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Thursday, March 14
Cincinnati 4 at Texas 7
Surprise Stadium, Surprise
Temp: 67 at 6:07 first pitch
Langford Slam Shreds Reds
Rangers phenom Wyatt Langford stepped to the plate in the fourth inning with the sacks packed and his club leading, 3-0. Make that 7-zip as Langford launched a long bomb to right center that cleared the fence by a few ten-gallon hats. Last year, the 22-year-old laced the ball around the ballpark at a combined .360 clip in four levels of ball. Call Wyatt right on target. His 1-for-4 Thursday left his cactus average at .361 (13-for-36) with 5 HR and 14 RBIs.
The Reds finally found the scoreboard in what became a Hernandez Old Home Week in the top of the seventh. Texas subbed in Elier Hernandez for Evan Carter in left and Jonathan Hernandez replaced Brock Burke on the mound. After an Austin Hendrick strikeout, Reds’ second baseman Miguel Hernandez pinch hit for Jonathan India. Miguel jumped on Jonathan with a bomb to left for Cincinnati’s first run.
The Reds made some more noise in the ninth. Hernan Perez led off with a single to center. Catcher interference from Andrew Knapp put Hernandez at first. James Free doubled home Perez before Allan Cerda went yard on David Robertson for a two-run blast to center that brought the Reds within 3, 7-4. Robertson fanned Logan Tanner however, to end the game. Jon Gray (2-0) picked up the win, being stretched out to five innings of work. He yielded 3 hits and no runs while striking out five. Tejay Antone (0-1) took the loss for the Reds.
Ballpark Buzz … The Rangers’ Marcus Semien was PBP (Perfect But Painful) at the plate. He singled and scored in the first, stroked an RBI-double in the second, was plunked on the left arm by Buck Farmer in the fourth before scoring on Langford’s grand slam and Marcus walked in the sixth. Semien is hitting .250 (7-for-28) with 1 HR and 2 RBIs this spring. … Surprise Stadium was stuffed to the gills with an attendance of 12,026. … Right field “lawn seating” became downright dangerous. Every time the center fielder or right fielder went to toss the ball into the stands, a munchkin monsoon blew one way or the other, cheek-to-cheek, jowl-to-jowl, step-where-they-may. No band-aid brigade reported. … In the photo above, note the smoke coming out of the “stack” in the third base concourse. The wind blowing out to right quickly took on a barbecue flavor that kept fans down the first base line salivating. … A five-minute fireworks display followed the game before a thankfully long-delayed brief shower. … The game time temperature of 67 dipped to a windy 61, sending several seeking shelter under the covers.
Tuesday, March 12
Arizona 2 at San Diego 2
Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria
Temp: 70 at 1:10 first pitch
San Diego Slugger Goin’ South
Twenty-year-old Padres prospect Jackson Merrill wore #70 and batted ninth Tuesday against the Dbacks. Facing Arizona ace Zac Gallen in the second inning after a two-out walk to Kyle Higashioka, Merrill unloaded to left on Gallen’s 0-1 offering. By the time the ball landed beyond the fence, San Diego Manager Mike Shildt had put Jackson in the jump seat. That would be on the plane to South Korea, where the Padres will play the Seoul Series against the Dodgers March 20-21. Raking cactus pitching at a .343 clip with two HRs will do that.
Following the Merrill manifest adjustment, Gallen gave up a Xander Bogaerts single and Fernando Tatis Jr. double before being rescued by Will Mabrey, who got Jake Cronenworth on a fly ball to center.
Jake McCarthy led off the game with a single but that was the only DBacks’ hit until the fifth inning. Trailing 2-0, Blaze Alexander led off the inning with a single. Kyle Garlick moved him along with a 1-4-3 ricochet bullet out that tipped off pitcher Tommy Nance’s glove, thereby nullifying the double play. Albert Amora Jr. grounded out to short for the second out but Nance walked Tucker Barnhart to flip the order with runners on first and second. McCarthy ripped the ball into the right field corner and by the time Tatis Jr. corralled the ball, Jake was chugging into third with a two-RBI triple to tie the game.
The DBacks and Padres mirrored further scoring chances, both clubs having runners reaching second in the sixth and eighth innings, but that was the extent of the scoring, the game ending in a 2-2 draw.
Fernando Fantasy Update: Tatis Jr. went 2-for-3, legging out an in-field single to deep short in the first and lacing a double that just cleared Garlick’s head in left an inning later. Tatis Jr. struck out in the fifth. The two hits bumped his cactus average to .250 (6-for-24) with 5 RBI and 1 HR.
Ballpark Buzz … Cronenworth made the defensive gem of the day in the third when, with Barnhart at first following a lead-off walk, Jake McCarthy lined a ball toward first. Cronenworth dove toward the line, snaring the ball on one hop. He jumped to his feet, stepped on first, spun and nailed Barnhart at second for the double play. … Hats off to the Peoria Sports Complex staff. My wife has a walker and they graciously stored it in a nearby wheelchair area as we made our way up the stairs to section 201 behind home plate.
Sunday, March 10
San Francisco 3 at Seattle 8
Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria
Temp: 78 at 1:10 first pitch
Polanco’s Solo and Slam Slays Giants
Jorge Polanco roughed up San Francisco starter Tommy Romero for five RBIs with a pair of long balls in the first two innings, sending Seattle to an 8-3 win. Polanco’s first-inning blast, a solo shot, cleared the yellow HR line on the black backdrop in center by three feet. His next blast, a grand slam, came an inning later, landing beyond the Cutwater Shirts sign in left after a one-out single by Taylor Trammell and costly walks to Michael Papierski and Dylan Moore. Starter George Kirby picked up the win with two-and-a-third innings of four-hit, two-run ball with 5 strikeouts.
The Mariners’ second baseman also factored in the Mariners seventh run in the fourth. Giant pitcher Carson Seymour was not about to allow a third HR to Polanco when Jorge stepped to the plate with two out. Seymour plunked him but Cal Raleigh made him pay, belting a double to drive in Polanco with his third run of the afternoon. Jorge’s 2-for-2 day has him ripping the ball at a .500 clip (7-for-14) this spring. Raise your hand if Polanco’s fantasy ranking at #236 suddenly became a tempting flyer.
Seattle’s final run was a hard lesson learned for Giant first baseman Tyler Locklear. Jonny Farmelo led off the eighth inning with a high fly foul that sent Locklear angling toward the stands at first. A few feet short of the first row, he reached out and the ball skipped off his mitt. The very next pitch, Farmelo went several barns deep with a homer to right center, prompting a fan behind me to bellow, “That’s on you, 87. Catch the ball!”
The Giants scored two runs in the second when the first three batters, Luis Matos, David Villar and Casey Schmitt, went double-double-single against Kirby. With a wink and a glow, Schmitt’s ninth-inning replacement Jimmy Glowenke went yard in his first spring training at bat for the Giants final run.
Ballpark Buzz … There was a Panda sighting in the sixth inning as 37-year-old Pablo Sandoval, looking very svelte, hit a flare to right for single in the sixth before going down on strikes in the eighth. … Cal Raleigh (6-for-17) went 2-for-3, including a first-inning triple that Giant CF Jung Hoo “Gung Ho” Lee almost ran down in right center, but couldn’t squeeze. … Today’s ballpark shanty of choice was the Deschutes IPA delightfully diluted with Mountain Dew. … Grin and bear it — T-Shirts in the Mariners / Padres Team Store have reached the $45 mark. No supply chain issues there. … Time of game: 2:42. Attendance: 7,572. … It’s great to be back in Cactusville! Stay tuned. I’ll be filing reports Tuesday the 12th (DBacks @ Padres) and Thursday the 14th (Reds @ Rangers).
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Saturday, April 2
Cleveland 1 at Texas 3
Surprise Stadium, Surprise
Temp: 85 at 6:07 first pitch
Garcia Bomb Beats Bieber
Cleveland starter Shane Bieber, he of lofty, top ten fantasy baseball pitcher status, ranking somewhere between Shohei Ohtani and Julio Urias, fairly cruised through the first three innings of Ranger batsmen, notching six strikeouts along the way. In the second, he gave up a loud two-out double to left by Kole Calhoun and walked Andy Ibanez before fanning Nick Solak to end the inning. Bieber wasn’t so lucky in the fourth. Mitch Garver singled to third and Ernie Clement’s throw in the dirt enabled Garver to gallop to second. Nathaniel Lowe cashed him in with a base hit to left. Up came Adolis Garcia, who teed up a Bieber offering, golfing a towering drive to left over the Boulevard Beer sign for a 3-0 Texas lead. Bieber stayed in for one more batter, striking out Calhoun before being replaced by Bryan Shaw.
The Guardians got a run back in the fifth when diminutive number 67 Steven Kwan, who a fan in front of me assured me had “made the team,” drew a one-out walk. After Oscar Mercado popped out to shallow center, Clement doubled to right, putting runners at second and third. A wild ball four pitch from Zak Kent saw Kwan scamper home to make the final score, 3-1.
Ballpark Buzz … Attendance of 5,005 seemed a generous number. … The JUGS Gun radar rap sheet: Bush–97, White–95, Kent–96, Richards–94, Bieber–91, Morgan–93 … Both clubs played the shift ad nauseum, perhaps 75% of the time. When lefty Calhoun came up in the sixth, Cleveland played him as a dead pull hitter. No fielder could be found on the left side of the infield. Kole might want to work on his bunting. … After Garcia’s two-run poke, Kwan had the most impressive at bat in the sixth. The lefty — who crowds the plate like a slugger — inside-outed a Joe Barlow pitch, mashing an opposite field clothesline rope that careened into the left field corner for a double. … Looking for a deep fantasy dark horse reliever? Say no more. The Guardians’ Eli Morgan dazzled with his deceptive, sneaky-fast 93-mph heater that seems to come out of his armpit. He struck out Corey Seager, Lowe, Solak and Cameron Cauley in three innings of work. Morgan only allowed a Marcus Semien single in the seventh, Semien’s only hit in a 1-for-4 night. In two spring appearances totaling five innings, Morgan has struck out six, walked none and allowed three hits to land in the Guardians bullpen. Stash ‘im if ya need ‘im. … It’s been a great, abbreviated-but-welcomed spring in the Cactus League. Opening Day draws near with everybody chomping at the first place bit. See you next year. Same bat time. Same bat website.
Sunday, March 27
Arizona 0 at Texas 13
Surprise Stadium, Surprise
Temp: 86 at 1:06 first pitch
Baker’s Dozen Does In D’backs
Reality bites. Like a diamondback. Only it was Arizona who bit themselves in the foot Sunday. The ball club went with split squads, keeping big boys Carson Kelly, Ketel Marte, Josh Rojas, Nick Ahmed and David Peralta home at Salt River Field at Talking Stick to dispose of their facility-mates, the Colorado Rockies, 5-2. That left Jack McCarthy, Cooper Hummel, Pavin Smith & Co. on this side of Phoenix to ward off the Rangers Half-Billion-Dollar Duo, Marcus Semien and Corey Seager, with Adolis Garcia on deck to drive them in. It didn’t go well. Texas’ “A” team led Arizona’s “B” team, 6-0, after six innings. Cue the wholesale changes resulting in Texas’ “B” team going against Arizona’s “C” team and, well … the Rangers racked up seven runs in the eighth inning, aided largely by Julio Frias walking four straight batters to force in two runs.
A.J. Alexy looked sharp in the win, setting down all nine batters he faced, striking out two in three innings of work. Indeed the D’Backs didn’t collect a hit until Braden Bishop led off the sixth with a single to right. After Jake Hager flied out to right, Jose Herrera singled to left but McCarthy struck out and Hummel flied out to deep left center. Arizona only managed two more hits — a Smith single in the seventh and a triple off the big bat of Matt Davidson in the ninth. The hulking first baseman hit a towering drive that gravity eventually convinced to return to Earth. The ball hit the top of the center field wall with so much force it rebounded halfway to the infield, I swear on a stack of World Series scorecards. It was by far the loudest hit of the four the D’Backs managed against the Rangers’ 13.
Ballpark Buzz … Rangers catcher Jose Trevino had a 3-for-3 day that warrants explicit second guessing. In his first at bat in the third, Trevino hit a rocket to third baseman Drew Ellis. Bent low in his crouch, Ellis pivoted 23 degrees counterclockwise and dropped his glove four inches, all in two nanoseconds. He froze, waiting for the smack of ball hitting leather. Didn’t happen. The ball sped past underneath his glove. A tough scorekeeper might have given Ellis an error because the ball almost hit him. He does after all have a glove, besides being paid $570,000 per year to make said play or at least knock it down where he then — a perk of the hot corner — has three full seconds to pick it up and throw to first. There was an error on the play but it went to the left fielder Jake Hager for failing to corral the ball, then falling down minus the banana peel, allowing Trevino to reach second. It was pretty much a “wait for the ball to stop rolling” kind of play. In the fifth, Trevino got almost all of a Caleb Baragar offering, sending the ball to deep center where Jake McCarthy had enough time to pitch a tent, gather firewood and adjust the Coleman stove … before dropping the ball. Trevino’s third at bat was a legitimate line drive double down the left field line. After watching the Brewers’ Pedro Severino mash last week, I’m convinced line-drive doubles are in the DNA of barrel-chested catchers. … Stowers’ home run was a blast down the left field line that topped the pole by 3-to-4 feet and went about 385. It’s 350 down the line. … Adolis Garcia didn’t disappoint. He went 2-for-3 including a first-inning double hit on a rope to the gap in left. In the fourth, he hit a sharp one-hopper up the middle for a single. … Texas Leaguers R Us. Chalk up two for the Rangers today. In the fifth, Nick Solak dunked one to right that scored two and an inning later, Matt Carpenter turned the trick again, dropping one into center for a ribbie. … In the eighth inning, I thought the D’Backs’ batboy was fooling around with a bat next to the on-deck circle. 
He started swinging it and I did a double take as he approached the plate. The public address announcer said, “Number 6, David Peralta.” The scoreboard immediately went to the Oops!-Default Arizona Logo. The batter wore number 6 but it wasn’t Peralta. Nope, meet Ryan Bliss. MLB lists him at 5-foot-9, 165 pounds. Please. Knock off three inches and 20 pounds. But the 22-year-old can indeed play. He worked a walk and made a snappy throw from short for an out in the bottom of the frame. As I write this, the D’Backs just inked Marte to a 5-year, $76M extension. Perhaps watching Bliss today was a wake-up call for Arizona brass to get Marte’s name on the dotted line? Sign him. Now.
Saturday, March 26
Los Angeles 10 at Kansas City 5
Surprise Stadium, Surprise
Temp: 91 at 6:05 first pitch
Four Dodger Dingers Rock Royals
In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Royals had twice as many hits as the Dodgers — 10 to 5 — but trailed by twice as many runs, 9-4. Such is the succinct shock and awe of watching three-run home runs disappear into the night. Justin Turner turned the trick after Brady Singer walked Chris Taylor and Max Muncy in the first. Tomas Telis did the deed in the eighth after Brad Peacock hit Zach McKinstry and walked Andy Burns. Telis’ clothes-line blast to right left the yard faster than a Telus text. Toss in Kevin Pillar’s two-run bomb in the sixth and Jake Lamb’s solo shot in the ninth and it was bombs away for the Dodgers after the Royals had regrouped from Turner’s opening salvo to tie the game 3-3 after three. They got there with Carlos Santana smashing a two-out double to left to cash in Bobby Witt Jr. and Andrew Benitendi. Witt had singled and stole second before Benitendi drew a walk. Whit Merrifield opened the scoring in the first with a triple to the right corner. Fantasy baseballers take note, Merrifield was cool and dried at third before the throw reached the infield. Another 40-SB year seems like a cinch. He came home on a wild pitch.
Ballpark Buzz … The white elephant in the winning L.A clubhouse was, “What is wrong with Cody?” He sported the golden sombrero tonight with four strikeouts. Since his third-inning single March 24 against Colorado, Bellinger has struck out. Eight. Consecutive. At. Bats. Dodger hitting coaches Brant Brown and Robert Van Scoyoc won’t sleep a wink tonight. … Evidently Banner Medical Center didn’t get the memo, a.k.a. last week’s column. Tonight their non-baseball trivia question asked how many mammograms they’ve performed the past year. 9000-plus, if you’re keeping score at home. I’m sure the mothers in attendance just loved responding to their children asking, “Mommy, what’s a mammogram?” …
My Fantasy Baseball strategy … If ya need it, as spring training is already winding down. From the six spot, I’ve been pretty consistent — after 50+ mock drafts from multiple spots — of drafting the following 22 starters when (sigh) Ohtani doesn’t fall into my lap. Round-by-Round: 1–Bichette (SS) / 2–Scherzer (SP) / 3–Urias (SP) / 4–O’Neil (OF) / 5–Peralta (SP) / 6–Bryant (1B) / 7–Chisholm (2B) / 8–Manoah (SP) / 9–Jansen (RP) / 10–Romano (RP) / 11–Av. Garcia (OF) / 12–Ad. Garcia (OF) / 13–Donaldson (3B) / 14–McGee (RP) / 15–Voit (CI) / 16–Baddoo (OF) / 17–Desclafani (SP) / 18–Bader (OF) / 19–O. Cruz (MI) / 20–Kiner-Falefa (UT)
Note the emphasis on team power and speed with an unabashed prayer for batting average. There’s little or no speed with corner infielders so I targeted Bryant because he can swipe a few and now has HR-friendly Coors Field. Others I have targeted are Albies, O’Neil and Chisholm. The rest will arrive on your doorstep. How? Pick 4 starting pitchers and 4 hitters in the first 8 Rounds, targeting the above. Use the dead space between hitter to drop down and grab The Starting Pitcher You Really, Truly Love. Forget the waiver wire, this is a six-month commitment. Use the 9th and 10th Round to take two relievers. Your 11th, 12th and 13th Rounds go to collecting Av. Garcia, Ad. Garcia and Donaldson respectively. Rounds 11-thru-13 run like clockwork. McGee is listed as the Giants’ closer but for some reason he’s ranked 300+ at Fantrax. Dig him up. If he’s scooped, Rogers or Bednar should be available. Rounds 15-to-19 can be a bit of a white knuckler, because some joker may take a flyer on Oneil Cruz out of the blue. I’m drafting him 30 or 40 spots higher because when at the 200+ ADP, be safe, not sorry. Also, I drafted catcher Luis Torrens in the 30th round (last) to clear up space for other picks. Catchers don’t run but he did poke 15 over the fence last year. The above road map has the necessary built-in deviations so you can breathe easy during the 45-seconds between picks. Good luck, managers!
Cactus Fever is back! It’s great to finally escape the Covid bubble for spring baseball. Keep watching this space for more game reports.
Saturday, March 19
Milwaukee 11 at Texas 0
Surprise Stadium, Surprise
Temp: 79, partly sunny.
Brew Crew Routs Rangers
If Milwaukee fans were worried about run support for their fantasy baseball chart-topping Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Josh Hader, today’s game was one to file away for future reference. The Brewers scored early, often and — aided by three Texas misfires — trounced the Rangers 11-zip.
Back-up catcher Pedro Severino got the start and made the most of it with a first-inning, two-run bomb off Dane Dunning that sailed over the 400-foot sign in center. The Brewers poured two more across in the third when Adolis Garcia let a Kolten Wong fly ball to center get the better of him. Garcia looked to be tracking the ball well, then slowed and the ball bounced behind him off the warning track for a double. Luis Urias cashed Wong in with a single to right. Severino’s hot bat smashed a double, moving Urias over to third. Urias should’ve easily scored on the play but he pulled up lame at third and was replaced by Brice Turang. A Tyrone Taylor sacrifice fly scored Turang and Milwaukee led 4-0 after three. The Rangers had yet to put a man on base.
The Brewers added a run in the fourth when Jonathan Davis walked, stole second and came home on a Rowdy Tellez single to right. Milwaukee doubled their score in the fifth, exploding for five runs — all unearned — against Nick Tropeano, who gave up four hits while recording one out. It was a somewhat complicated affair. David Dahl led off with a double and moved to third on Jonathan Davis’ ground out. Andruw Monasterio hit a grounder to Yonny Hernandez who set to throw to first. But Dahl broke for home and as Hernandez paused to recalibrate, his feet had other ideas. He slipped, went down in a heap and his throw home landed on Greenway. Turang dropped a single into center, advancing Monasterio to third. Weston Wilson, pinch hitting for Tellez, punched a ball to Hernandez. Yonny’s toss to second was an adventure. His second error of the inning allowed Monasterio to score. Brett Sullivan doubled home Wilson and Turang. Sullivan eventually scored on a Corey Ray line-drive sac fly. When the dust finally settled after Dahl’s second at bat of the inning, a deep fly ball to Willie Calhoun in left, Milwaukee had reached double digits. An eighth inning Wilson dinger topped the fence in left to make the final, 11-0.
Texas only mustered three hits on the day and two of them came in the ninth inning. After Jonathan Ornelas struck out, Zach Reks and Nick Tanielu hit back-to-back singles, stirring the crowd. Or maybe it was the collective surprise that two consecutive batters were both wearing number 64. Unfortunately, Steele Walker — “great name for a wrestler,” said one fan — hit into a double play to end the game.
Ballpark Buzz … Concession stand wobbly pop selection included Papago Orange Blossom. Four Peaks’ The Joy Bus WOW American Pale Wheat Ale was plastered across the outfield wall, ensuring parents would have to explain to their kids what puts the “WOW” in beer. … Lamest ballpark promotion in living memory: Mid-fifth inning, a young fan with his face up on the scoreboard was asked how many Banner Medical Centers serve the state of Arizona. (You won’t find that on the back of a baseball card.) It gets better. The options were: A) 7 … B) 51 … and C) 43. Oh, they are so coy. The poor kid had no idea. Do NOT raise your hand. I refuse to give the answer because it would mean they won. Banner Medical Center, it is not all about you. You. Are. At. A. Baseball. Game. … The Texas Rangers Pro Shop has outstanding gear. I wanted to buy one of everything. I think the designers had so much time off during Covid that they came out of their hiatus with all the haute couture $34.95 could stand. Check it out. … Finally, as I strolled/ambled down West Greenway Road to the ballpark, I marveled at how baseball really is heaven on earth because when the Gates of Spring Training open, we are all eleven.
David Belisle