Category: Sports News

It’s a a busy Thursday!

The A’s are over at Tempe Diablo Stadium, taking on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this afternoon. There’s a new episode of FX’s Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette in the evening. Somewhere in between it all is a Jazz-Wizards game…for those of you hankering for some highly contested basketball (both teams are under 20 wins with only like 20 games left to go).

While waiting for the A’s lineup to drop, I watched last week’s episode of Love Story – – what an absolute dud in my opinion. For context, I had my sister (plus the whole damn internet) in my ear for a week telling me how I have to watch it immediately. How the big “battery park fight scene” takes the famous photos of the incident and brings it to life in such an incredible way. Now having actually watched it, I can safely say that both actors just aren’t capable enough to make a big fight scene like that actually work. Honestly, it felt like I was watching them rehearse. So much so that at one point, I was convinced that I had accidentally clicked on the special features. Yes, Paul Anthony Kelly sort’ve looks like JFK Jr., but he doesn’t have the charm or the VOICE to make any of it more than a trashy TV portrayal. Also, the whole conceit of the argument is so ridiculous in my opinion. Carolyn Bessette gets upset with JFK Jr. for denying that he proposed to her, in the press, after they had made a promise to keep their personal life out of the headlines – – which is totally valid….but…the only reason the press even knew about it is because SHE let the cat out of the bag! Maybe, just maybe, don’t tell your friends, especially your envious Calvin Klein model ex-boyfriend, that not only did the most famous bachelor in America ask you to marry him, but that you didn’t say yes! Like of course they were going to run to The New York Post with that information. What did you think was going to happen? And then to sit there and get after JFK Jr. for trying to put out a fire? C’mon now! I also feel like JFK Jr.‘s reasoning for making a statement on the matter was reasonable. He and Michael Berman were about to go on a press tour for their George Magazine project, and having this failed proposal floating over the whole thing, eating away at the narrative surrounding the magazine, could lead to it being DOA. A great example of this is the A’s actually. Them leaving Oakland (and the tear down leading up to it) has been so detrimental to their image, that even though they have a killer young team now, most casuals like Colin Cowherd still think of them as a joke. I will say, like the A’s moving, there really was no reason for For JFK Jr. to propose to begin with. Things were going good! The whole thing felt forced and unnecessary. Now I understand that’s the point they were trying to make with the Jessica Harper scenes earlier in the episode, but it all doesn’t tie together in a way that feels intelligently written.

EPISODE RATING : C +

Anyway, the A’s lineup has dropped! Let’s check it out…

Luis Morales takes the mound for the third time this spring, looking to right the ship a little bit. In less than 4 innings of work so far, he’s given up 5 ER on 8 hits with just 3k’s to his name. Thankfully it’s still early, there’s plenty of time to get back on track, but I feel like there’s been a lot of expectation put upon his shoulders to show out in 2026. Morales was one the bright spots in an otherwise abysmal rotation last year.

On the offensive side, Kotsay’s put together a nice little squad. With Shea Langeliers DHing and Brent Rooker in right field, Austyn Wynns is given the opportunity to collect a few more plate appearances. The 35 year old slugger has had some scene-stealing moments in the sample size offered up, including a 3-run pimpy against his ex (The Reds) and a Grand Slam off of Bo Takahashi of Team Brazil fame.

Bo Takahashi’s photo on the MLB app has him wearing a Reds hat, despite not having been involved with the organization since 2021. Seeing this prompted me to do a little digging, to see if him and Wynns were teammates at all in the Reds organization – – which they were not. However, listed as a catcher and Takahashi’s teammate on the Reds’ AAA affiliate (Louisville Bats) roster back in 2021 was none other than Beau Taylor! Anyone remember that guy? I had a bunch of Beau Taylor stock back in like 2017. Although he never really put it all together, his first major league hit did provide us with a fun little blooper (against the team the A’s are playing today)…

Beau Taylor is actually still in the A’s organization. In February, he was announced as the assistant hitting coach for the Midland Rockhounds. Good for ole Beau. Weirdly enough, him and Austin Wynns also look like they could be brothers.

Tell me I’m wrong…

Let’s take a look at today’s lineup for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ( Beau Taylor’s first victim)…

Late inning heroics have been the engine behind an Angels three game winning streak. On Monday against the Royals, they were able to claw back after a rough top of the 9th inning by Jose Fermin, and walk it off on a Yolmer Sanchez single. Tuesday’s victory over the Mariners came in the top of the 9th this time, as Yolmer Sanchez once again provided the Angels with a big hit. He’d double with no outs, scoring two, and be knocked in on a Donovan Walton single to take the lead going into the bottom of the 9th that they wouldn’t relinquish. Yesterday’s walk-off against Team Italy was a come-from-behind affair. Down by one going into the bottom of the 8th, the Angels were able to tie it up on a Jeimer Candelario homer. He’d later go on to hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 9th, sending Team Italy off to the WBC with a 1-1 record against MLB squads.

As you can see, none of those late inning heroes mentioned are included in the Angels starting lineup. In fact, the group we’re seeing today is pretty close to what I’d imagine being their opening day rollout. On the bump is the mercurial Alex Manoah. A pair of starts amounting in 5 innings of work (both against the Diamondbacks) have resulted in no runs given up by the big right-hander. Though, only one strikeout secured against three free bases has me believing the A’s can break that scoreless streak today.

Let’s see if I’m right! First pitch is scheduled for 12:10 pm PST. No broadcast feed will be available so tune into A’s Cast or Talk 650 KSTE to follow along.

I look forward to chatting with you all during the game.

After being treated to yesterday’s Rockies vs Team USA exhibition match to kick off the World Baseball Classic, the Colorado Rockies will be hosting the Milwaukee Brewers at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in a return to regular spring training match-ups.

Many of the Rockies’ players participating in the World Baseball Classic have departed camp to join their respective countries. The exception is right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen, who will be making the start today before joining Team Italy later this week.

Lorenzen was not sharp his last time out. Facing his old team in the Kansas City Royals, he gave up five earned runs on four hits—including a home run—and walked four batters without tallying any strikeouts. To his credit, the veteran took the struggles in stride and viewed them as a valuable learning experience early in the spring.

Making the start for the Brew Crew is 26-year-old lefty Robert Gasser. The University of Houston product had a promising MLB debut in 2024, posting a 2.57 ERA in five starts. However, he made just two starts in 2025 and lost the majority of the season to Tommy John surgery.

Gasser throws a fairly balanced five pitch arsenal. His primary pitch is a low-80s sweeper with 35.7 inches of vertical drop and 14.1 inches of glove side break. He also throws a low-90s four-seam fastball and cutter, a changeup, and a cutter.

First Pitch: 1:10 MST

TV: None

Radio: MIL Audio

Lineups:

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Spring training doesn’t count, but the Mariners currently sit at 3-8 after losing again to the Giants last night. Spring training doesn’t count and also spring training doesn’t count, but it would sure be nice to bank another win, even if spring training doesn’t count.

Lineups:

Also slated to pitch for the Mariners: Casey Lawrence, Blas Castaño, Alex Hoppe, Troy Taylor, Nick Davila, Tyler Cleveland.

Injury updates:

J.P. Crawford continues to progress towards a return to the field. Bryce Miller played catch yesterday and all went well there, so he’ll continue to ramp up towards a return. He’s hoping to be back before Cal Raleigh is back from the WBC “so I can do whatever I want.”

Game information:

Game time: 12:10 PT

TV: Mariners.TV

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, delayed to 7 PT; listen live on the Seattle Sports app or Gameday

Looking for their 10th win this spring training, the Dodgers play the Reds with left-hander Cole Irvin taking the ball for Los Angeles.

• Teams: Dodgers @ Reds
• Stadium: Goodyear Ballpark, Goodyear, AZ
• Time: 12:05 p.m. PT
• TV: ESPN & SportsNet LA
• Radio: WSAI-1360

The Cincinnati Reds are fresh off of thumping Team Cuba 19-2 in the latter’s final warm-up game before heading to the World Baseball Classic. On Thursday, they’ll jump right back into Cactus League play at home in Goodyear, this time up against the very same team that ended their 2025 season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in town, and they’re rolling out veteran lefty Cole Irvin to start on the day. The Reds, meanwhile, will counter with Jose Franco, who’s again looking to impress the very same brass that saw fit to add him to the team’s 40-man roster earlier this offseason.

The Reds are rolling out a strong lineup full of expected regulars featuring Elly De La Cruz.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, are sitting most all of their regulars, though Max Muncy will be in there alongside old friends Santiago Espinal (at 1B!) and Mike Siani.

First pitch is set for 3:05 PM ET, and this one will actually be broadcast on ESPN for your viewing pleasure.

Go Reds!

The Detroit Tigers’ fourth ranked prospect, slugging catcher and first baseman Josue Briceño was reported to be dealing with right wrist inflammation on Monday, March 2. Unfortunately, testing revealed an underlying issue that required surgery on a tendon. The 21-year-old, currently ranked the 63rd best prospect in baseball per FanGraphs, could miss from months to the whole season, though the timetable for a return is unclear at this point.

This is the second major injury for the Venezuelan born slugger. Back in 2024, Briceño suffered a PCL tear in his right knee in May, and missed the rest of the regular season. He took advantage of the bad break and the rehab process by getting leaner and stronger. He re-worked his swing to get his legs more involved to add loft, and he then proceeded to destroy the Arizona Fall League, winning 2024 MVP against much older competition by launching 10 homers and posted a 1.376 OPS.

That got him into top 100 lists everywhere, and he backed it up with a huge campaign at High-A West Michigan in 2025, earning a promotion to Double-A Erie in July. He cooled off a little there as the toll of his first full season catching and better pitching limited his power numbers there. Still, it was a heck of a season for a 20-year-old and there was growing optimism that he might be able to reach the major leagues sometime in 2026.

Briceño has the arm strength to catch, but his progress in blocking and framing has been much slower, even after getting in outstanding condition during the PCL rehab. There’s been a growing sense that his bat would out pace the defense enough to convince the Tigers he should just move to first base full-time. Not only does Briceño show easy plus power to all fields, he walks a ton and has enough contact ability to cover all parts of the zone while keeping the strikeouts in check.

Rumors were rampant all week that the injury was serious enough to require surgery, and unfortunately that’s how it played out. Briceño had been scheduled to make the Dominican trip, but instead he stayed behind and had the surgery on Wednesday, March 4, as first reported by Evan Petzold of the Freep.

Unfortunately, he’ll be on the shelf awhile, and we’ll just have to wait and hope he comes back good as new. He’s young enough, and has played so little due to the injuries, that there’s probably more upside in him as a catcher than some think. However, losing more development time with a bat so advanced is tough on his defensive profile. Still, he won’t even turn 22 until later this summer so there’s no real need for haste either. Most important is obviously getting that wrist back to 100 percent. Hopefully he’ll be able to return sometime this summer, but depending on the specifics it’s possible he could miss the regular season.

There is a very good chance that Teddy McGraw debuts as a Mariner before anyone else on this list. There is also a very good chance he never debuts at all.

The question isn’t one of talent – McGraw has two ultra-elite curveballs (they call him Curveball Jesus, per Ryan Divish) that could play in the majors tomorrow.

In addition to the strikeout stuff, McGraw can also induce grounders with his heavy sinker, which also features plus movement.

Yeah, the stuff isn’t the question.

The question is one of health. A two-time veteran of Tommy John before even finishing his college career, McGraw continued to struggle with injuries as a pro. The Mariners took the Wake Forest product in the third round of the 2023 draft, but a flexor tendon injury kept him from making his professional debut until the very end of 2024. McGraw finally began pitching regularly in 2025, working his way from the ACL up to Everett as a starter but working brief starts of no more than three innings at a time and missing about a month in July with another injury. However, he was able to finish the season strong and earned himself an invite to the Mariners big-league camp. It looked like it would finally be Teddy’s turn.

But once again, injuries have gotten in the way. McGraw is currently down with biceps tendinitis and is yet to make his spring debut. A full time reliever now, the Mariners are managing McGraw’s outings carefully and under controlled conditions, still optimistic he’ll one day be able to contribute to the big-league bullpen.

McGraw, for his part, is also optimistic. He’s come this far, fought through so much, and made difficult choices about his health journey that would challenge someone twice his age. In talking to him, you get the feeling that McGraw won’t let this story end until he’s standing on a big-league mound.

For now, though, he’s being forced to bide his time, once again. But “Curveball Jesus” knows that patience is a virtue. And so we all wait together.