Worldwide Sports News

MESA, Arizona — Sunday notes…

• FORMER CUBS IN WHITE SOX CAMP: Sean Newcomb, Tyson Miller, Anthony Kay
• DURING THE SEASON: The Cubs will play two three-game series vs. the White Sox. They will meet May 15-16-17 on the South Side and Aug. 17-18-19 at Wrigley Field.

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup:

White Sox lineup:

Shōta Imanaga will start for the Cubs. Other Cubs pitchers scheduled today: Hunter Harvey, Grant Kipp, Luke Little, Corbin Martin, Hoby Milner and Caleb Thielbar.

Former Cub Anthony Kay will start for the White Sox.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network, and there will be a radio broadcast via the White Sox flagship, ESPN 1000.

MLB.com Gameday

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

Please visit our SB Nation White Sox site Southside Sox. If you do go there to interact with Sox fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

As we have done in the past, we’ll have a first pitch thread at five minutes to game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time. For today, that will be 2 p.m. CT and 3:30 p.m. CT.

These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked ”Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page. There will also be a StoryStream on the front page with all the game thread links, as well as the recap after the game is over. The pitcher photos and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Opening Day is 25 days away. For now, spring training games continue. The Orioles bring a 4-4-1 spring record into Sunday’s contest against the Red Sox. This one will air on TV and radio in the Baltimore area, or wherever you are in the world as long as you can access MASN or WBAL/98 Rock from there.

Orioles starting lineup

1. Colton Cowser – CF
2. Blaze Alexander – SS
3. Dylan Beavers – DH
4. Samuel Basallo – C
5. Heston Kjerstad – LF
6. Aron Estrada – 2B
7. Weston Wilson – 3B
8. Ryan Noda – 1B
9. Enrique Bradfield Jr. – RF

The Orioles starting pitcher for this game is Chris Bassitt, making his first appearance in an organized spring game. He is, I believe, the last of the expected rotation pitchers and competitors to get into a game.

This is an extremely “road game in spring training” lineup. If you were projecting out the Opening Day starting lineup a month ago, probably only three of these guys were in it: Basallo, Beavers, and Cowser. And depending on how manager Craig Albernaz chooses to handle his outfield veterans, maybe only one or two of them will actually play on Opening Day.

Alexander wasn’t even in the organization a month ago. If he had been, I would have said he only plays if there are enough injuries ahead of him. As we know, there have been enough injuries ahead of him. Kjerstad is not likely to make the roster unless there are injuries also. Or unless he really, really convinces the front office that he’s in a better place than last year.

At least the lineup has a couple of cool prospects in Bradfield and Estrada. It’s nice that the game will be televised and we can actually see a little bit of these guys in action. Or you can, anyway, I’ve got errands to run and probably won’t get to watch much. Oh well. Post some comments about how Estrada looks.

The St. Louis Cardinals will get their first taste of a National League Central rival today as they host the Pittsburgh Pirates. According to MLB.com, Kyle Leahy will take the mound for St. Louis while Pittsburgh will start the game with Hunter Barco.

The Dodgers take on the Angels on Sunday at Camelback Ranch. Here are the Dodgers’ active players for their 10th game of Cactus League play, including Mookie Betts playing in his first game, batting third and playing shortstop.

Lineup

Miguel Rojas 2B
Teoscar Hernández LF
Mookie Betts SS
Freddie Freeman 1B
Andy Pages CF
Max Muncy 3B
Zach Ehrhard DH
James Tibbs III RF
Eliézer Alfonzo C

Landon Knack makes his second start of the spring.

Other pitchers

Bullpen regulars Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, and Jack Dreyer are slated to pitch, as is Kyle Hurt and non-roster invitee Chris Campos.

Pitchers from the minor league side are Nicolas Cruz (wearing uniform number 05), Cody Morse (06), Christian Romero (07, Roque Gutierrez (89), Nick Nastrini (90), Kelvin Ramirez (91), and Cam Day (93).

Other position players

Non-roster invitees Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, Kendall George, Noah Miller, Chris Newell, Griffin Lockwood-Powell, and Nelson Quiroz are active on Sunday.

Up from minor league camp are infielders Austin Gauthier (01), Kyle Nevin (08), Logan Wagner (09), and Yeiner Fernandez (02), plus outfielder Kole Myers (04).

First Pitch (CT):12:05
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App
Know Yo’ Foe: Battery Power

What to watch: I said it before, I’ll say it again. If Austin Martin can hold up in CF a few times a week, the rest of this roster construction becomes significantly easier. Same could be said for Wagaman at 3B. Also, a couple former Twins prospects are in the lineup for the Braves!

Lineups

We don’t get many regulars today, who wants to work on a Sunday (more like who wants to ride the bus to Lakeland on a Sunday). Our starter is Grant Rogers who pitched in Vancouver and New Hampshire last year. And there are only a couple of guys in the batting order who are sure to be on the opening day roster.

Lineups:

There isn’t much for Jays news.

Trey Yesavage might not be ready to go more than four innings at the start of the season, so there will be innings for a long reliever. I’m never a fan of starters not being able to go 6ish innings. If Yesavage goes just four innings, what happens the next day if something happens and the starter comes out early again? I guess it isn’t my problem.

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Make that 10 Yankees from the projected Opening Day roster playing in the World Baseball Classic.

Lefty Ryan Yarbrough was a late addition to Team USA on Sunday morning, joining the active roster as a substitute for Twins ace Joe Ryan, who is dealing with a back issue.

Yarbrough joins Aaron Judge, David Bednar and Paul Goldschmidt as the Yankees’ representation on Team USA, which will play exhibitions against the Giants on Tuesday and Rockies on Wednesday before beginning pool play on Friday against Brazil.

“Kind of times up with his next outing, when he’d pitch, so it makes some sense,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday at BayCare Ballpark. “Obviously a good opportunity.”

Yarbrough, who re-signed with the Yankees as rotation depth but will likely be in the bullpen if the rest of their starters get through camp healthy, made his spring debut last Monday against the Pirates. He had been lined up to pitch again this weekend but was sick on Friday, so returned to camp on Saturday and only played catch. He will presumably pitch next in one of USA’s exhibitions this week.

With Yarbrough joining the fold, the Yankees now have four pitchers participating in the WBC this spring, along with relievers Bednar, Camilo Doval and Fernando Cruz.

Spring training action continues today with the Brewers headed to Surprise to take on the Kansas City Royals. We will get our first look at one of last year’s breakout stars, Chad Patrick, as he takes the mound first this afternoon. Across from him will be 2025 All-Star Kris Bubic.

It’s a good lineup day if you’re interested in the cream of the Brewers’ minor league crop. Jesús Made, Cooper Pratt, Brock Wilken, Jeferson Quero, and Luis Lara are all in the lineup (with Made at second base and Pratt at shortstop) as many of the team’s vets get the privilege of not traveling the 40 miles to Surprise on a Sunday afternoon. We will see four “major leaguers” at the top of the lineup, though: Luis Rengifo plays third and leads off, Garrett Mitchell is in center and batting second, Gary Sánchez is batting third and playing as the designated hitter, and Akil Baddoo is in left field and batting fourth.

The Brewers will also get to say hi to an old friend today: Isaac Collins is batting leadoff for Kansas City. No Bobby Witt Jr. in the lineup, but several other prominent Royals are there, including Jonathan India, Vinnie Pasquantino, and Jac Caglianone.

A couple of notable names are scheduled to follow Patrick out of the Brewer bullpen this afternoon, with the most interesting being Trevor Megill, who hasn’t pitched in the Cactus League yet this spring. Also slated to pitch this afternoon are Grant Anderson, Craig Yoho, Peter Strzelecki, and Jacob Waguespack.

No TV today, unfortunately, but you can catch the game on the radio. First pitch at 2:05 p.m. CT.

Now in the heart of spring training, the Yankees head to Clearwater for their 10th exhibition game of the year, this one against the Phillies. It’s been a strong start for the Bombers, as they’ve gone 7-2 thus far in their Grapefruit League play, and will look to continue the solid stretch with Will Warren on the bump.

This will be Warren’s second outing of the spring, with his first being a pretty strong performance in which he allowed one run across 2.2 innings of work, striking out four opposing Toronto batters. Warren was a steady performer throughout the 2025 season for the Yankees, managing a 4.07 FIP in his (tied-for) league-leading 33 starts on the mound. He will likely be depended on once again, particularly with several pitchers still recovering on the injured list to begin the year.

The Phillies will be sending Andrew Painter to the mound for his first outing of the spring. He’s ranked as the organization’s second-best prospect, and a top-50 guy overall, and features strong off-speed pitches. The primary concern with Painter, however, is a difficulty to locate his solid stuff, and he’s also had a couple injury-riddled years that have derailed his path to The Show.

The Yankees are running out a mixed bag of starters and prospects in Sunday’s lineup. Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, and Jasson Domínguez lead the charge, while George Lombard Jr. adds some intrigue deeper down the list. Ryan McMahaon and Paul DeJong will be getting a look this afternoon as well. The Phillies, meanwhile, feature a similar layout on their card. Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Alec Bohm, and Bryson Stott will be getting some at-bats to begin this one.

Follow along with us for a Sunday afternoon East Coast matchup!

How to watch

Location: BayCare Ballpark — Clearwater, FL

First pitch: 1:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: NBCSP

Radio broadcast: 94 WIP

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We get another look at Seattle Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert in action this afternoon, and he headlines our spring training predictions as he guides his squad to victory over the rival Texas Rangers.

Rounding out our MLB picks on Sunday, March 1, I'm looking at a pair of totals — one Over, one Under — that are worthy of consideration.

Spring Training predictions for March 1

Pick	Odds
/ Over 10.5	-105
SEA moneyline	-120
/ Under 11.5	-115

Pick #1: Padres vs. Giants - Over 10.5

German Marquez makes his non-Rockies debut as the San Diego Padres hope to catch lightning in a bottle to round out their rotation. While the veteran right-hander has been effective in the past, injuries and declining skills culminated in a 6.70 ERA and a career-worst 14% strikeout rate in 2025.

Even with San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb toeing the opposite rubber to start, he's historically pitched more to contact, which can lead to some crooked numbers here and there.

Neither will have a long leash, but both could surrender a couple of runs, leaving our Over prediction in good shape when the bullpens take over.

Pick #2: Mariners moneyline

With pitch counts still limited, you can't put too much stock into a starting pitcher mismatch. However, Logan Gilbert gives the Seattle Mariners enough of an edge over Texas Rangers lefty Jacob Latz that I will happily take the nearly coin-flip odds.

At his best, Gilbert is a borderline ace. He has a career 3.58 ERA and has been mostly durable. He pitched a pair of scoreless innings in his spring debut, and we can expect more of the same today en route to a Seattle victory.

And it's not that Latz is bad, but he's a career reliever who has a propensity for walks. 

Pick #3: Reds vs A's - Under 11.5

The Cincinnati Reds and the Athletics are trotting out secondary lineups, and while some key sluggers will be present early (Nick Kurtz, for example), starting pitchers Andrew Abbott and J.T. Ginn can navigate trouble in the early going.

That will leave things up to relatively shaky bullpens, making this perhaps a bit of a sweat, but even though we'll see our share of laughers in early March, 11.5 is still a high total, and this one measures up to come in just below that number.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Is it on TV?

Yes, it’s on NESN, first pitch at 1:05 PM.

What’s the lineup?

What should we watch for?

How about this infield configuration, huh? For most of this spring — including in team fielding drills outside of a game setting — Marcelo Mayer has been at second with Caleb Durbin at third. Alex Cora has flipped that today, while Isiah Kiner-Falefa is playing first base for the first time in his big league career. That’s the only position IKF hasn’t played (including pitcher) and he’s going to have to get used to it over there. Without Romy Gonzalez and Triston Casas, he’ll be the primary backup first baseman for the start of the season.