second outing of the spring, walking a lone Angel while fanning three. Safe to say his quest to earn the 5th spot in Cincinnati’s starting rotation is off to a pretty, pretty good start.

Meanwhile, Blake Dunn swatted a solo homer, Jose Trevino had a pair of hits and a ribbie, and Rece Hinds tripled, walked, and scored while playing CF on the afternoon. In a similarly positive vein, JJ Bleday continued his hot-hitting start to Cactus League play with another 2 for 3 day (with a run scored).

The Bad

Sal Stewart was actually retired twice on the day, which is bad for him. Just one hit, Sal? That’s all ya had in ya today, superstar?!

I’ve really got to find a better format for these spring recaps.

The Ugly

It was not the finest day for Julian Aguiar in his quest to earn a spot on the team’s pitching staff. Taking over for Lowder in the Top of the 4th, he was tagged for a homer by Logan O’Hoppe of the 2-run variety, and Aguiar eventually yielded 3 ER on 4 H in his 2.0 IP of work.

He didn’t walk anybody, which is a good thing.

Yunior Marte surrendered the other run on the day.

What’s Next

You aren’t going to believe this, but Saturday will feature Cincinnati Reds baseball that’s watchable on your screens!

The Reds will head to American Family Fields of Phoenix to face off against the Milwaukee Brewers, and it’s dawning on me that place was way cooler when it was just called ‘Maryvale.’ Anyway, it’s a 3:05 PM ET start time and MLB.tv and Reds.tv (if you’re in-market) will have the stream with the Reds broadcast. If you’re into the Brewers version of calling baseball games, their own broadcast will be viewable via MLB.tv (or Brewers.tv if you happen to be a Reds fan in the Milwaukee region).

Hunter Greene will toe the rubber for Cincinnati, and given who sat out today – Elly De La Cruz & Co. – I’d expect a pretty loaded lineup from the Reds side tomorrow. Rob Zastryzny, a lefty, will start for the Beers though, so Terry Francona could get experimental with his lineup again tomorrow the same way he did today against lefty Brent Suter to start.

The White Sox gave us two games today, with the 100 or so players eligible for the games today split in half. Given that Gameday and radio was the best we could tune into for two simultaneous games, let’s just bullet-point some game performances, and let our game polls tell the rest of the story.

In the interest of good news before bad news, the White Sox won at Camelback against the Rangers, 3-1. Erick Fedde started and pretty well thrived, tossing 29 pitches over two scoreless innings, with two Ks and a walk. Mike Vasil was the third pitcher up, and qualifies as the “bulk” arm of the game with three innings and one earned. There is almost no way Vasil isn’t being considered as a swingman or fifth-starter contender based on this outing, which just eight games in is the longest of this Cactus League for the Sox. Brandon Eisert continued his run at the closer role (jk) with his third scoreless outing and fifth and sixth Ks of the spring.

On the hitting side, just enough got done for the win. Miguel Vargas led off and pocketed two hits, including a double. All three White Sox runs were bunched in the fifth, courtesy of a two-run bomb from LaMonte Wade Jr. and some run manufacturing from Sam Antonacci and Darren Baker.

Want to see Lamonte’s home run? Well sorry, it’s MLB Spring Training, you can’t. But if you stare deeply enough into the black perhaps you can hallucinate the footage:

Over in Phoenix facing the Brewers, things were not so sweet, as the White Sox fell, 5-2. Three Arms of the Future threw, none of them to great effect. Sean Burke started but surrendered two earned over three innings (OK, Vasil, you’re not special, everyone’s throwing three now). Tanner McDougal, who once again lit up the radar gun in touching 100 mph but throwing that heat straight into bats for loud contact, did same. Noah Schultz came on to finish things off with two innings, and may well have had the best outing of all, but three singles in the seventh (one on the infield, two sharp slaps through it) touched the giant for an earned run.

Was it disastrous for the arms? Not at all. But these three need to develop some better movement or sequencing into March.

Outside of Hitting Machine Edgar Quero (2-for-3, 2B, both RBIs), there was not much offensively to write home about.

The White Sox drop to 5-4 overall and head to Goodyear to face off against Cleveland tomorrow. It’s a CHSN and WMVP game, with Shane Smith starting the game.

All good things must eventually end, and that includes the Dodgers winning streak to open the spring as the San Francisco Giants took Friday’s contest 12-4.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto made his final spring tune-up before playing for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic. Yamamoto gave up a pair of runs, including a leadoff home run to Willy Adames, but he managed to toss three full innings on 52 pitches (37 for strikes), striking out four and not allowing a walk.

Once Yamamoto’s day was done, the bullpen was unable to keep the game anywhere near close. Ryder Ryan allowed the Giants to take the lead in the fourth inning, while both Luke Fox and Christian Romero were charged with four earned runs, with the latter allowing a grand slam to Victor Bericoto to put the game completely out of reach.

Both relievers involved in the Hunter Feduccia deal last summer, Paul Gervase and Adam Serwinowski, tossed scoreless innings in the bottom of the seventh and eighth inning respectively while each striking out a pair of hitters.

Outfielder Zach Ehrhard was one of the lone bright spots for the Dodgers offense on Friday, smacking a pair of doubles. James Tibbs III brought home the Dodgers’ first run with an RBI triple in the second inning and Santiago Espinal roped an RBI single in the third inning. Chris Newell hit the only home run of the game for the Dodgers, smacking a two-run home run against lefty Nick Zwack in the top of the ninth inning.

The Dodgers are still averaging 7.86 runs per game this spring despite the lack of offense on Friday, and their 53 total runs rank second in cactus league play behind the Colorado Rockies.

UP NEXT

The Dodgers have a pair of split squad games on Saturday, as they are on the road against the Texas Rangers and host the Chicago Cubs (12:05 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Jackson Ferris faces Jack Leiter at Surprise Stadium, while Justin Wrobleski faces Colin Rea at Camelback Ranch.

Much has been made of the Dodgers’ exorbitant spending, magnified by a pair of World Series titles for the franchise, as Major League Baseball enters the final year of the current collective bargaining agreement.

The Dodgers open 2026 with a record $381 million payroll, while having over $1 billion in deferrals. As if signing Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández and Blake Snell, and extending Tyler Glasnow and Will Smith weren’t enough, the club once again opened up its wallet this winter, spending a combined $309 million on four-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker and three-time reliever of the year Edwin Díaz.

Relief pitcher Blake Treinen, one of the longest-tenured players on the Dodgers heading into his seventh season with the team, did not mince words when asked about how outsiders view the organization.

Read more:Shaikin: Dodgers hype time: How many games will they win in 2026?

“Perception is built from the media and maybe owners that don’t like what the Dodgers are doing because they would have to do something similar,” Treinen said earlier this week. “And I say to that, ‘Maybe you’re in the wrong business.'”

Treinen thinks more teams should spend the way that the Dodgers do.

“Is it a bad thing that the people who pay our checks and our salaries want a winning product?” Treinen said. “If you’re going to complain about a team willing to do what it takes to win, then I think you’re in the wrong business. And, if you win, to say that you lose money by winning is a wild statement, so I think the perception is more or less if you don’t like what the Dodgers are doing, either take a look in the mirror or look at the people who aren’t putting a product on the field.”

Treinen went on to say that teams don’t necessarily need to be lavish spenders in order to compete, pointing to how the Milwaukee Brewers posted baseball's best record a season ago, with the 22nd-highest payroll. The Brewers bested the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central by five games, despite having a payroll nearly $100 million lower than their rival, and reached the National League Championship Series.

“You don’t always have to spend money to be great, look at the Brewers,” Treinen said. “But to say that you can’t compete — like they did — is a wild thing, because [they had] the best record in baseball last year. Draft and development is a big deal, a lot of teams have leaned into it. So, if you either invest heavily in one or the other, and the Dodgers have done a great job of doing both and that’s why players sign here. If you don’t like it, then maybe find a new business model.”

How the Dodgers operate has garnered some praise — the Padres' Manny Machado and the Phillies' Bryce Harper weighed in on the subject early in spring training — but the front office wasn't really seeking it out.

“We’re not looking externally for validation,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said earlier this month at Camelback Ranch. “The validation is winning championships and putting out as good a team as we can each and every year, and all we’re trying to do is get a little bit better each and every season, with the goal of winning championships. [Our] coaching staff, our players I think view it as that. Good, bad or indifferent, the external stuff is something we can’t worry about.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, speaking at Cactus League media day earlier this month, said the fixation on the money spent makes people miss the things they do well.

Read more:'Just go out and pitch.' Dodgers' Tyler Glasnow is efficient in his first spring start

“It does get lost, the things that we do well,” Roberts said. “Scouting and player development, I think we do as well as anybody in baseball … to get superstars to play well every night, to put out a good product every single night, I think we do a good job at that.”

“That’s why the biggest conversation should be that instead of a payroll question,” Roberts added. “Why are we good for baseball? Because our players play the game the right way."

Yoshinobu Yamamoto makes final start before WBC

Six days after Roberts mistakenly wished his ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto luck in the World Baseball Classic, the reigning World Series MVP took the mound one last time before departing for Team Japan against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium on Friday.

Yamamoto threw 52 pitches while completing three innings, giving up five hits and two runs — including a solo home run in the first — while striking out four.

"Overall, I was feeling good physically," Yamamoto said via interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda after his outing. "Early on, my command was a little off in the first inning. But once I got into the second inning, the feel came back."

Roberts said the Dodgers are on the same page as Team Japan is regarding Yamamoto’s workload in the WBC.

“Yoshinobu knows when he’s going to pitch for Team Japan,” Roberts said before Friday's game. “And we’re aligned as far as our organization, our pitching guys, he’s comfortable with it.”

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Red Sox got an early spring scare Friday. 

During the first inning of their matchup with the Braves, Atlanta’s Jurickson Profar hit a lazy fly ball to left center field that nearly ended in disaster. 

Boston’s young stars, left fielder Roman Anthony and center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela both appeared to have a beat on the ball, but there apparently wasn’t great communication between the pair. 

Anthony made the catch, allowing Ronald Acuna Jr. to score the first Atlanta run of the game from third base, but he collided on the play with Rafaela at the same exact moment — sending both players to the ground on a play that appeared to be catastrophic for a few moments.

As trainers and coaches ran out to check on the pair, Anthony remained face down on the grass while Rafaela didn’t look much better hunched over next to his teammate. 

After a minute or so, Rafaela sprung to his feet. 

A short time later, Anthony was up and standing as the Red Sox trainer appeared to be checking on his left arm. 

Both players stayed in the game, and if their next at-bats were any indication, they ended up just fine. 

“Lack of communication,” manager Alex Cora told reporters after the game. “We’ve got to be better. When [proper communication] doesn’t happen, things like that can happen … If he calls it, it’s the center fielder’s ball.”

Anthony and Rafaela added that it wasn’t too serious in the end.

“I just wanted to take a second, we got the wind knocked out of both of us I think a little bit there and hit him pretty hard and wanted to make sure he was good,” Anthony said. “Weird feeling at first but nothing too crazy.”

Anthony singled to center in his very next time at the plate.

A few pitches later, Rafaela hit a 400-foot home run to the same part of the yard. 

Scary moment as Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela collide in the outfield going after a fly ball

Both players received attention from the trainers but were able to stay in the game pic.twitter.com/CICcfsWLoi

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 27, 2026

The Red Sox are assuredly breathing a sigh of relief with so much depending on Anthony, 21, and Rafaela, 25, in 2026 and beyond. 

Anthony burst onto the scene last season, hitting .292/.396/.463 across 303 plate appearances and finishing third in the American League Rookie of the Year race after widely being considered the best prospect in the sport. 

In his second full big league season in 2025, Rafaela hit 16 home runs and stole 20 bags while winning the Gold Glove award in center field.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. –– Teoscar Hernández has seen Santiago Espinal at his best.

In 2022, the two were teammates with the Blue Jays. And that summer, Espinal had a breakout campaign, earning an All-Star selection as a do-everything, play-everywhere utilityman on a 92-win team that reached the playoffs.

“He’s a really good player,” Hernández said. “He understands the game. He understands every situation. And he understands everything that he has to do.”

Four years later, they were reunited with the Dodgers this spring.

Only now, Espinal is the lowest rung on the ladder, trying to resurrect his big-league career after three disappointing seasons that forced him to settle for a minor-league deal in Los Angeles this winter.

“The Dodgers told me I’d have a great opportunity here to compete,” Espinal told The California Post this week. “And as soon as I got here, they welcomed me with open arms.”

At first glance, the 31-year-old infielder may seem like a superfluous piece for the two-time defending World Series champions. Their lineup is already stacked with fellow former All-Stars. They have younger options like Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland capable of rounding out the roster. And Espinal’s underwhelming production since that 2022 season –– he has posted a minus-0.4 WAR in that time, per Fangraphs –– has put him at a career crossroads, facing a steep uphill climb for any sort of prominent MLB role.

However, at this point of the spring, there are already signs he could have an outside chance of making the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster.

To Teoscar Hernández, his potential value is clear.

“I see him as a Kiké Hernández type of player,” Teoscar said. “He can play and contribute in a lot of ways.”

Kiké Hernández will likely miss the first half of the season as he recovers from offseason elbow surgery, creating an opening for a super-utility player. The Dodgers’ initial plan to replace him was also scuttled before camp, when free-agent signing Andy Ibáñez was lost on waivers amid a 40-man roster crunch.

Tommy Edman’s absence for Opening Day has opened yet another utility role on the roster.

And while Kim and Freeland are competing to help fill his void at second base, the Dodgers might consider keeping only one of them on their Opening Day roster, allowing the other to return to Triple-A and get regular at-bats rather than ride the bench at the big-league level.

This is where Espinal could come in –– providing a potential last-man-on-the-bench option who would be capable of playing all over the field, taking professional at-bats when called upon, and unfazed by the likely limited playing time he would get.

“Things bode well for him,” manager Dave Roberts said Friday, offering a hint about Espinal’s chances of breaking camp with the club. “He’s really a helpful, winning player in my opinion, (who) raises the floor.”

Even after just three weeks with the team, Espinal has already found a comfort level in the Dodgers’ organization.

Every morning, he has worked out on the main practice field at Camelback Ranch alongside the team’s big-league regulars –– and, notably, not with the other minor-league hopefuls on field No. 2 at the club’s spring facility –– taking ground balls alongside Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Miguel Rojas and Freddie Freeman.

Behind the scenes, he feels he’s made promising improvements, too. 

Espinal and Dodgers hitting coaches have dug through film of his old swing, trying to shift his line-drive approach back to the big part of the field as it was early in his career (when he batted .280 and amassed 4.6 WAR between 2020 and his All-Star 2022 campaign). So far in Cactus League play, it has helped him start 4 for 9 at the plate, including a hard-hit RBI single in Friday’s game against the Giants.

Espinal has also been soaking up the experience of being around such a star-laden roster, drawing inspiration from Freeman, Rojas and Betts most of all.

“Like, one thing in the cage, I never see Mookie pull the ball. It’s always right-center,” Espinal said. “That’s something that’s a very little detail, but to me it’s like, ‘Hey, let me try that, too. Let me see how my swing path can change by doing that.’”

Still, Espinal’s most important skill is his versatility with the glove. 

He could spell Muncy at third base on occasion against left-handed pitching. He can factor into the mix at second and play the corner outfield spots when needed. And though regular at-bats, even as a pinch hitter, might be hard to come by, he’ll be eager for any opportunity that comes his way –– trying to show that his 2022 form is still in there as he chases down a potential Opening Day roster spot.

“I’m happy that he has a chance to show what he’s capable of,” Teoscar Hernández said. “He can be really big for this team this year.”

Just officially a month away from the Atlanta Braves’ opening day, the team’s offense is showing glimpses of high intensity and promise that fans are hoping will carry over into the regular season. Taking the win (15-8) against Boston, they’re ending the first full Spring Training week on a high note and ready to build on their momentum.

The headlines speak for themselves. Not missing a beat, Ronald Acuña Jr., going 2-for-3 in his plate appearance, not only showed consistent quickness as he picked back up on his base-stealing, but he also collected his first homer of the spring that resulted in a grand slam to bring in Michael Harris II, Jonah Heim and Jorge Mateo, extending the Braves’ lead by nine runs (12-3) in the bottom of the third.

A force that continued to make noise in the Braves’ offense was Mike Yastremski, also going 3-for-3 and collecting two homers and three RBI’s of his own. This piece seems to be a smart move for the Braves’ front office, as his offensive prowess could help move the needle for the team as a whole and continue to put runs on the board to extend their campaign.

On the pitching side, Chris Sale is coming off just two innings with electric movement on the mound in his first appearance this past Sunday. In today’s matchup, it seems it wasn’t as strong a performance, only staying out for 2.2 innings; he gave up three earned runs that included two homers; however, he also collected three strikeouts to end the day. Though fans would like to see Sale out longer and more power in his arsenal that he’s displayed just last weekend, it’s still early enough in Spring Training to deem these innings as warmups to allow just enough of a feel against the competition.

Was this Sale’s best start? Not even close, but is it time to panic? Not at all. The impactful lefty is taking each opportunity as it comes and making adjustments when needed. It was after a two-run homer from Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela that relief pitcher Darius Vine subbed in to take the mound.

One of the arguably most exciting additions to the team, Robert Suárez, also made his spring debut in today’s game. The former Padres’ closer reached 100 mph multiple times on the radar gun and almost struck out the side if not for giving up a single from a Red Sox outfielder (Braiden Ward) before reaching 100.1 mph on a four-seamer to end the inning and his stint on the mound (1 IP/ 1 H/ 0 ER/ 0 BB/ 1 K). Aaron Bummer came in to replace him at the top of the sixth.

Braves country, if there’s one thing to take away from this game, it’s that the offense as a whole would’ve made you beyond proud, and building excitement going into the regular season if they keep up with this momentum. Could this be a sneak peak on what we should expect in exactly one month from today?

Tomorrow, the fun continues as the Braves take on the Orioles with Spencer Strider taking the mound.

The Yankees’ team-wide hitting philosophy in the Aaron Boone Era has been plate discipline and power, and that was certainly on display this afternoon against the Twins. They scored five in the first for the second straight Grapefruit League game after drawing four walks in the frame, while Jasson Domínguez, J.C Escarra, Spencer Jones, Paul DeJong, and Duke Ellis all went yard in the subsequent innings. Luis Gil was wild but effective while Carlos Lagrange turned in three of the most dominant innings you are likely to see this spring as the Yankees steamrolled the Twins, 17-5.

The Yankees wasted no time generating traffic against Twins starter Marco Raya. The righty pitched to a 6.02 ERA in 30 Triple-A appearances in 2025 as he struggled with the free pass, and that was immediately apparent in the top of the first. Ben Rice drew a leadoff walk, Domínguez singled up the middle, and DeJong walked to load the bases with no outs. Escarra then won a ten-pitch battle fouling off multiple breaking balls to draw the Yankees’ third walk in four batters and plate the opening run of the contest. Max Schuemann struck out on three pitches to offer a temporary reprieve, but the command issues came right back with a six-pitch free pass to Jones to walk in the second run of the inning and keep the bases loaded. That spelled the end of the outing for Raya, who departed having thrown 32 pitches and recorded just one out.

That brought George Lombard Jr. to the plate with the bases loaded facing High-A pitcher Nick Trabacchi, and after three straight balls, the Yankees’ top prospect got the green light 3-0 and ripped a two-run single to left, his second two-run hit in as many games. Yanquiel Fernández then drew a full count, and though he struck out, Alex Jackson threw the ball into center field on a steal attempt from Lombard, allowing him to advance to third and Jones to walk home for the fifth run of the frame.

Gil’s command was noticeably dulled relative to his first spring start, but it wasn’t an issue given the way his offense was swinging the bat. He was sailing his four-seamer high and spraying his changeup to both sides of the plate, and even burned the Yankees’ final ABS challenge on a ball above the zone, reaffirming that only the catcher and not the pitcher should be the one initiating ABS challenges. The Twins got themselves on the board on a missile solo shot by Trevor Larnach off a 2-1 fastball down the middle, though Gil did retire the next two batters to limit the damage to one in the first.

After sending nine batters to the plate in the first, the lineup turned over to face Cole Sands in the second and picked things up right where they were left off. Rice lined a leadoff single to center, and Domínguez fouled off several close pitches before he got an elevated 2-2 splitter, which he lasered 111 mph just inside the right-foul pole for a two-run homer to extend their lead, 7-1.

After a soft groundout from DeJong, Escarra demolished a 1-0 fastball for the hardest-hit ball of his career at 109.6 mph, leaving the yard for the Yankees’ second dinger of the inning to make it 8-1.

Gil got himself into a spot of bother in the second, walking Brooks Lee and surrendering an Austin Martin single with one out, but extracted himself without yielding a run. He retired Buxton to open the third and that would spend the end of his outing having given up a run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout on 52 pitches. Two of the biggest issues for Gil when he returned from a four-month lat injury absence in 2025 was reduced fastball velocity and a lack of swing and miss. That persisted in this outing, Gil’s four-seamer averaging 94.7 mph while Gil recorded only four whiffs on 30 swings for just a 13-percent whiff rate.

The Twins pitchers managed to settle things down for a spell, facing the minimum in the third and fourth, but it was only delaying the inevitable. Schuemann drew a walk to leadoff the fifth, bringing the red-hot Jones to the plate. Sporting his new Ohtani-esque toe tap in place of a leg kick, Jones demolished his third home run this spring, a two-run shot off the batter’s eye in center that traveled 427 feet.

Lombard followed with a walk and advanced to third on a ground ball single from Fernández, allowing him to jog home on Domínguez single — Jasson’s third RBI of the contest. Up stepped DeJong, and the one-time Cardinals All-Star got all of a hanging 0-1 curveball for his first home run of the spring, a two run shot to left to make it 14-1.

This initiated the wholesale changes to the lineup all of the starting nine except Marco Luciano subbed out, but that didn’t mean an end to the fireworks. Speed specialist Ellis came to bat with one out in the sixth and got in on the fun, lining a solo shot to right-center off a cement mixer 1-0 sweeper from reliever Andrew Bash.

In the meantime, the Yankees’ second-ranked pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange made his second Grapefruit League appearance and looked pretty much untouchable for three innings. He surrendered just a lone single while striking out four on 41 pitches. His fastball averaged 100.1 mph and topped out at 102.1, garnering six whiffs on 14 swings for a gaudy 43-percent whiff rate. He also exhibited impressive command of the cutter, inducing a further pair of whiffs as hitters were way out in front expecting the heater.

Minnesota tallied a pair of consolation runs in the eighth on a two-run homer from former Baby Bomber Eric Wagaman off bullpen contender Brent Headrick. The Yankees subs responded with a pair of their own in the ninth, Tyler Hardman and Kenedy Corona getting things started with a hit-by-pitch and walk to put a pair on with no outs. Twins reliever Kyle Bischoff struck out a pair to get within an out of snuffing out the threat, but Kaeden Kent — son of now-Hall of Famer Jeff Kent — clubbed a two-run double to make it two touchdowns and a field goal for the Yankees. Lefty reliever Geoffrey Gilbert prolonged things unnecessarily at the very end, surrendering a pair of runs on two singles, a double, and a sac fly, but he eventually recorded the final out of this 17-5 rout.

We’ll see if the Yankees offense can keep it rolling tomorrow after noon against the Blue Jays. Paul Blackburn takes the mound as the Yankees return home to GMS, facing off against José Berríos. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 pm ET with the broadcast returning to YES.

Box Score

Before making a push for the Pirates’ Opening Day roster, star prospect Konnor Griffin enjoyed his “first adventure” as a newlywed.

The 19-year-old shortstop, entering the 2026 season as the MLB’s top prospect, honeymooned in Mexico with his wife, Dendy, whom he married earlier this year.

“First adventure with my wife,” Griffin captioned a January Instagram carousel from the couple’s getaway, where they lounged by the pool and took in the scenic beach backdrop.

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Griffin, the No. 9 overall selection by the Pirates in the 2024 MLB Draft, married Dendy, his high school sweetheart, in January.

The bride stunned in a strapless gown while Griffin, who popped the question last October, looked dapper in a black tux.

The couple tied the knot at the Castle Hill of Oxford in Mississippi.

Upon returning home from their honeymoon, Griffin and Dendy traveled to Florida for spring training, with all eyes fixated on when the towering 6-foot-4 prospect will make his debut in the majors.

“I fully trust what the front office and the coaches and everybody have done, how they’re going about it,” Griffin, the reigning Minor League Player of the Year, told ESPN in a recent profile.

“They’ve done a great job so far allowing me to be free in the minor leagues and be able to move and continue to face challenges. But this spring, I’m really trying not to think about it too much. There’s a lot of noise. I’m just trying to treat it just like I did last spring. I knew I had no chance of just making the big league team. And so every day I was just trying to be a sponge and soak up the advice of these great players who’ve been through it. And I’m trying to do the same thing this year. I know there could be a chance I make the big leagues at some point soon, and that’s great, but I just want to feel ready.”

Griffin smashed two homers against the Red Sox in an exhibition game earlier this week.

The Pirates know they have an “uncommon” talent in Griffin, but according to 2025 NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, that descriptor doesn’t just apply to the teenage phenom’s athletic prowess.

“Goes to church every Sunday, doesn’t cuss, doesn’t do any of that stuff, married at 19,” the 23-year-old Pirates ace told ESPN. “It’s not common, but nothing about him is common. Everything screams uncommon. And if you want to be uncommon, you want to do uncommon things, it starts with thinking uncommon — and he does that.”

The Pirates finished last in the NL Central last season at 71-91.

They open the season on the road against the Mets on March 26.