How to watch Warriors vs. Clippers

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 02: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers handles the ball defended by Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena on December 02, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. 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 Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Golden State Warriors will host another Southern California rival as they take on the Clippers on Monday night. The game will be played at 7:00 PM PT in San Francisco and can be watched on Peacock and NBC Sports Bay Area.

Previously with the Warriors:

Golden State is coming off a 129–101 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night. Unfortunately, the game was never close as a healthy Lakers squad jumped out to a first-quarter lead and never looked back against the undermanned Warriors. Luka Dončić, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Saturday, led all scorers with 26 points, followed by LeBron James with 22 points.

As for the Warriors, they needed a strong shooting night to stay competitive, but it never came as the team shot just 12-of-44 from three-point range (27.3%). Gui Santos led Golden State with 14 points, while Moses Moody came in second with 12 points, including four made threes. 

What to watch for tonight:

The Warriors look to bounce back against a Clippers team playing on the second night of a back-to-back. On Sunday, Los Angeles snapped a three-game losing streak with a 137–117 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points in 29 minutes, marking his 37th straight game with at least 20 points, and he continues to lead the Clippers with an average of 28 points per game this season.

Golden State, meanwhile, remains without its top scorer in Stephen Curry. The team announced on Sunday that Curry will miss at least 10 more days with a lingering knee injury.

The Warriors are 4–6 in the 10 games they have played without Curry. Although expectations have understandably been lowered in his absence, along with Jimmy Butler’s season-ending ACL injury, head coach Steve Kerr has praised the effort and coachability shown by the rest of the roster during this challenging stretch of the season. And with the Clippers trailing just 2.5 games behind them for the eighth seed in the West, Golden State will once again be counting on their depth and effort to give them a chance without their stars.

Enjoy the game Dub Nation. GO WARRIORS!!!

Projected Starters

Warriors: Brandin Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Gui Santos, Draymond Green

Clippers: Darius Garland, Kris Dunn, Kawhi Leonard, Derrick Jones Jr., Brook Lopez

How to watch Regular Season Game 61

Who: Golden State Warriors (31 – 29) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (28 – 31)

When: Monday, March 2nd, at 7:00 p.m. PT

Where: Chase Center â€” San Francisco, California

TV and Streaming: Peacock and NBC Sports Bay Area (available on fuboTV)

Spurs' Luke Kornet wants Hawks to call off 'Magic City Monday' collaboration with strip club

San Antonio Spurs' Luke Kornet reacts to a call during the first half of an NBA basketball game.
San Antonio Spurs' Luke Kornet reacts to a call during a game Sunday against the New York Knicks. (Seth Wenig / Associated Press)

At least one NBA player objects to the Atlanta Hawks paying tribute to the famous Magic City adult entertainment club during their game Monday against the Orlando Magic.

San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet posted a statement on Medium asking the Hawks to call off the promotion "as to ensure that the NBA remains a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment for everyone involved."

"The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world," Kornet wrote. "We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.

"Allowing this night to go forward without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society. Regardless of how a woman finds her way into the adult entertainment industry, many in this space experience abuse, harassment, and violence to which they should never be subjected."

Read more:Luka Doncic and LeBron James power Lakers to another rout against last-place Kings

The Hawks announced its "Magic City Monday" promotion last week. Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz was a producer on the docuseries "Magic City: An American Fantasy" that aired last year on Starz. Atlanta-based artist T.I. will perform at halftime. A collaborative hoodie will be available for purchase, and some of the club's well-known wings will be served — including the lemon-pepper wings named after former Hawks player Lou Williams.

In 2020, while he was playing for the Clippers during the pandemic, Williams made headlines for visiting Magic City during an excused absence for personal reasons to return home to Atlanta. The NBA was finishing its season in a so-called bubble in Orlando meant to protect against COVID-19. Williams has said he was at the club just to pick up food.

In expressing his objection to the promotion, Kornet stressed that NBA teams should be held "to a higher standard of what they find worthy of promoting."

"I and others throughout the league were surprised by and object to the Hawks’ decision," Kornet wrote. "We desire to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience. The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision."

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

2 Former Canadiens Get Waived

The Minnesota Wild brought in a veteran forward on Monday, as they claimed Robby Fabbri off of waivers from the St. Louis Blues. However, in a corresponding move, the Wild placed a former Montreal Canadiens forward on waivers.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Wild have placed former Canadiens forward Tyler Pitlick on waivers.

After spending all of last season at the AHL level with the Providence Bruins, Pitlick has gotten into a good amount of NHL action this campaign with the Wild. In 32 games this season with Minnesota, the former Canadiens forward has recorded two goals, 24 penalty minutes, and 78 hits. 

If Pitlick clears waivers, Minnesota will then be able to assign him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Iowa Wild. The Minnesota native has played in 12 games this season for Iowa, where he has eight goals and 11 points. 

The Canadiens acquired Pitlick during the 2021-22 season as part of the trade that sent Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames. In 14 games during that campaign with the Habs, he posted one goal, three points, and 15 hits. 

Pitlick is not the only former Canadiens player who has been placed on waivers, though. This is because the Detroit Red Wings have placed defenseman Erik Gustafsson on waivers as well.

Gustafsson has played in two games this season with Detroit, where he has recorded zero points and a minus-2 rating. Down in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins this campaign, the former Canadiens defenseman has two goals and 20 points in 22 games.

Gustafsson played in five regular-season games for the Habs in 2020-2021, where he had two assists. He also played in 16 playoff games for the Canadiens in 2021, posting one goal and three points. 

Rockets and Wiz duke it out

MIAMI, FL - FEBRUARY 28: Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets during the game against the Miami Heat on February 28, 2026 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. 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 Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Houston Rockets vs Washington Wizards

March 2, 2026

Location: Capital One Arena — Washington, DC

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790

Online: Rockets App, SCHN+

Time: 6:00 CST

Probable Starting Lineups

Rockets: Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun

Wizards: Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibali, Anthony Gill

Dodgers smash four home runs in win over Rockies

Mar 2, 2026; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing (68) hits a solo home run against the Colorado Rockies in the second inning at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The Dodgers are now 2-0 in the month of March this spring, as they connected for four home runs to defeat the Colorado Rockies 7-5 on Monday.

Ryder Ryan made his first start of the spring, completing two innings of work on 35 pitches (23 for strikes) while allowing one hit and one earned run and picking up a strikeout. Paul Gervase, Edgardo Henriquez and Jordan Weems each tossed a scoreless inning in relief after Ryan’s departure.

Dalton Rushing began the scoring with a 450-foot no doubt home run to center field in the top of the second inning against Jimmy Herget, his second home run in as many games.

James Tibbs III outmatched Rushing’s long ball with a two-run home run that traveled 458 feet to deep center field in the top of the fourth inning against Welinton Herrera, also his second home run in as many games.

Colorado would tie the game at three in the bottom of the sixth inning with two consecutive home runs from Mickey Moniak and Kyle Karros against right-hander Carson Hobbs. The D0dgers would get both those runs back and retake the lead in the top of the eighth inning on a two-run shot from Elijah Hainline.

Joe Vetrano added another home run for the Dodgers in the top of the ninth to give them a three-run lead in the top of the ninth inning. Noah Miller drove home the final run of the game with an RBI single to plate Josue de Paula.

After Myles Caba loaded the bases with only one out, Antonio Knowles came in relief, allowing a pair of bases loaded walks to Zac Veen and Braxton Fulford to cut the lead to two. With the running run at first base, Knowles was able to get T.J. Rumfield to ground out to Hainline at second, ending the threat and the game.

The Dodgers are now averaging 6.73 runs per game (74 in 11 games) so far this spring, tied with the San Francisco Giants for the most among cactus league teams.

UP NEXT

The Dodgers look to make it three consecutive wins as they take on the Cleveland Guardians at Goodyear Ballpark on Tuesday (12:05 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Roki Sasaki makes his second start of the spring against left-hander Joey Cantillo.

Targett double sets Middlesbrough on the path to victory against Birmingham

Matt Targett’s first-half double helped Middlesbrough return to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Birmingham and further boost their hopes of promotion to the Premier League.

Third-place Millwall’s triumph against Preston at the weekend cut the gap to just the one point coming into the match, but Kim Hellberg’s side responded to restore their four-point advantage in second place. Birmingham lost just their second league game at St Andrew’s since May 2024, meaning their chances of finishing in the playoffs have slipped further away. They remain eight points off the top six.

Continue reading...

Real Madrid lose second straight and miss chance to close gap on Liga leader Barcelona

MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid lost a second straight La Liga match when a stunning volley from Martín Satriano gave Getafe a shock 1-0 win at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Monday.

The result prevented the capital club from cutting the four-point gap to leader Barcelona.

Getafe had lost all eight of its previous league encounters with Real Madrid and early saves from goalkeeper David Soria kept it from falling behind.

Soria turned over a shot from Arda GĂŒler midway through the first half, not long after frustrating Vinicius Junior when he was through on goal.

Madrid had more of the ball but lacked punch up front and it paid a price for its profligacy six minutes before halftime when Getafe took the lead.

A hopeful cross from the right was headed clear but it fell to the feet of Satriano, who volleyed into the roof of the net from 20 meters out.

It was the second goal in three games for the Uruguayan, who joined on loan from Lyon during the last transfer window.

Madrid continued to dominate possession in the second half and Antonio RĂŒdiger and substitute Rodrygo were among those who came close to grabbing an equalizer.

But it could not find a way past Getafe’s stuffy rearguard and an in-form Soria.

Madrid’s task became even harder when Franco Mastantuono was sent off for dissent in stoppage time and although the numbers were evened up in the last minute when Getafe’s Adrian Liso was also shown a red card it came too late to make any impact.

Getafe held on to secure a historic win, its first at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2008, and a vital three points in its bid to stay in La Liga.

“Coming here is always very difficult," Getafe defender Kiko Femenía told broadcaster DAZN. "We have to congratulate the team, we did a superb job at the back and we scored when had the chance. We might even have scored more on the counterattack.”

They jumped three league places into 11th and were eight points above the relegation zone.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Ask Pinstripe Alley: Yankees mailbag questions request

Ask Pinstripe Alley

We’re in the full swing of spring training now, and the few roster spots that the Yankees have up for grabs have some good competition going on. Their retooled bullpen has several names that could make the roster or see themselves outrighted to Triple-A Scranton to start the year, as guys like Brent Headrick and Osvaldo Bido try to make their mark. The infield also has some hopefuls looking to make an impression, with Oswaldo Cabrera trying to make it back to the roster after missing most of last season and finding deadline additions Amed Rosario and Jose Caballero ahead of him on the depth chart now.

They’re not headline-grabbing competitions, but they often end up playing a part in enough games down the line to matter — especially in a division as stacked as the AL East. If the difference between being division champs or scrapping for a Wild Card spot comes down to how the middle of your bullpen performs in the middle of June, for instance, you want to have enough weapons to survive the 162-game marathon and avoid nosediving like the Yankees have in recent years. So who is best suited to win spots on the Opening Day roster? Which prospects might impress enough to get a shot midseason? And where is the team’s depth most lacking? If you have questions like these, or anything else on your mind, send ‘em in for a chance to be featured in our Yankees mailbag.

Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of March 5th will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

'That's what I expect.' Dodgers' Mookie Betts seeks to regain his All-Star form

Phoenix, AZ - February 16, 2026: Mookie Betts runs for a ball at Dodgers spring training.
Mookie Betts, above during a workout at Camelback Ranch last month, played in his first spring training game Sunday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Since his first full season in 2015, Mookie Betts had either been named an All-Star or received votes for most valuable player every year.

That held true until last year. In his sixth season with the Dodgers, Betts posted career lows in batting average (.258), on-base percentage (.326), and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.732) while playing 148 games at shortstop.

Betts, now 33, believes last year was an outlier and he can get back to his previous form.

Read more:For pitching prospect Jackson Ferris, Dodgers organization is 'a breath of fresh air'

“That’s what I expect,” Betts said after making his Cactus League debut Sunday. “I haven’t felt this way in a long time. So, the way I feel now, I’m healthy, my swing’s in a really good spot. My head’s in a really good spot. I haven’t had any bad days in the cage. I haven’t had any bad days [taking batting practice]. Usually by now, I would have taken a thousand swings, trying to fix stuff, trying to get game-ready, and now I’m just cruising. I’m just cruising and I’m ready to go.”

This spring, manager Dave Roberts offered an unequivocal vote of confidence.

“He will be in the MVP conversation this year,” Roberts said. “But again, I think, speaking for Mookie, his main goal is to help us win a championship. So, I think whatever falls out from there, I think that will happen.”

A stomach bug that caused him to lose a considerable amount of weight put Betts behind last spring, and he never quite caught up. Through his first 103 games, he batted .231 with a .302 on-base percentage and .657 OPS. Enduring the longest cold spell of his career, Betts was forced to retool.

“It’s really just going back to what I what I do best, and really just honing in on it,” Betts said. “Instead of trying to fix problems, I was more able to just hone in on what I do best. And kind of groove those patterns instead of trying to fix old habits.”

Read more:Shaikin: In L.A. and in Cooperstown, Freddie Freeman will forever be a Dodger, not a Brave

Betts says in a bizarre way, he enjoyed his season of soul searching.

“I learned a lot about myself,” Betts said. “I learned a lot about how I operate. I was able to get in the right headspace, and sustain the right headspace. And then once I was able to kind of get in the right headspace and stay there, I haven’t been searching, I haven’t been doing anything since I’ve been here outside of just working and preparing.”

Things started to click in late summer. Over his final 47 games, he batted .317 with a .376 on-base percentage and .892 OPS.

It wasn’t the stats that bothered Betts as much as his lack of production through the first four months.

“Once I was able to help the boys, I was fine," Betts said. But before that, I was really upset, not with the numbers per se, but not being able to help. Not doing my job, carrying my weight. Once I was able to do stuff, especially later on in the season, I was able to just take a step back and say, ‘You did pretty good.’"

Part of the plan for maximizing Betts’ abilities is minimizing his work in camp. Betts was the last healthy position player to appear in a spring game, starting Sunday after sitting for the first nine games. He was back in the lineup Monday, collecting his first hit with a single in three at-bats against the Colorado Rockies.

“It’s intentional,” Roberts said last week. “It’s load management. I wanted Mookie to start a little bit later, as far as not getting into spring training ready to go and kind of use spring training to build up, given it’s six weeks.”

Gavin Stone suffers setback, Dodgers ‘pause’ his throwing

Dodgers pitcher Gavin Stone delivers in the first inning a during a spring training game against the Guardians on Feb. 24.
Dodgers pitcher Gavin Stone delivers in the first inning a during a spring training game against the Guardians last Tuesday. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)

Six days after Gavin Stone made his Cactus League debut and threw a scoreless inning, Roberts said Stone suffered a setback and will pause throwing activities. Stone missed all of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery in October 2024.

“Stone threw the inning and then he had a bullpen the next day, and then his shoulder flared up and was sore,” Roberts said before Monday's game. “And so right now, we put him on ice, and trying to let the soreness dissipate. So, given everything that he’s gone through with the shoulder, we wanted to make sure that we kind of pushed pause, so I don’t know when he’s going to start throwing again, but I think it is a setback unfortunately.”

Roberts added that the setback was not expected.

Read more:Edwin DĂ­az is unquestionably the Dodgers' closer. How the rest of the bullpen shapes up

“He’s worked so hard to kind of get back to where he was pitching in a game," Roberts said. "We’re excited about that. He threw the baseball really well, and it was one inning, so it wasn’t too taxing. So, to come back in his 'pen and not feel good, that’s disappointing, and it’s not from lack of effort, but yeah, just disappointing.”

Roberts also confirmed right-hander Roki Sasaki would make his second Cactus League start Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians, with the expectation he would go three innings, and right-hander Tyler Glasnow would start Wednesday's game against Team Mexico in a World Baseball Classic tuneup.

Etc.

The Dodgers announced they were reassigning pitchers Patrick Copen, Luke Fox, Jerming Rosario, Adam Serwinowski, Nick Frasso and Jose Rodriguez, catchers Nelson Quiroz and Chuckie Robinson, infielders Keston Hiura and Matt Gorski and outfielder Chris Newell to minor league camp.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. faces challenge of resurrecting Padres’ offense

San Diego Padres hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)

The 2025 San Diego Padres finished with a 90-72 record, driven by a pitching staff widely regarded as one of the best in the majors. The offense was another story. 

Collectively, the team batting average was .252, as they scored 4.33 runs per game. A sharp decline from the season before, with 4.69 runs per game.

Changes occurred at the managerial position, out went Mike Shildt, and in came Craig Stammen. Shortly after his announcement, Stammen reached out to an old teammate, Steven Souza Jr., to become the Padres’ new hitting coach. He accepted the challenge of resurrecting the offense. 

Souza Jr. offers a simple hitting philosophy

Souza Jr. has a simple hitting philosophy of controlling the strike zone. It is an approach that allows hitters to become more aggressive and capitalize on pitchers’ mistakes. Souza Jr. encourages his hitters to visualize their at-bat before stepping into the batter’s box. It helps them identify the holes in the opponent’s defensive alignment.

It removes the threat of the batter overthinking and swinging at pitches outside the strike zone. Now, they can relax at the plate, as their approach only changes with two strikes. All that needs to take place is putting the ball in play. 

Often, the result is that the pitch travels to the gap for an extra-base hit or possibly a home run. The Friars had trouble putting the ball over the fence. They hit 152 home runs, which ranked 28th in the majors last season.

Souza Jr. believes his hitting philosophy will limit batting slumps throughout the season. To reach this goal, his focus is raising the lineup’s confidence in the batter’s box.

2025 Padres offense: A big disappointment

The Padres’ offense was too inconsistent last season, especially with runners in scoring position. They left an average of 3.55 runners in scoring position per game, which ranked near the bottom of the majors. 

The highs and lows were too far apart between an optimal offense and a dreaded run-scoring drought. Yes, lineup stability was a challenge due to injuries sustained by key offensive contributors last season. Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth and Xander Bogaerts all missed significant time, and the run production suffered. Still, the Friars ranked 18th in team scoring with 702 runs, despite being seventh in team batting average. 

They essentially have the same lineup that concluded the 2025 season. To boost production, Souza Jr. must improve their mindset when batting with runners in scoring position. He must take down their stress level that should generate more productive swings.

Improved offensive production must occur in 2026. While the process may have a slow start, this lineup is too talented not to turn things around.

Hopefully, the bats will come into their own this season.

Kings Vs Avalanche Game Preview: Kenny Connors Makes His NHL Debut

The Kings are playing their first game since firing their old head coach, Jim Hiller. Tonight will be the first game for D.J Smith as the head coach, and while it is not his first time being a head coach, it is his first time being the head coach for the Kings, and they do not get the easiest first matchup as they host the Colorado Avalanche, who are 1st in the NHL.  

Kings Projected Lines

Here are the projected lines for the Kings tonight: 

Artemi Panarin - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe

Alex Turcotte - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere

Warren Foegele - Kenny Connors - Corey Perry

Jeff Malott - Samuel Helenius - Taylor Ward

Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke

Mikey Anderson - Cody Ceci

Jacob Moverare - Brian Dumoulin

Anton Forsberg

Erik Portillo

Avalanche Projected Lines

Here are the projected lines for the Avalanche tonight: 

Gabriel Landeskog - Nathan MacKinnon - Martin Necas

Artturi Lehkonen - Brock Nelson - Valeri Nichushkin

Ross Colton - Jack Drury - Victor Olofsson

Zakhar Bardakov - Parker Kelly - Gavin Brindley

Devon Toews - Cale Makar

Josh Manson - Brent Burns

Brett Kulak - Sam Malinski

Mackenzie Blackwood

Scott Wedgewood

Line Changes and Injuries

The Colorado Avalanche are expected to use the same lineup as they did in the Chicago Blackhawks game. The Kings will be without Trevor Moore and Darcy Kuemper, who are both out due to illness. With those 2 players out, the Kings have called up Kenny Connors, who will make his NHL debut tonight, and Erik Portillo to back up Anton Forsberg. 

Key Factors 

The Kings are coming off a 2-0 win over the Calgary Flames, which was the first win for Artemi Panarin as a member of the Kings. The Kings currently sit 3 points back of the final wildcard spot, and a win tonight would be huge in their playoff race. 

Tonight's matchup is one of the toughest for the Kings, as the Avalanche have firepower on offence and defence, led by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. Artemi Panarin and Adrian Kempe have been playing very well together; in their last 3 games, they have both scored 3 points, and this duo can be a big enough factor for the Kings to pull off the upset. 

The goaltending matchup tonight looks like Forsberg vs. Blackwood. Forsberg is coming off his 2nd shutout of the season, where he made 29 saves. Blackwood is coming off a 14-save win over the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Overall, this game is going to be a tough one for the Kings, but with their new dynamic duo and strong defence, there is a good chance they can pull off the upset.  

The strange lineup math in San Diego

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 27: Sung-Mun Song #24 of the San Diego Padres gets ready in the batter's box during the third inning of a spring training game against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 27, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images

As the third week of Spring Training gets underway, the San Diego Padres have continued to show promise in their Cactus League play. They have remained competitive in games they had no business being competitive in. As hard as it is to gauge the weight of spring performance, it has been exciting to watch.

Now that players’ roles have become slightly more concrete, it might be time to take a look at lineup projections for left-handed starters versus right-handers. How will the lineup math work when facing lefty Tarik Skubal on Opening Day in comparison to righty Jack Flaherty a few days later?

Against lefties

  1. Xander Bogaerts SS 
  2. Jackson Merrill CF 
  3. Manny Machado 3B 
  4. Fernando Tatis Jr. RF 
  5. Miguel Andujar DH 
  6. Jake Cronenworth 2B  
  7. RamĂłn Laureano LF 
  8. Nick Castellanos 1B 
  9. Freddy Fermin C 

Week one of Spring Training found San Diego with an interesting order for the Padres’ starting four. Manager Craig Stammen stated that it’s uncertain whether or not this will be a part of the Opening Day lineup but also argued for the logic behind the change.

This lineup utilizes newcomers Andujar and Castellanos for their strengths against left-handers, putting the latter at his new position of first base. Andujar would likely be taking the starting reps at DH most of the time, except to give one of the starting outfielders a day off.

The rest of the lineup is pretty straightforward, with it being balanced between lefty and righty bats, it could make for a markedly better year against left-handed pitchers.

Against righties

  1. Xander Bogaerts SS 
  2. Jackson Merrill CF 
  3. Manny Machado 3B 
  4. Fernando Tatis Jr. RF 
  5. Gavin Sheets 1B 
  6. RamĂłn Laureano LF 
  7. Miguel Andujar DH 
  8. Jake Cronenworth 2B  
  9. Freddy Fermin C 

Sticking with the top four from the last lineup (since that’s much less likely to change due to pitching), this supplants Castellanos at first base for Gavin Sheets. The 2025 breakout player for San Diego mashes against righties, and can play passable defense at the cold corner.

The rest of the lineup is likely about the same. The problem is the lack of left-handed bats in the lineup. There’s only three lefty bats (Merrill, Sheets, and Cronenworth) with the rest being right-handed batters. 

It’s possible that it won’t affect too much as long as they’re spread throughout the lineup. But the lineup math could get difficult if you move one of them and then the Friars are struggling to solve for a streak of right-handed bats. 

Who’s warming up the bench?

  1. Luis Campusano C
  2. Samad Taylor/Jose Miranda INF
  3. Sung-Mun Song INF
  4. Bryce Johnson/Alex Verdugo OF

These players are the ones likely on the bench no matter who’s on the mound. Apart from them, San Diego would probably have Sheets benched against lefties and Castellanos and Andujar versus righties. 

Campusano is currently the favorite for the backup catcher role behind Fermin. It’s incredibly unlikely that he gets beat out for that role since he is out of options and needs to make the major-league roster or else clear waivers to be sent down to Triple-A. 

Song has been battling back from a minor oblique injury that has slowed his emergence into MLB, but has still managed to log two hits across his first five games. He’s likely to fill a versatile utility role for the club, playing wherever is needed.

The fight for the last spots is now between Taylor and Miranda for the infield, and Johnson and newcomer Verdugo for the outfield. The former have been destroying baseballs so far in Cactus League play, hitting .462 and .412, respectively. 

Johnson is the likely candidate for outfield depth, given his tenure and consistency with San Diego. That said, if Verdugo manages to turn it up in the next few weeks, he could make his way onto the big-league roster.

How the lineup math works out will be a matter of scrutiny on Stammen’s part, and it’s likely it won’t be figured out for the next few weeks. Whatever happens, the Friars have a great problem on their hands: too many good options.

Prized Washington Wizards acquisition Trae Young to make debut Thursday

The Washington Wizards are seemingly on track to unveil one of their recent prized acquisitions.

In an Instagram post shared Monday, March 5, point guard Trae Young, whom the team acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks, hinted that he would make his Wizards debut Thursday, March 5 against the Utah Jazz. To that end, a person with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed to USA TODAY Sports Monday that Young is trending in that direction and is expected to play that night.

The person spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the matter.

The Instagram post includes a reel of Young going through drills in Wizards gear and includes B-roll footage of Washington D.C. The caption of the post simply reads: “March 5th."

This comes as the Wizards remain well outside of the play-in picture, at 16-43 and 13th in the Eastern Conference. Washington has lost eight consecutive games while dealing with several key injuries.

Young has been sidelined since late December with knee and quadriceps injuries and has played in only 10 games this season. The Wizards acquired Young in exchange for guards CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

Aside from Young, center Anthony Davis, who was acquired in a separate trade with the Dallas Mavericks, has also been out with a left hand ligament injury and still has not suited up for Washington; Davis is reportedly set to miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season. The Wizards have also been without center Alex Sarr (right hamstring strain) and forward Cam Whitmore (deep vein thrombosis).

Young, 27, is a four-time All-Star who is averaging 19.3 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game this season. Though he remains one of the top distributors in the NBA — Young led the NBA in assists last season with 11.6 per game — his defense has been a significant issue.

Washington is navigating a delicate balance for its first-round draft pick. The selection is Top-8 protected, which means that it will convey to the New York Knicks, if it falls to No. 9 or below. This means that any victories over the final quarter of the season could compromise Washington's draft positioning; the Wizards currently have the NBA’s fourth-lowest winning percentage (.271).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trae Young to make Washington Wizards debut vs. Utah Jazz March 5