MLB Player News

Phillips has really struggled in Triple-A, as the 29-year-old went just 5-for-57 (.120) with a .508 OPS. His ability to help with the glove could see interest on the free-agent market, but Phillips is very likely looking at another minor-league contract again.

Sewald faced four batters and got three flyouts, with one flare single following in. His velocity is a little up from last year, and while we wouldn’t want to count on him being a shutdown closer, he might be the Diamondbacks’ best option in the ninth to begin the year.

Kelly’s velocity was down only about one mph from last year, so that’s good in his first outing back from his back issue. Still, he indicated afterwards that he’s probably IL bound to start the year. It should be a short stay, and Kelly could still be of use in deeper mixed leagues come mid-April.

The only two likely major leaguers Wacha faced tonight were bottom-of-the-barrel-types Jorge Barrosa and Ildemaro Vargas, so this is a particularly poor result, even if Wacha did wind up with six strikeouts. His velocity is down about 1.5 mph from last year, and he doesn’t seem like a very good bet for at least the beginning of the season.

With a .296/.321/.630 line in 28 plate appearances, Jensen is doing what he needs to in order to ensure that he’s in the lineup most of the time at the beginning of the season. There’s a chance that he’ll wind up as a top-10 fantasy catcher if he approaches 500 at-bats as a rookie.

The former top prospect opened the scoring in the ballgame as the smacked a two-run single off of Landen Roupp in the top half of the first inning. He struck out in each of his other two plate appearances. Bleday has had a nice spring at the plate, hitting .290 (9-for-31) with a pair of homers and eight RBI. It sounds like he could open the season in the strong side of a platoon for the Reds, getting a chance to do damage against right-handed pitching.

The 23-year-old right-hander struck out of a pair of batters in the contest — Harrison Bader and Drew Gilbert — and didn’t allow a free pass. The only baserunner against him came on a two-out double by Matt Chapman in the opening inning. Burns got four whiffs on 24 pitches on the night — three of those on his slider — while registering an elite CSW of 38 percent. His fastball velocity was in its normal range in this one, averaging 98.3 mph (-0.4 mph). He continues to be a priority target for many fantasy managers due to his massive strikeout potential.

The 28-year-old outfielder smacked a two-out single in the fifth inning but wound up getting stranded there. He then plated the Giants’ lone run with an RBI double in the seventh inning. Encarnacion has had a solid spring at the dish, hitting .308 (12-for-39) with a homer and six RBI.

Roupp punched out four opposing hitters in the contest but also issued three free passes. All of the damage done against him came in the opening inning as JJ Bleday smacked a two-run single. Roupp got five swings and misses on 64 pitches on the evening, registering a CSW of 23 percent. He has done a nice job overall this spring, posting a 3.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a 10/5 K/BB ratio across nine innings in his first four appearances.

Turang singled in the fourth inning but was left stranded at first base. He then delivered an RBI single off of Phillippe Aumont in the sixth inning that extended Team USA’s lead to 4-0. The 26-year-old infielder also worked a walk in the ninth inning before being erased on a double play. Turang is having an exceptional tournament at the plate, hitting .467.

Team USA skipper Mark Derosa wanted to ensure that his club advanced on Friday, so he brought out his closer to protect a two-run advantage in the ninth. Miller did exactly that, striking out Jacob Young, Edouard Julien and Otto Lopez in succession to send Team Canada to the sidelines. He’ll be waiting and ready to go if Team USA has another lead to protect against the Dominican Republic on Sunday night.