“I try not to make it bigger than what it is,” he said matter-of-factly.
In a way, he was anticipating what inevitably would come with the Bucks having spun out of playoff contention and into the draft lottery picture for the first time since 2016: Another potentially serious injury shelving him for the remaining games of an already truncated season.
That is the new tension now between the 31-year-old superstar and the team, as multiple sources told the Journal Sentinel that Antetokounmpo has made it clear he plans to finish whatever games he can, when able. Even as he returned from a serious, second right calf strain on March 2, Antetokounmpo had let it be known he intended to play as often as possible.
“For me, every game is worth it,” he said after the victory against the Indiana Pacers.
The Bucks, on the other hand, now have their reservations.
Though an MRI on March 16 revealed no structural damage to his left knee, Antetokounmpo was downgraded from questionable with a left ankle sprain to out about 90 minutes before the game against Cleveland on March 17.
Then, in his pregame media session, head coach Doc Rivers was asked if the team would weigh the risk of putting Antetokounmpo back on the court vs. the reward of him playing again.
“That’s a good question,” Rivers said. “I don’t have the answer, but it’s a very good question. Honestly, that’s all I have.
“It’s something we will talk about.”
The organization did discuss it, however, and league sources confirmed to the Journal Sentinel they would not be opposed to having Antetokounmpo miss the final 14 games of the season. The Athletic initially reported the team’s interest in sitting the two-time MVP.
Antetokounmpo, already ruled out for the March 18 game against Utah with the bone bruise and hyperextension in his knee, will have missed 33 games when the team heads to Phoenix on March 20.
He previously sat out stretches due to a left adductor strain and two strains of his right calf. He missed a game against Golden State on Oct. 30 with soreness in his left knee and March 14 vs. Atlanta with the left ankle sprain.
Though he did not want to get imaging done on the knee initially, testing revealed a bone bruise along with the hyperextension, following an awkward landing after a dunk against the Pacers.
It is just the latest injury in a snake-bitten season for Antetokounmpo. Following a game in Miami on March 12, Antetokounmpo acknowledged that, “Yeah, it’s tough. I don’t know how the team feels, but for me personally it’s a tough season.”
He added: “And obviously, I don’t think I’ve ever got hurt and missed 25, 30 games into the season. So, I’m just trying to take it game-by-game. I’m grateful, happy that I’m out here competing, try to play the right way. That makes me feel good. But at the same time, it’s in my nature to win games and I want us to figure it out.”
There may not be too many ways in which this season is better than last for Liverpool but Arne Slot can at least point to a significant one. Liverpool have gone further in the Champions League, and this was progress in more ways than one.
A quarter-final was booked in emphatic and entertaining fashion. The boos that greeted the final whistle against Tottenham on Sunday were replaced by cheers, the lethargy with which Liverpool have played too often giving way to an energy and intensity. This was frenzied and fast, players and crowd feeding off each other. “There was a great dynamic between the players and fans,” said Slot. “Almost a perfect game.”
For him, it was a response when the scrutiny upon him had heightened. The Dutchman switched tactics, to something of a 4-4-2, and the team changed tack. This was much better. This was one of their best displays of the campaign. It was so good it was almost unrepeatable, Slot argued. “Because 5.02 xG on a Champions League night, conceding 0.18 xG, that is not going to be easy to copy,” he said.
Mohamed Salah curled home a fine goal (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
If it was like the Liverpool of old, what could have shaped up as further evidence of Mohamed Salah’s decline instead became a cathartic evening for him. His was a throwback performance. At half-time, when Liverpool’s dominance was not reflected by a one-goal lead, there was the possibility Salah’s missed penalty would cost them. This threatened to be his last European game for Liverpool until he had a part in three goals in 11 minutes, capped gloriously. “He scored a trademark goal that he has scored so many times in this stadium and for this club, cutting inside, finding the corner,” said Slot, who was delighted with Salah’s response to a setback. “It says a lot about his mental strength.”
Galatasaray were overwhelmed, Liverpool’s defeat in Istanbul last week rendered irrelevant amid a blur of 32 shots, 16 of them on target. The catalyst for the turnaround, perhaps inevitably, was Dominik Szoboszlai, who added to his collection of terrific goals and who, as he often does, broke the deadlock.
If Galatasaray had a gameplan for holding on to their first-leg lead beyond timewasting, it was not visible. It got Slot more animated. “It is not something I can do anything about except running around like a lunatic,” he said afterwards. The running was not confined to his team.
They had started at pace, and got a reward. Liverpool had conceded to Galatasaray’s set-pieces twice in Istanbul this season. They scored from one on Merseyside. It was beautifully worked, Alexis Mac Allister disguising a low corner and Szoboszlai delivering a first-time, left-footed finish from 15 yards. The routine was so expertly planned in that it ended up with the man who had the technique to provide the finish. It was, remarkably, Szoboszlai’s fifth Champions League goal of the season, to add to four assists. His name echoed around Anfield; the fans he had criticised for leaving early on Sunday recognise he has become a talisman.
Dominik Szoboszlai has become a talisman for Liverpool (Reuters)
And then Liverpool mounted a ferocious onslaught. Salah, in behind the Galatasaray defence, failed to dink the ball over Ugurcan Cakir. Florian Wirtz had a ferocious shot deflected over the goal. Mac Allister headed on to the bar from four yards. Szoboszlai had a long-range shot parried. The best chance of all went to the Egyptian. It was a wild and needless challenge from Ismail Jakobs to send Szoboszlai flying. In contrast, Salah’s penalty was too tame. Cakir saved it with his trailing foot.
If it reinforced the sense Liverpool can be a side who struggle to double a lead, they got their second, third and fourth goals in swift succession. Each revolved around Salah. First he sprang the offside trap and centred to give Hugo Ekitike a tap-in. Then, after Cakir parried his half-volley, Ryan Gravenberch bobbled in the rebound. After Wilfried Singo was spared an embarrassing own goal by an offside flag, Salah scored his 50th Champions League goal in classic fashion. A curler from outside the box nestled in the net. Salah grabbed the Liver Bird on his shirt in celebration. High in the stands, Steven Gerrard joined in the applause.
Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike, left, celebrates with Alexis Mac Allister (PA)
Salah should really have had a second, hitting the bar from Ekitike’s cutback. It nevertheless felt like he was irresistible; until, suddenly, he wasn’t. He went off, seemingly substituting himself for once, and headed down the tunnel for treatment. “He felt something,” added Slot.
Galatasaray’s attacking superstar was long gone by then. Hampered by an arm injury, Victor Osimhen did not reappear for the second half. His manager, Okan Buruk, thought Osimhen’s arm injury was a psychological blow for his team. His top scorer departed at half-time, heading for hospital, where he was later joined by Noa Lang, stretchered off with a potentially serious finger problem.
Roland Sallai of Galatasaray battles for possession (Getty)
It completed an awful night for Galatasaray. Having gone further than expected in Europe, they shrank from the challenge. Liverpool rose to it. And so in this season, unlike last, they will play European football in April. There is a similarity nonetheless. It is Paris Saint-Germain again, a rematch that offers the prospect of revenge. And for Salah, an opportunity to plot a course towards his fourth Champions League final.
This evening in Surprise, the Royals will face the Texas Rangers.
Michael Wacha takes the mound in front of a lineup that still looks a bit bareboned as Royals trickle back to the team after participating in the World Baseball Classic. None of those involved in that tournament’s semi-finals are in the lineup. Instead, Isaac Collins leads off while Rookie of the Year hopeful Carter Jensen starts behind the plate and bats third.
The Rangers, winners of six of their last eight, will start on the mound Kumar Rocker, who went 4-5 in 2025 with an ugly ERA near 6. The lineup features plenty of regulars, such as Corey Seager and Josh Jung, please one intriguing new name—Andrew McCutchen, the longtime Pittsburgh Pirate outfielder who signed a minor-league deal just about two weeks ago.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – MARCH 18: Landen Roupp #65 of the San Francisco Giants throws a pitch in the third inning during a Spring Training game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch on March 18, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants played the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, in the hot, hot Arizona heat, and it didn’t go particularly well. It was a game with minimal moments of note for the Giants, who played the evil villains of the baseball universe for the final time before their first regular season matchup in late April.
All the Spring Training caveats apply. It was just one game. It was just one meaningless preseason game. It was just one meaningless preseason game where the stats have been proven time and time again to not really mean anything. It was just one meaningless preseason game where the stats have been proven time and time again to not really mean anything that didn’t even go nine innings anyway, as the teams decided together to limit exposure to the triple-digit heat, and cut off the game after eight innings, after which the Dodgers led 5-1.
So while I’d stop well short of calling it a concerning game with concerning performances, it was certainly a game devoid of reasons for optimism in the places where we’re looking for some optimism.
Let’s start with the pitching. Landen Roupp made his final Cactus League start, though I would assume that he’ll pitch one of the team’s exhibitions at Oracle Park on Monday and Tuesday. Facing a potent Dodgers offense playing a handful of regulars, Roupp was not at his sharpest.
He got into trouble immediately, ceding singles to the first three batters of the game, Miguel Rojas, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts. After performing his civic duty by striking out Max Muncy, Roupp then gave up a fourth single to Teoscar Hernández. A double play ball followed, mercifully ending the inning before it became ugly, but still, LA had scored two runs, a total that the Giants wouldn’t match all day.
In Roupp’s defense, two of those singles were fairly soft contact: Rojas’ inning-opener was a mild-mannered 63.7-mph ground ball, while Hernández’s RBI was a looping 73.1-mph line drive. So it’s not like he was getting battered out there.
The second inning went much better, a featured a pair of strikeouts. The third inning did not go better, as the second pitch he threw blistered into the bleachers grass by Freeman. In all, Roupp went four innings and gave up five hits, three walks, and three runs. He did strike out five batters, but just 46 of his 81 pitches were strikes. He wasn’t sharp, but he wasn’t awful, either.
Later in the game, someone attempting to follow Roupp’s career path entered the game: Trevor McDonald. It’s been a great spring for McDonald, who looks to have pole position on earning a spot in what is suddenly a fairly crowded bullpen and, whether or not he accomplishes that particular goal, does seem to be first in line for a starting assignment when someone in the rotation invariably gets injured.
The Giants do seem to be prepping him for a bullpen role though, as he entered in the seventh inning of this game. Facing the replacement hitters, McDonald was done in by a pair of non-roster invitees: Ryan Fitzgerald, who drilled a one-out double (which put him on second base, where he got to mingle with Tyler Fitzgerald [no relation]), and Nick Senzel, who smoked a 108.4-mph dinger.
Despite that, McDonald needed just 16 pitches to get through the inning. Sometimes you just get got, and on this day, he — and Roupp — got got.
Offensively, it was mostly a mediocre day all around, but it was particularly mediocre for the players who are on the periphery of the roster, trying to earn Opening Day assignments. Jerar Encarnación started at first base, and hit 0-2; Bryce Eldridge replaced him, and went 0-1. Will Brennan started in center field and had an 0-2 game with a strikeout; Grant McCray replaced him and drew a walk, then promptly got caught in a rundown. Luis Matos went 0-1 as the designated hitter, though he was hit by a pitch and his out was a 105-mph liner. Tyler Fitzgerald meekly flew out in his lone at-bat as the backup second baseman.
Not really a good day for anyone in need of a good day to have a good day.
There were two hitters who shined, though. Heliot Ramos made his return following a run with Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, and in his first at-bat, facing off against Shohei Ohtani, Ramos smoked a double into the corner, one-hopping the wall. Ramos would end the day 1-3, and he’s now 8-14 in Spring Training, with five extra-base hits … and all five home come against right-handed pitchers (and some extremely good right-handed pitchers, at that). He certainly doesn’t need a good spring to make the team — all he needs is to be halfway healthy on March 25 — but his performance is certainly inspiring optimism that another All-Star level performance could be around the corner. T
As for the other great day in the box? Well, it belonged to the breakout star of camp, Victor Bericoto.
Bericoto is, notably, still in camp as a non-roster invitee, even though the Giants have now made five rounds of cuts, including optioning a position player, Jesús Rodríguez. And his lone at-bat, subbing in for Jung Hoo Lee in right field, showed why.
Facing a former All-Star closer in Tanner Scott — who is putting his disastrous 2025 behind him with a sensational spring — Bericoto took on dead center and won easily.
Bericoto smashed a 1-1 pitch at 112.6 mph, and god knows how far. Statcast says the home run traveled 406 feet, but given that it easily cleared the tall batter’s eye in center field — and that center field is 410 feet at Camelback Ranch — I am deeply suspicious. The math, as the youths say, ain’t mathing.
Either way, it was majestic, and it gave Bericoto his team-leading third home run of the spring. He’s 16-37 with five extra-base hits, and while this is the part in the exercise where I normally remind you of all the great springs of the past — remember Ismael Munguia just two years ago? — I’m not going to do that. I’m just going to say that the Giants do not have a clear fourth outfielder, let alone fifth outfielder, and while Bericoto is still an exceedingly long shot to earn either of those roles this month, he won’t have to hit like this in Sacramento for long before the opportunity is given to him.
A few other highlights from a lowlight of a game:
Righty Keaton Winn, and southpaws Joey Lucchesi and Erik Miller each pitched scoreless frames. For Miller, whose inning was perfect, it marked his second appearance after a delayed start to Spring Training. It’s looking like he might be healthy enough to make the Opening Day roster after all, and that’s great. The Giants very much wanted to get a look at Miller, so much so that after the teams agreed to end the game after eight innings, they played the bottom of the eighth so that Miller could get some time, despite the Giants losing 5-1.
Patrick Bailey once again won an ABS challenge. He is very good at this, it seems.
The five hardest-hit balls of the day for the Giants: Bericoto’s home run (112.6 mph); a Brennan groundout (106.8); Matos’ lineout (105.0); a Ramos flyout (101.2); and an Encarnación lineout (96.9).
The Giants play two games tomorrow! Their prospects host the Cincinnati Reds’ prospects in the Spring Breakout game at 6:05 p.m. PT, on MLB Network. Five minutes later, their Cactus League squad hits the road to take on the Colorado Rockies. That game is radio only.
Mar 1, 2026; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Jack Wenninger (92) pitches in the fifth inning against the Houston Astros at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Ahead of tomorrow’s game, the Mets announced their Spring Breakout roster. In its third year, MLB’s Spring Breakout is a showcase for all 30 teams to highlight some of their top prospects. These games happen over four days across both the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues.
Below is the list of Mets’ prospects on the roster. If they are ranked on MLB’s Pipeline list for either the club or MLB overall, it is listed next to their name.
PITCHERS (9):
Juan Arnaud, RHP
Hoss Brewer, RHP
Nicolas Carreño, LHP
Saúl García, RHP
Cristofer Gómez, RHP
Douglas Orellana, RHP
Jonathan Santucci, LHP, No. 10
Ben Simon, RHP
Jack Wenninger, RHP, No. 7
CATCHERS (3):
Daiverson Gutierrez, C, No. 26
Chris Suero, C/OF, No. 16
Julio Zayas, C
INFIELDERS (10):
Yunior Amparo, UTIL
Ryan Clifford, 1B/OF, No. 5
Randy Guzman, 1B/OF, No. 25
Yonatan Henríquez, UTIL
Antonio Jimenez, SS, No. 17
Elian Peña, SS, No. 9
Jacob Reimer, 3B/1B, No. 6
D’Andre Smith, 2B
Marco Vargas, INF, No. 21
Mitch Voit, 2B, No. 8
OUTFIELDERS (3):
A.J. Ewing, OF/2B, No. 4/MLB No. 97
Nick Morabito, OF, No. 13
Eli Serrano III, OF, No. 14
The Mets play the Rays tomorrow evening at Clover Field at 7:10pm ET.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 11: Jordan Walker #18 of the St. Louis Cardinals at bat during a spring training game against the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on March 11, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jordan Walker is a riddle wrapped up in enigma hidden inside of a 3-lock box for the St. Louis Cardinals. Since his major league debut in 2023, Walker has seen the optimism about his abilities fade into pessimism about whether he really can be fixed.
I asked the question of what you would do if you were President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom regarding Jordan Walker’s future. The answers varied from letting him be the starting right fielder for the Cardinals on Opening Day because the team doesn’t have a better option, send him to the low minor leagues and make him earn his promotions back to the big club or designate him for assignment.
“This has been one that…keeps us up at night. We have to figure it out. When I say I’m committed to it, I need to think of a stronger word to make sure that this dude figures it out…with us…because there’s a real skill set there, but I do feel like we missed some time in getting to where we’re at now. I wished we would have gotten to this point sooner. What I mean by that where there’s real vulnerability of what has actually happened…how do we feel…how are we gonna get on the other side of this to create real change…not just say we’re working on something, (but) six months later it looks very similar. I feel like we’re finally at a point where that’s happening. It could be a month before we feel good about it…it could be three months before we feel good about it…I may feel good about it in 3 hours….I don’t know. I like where we’re at with what’s taking place. There’s a real responsibility on both ends here…on mine, on Brownie and that whole hitting department…to unlock what he’s capable of…and there’s real responsibility on (Jordan’s) end, too…of carrying the work that he’s doing into the game. We’re doing everything possible for that to be the case…but this is one that has not gone well and we need it to go well. All hands on deck for this one.”
This is just my speculation because Oli didn’t say it outright, but I could sense that the time for Jordan Walker to show real progress is ticking down quickly. It also felt like there is frustration from the Cardinals management that Jordan didn’t get to the point where he’s accepting coaching direction quicker. When he emphasized that he hopes that Jordan Walker figures out his problems “with us”, I got the feeling that Walker not being “with us” might be a possibility. Everyone realizes his immense talent and potential high ceiling, but I’ve heard it said that one skill he has never really displayed is a true command of the strike zone. Yes, that can be taught, but there also needs to be something built into the player’s instincts about pitch recognition as part of his approach. I’m not the only one questioning if that is something that Jordan Walker can acquire.
Jordan Walker still has one more option left and I really hope the team makes use of it and has him start the season at Triple A Memphis. Why not start Nelson Velázquez who has had an excellent Spring or Nathan Church? I don’t want to witness Jordan Walker trying to figure this out in front of a Busch Stadium crowd again because I believe the patience of the fanbase is spent. No matter if the previous St. Louis Cardinals management rushed him through the minor league system too quickly or not, the time for a solution is now. The runway for Jordan Walker is ending soon. Would be a shame for such a talented player to not see his potential realized.
Mar 18, 2026; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Alek Thomas (5) celebrates with right fielder Corbin Carroll (7) after hitting a two run home run against the Chicago Cubs in the third inning at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Record: 12-12-1. Change on 2025: -1. 5-inning Record: 8-15-2.
Arizona stretched their unbeaten streak to five games with an emphatic victory over the Cubs at Salt River Fields. It looked unlikely, considering the D-backs were 5-1 down in the middle of the third. But scoring fifteen unanswered runs is never a bad thing. A six-run third was followed by a seven-run fourth, Arizona pounding out seventeen hits and five walks. Jordan Lawlar reached base three times on a hit and two walks, while there were two-hit days for Geraldo Perdomo, Carlos Santana and Jorge Barrosa. Good to see Corbin Carroll hitting his first post-hamate home-run. Alek Thomas (top, with Carroll) and Barrosa also went deep, and the team were 7-for-13 with RISP.
Given all of the above, what the pitchers did was almost irrelevant. Merrill Kelly’s second appearance was an improvement on his first: he went 2.2 innings, allowing five hits and two runs, with no walks or K’s. Joe Ross somehow got the W, despite an ugly outing which included allowing a grand-slam. But Juan Morillo struck out three of the four batters he faced, and there was a clean inning from Paul Sewald too. Kade Stroud’s rough spring continued in the eighth, because he allowed as many home-runs as he recorded outs (two of each). But all told, a pretty satisfactory day for the Diamondbacks.
Tomorrow, it’s over to Camelback Ranch for an evening game against the other residents of Chicago, the White Sox. 6:05 pm first pitch there, with Michael Soroka making his first start since coming back from the World Baseball Classic as part of Team Canada.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi has reached another milestone, getting his 900th career goal in the opening minutes of Inter Miami’s CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 match against Nashville on Wednesday night.
The back-to-back Major League Soccer MVP, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion got it as would be expected — with his left foot, like the majority of his career goals for club and country. He took a pass in the middle of the box in the seventh minute, controlled the ball, spun and lined a low shot past two defenders and into the far corner of the net.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the only other men’s player with more than 900 goals — at least, by official counts. It took Ronaldo about 100 more matches to get to the milestone than Messi needed; Ronaldo was 39 when he got to 900 goals in September 2024, while Messi doesn’t turn 39 until June.
There are some who have suggested Brazilian legend Pelé topped 1,000 goals for his career, though his “official” total is closer to 800. Different sources, counting different sets of games, list Pelé’s goal totals anywhere from around 650 in league matches to somewhere near 1,300 in all matches — some against low-level competition.
Messi remains the game’s most popular and most-followed player. His No. 10 Inter Miami jersey has been the best seller in the league since he arrived in MLS, and everything he does becomes major news in all corners of the soccer world.
This milestone joins countless other awards and accomplishments over Messi’s career, including eight Pichichi trophies as La Liga’s top scorer, six La Liga best player nods, three Best FIFA Men’s Player awards, three UEFA Men’s Player of the Year wins, two FIFA World Cup Golden Balls and no fewer than 15 selections as Argentina’s best player in a given year.
Messi has also been part of winning 47 trophies for club and country — including the 2022 World Cup for Argentina and last season’s MLS title with Inter Miami — making him the most decorated player the men’s game has ever seen. He is likely to play again for Argentina this summer when the World Cup is held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
“The reality,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said late last season, “is that Leo clears all doubts.”
More than half of Messi’s goals came with Barcelona, the place he played for nearly two decades. He joined Inter Miami in 2023, was under contract through the end of last season originally and now has a new deal stretching into 2028.
Millions around the nation are placing their predictions, and some bets, on who they believe is going to advance, and win the 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament. Former President Barack Obama is also in on the fun.
If you haven’t already filled out your brackets for this year’s March Madness, you might want to get yours finished. All the fun begins Thursday when the first round of games is set to begin.
It’s friendly competition amongst friends, family, co-workers or even the holy grail of a group chat. Each year, there has been a presidential bracket submitted out of the millions of predictions.
Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America and an avid sports fan, has his picks set as he makes his prediction for how he thinks the 2026 NCAA Tournament will play out.
Barack Obama March Madness bracket picks
Obama typically fills out a bracket for both men and women, and 2026 is no different.
.@BarackObama‘s bracket is set. What do you think of his picks?
Wednesday was a very hot afternoon in the Phoenix area. The temperature reached 101 degrees, breaking the record for the month:
Sky Harbor Airport reached 101° at 2:59 pm MST. This sets a new record high temperature for the month of March. Stay tuned for the official high temperature post. #azwxpic.twitter.com/m2PKA9A39c
“Hot” also described the Cubs bats, at least early in the game. The D-backs came back, though, hitting Edward Cabrera hard, and won the game 16-8.
The D-backs scored first, off Cabrera in the first inning. The run was unearned. Corbin Carroll reached on an error by Matt Shaw, who was playing right field. Carroll then stole second and scored on a single by Geraldo Perdomo.
Carroll suffered a broken hamate bone during a BP session earlier in camp and this was just his fourth Spring Training game. Perdomo had been off at the WBC playing for the Dominican Republic and this was his first game back. So the D-backs took advantage of a couple of their good players being back in the lineup.
The Cubs took the lead in the third, when the teams combined for 11 runs. Shaw led off with a double and scored on a Miguel Amaya single. After Michael Conforto hit into a double play, the Cubs loaded the bases on a single by Kevin Alcántara and walks to Jonathon Long and BJ Murray.
Jefferson Rojas followed with a grand slam, his third homer of the spring. This kid is going to be a really good player.
The D-backs flipped the script in bottom of the third. First, on a two-run homer by Alek Thomas, another player back from the WBC. Then Cabrera walked Nolan Arenado and he was replaced by minor leaguer Grayson Moore, who gave up a single and two more walks, making it 5-4. A wild pitch tied the game and then Moore gave up a two-run double to give Arizona a 7-5 lead.
Cabrera re-entered the game in the fourth and well, maybe he shouldn’t have. He served up another homer, this one to Carroll, then D-backs hitters continued to tee off on him until the score was 10-5 Arizona. Then minor leaguer Dawson Netz, who had relieved Moore in the third, entered to relieve Cabrera. At this point you are forgiven if you think the heat has gotten to all of these men. The D-backs just kept scoring. One run was charged to Cabrera, but Arizona wound up with an eight-run inning and led 14-5 at the end of the fourth.
After all the minor leaguers were done relieving Cabrera and each other, Gavin Hollowell shut the D-backs down 1-2-3 in the fifth. Hollowell has thrown well this spring and might have an Opening Day bullpen spot.
Ben Brown entered to throw the sixth, against mostly D-backs minor leaguers. He loaded the bases on three singles, but got out of the inning with a pair of strikeouts, both swinging.
Alcántara smacked a two-run homer in the eighth, his first of the spring, and one of three hits he had on the afternoon. Long followed with another long ball, also his first home run of the spring. Alcántara’s homer went a long way [VIDEO]
Manager Craig Counsell’s son Brady, playing for the Diamondbacks, went 1-for-2 in this game and scored twice.
The Cubs have Thursday off, and then will play their only split-squad game of Spring Training 2026 on Friday. Both games were originally scheduled for Friday afternoon and both have been moved to Friday evening because of a forecast high of 106 degrees.
Against the Reds at Sloan Park Friday, Matthew Boyd will face Brandon Williamson. That game will begin at 8:05 p.m. CT. No TV for the Sloan Park game, there will be a radio broadcast on the Reds flagship station WLW 700.
Against the A’s at Hohokam Stadium Friday, Jameson Taillon will go for the Cubs. At the time of this recap the A’s didn’t have a starter listed. That game will begin at 8:10 p.m. CT and be televised on Marquee Sports Network and NBC Sports California. There will be a radio broadcast with the A’s announcers on ATH Audio.
