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MESA, Arizona — Cubs pitchers struck out 14 Rangers hitters Saturday afternoon on another gorgeous day at Sloan Park.

For whatever that’s worth. A few Cubs regulars and a bunch of minor leaguers couldn’t put together much offense, though, and so the Cubs lost their second straight Spring Training game, 3-2 to Texas.

Matthew Boyd put together what I thought was a decent outing, though he didn’t finish the second inning after throwing 36 pitches (25 strikes). He was the victim of a fly ball that Pete Crow-Armstrong lost in the sun and then dropped, generously called a double for Tyler Wade, who then scored on a single by Sam Haggerty to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the second. Boyd did strike out four, so that’s a good start to his spring season.

Here’s Boyd’s fourth K [VIDEO].

The Cubs tied the game up in the bottom of the second. Pedro Ramirez walked, stole second and scored on a single by Jefferson Rojas.

Rojas also made an offline throw in the fourth that pulled Jonathon Long off first base, and Long left with an injury [VIDEO].

It was reported after the game that Long left with a left elbow strain. As you can see in the clip that when he goes down he’s holding his arm after colliding with Mark Canha. It’s a tough blow if Long misses time in Spring Training. It’s unlikely he would have made the Opening Day roster anyway, but this obviously sets him back.

That play helped lead to a two-run inning off Hoby Milner. Otherwise the Cubs bullpen did a pretty good job, including Luke Little, who didn’t walk anyone (progress!), though he did hit a batter, and Jack Neely, who issued a walk but struck out three.

The Cubs scored another run in the fourth. Triantos led off with a single and went to third on a single by Ramirez. Rojas grounded out, scoring Triantos to make it 3-2.

That was it for scoring, and after the fifth it was all minor leaguers finishing things up.

Of note, there were five ABS challenges in this game, three of which resulted in a call being overturned. The last of these was a strike-three call which would have ended the game. Hayden Cantrelle challenged and got it overturned — by seven-tenths of an inch [VIDEO].

That is exactly the sort of situation ABS challenges are designed for — close game, bottom of the ninth, the hitter thinks he’s got a chance at another pitch instead of the game being over.

Which is what Cantrelle got — and then he struck out swinging on the next pitch to actually end the game.

But at least that call was changed to the correct one.

Attendance watch: 12,073 paid to see this Saturday afternoon contest, bringing the season total for two dates to 26,492, or 13,246 per date. The next Sloan Park game will be Tuesday vs. the Padres.

The Cubs travel to Scottsdale to face the Giants Sunday afternoon. Colin Rea will go for the Cubs and Robbie Ray will go for the Giants. There will be a TV broadcast Sunday via Giants TV and there’s also a radio broadcast with the Giants announcers on their flagship station KNBR 104.5.

Jose Miranda agreed to a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres in December of 2025. He did not receive much attention in the months following his signing and kind of got lost in the roster discussion following the frenzy of moves made by the Padres on and after Valentine’s Day. The Padres, manager Craig Stammen and the Friar Faithful are very aware of Miranda after his first two Spring Training games with the organization, the second of which netted Stammen his first managerial win.

Miranda went 3-for-3 with a walk, two singles and a double with four RBI and a run scored to help the Padres get a 10-3 win over the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Ariz. on Saturday. The production by Miranda on Saturday followed a 2-for-3 performance in a 7-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Friday. His two hits against the Mariners were a two-run home run and a double.

With limited bench spots available on the San Diego roster, players like Miranda who are battling for a spot cannot afford to have a poor performance. He seems to understand that and is looking to make the most of his opportunity with the Padres.

San Diego catcher Freddy Fermin also had a productive game against Kansas City in his first action of the spring. Fermin drove in the first run of the game in his second at-bat with a double to left in the top of the fifth inning. That followed his first at-bat when he connected on a well struck fly ball to center field that was knocked down by the wind for a flyout. Fermin also showed what he can do behind the plate throwing out Bobby Witt Jr. at second base on a pitch in the dirt in the bottom of the fourth inning. He also used the ABS challenge system successfully, getting a ball overturned to a strike.

Other notable offensive moments for Padres hitters against the Royals was a double by Bryce Johnson in the top of the first inning, a triple by Mason McCoy in the top of the second, a double by Ramon Laureano in the top of the third, a solo home run by Nick Solak in the top of the eighth and a double by Samad Taylor in the same inning. Taylor finished 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored in the game. San Diego racked up 18 hits in the contest.

Matt Waldron, who is in competition for one of the final rotation spots for the Padres, started the game against the Royals and delivered two scoreless innings, allowing one walk and just one hit. Waldron faced Royals starters Jonathan India, Witt Jr., Vinny Pasquantino, Salvador Perez, Kyle Isbel, Dairon Blanco and John Rave. Blanco was the only player to record a hit against the San Diego starter.

The Padres return to the Peoria Sports Complex to host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday at 12:10 p.m.

There was quite a bit of action between today’s two split-squad games, so I’ll try to walk you all through the highlights. The Guardians won both games, against the Reds and Brewers, respectively, to start 2-0 in the Spring.

The addition of the ABS Challenge System to Spring Training games has brought Statcast to every Spring Training game, so we’ll have more concrete stats from every game.

The Reds game featured a few notable Guardians’ pitchers: Logan Allen, Doug Nikhazy, and Colin Holderman.

Allen was decent, and his velocity was up across the board. His CSW% (Called Strikes + Whiffs) was 25%, which is below average. Usage-wise, he dropped the usage on his sinker and picked up the usages on his cutter and changeup. That’s all.

Holderman gave up a loud homer. Velocity was about the same as it was last year. Did a decent enough job of missing bats (outside of the homer).

Nikhazy pitched 2 scoreless innings, and notably, Nikhazy’s sliders were 4 mph faster than they were last year. (unless Statcast was misclassifying those pitches).

On the offensive side, neither Kwan nor Jose got on base. Naylor and Arias had back-to-back doubles to start the scoring. (Naylor’s double was 101 off the bat). Fry went 1/3 with a 96mph RBI double to left. Carter Kieboom (lol) whacked a center-cut fastball to drive in the game’s winning runs. We saw a little of Khalil Watson, Ralphy Velazquez, and Juan Brito, too. Only Watson got on base, however. Singled and walked. Not much to talk about in Ralphy’s performance, but Brito’s highlighted an issue I know many scouts have had with him — his arm. There were a few plays with the potential to turn two, and it seemed like he just wasn’t getting much zip on the ball on his throw to first. Something to monitor throughout Spring Training as we’ve seen the Guardians toy around with Brito both at 1B and in RF.

We got to see a very funky righty reliever in Cam Shuelke. He pitches from a Tyler Rogers-esque arm angle, and threw a 68 mph slider! He was very effective, though, striking out the only batter he faced with the bases loaded.

The Brewers game was much more exciting, and was unfortunately not the game being televised. The starting lineup featured Cantillo on the mound, and DeLauter, Manzardo, Valera, Halpin, and Bazzana. DeLauter went 2/3, with his out coming off a 107mph lineout to the pitcher. Aram Leighton was at the game, and captured videos from all of DeLauter’s 3 BBE’s. You can watch them here. We also got to see Genao, Chourio, Ingle, and Alfonsin Rosario. Ingle clobbered a 3-run homer in his only at-bat. Genao walked, Chourio went 0/2, and Rosario went 0/1.

Cantillo’s velocity was up, though he seemed to be a bit all over the place in the 1st. They took him out and brought him back in for the 2nd, and he gave up a moonshot to Brandon Lockridge. Connor Brogdon came in in the 3rd and struck out 2 Brewers.

It’s all still here.

The Mariners played their second game of Spring Training on Saturday, the first of 33 consecutive Saturday games in 2026. There was noticeably less excitement around the blogosphere for this matchup, the novelty of the new season already faded, laying bare the sloppy, non-competitive play of February baseball. But it was nice to feel routine settling in. We’ve got a long way to go.

Like most Spring Training games, I watched this one with good intentions early, but my interest slowly faded as more recognizable faces left and the play got worse. I’m writing this sentence right now in the eighth inning against a muted TV, my eyes flicking up to see Rhylan Thomas lose a ball in the sun for a triple. (My latest peek sees him make a great catch sliding into the wall in left center to end the inning; it appears the Giants scored four times since my last glance.)

Anyways, the Mariners lost to the Giants 10-5 on Saturday. Here are some notes.

Emerson Hancock

Emerson Hancock made his first start of 2026. This is something of a make or break Spring Training for him. He now has 31 starts in MLB over the last three years with a 5.38 FIP, and there isn’t much to root for in the peripherals.  While the team thought it best move him to the bullpen at the end of last season, they’ve given him another shot as a starter at the outset of 2026. Unlike the last two seasons, however, he’s not a lock for the sixth starter job out of camp. His future in the rotation could very well hang on his performance in his first few outings.

How’d he look on Saturday? Eh, pretty good. He came out pumping 96-97 on his fastballs and picked up five whiffs in the first inning alone. His velocity dipped slightly in the second, and his command was spotty, but he ended the day with four strikeouts and nine whiffs. 

The outing was encouraging for a first look in 2026. But we’ve seen Hancock ramp up the velocity for an inning or two in the past. To take the next step, he’ll need to show he can be effective deeper into games; he didn’t quite get through his two scheduled innings Saturday.

Colt Emerson and Cole Young

Colt Emerson—the other Emerson—got into his second straight game. He’s battling for spot on the Opening Day infield. He got the start at third base and batted ninth. He struck out in both of his opportunities. 

Battling for the same infield spot is Cole Young, who delivered two pretty solid at bats, drawing a pair of walks on eight pitches each. As I detailed in his 40 in 40, Young’s power-patience combo is an exciting premise for his future at the plate. But as I highlighted in the same post, his defense is still somewhat troubling. Right on cue, he didn’t take charge on a pop up in the second inning and let it fall for an infield double. Two runs scored on the play, and two more runs scored on the next play.

Miles Mastrobuoni

Miles Mastrobuoni is also fighting for a spot on the end of the Mariners’ Opening Day bench. He’s making a strong case right out the gate. After going 1-for-2 with a double on Friday, he walloped a grand slam off Hayden Birdsong in the bottom of the first. He followed that up with a hustle double on a line drive into the left center gap in the third. That’s three extra base hits in four plate appearances to start 2026 for Mastrobuoni.

Andrés Muñoz, Gabe Speier and Eduard Bazardo

Andrés Muñoz pitched the third. He gave up a pair of leadoff doubles and also got a pair of strikeouts. I don’t have much to say about his outing, other than, hey, good to see him again. That’s roughly my assessment for Gabe Speier and Eduard Bazardo, who also pitched in the game.

After a long, eventful winter, the Milwaukee Brewers were back in action on Saturday afternoon in Phoenix, as they hosted the Cleveland Guardians. While the results don’t matter much (besides for the coveted Cactus League Cup), the Brewers did go down 9-6 in this one.

Garrett Stallings worked around a pair of singles to begin the afternoon, as Reese McGuire threw out a runner on the basepaths before Stallings induced two flyouts.

The Brewer offense hit the ground running in the bottom of the inning, as Brice Turang singled, stole second, and advanced to third on a Jackson Chourio single. With runners at the corners, Akil Baddoo cashed Turang in with a sac fly to make it 1-0 early. Joey Ortiz followed with a strikeout, and Tyler Black grounded out to end the inning.

Blake Holub followed Stallings on the mound, working around a leadoff single for a scoreless second.

Brandon Lockridge tacked on another run for Milwaukee to lead off the second, slugging the first homer of spring on a no-doubt 440-foot bomb out to left. One batter later, David Hamilton struck out on the first Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge of the spring, as catcher Austin Hedges got what was called ball three overturned to strike three.

In the third, Will Childers worked around another single for the Guardians, keeping the lead at 2-0. The top of Milwaukee’s lineup went down in order in the bottom of the inning, as Turang and Baddoo both struck out.

Cleveland finally put together a strong offensive inning against Jaron DeBerry in the fourth, picking up three walks paired with a throwing error (by DeBerry), a passed ball, and a double to make it 3-2 before all was said and done.

Milwaukee’s offense had a response in the bottom of the frame, as Black and Lockridge hit back-to-back one-out singles before executing a double steal to put runners at second and third. Hamilton followed with a two-run double, putting the Brewers back ahead at 4-3. Also of note: Jackson Chourio’s brother, Jaison, entered at the beginning of the inning, replacing Chase DeLauter in center.

In the fifth, we got to see Jett Williams for the first time this spring, as he replaced Turang at second. Tyson Hardin also entered on the mound and, after a walk to begin the inning, picked up a pair of outs on a strikeout and a flyout. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to get that third out quickly, as he allowed a single to George Valera before Nolan Jones slugged a 421-foot three-run homer to right-center field to give the Guardians a 6-4 lead.

The Guardians swapped out most of the rest of their lineup in the bottom of the fifth, and despite loading the bases on a pair of singles and a walk, Milwaukee was unable to produce any runs.

Milwaukee then put in a few more prospects defensively in the sixth, as Josh Adamczewski replaced Baddoo in left, top prospect Jesús Made replaced Ortiz at short, and Luke Adams replaced Black at first.

Brett Wichrowski also took over the mound, recording a strikeout and a flyout before walking a pair and giving up a three-run homer to catcher Cooper Ingle, stretching Cleveland’s lead to 9-4. The inning wouldn’t end there, though, as Wichrowski gave up two more singles before finally getting a flyout to end the frame.

The Brewers went down in order in the bottom of the sixth, and after a few more substitutions (Luis Peña replaced Hamilton, Matthew Wood replaced McGuire, and Greg Jones replaced Lara), Edwin Jimenez worked a perfect seventh for Milwaukee.

In the bottom of the inning, Williams gave one a ride out to center, but Jaison Chourio was able to run it down. Brock Wilken, entering for Jackson Chourio, worked a walk and moved up on a passed ball but was stranded there.

Jordyn Adams replaced Lockridge in center in the eighth, and Manuel Rodriguez worked a perfect inning. Against Zane Morehouse in the bottom of the inning, Luke Adams walked and Peña singled to put two runners on with one out. Wood flew out, advancing Adams to third, and Peña then stole second before Jones hit a two-run single to cut the deficit to 9-6 through eight frames.

Mark Manfredi worked around a walk in the ninth for a scoreless inning, and it came down to Xavier Martinez on the mound for Cleveland. The Brewers were able to draw a pair of walks to put the tying run at the plate, but they weren’t able to cash in as Martinez closed out the game.

In a 15-run, 20-hit game, there were 19 pitchers (10 for Milwaukee, nine for Cleveland) and 36 position players (18 for each side).

Jackson Chourio, who had a huge spring in 2025 (.469/.509/.714 with a homer, nine doubles, eight RBIs, and 13 runs over 17 games), got off to another hot start, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles this afternoon. Lockridge scored two runs on a pair of hits, including a homer.

On the mound, the Stallings, Holub, Childers, Broca, Jimenez, Rodriguez, and Manfredi all worked scoreless innings, though as a staff, Milwaukee allowed nine runs (eight hits) on 10 hits and eight walks.

The Crew is back in action with a split-squad day tomorrow afternoon. The road squad faces off against the White Sox at 2:05 p.m. CT on Brewers TV, while the Brewers will host the Royals at 2:10 p.m. on 94.5 ESPN Radio and across the Brewers Radio Network.

The Astros opened their spring training schedule with a 2-1 loss to the Nationals on Saturday afternoon in West Palm Beach. While no veterans were in action, Joe Espada’s lineup was littered with guys fighting to make the Opening Day roster, making the first half of the game somewhat interesting. Here are some notes and thoughts from the game’s first five innings.

• Zach Cole has talked about wanting to be more patient at the plate, and he took that to another level on Saturday. Cole offered at just one of the 14 pitches he saw against the Nationals, working two walks and striking out, but he wasn’t given much to swing at. Nine pitches he saw were out of the zone, per Baseball Savant, and he didn’t offer at any them. of the four strikes he took, three were borderline. 

• While he wasn’t aggressive at the plate, Cole was aggressive on the basepaths. He stole three bases, and he was thrown out trying to advance to third on a fly ball to right field. His jumps weren’t great, but overall, it was a good first day for Cole, who appears to have a leg up on the Opening Day left field job.

• Brice Matthews made a nice play at second base and did not swing at a pitch outside the strike zone in three plate appearances

• Joey Loperfido’s three-pitch strikeout on all fastballs in the second inning was rough, even though it came against a lefty. Things did get better when he worked walks in his next two plate appearances. 

• César Salazar had two hits and made hard contact on a third ball while throwing out a runner trying to steal second by a mile. That’s a perfect way to start spring for a player trying to win the backup catcher job.

• Colton Gordon is probably a little further down the list of candidates for one of those final rotation spots, but a 1-2-3 first inning against the Nationals’ regulars is a good start to the spring. Only four of his 11 pitches were in the strike zone, but he did generate some chase — something that eluded him last season — including a 1-2 fastball above the zone to Dylan Crews that resulted in his lone strikeout of the day.

• AJ Blubaugh is in the same boat as Gordon, and while he didn’t allow a run in his inning of work, he had trouble locating his pitches. Blubaugh threw nine four-seam fastballs, but only two were in the zone, and most of his misses were well above the zone. In total, only six of his 18 pitches were in the strike zone. One of those misses was a well-executed changeup that Abimelec Ortiz was able to lay off.

• Peter Lambert worked around a couple of hits to put up a zero in the third inning. A second-round pick in 2015, the 28-year old is back in the States after spending last season in Japan and is likely ticketed for Sugar Land’s rotation to start the year. Lambert’s fastball velocity was up Saturday from where it was when he pitched for the Rockies two years ago, and all six breaking balls he threw were in the zone. There’s been a long list of pitchers who have gotten better in recent years after leaving the Rockies’ bubble, so Lambert is someone to watch over the next couple of months.

• Miguel Ullola’s one inning of work was underwhelming to say the least. His fastball averaged just 93.5 MPH and he couldn’t throw it for a strike, and his slider had absolutely no bite. Making matters worse, Ullola only threw 9 of his 26 pitches in the strike zone, and he did not generate a swing on any of the 17 pitches that missed. 

The New York Yankees and their fans were greeted by all the glory of the senses in the team's Grapefruit League opener at Tampa's Steinbrenner Field. 

The crack of the bat − from two Aaron Judge home runs and a monster shot from prospect Spencer Jones. The feel of the Hillsborough County sunshine on an 83-degree day. 

And the smell of, well, raw sewage. 

A pair of sewer lines broke outside the main entrance to George M. Steinbrenner Field, causing fans to tip-toe around what a security guard reportedly referred to as "the poo-poo water." 

Underground, the scene was much worse. 

The Yankees clubhouse was inundated with sewage, manager Aaron Boone telling reporters: "It's not great. It's all over the place." 

Apparently, two sewer lines broke outside the main GMS Field entrance just before today’s game.
Things got progressively worse.
“It’s not great…it’s all over the place,” Aaron Boone said of areas of the Yankee clubhouse.
Hoping for a quick cleanup before tomorrow’s game v NYM pic.twitter.com/5L23TM6frH

— Pete Caldera (@pcaldera) February 21, 2026

The sewage reportedly had not reached the portion of the clubhouse housing the players' lockers. Yet the mess forced Yankees players to conduct interviews in a hallway − where the funk was still palpable.

Not exactly the way you want to begin Grapefruit League play. 

It's an unfortunate turn for a field that saw multi-million dollar renovations the past couple years, both for the Yankees and to accommodate the Tampa Bay Rays during their one regular season campaign there last year as they relocated due to hurricane damage. 

In better news for the Yankees, they defeated the Detroit Tigers 20-2. In less optimal news, the New York Mets are due in town come morning − leaving a quick turnaround time to fix the glitch. 

And hopefully eradicate the stench. 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yankees sewage issue at Steinbrenner Field: 'It's all over the place'

Following the Mets' 2-1 loss in their spring training opener to the Marlins on Saturday, manager Carlos Mendoza spoke to the media to give insight on the game and what's to come down the line.

A.J. Ewing Impresses

The Mets are in the market for an everyday right fielder and they hope someone takes the job this spring.

One potential option is youngster A.J. Ewing.

The No. 6 prospect on Joe DeMayo's list in the Mets system made his 2026 spring debut on Saturday. Taking over for Juan Soto in the middle of the game, and playing center field, Ewing showed off a little bit of everything he can provide the Mets at the plate and in the field. 

At the plate, he went 0-for-1 with a strikeout, but pushed across the team's only run with a sacrifice fly.

In the field, Ewing made some impressive reads to run down flyballs but the biggest play was gunning down the Marlins' Colby Shade trying to advance to third base on an errant throw on a stolen base attempt at second.

"There’s a lot to like, man," Mendoza said after the game. "He looks like a hitter at the plate and the defense. Made a couple of good plays, great jumps. The reads off the bat, but just his ability to give you a really good at-bat from the left side. The speed is obviously there. I’ve been pretty encouraged by what I’ve seen so far. And today was a perfect example of that." 

A.J. Ewing throws out Colby Shade trying to get to third base 💪 pic.twitter.com/XvVJBmsktw

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 21, 2026

Carson Benge spring 2026 debut set

Speaking of outfielders. There's no bigger hype around a Mets player than there is for Carson Benge this spring.

The lefty swinging youngster has a real shot at winning the right field job this spring and fans will get their first look at Benge's ability this spring very soon.

Mendoza confirmed after Saturday's game that Benge will be one of the notable positional players heading to Tampa to take on the Yankees in Sunday's matchup. The others are Mark Vientos and Luis Torrens.

Benge comes into camp this season after a solid 2025 in the minors. He mashed Double-A pitching, slashing .317/.407/.571 with eight home runs before getting promoted to Triple-A. There, Benge saw his production drop as he adjusted to that level of pitching. He wound up hitting .178 with an OPS of just .583. He did hit three home runs and drive in 13 runs in 24 games with Syracuse. 

In addition, Mendoza confirmed that the position player group that played in Saturday's game will be the same in Monday's game.

Working with new coaching staff 

Aside from some core players like Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso no longer with the team, the Mets had a major coaching shakeup for the 2026 season.

Saturday was the first game against another team where this cast of coaches worked together. Mendoza was asked about how it after the game, and the Mets skipper made sure to get as much work in with them as he could.

"It’s always good to start that process going," Mendoza said. "Send [pitching coach Justin] Willard out for a mound visit. The sign system that we’re going to have with the base coaches. Interactions with Kai [Correa] as the bench coach, controlling the run game with [catching coach J.P. Arencibia].  It’s always good. There’s only so much you can do with zoom calls and meetings. There was a lot of good back-and-forth today."