Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow is an admitted overthinker. But you wouldn’t know it based on his efficient first spring training start Thursday against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch.

Glasnow pitched two-plus innings, retiring the first six batters before coming out after giving up a single to start the third inning. Using a pitch mix that included a fastball that sat at 97 mph, Glasnow struck out the side in the first inning before recording another strikeout to close out the second. Having thrown just 28 pitches, Glasnow started the third inning and threw three more pitches before coming out of the Dodgers’ 7-6 win.

“Very in rhythm,” manager Dave Roberts said after the game. “Very efficient, used his entire pitch mix, it was really good. Good to see him get into the third inning. Positive day.”

Read more:‘Things I need to work on.’ Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki struggles in first Cactus League start

The 32-year-old entering his third season with the Dodgers credits his coaches for keeping his mechanics on point.

“It allows me to just go out and pitch and be athletic,” Glasnow said after his outing. “I’m able to just go out and play baseball as opposed to trying to tinker and fix certain stuff.”

Though he was plagued by injuries in his second season with the Dodgers, Glasnow finished on a high note, giving up just four earned runs over 21-1/3 postseason innings, good for a 1.69 ERA, pitching as a starter and a reliever. It was Glasnow’s first taste of the postseason as a Dodger, since a right-elbow injury ended his 2024 campaign in August, and was highlighted by his first career save in Game 6 of the World Series.

Glasnow called the experience “great.”

“When you go in with all those nerves and that pressure and that excitement, it’s just such an unbelievable feeling to go out [there],” he said last week. “Especially to be a starter and a reliever and just to be thrown into different situations. It was awesome. It was extremely memorable for me, and I’m craving to do it again. And hopefully we can do it again and get a three-peat.”

Looking to build off his impressive postseason, Glasnow enters the season with a newfound confidence.

Last year Glasnow was placed on the injured list because of right shoulder inflammation at the end of April and did not pitch again until just before the All-Star Break. The Santa Clarita native has a long history of injuries — including Tommy John surgery in 2021 — and never has clocked more than 135 innings in a season.

Read more:After ‘a normal offseason,’ Freddie Freeman drives in two in Cactus League debut

Over the winter he got married and made adjustments that he hopes will better his health. A successful season means staying off the IL.

“Pitching well and staying healthy,” Glasnow said when asked about goals. “Just doing all that and trying to make as many starts as I can, and just executing every start and being healthy in the postseason.”

Mookie Betts to make Cactus League debut soon

With most of the Dodgers’ regulars having made their spring debuts, there is one who has yet to get an at-bat in a Cactus League game: Mookie Betts. Roberts said his star shortstop will not play until Sunday at the earliest.

“It’s load management,” Roberts said. “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. So, he’s building up nicely. So, he’ll be in the lineup soon.”

Hyeseong Kim departs for WBC

Infielder Hyeseong Kim played his final spring training game Thursday, Roberts confirmed, as the utility man is set to join Team South Korea for the World Baseball Classic.

Kim has been perhaps the Dodgers’ most pleasant surprise of the spring, batting .462 with a 1.154 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, five RBIs and a home run in the sixth inning Thursday, while playing deft defense at second base and in center field.

It’s a key development since Tommy Edman will start the season on the IL.

“He’s had a great spring,” Roberts said of Kim. “I think his confidence is continuing to grow. His comfort level, being around the guys. I think he’s taking great at-bats. It was good to see him in center field yesterday. He made a couple of nice plays out in center field. We’re going to lose him shortly. He’s going to go to his team for the WBC, which I’m excited for him. Disappointed that we can’t watch him every day, but he’s had a great spring and looking forward to him having a great WBC and getting back.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Taj Gibson is back in the NBA at 40 years young.

The 16-year NBA veteran has agreed to a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. When he appears in a game, he will reportedly be the 35th player in NBA history to play at the age of 40 or older.

Gibson has been out of the NBA all season. He spent last year seeing sporadic minutes with the Charlotte Hornets, averaging 2.9 points and 11.1 minutes across 37 games (11 starts).

The only other players from Gibson’s 2009 draft class to see minutes this season: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Jrue Holiday and DeMar DeRozan.

Gibson will be joining a Grizzlies team currently sitting in 11th place in the Western Conference at 21-36. They are six games behind the 10th-place Los Angeles Clippers for the final play-in spot, leaving them more likely to be considering the future than this year’s outcome. In that respect, Gibson gives them a player who can offer guidance for their younger players.

As far as the loaded 2026 NBA Draft goes, the Grizzlies are tied with the Dallas Mavericks for the seventh-worst record in the NBA.

Taj Gibson is back in the NBA at 40 years young.

The 16-year NBA veteran has agreed to a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. When he appears in a game, he will reportedly be the 35th player in NBA history to play at the age of 40 or older.

Gibson has been out of the NBA all season. He spent last year seeing sporadic minutes with the Charlotte Hornets, averaging 2.9 points and 11.1 minutes across 37 games (11 starts).

The only other players from Gibson’s 2009 draft class to see minutes this season: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Jrue Holiday and DeMar DeRozan.

Gibson will be joining a Grizzlies team currently sitting in 11th place in the Western Conference at 21-36. They are six games behind the 10th-place Los Angeles Clippers for the final play-in spot, leaving them more likely to be considering the future than this year’s outcome. In that respect, Gibson gives them a player who can offer guidance for their younger players.

As far as the loaded 2026 NBA Draft goes, the Grizzlies are tied with the Dallas Mavericks for the seventh-worst record in the NBA.

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks will be without All-Star forward Jalen Johnson and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the second of a two-game home series against the Washington Wizards on Thursday night.

Johnson exited Tuesday night’s 119-98 win against the Wizards in the first quarter with a left hip flexor injury. He was ruled out after being evaluated by the training staff and finished the game with five points, three rebounds and two steals in six minutes.

Alexander-Walker will also be sidelined with a sprained left foot after previously being considered day-to-day. He scored 16 points and had five assists and three rebounds on Tuesday night.

Jonathan Kuminga and Zaccharie Risacher will join Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu and CJ McCollum in the lineup instead.

Kuminga comes off a dominant outing in his Atlanta debut, scoring a team-high 27 points and adding seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. The Golden State Warriors sent Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Hawks in exchange for center Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline.

Risacher has taken on a different role for the Hawks over the past three games after being replaced by McCollum in the starting lineup. McCollum is another of the Hawks’ seven newcomers. He was acquired with Corey Kispert in the early January deal that sent Trae Young to the Wizards.

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

Tuesday’s win over the New York Knicks seemed like a seminal moment for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They showed that the new-look team could hang with one of the best teams in the conference, while still acknowledging that there was room to grow.

Unfortunately for the Cavs, things haven’t gone well since that day. The team announced that James Harden broke his thumb in the win, Donovan Mitchell was added to the injury report with a groin strain, and the Cavs lost to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday due to poor perimeter defense.

A loss in the standings wasn’t the only thing the Cavs suffered that day. Three new rotation players have been added to the injury report. Keon Ellis has broken his left index finger, Dean Wade has a right ankle sprain, and Dennis Schroder also has a right ankle sprain.

This has all led to the following injury report for Friday’s game against the Detroit Pistons:

• Donovan Mitchell – OUT, groin strain
• James Harden – QUESTIONABLE, broken thumb
• Dean Wade – QUESTIONABLE, right ankle sprain
• Dennis Schroder – QUESTIONABLE, right ankle sprain
• Keon Ellis – QUESTIONABLE, right ankle sprain
• Max Strus – OUT, left foot Jones fracture

The severity of any of the new injuries isn’t known at this time.

The most concerning part of the injury report is Mitchell missing his second game in a row with a groin strain. It seems like Mitchell has battled some kind of injury in late February/early March for the past few seasons. This groin strain is the latest one.

The Cavs need Mitchell at his best if they’re going to meet playoff expectations. Shutting him down for several games, if needed, would be in their long-term best interest. We’ll likely find out more information about his injury on Friday evening when head coach Kenny Atkinson speaks with the media.

Harden is expected to play through his thumb injury and could return to the court for this matchup.

The three new names on the injury report of Ellis, Wade, and Schroder are concerning. Each fills a vital role for this team that isn’t easily replaced.

We’ll see which of the questionable players are available to play. At the very least, it’s disappointing that the Cavs will be without their best player and could be missing several key contributors in Friday’s matchup with Detroit.

First things first: Munetaka Murakami is just fine. Skipper Will Venable originally had the slugger penciled in the starting lineup, but he scratched him before first pitch. That is never a sight you want to see in late February. But crisis averted. Deep breaths all around.

And while we’re here, best of luck to Mune and all the White Sox representing their countries in the World Baseball Classic. It’s going to be a blast watching them. We’ll hold down the fort.

For the Dodgers, Tyler Glasnow looked like an All-Star caliber righthander tuning up for meaningful games. He needed just two quick innings to demonstrate why he makes the big bucks. Three up, three down in the first on consecutive punchouts. Then it was on to the second, and he was equally as efficient. Edgar Quero and Curtis Mead did at least manage to put wood on the ball, but both grounders were routine.

Dave Roberts even sent Glasnow back out for the third because when you’re carving up hitters like a Thanksgiving turkey, why not? Braden Montgomery finally broke through, however, with a sharp single to left, ending Glasnow’s afternoon after 32 pitches (22 strikes, because of course).

The new offensive Sox did make that brief crack count, though. Carson Hobbs entered with one on and nobody out, and Tanner Murray, everyone’s early Cactus League folk hero, unloaded for his second bomb of the spring to knot things at 2-2. Suddenly, the dugout had a little juice.

Ryan Galanie followed with a base hit, and after Austin Hays struck out, Kyle Teel ripped a double to right. The line kept on moving with Lenyn Sosa lifting a long sacrifice fly and Quero adding an RBI single. Four runs in the frame and the Good Guys now led 4-2. Important to note, though, that before we start planning the parade, Hobbs is a 23-year-old Double-A arm. Well, at least we know these guys would be killing it if they played in Birmingham.

Sean Newcomb opened the game for the South Siders by allowing a single and a walk, and then two fly outs later, it was 1-0. In the second, Alex Call singled, Hyeseong Kim moved him over, and Miguel Rojas brought him home. Efficient and annoying. Overall, it was an afternoon of death by a thousand cuts because this is what the Dodgers do. Just little paper cuts over and over until you look down and realize you’re bleeding.

Chris Murphy took over for Newcomb in the third and watched Will Smith double, advance on a wild pitch, and score on a ground out. In the fifth, Smith went ahead and tied it himself with a solo shot because, of course, he did.

The Sox briefly reclaimed the lead in the sixth when Curtis Mead launched a two-out, nobody-on dinger to make it 5-4. A response and a punch back. I appreciate that.

And then came the Cubs assist.

Former North Sider and non-roster invitee Tyson Miller entered and immediately served up back-to-back home runs to Keston Hiura and Hyeseong Kim. Just like that, it was 6-5 Dodgers. Then, a walk, a ground out, and a single later, Los Angeles had a two-run lead. Good times. Thanks, Cubs. Miller recorded just two outs and did little to inspire confidence.

To their absolute credit, the Sox didn’t fold. This Will Venable club sure has got some fight in them, but I’m just not sure there’s quite enough talent yet.

In the eighth, Drew Romo singled, and 20-year-old prospect George Wolkow tripled off 27-year-old Kyle Hurt to trim the deficit to one. The pressure was on with just out, but Hurt buckled down, striking out Quero and Matt Hogan to escape.

Duncan Davitt entered for the Sox and quietly did his job, tossing the seventh and eighth while allowing just one hit and striking out two. It was the kind of tidy spring outing that earns a few extra looks.

In the ninth, the Sox finally drew their first walk of the afternoon to get the leadoff man aboard. Unfortunately, it lasted approximately one batter as Jacob Gonzalez rolled into a double play, and the rally was officially dead.

Eight hits. Six runs. Twelve strikeouts. Two walk. The bats are staying aggressive, but maybe it’s too aggressive. While the Sox showed some thump, they’ve got to manufacture a few more free passes and be better with RISP (only 1-for-4 again today) if they want more of these back-and-forth games to fall their way.

With the loss, Chicago drops its second straight and falls to 4-3 this spring. The Dodgers remain a perfect 6-0. The rich get richer. On to the next Spring Training marathon.

Bruce Froemming, a major league umpire for 37 consecutive years who worked the third-most games in big league history and a record 11 no-hitters, died Wednesday, his son said. He was 86.

Froemming fell just after midnight Tuesday and hit his head on the hardwood floor at his home in Mequon, Wisconsin, and was taken to Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee, according to Froemming’s son, Steven.

He had brain bleeding that medical personnel could not stop because Froemming was on blood thinners, leading to his death.

Froemming was a semipro baseball player and started his umpiring career in the minor leagues in 1958 at age 18. He worked his way up and joined the National League staff in 1971. He shifted to the unified major league staff in 2000 and retired in 2007 having worked 5,163 games, second at the time to Bill Klem’s 5,373. They were both surpassed by Joe West, who worked 5,460 games before retiring in 2021.

Froemming started his umpiring career at a minor league game in Waterloo, Iowa.

“I thought I was in heaven — on the ballfield, professional athletes, I was starting my professional career,” he told The Associated Press days before his retirement. “But never did you dream at the time, ever even think of going to a big league ballpark, because you had so far to go through the minor leagues to even get a chance.”

He concluded that being a good umpire required “probably being patient with yourself. … You’re going to make mistakes early on.”

Among the most famous of the no-hitters he worked was on Sept. 2, 1972. Milt Pappas of the Chicago Cubs retired his first 26 batters and went to a 1-2 count on pinch-hitter Larry Stahl before walking him. Pappas then retired Garry Jestadt on a popup.

Froemming was behind the plate for three other no-hitters, by Ed Halicki (1975), Nolan Ryan (1981) and José Jiménez (1999). He worked five World Series.

When he retired, Froemming became a special assistant to MLB’s vice president on umpiring,

He is survived by his wife, the former Rosemarie Loch, whom he married in 1957; two sons, Steven and Kevin; sister Cathy Seizer; half-brother Johnny Froemming; and two grandchildren.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Box Score

If Tyler Black is playing for a roster spot, he’s off to a good start this spring. He collected three more hits this afternoon as the Brewers won their third straight game, 5-1 over the Rangers.

Black started his day out with a double in the first inning, though the Brewers didn’t manage anything else. In the next inning, Eddys Leonard and Luis Lara led off the inning with back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners. Lara ended up getting caught stealing second, and Leonard was left stranded at third.

On the mound, Aaron Ashby made his first spring appearance. It started a little rough, with back-to-back singles allowed with two outs in the first. Ashby left them stranded to escape the first scoreless. He allowed another single to Josh Smith to start the second, but picked Smith off as he tried to steal second. Ashby allowed a walk after that, but a double play ended the inning. Overall, Ashby allowed three hits and a walk in two innings, and did not record a strikeout.

The Brewers scored first in the third inning. Brandon Lockridge was hit by a pitch with one out, then Black singled to put runners at the corners for the second straight inning. Gary Sánchez drove in the first run with an RBI single to center, putting the Brewers up 1-0. Plate patience paid off from there, with Leonard and Lara drawing back-to-back walks to bring in the second run.

In the next inning, Cooper Pratt hit a leadoff single, and Lockridge added a one-out single to put runners at the corners for the third straight inning. Black brought them both in with an RBI triple hit hard to right field, putting the Brewers up 4-0. It was Black’s third hit of the day and left him a home run short of the cycle. He would get a chance to complete the cycle in the sixth, but struck out for his only out of the day. Including that strikeout, he is now 8-for-12 this spring.

DL Hall pitched the third and fourth innings for the Brewers. He allowed a single and walk in the third inning but did not allow either to score. In the fourth, former Brewer Danny Jansen led off the inning for the Rangers with a single. A wild pitch from Hall allowed Jansen to get to second, and Duran drove Hall in with an RBI single. Hall had a second wild pitch in the inning, but did not allow another run to score. He finished the day with one run, three hits, and one walk allowed, with one strikeout.

The Brewers’ fifth run came in the ninth inning with the reserves in the game. Dasan Brown drew a leadoff walk to start the inning. With one out, Brock Wilken pinch-hit for Sánchez. During the at-bat, Brown stole second, but Rangers’ catcher Ben Hartl had a throwing error on the play that let Brown reach third. Wilken finished the at-bat with a walk, then Luis Castillo singled to score Brown.

On offense, the Brewers had 11 hits and five walks as a team. Lockridge reached base three times with a hit, walk, and hit by pitch. Leonard and Lara had a hit and a walk each. Several other Brewers also reached base at least once.

In the bullpen, Grant Anderson pitched a clean fifth and recorded a strikeout. Craig Yoho had to work around a hit and a walk in the sixth, but finished the inning scoreless with a strikeout. Jacob Waguespack followed that with a clean seventh inning, striking out one. Tate Kuehner finished out the final two innings, allowing just one hit while striking out four.

The Brewers are back home tomorrow to play the White Sox. First pitch is set for 2:10 p.m. CT, and it will be on the Brewers Radio Network.