Worldwide Sports News

Blue Jays 2 Twins 1

The Jays got a bunch of hits (10) but only 2 runs, so they are in mid-season form. And they got good pitching. They loaded the bases in the first, with the help of a couple of errors, with no outs but managed not to score. I did say mid-season form.

Max Scherzer still hasn’t given up a run this spring, going 5 innings, allowing 2 hits, 2 walks with 3 strikeouts. With all the injuries to starting pitchers, at the top of the season, I’m glad they signed him. He got the win.

Other pitchers:

• Joe Mantiply: 1 inning, 1 hit, 1 k. 3.00 ERA on the spring.
• Chase Lee: 1.2 innings, 1 hit. 0.00 ERA on the spring.
• Lazaro Estrada: 1.1 innings, 2 hits, 1 earned, 1 k. 4.76 ERA. He got the save.

Hitters, starters:

• Myles Straw: 1 for 4, k. .206.
• Nathan Lukes: 2 for 3, .333.
• Jesús Sánchez: 1 for 3. .244. He hit a deep fly that was just foul in the first. He tried to lobby the umpires into thinking it was right over the foul pole.
• Davis Schneider: 2 for 4. .139.
• Tyler Heineman: 1 for 3, RBI. .300. Hit into a double play in the first to end the inning.
• Leo Jiménez: 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts. .217. I would have liked him to hit better this spring, since he’s on the bubble for a roster spot.
• Sean Keys: 0 for 2, walk. .195.
• Arjun Nimmala: 1 for 3, k. .250.
• Josh Kasevich: 2 for 3, RBI. .306. He’s had a very nice spring.

Others:

• Carter Cunningham: 0 for 1, k. .206. The great thing about spring training is there are always names you haven’t heard.
• RJ Schreck: 0 for 1. .143.
• Rafael Lantigua: 0 for 1. .355.
• C.J. Stubbs: Walk. .273.
• Charles McAdoo: 0 for 1. .194. He started spring really great.
• Josh Rivera: 0 for 1. .211.
• Jace Bohrofen: 0 for 1.
• Je’Von Ward: 0 for 1.

Tomorrow the Jays play the Pirates in Bradenton, Florida and there is a spring breakout game, Jays Prospects vs. Phillies Prospects. And then Sunday is the last spring game.

We don’t have any pictures from today’s game yet, so I’m cheating, using one from yesterday’s game.

The Mets mounted a late rally but fell short, dropping their game to the Cardinals by a 4-3 score on Friday afternoon at Clover Park. The Mets were blanked through seven, managing just two hits, before scoring three in the eighth. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome an early four-run deficit.

• Tobias Myers got the nod and pitched two innings of one-run ball. He allowed a solo home run to Ramón Urías in the first inning but did not allow any other hits. He struck out two and walked one.
• Luke Weaver pitched a scoreless third inning, working around a two-out single while striking out one to keep his spring ERA at 0.00.
• Speaking of spotless ERAs, Brooks Raley pitched a scoreless fourth to keep his ERA at zero on the spring. He navigated two hits while striking out one.
• Earlier today, the Mets optioned Austin Warren to the minors which, as Anthony DiComo pointed out, “further strengthening left-hander Bryan Hudson’s position for that final bullpen spot”. Hudson did himself no favors today, allowing three earned runs on one hit and two walks in the fifth inning. The big blow was a Iván Herrera two-run home run, which led to Carlos Mendoza removing Hudson from the game (he would then go back to Hudson to start the inning, removing him after he recorded the first out of that inning).
• On offense, the Mets managed just two hits in the first seven innings—a Vidal Bruján fifth-inning single and a Carson Benge sixth-inning single. The Mets finally broke through in the eighth against Gerson Moreno. Cristian Pache walked to lead off, followed by an Antonio Jimenez walk. Tyrone Taylor was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out, and Ben Rortvedt drove home the team’s first run on a sac fly. After a Corey Collins walk, St. Louis substituted Austin Love into the game to pitch, and he allowed a two-run double to D’Andre Smith. That would be New York’s final hit of the game.
• Benge continued his strong spring with a hit and a walk as he started in right field for the Mets. His average now stands at .412 and his OPS at .987 for the spring. Joel Sherman, for what it’s worth, says that Benge has made the club, but the Mets have not officially announced it yet.
• Mark Vientos took another 0-fer as he went hitless in three at-bats while serving as the DH.

Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

LocalBlueWhaleRuinsEverything asks:Judge is getting pretty well-flamed online for his poor performance in the WBC. How seriously should we take those stats compared to, say, his post-season performances?

Even less serious than the postseason narrative, which is to say not that much. Judge’s overall performance in the WBC was more than adequate, posting an .845 OPS with two homers and five RBI in seven games played — and those are the numbers after he went 0-for in the finale. That’s the equivalent of a single drawn out round of postseason play in the Championship Series or World Series, and that performance wouldn’t be enough to draw the blame for anyone except for a player of Judge’s status (and for that matter, it’s a better line than Judge posted in the ALCS or World Series in 2024).

Judge’s overall postseason track record is certainly less than his regular season excellence, but even there it’s not as bad as it’s made out to be: a career .822 OPS with 17 homers and 41 RBI in 65 games. There have been highs — his most recent performance in 2025 was dominant, his first taste of October was more than fine in 2017, and the Yankees’ short stay in the 2018 playoffs could in no way be blamed on Judge and his 1.447 OPS in the ALDS. But there have certainly been lows, most notably that 2024 run up until the infamous Game 5 against the Dodgers and a rather dreadful 2022 performance that saw them get bounced by their nemesis in Houston.

All of this to say, that Judge’s overall numbers are far from the narrative that he’s a playoff choker. Did he have a good game in the championship against Venezuela? No, far from it — but the US superteam at large was getting shut down by Eduardo Rodriguez for 4.1 innings, and that man’s run an ERA north of five for the last two seasons. The US lineup in general never got going in this tournament outside of their initial blowouts against Brazil and Great Britain, and Judge was one of the few bats alive enough to beat Mexico and force that three-way tie atop their group. There hasn’t been an extended run where Judge has stayed on a heater like he has for some of these individual series or matches, and if he gets one then I think the narrative would be broken, but until then any singular big game flop will be enough to bring out the hecklers.

The idiot that said, “Harper is coming” asks:Who makes money off the WBC? I have to assume players and MLB make some money, I’m curious how it’s distributed.

The tournament drew a massive pot of cash this year, reportedly offering a $37 million prize pool to the participants when all was said and done thanks in large part to a $100 million broadcasting rights deal that Netflix struck to cover the games in Japan. That pool is then divided up to each competing team with a starting payout of $750,000 and scaling up for each round that teams advanced through. Once a team’s placement has been finalized, their payout is then evenly split between their team federation (which pays for the coaches and staff) and the players on the team, with Venezuela getting the biggest cut for winning it all at a $6.75 million payout.

As for the overall profit generated from the tournament, The Athletic reports that there’s a one-third split going to MLB, one third to the player’s union, and a third split to a trio of other organizations: the World Baseball Softball Organization, the KBO, and the NPB.

OLDY MOLDY asks:Will there be inning limits on Schlittler?

I doubt it, for a couple of reasons. First, Schlittler ended up throwing a combined 149.2 regular season innings last season split between the minors and the majors, a 29-inning increase in workload from his 2024 setting himself up nicely to push towards the 170-180 inning range for 2026. That’s probably about how much the Yankees would love for Schlittler to handle this year, so no real need to manage his innings on a day-to-day basis. On top of that, Schlitter’s slow start to spring while handling his sore back puts him in the position to potentially get skipped over a couple times while the team only needs four starters in the opening weeks of the season, further reducing the need to worry about his season-long workload.

We’re now less than a week from Opening Day, and things are certainly coming into focus. While spring training statistics are basically useless in terms of predictive value, when has that ever stopped anyone from looking at them and drawing conclusions? So, based on the Cactus League results so far, here are three players – a hitter, a starting pitcher and a reliever – whose stock seems to have risen as a result of their performance, and three others about whom there might be reason for concern.

Three up

Jordan Lawlar

There are a few candidates here: Alek Thomas, Jorge Barrosa and Jose Fernandez all have an OPS over 1.000. Lawlar is right there with them, his triple-slash being .293/.420/.610 for a 1.030 OPS. But he was also having to learn a whole new position, playing the outfield for almost the first time in his professional career. He has done well: he committed his first error the other day, but a couple of hitters later, made a highlight reel play. Lawlar has played so well, it leaves Torey Lovullo with a tricky decision: should he or Thomas play CF? “They’re running balls down out there. They’re going out there and playing solid defense. Who gets to start in center or left, I haven’t figured that out.”

Brandon Pfaadt

It feels like we should add “Pfaadt breakout prediction” to our spring training bingo card. Before 2024, we had Brandon Pfaadt could be MLB’s biggest breakout player next season. Then, early in the 2025 season, it was Brandon Pfaadt is Forging a Breakout Season Despite the Odds. This year, he’s making lists like Top 10 NL Breakout Players to Watch in 2026. Spring has done nothing to dampen this enthusiasm: over ten innings, he has allowed just three hits and one earned run, with eleven strikeouts. Hence: Brandon Pfaadt’s Adjustments are Already Paying Off, discussing the hopes tweaks to his mechanics could lead to his sweeper becoming a weapon. We’ll see, but fingers crossed.

Juan Morillo

Of the two dozen D-backs’ pitchers to have thrown at least five innings this spring, there is only one who has yet to allow an earned run: Morillo. Across 7.1 innings, he has eight strikeouts, compared to only two walks, and so far has held opposing hitters to a .167 average. It’s numbers which compare very well, in a similar sample size, to more established relievers like Ryan Thompson or Jonathan Loaisiga. It’s easy to forget Morillo appeared 42 times for Arizona last year, a number surpassed only by Thompson and Jalen Beeks, with an ERA+ of 104. He may end up squeezed out of the Opening Day roster for “veteran presence.” However, I predict it won’t be long before he’s on the bus up from Reno.

Three down

Corbin Carroll

Spring had barely started, when Carroll had to go on the back burner, after fracturing the hamate bone in his hand while swinging. This was initially expected to rule him out for Opening Day, but he set a near-record pace for recovery, returning to the line-up less than four weeks after surgery. The concern is whether the surgery might have a lingering impact, particularly on his power. Although the data doesn’t support that, he has got off to a slow start since his return. Carroll is 2-for-12 with no walks and four strikeouts. While he did hit his first home-run on Wednesday against the Cubs, his OPS to date is only .583. Hopefully, it’s just a case of lingering winter rust being knocked off.

Merrill Kelly

As with Carroll, the issue here is probably as much a health concern as anything. He is no longer feeling any problems with his back, the area which forced him into a late spring start and out of Opening Day. However, Merrill still thinks he will need to start the year on the Injured List. He has made two starts so far, and the results haven’t been good: 11 hits across 4.1 innings with just one strikeout. Though it is true Kelly will be behind opposing hitters in terms of workload, so that may be responsible. The bottom line is, a healthy and effective Merrill is almost essential for the Diamondbacks to have a chance this year. We haven’t enjoyed that so far this pre-season.

Kade Strowd

There are several candidates here. Kevin Ginkel and Brandyn Garcia also have spring ERAs in double digits, rocking chances for an Opening Day spot. But neither were traded this winter for a fan favorite. Strowd came from the Orioles for Blaze Alexander, and expectations were he would be able to contribute immediately to the beleaguered D-backs bullpen. Stroud has been missing some bats, with nine strikeouts over 7.2 innings. But he has also been missing the strikezone, issuing five walks. Add in eleven hits, including two home-runs, and you’re looking at an ugly 10.57 ERA. He has begun to fall off roster projections. Blaze, meanwhile, is expected to start for Baltimore on Opening Day.

A group of Texas Rangers prospects take on a group of Kansas City Royals prospects in this year’s Spring Breakout contest where the Rangers farmhands will be the home team at Surprise Stadium.

Here’s a look at which prospects Texas has available today, including their MLB Pipeline rankings:

PITCHERS (8)
Ismael Agreda, RHP, No. 28
Wilian Bormie, RHP, NR
Gavin Collyer, RHP, No. 30
Aidan Curry, RHP, NR
Joey Danielson, RHP, NR
Eric Loomis, RHP, NR
Dalton Pence, LHP, No. 12
Josh Trentadue, LHP, No. 23

TWO-WAY PLAYERS (2)
Seong-Jun Kim, SS/RHP, No. 15
Josh Owens, SS/RHP, No. 6

CATCHERS (3)
Julian Brock, C, NR
Malcolm Moore, C, No. 18
Josh Springer, C, NR

INFIELDERS (7)
Yolfran Castillo, SS/3B, No. 8
Antonis Macias, UTIL, NR
Gleider Figuereo, 3B, NR
Pablo Guerrero, 1B, NR
Curley Martha, INF, NR
Elorky Rodriguez, 2B/OF, No. 16
Jack Wheeler, 3B, No. 19

OUTFIELDERS (7)
Dylan Dreiling, OF, No. 10
Anthony Gutierrez, OF, No. 29
Paxton Kling, OF, No. 21
Maxton Martin, OF, No. 24
Braylin Morel, OF, NR
Paulino Santana, OF, No. 22
Marcos Torres, OF, NR

You can the game on the Rangers Sports Network or follow along on Gameday. First pitch from Surprise Stadium is scheduled for 3:05 pm CT.

Go young Rangers!

The Mets lost to the Cardinals, 4-3, on Friday as their spring training slate continued.

Here are the takeaways...

-Carson Benge drew a walk his first time up and poked a single to the left side in the sixth inning. He is hitting .412 with a .987 OPS in Grapefruit League play.

The Mets haven't yet announced the plan for Benge when camp breaks, but it will be shocking if he isn't the starting right fielder on Opening Day. 

-Bo Bichette got the start at shortstop in order to stay sharp at the position in the event the Mets don't carry a backup at the position. At the plate, Bichette went 0-for-2.

- Tobias Myers was solid, allowing one run (on an opposite-field home run) while walking one and striking out two in 2.0 innings. He is expected to open the season in the bullpen. 

- Luke Weaver worked around a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning.

- Brooks Raley danced around two hits to escape his inning unscathed. 

- Bryan Hudson, perhaps the favorite for the final spot in the bullpen, struggled. He allowed three runs on one hit while walking two in 1.0 inning. His ERA this spring is 16.20

- Mark Vientos' cold spring at the plate continued, as he went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.

Highlights

Carson Benge makes the catch on the run pic.twitter.com/zkSBM8jrd3

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 20, 2026

A base hit for Carson Benge loads the bases for the Mets pic.twitter.com/juU0caL6t9

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 20, 2026

What's next

The Mets have split-squad games on Saturday.

They travel to face the Nationals at 1:05 p.m.

They host the Astros at 1:10 p.m. on PIX11.