The USC men's basketball team is losing one of its most key players at one of the most critical points of the season.
Chad Baker-Mazara, a sixth-year graduate student, is no longer with the program, the team announced in a statement Sunday afternoon.
No further details were provided by the team, but Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times reported that "it wasn’t any one incident, but an accumulation of issues that led to Baker-Mazara’s departure."
Baker-Mazara put up 14 first-half points in USC's 82-67 loss to Nebraska on Saturday but exited the game just three minutes into the second half after he fell hard on the baseline while trying to chase down Nebraska's Pryce Sandfort. He briefly went into the locker room and did not re-enter the game.
"He said he couldn’t go," head coach Eric Musselman told reporters after the game.
USC was Baker-Mazara's fifth team in six years. He began his college career at Duquesne before transferring to San Diego State a year later and earning Mountain West sixth man of the year honors. From there, Baker-Mazara spent a year in junior college at Northwest Florida State before landing at Auburn, where he played two seasons and had a prominent role in their Final Four run in the 2024-25 season. He re-entered the portal shortly thereafter and ended up at USC.
Baker-Mazara started 22 of 26 games for the Trojans this season and has been their leading scorer after Rice went down with a season-ending right shoulder injury just six games into the season. He averaged 18.6 points on 44.4% shooting (38.3% from three), 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists — all career-highs.
The Trojans have been one of the teams on bubble watch for March. They're currently one of the first four out in USA TODAY Sports' latest bracketology, but they've lost five straight games, including a critical Quad 1 matchup against rival UCLA last Tuesday.
They'll finish out the regular season this week with a road game against Washington on Wednesday before returning home for one more clash against the Bruins on Saturday.
DENVER, CO - MARCH 1: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves dribbles the ball during the game against the Denver Nuggets on March 1, 2026 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Minnesota Timberwolves gutted out an ugly win at the Intuit Dome on Thursday night before having two days off to prepare for a familiar opponent. The last time these two teams met up in a nationally televised affair was fireworks on Christmas Night between Nikola Jokić and Anthony Edwards duking it out in an overtime thriller where Denver came out on top.
This game could have big playoff implications as the weather warms up and teams prepare for the playoff battle ahead. Both teams head into today boasting a 37-23 record in a dead tie for the 4th seed in the Western Conference. While the Nuggets have already secured the tiebreaker, the ability to move ahead of them this late in the season is a prime opportunity to get up to the three seed.
Denver started the game out of rhythm and missing open looks, while the Timberwolves followed suit with some wobbly offense of their own. Anthony Edwards was having a tough time as Denver was committed to double-teaming him wherever he got the ball, and the rest of the offense was not able to capitalize on those advantages. A few lapses on defense, where Minnesota lost their assignments, led to Jokić killing them with passes on backdoor cuts. The three-time MVP scored 13 points and dished four assists in the first. Minnesota was outplayed in the frame and ended down 31-22 after the first 12 minutes.
Bones Hyland was getting Bizzy to close the first quarter and start of the second. He set fire to a Timberwolves team that needed an extra jolt in a Sunday afternoon game. He helped to tie the game early in the second, leading a 9-0 run, and finished the half with 15 points on a perfect 5/5 from the floor. Minnesota killed in the non-Jokić minutes and used that to go on another big 12-0 run later in the period. Nikola Jokić came back in to keep the game close, but the Timberwolves closed the half strong with a couple of Ayo buckets and Ant getting a runout to the rim for a layup to give the Wolves a 58-50 lead at halftime.
And just like that, this game is tied at 31. Wolves have begun the second quarter on a 9-0 run. Bones Hyland is responsible for all of those points. He's scored 7 of them and just assisted on that Ayo transition layup.
The offensive floodgates were wide open for both teams to start the third quarter. Donte used his hustle and grit and parlayed it into some flamethrower shooting. He hit four threes in the quarter to help the Timberwolves maintain their solid lead. Jokić kept the Nuggets afloat; he had 17 of his own in the third and kept the game from getting out of hand. After an 8-0 run late, Julius stopped the bleeding with an And-1 to help Minnesota maintain their eight-point advantage with a 90-82 score heading into the final 12 minutes.
The Timberwolves were in a prime position to grow their lead to start the fourth, with Jokić heading to the bench and them dominating those minutes in the first half. Naz Reid took that challenge head-on. He drilled a three and had a couple of nifty Big Jelly finishes around the hoop – skipping for joy after the final one. Jamal Murray punched back with a high-flying dunk to get the crowd back into it, and Denver would not go away. Even with this, the Timberwolves used their defense and turned it into offense to shut down the hopes for a comeback. Anthony Edwards led the way with 21 while Jaden added 20 of his own.
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 1, 2026
Donte’s Hustle
Donte DiVincenzo always shows up ready to roll. In a game where the Timberwolves struggled to wake up for the early afternoon tipoff in Denver, he continued to bring it. While the shot can be streaky at times, this is something that he can and does do consistently. Whenever there was a chance for him to go make a play, he did it. You combine this grittiness with the hot shooting, and it was one special performance.
DDV drilled four threes in the third quarter while mixing in his patented hustle to give the Wolves runouts and extra possessions. Those things add up over the course of the game, none bigger than him coming from Nikola Jokić’s blind spot to take the ball from him and help Jaden get a fast break layup when the game still felt like it was in the balance during the fourth quarter. He scored 17 points and added five assists and three boards along with a pair of steals.
Donte DiVincenzo sneaky post-up steal on Nikola Jokic + Jaden McDaniels transition layup pic.twitter.com/JlME3YroJU
Early in the game, when Minnesota was struggling, part of the reason was that Denver was committed to double-teaming Anthony Edwards wherever he was on the floor. It threw Ant off his rhythm and made him have to work hard for all his opportunities early on.
The way to combat this was through getting out in transition. The Timberwolves outscored Denver in fast-break points 30-6. They utilized their strong defense to get out for easy opportunities and grease the wheels of the offense. They also outscored Denver 22-11 in points off turnovers. The age-old saying of “the best way to beat a zone is to go before it gets set up” also applies to this defensive scheme.
The Timberwolves head back home to take on the Memphis Grizzlies, which marks the end of their three-game road trip, where Minnesota went 3-0. Tuesday’s game against Memphis will air on FanDuel Sports Network at 7 PM CT.
In a corresponding move to the Tye Kartye waiver pick-up, the New York Rangers sent Brennan Othmann down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
In the final game leading up to the Olympic break, Othmann was scratched out of the lineup, as Mike Sullivan did not hide his feelings toward Othmann’s overall readiness for the NHL.
“I think there are elements of his game that have to continue to improve in order for him to establish himself as an NHL player,” Sullivan said of Othmann.
Despite what seemed like a golden opportunity for Othmann to carve out a role with the Rangers due to the team’s direction to retool and focus on getting younger, he finds himself back in the AHL.
The decision to send Othmann down to Hartford stems from inconsistencies in his level of play.
“I just think it has been a little bit of an inconsistent game,” Sullivan said. “There’s been times when he’s made a positive impact on the game, there’s been others when he hasn’t. We’ve talked a lot to him about attention to detail, bringing in a reliable conscientious game.
“If you’re playing in a bottom six-role, and you’re not filling the net on the offensive side of the rink, then your contributions have to be in those areas. Those are the areas we’ve worked with Otter to try to help him.”
In 17 games this season with the Blueshirts, the 23-year-old forward has recorded one goal and one point, while averaging 9:53 minutes.
Ahead of Friday's March 6 NHL trade deadline, the Philadelphia Flyers have officially made their first move.
On Sunday night, the Flyers made their first of what is expected to be a few trades this week, sending defenseman Roman Schmidt to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forward Boris Katchouk.
Schmidt, 23, was acquired by the Flyers on Dec. 8 in exchange for fellow defenseman Ethan Samson, but failed to establish himself on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms' blueline in the AHL.
Instead, players like Christian Kyrou, Helge Grans, Oliver Bonk, and Maxence Guenette held or earned positions ahead of the 6-foot-5 former third-round pick.
As for Katchouk, the 27-year-old is a Canadian-Russian forward and a former second-round pick with 179 games of NHL experience, scoring 15 goals, 21 assists, and 36 points.
The journeyman winger will serve as organizational depth for the Flyers, and it's worth noting that his Russian heritage should be helpful for goalie prospect Aleksei Kolosov down in Allentown.
Katchouk was a player I figured the Flyers would sign specifically for that role in the 2024 offseason, though it never came to fruition in the end.
No picks were exchanged by either side in this trade, so the Flyers move a younger, out-of-favor defenseman for an older, more established forward. That's it.
It's possible the Phantoms will need the reinforcements in preparation of a future call-up, which could be winger Alex Bump. The Flyers also need a fourth-line center as things currently stand, so Karsen Dorwart or Lane Pederson could reprise their previous NHL roles, too.
We haven't gotten that far yet, but the Flyers are getting started on their trade deadline business early.
The Dodgers' Jackson Ferris delivers a first-inning pitch against the San Diego Padres last week in Peoria, Ariz. (Norm Hall / Getty Images)
The way the Dodgers have spent money in recent years, one area that often gets overlooked is their ability to draft, trade for and develop prospects.
The Dodgers boast five prospects in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 rankings, tied for third-most among teams. The group includes four outfielders — Josue De Paula (No. 15), Zyhir Hope (No. 27), Eduardo Quintero (No. 30) and Mike Sirota (No. 60) — in the top 60. Two of those prospects, De Paula and Quintero, were international signings, and the other two, Hope and Sirota, were acquired via trade.
Sirota came over in last year’s trade that sent Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds. A year earlier, the club acquired Hope and promising young pitcher Jackson Ferris from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for infielder Michael Busch and right-hander Yency Almonte, who recently returned to the Dodgers on a minor league contract.
Ferris, who pitched 1-2/3 scoreless innings in his second Cactus League start Saturday in the Dodgers’ 7-6 split-squad loss to the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium, noticed the contrast going from the Cubs to the Dodgers.
“It was different,” Ferris said last month at his locker at Camelback Ranch. “It was honestly a breath of fresh air. Getting to know these coaches, they just understand exactly what they wanted for me and how they were going to go about it.
“It was cool to see how different things were. The Cubs [are] a great organization, good minor league system and everything, it was crazy to see how different the Cubs are from the Dodgers. The Dodgers are just as good, if not better, at everything in the minor leagues and in the big leagues.”
Ferris arrived at Cubs minor league camp in early January 2024, ready to get to work. A few days later, he was surprised when the team told him he had been traded.
“I definitely wasn’t expecting it after only throwing like 55-ish innings in my first year and doing well,” Ferris said. “So, I didn’t really know how to react. The Cubs coaches were talking highly of the Dodgers coaches, so then I was pretty excited.”
Ferris credits the Dodgers for being more detail-oriented than the Cubs and helping him improve as a pitcher.
“It was my first year of pro ball, so maybe it was just like being a high schooler, I didn’t necessarily get a whole lot of coaching,” Ferris said of his time with the Cubs. “I’d say it was more like, ‘Go out there and let’s just see how you do in your first year.’ Whereas whenever I came here, they studied my throw, everything and it was like, ‘Here, we think these drills are going to help you,’ and we just kind of took off in our first year of being here.”
That season, Ferris posted a 3.20 ERA across 34 starts between high-A Great Lakes and double-A Tulsa, earning minor league pitcher of the year honors from the organization. Last year, Ferris logged a 3.86 ERA across 26 games and 126 innings at double-A Tulsa.
This year Ferris could be knocking on the door of a big-league promotion. He’s impressed through his first two Cactus League starts, with just four baserunners and no runs over 2-2/3 innings, while working with a versatile five-pitch mix that features a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a “bullet slider,” a straight changeup and a 12-to-6 curveball.
“I like Jackson,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said recently. “I like the player. He’s a good kid. A lot of talent. I think for me, it’s just trying to harness his arsenal. It’s a good fastball. He needs to continue to get ahead, be able to put hitters away with the secondary pitches, be efficient with his pitches per inning, but I like Jackson.”
Mookie Betts makes Cactus League debut
Shortstop Mookie Betts played in his first spring training game Sunday, reaching on a fielder's choice and grounding out in two at-bats while scoring a run in the Dodgers' 4-3 win over the Angels at Camelback Ranch.
"I know I had an 0-for-2, but I got two good swings," Betts said after he was lifted from the game. "I was prepared, I was ready to go. Couldn't ask for anything more than what I've been doing."
Left-hander Alex Vesia pitched a scoreless fourth inning, striking out the side. Vesia has struck out five of the nine batters he has faced across three appearances this spring.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Pitcher Logan Gilbert #36 of the Seattle Mariners throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch on February 23, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners lost today’s game against the Rangers, 9-4, and are now 3-6 in spring training, which will happen when half your roster is off at the WBC. But despite the absence of regulars, today’s game offered plenty of intrigue for those who know where to look.
Before he left for Team USA, Cal Raleigh extracted a promise from the beat writers that they would text him updates on what his pitchers were up to when not under Cal’s steely gaze. Logan Gilbert – perhaps responding to Cal’s unprompted heckle of him yesterday about his own spring training debut – immediately decided to test out the babysitter of Andrew Knizner behind the plate. His first two pitches of the game whistled in at 96 mph before he promptly followed that up with a cutter, one of two pitches (the other being the sinker) that he likes to play with during spring training and then leave in Peoria, at Cal’s insistence. It probably should have gone for an easy out, but Logan, enjoying his personal Rumspringa of being away from the watchful eyes of his regular catcher, decided he would try to field his position. It, uh, did not go well.
“It went really well in my mind,” said Gilbert mournfully postgame. “I thought I got it there. I was like. Oh. I’ve got this.”
[Narrator: he did not, in fact, Got This.]
“MAN DOWN!” cackled Luis Castillo from across the clubhouse while Gilbert was talking.
(An inning later, Gilbert also made a halfhearted attempt at another grounder that rolled past him, but smartly let it go for Cole Young – whose defense looks much improved this spring – to hoover up for him. Perhaps Cal made a mid-inning phone call to the dugout.)
That wasn’t Gilbert’s lone time straying from Cal Raleigh’s light. He flashed all his usual pitches, sitting 96 on his four-seamer and dutifully mixing in his slider, splitter, and curveball, but he also threw two sinkers and six of the cutters, including the one he would have gotten the out on to Osuna, one for a swinging strikeout on Kyle Higashioka, and one for a flyout to Josh Smith. So will the cutter finally make its way to T-Mobile Park?
Probably not, says Gilbert, Cal or no Cal, although not for lack of effort. “I’ve been trying for six years.”
The only damage against Gilbert was a solo home run, when Rangers prospect Cam Cauley ambushed a first-pitch fastball from Gilbert, a solid choice, given that Gilbert threw nine of ten first-pitch strikes today.Working with a 50-pitch cap, Gilbert was able to get through the lineup one time plus one batter, seeing Alejandro Osuna twice.
Gilbert’s outing on the mound impressed his manager.
“I thought Logan was really good today,” said Dan Wilson postgame. “I thought he came out with a different mindset today, used all his stuff, was ahead in the count, and we just saw an intensity today that was something we haven’t seen in a little bit.”
He was less impressed by Gilbert’s fielding.
“He’s gonna hear about that one for a while, I think, from the bench,” said Wilson wryly.
The positives weren’t only on the pitching side, either. The game got off to a good start for the Mariners thanks to Cole Young. In the game preview I said Young drew a tough left-on-left matchup today, facing Rangers starter Jacob Latz. I was corrected by staffer Zach Mason, who accurately observed that it cannot be a tough matchup when one of the participants is bad at their job. Nevertheless, this was no cheapie, going 442 feet at 106 miles off the bat, as Young continues to piece together a solid spring.
Also encouraging: that home run scored Victor Robles, who was on base with just his second hit of the spring. Robles figures to get some more playing time while his outfield-mates are with their WBC teams, so hopefully this is the second of many to come.
Following Logan was the spring debut of Ryan Sloan, and if you were wondering why so many prospect-knowers have been saying Sloan is “untouchable” in Seattle’s system when trade discussions were heated, this outing probably answered that for you. Sloan was absolutely dominant in a 12-pitch, 1-2-3 inning where he got eight swings, only two of which the Rangers trio of Higashioka, Smith, and Ezekiel Duran – so not exactly spring training cannon fodder – were able to touch. He opened up against Higashioka with a four-seamer that came in at 98.9 mph and didn’t let up from there, firing a hard slider before going back to the heater at 97 for a soft-contact flyout. He then took apart Josh Smith on a three-pitch strikeout that included a hard (91.7 mph) changeup Smith whiffed over and a generous strike three call on a heater (again at 98.9) that was a touch above the zone. Sloan finished his day by throwing a 94 mph cutter for a first-pitch ball that Duran was ruled not to have swung at (it sure looked like a swing) before eventually getting him to ground out softly on a slider.
Sloan’s outing had everything you could want: big velocity, filthy secondaries, weak contact, ugly swing-and-miss. This is why that word “untouchable” was thrown around in pre-season. There’s just only so many freshly-minted 20-year-olds who haven’t reached Double-A yet who can make a big-league hitter look this bad.
Speaking of bad, the rest of the game. Maybe just go back and watch Gilbert and Sloan’s innings again rather than watch the rest of this game, which devolved into the Rangers stacking up a seven-run sixth inning. I was in the clubhouse talking to Sloan while it happened, so I choose not to recognize it. The Mariners’ younger players fought for a pair of extra runs in the bottom of the eighth, stacking three walks against Rangers reliever Robby Ahlstrom before Spencer Packard connected for a two-run single, but the damage was done, and the Mariners lost, 9-4.
However, even in a game of bad results, there are good processes to celebrate. The Mariners hitters didn’t do much offensively, but they struck out just one more time (6) than they walked (5). Gilbert’s outing was a familiar reminder of the dominant pitcher he is; Sloan’s was a glimpse of the dominant pitcher he might very well be. Cole Young continued to build on what’s been a solid spring for him and reminded everyone that he might usually be a contact merchant, but he can still put a charge into a lousy pitch (sorry for all the strays, Jacob Latz). And even Troy Taylor, who has had a rough spring so far coming off a disappointing 2025, had one of his best outings in a long while, giving up a leadoff hit on a first-pitch fastball but coming back to strike out the next three hitters, punctuating his last K with a nasty sweeper.
It’s a reminder that baseball careers are built slowly, a little at a time, and the end result one day doesn’t necessarily determine an overall arc. It was the youngest member of the team today, Ryan Sloan, who reflected on the trap that good results can be:
“When you’re going through periods of success, it’s so easy to kind of get away from what you know works, just because results are good, process is good, and it just makes it really easy to get away from it. I’ve never felt like it’s so easy to get away from my routine, just because things have been going well. So I came up with the motto, just get better today. I just think, one day at a time, just do what I know works, get better today, and continue to do that week in and week out.“
Despite the final line, many Mariners did get better today, in big ways and small ways and ways that aren’t even in this recap. And in spring training, that’s all you can ask for.
Kevin Mannell pitches at Auburn | Nebraska Athletics
For the second game in a row, Nebraska pitching wrapped a big beautiful gift with a bright red bow for the Auburn Tigers in the form of 12 walks and three hit batters. You. Can’t. Win. Games. When. You. Walk. Batters. Until the Cornhusker pitching staff internalizes this fundamental aspect of the game, there are going to be more ugly games for fans to sit through.
Gavin Blachowicz got his third Sunday start of the season, but did not have the same command of his pitches that he had in his previous two outings. Bristol Carter led off the Tiger first inning with a double and scored two batters later on an Eric Guevara single to put Auburn up 1-0 after one.
Blachowicz got a taste of Auburn hitting in the bottom of the second inning with Chris Rembert leading off with a single and Logan Gregorio reaching on a fielder’s choice, and then both runners advancing on a crucial Jett Buck throwing error. Auburn ended up scoring an earned run on a sacrifice fly ball, and then three unearned runs on a Chase Fralick home run. This was the fifth four run inning of the series for the Tigers and they held a commanding 5-0 lead.
Tiger starter Alex Petrovic was effective in his first three innings against the Big Red, though the boys from Lincoln did put the lead-off man on twice, and had two on with no outs in their second. The Cornhuskers we able to get back into the game in the fourth after Case Sanderson singled, Joshua Overbeek walked, and Dylan Carey was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Cole Kitchens hit a shot to the shortstop that he misplayed, scoring Sanderson. Then Devin Nunez hit a deep fly ball to score Overbeek. However, the rally was silenced as catcher Trey Fikes looked at strike three. Auburn added a run in their half of the fourth to make the score 6-2 Tigers after four complete innings.
Offensively, this was a game of wasted opportunities. In six of nine innings the Cornhuskers put the lead-off batter on, yet they only scored twice. Six times they had at least two runners on base and only scored three runs. To rub salt into the wound, with two on and two out in the top of the 8th inning, Jeter Worthley faced a full count and was called out on a pitch-clock violation.
Kevin Mannell came in to relieve Blachowicz to start the third. The Mississippi State transfer had his best appearance of the season going four innings with five strikeouts and steadying the ship, though he did give up one run. Despite that, the four innings was huge because of the shortage of arms in the bullpen today.
The seventh inning exposed the Nebraska bullpen as three pitchers appeared, Braxton Stewart, Auden Pankonin, and Grant Cleavinger. Auburn scored two runs on one hit, three walks and a hit batter. After seven innings, the Tigers were up 8-2 over the Cornhuskers.
Joshua Overbeek scored his second run of the game, and Nebraska’s final run of the game, in the top of the eighth inning. He singled and beat a throw to third on a Dylan Carey double. Max Buettenback drove him in on a sacrifice fly.
The eighth inning could not have been uglier for Nebraska pitching. Freshman Jace Ziola started it off with a walk, hit batter and a walk. With bases loaded, another freshman, Cooper Grace came in and went walk, walk, walk. In came senior Caleb Clark who induced a ground ball double play, but then went walk, walk, and ground out to first base. Four runs, no hits, no errors, seven walks, and one hit batter. Final score: Auburn 12, Nebraska 3.
Ironically, Nebraska out-hit Auburn today, eight to seven. By the same token, Auburn issue six free passes to Nebraska’s 15.
Nebraska did get back into it in the middle innings, and with Kevin Mannell slowing down Auburn scoring, Nebraska was a couple of hits away from making it an interesting game. That was not to be and the Cornhuskers dropped the series to Auburn.
The home opener is scheduled for Tuesday at Haymarket Park against Omaha. South Dakota State then comes to town for one game on Wednesday. It most likely will not be 74-degrees with a bright blue sky like it was today in Alabama, but it’s baseball!
Notes
· Dylan Carey’s single in the second inning was his 200th hit in his Cornhusker career, he is the 28th Husker to reach that mark
· Six times during the weekend series Auburn put up four runs.
· On the weekend, Nebraska pitching surrendered 25 walks and hit eight batters. You can believe that Coach Rob Childress will address that with his staff this upcoming week.
· With the entire bullpen seeing action this weekend, it will be interesting to see who is called on to start Tuesday and Wednesday. One would think that Ryan Harrahill will get one of the starts, and maybe Colin Nowaczyk will be given a chance to get back on track after his recent struggles.
· The big question mark with pitching is whether Cooper Katskee will start a midweek game, or will the coaching look to get him into the routine to start next Sunday, which he was tabbed to do at the start of the season.
Feb 18, 2026; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb (62) warms up during a Spring Training workout at Scottsdale Stadium Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
The San Francisco Giants improved to 7-2 in Cactus League play with a 9-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
Logan Webb’s second start of Spring, and last before he joins Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, went without any major hiccups. The veteran allowed one run on two hits and a hit batter while breaking the seal on the third inning for San Francisco’s starters. 38 pitches was all he needed to record nine outs and establish his quartet of pitch offerings.
A high-and-tight sinker to lead-off man Jase Bowen got the afternoon off on the wrong foot, and a hanging sweeper to Ty France aided San Diego’s first run, but at no point did Webb seem to be grappling for comfort or control. The necessary tweaks were made for the breaking ball. He filled up the zone, painted corners, tallying 10 called strikes and five whiffs on 17 swings (29%).
The only other hit Webb allowed was a leadoff bloop in shallow left that Willy Adames should’ve caught. The defense got better after that. Patrick Bailey requested a reexamination of a misunderstood cutter, earning Webb his third backwards-K of the day. Matt Chapman subdued a hard-hit one-hopper before starting an inning-ending double play. Some loud contact ultimately didn’t leave the infield in the 3rd to end Webb’s afternoon.
J.T. Brubaker handed in two scoreless innings with his hard-slider collecting a trio of swinging strike-threes. Tristan Beck faced the most stress of any arm in the 6th. A single, triple and hit batter didn’t add up to a Padre run thanks to backstop Daniel Susac nabbing the speedy Bryce Johnson attempting to steal second, and Beck getting infielder Sung-Mun Song swinging with an elevated four-seamer.
Though most of San Diego’s main offensive threats didn’t make the trip from Peoria, the Giants arms put in a solid display of no-nonsense pitching.
For the bats, it was all sorts of nonsense. The good kind. Up and down the order, starting and second-string, the bats put on a display of loud contact, balls in play, opposite field approaches.
The lineup recorded 14 hits against 5 strikeouts. They went 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position, while seven different hitters collected an RBI. Willy Adames and Grant McCray both stole a base, and multiple hit-and-runs were executed successfully. Small ball!
Casey Schmitt went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a 105 MPH lineout to center. Matt Chapman and his infield replacement, Oslevis Basabe, both doubled, and Basabe also singled an eye-fastball fastball in the 8th.
Victor Bericoto, the hottest bat in camp, pinch hit for McCray in the 6th and promptly socked a 111 MPH RBI single to left. He’d rip another two frames later. The minor league outfielder is now 7-for-13 in 6 games, and his nine RBIs are tied for most in all of Spring Training so far.
All in all, the San Francisco offense is buzzing. Their 68 runs and 104 hits in 9 games are third most in the league (most teams have played at least 10 games as well), while their .323 average and .387 OBP are high marks, and their .887 team OPS is tied for second.
The teams populating the tops of the statistical rankings along with our Giants? The Diamondbacks…the White Sox…the Rockies. Yeah, that’s a pretty dubious bunch and a good reminder that we just witnessed a week-and-a-half of weird, heavily-caveated baseball. As much as it feels good to bask in this kind of hitting, don’t let the desert sun fool you. The heat will play its tricks.
Alex Bregman returned the honor off Anthony Kay in the bottom of the first.
Both of the first-inning homers were kind of cheap, not getting to 100 mph off the bat. But Braden Montgomery got one out of the park in a hurry in the second.
Austin Hays couldn’t quite match that velocity in the third, but he topped the distance honors with a 425-foot shot in the third. And Lenyn Sosa tried to match Hays later that inning, but fell 10 feet short.
Sosa also had a double later. Perhaps this would be a good day to check around on possible trades for him, Mr. Getz.
(Braden added a triple, leading off the sixth inning. Please don’t trade him.)
That was it for homers, but the Sox added a run in the fourth on a Brooks Baldwin single, wild pitch and Jacob Gonzalez single, then decided scoring in four straight innings was enough for one day, especially given the Cubs showed no inclination to do any more scoring of their own. Thus the 5-1 score after four became the 5-1 score after nine.
On the defensive side, Tanner Murray made a great play going into foul territory from third for the first out the Sox got in the game, and everything else was routine. (And Murray’s D made up for being the only player with more than one AB who didn’t have a hit.)
Pitching-wise, Anthony Kay had an inauspicious 2 2/3 inning performance as the starter, giving up Bregman’s run and two more hits and two walks. The other seven pitchers did fine, although Jordan Hicks only got out of the fourth cleanly after two hits thanks to snagging a smashed liner back to the box and doubling a runner off of first.
As an added benefit to the game, the only TV was the Cubs network, so it was a pleasure not to have to listen to John Schriffen. The Cubs announcers were quite generous in their evaluations of the Sox.
The win runs the White Sox record to 7-4 … too bad they don’t count, right? White Sox who are not headed to the WBC back in action tomorrow against the Giants.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 01: Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on March 01, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jordan Bank/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers narrowly took down the Brooklyn Nets. Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.
LOSER – Playing down to your opponent
I understand that Sunday afternoon games can lead to weird outcomes. But, seriously? A dog fight with the Brooklyn Nets?
It’s one thing when multiple key players are in street clothes. I was willing to take the moral victory against Milwaukee and Detroit. But this Cavalier squad is simply too talented to struggle against the Nets. Especially when James Harden, albeit playing with a broken finger, is back on the floor.
I don’t want to take too much away from Brooklyn. They executed their gameplan and played superb defense for most of the game. It’s just that Cleveland has enough tools in their box to overcome anything the Nets could throw at it. Not being able to counter something as redundant as trapping Harden is a huge disappointment for the Cavs.
Much of this comes down to energy and focus. Two issues that have plagued the Cavaliers at their worst this season. I’m not going to crush them for a Sunday game in March. But these things will need to be cleaned up as we enter the home stretch of the season.
WINNER – The James Harden Whistle
This was a nice change of pace.
Harden recently ended a game with zero free-throw attempts for just the fifth time since 2021. Naturally, we began to wonder if that was a sign of trouble. Could Harden’s favorable calls be neutralized by being in the Wine and Gold?
That wasn’t the case in Brooklyn.
While some of the officiating was questionable, Harden earned 12 free throw attempts. He missed four of them, which was out of character, but maybe he’s just getting used to actually taking them again. Let’s hope his free-throw rate starts to normalize moving forward.
Harden finished with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. It wasn’t a perfect game, but the Cavs needed his creation tonight.
WINNER – Evan Mobley
The Cavs have a few things on their to-do list before the season ends. Integrating Harden and the other newcomers is at the top of the list. But getting Mobley into a consistent groove might be the most important task.
Mobley’s had a bumpy season. He struggled early, then began to put things together before suffering multiple calf strains. These setbacks have muddied what was otherwise looking like a return to form for Mobley.
We’ve seen him dominant off the dribble in specific games. He’s remarkably light on his feet for a seven-footer, and his explosive leaping ability allows him to finish over anyone when he’s playing with aggression. Getting that assertive version of Mobley has always been the challenge.
Tonight was a small glimpse of that. Mobley had success scoring in the paint against Brooklyn, punishing mismatches and filling the gaps for easy buckets. His 6-12 shooting was complemented by 10 free throw attempts, a sign that he’s putting his head down and drawing contact by being aggressive.
Mobley also collected 13 rebounds, including the game-sealing offensive board.
The Cavs will want to build on this performance and keep Mobley as a focal point of their offense moving into the final stretch of the regular season.
WINNER – Keon Ellis
Five blocks and three steals speak for themselves. That type of defensive production is hard to find, and I remain perplexed that the Sacramento Kings couldn’t see the value in it.
Ellis is fitting in perfectly with the Cavs. You can’t overstate how useful it is to have a point-of-attack deterrent at your disposal. Unleashing chaos on the opponent is what Ellis does in his sleep. He shrinks the floor with his rangy athleticism and superb instincts. Today was just another example of how talented he is as a defender.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Sara Hjalmarsson and Laura Messier scored in a 57-second span in the first period, Raygan Kirk made 25 saves and the Toronto Sceptres beat the Vancouver Goldeneyes 2-1 on Sunday.
Hjalmarsson opened the scoring at 7:10, taking a pass from Claire Dalton and firing a shot from the low hash mark. Messier quickly doubled the lead with her first PWHL goal, with Dalton getting her second assist.
Toronto improved to 6-1-3-8, following its 5-2 victory in Seattle on Friday night in its return from the Olympic break.
Izzy Daniel scored for the Goldeneyes (5-1-2-9) at 9:07 of the third. Emerance Maschmeyer stopped 22 shots for Vancouver.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Michael Misa scored 1:40 into overtime, and the San Jose Sharks topped the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Sunday for their second straight win.
Misa scored for the second straight game when he drove down the slot before beating Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. It was the fourth goal of the season for the No. 2 overall pick in last year's NHL draft.
Will Smith also scored for San Jose, and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 27 shots. The Sharks had lost five in a row before Saturday's 5-4 victory over Edmonton.
Morgan Barron scored for Winnipeg, and Hellebuyck finished with 31 saves. The Jets lost for fourth time in five games.
Barron put Winnipeg in front when he beat Nedeljkovic from the left circle 2:44 into the first. It was Barron's first goal since Dec. 21 and No. 8 on the season.
Smith tied it at 1 with his 18th goal 1:47 into the third. Macklin Celebrini picked up his team-high 54th assist on the play.
Hellebuyck and the Jets lost their second straight in overtime after falling 5-4 at Anaheim on Friday night in the goalie’s first game since backstopping the United States to Olympic gold.
Up next
Both teams are at home on Tuesday night. The Jets face the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Sharks take on the Montreal Canadiens.
CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Tayvon Gray scored in the ninth minute of stoppage time to help New York City FC beat the Philadelphia Union 2-1 on Sunday.
Hannes Wolf scored in the 36th minute to give NYCFC (1-0-1) a 1-0 lead.
Olwethu Makhanya was shown his second yellow card in the second minute of stoppage time and the Union played a man down the rest of the way.
Agustin Ojeda, from the left corner of the 18-yard box, flicked an arcing cross to the back post where Gray skipped a header back inside the front post to cap the scoring.
Wolf, who had a career-high 11 goals in 2025, scored his first of the season to give NYCFC a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute. On the counter-attack, Nicolás Fernández had his shot from the left corner of the 6-yard box parried by goalkeeper Andre Blake, but Wolf slammed home the first-touch putback.
The Union's Stas Korzeniowski drew a penalty, conceded by Thiago Martins, and Indiana Vassilev converted from the spot to make it 1-1 in the 89th.
Blake finished with eight saves for Philadelphia (0-2-0), which won the 2025 Supporter's Shield.
Matt Freese had three saves, which included a kick-stop of a shot by Agustín Anello in the 60th minute and a diving parry that denied Nathan Harriel in the 81st.
Ojeda cut back to evade Union defender Frankie Westfield, but his shot from the center of the area banged off the right post.
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jordan Lawlar (10) attempts to grab a ball off a bounce on a base hit by the Cleveland Guardians at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale on March 1, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Record 6-4. Change on 2025: +1.5. 5-inning record: 2-7-1.
Another day, another come from behind victory. This one was at least slightly earlier. Arizona trailed 6-2 in the middle of the fifth, but put up a four-spot there to level the game. They then added three more the next time they were up to make the fourth time they have taken the lead in the sixth inning or later. This helped them come back from a shaky outing by Michael Soroka. He allowed two hits and a run in the first, before the wheels fell off with one out in the second. Five consecutive Guardians reached, on a homer, triple and three walks, before Soroka was lifted. His final line: three runs on four hits and three walks in just 1.2 innings, with one strikeout.
The rest of the pitching was pretty good, save a three-run fifth charged to Kohl Drake, who allowed three hits and two walks in his 1.2 innings, with one K. There were scoreless frames, of varying quality, from Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel, Shawn Dubin, Drey Jameson and Spencer Giesting (the last ended the game on an ABS reversed strike three – ABS was 2-1 today). Jameson was the only one of those to face the minimum. The offense was on point, with 15 hits and five walks. Three of those were by Ryan Waldschmidt, who is hitting .316 with a .982 OPS. Kristian Robinson also had three hits, and Pavin Smith haters are in shambles, his two hits – off lefties, with exit velos > 107 mph – taking his average to .294, and a .941 OPS.
Ildemaro Vargas also had a pair of knocks (.412 BA) and Jordan Lawlar drew two walks. He has six of those, twice as many as any other Arizona hitter, and tied for the lead across all of spring training. All told, the Diamondbacks now have a collective .887 OPS in spring, behind only the Rockies (.893), who seem to be under the impression Scottsdale is a suburb of Denver. However, that is propelled by the late-inning comebacks noted, so it’s fair to imagine we are probably not facing the opposition’s best pitchers. After the sixth inning, Arizona is hitting .333/.421/.627 for an OPS of 1.048 – 148 points better than anyone else.
Day off for the D-backs tomorrow, before an interesting exhibition game at Salt River Fields on Tuesday, with the opposition being Team Mexico.
