Detroit Tigers vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Time/Place: 1:05 p.m., Joker Marchant Stadium – Lakeland, FL
SB Nation Site: DRaysBay
Media: Tigers Radio Network
GameThread: Tigers vs. Rays, 1:05 p.m.
Yankees 2026 Season Preview: Will Warren
When Gerrit Cole was forced to miss the 2025 season with Tommy John surgery, several young pitchers were forced to step up ahead of schedule to provide valuable innings in the ace’s stead. Cam Schlittler stole headlines with his late season surge, however there was another rookie pitcher who was arguably just as impressive, just in a different fashion. Will Warren was quietly one of the best rookie starters in MLB last season, and he is poised to take another huge step in his development at the major league level in 2026.
2025 Stats: 33 starts, 162.1 IP, 9-8, 4.44 ERA (92 ERA+), 4.07 FIP, 3.91 xFIP, 24.1% K%, 9.1% BB%, 1.22 HR/9, 1.37 WHIP, 2.1 fWAR
2026 FanGraphs Depth Charts projections: 43 appearances (21 starts), 132 IP, 7-8, 4.25 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 22.9% K%, 8.3% BB%, 1.23 HR/9, 1.30 WHIP, 1.4 fWAR
Among all rookie pitchers in 2025, Warren finished with the most starts (33), innings pitched (162.1), and strikeouts (171), while accumulating the sixth-most fWAR (2.1), establishing a floor as a bona fide backend MLB starter, while also flashing glimpses of a ceiling of being able to dominate an entire lineup — like he did when he struck out ten Rangers across 5.2 scoreless innings in May.
Of course, it’s also hard to forget him giving up seven runs in relief in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Blue Jays. We can chalk that up partially to a rookie pitcher being thrust into the cauldron of his first playoff experience — plus, it’s not like any of the Yankees pitchers pitched particularly well against a Blue Jays offense that was all hitting their stride at the same time.
Warren showed he has the stuff and pitchability to stick at the back of any major league rotation, the question in 2026 being opportunity. He faces a similar situation to the start of last year, when he was guaranteed a rotation spot while the team dealt with injuries to their other starters. FanGraphs Depth Charts projection system expects that he will make 21 starts before being moved to the bullpen once Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón return from their elbow surgery rehabs.
There are several things Warren can do to ensure that his name is one of the last to come up for consideration for a demotion from the rotation when Rodón and then Cole are brought back into the fold, and encouragingly it looks like he is already working on those improvements this spring. He struck out three in each of his first two scoreless spring starts, but it’s process rather than results I would like to look at.
The thing that has caught my eye the most this spring is Warren’s four-seamer. The pitch is operating about a mile per hour faster than it did last season, with roughly two inches more induced vertical movement (rise) and roughly two inches less horizontal movement arm-side. The result in those first two starts was ten swings and misses on 27 swings for an eye-popping 37-percent whiff rate (for reference, only four qualified pitchers — Edwin Díaz, Edwin Uceta, Devin Williams, and Mason Miller — had better than a 37-percent whiff rate on their four-seamer in 2025).
One of the biggest subjects of pitching research in 2025 was the importance for starting pitchers to throw multiple types of fastball, be that the four-seamer, sinker, or cutter. I’ve written multipletimes on the site how important it was for Warren to follow that trend, noting the similarity between him and Michael King and how the Yankees’ former pitcher leveraged that approach to becoming one of the most coveted free agent starters this past winter.
The ability to separate the four-seamer and sinker into two discrete pitches with divergent movement profiles is as key for Warren as it was for King. Because of how similar the two pitches look out of the pitcher’s hand, having a four-seamer that stays on plane versus a sinker that dives downward arm-side creates so much uncertainty for the hitter and the swing path needed to make contact. With the increased riding life and decreased horizontal run, Warren’s four-seamer now flies even straighter than the sinker, which is why you saw hitters whiff underneath four-seamers that were well inside the zone in the video of his first two spring starts.
For a pitcher who throws his fastballs as much as Warren — his four-seamer and sinker earned a combined 62.6-percent usage rate with about two four-seamers thrown for every sinker — it would behoove Warren to improve the raw characteristics of those pitches. Indeed, with the increased velocity and induced vertical break, Warren’s four-seamer has earned a Stuff+ grade of 110 this spring after grading out as roughly league average last season. There were times last season where Warren would throw a fastball in the zone when the count leverage favored a secondary for chase — and indeed Warren stands to benefit from scaling back his fastball given how nasty his sweeper, changeup, and curveball are — so possessing a four-seamer with better raw stuff should mitigate damage if he continues to deploy it in this manner.
I’m expecting big things for Warren in 2026. It’s true that he will have to fend off the likes of Cam Schlittler, Ryan Weathers, and Luis Gil if he wants to retain his rotation spot when Cole and Rodón return. However, he has continued to demonstrate this spring that he is a process-oriented pitcher always looking for ways to improve, which is why I feel Warren can work his way to becoming a mainstay of the Yankees rotation this season.
See more of the Yankees Previews series here.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros Split-Squad Game Discussion
The St. Louis Cardinals will take the field at Roger Dean Stadium today as the Baltimore Orioles roll in for another Spring Training game. It’s a split-squad day as another Cardinals lineup will be playing the Houston Astros. According to MLB.com, Matthew Liberatore will make the start for the Cardinals and the starter for the Orioles is to be determined. For the Houston game, it’s Richard Fitts on the mound for St. Louis.
Tua Tagovailoa's 'dead cap money' provides a lesson for MLB's future
The headlines fairly leap off the pages, suggesting calamity will be visited upon what was once a storied NFL franchise.
Dolphins to release Tua Tagovailoa, take on record dead-cap hit…Dolphins to eat record $99.2 million dead money…
To the untrained eye, it’s tempting to send thoughts and prayers out to the Miami Dolphins and their owner, Stephen Ross. Hey, leaving a briefcase open with $100 million in it as you tool around in your convertible is a bummer, regardless of how much cash you’ve stashed offshore.
Funny thing is, though, that this "loss" will do nothing to imperil the Dolphins’ potential franchise value of $12 billion, nor Ross’s net worth of $17 billion.
See, the Dolphins won’t be paying Tagovailoa all that money. Just $167 million of his four-year, $212.4 million deal signed before the 2024 season was guaranteed. That means they’ll have paid him – in physical, depositable money – $55.6 million for the three years he quarterbacked the Dolphins.
Strange as it sounds, that’s more or less the going rate for marquee quarterbacks these days. (The debate over Tua’s bona fides in that department are for another day, or a better-qualified human).
No, the calamity for the Dolphins is over the "dead cap space" that Tagovailoa’s contract consumes. And as Major League Baseball and its fans ruminate over, for the umpteenth time, a salary cap in forthcoming collective bargaining talks, it’s worth examining what "dead money" means to both the football and baseball fan, in addition to the athletes in the arena.
Dollar, dollar bills
Baseball knows of dead money. It can be a real bummer, the bill coming due for dynasties long since passed, or players who break down before their time.
The difference is, MLB owners still must write the checks – and the athletes who earned them will be entitled to it.
Nick Castellanos’ five-year, $100 million deal with the Phillies pays him $20 million this year. Know how much he’ll receive? Twenty million dollars, with Philly footing all that bill minus the minimum wage San Diego will pay to scoop him up.
DJ LeMahieu won’t play an inning for the Yankees this year; they released him knowing he’ll earn $15 million in 2026, the last of his six-year, $90 million deal. And Hal Steinbrenner will scratch every check to make LeMahieu whole, money LeMahieu earned when he finished third in the 2020 AL MVP race, establishing his market value.
Somehow, the Yankees and Phillies will field competitive teams this year.
As for the Dolphins? Well, not only do they not have to pay Tagovailoa, they also get, in a sense, a golden ticket to be non-competitive in the foreseeable future. Not to get too far in the weeds, but they can, in fact, spread out the "dead cap hit" over two seasons.
Yet that much "dead space" under a $300 million cap while fielding a 53-man roster is undeniably onerous. And gives Miami a built-in excuse when it misses the playoffs for the eighth time in the past 10 seasons.
The owners win on both sides of the equation – they only have to pay so much guaranteed money to retain their marquee players. And if a deal goes awry, well, they simply don’t have the "cap space" to pay other players to make their team better, thus depressing those players’ markets.
Additionally, Ross will only shoulder so much of the blame if the Dolphins continue to suck. Hey, blame Tua! Greedy athlete, putting his livelihood on the line and expecting to be paid for it.
MLB teams walk the line
This is the reality MLB’s franchise, players and fans might face in a capped world. As we’ve come to find out the past half-century, free agency generates tremendous interest in the game.
Nothing fires up a fan base quite so much as a franchise swinging for the fences, willing to dip into its profits to make the team better. And when the franchise is on an upswing, having the ability to splurge a bit more – on a key reliever, an extra starting pitcher, a bit of platoon depth – is all the more important.
All the discourse about a cap has essentially zeroed in on one team – the Los Angeles Dodgers, who draft well, play within the rules and field exciting ballclubs. They win, and 4 million people saw fit to come through the turnstiles last year.
The New York Mets have caught some of that heat as well, yet they have been wise enough to not win too much. Good boy, Steve Cohen.
Yet there’s a much larger swath of big-league clubs for which freedom is important. And by freedom we mean, the ability to duck above or below baseball’s luxury tax levels – yes, a plateau that also forces owners to fork over money – as they see fit.
During the past decade, here’s a look at the teams that have gone above and below the tax level:
Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels, New York Mets and Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays.
That’s 13 teams – nearly half the league – exercising the freedom to splurge when they want to or save when it’s more prudent. Seven of those 13 have won World Series in that span, nine reaching at least a league championship series.
A handful of others – Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles – might eventually climb above the line, too, as their on-field fortunes continue to improve. While owners love to use the Pittsburgh Pirates or Kansas City Royals – your 2015 World Series champions – as the avatars for all that is wrong, the system seems to work pretty well for everyone, save for fans in markets where the concept of spending money to make money is foreign.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins will stagger along with their "dead cap money" as some artificial cross to bear. Fans and analysts will nod somberly, starting the countdown clock until the sheets are once again clean.
As MLB embarks on a season in which all but perhaps five teams – some of them former luxury-tax exceeders – harbor legitimate playoff hopes, it’s worth noting that it simply doesn’t have to be that way.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB should beware of NFL’s dead money illusion
Gamethread 3/9: Phillies at Red Sox
Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:
For the Red Sox:
Let’s talk about it (or the WBC stuff)
Dodgers at Brewers spring training game roster
The Dodgers take on the Milwaukee Brewers in Phoenix on Monday afternoon.
Lineup
Alex Freeland 2B
Teoscar Hernández LF
Max Muncy 3B
Nick Senzel DH
Dalton Rushing C
Zach Ehrhard RF
James Tibbs III 1B
Noah Miller SS
Michael Siani CF
Emmet Sheehan is on the mound, making his first start this spring.
Other pitchers
The brothers Ryan — River and Ryder — are both scheduled to pitch in this one, as is Tanner Scott and non-roster invitee Antoine Kelly.
Up from the minor league side are Cody Morse (wearing uniform number 90), Myles Caba (91), Nicolas Cruz (92), and Nick Robertson (98), all of whom have been active for several games this spring.
Other position players
Non-roster invitees Ryan Fitzgerald, Zyhir Hope, and Seby Zavala are all active on Monday, as are a slew of minor leaguers.
Top-100 prospects Eduardo Quintero (07) and Emil Morales (06) made the trip, as did infielders Jose Izarra (00), Sean McLain (02), Austin Gauthier (89), and Kyle Nevin (93), plus outfielders Kole Myers (04) and Charles Davalan (87).
Spring Training March 9 Game Thread: Braves vs Twins
As the WBC rages on, the Grapefruit League plods along as well. Today, the Braves will give Carlos Carrasco a chance to eat some more exhibition innings as they give their regulars a few hacks in a home game against the Twins. Minnesota is sending a mixed bag of starters and not-starters, and will be giving the ball to Zebby Matthews, who is pitching for a potential rotation spot in the wake of Pablo Lopez’ injury. Matthews actually pitched really well in 16 starts last year (91 FIP- and xFIP-) but somehow unfortunately got saddled with a 135 ERA- in the process.
This will be the fourth time the Braves and Twins have tangled already this Spring Training.
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GDT: Anyone ever been to Detroit?
First pitch against the Detroit Tigers is at 1:05 at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium and the Tigers will be providing radio coverage.
Which Dodgers relievers are on your radar?
In the previous seven days, the Dodgers have sent a total of 23 players to minor league camp, including a dozen after Sunday’s game. All but two players from the two rounds of cuts have been non-roster invitees to camp, none of them unexpected.
What those cuts have done is thin the herd a bit, leaving only four non-roster pitchers still in big league camp. Cole Irvin is the veteran starting pitcher of the group, back from pitching in Korea and already built up to three innings this spring. He could potentially be an early option if the Dodgers feel the need for someone to fill bulk innings. After all, we know they will use a ton of starters.
Chris Campos is also still around. He’s been a starter since the Dodgers drafted him in the seventh round in 2022, other than the times he’s been used in bulk relief (11 of his 13 appearances out of the bullpen the last two seasons lasted at least three innings). So far this spring he’s pitched exactly one inning in each of his three Cactus League appearances, and he’s done well, with three scoreless innings, no walks, and five strikeouts among his 12 batters faced.
Whether Campos will pitch in relief going forward or him sticking around a little longer in camp is a reward for his earlier appearances remains to be seen. But the other two non-roster pitchers remaining in camp are more traditional relievers.
Ryder Ryan is River’s older brother by four years. He’s allowed two runs in seven innings this spring with five strikeouts. His first three appearances were one inning apiece, and he’s pitched two innings in each of his last two times out.
Left-hander Antoine Kelly has gotten results this spring, allowing only two walks and no hits in his five scoreless innings, with seven strikeouts among his 17 batters faced. A second-round pick of the Brewers in 2019, Kelly hasn’t yet reached the majors, spending time in the Brewers, Rangers, and Rockies’ system over the last seven years. But he’s touching 99 mph this spring to go with a slider. Whether the Dodgers found a harder-throwing Anthony Banda remains to be seen, but Kelly has pitched his way onto the radar this spring.
There are other relief pitchers on the 40-man roster. Ronan Kopp, just added to the 40-man roster in November, was optioned on Sunday. Kyle Hurt is back from injury, Paul Gervase at 6’10 is literally hard to miss, Will Klein could parlay his World Series heroics into a spot in the bullpen, among the group.
For today’s question let’s ignore the expected arms in the back end of the bullpen for a moment. Which under-the-radar Dodgers reliever are you most looking forward to watching this season?
AL West Preview – Rangers Position Players, finding Nimmo
Years ago, it was this exercise that sent me down a road of becoming mildly Rangers-pilled. This year, there is no such risk.
If you are looking at the lineup and notable off-season moves and feeling lightly confused by the seeming absence of any clear strategy, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Led by beloved former Mariners legend Chris Young, Texas seems to have locked in on starting pitching and are employing the pop quiz style of light panic when it comes to their offense. Is this the baseball equivalent of the phenomenon where research has shown we are attracted to people who have similar features as us? Fortunately for Seattle, Jerry Dipoto does not seem to suffer as mightily from that affliction (although the bullpen has, of course, long been a strength). The Rangers have done little to refute the rumors that their 2033 World Series title was anything more than a fluke.
Notable Transactions
Out: OF Adolis García, 2B Marcus Semien, C Jonah Heim, UTIL Dylan Moore, 1B Rowdy Tellez, 1B/2B Donovan Solano
In: OF Brandon Nimmo, C Danny Jansen, OF Mark Canha, OF Andrew McCutchen, 1B Nick Pratto, UTIL Tyler Wade, INF Andrew Velazquez, INF Jonah Bride
Italics = Minor League Deals with Spring Training Invite
Texas caused a stir early on in the off-season when they traded infield staple and prized free agent star Marcus Semien to the Mets for outfielder Brandon Nimmo. It was a challenge trade to be sure but it remains to be seen what exactly either team was challenging. Their only other big league position player acquisition was Danny Jansen, who will slot into the distinctly sloping protrusion that was left by finally giving up on Jonah Heim. Danny, I’d sage the backstop if I were you. Finally free from the Lone Star State are a trio of ex-Mariners of mixed repute, and once-beloved slugger Adolís García. Two of those four are headed to the greener-ish (?) fields of Philadelphia, which doesn’t mean anything at all for this piece but damn am I excited to watch García absolutely molly-wop a baseball through the night air at Citizens Bank Park.
Old, and I do mean old, friends (or foes), Mark Canha and Andrew McCutchen are competing for play time in the outfield and/or at DH alongside a smattering of 30-something infielders looking for their feel-good storyline.
The Lineup
| Order/Role | Player | Age | Position | Bats | PA | wRC+ | Fld | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandon Nimmo | 33 | RF | L | 630 | 110 | 2.3 | 2.4 |
| 2 | Wyatt Langford | 24 | LF | R | 644 | 125 | 4.6 | 4.4 |
| 3 | Corey Seager | 32 | SS | L | 560 | 129 | 0.6 | 4.2 |
| 4 | Joc Pederson | 34 | DH | L | 434 | 118 | 0.0 | 1.3 |
| 5 | Jake Burger | 30 | 1B | R | 588 | 104 | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| 6 | Evan Carter | 23 | CF | L | 476 | 105 | -1.1 | 1.9 |
| 7 | Josh Jung | 28 | 3B | R | 560 | 95 | 0.4 | 1.7 |
| 8 | Josh Smith | 28 | 2B | L | 504 | 101 | -5.0 | 1.4 |
| 9 | Danny Jansen | 31 | C | R | 352 | 100 | -5.6 | 1.3 |
| BN | Kyle Higashioka | 36 | C | R | 283 | 86 | 2.0 | 1.2 |
| BN | Ezequiel Duran | 27 | UTIL | R | 280 | 87 | -2.5 | 0.4 |
| BN | Sam Haggerty | 32 | UTIL | S | 259 | 92 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| BN | Michael Helman | 30 | UTIL | R | 175 | 77 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
Thank goodness for Kyle’s brother, right? The new dad and late-August appendectomy patient will anchor the offense alongside homegrown outfielder and former first round pick Wyatt Langford in his third season in the bigs. Nimmo’s bat is a much-welcomed addition to the lineup and Evan Carter is looking to return to his historic 2023 postseason form. Everyone else in this lineup is projected to be under 2 fWAR (and we’re generously rounding up for Carter’s 1.9), and if you went “Hey wait, doesn’t that guy have some nagging injury issues?” about literally any of the names in this paragraph, yes. Yes they do.
Jake Burger is hard-pressed to have a season worse than last year, so I could see him returning to mildly competent form. Similarly, if The Joshes can stay healthy and/or avoid whatever noxious vat of goo Smith fell into in the second half of last season, it wouldn’t shock me to see them both outperform their projections. That said, all of these if-festooned fellas still ultimately really only add up to a decent team at best. And as you’ll see later on this week, there are no reinforcements coming from the minors to Dave the day. But, depending on how you feel about their pitching, decent could be enough to be competitive. I would be surprised if they surpassed that, but these Rangers have certainly surprised before.
MLB’s draft rules should shield it from NBA style tanking
OKLAHOMA CITY—Coming to you live this morning (as I write this, that is) from The 405, Oklahoma City, home of the reigning NBA champion Thunder.
I’m here with my wife, who’s here for a continuing education course in her field of study. I spent most of the day yesterday by myself, but at night, she and I walked 12 minutes to Paycom Center to watch the hobbled Thunder face the maimed Golden State Warriors.
It turned into quite the game!
There’s a reason for that. Even though both squads are banged up—no Steph Curry for GSW, no Chet Holmgren for OKC—both are in the thick of the playoff race. For the Thunder, they’re shooting for the No. 1 seed in the West, but are only up a few games on the surging San Antonio Spurs.
Things are much more dire for the Warriors, though. Without Curry and Jimmy Butler (out for the year), they’re just trying to reach the Play-In Tournament for a shot at facing either the Thunder or Spurs in the first round. Last night’s loss drops them to 32-31, only a game up on the Clippers for the No. 8 seed, with the Blazers not that far behind.
The Warriors don’t want to have to win two play-in games to make the playoffs, which means they need to finish No. 7 or No. 8.
And so, both teams came to play.
This is in stark contrast to many other NBA games this time of the season. While the Play-In tournament expanded the playoffs, theoretically, from eight teams per conference to 10 teams per conference, tanking—losing for a higher draft pick—runs rampant. This is also despite the changing of odds for landing that first pick. It’s an issue that’s plagued the league for years but has only increased this season due to a strong upcoming draft class.
Now, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has vowed to make even more changes to combat tanking. Fans await with bated breath.
But they could just look at how Major League Baseball works its draft.
Really, baseball has done such a good job with its recent draft changes that tanking makes little to no sense. This is a rare dubya for Rob Manfred (though one does wonder if this was his doing or someone else’s).
I often look for ways that MLB could borrow from other leagues (i.e., the NFL, NHL, and NBA) to improve its draft, but in this regard, the NBA might take a page out of MLB’s book.
For example, one particular issue promoting tanking in the NBA is trading draft picks with protections on them. (This also occurs in the NHL.) For example, Team A trades to Team B a draft pick that is top-four protected, meaning that Team B gets that pick only if it falls anywhere from picks #5-32. If Team A then starts to have a bad year a shot at the playoffs—or title—look grim, or there’s an especially deep draft class on the horizon, Team A might pivot to tanking to try to land within the top four spots and keep its draft pick.
One idea floating around is eliminating such draft pick protections, at least in the range of something like picks No. 5 through No. 14, which are the last picks of the draft lottery. Another option would be to eliminate draft pick protections entirely, though I don’t think that will happen.
MLB, of course, does not have this problem, because except for specific instances, draft picks cannot be traded. I used to hate this rule as I think that a GM or team President or Baseball Czar (did that title fade with La Russa?) should have handy every tool in the box, including trading draft picks. But watching the NBA deal with something like a dozen teams basically trying to lose their games in the 4-6 weeks of the season shows that MLB has it right with the strict limitations on trading draft picks.
The NBA could also learn from MLB’s handling of teams drafting in the lottery. Sure, the lottery is different between the two leagues—four teams in the NBA to six in the MLB—but it could be adapted.
In the MLB, a team cannot receive a lottery pick in more than two consecutive years. This is why the woebegone Colorado Rockies will pick 10th in the upcoming draft despite finishing with the worst record in baseball in 2025—they’d drafted in the lottery in both 2024 and 2025. They weren’t tanking their way to 43 wins. They just sucked.
The NBA could grow its lottery to, say, six teams, and add a clause that a team can’t pick X number of consecutive years in the lottery—could even be two consecutive years. That would dissuade teams such as the Kings, Wizards, Pelicans, Jazz, etc. from continually employing a destitute roster.
Obviously, I don’t know the answer(s) to fix the NBA’s tanking woes, but I’m confident in saying that it could look to the MLB for help. Before MLB instituted the draft lottery, tanking for the top pick was rare. Now, it essentially never happens. Major League Baseball got it right on its first attempt in implementing the lottery.
Mr. Silver, take a look at America’s pastime to solve your league’s tanking woes. You’ll be glad you did.
Red Sox Spring Training Game Thread: Garett Crochet takes on the Phillies
Is it on TV?
No! It is not! And you better get used to that, because NESN isn’t showing the game tomorrow or Friday this week either and the Sox are off on Wednesday. I will never in my life understand this. Even if it’s “too expensive” to do a full broadcast, why not just stick a camera behind home plate and stream the feed on NESN360? I would watch it and I promise I’m not alone.
What’s the lineup?
What should we watch listen for?
It’s really too bad we won’t see this one, because only one of Crochet’s first three starts has been broadcast. It would be nice to get a look at how the Sox’ resident Cy Young contender is looking. Otherwise, this lineup has plenty of young guys with something to prove. This would’ve been a nice game to catch on New England’s first warm day of 2026.
Spring Training Game Thread: Twins vs Braves
First Pitch (CT):12:05
TV: MLB.TV/ATL Video (via Braves)
Radio:Braves – ESPN 103.7/WIFN 1340
Know Yo’ Foe: Battery Power
What to watch: Zebby Matthews is on the mound in his fight to keep the 5th rotation spot. Mick Abel has had a flawless Spring, but it’s Zebby’s spot to lose.
Lineups
| Twins | Braves |
| SP: Zebby Matthews | SP: Carlos Carrasco |
| 1. Austin Martin, CF | 1. Jorge Mateo, 2B |
| 2. Royce Lewis, 3B | 2. Drake Baldwin, DH |
| 3. Luke Keaschall, LF | 3. Matt Olson, 1B |
| 4. Josh Bell, DH | 4. Austin Riley, 3B |
| 5. Trevor Larnach, RF | 5. Mike Yastrzemski, LF |
| 6. Eric Wagaman, 1B | 6. Eli White, RF |
| 7. Tristan Gray, SS | 7. Michael Harris II, CF |
| 8. Orlando Arcia, 2B | 8. Jonah Heim, C |
| 9. Alex Jackson, C | 9. Mauricio Dubon, SS |
Astros vs. Cardinals 3/9/2026 Spring Training Game Thread
The Houston Astros (4-8-3) host the St. Louis Cardinals (8-5-1) in Grapefruit League play.
RHP Cristian Javier will get the start for the Astros opposite RHP Richard Fitts for the Cardinals.
TODAY’S STARTER: RHP Cristian Javier is set to make his second start of the Spring and his first Grapefruit League start this year. He tossed 2.0 innings in his Spring debut last Tuesday in an exhibition vs. Team Venezuela.
In his return from Tommy John surgery in 2025, Javier made eight starts, going 2-4 with a 4.62 ERA (19ER/37IP), 34 strikeouts and a .230 opponent average. In his career, Javier has held opponents to a .203 (397×1956) batting average. Among AL pitchers to toss 525.0-plus innings between the 2020-25 seasons, Javier ranks first in the AL in that category.
He’s also helped author several notable moments in his career, starting a combined no-hitter in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series, as well as a combined no-hitter in June of that season at Yankee Stadium.
TODAY’S POTENTIAL RELIEVERS: RHP Peter Lambert, RHP Anthony Maldonado, RHP Ryan Weiss, RHP Amos Willingham.
ASTROS IN WBC: IF Zach Dezenzo started at right field in Team Italy’s 7-4 win over Team Great Britain yesterday at Daikin Park, going 1×3 with a double, two runs scored and a walk.
IF Shay Whitcomb got off to a fantastic start for Team Korea in their opener last Thursday vs Team Czechia, going 2×4 with two home runs and three RBI in an 11-4 win.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Monday, March 9, 12:05 p.m. CST
Location: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, FL.
TV: none
Streaming: HOU video livestream (astros.com)
Radio: KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2
WBC Wrap: Panama takes down Canada; Mexico, DR win big
After a day of terrific baseball, we only got one close game Sunday and that one was a minor upset.
Coming up today
We have three WBC Games late this morning and early this afternoon. Please use this as a discussion thread for those three games.
11 a.m. Central: Dominican Republic vs Israel at Miami. Pitching matchup, Bello vs. Prager. TV: FS1
11 a.m. Central: Colombia vs. Panama at San Juan. Pitching matchup, Almeida vs. Espino. TV: FS2
12 noon Central: Brazil vs. Great Britain at Houston. Pitching matchup, TBD vs. TBD. TV: Tubi
Pool A (San Juan):
Cuba hit two home runs in the first inning and they never looked back, beating Colombia 7-4.
Colombia actually broke out to a 1-0 lead with an unearned run off of Cuba starter and Diamondbacks prospect Denny Larrondo. The run scored on a sacrifice fly by former Athletics infielder Jordan Diaz.
But Cuba roared back in the bottom of the first. Nippon Ham Fighters outfielder Ariel Martínez went oppo taco with two men on to go up 3-1. [VIDEO]
Two batters later, former Dodger Erisbel Arruebarrena snuck a home run down the left field line to make it 4-1. [VIDEO]
Colombia cut the lead to 4-2 with another sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth. But Cuba struck back with three in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by this hit by Marlins minor leaguer Yiddi Cappe that left fielder Harold Ramírez misplayed into a two-run triple [VIDEO].
Colombia threatened to get back in the game in the top of the seventh. The pushed across one run on a Gio Urshela single and then scored a second run when former Mariners minor leaguer Tito Polo was hit by a pitch. But Cuba summoned former A’s minor leaguer Luis Romero from the bullpen with the bases loaded and two outs. He got an easy grounder back to the mound and flipped the ball to first base to end the threat.
Cuba is now 2-0 in pool play. Colombia is 0-3 and has been eliminated from any chance to advance to the single-elimination rounds.
Panama won for the first time in three tries in the 2026 WBC with a 4-3 win over Canada.
The Cubs’ Jameson Taillon got the start in this game and pitched well, allowing just one run on two hits over 3.2 innings. The one run he allowed came in the fourth inning after he left the game with a man on first and two outs. Reliever Antoine Jean let that runner in. Taillon walked two and struck out three.
Here are some Taillon highlights [VIDEO].
Abraham Toro, who is with the Royals this year, gave Canada a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the second inning. [VIDEO]
After Panama tied the game in the top of the fourth, Canada retook the lead on three consecutive singles by Bo Naylor, Owen Caissie and A’s outfielder Denzel Clarke.
James Paxton, who retired after the 2024 season, came back to pitch for Canada one last time in the sixth inning. Unfortunately, his defense let him down. An error by Canadian first baseman Josh Naylor opened up a two-out, three-run rally. Panama veteran Rubén Tejada, who last played in the majors for the Mets in 2019, hit a two-run single to give Panama the lead [VIDEO].
Enrique Banfield Jr. then bunted for a hit, scoring Miguel Amaya [VIDEO].
Marlins teammates Owen Caissie and Otto Lopez teamed up to make this incredible play to keep Panama from scoring another run in the top of the eighth.
Caissie almost tied the game with a deep drive to center field in the bottom of the eighth, but he hit it to the deepest part of the park and it ended up as an RBI double [VIDEO]
There was a one-hour rain delay at the start of this game and a 23-minute rain delay in the top of the ninth. When the game resumed, former Pirates pitcher Dario Agrazal came in to get the save. Josh Naylor singled with one out and stole second when Tyler O’Neill struck out. But with the tying run on second base, former Cub Jared Young struck out to end the game.
Miguel Amaya was 1 for 4 and scored on that Banfield bunt. Christian Bethancourt was briefly down injured after sliding into third base in sixth. But he eventually stayed in the game. He was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Pool B (Houston):
Italy improved to 2-0 in pool play with a comfortable 7-4 win over Great Britain.
Great Britain jumped on Italy starter and Guardians minor leaguer Dylan DeLucia in the top of the first. Nate Eaton led off the top of the first with a double and the second batter, Jazz Chisholm Jr., singled. Both runners would score on wild pitches by DeLucia.
But Italy would tie the game up in the third with back-to-back home runs by Brewers minor leaguer Andrew Fischer and Diamondbacks farmhand JJ D’Orazio.
The home run by JJ D’Orazio [VIDEO]
Italy took the lead after scoring three runs in the bottom of the fourth off of Nick Wells, who played in the independent Atlantic League last year. The first one came on an RBI single by Fischer. Then former Cub Miles Mastrobuoni doubled Fischer home. [VIDEO]
Phillies outfielder Dante Nori drove in the third run of the inning on an infield single.
Italy’s final two runs came in the fifth inning on a “Little League home run” (a triple and an error) off the bat of White Sox infielder Sam Antonacci. [VIDEO]
Great Britain got two runs back in the top of the eighth on an RBI single by Chisholm, who later scored on a wild pitch. But that was it for scoring in the game.
Cubs farmhand BJ Murray went 0 for 3 with a walk for Great Britain.
Mexico 16 Brazil 0 (6 innings)
Mexico turned in the biggest blowout of the tournament when they put up 16 runs against Brazil, who managed just three hits over six innings before it was called on the mercy rule.
Blue Jays farmhand Eric Pardinho got the start for Brazil and he got rocked for eight runs over three innings. Four of those runs came in the first inning.
The second run of the first inning came on this double by Alejandro Kirk. [VIDEO]
Mexico tacked on another run when Jarren Duran led off the second inning with a home run. [VIDEO]
Mexico scored six more runs in the fourth inning. Kirk hit a three-run home run in the sixth. [VIDEO]
Meanwhile, Mexico starter Taijuan Walker did not allow a hit over 3.1 innings, striking out three. [VIDEO]
Pool C (Tokyo)
Korea’s win by five runs gave them a spot in the quarterfinals because of a three-way tiebreaker:
As it turned out, Korea needed every one of its runs on Monday. Because the win created a three-way tie in Pool C among Korea, Australia and Chinese Taipei, the run quotient tiebreaker went into effect, awarding Korea a trip to the quarterfinals based on its number of runs scored and defensive outs collected. In other words, had Korea won by fewer than five runs in nine innings, Australia would’ve advanced despite the loss.
Tough loss for Australia, as Korea scored a run in the ninth inning for that five-run win. Otherwise Australia would have headed to the quarterfinals. Korea will play the winner of Pool D on Friday.
For Korea, Bo Gyeong Moon had four RBI and this two-run homer:
Here’s the sacrifice fly that gave Korea their final, tie-breaking run [VIDEO].
Pool D (Miami)
Dominican Republic 12, Netherlands 1 (7 innings)
The Dominican Republic had no problem with the Netherlands, winning 12-1 in a game that ended early on the mercy rule. Technically this game ended on a walk-off home run by Juan Soto.
Arij Fransen, who pitched in the Reds minor league system last year and is currently a free agent, started for the Netherlands and promptly gave up two runs. The first came off of an RBI single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the second one was the result of an error by shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
The Netherlands only run came in the second inning on a home run by Didi Gregorius. [VIDEO]
Luis Severino started for the Dominicans and got the win, allowing just one run on three hits over four innings. Severino struck out five and walked no one.
Guerrero extended the Dominican lead to 4-1 with a two-run home run in the third [VIDEO]
The game turned into a rout when the Dominicans scored six runs in the fifth inning, most of which came off of Netherlands reliever Wendell Floranus, who pitched in the Orioles system from 2012 to 2015 and has been in the Mexican League ever since. Junior Caminero and Austin Wells each hit two-run home runs for the DR in the fifth.
Here’s every run scored in the fifth inning by the Dominican Republic [VIDEO]
Finally, we have that technical walk-off home run by Juan Soto [VIDEO], as the blast increased the Dominican lead to 11 runs, which brought about the mercy rule.
Five pitchers combined to complete a two-hit shutout as Israel won for the first time in this tournament, 5-0 over Nicaragua.
Dean Kremer made the start for Israel and allowed just two hits over 4.1 innings. He struck out four and walked one.
Here are Kremer’s four strikeouts [VIDEO].
Israel took a 1-0 lead when Cardinals farmhand Noah Mendlinger singled home Rockies prospect Cole Carrigg. They took a commanding lead in the fifth when the scored four runs on singles by Harrison Bader, Cardinals minor leaguer Zach Levenson and Carrigg.