GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 4: Emmet Sheehan #80 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch during a World Baseball Classic exhibition game against Team Mexico at Camelback Ranch on March 4, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On paper, the Dodgers’ starting rotation consists of a four-headed behemoth comprising of All-Stars and a pandora’s box of options to fill in the final spot. With Blake Snell and Gavin Stone set to begin the season on the injured list, it opened up a wild horse race to see which young pitchers could support the back-end of the rotation.
Both River Ryan and Kyle Hurt enjoyed fruitful springs after having their entire 2025 season wiped away due to injury, but they were both demoted back to Triple-A Oklahoma City before Saturday’s Cactus League finale. Roki Sasaki, despite his ongoing struggles, will be a fixture in the rotation— for now. The final spot comes down to either Emmet Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski, but the Dodgers are still uncertain as to whether they’ll implement a five or six-man rotation, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was less definitive Friday, not naming a fifth starter when asked. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the situation between Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski was more “nuanced” than one being the fifth and the other the sixth starter with “piggyback” outings a possibility early in the season.
Sheehan struggled over 10 2/3 innings on the mound this spring, posting a 5.91 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP, while Wrobleski posted a slightly better 5.40 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 8 1/3 innings.
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto was stellar in his final tune-up of spring on Friday, where he silenced the San Diego Padres over five shutout innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out seven on 68 pitches.
Yamamoto spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA post-game about his most recent start as he prepares to spearhead the Dodgers regular season on Thursday.
“There were a few things I wanted to try, and today I was able to get into the game very nicely, so I think that was good. With runners on base, I was able to calmly throw my pitch. There were a few pitches, especially like a first pitch strike, and that was something that I was focused on going to.”
The Dodgers now have a better idea as to how to approach the new ABS system, as Sonja Chen of MLB.com notes that challenges will be used conservatively and predominantly on the offensive side of the at-bat.
“I feel like as hitters, we kind of laid off a little bit and didn’t use it the way that we were supposed to use it early on, because we were saving it for the catcher and to have a conversation,” [Miguel] Rojas said. “But now that we have a little bit more clarity of how we’re going to use it, I think the team is going to start getting better.”
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Ryan Ritter #8 of the Colorado Rockies in the outfield during the spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 23, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In addition to playing second, third, and short, he’s also spend some time in the outfield. But, as he told Purple Row, he’s ready for the challenge.
Lessons learned in 2025
While there were any number of lessons to be learned in the Rockies historically bad 2025, for Ritter, it was about learning to pace himself.
“It’s a long, very long season,” Ritter said, “so just making sure that I’m really taking care of my my sleep, my meals right after the game and just staying strong all year.”
Although he, like many MLB players, found himself losing too much weight during a grueling season, Ritter is on track to do better in 2026.
“I just know that this year, that’s not gonna happen.”
In addition to spending the offseason in the weight room, Ritter also began working on setting a sustainable routine — even if it’s a little dull.
“This year, I have a good routine,” he said. “I make sure I do the boring things every day, just keeping it simple.”
Coaching and spring training changes
So far, Ritter likes the changes put in place by the Rockies front office.
“It’s been great,” he said, pointing to all the new coaches and players. “We’ve been all getting along really well here, and it’s been very competitive, but it’s how you want it.”
For Ritter, he appreciates the “small things” happening in camp.
“I want to learn and improve on every part of my game. So I definitely like hearing from them more often this year.”
Exploring the outfield grass
Ritter has spent most of his MLB career playing the infield. But with the Rockies emphasis on versatility, they’ve given Ritter a shot at showing what he can do in the outfield.
But Warren Schaeffer and his staff didn’t give him much notice.
“The day I found I was playing left field, it was like, ‘Hey, you play left before?’ I said, ‘No.’” And then bench coach Jeff Pickler told Ritter it was his time. Ritter took a few outfield reps, and the rest is history.
“I’ve just been making it part of my game.”
The coaching staff has helped with the transition and he become a more diverse utility player.
“The coaches get me prepared from pregame work, and I just use my athletic ability to make it work,” Ritter said.
Clearly, the Rockies are seeing what Ritter can do.
“I don’t think I’ve played a game this year where it’s been back-to-back the same position,” Ritter said. “So they’re definitely putting me in positions to play all these different positions, and it’s been great.”
He added, “I’m getting more comfortable.”
Still, when asked his favorite position, Ritter had a quick answer: “I played infield my whole life, so I’m a shortstop at heart.”
At this point, it seems likely Ritter will break camp with the Rockies given his flexibility. For a player in only his second MLB season, it’s a positive sign.
Who will be the fifth starter? Who will be the backup catcher? Who will be the starting first basemen? Who will make the bullpen? Let us know in the comments!
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TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 25: Coach Rich Monteleone of the New York Yankees poses for a portrait during Yankees Photo Day at Legends Field on February 25, 2005 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The early 1990s were a bit of a wasteland for the Yankees as a franchise. By winning percentage, the 1990 and ‘91 teams are two of the worst in franchise history, and they mostly continued the story of the 1980s, where the Yankees made the playoffs just once. By 1993, they began to show signs of returning to form, and then of course by the end of the decade, they were a dynasty again.
That’s not to say there were no good players around in the dark periods though. For instance, they got two solid years in there from reliever Rich Monteleone.
Richard “Rich” Monteleone Born: March 22, 1963 (Tampa, FL) Yankees Tenure: 1990-93
Monteleone was born and raised in Tampa, Florida attending Tampa Catholic High School. It was out of high school that the Tigers selected him with their first round draft pick in 1982, which was the 20th overall pick. Relatedly, another Tampa high school pitcher was selected fifth that year, with a certain Dwight Gooden going to the Mets.
While Monteleone did sign with the Tigers, he would never actually appear for them in the majors. Initially a starter in the minor leagues, he was a bit of a slow developer, as he never posted an ERA under four in any of his first six MiLB seasons. After his first couple, he ended up as part of a trade in December 1985, sending him to the Mariners organization. His first season there still saw him struggle to put up good numbers, and Seattle eventually moved him to the bullpen in 1987. He was briefly called up to the big leagues that April, getting his first taste of the majors before getting sent back down.
In 1988, Monteleone was still struggling to find his footing and the M’s eventually just released him that May. A couple days later, he signed with the Angels, where he finally began to figure things out. He made a cameo at the major league level in 1988, but then got an extended run the following season. In 1989, Monteleone posted a 3.18 ERA (121 ERA+) in 39.2 innings.
Despite that, Monteleone started 1990 back in the minors. However, just after the new season started, he and Claudell Washington — a former Yankee returning to the Bronx — were sent to the Yankees in exchange for Luis Polonia. The trade for the Yankees was more about reacquiring Washington, as they were still trying to get something going and contend again, but they also got a pitcher who had shown some positive signs. The Yankees also sent Monteleone to the minors, before recalling him for a sub-par cup of coffee that September.
Monteleone returned to the big league roster in 1991 and found some success, at least stats-wise. Often used in a multi-inning role, he posted a 3.64 ERA (115 ERA+) in 47 innings. The following year, he was even better. Pitching in over 90 innings, he put up a 3.30 ERA. He recorded seven wins, which was third on the team in total, starter or reliever.
The next season wasn’t as good, though, as Monteleone’s ERA was just under five in over 80 innings pitched. The Yankees let him walk in free agency after that year, and he signed with the Giants. He bounced back in the strike-shortened 1994 season, with a 126 ERA+. He also served as San Francisco’s player representative in the MLBPA throughout that turbulent time.
With the 1995 season still in flux to start, Monteleone went to Japan and joined the Chunichi Dragons. However, he didn’t have the best of years there and returned to his old Angels team later in the year. A free agent again to start 1996, Monteleone re-signed with the Yankees. However, he never actually appeared again with the team, starting in the minors before being sent back to the Angels for Mike Aldrete, who would be a bench option for the ‘96 World Series-winning Yankees. Monteleone pitched a handful of innings for the Angels in ‘96 before retiring following that season.
After giving up playing, Monteleone got into coaching, where he would end up back with the Yankees. He was the pitching coach in the organization at various minor league levels, and was the big league team’s bullpen coach from 2002-04. After that, he stayed with the organization through 2008 as a special instructor.
Monteleone’s numbers were hardly ever dominant, but at least for a couple years in the early 1990s, they were decent enough for a Yankees team that often wasn’t getting even that.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 02: Dean Kremer #64 of the Baltimore Orioles licks his fingers after giving up a lead-off home run to LaMonte Wade Jr. #31 of the San Francisco Giants in the first inning on June 02, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello, friends.
There are now just four days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. It’s coming on Thursday! As of yesterday, the team has wrapped up its exhibition schedule in Florida, with a home-and-home pair of exhibitions in Baltimore (today) and Washington (tomorrow) still to come before everything starts getting finalized for the regular season. Today’s 1:35 afternoon game will be televised on MASN.
In yesterday’s Grapefruit League finale, the Orioles beat the Phillies, 10-8. Jhonkensy Noel hit a grand slam in the game, which is nice for him but is not going to make much difference in his roster chances. Several pitchers who will not be on the Opening Day roster were in action in the game and gave up runs. One guy who will be on the roster had a scoreless inning: Tyler Wells struck out three guys.
The Orioles made some news yesterday that still has me surprised. Dean Kremer was optioned to minor league camp. This was essentially the obvious move ever since the team signed Chris Bassitt, yet it still surprised me because I couldn’t believe they would actually do it. Kremer has been a remarkably consistent guy across the last three years – seriously, his three ERAs are within 0.09 of one another. They weren’t good ERAs, but they are good enough that he has earned a spot in a major league rotation. Just, you know, the back, not the middle or even the front.
Kremer might still get that spot. The Orioles could still be intending to go with a six-man rotation. The thing is that with the early off days on March 27 and April 2, they don’t even really need a fifth starter more than once over the first week-plus of game action. Perhaps they’ll try to bring up Kremer when they want to transition to six, and in the meantime he’s keeping his innings built up in Triple-A Norfolk. We’ll see what they end up doing. Somebody could get hurt before they try to go to six guys. Or they might have a different plan entirely.
Another angle to is it that Kremer has generally stunk in April, with last year’s 7.04 ERA being representative of what he’s done in his career. If it is possible to absorb the rocky April in the minors and then get him up to MLB after that’s out of his system for the year, that’s a plus for the fortunes of the 2026 Orioles. Your guess is as good as mine whether Kremer could come up to MLB in May and avoid his career-long April struggles. Maybe he’s just going to stink in the first month he’s facing MLB hitters, whatever month that ends up being.
The Orioles also delivered a variety of injury updates that could have had a potential impact on the Opening Day roster. Manager Craig Albernaz told reporters before yesterday’s game that the knee soreness for Dylan Beavers shouldn’t have him out for the start of the season. On the other hand, Heston Kjerstad, who was unlikely to make the Opening Day roster anyway, is getting an MRI done on his hamstring. It seems that injured reliever Andrew Kittredge is trying to keep his injured list stint to the minimum. We’ll see how that works out.
Although spring training is over, the Orioles have not cut down the roster to close to the 26-man limit just yet. There are 42 players remaining in camp, two of whom are certainly ticketed for the IL. The team has probably already made the choices, it’s just a question of when they will reveal them. Or if Mike Elias does another end of spring training waiver wire/cash considerations surprise. It’s happened before.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
Keegan Akin suffers hip injury, muddling bullpen picture (The Baltimore Sun) One more bit of injury news from yesterday that could shake up the Opening Day roster. If Akin can’t go, will Elias decide it’s Anthony Nunez time? That’s what I’d do, but I don’t think he’s going to ask me.
Albernaz on Eflin: “He’s checked every box” (School of Roch) The fact that Zach Eflin has looked healthy and seemed to be pitching well through spring training, including in his most recent outing a couple of days ago, seems to be the thing that sealed Kremer being sent to the minors. If Eflin was two weeks behind schedule, Kremer is on the team. But he’s seemed to be in good shape, so that’s how it is.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Today in 1981, Earl Weaver was suspended after removing the Orioles from the field during a spring training game and forfeiting the remainder of the game in protest that he was not provided a correct batting order after the opponent, the Royals, made a number of substitutions. I’ll go ahead and guess he was right about it.
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2018 catcher Andrew Susac, 2013 outfielder Mike Morse, and 1957 super utility man Billy Goodman.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Declaration of Independence signer and Marylander Charles Carroll (1723), actor Chico Marx (1887), Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim (1930), Broadway composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (1948), and actor Keegan-Michael Key (1971).
On this day in history…
In 1765, the Parliament of Britain passed the Stamp Act, levying taxes directly on the North American colonies. Over time they were rather famously unhappy about this.
In 1871, North Carolina’s governor, William Woods Holden, was impeached and removed from office. He was the first governor of a state to be removed from office in this way. If the Wikipedia article about this is accurate, there have been a total of six more governors removed from then to now.
In 1963, the debut album for The Beatles, titled Please Please Me, was released.
In 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment, which proposed to enshrine that equality of rights shall not be denied on account of sex, was sent to the states for ratification. This effort has to date proved unsuccessful, though many states, including Maryland, include such a clause in their state constitutions.
A random Orioles trivia question
I received a random book of Orioles trivia questions for Christmas. I’ll ask a question in this space each time it’s my turn until I run out of questions or forget. There are 100 questions and because I’ve skipped stupid ones, we are already on 65. Here’s today’s question:
How many Gold Glove winners did the Orioles have in 1996? Bonus: Name the players.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on March 22. Have a safe Sunday.
Mar 14, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford (80) looks on after scoring a run against the New York Yankees in the eighth inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
With the announcement that Andrew Painter had made the starting rotation and that Justin Crawford had his contract selected, the team’s final roster is starting to take shape. We should know the fate of the 26th man on the roster soon enough (please don’t be Stubbs, please don’t be Stubbs…), at which point we will have the final team ready to open against the Rangers on Thursday.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 06: Tim Hill #54 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium on July 06, 2024 in in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees’ Opening Day roster became a lot clearer yesterday, as the team made it official that Randal Grichuk would be traveling to San Francisco and Oswaldo Cabrera will begin the year in the minor leagues. They made a few other cuts to the roster, trimming down more of the infield depth options, and now the only question remaining is which pitchers will occupy the final couple of bullpen slots. It’s been far from a flashy spring with only minor competitions, but that was to be expected with how many returning starters they brought with them.
On the site we’ve got a chill Sunday lined up, with two Matt posts going back-to-back to start us off. The first entry wishes Rich Monteleone a happy birthday and remembers the early 90s reliever and his short but decent career in pinstripes, while the second looks at the Philadelphia Phillies ahead of their push for a third consecutive NL East title. Then, John stops by to deliver the latest social media spotlight featuring the end of the WBC.
1. Who is your favorite Yankee reliever that didn’t serve as their closer during this decade?
2. Now that the WBC is in the rearview mirror, what do you think are the odds of MLB permitting a break midseason for players to participate in the Olympics in 2028?
The Dodgers celebrate with the World Series trophy after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 at the Rogers Centre to secure their second consecutive championship. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The truth of this Dodgers season was recently found in a place where all sports truths are clipped and tapered and styled into reality.
The barbershop.
Of course, the barbershop, where ball talk is real talk, and where the expectations around the Dodgers upcoming quest for a three-peat recently smothered me like a hot towel to the head.
I was sitting in the chair in mid-shave when a bald gentleman barged into the shop searching not for a cut, but a promise.
“Say it!” he shouted to me from just inside the door. “Say what everybody around here believes!”
“No, say it about the Dodgers!” said the man, and he was serious. “Say that they have the best team in history and they’re going to win another championship! Say it, because that’s what everybody thinks!”
The shop quieted, chairs swiveled, and suddenly everyone was looking at me, at which point I said the one word I’ve never written in any of the last dozen or so Dodger preview columns.
“No.”
“No?” the man replied.
“No, I don’t think the Dodgers are going to win a third consecutive World Series championship.”
The man was clearly taken aback, some of the other patrons chuckling in surprise, the Dodger pulse of this town clearly resonating in a completely unusual fashion.
For the first time in forever, the ever-doubting Dodger nation is convinced this team is destined for a title.
It’s not like it used to be, back in the bad old days of crumbles and collapses. For the previous several years, Dodger fans have spent all spring pondering ways this great team would blow it. The playoff defeats by San Diego and Arizona burned into memories, and even after the Dodgers won it in 2024, their fan base invented scenarios in which they could not possibly repeat it.
But now that they have repeated it? Now that their roster has even gotten more stacked than the previous two seasons? The town is all in. The town expects more. The town is not only believing in a three-peat, they are counting on it.
As this barbershop bystander made clear, for the first time, only a prediction of another championship would be acceptable.
Sorry, but, um, no.
After all these years of picking the Dodgers to win, I’m formally picking them to lose. I don’t know exactly how, or precisely when, but it just feels like somebody, at some point, is going to finally end this run.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hasn't been on the losing end in the postseason since the team was swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 National League Division Series, above. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
I know this whole theory sounds crazy. Who’s better than them? Who’s even close to them? That genius Andrew Friedman has seemingly perfectly and tightly sewn together another title team.
But stretch that fabric over six months and look close at its stitching and there’s enough tiny holes to eventually blow the whole thing apart.
Despite mounds of evidence to the contrary, I just can’t bring myself to believe they have all the ingredients to become just the third franchise in baseball history to three-peat.
“They’re not going to win again?” the man shouted as he spun on his heels and marched out of the barbershop. “How can you say that?”
Plenty of reasons, actually.
Start with age.
This is suddenly an older team. They’re seasoned, they’re savvy, but they’re increasingly vulnerable. Too much age can knock you flat with injuries and fatigue. Hangovers are a young person’s game. Hangovers are hell on the old timers.
Did you know a dozen of the Dodgers key players are in their 30s? It happened so quickly, right? Freddie Freeman is 36, Max Muncy is 35, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández are 33, and nobody is getting any younger.
Case in point: For the first time ever, this spring Freeman acknowledged that against his wishes, the Dodgers may not allow him to play every inning of every game. That’s one tiny, huge example.
One of the older players is 33-year-old Blake Snell, which leads to another potential problem, that being the starting rotation.
Did you realize that the staff leader in games started last year, behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto, was that broken-down fighter Clayton Kershaw?
He’s retired, and the rotation is as tenuous as ever. Snell is starting the season on the injured list. Roki Sasaki has had a shaky spring. Tyler Glasnow still has never pitched more than 134 innings. Yamamoto added extra innings to an already battered arm by pitching for Japan in the World Baseball Classic.
That leaves Shohei Ohtani as the only starter with no baggage, yet he continues to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders and, now that he’s the ripe old age of 31, one only hopes Superman can continue to fly.
How much will age be a factor for Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell, left, and right-hander Shohei Ohtani, right? (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)
Here’s guessing the rotation will also miss the stability once offered by Kershaw, and that could be a problem, because here’s guessing the bullpen could be just as shaky.
Yes, they added the best free agent reliever in closer Edwin Díaz, and the fans will go wild at the first notes of Timmy Trumpet, but will the Dodgers have enough middle relief to get to him?
Speaking of survival, catcher Will Smith has played in 126 games or more four times in the last five years. Throw in 50 postseason games during that time and the physical toll on this World Series hero has been enormous. One can only hope that Dalton Rushing can improve on last year’s .204-hitting performance enough to allow Smith to take a break, because that becomes a big Dodger weakness if he doesn’t.
Rushing isn’t the only young Dodger with something to prove. After a strong regular season, Andy Pages managed just four hits in 51 postseason at-bats, an average which disappeared beneath his season-saving catch over Kiké Hernández in Game 7 of the World Series. One hopes he has rediscovered his swing, because that’s a problem if he hasn’t.
Andy Pages' catch in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series will be remembered forever, but can he bounce back at the plate this season? (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Same with Betts. Last year’s struggles, which ended with a .138 average in the World Series, have been blamed on an early-season stomach ailment and all-season adjustment to shortstop. It’s unfair to doubt those reasons or his commitment to fixing it.
But it is fair to note that he’s coming off the worst two-season OPS since early in his career and that he must become the old Mookie for his teammates to remain the great Dodgers.
Yet even if all those question marks are positively answered, even if every perceived weakness becomes a real strength, even if these Dodgers have the best regular season in baseball history as so many have predicted…
They’ll still need one thing that seems impossible to buy or teach.
They’ll need the sort of incredible good fortune and great breaks that allowed them to win each of their last two titles.
Can any team be that lucky three years in a row?
Even the Dodgers admit that there were many key plays in the last two postseasons that could have gone the other way and changed history forever. Seemingly every one of those breaks broke for the Dodgers. How can this keep happening?
Will a Philadelphia Phillies reliever lose his mind again? Will the Toronto Blue Jays melt under pressure in consecutive home games again? Will they have the baserunning blunders, the bullpen breakdowns, the terrible at-bats?
Cam Schlittler looked sharp in his final start of the spring, building up to 62 pitches across 3 ²/₃ scoreless innings while averaging 97.5 mph on his four-seam fastball.
Cam Schlittler AP
No ‘Brough
Ryan Yarbrough got roughed up while piggybacking Schlittler, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks across 2 ²/₃ innings.
Caught my eye
Yovanny Cruz turned in his third straight scoreless outing while lighting up the radar gun with a fastball that averaged 100.6 mph.
The reliever probably does not have enough time to make the Opening Day roster, given that his spring was delayed by a shoulder issue, but he is putting himself in play to help at some point this season.
“It’s been exciting to see him in the strike zone as much as he has been in these three outings,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s definitely got our attention.”
Sunday’s schedule
The Yankees have their Grapefruit League finale against the Phillies at Steinbrenner Field, with Will Warren making his final tuneup at 1:05 p.m.
Mark Vientos, who began the day 1-for-31 in the Grapefruit League, homered as part of the 3-1 split-squad victory over the Nationals in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Mark Vientos, hitting earlier in spring training, belts a homer in the Mets’ 7-5 spring training loss to the Astros on March 21, 2026 in Port St. Lucie. Getty Images
Wide right
Jorge Polanco committed a throwing error in the eighth inning of the 7-5 exhibition loss to the Astros in Port St. Lucie.
Polanco threw behind the pitcher covering first base.
Caught my eye
Marcus Semien had a 3-for-3 performance against the Astros and raised his OPS this spring to .700.
Sunday’s schedule
David Peterson will get the start for the Grapefruit League finale in Jupiter, Fla., against the Marlins.
William Bergolla Jr. got the White Sox Prospects off to a great start in Glendale — but the good fortune (and an 8-2 lead) would not last. | (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
For a year-and-a-half starting in 2024, the White Sox ran out one of the worst offenses in modern history. Due to a combination of dumb luck and an influx of young bats, the club climbed out of its hitting tomb and started haunting MLB pitching in the second half last year.
Unfortunately, this coming summer could begin the era of morbid arms, or creepy control, or hiccuping velocity. Based on Saturday night’s split-squad of sorts, starting in 101° weather despite a move of both games from afternoon to night, any one of those ugly options are in play. And given that one of the split squads tonight was the Spring Breakout, featuring the best of the best arms in the system, help might not be on the way.
It was just two games, true, so let’s not lose our heads over the combined 24 walks in the two games. OK, maybe lose your head over 17 walks from the Spring Breakout game.
Before tonight, have you ever heard of five straight bases-loaded walks (and six in a row total) as the endcap of a seven-run second inning against the defending world champions? Me neither.
For a time, like, maybe 90 minutes into the never-ending Breakout Game, this was the headline I was running with:
Lucas wepf; five straight sacks-packed passes fuels White Sox Breakout rout
If you glance above, you’ll see that hed did not hold up.
For a hot minute, it seemed the White Sox prospects were going to run away with this one, simply by taking what was given by L.A. Perhaps it was a famous case of “Spring Breakout” jitters, but Dodgers reliever Lucas Wepf allowed four of those bases-loaded walks, all consecutive; the Double-A reliever managed just two strikes in his 17 pitches on Saturday, surely the very worst performance of his career under the very brightest lights.
BEFORE the walk parade, it was William Bergolla Jr. who gave the White Sox back a lead with a bases-loaded ground-rule double:
The seven runs scored in the second inning, which flipped the game from 2-1, Dodgers, to 8-2, White Sox, all came with two outs.
With such a massive lead early, it would take an awful lot of offense from the Dodgers to get back in the game, right?
Right?
Er, well, the young White Sox arms decided to give the game right back to Los Angeles, issuing walk after walk — no, not five straight with the bases full, but still — and turning the game completely around. The White Sox lead was shaved down to 8-6 by the end of the second, the game was tied 8-8 after three, and the lead lost 11-8 through just four innings. The White Sox staff walk total at that point? TWELVE (and with the Dodgers chipping in, 20 total in the game).
The Chisox youngsters rallied a bit, adding single runs on a Billy Carlson GIDP in the seventh and a solo blast from George Wolkow in the eighth:
In the ninth, Samuel Zavala led off with an infield single back to the pitcher and advanced to second on a throwing error. One out later, it was Kyle Lodise ripping a single so hard to center that Zavala could only hop to third. But with runners on the corners and one out, José Mendoza tapped into a 6-4-3 double play to end it, mercifully, after three hours and 45 minutes.
Over in Goodyear, it was another case of an early White Sox lead, lost.
The “Opening Day lineup” for the White Sox put up some big numbers early, leading 5-1 at the game’s halfway point. But the pitching staff walked it all away, and in particular swingman Sean Newcomb was atrocious. Coming on to finish the third and pitching into the fifth, Newcomb allowed five earned runs on four hits, adding an error into the mix. But the staff as a whole ginned up seven walks against just eight Ks, keeping traffic on the paths and insisting on a Reds comeback.
Cincinnati had rallied for a 7-5 lead by the fifth, and two innings later a two-run single from Everson Pereira (who’d already clocked a two-run homer earlier in the game) knotted the game back up, 7-7.
The score remained the same until the bottom of the ninth, when Cincy turned a single, walk and HBP into a two-out, bases-loaded situation for reliever Frankeli Arias. Arias battled with P.J. Higgins to a full count, and the deciding pitch was going to end the game, swing or no:
Yes, it appears that Higgins could have taken a sayonara base on balls, but instead he swung at a juicy fastball at his eyes and drove it out to right for an oppo slam. Case closed, Reds win, 11-7.
PEORIA, ARIZONA - MARCH 11: Luke Raley #20 of the Seattle Mariners walks into the dugout during a Spring Training game against the Colorado Rockies at Peoria Stadium on March 11, 2026 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If there was much to be seen in tonight’s game, it came early. Ironically, in a match up that was moved to the night time so as to mitigate the record heat wave scorching nearly the entire American West, the only things of major consequence came while the sun was still up.
A sloppy first inning for Seattle starter George Kirby set a troubling scene in the righty’s final tune-up before the regular season begins in under a week. Thankfully, while Kirby does continue to be an enigmatic arm as he continues tweaking and refining his repertoire, by the time he departed the game in the sixth inning, he’s yielded just a single run. Kirby’s velocity sat between 96 and 98 mph all evening on his fast ball and wow, his slider was intermittent in its efficacy, he threw a number of impressive change ups and/or splitters.
This was not the most potent version of the Chicago Cubs, with no Ian Happ, Alex Bregman, or Nico Hoerner. But these were largely big league hitters, and ones Chicago expects to play every day or significant roles this year. That estimation holds true for Colin Rea as well, who’s start went disappointingly smoothly against a mostly opening day Mariners lineup. Josh Naylor scattered some singles as he is wont to do, but on the whole it was a quiet night offensively.
Of the rest…
Gabe Speier got roughed up once again. Nothing particularly seemed awry for the southpaw, so I’m not inclined to fret. It’s just been a tricky spate in spring and in the World Baseball Classic for Seattle’s lefty.
Cole Young looked fine at shortstop, albeit without too much high-strain work.
Cole Wilcox continues to impress, with another sharp inning in the 9th that has me considering his capacity to help this club in the very near term.
Yosver Zulueta could not record an out, which is why the final total looked so grim. After some solid location to start his outing, things fell apart swiftly and he was getting rocked by the time Michael Rucker came in to mercifully retire the side.
Nothing entirely standout for Luke Raley, but he did a number of little things that reminded me just how nice of a player he is when properly healthy, something Seattle rarely if ever got in 2025 out of him.
Cal and Randy appear to have fully made nice, with Arozarena delivering an apology and related it to the press.
If action was what you sought, action you found as prospects of the Dodgers and White Sox engaged in a slugfest to wrap up Saturday evening on one of five MLB Spring Breakout games on the docket. Despite trailing 8-2 at one point in the middle of the second inning, the Dodgers crawled back for a thrilling 11-10 win, putting on a show with some of their more exciting young hitters.
One of the standout performers in spring training, James Tibbs III, had the biggest hit of the game. Facing Nick Weyrich and his funky throwing angle in the second inning, the left-handed hitter had no reservations about swinging 3-0. Fed the pitch he was looking for, Tibbs III got a hold of a tasty fastball and crushed it to the opposite field for a three-run blast.
Counting his spring numbers as well, this was Tibbs III’s eighth extra-base hit and fourth home run. Acquired from the Red Sox for Dustin May last season, Tibbs III ended the year strong in Tulsa, and if his spring stats are any indication, he is a name to watch out for.
Much higher up on the Dodgers’ prospects leaderboards, Josue De Paula might not have had quite the flashy moment that Tibbs III did, but he made his presence known. The young outfielder reached base on three of four plate appearances, scoring twice and driving in someone. De Paula, who is 9 for 24 in spring, went 1 for 2 with a couple of walks and stole a base.
Moving over to the pitching side of things, we can say Cristian Zazueta did not allow an earned run, and that would be true, even if a misleading affirmation when it comes to the quality of his performance. For starters, the first run he allowed came largely because of a throwing error from himself on a failed pickoff attempt. An inning later, when the White Sox scored seven in the second, one defensive error doesn’t justify the frame snowballing quite so rapidly and radically as it did. Zazueta left the game with three runs having come across and the bases loaded—Lucas Wepf couldn’t strand any of them. Luckily, the offense was there to back him up. Eight for 18 with runners in scoring position, the Dodgers didn’t need a whole lot of extra-base hits to score these 10 runs, only two total.
Up next
It’s Freeway Series time as the Dodgers get ready for Opening Day by traveling to Angel Stadium for a date with the Angels. Youngster George Klaasen and the ultratalented Tyler Glasnow make up the starting pitcher duel; the first pitch is set for 6:07 p.m. PT.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Ariel Armas #89 of the Chicago Cubs at bat during the seventh inning of a Spring Training game against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium on February 23, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Will Sanders started for the Cubs and he was impressive, throwing his fastball at an average 95 miles per hour, which is about 2.5 mph harder than he threw it last year. Yes, it’s expected that pitchers throw harder in early in the season and when they know they’ll be on a low pitch count, but he was still hitting 94.8 in his third and final inning.
Ayers was the big Cubs story of the Arizona Fall League last year, so he’s definitely one to keep an eye on this year.
But the Padres tied the game up in the top of with a solo home run by Kale Fountain off of Sanders. But that’s about all Sanders would give up. He would leave after throwing three innings and allowing just the one run on two hits. He struck out three and walked no one.
The Cubs would go back up in the top of the fourth. First baseman Cole Mathis doubled with one out, went to third on a ground out to second and scored on an infield single by pinch hitter Carter Trice.
The Cubs would plate two more runs later in the sixth. Trice, who stayed in the game, singled after Arias. Next, last year’s second-round pick Kane Kepley doubled to put runners on second and third. Two wild pitches would score both Trice and Kepley.
The Padres scored once in the top of the ninth off of reliever Luis Martinez-Gomez, who gave up a leadoff double. The runner then went to third on a flyout to right field and scored on a sacrifice fly. Martinez-Gomez got the save after giving up one run on one hit over one inning. He did not walk or strike anyone out, but he did hit one batter.
Yenrri Rojas threw two innings of relief and got the win. Rojas gave up no runs on two hits. He struck out two and walked one. Last year’s fourth-round pick, Kaleb Wing, pitched the eighth inning. He issued a two-out walk, but no other baserunners. Wing struck out one.
Trice didn’t even start this game, but he ended up as the big bat, going 3 for 3 with the home run.
Mathis was 2 for 3 with a double.
Kepley played the entire game in center field and went 2 for 4 with a double, a walk and a stolen base.
Didier Fuentes has indeed made the Braves’ Opening Day roster and that is an exciting development for Braves fans, as the 20 year old has looked phenomenal this spring. There have been shades of vintage Spencer Strider from Fuentes this spring, but he may still need that third pitch to be able to consistently be effective multiple times through major league batting lineups. There is hope that his splitter can be that effective third pitch, but that fastball-slider combo with his command could be quite deadly. It will be interesting to see if he can earn his retention on the major league roster beyond the period when a six-man rotation is needed, though an injury or two could easily pave the way for that. Either way, Fuentes will be one of the most exciting players to track early this season in Atlanta.
