MLB Player News

Mercedes had a 4.92 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 60 1/3 innings this past season out of the Tigers’ bullpen. The 24-year-old righty will likely pass through waivers unclaimed.

Baty smacked a double off of Zack Littell in the opening inning and raced around to score the game’s first run as Ronny Mauricio followed with a two-bagger of his own. That would be his only hit in three at-bats on the night. The 26-year-old is having a strong spring with the bat, hitting .389 (7-for-18) with one homer, five RBI and one stolen base.

Edwards struck out four batters on the evening. He fired 40 of his 61 pitches for strikes in the contest, generating eight swings and misses (five on his fastball) while posting a CSW of 21 percent. The 34-year-old right-hander has certainly opened some eyes this spring, registering a 2.08 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and an 11/4 K/BB ratio across 8 2/3 innings of work. While he’s not going to crack the Opening Day rotation, it sounds like he’ll open the season as extra starting pitching depth at the Triple-A level and should get an opportunity with the big league club at some point during the season.

The dynamic 25-year-old shortstop struck out against Carl Edwards Jr. to start the game. He then lined out to first and flied out to right before calling it a night. He’s hitting a woeful .154 (4-for-26) with zero homers, one RBI, one stolen base and an 8/5 K/BB ratio over his first 31 plate appearances on the spring.

The 30-year-old hurler struck out two batters on the day and didn’t issue a base on balls. The lone tally against him came on an RBI double off the bat of Ronny Mauricio in the opening inning while his two punchouts were courtesy of Carson Benge and Vidal Brujan. Littell needed just 39 pitches (28 strikes) to navigate three frames in this one. He still has time to make another couple of starts before his turn in the rotation in the regular season and it seems like he’ll be ready to go when his name is called.

They’ll face the winner of Venezuela versus Japan. Wells’ homer, which came as a pinch-hitter for Agustín Ramírez, was the lone one hit by the D.R. tonight, but Manny Machado and Junior Caminero both had two hits and an RBI. The club knocked out Hyun-Jin Ryu in the second and forced Korea to use five pitchers over the first three innings. After that, the score held steady at 7-0 for 3 1/2 innings until Wells ended things.

Sánchez had a couple of long breaks early on while the D.R. was scoring four runs in the second and three in the third, but it didn’t bother him at all. He generated whiffs on 18 of the 31 swings against him and wound up with a 48% CSW. Albert Abreu followed Sánchez and pitched scoreless sixth and seventh innings before the game was mercy ruled.

Garcia singled in the second inning and scored as Tyler Callihan worked a bases-loaded walk. The Password then victimized Tigers’ right-hander Casey Mize for a 373-foot (108.5 mph EV) two-run blast in the third inning that extended the Pirates’ early lead to 4-0. With his two-hit attack, the 23-year-old outfielder is now hitting a blistering .500 (14-for-28) on the spring with two homers, five RBI and three stolen bases.

The 35-year-old right-hander issued four walks on the evening while racking up five punchouts. All of the damage done against him came in the fifth inning as Clevinger loaded the bases with one out before turning the ball over to the bullpen — then both inherited runners came around to score. He got eight swings and misses on 67 offerings on the night, posting a CSW of 30 percent. For the spring, Clevinger now holds a 4.38 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and an 11/9 K/BB ratio over 12 1/3 innings as he desperately tries to land a spot on the Pirates’ Opening Day roster.

The 26-year-old outfielder finally got the Tigers on the board in the fifth inning, smacking a two-run single off of Joshua Loeschorn. It’s been a very rough spring for him overall, hitting .133 (4-for-30) with no homers, two RBI and a stolen base. If he weren’t such an exceptional defender in center field, he’d likely be opening the season at Triple-A Toledo.

Mize also issued four free passes on the evening while recording a pair of strikeouts. After a scoreless first inning, the Pirates tagged him for two runs in each of the next three frames — including a two-run blast by Jhostynxon Garcia in the third. Mize threw just 43 of his 67 pitches for strikes in the ballgame, getting five whiffs and posting a miserable CSW of just 15 percent. He’ll try to right the ship and improve upon his unsightly 7.15 ERA his next time out.