MLB Player News

Incredibly, Contreras gave up six hits in the first without the benefit of a hard-hit ball. Still, he made things worse for himself by walking two and not making a play on a tapper in front of him. Contreras had his rotation spot saved a couple of weeks ago by the Vince Velasquez injury, but after two poor starts in a row, he’s almost certainly looking at a demotion to the bullpen or to Triple-A.

This game ended after seven due to the mercy rule. Chinese Taipei also for four RBI from Yu Chang and three from Chen-Wei Chen for its first win through three games. The club will need to beat Korea on Sunday to have any chance of moving on from pool play.

After Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer as the third batter of the game, one might have guessed this one would end up mercy ruled at some point. The U.S., though, did a much better job of working the count than putting the ball in play, and while it eventually built a 7-1 lead anyway, Brazil made it a game with three runs in the sixth and kept hanging around afterwards until the ninth, when Team USA scored seven times. Team USA ended up with 10 hits and 17 walks in the game. Lucas Ramirez, an Angels prospect and the son of Manny Ramirez, homered twice for Brazil.

Webb gave up a leadoff homer to Lucas Ramirez, the 20-year-old son of Manny Ramirez, and then retired 12 in a row afterwards. He should be in line to start again for the U.S. next weekend, assuming that the team advances.

Wacha struck out five over two scoreless frames to start his outing, but he gave up two hits and a homer to Victor Mascai in his third inning of work. In all, he threw 39 pitches, 31 of which were strikes.

Castellanos delivered a run-scoring single off of Ben Brown in the third inning, increasing the Padres’ lead to 2-0. He’s off to a nice start with his new ballclub, hitting .333 (7-for-21) with a homer and six RBI while proving that he can be at least a capable defender at first base.

The 31-year-old right-hander punched out three batters on the night and didn’t allow a base on balls. After struggling in his first spring start with the Cubs, Márquez flashed some legitimate upside in this one, getting four swings and misses on his 35 pitches while posting a CSW of 25 percent. If he winds up securing the final spot in the Padres’ rotation, it’s possible he could carve out some mixed league viability.

Shaw led off the game with a single but wound up getting stranded at third base. He then led off the sixth inning with a single and stole second base, but he was then picked off by Marco Gonzales. The versatile 24-year-old played both center field and right field during this game and looks likely to begin the season in a super utility role for the Cubs. His speed makes him an intriguing fantasy option if he sees regular at-bats.

The right-hander also issued three free passes in the ballgame while striking out three. Brown struggled with his command in the opening inning, issuing a bases-loaded walk to Gavin Sheets. He allowed another pair in the third inning as Nick Castellanos delivered an RBI single and then another run scored on a wild pitch. Brown threw just 29 of his 48 pitches for strikes in the ballgame, getting five whiffs and posting a CSW of 25 percent. If he continues to struggle like this, Brown is likely ticketed for Triple-A Iowa to start the season.

Hernández smacked an RBI double off of Mitch Spence in the first inning that extended the Dodgers’ early advantage to 3-0. He also drove home Ryan Ward with an RBI single in the fourth that capped off the scoring in the ballgame. He has been sizzling at the plate to start the spring, slashing .476/.500/.571 with four RBI and a 4/1 K/BB ratio through his first eight games.

Freeman opened the scoring in the ballgame with an RBI single off of Mitch Spence before an out had been recorded in the home half of the first. He then smacked a two-run single in the fourth that extended the Dodgers’ lead to 5-0. The 36-year-old slugger has looked as good as ever this spring, hitting .455 (5-for-11) with seven RBI and a 0/1 K/BB ratio. He remains a steady producer for fantasy purposes and a strong foundation piece on any team.