At a time when his rotation-mates are relishing the opportunity, while their catcher is away at the WBC, to try out new tricks, Bryan Woo is dancing with the one that brought him.

Woo looked sharp today in his third spring outing: his pitches were crisp, well-located, and thrown with conviction. He opened with a dominant first inning where he struck out the Diamondbacks’ top three hitters on, in order, an elevated fastball, a backfoot slider, and an elevated sinker at 95 mph. It took him all of 12 pitches. It took him another 10 pitches to retire the D-Backs’ next three hitters, this time working in his sweeper and sinker more. Woo didn’t allow a hit until the third inning, when he missed on a sweeper to Ivan Melendez, but Brendan Donovan helped his pitcher out with an awesome circus catch into the third base line netting for the second out, and Woo was able to coax an inning-ending groundout off the bat of leadoff hitter Ildemaro Vargas after that to end the inning.

Brendan Donovan goes into the net to make the catch in foul territory. He isn’t going to take plays off in spring training pic.twitter.com/iuFpKC3wAu

— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) March 9, 2026

“Much better today,” said Woo about his outing. “Getting ahead, being in better counts. That’s my brand of baseball right there. That’s exactly what it needs to look like.”

While his fellow starters might be taking the lack of regulars here in camp as an opportunity to experiment, Woo remains laser focused on Opening Day – perhaps even as the Opening Day starter.

“It’s always tempting, but I think that’s kind of the trap with any of us, trying to tweak too much. For me, just getting ready for the season and getting closer to regular season shape is more just doing the little things, so that’s exactly what we did.”

Do your thing, 2️⃣2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/LFDnCMOn1O

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 9, 2026

But as strong as Woo was, Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen matched him blow for blow, mowing through the Mariners the first time through the order, collecting a strikeout in each of his three innings. The Mariners finally got a little traffic on the bases when Gallen departed the game in the fourth. Brendan Donovan opened the inning with what could have been a single but it deflected off the first baseman’s glove and rolled clear to the right field wall, so, “double.” Rob Refsnyder then worked a walk to put two on with no outs. Unfortunately, that brought up the strikeout-prone part of the Mariners lineup, and both Luke Raley and Mitch Garver struck out to bring up J.P. Crawford, who swung at the first pitch he saw for an inning-ending groundout.

The Diamondbacks answered back with traffic of their own, but they were able to turn it into runs. Behind in a 2-1 count, Woo threw his hardest pitch of the day (95.6 mph) but right in the zone for Barrosa to tag for a leadoff double (109 mph EV). Barrosa then moved to third on a groundout and scored on a Pavin Smith ground ball single, but the damage was capped there when Woo was able to get AJ Vukovich to ground into an inning-ending double play on a sinker, cleanly turned by J.P. Crawford and Ryan Bliss.

With new pitcher Andrew Hoffman in for the fifth, the Mariners were finally able to break through in the run column. Connor Joe, who loves to hit the high fastball, continued his strong spring with a well-struck single up the middle. Ryan Bliss worked a walk, and then Rhylan Thomas brought home the run with a single of his own. But an opportunity for more scoring was cut off when Bliss was caught stealing and picked off of second in a rundown that wasn’t particularly close; Donovan singled for his second hit of the day but Thomas wasn’t able to beat out the throw at home, and the Mariners let a good chance to score more runs go by, continuing a frustrating theme this spring.

The teams traded zeroes after that until the dam broke for the Mariners in the bottom of the ninth; Blas Castaño, in his second inning of work, allowed a single, and then Tyler Cleveland couldn’t turn in a clean inning in relief, walking a hitter and then, with two outs, giving up a parachute fly ball to score the runner from second and hand the Mariners their 12th loss of the spring.

Other notes:

• Alex Hoppe worked a hitless inning, walking one but striking out two. Something I noticed today in watching him is Hoppe’s delivery is violent. He really comes down the mound at hitters. The pitches move violently, too; it’s 98 in the dirt, essentially, but then he also has a slider with similar movement that comes in around 88-90 and a cutter around 91. I find his stuff both beautiful and terrifying.
• In addition to his single, Connor Joe also had a hard-hit double in this game, turning on a 95 mph sinker in and stroking it to left field. After being fairly noodle-batted for his MLB career, I’m curious if Joe has made any adjustments with the Mariners or if this is just spring training noise. Sure it’s spring training but 108.4 off the bat is 108.4 off the bat.
• Staff writer Nick Tucker was at today’s game and noted that Victor Robles, working back from shoulder soreness, was clearly late with some of his swing timing, but said it looked like Robles was getting better over the course of the game.
• J.P. Crawford got a few chances at short in his first time in the field this spring since opening day of spring training, cleanly turning a double play with Ryan Bliss.
• Colt Emerson got some actual challenges at shortstop today as a defensive replacement for Crawford. He couldn’t quite get to a grounder hit hard past him (111.2 off the bat) but smothered another slow roller and made a strong throw to first.

Once again, a Brewers-Dodgers matchup ended in a low-scoring affair and the Dodgers came out on top with a 4-2 spring training win.

The Brewers got off to a strong start against Emmett Sheehan of the Dodgers with Greg Jones rifling an RBI single in the 2nd inning to give the Crew a 1-0 lead. Aaron Ashby was looking strong as he was stretched out to three ups today. But Ashby gave up an answer by the Dodgers in the top of the 3rd on a Dalton Rushing RBI single.

However, Milwaukee was able to get past their one run per game limit against the Dodgers with a Jake Bauers solo blast in the 5th inning. That’s Bauers’ third home run of the spring and he’s now 9-for-17 on the spring with five walks as well.

Jake Bauers is having a RIDICULOUS spring:

🔵 Homers in back-to-back days
🔵 Three homers in last four games
🔵 .529 AVG
🔵 1.843 OPS pic.twitter.com/JDp6RGEzAV

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) March 9, 2026

That lead would not last, though. Shane Drohan, who has been pitching well all spring, gave up an RBI single to Ryan Fitzgerald in the 7th and then an RBI single to Seby Zavala in the 8th. He also allowed a run on a double play by Charles Davalan and then his day was done after 3.2 IP and 63 pitches.

The Brewers tried to mount a comeback in the 9th. Josiah Ragsdale, a 7th round pick last year, roped a double into the gap. He later scored on an Ethan Murray infield single. But then Luis Lara and Mike Boeve grounded out to end the game in a 4-3 loss.

The Brewers have an off day tomorrow but will be back in Cactus League action on Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Dodgers snapped their two-game losing skid on Monday, as they rallied for a pair of eighth inning runs to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday 4-3.

Emmet Sheehan made his first start of the spring, lasting 2 1/3 innings while tossing 49 pitches (26 strikes) while allowing two hits and one earned run coming via a Greg Jones RBI single, but struggled with his command as he walked three and struck out two. Cody Morse was able to get out of the third inning in relief of Sheehan as he struck out two to escape further trouble.

River Ryan came in relief to begin the bottom of the fourth inning, and despite letting the Brewers pull ahead by a run with Jake Bauers taking him deep to left field, he registered 2 2/3 solid innings of work, with the home run being the only hit he allowed while striking out three and walking one. Ryan now has a 1.59 ERA with seven strikeouts across 5 2/3 innings this spring as he continues to increase his odds of being a part of the starting rotation come the team’s home opener on Mar. 26.

Dalton Rushing plated home the first run of the game with an RBI single to tie the game at 1 in the top of the third. Although the counting numbers look great on paper (two home runs, five RBI), Rushing has struggled at the plate so far this spring, slashing just .200/.250/.440 across 28 plate appearances with a 32.1 percent strikeout rate.

Michael Siani and Ryan Fitzgerald managed to even the score at two runs apiece with a double and an RBI single respectively with two outs in the top of the seventh. The Dodgers took their first lead of the game in the top of the eighth with an RBI single from Seby Zavala, later adding an insurance run with Emil Morales scoring on a double play. The elder Ryan brother, Ryder Ryan, managed to record the final six outs of Monday’s contest despite allowing a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to trim the Dodger lead to one run.

UP NEXT

The Dodgers head back to Camelback Ranch to host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday (1:05 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Tyler Glasnow gets the start for the Dodgers, facing right-hander Brandon Pfaadt.

Luke Kornet and other former and current NBA players were vocal opponents of the Atlanta Hawks’ planned game-night collaboration with local strip club Magic City celebrating the “iconic cultural institution.“

The NBA is in agreement. The league announced on Monday that the Hawks, in fact, will not move forward with the “Magic City Monday” promotion scheduled for their March 16 home game against the Orlando Magic. 

The NBA announced the decision by the league to cancel the promotion in a news release from the league office Monday with a statement from commissioner Adam Silver.

“When we became aware of the Atlanta Hawks’ scheduled promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and rationale,” Silver’s statement reads. “While we appreciate the team’s perspective and their desire to move forward, we have heard significant concern from a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees. 

“I believe canceling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community.”

Hawks ‘disappointed’ in NBA’s decision

The Hawks released a statement in response expressing their “disappointment” in the decision.

“While we are very disappointed in the NBA’s decision to cancel our Magic City Night promotion, we fully respect its decision.

“As a franchise, we remain committed to celebrating the best of Atlanta — with authenticity — in ways that continue to unite and bring us all together.”

The team announcement promoting “Magic City Monday” that’s hosted on NBA.com remained live as of the time of the NBA’s statement canceling it. 

What the debate is about

Magic City is, indeed, a cultural institution in Atlanta. Former Hawk Lou Williams was openly and proudly a frequent patron of the club, which is known as much for its wings as its entertainment offerings. Magic City’s menu now features “LouWill” lemon pepper wings named after the former Hawks guard. 

Variations of those wings were also on the menu for the Hawks’ planned “Magic City Monday” promotion. Also planned for the now-canceled promotion were a halftime performance from Atlanta rapper T.I. and a “limited-edition Peachtree-themed hoodie” emblazoned with “‘MAGIC CITY’” available for purchase at the team store on game night.

Nude entertainment was not on the menu.

Wings, T.I. still on; podcast and hoodie are not

In a statement confirming the cancelation to fans who’d purchased tickets to the game, the Hawks announced a revised plan for Monday’s promotion. T.I. will still perform, and wings will be available. 

The Peachtree-themed hoodie will no longer be for sale on game night. And a pregame podcast that planned to feature a conversation about a documentary on Magic City “and the impact of the club on Atlanta music, sports, and culture” featuring feature Magic City founder Michael “Mr. Magic” Barney will no longer take place.

Here’s the revised agenda, per the Hawks:

Legendary rapper and ‘King of the South’ T.I. will perform at halftime as scheduled.

The limited-edition Peachtree themed hoodie will no longer be available for purchase at the game on March 16th. All pre-ordered merchandise will be honored and delivered as previously scheduled.

The live recording of the Hawks AF Podcast including Hawks’ Principal Owner, filmmaker, and actor Jami Gertz, T.I. and Magic City founder Michael “Mr. Magic” Barney has been cancelled. Fans who purchased tickets to the recording will be contacted directly.

The full array of award-winning culinary options available at State Farm Arena for Hawks games will be available, including wings.

Backlash that preceded NBA’s decision

The NBA did not identify the “stakeholders” who approached the league with concerns about the promotion. Kornet, a center for the San Antonio Spurs, was certainly one of them. And he wasn’t alone.

Kornet felt strongly enough last week to voice his concerns about the promotion planned for a game between the Hawks and Magic 1,000 miles away from San Antonio. Kornet wrote a blog post on the subject he headlined “Concerning the Atlanta Hawks.” In it, he requested that “the Atlanta Hawks cancel this promotional night with Magic City.”

“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.”

At the time, Kornet was the only public NBA voice raising concern about the promotion. Warriors forward Al Horford, who played nine seasons for the Hawks, reposted Kornet’s blog post on social media.

“Well said Luke,” Horford wrote.

Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson also backed Kornet’s criticism of the promotion while speaking on the Road Trippin’ podcast. He said that he wouldn’t want to take his 9- and 11-year old children to such a promotion.

“I’m going to side with Luke Kornet,” Jefferson said. “Magic City, everybody has the ability to do whatever they choose. Spend their money how they choose. … 

“I think that the NBA can partner with whoever they choose, but I understand what Luke Kornet is saying. Especially at a very delicate time in women’s rights. … But women’s rights is also the ability to go do that. …

“That’s 1970s basketball. That’s old. I think we’re above that. I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with it. But I don’t think it aligns with the brand.”

Magic City made its case

Magic City manager JuJu Barney and Yaya, a dancer at the club, spoke up in support of the promotion in an interview with TMZ last Wednesday in response to the initial backlash.

“Magic City’s been a staple in Atlanta for 40 years now,” Barney said. “It’s bigger than strip. It’s more of an iconic place where anybody who’s a CEO, an NBA player, a politician, actresses, actors — they all come, and they’re all normal when they come here.”

Barney likened the club to “an adult version of Cirque du Soleil.”

Yaya addressed Kornet’s initial blog post directly. 

“I honestly feel like where he’s coming from is a good space and he’s coming from his heart and he’s doing what’s right,” she said. … “I don’t feel used, I don’t feel degraded. And I feel like this collaboration honestly is more of a celebratory energy than anything that he’s trying to make it seem like it is.”

At that point, the Hawks announced that they had no plans to change the promotion. Since then, the NBA has intervened.

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are signing left-hander Jesús Luzardo to a five-year contract extension, according to multiple reports.

Luzardo would have become a free agent after the 2026 season. Terms of the deal were not initially reported.

Luzardo, 27, is coming off one of his best seasons as a pro after being traded by the Miami Marlins to Philadelphia in December 2024. Last season, Luzardo made 32 starts for the Phillies, throwing 183.2 innings and posting a 3.92 ERA. He earned down-ballot Cy Young votes as well. Luzardo’s 216 strikeouts were second in the National League, behind San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb.

The Phillies have one of the best pitching rotations in MLB. Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler were both runners-up in back-to-back seasons for the NL Cy Young Award. Luzardo, Sánchez and Wheeler are all signed through at least the 2027 season.

Luzardo was selected by the Washington Nationals out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in the third round of the 2016 MLB Draft, making him the first Peruvian-born player drafted since at least 1990.

Luzardo was traded to the Oakland Athletics in 2017. He did not make his debut until the 2019 season, when he became the first Peruvian-born player in the major leagues. Luzardo was then traded to the Miami Marlins in a deal for Starling Marte.

The NL East was a landmine of disappointments in 2025. The Braves were the most disappointing club in the National League, and the Mets broke their fans’ hearts by collapsing down the stretch. The Nationals realized that their long, painful rebuild was not close to its conclusion, and while the Marlins won more games than expected, their run differential told a different story. Only the Phillies met expectations, even though their season ended with a frustrating October defeat at the hands of the Dodgers.

But this division should rise again in 2026, with the Braves poised to bounce back, the Mets revamped after a busy winter and the Phillies running it back with a contending core. The Nationals are still in rebuilding mode, and the Marlins could surprise but have a ways to go before they can be considered contenders.

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Best-case scenario for 2026: The Braves have as much potential as the Phillies and Mets to win the NL East. Their lineup is mostly unchanged from the one that led the majors in scoring in 2023, and most of the key players remain in their prime years. A full season from Acuña would make a huge impact, as would resurgent seasons from Riley, Albies and Harris. Profar’s bat will be missed, but the lineup should have enough production without him. The rotation still has massive upside, especially if Chris Sale makes 30 starts and Spencer Strider rediscovers the dominant form he showed in 2022 and ‘23. Reynaldo López and Grant Holmes are capable of producing solid results as the fourth and fifth starters.

Worst-case scenario: The downside of the Braves’ roster was on full display as they won 76 games last season. It’s hard to imagine lightning striking twice in terms of the volume of injuries and disappointments Atlanta endured in 2025. However, Riley, Albies and Harris have disappointed for two straight seasons, which means there is no guarantee of immediate turnaround. And, of course, the lineup already lost a significant contributor in Profar. Sale is 36 and has a lengthy injury history, and Strider might not be able to reclaim the velocity he lost last year. Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep are already on the 60-day IL due to elbow issues. López was limited by injury to one start in 2025, and Holmes’ season ended in July due to a significant elbow injury, which means neither can be counted on. In short, Atlanta’s rotation could be a mess. The Phillies and Mets have excellent rosters, so the Braves could fall far off the pace if they get off to another poor start.

Make-or-break player: Austin Riley. The Braves really need Riley to rediscover his pre-2024 form and rejoin Acuña and Matt Olson as lineup anchors. The 28-year-old continues to rank among the league leaders in average exit velocity and barrel rate, and he still produces plenty of fly balls. His strikeout rate ticked up in 2025, so getting it back in the 25% range should help him have a bounce-back year. The guess here is that Riley delivers 35 homers and drives in 90 runs.

Season prediction: In January, the Braves were looking like a lock for the postseason. Even after a disappointing season, there were too many productive players on this roster to expect another failed bid for October. But the letdowns are already starting to add up, headlined by Schwellenbach, Waldrep and Profar. Atlanta has slipped back to the pack, and will likely need to battle the likes of the Padres, Giants and Reds to earn an NL wild-card berth.

Washington Nationals

Projected record: 68-94, 0.7% odds to make the playoffs, 0.0% odds to win the division

What happened last season? The Nats got off to a solid start and were just two games under .500 when the calendar flipped to June. Unfortunately, they won fewer than 10 games in each of the next three months and wound up losing more than 90 games for the fifth straight year. The summer swoon can be largely traced to their best players. Budding star James Wood couldn’t sustain a hot start and posted a .623 OPS in the second half, while staff ace MacKenzie Gore arrived at the All-Star break with a 3.02 ERA before logging a 6.75 mark the rest of the way. They certainly weren’t the only disappointments, as Dylan Crews and Keibert Ruiz were supposed to take steps forward but endured miserable seasons. While Washington’s offense was mediocre, its pitching staff really limited the club, as only the Rockies produced a worse ERA than the Nats’ 5.35 mark.

What happened in the offseason? The front office faced the hard reality that a long rebuild needed to be extended. Arguably the team’s most reliable reliever, Jose A. Ferrer, was traded to the Mariners for catching prospect Harry Ford, who will compete with Ruiz for playing time. In a headline-grabbing January deal, Gore was shipped to the Rangers for five prospects. Unfortunately for Nats fans, the headliners in the return package are multiple years away from reaching the majors. The only offseason additions who might make notable contributions in 2026 are Foster Griffin, a 30-year-old starter who has thrown eight major-league innings and spent the previous three seasons in Japan, and Miles Mikolas, who logged a 4.98 across 98 starts from 2023 to ‘25.

Best-case scenario for 2026: There is little chance that Washington stays in the postseason race until the trade deadline, which means success in 2026 will be measured by the improvement of key young players. Wood needs to reverse his second-half decline, and Crews must finally break through as an impact player. Ruiz needs to get his career back on track, and there is plenty of room for 25-year-olds C.J. Abrams and Luis García Jr. to show improvement. Daylen Lile was impressive late in the season and will try to extend that success over a full campaign. Things are less exciting on the mound, but Cade Cavalli might be ready to take a step forward, and Josiah Gray is ready to return from Tommy John surgery.

Worst-case scenario: Aside from the Rockies, the Nats might be the worst team in the National League. Without Gore, the pitching staff could be even worse than last season. And the key lineup members haven’t shown signs that they’re ready to break out. Wood continues to have elite upside but desperately needs to lower his strikeout rate. Ruiz consistently struggles with his quality of contact. Crews has a .634 OPS in 116 career MLB games. Washington could be effectively removed from the wild-card race by Memorial Day.

Make-or-break player: Dylan Crews. This should be the year when the 2023 No. 2 pick takes a sizable step forward. The 24-year-old has exciting skills and could be a 20-30 player this season and a 30-30 star in his prime. His career 22.5% strikeout rate is reasonable, as is his 89.5 mph average exit velocity. Staying healthy and making small strides in those areas could help Crews join Wood and Abrams to form an exciting, young trio atop the lineup. Perhaps Nats fans could live with yet another losing season if they had a few dynamic youngsters to pin their hopes on.

Season prediction: The Nationals are likely to finish 14th in the National League for a second straight year. Simply put, this pitching staff is too weak to keep the club in most games. The hope is that a couple of reliable, effective starters emerge this season. But most eyes will be on the offense, where Wood needs to reverse his recent decline and at least a couple other ascending players need to take sizable steps forward.