Category: Sports News

The Kansas City Royals went 0-for-2 yesterday in split-squad action and will regroup against the San Diego Padres. The two teams face off in Peoria Sports Complex down in Arizona, with left-handed pitcher Kris Bubic taking the mound.

Things have been rough for the boys in blue since the World Baseball Classic began. With players like Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino gone, the Royals are 1-8 in nine Cactus League games.

Tonight’s Royals Lineup

Tonight’s Padres Lineup

Jake Eisenberg is calling tonight’s game on the Royals Radio Network. Fans can watch the Padres feed of tonight’s game on MLB Network and Royals.TV.

Tonight’s probable pitchers are Bubic, Steven Cruz, Lucas Erceg, Nick Mears, Eli Morgan, and Hector Neris.

Happy 312 Day, Sox fans! Prior to tonight’s game, the team shared photos from the Los White Sox mural at Midway Airport, which spans 13,600 square feet.

The White Sox look to bounce back after two straight losses in a rare late-night Spring Training matchup. It might be a tough hill to climb, though, as the Giants have had a successful spring, with a 15-3 record.

Edgar Quero will be behind the plate tonight, and with Kyle Teel sidelined by a recent World Baseball Classic injury, we’ll likely be seeing plenty of him. Ryan Borucki will start the contest after pitching four innings so far this spring. He’s done fairly well, only giving up two hits and a walk, while striking out six as a relief arm.

Trevor McDonald will take the mound for San Francisco. The righthander has pitched a total of seven innings so far and has a similar line to Borucki’s, with two hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts.

Unless you live in the Bay Area, you won’t be able to watch or listen to tonight’s matchup. The game starts at 8:05 p.m. CT.

Grant Holmes went into this evening’s spring training start against the Pittsburgh Pirates having not given up a single run across two starts and three appearances. He’s now up to three starts and four appearances without giving up a run so far through spring training and his fourth appearance here in camp was probably the best one of them all so far.

Holmes ended up going five innings in this one against a lineup that very likely won’t look too much different from the one that the Pirates will be rolling out there in a couple of weeks for Opening Day. Holmes struck out Spencer Horowitz to start this one and then followed that up by walking Ryan O’Hearn. That was as good as it got for the Pirates against Holmes as he completely dominated Pittsburgh from this point forward. Holmes got former Braves DH Marcell Ozuna to fly out to end the inning after racking up his second strikeout of the frame and that was the start of a very productive outing for him.

All six pitches from Grant Holmes were put on display on this one — that includes the sinker that Holmes has apparently been working on throughout the offseason and during camp as well. As you can tell by the fact that Holmes didn’t give up a single hit and only had to deal with one baserunner throughout the time that he was on the mound on Thursday evening, each of those six pitches were working like a charm for him in this one.

The Pirates were unable to do much of anything about what Grant Holmes was delivering from the mound tonight and the swings-and-misses were further proof of that. They were also proof that his slider was the key to befuddling Pittsburgh’s batters in this one — of the nine strikeouts that Holmes racked up during this game, eight of them came from a slider. This was one of those outings that made me think “Dude, save some of that for the regular season!” Spring training or not, this was a fantastic performance from Grant Holmes and if he can bring that with him to the regular season then there will be a lot of happy campers here watching Holmes pitch.

As far as the Braves go, that was basically the sparkling highlight of the night. The Pirates started Bubba Chandler (the No. 2 pitching prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline) in this one and he absolutely lived up to the lofty status that he’s already achieved during his time on the farm. Chandler got his evening started by getting Michael Harris II to ground out on a 99-mph fastball that was inside and that basically set the tone for what came next. As good as Grant Holmes was in this one, Bubba Chandler wasn’t too far behind.

Chandler also went five innings in this one and struck out eight batters while only giving up one hit and one walk. Fortunately for the Braves, the one hit that he gave up ended up being a long ball. Former Twins prospect Jair Camargo has been having a very quiet spring training for the Braves so far and he was down 0-2 to Chandler in this AB before he got a hold of a slider and sent it flying onto the party deck out there in left field for a solo shot that put the Braves on the board and in the lead.

Fast forward to the sixth inning and we got to see a truly rare sight: A Michael Harris II walk. The free pass at the expense of Pirates pitcher Evan Sisk ended up being the start of something, as Money Mike stole second base and then eventually made it home on an RBI single from Kyle Farmer. Farmer’s single continues to bolster his care for making a roster spot while Michael Harris II’s fourth walk of spring training so far ended up paying off in dividends a little bit down the road.

The Braves led 2-0 at that point but ended up losing 5-2 after the Pirates ended up plating five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning due to a mixture of a rough outing from Blayne Enlow and a pair of backbreaking errors that allowed Pittsburgh to flip the game upside down. As a result, the Pirates were able to knock the Braves off of their lofty perch in the prestigious Grapefruit League as Atlanta fell to 12-5 with a couple of ties to their name.

With that being said, the most important takeaway here is that Grant Holmes appears to be champing at the bit to get out there for the regular season. He looked excellent on the mound today and has been locked in all spring. Sure, it may be spring training but he’s certainly looking the part when it comes to regular season readiness. We’ll see you tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 p.m. ET when the Braves welcome the Yankees to North Port.

Whether the Giants turn out to be an exciting team remains to be seen, but they are an interesting one, for sure. And that’s something to be said for what has been baseball’s blandest organization.

The most beloved player in recent franchise history is running their front office. He hired a total unknown to try to do something never done before as their manager.

It’s been about four months since Buster Posey introduced Tony Vitello at Oracle Park and four weeks or so since pitchers and catchers reported to Scottsdale, Arizona, for Vitello’s first spring training as a major-league manager.

The fiery former University of Tennessee coach still has lots of questions left to answer as he blazes the trail from college ranks straight to The Show.

But we’ve seen enough to assess some winners and losers so far:

Winner: Tony Vitello

It would be hard to say Vitello hasn’t second-guessed his choice to put ambition and a change of scenery ahead of loyalty and familiarity in Knoxville. More on that in a second.

But he’s here. He’s doing it. And it doesn’t look any different from the other 29 dugouts across Arizona and Florida. The milestone won’t become official until March 25, Opening Night against the Yankees, when Vitello’s career win-loss record at any level of professional baseball reflects anything other than zeroes.

The games don’t count for now, but his team is off to a rollicking start nevertheless. Heading into Thursday, they owned the best record of any team in the Cactus or Grapefruit leagues — 15-3 — with a plus-47 run differential that also leads every team in spring training.

Loser: Tony Vitello’s public perception

Vitello, himself, didn’t start off on such a strong note.

The rookie manager immediately raised questions about his commitment to and readiness for the job when he questioned the circumstances around his hiring in one of his first sessions with reporters.

In what he called a “tangent,” Vitello began by telling the scrum “new format today” and turning questions around on them about the timeline of events. The Giants’ interest in Vitello was reported by The Athletic four days prior to his hiring becoming official. Vitello said “it might’ve changed the course of history.”

Vitello had continuously referenced his former program, the Volunteers. After it was clear it was becoming an issue, Vitello said, “It’s probably time … to divide the line in the sand.”

Winner: Logan Webb

The Giants ace is one of their seven players in the World Baseball Classic but the only one with Team USA. Not all by himself, though: Dave Groeschner, the Giants’ longtime trainer, is also with Team USA.

Webb will make his second and final start Friday in the quarterfinals against Canada at loanDepot Park in Miami. He recovered from allowing a leadoff homer to Manny Ramirez’s son in the Americans’ opening game of the tournament, tossing four strong innings in a 15-5 win over Brazil.

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It’s also been a good tournament for new second baseman Luis Arraez, who has showed off an unexpected power stroke with two homers for Venezuela, which also advanced to the quarterfinals.

The experience wasn’t so nice to Tristan Beck, who got shelled on the way to Great Britain’s elimination, or Reiver Sanmartin, a left-handed hopeful for the bullpen who suffered a bad hip flexor strain in one of Colombia’s exhibitions. Harrison Bader (Israel) is also back in camp, while Jung Hoo Lee (Korea), Heliot Ramos (Puerto Rico) and Jose Butto (Venezuela) play on.

Loser: Pitching depth

Webb and Robbie Ray are about the only sure things in the Giants’ starting rotation.

The good news is offseason stopgaps Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser have looked more than capable of holding down two spots in the back end. Youngsters Landen Roupp and Trevor McDonald have also looked promising. Beyond them, the early showings from other young arms have left little to be desired.

Winner: The starting lineup

Adding Arraez’s contact ability atop a middle-of-the-order made up by Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman and Willy Adames gives the Giants their most potent lineup in years. While Bader was signed primarily as a salve to their defensive woes in the outfield, his proven veteran presence also lengthens the lineup.

Although Devers missed two weeks with a hamstring strain, the group has lived up to the billing so far this spring. Adames, a notorious slow starter, is the only slugger whose numbers don’t pop off the page.

Loser: Bench composition

The Giants look poised to carry two backup infielders who both hit right-handed and play every position in Casey Schmitt and Christian Koss. Their two best options off the bench in the outfield have looked like Luis Matos and Jerar Encarnacion — both out of options and tearing the cover off the ball this spring, but also bat from the right side. Same goes for Rule 5 pick Daniel Susac, the front-runner to back up Patrick Bailey.

It’s a little right-handed heavy. (There’s a similar problem in the bullpen, where the Giants just signed Joey Lucchesi, whom they non-tendered after last season, to add some competition to a group of lefties either injured or underwhelming.)

It also looks different in a world where Bryce Eldridge makes the Opening Day roster, which looks like more of a possibility now than when camp began. The 6-foot-7 left-handed slugger is still probably striking out more than the Giants would like, but the 21-year-old is making consistent enough contact — and when he does, it’s been among the loudest of anyone in the Cactus League.

After dropping below .500 in yesterday’s game, the Brewers are looking to get back to even tonight against the Guardians. This is their second meeting this spring, with the first a 9-6 loss on February 21.

DL Hall gets the start this evening for the Brewers. It’s his fourth appearance this spring, but only his first start for the Brewers. So far this spring, he has pitched six innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts. His last appearance came against the Brewers as he pitched with Great Britain in their exhibition. Hall allowed a run, a hit, two walks, and two strikeouts in three innings.

Three other Brewers are scheduled to pitch tonight. Easton McGee is making his fourth appearance of the spring. He’s pitched 4 1/3 innings this spring and not allowed a run, along with two hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. Jacob Waguespack has also not allowed a run this spring in 5 1/3 innings. He’s also allowed one hit and one walk and struck out four. Drew Rom is over from minor league camp after being reassigned on March 8. He’s allowed a run in 3 1/3 innings, with two hits, four walks, and six strikeouts. Peter Strzelecki is also over from minor league camp and has allowed two runs in four innings, with two hits and four strikeouts.

With the Brewers on the road, many of the bench players and minor league players are getting starts tonight. Garrett Mitchell is leading off with Brandon Lockridge batting second as the designated hitter. Christian Yelich is batting third with Gary Sánchez catching and batting fourth. Jett Williams is playing third and batting fifth, with Mike Boeve at first and batting sixth. Cooper Pratt, Jacob Hurtubise, and Eddys Leonard round out the lineup.

In recent injury news out of camp, Quinn Priester is expected to begin the season on the IL with a return TBD as he deals with a nerve issue “in the T.O.S. [thoracic outlet syndrome] family,” per manager Pat Murphy. He isn’t expected to require surgery. Additionally, outfielder Akil Baddoo’s quad injury is worse than expected, and he’s expected to miss 3-4 weeks.

Tonight’s pitch is set for 8:05 p.m. CT. The game will have an audio broadcast available on MLB.com.

Kansas City Royals at San Diego Padres, March 12, 2026, 6:10 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Peoria Sports Complex – Peoria, AZ

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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JUPITER, Fla.— Sean Manaea’s fastball isn’t exactly hopping.

The left-hander had a second straight Grapefruit League start Thursday in which his velocity was notably down, and he slogged through his outing against the Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

Manaea averaged 88.8 mph with his four-seam fastball. Last season, he averaged 91.7 mph with that pitch.

On this day he allowed three earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and one walk over 2 ²/₃ innings in the Mets’ 3-1 loss.

Manaea said he is not concerned.

“I feel healthy, I feel good,” Manaea said.

Manaea said he may just need additional reps to regain his velocity. Manager Carlos Mendoza also downplayed the significance of the dip in velocity.

“I know it’s going to be a topic here, but I am not concerned as long as he keeps telling us he’s healthy,” Mendoza said. “And that is what he keeps telling us, that he feels great.”

Mendoza added that it might take “a while” for Manaea’s velocity to resurface, underscoring his addition of a cutter to his arsenal. Manaea missed the first half of last season while rehabbing an oblique strain and pitched to a 5.64 ERA in 15 appearances for the club.

“He went through a lot last year and now finding the mechanics, the arm slot, there’s a lot going on,” Mendoza said. “But I thought overall he got better in the second and third inning. It’s going to come down to him feeling good, and it might take a few weeks, it might take a month, who knows?”

Clay Holmes will forgo the remainder of the World Baseball Classic to prepare for the Mets’ season.

The right-hander was headed back to spring training Thursday, according to Mendoza, after conversations with Team USA officials determined he was unlikely to receive the innings buildup needed for his first start this season.

Team USA has advanced to the WBC quarterfinals against Canada on Friday.

Holmes pitched three scoreless innings for Team USA against Great Britain last week.

“It was hard for Team USA to guarantee him [innings], especially where they are at, where every game is pretty much an elimination game,” Mendoza said. “It’s hard, especially as a piggyback, to guarantee the number of pitches we are asking him to get.”

Holmes will piggyback Kodai Senga on Friday, according to Mendoza.

The Texas Rangers are signing lefthanded reliever Jalen Beeks to a one year deal, per Evan Grant.

Beeks, 32, first debuted in 2018 with the Boston Red Sox, and was traded to Tampa mid-season for Nathan Eovaldi. He was with the Rays until the 2023 offseason, when he was claimed on waivers by the Colorado Rockies, who dealt him to Pittsburgh at the 2024 trade deadline. He signed with Houston 363 days ago, was released 12 days later, and then signed with Arizona, where he spent the 2025 season.

Beeks is a ground ball pitcher who doesn’t strike out a lot of guys and isn’t great at avoiding walks. He has been durable the past two seasons, however, appearing in 132 games, and he had a decent season for Arizona in 2025, putting up a 3.77 ERA and a 3.88 xERA.

Beeks will make five free agent relievers signed to major league deals by the Rangers this offseason, with the other four being Tyler Alexander, Alexis Diaz, Jakob Junis, and Chris Martin. The Rangers also acquired Rule 5 pick Carter Baumler.

With Alexander, Beeks, and holdover Robert Garcia, the Rangers have three lefties who would appear to be slated for the Opening Day bullpen. Jacob Latz is also a bullpen candidate, but he appears more likely to be in the Opening Day rotation, as he appears to currently have the edge over Kumar Rocker for the final spot.

Diaz has struggled mightily to throw strikes this spring. Throwing strikes has never been his strong point, but his control issues have been particularly bad the past couple of seasons. The Rangers felt there were some things they could do with him to improve in that regard, but it hasn’t appeared to have taken yet. He has an option remaining, so it is possible that he could be sent down to start the season.

The Rangers will have to open up a 40 man roster spot to add Beeks. Waiver claims Dairon Blanco and Michel Otanez would seem to be the most likely candidates to be dropped. However, Texas will also need to open up a roster spot for Andrew McCutchen (or Mark Canha, though McCutchen would seem to be the heavy favorite for that bench spot), so neither player would seem to be safe.

In addition, Evan’s article mentions that Gavin Collyer, Payton Gray and Josh Sborz are in contention for a bullpen spot. None of them are currently on the 40 man roster, so if any of them were to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster, a 40 man move would have to be made there, as well.

As of now, Alexander, Beeks, Garcia, Martin, Junis, and Winn would appear to have six of the eight bullpen spots. One would think that Baumler has shown enough to start the season on with the club, though it remains to be seen whether he will be able to pitch well enough to maintain his hold on a job.

That would, barring injury, leave one bullpen spot open for Diaz, Collyer, Gray, Sborz, Luis Curvelo, or someone else.

The Cincinnati Reds will play under the lights on Thursday when they travel across the Land of the Endless Strip Mall to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Not resting on their World Series laurels, the Dodgers are 12-6 in Cactus League play so far this spring, proving that they are equally adept at winning games that don’t matter as they are at winning games that do.

The Reds will send left-hander Nick Lodolo to the mound for the start as he looks to stretch out to four full innings for the first time this spring. Cincinnati is also sending out a lineup chock full of regulars for the evening, one that includes Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart hitting back to back in the 3/4 holes.

Sal, for the record, will slide back over and play 1B on the night. Spencer Steer is also in the lineup showing his versatility as he’ll play in RF (while Noelvi Marte gets a night at DH).

First pitch is set for 9:05 PM ET, and you’ll be able to watch it through MLB.tv thanks to SportsNet LA carrying Dodgers coverage.

Here’s the travel roster for the night, one that features top prospect Tyson Lewis available off the bench as well as Tejay Antone down in the bullpen.