The D-backs should have stayed at home
Recaps
[AZ Central] Eduardo Rodriguez looks good in spring debut – Rodriguez seemed pleased in every respect with how things went, including that he was able to face Rangers hitters like SS Corey Seager and 2B Marcus Semien. “Everything feels great, everything feels perfect,” Rodriguez said. “Especially against those hitters. That was their ‘A’ lineup, so to have the opportunity to face them and see exactly where I am in spring training right now, I feel great about that.” He said the reason he did not debut until Sunday was because he prefers to throw more live batting practice sessions before appearing in a game. Rodriguez is hoping to get through spring training healthy, something he was unable to do a year ago when he came down with a shoulder injury that ultimately cost him four months.
[SI] Corbin Carroll Exits Early as Diamondbacks Fall to Rangers – Arizona’s offense didn’t get going until the sixth inning, when Alek Thomas doubled to lead it off. He was doubled home by Jordan Lawlar, who looks to be putting forward a solid Cactus League so far. In the seventh, Grae Kessinger and Jose Herrera both knocked doubles of their own, closing the gap to 6-2. Relievers Bryce Jarvis and Drey Jameson both tossed scoreless innings with a pair of punchouts each. Jameson’s arsenal looked particularly sharp, striking out Rangers’ second baseman Alan Trejo with a 100.2 MPH fastball according to Statcast… Utility infielder Tim Tawa doubled to lead off the eighth, and scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-3, but that score ultimately held up, as the D-backs drop to 4-5-1 this spring.
Team news
[Dbacks.com] Carroll plays it safe – Corbin Carroll left the D-backs’ game Sunday afternoon’s game against the Rangers after the third inning due to lower back tightness, but the outfielder does not believe the injury is anything serious. “I felt it at the start of the game, and it was kind of just tight,” Carroll said. “It didn’t really get worse or anything as the game went on, but I just think the trainer kind of saw I was just grinding through and he’s like, “Let’s just get you out of there.’ But pretty much minimal concern, just a tight back.” As he replayed his day in his head while getting treatment, Carroll said one issue could have been that he lifted before the game instead of afterward and the back could have gotten tight in the 40-mile drive to Surprise.
[Venom Strikes] Diamondbacks GM discusses team’s competitive advantage in free agency – “We should have a competitive advantage if everything’s 50/50 and the players want to play in Arizona. We should create that competitive advantage because the infrastructure for us is set up to have a competitive advantage. Sometimes you do get close, the dollars get close, and it could be negligible between whatever the offers are and then it becomes a lot of other things. We need to be prepared to provide those other things.” Hazen cited the team being competitive, not only for this year but beyond that, as the players want to win where they go.
[SI] This Power-Hitting Outfielder is Making a Case to Debut This Year – Despite reaching Triple-A last year and hitting 29 doubles, 17 homers, batting .270, and having an OPS of .800 in Double-A, he wasn’t satisfied with the results. Vukovich discussed how he’s preparing this Spring Training and how it’s going so far in big league camp as he prepares for Triple-A. “I feel like I’ve been doing well. I try to keep things simple, especially from last year. It didn’t necessarily go the way I wanted, but I just wanted to make adjustments and show that I can be competitive and be aggressive up there at the plate and do the right amount of damage. “And I feel like it’s going well. Anytime you can get out here and compete against this caliber of players, it’s a good thing. So baseball is definitely a slow process, and it’s good to feel a little bit of success out there to kind of get momentum going.”
[Chosun] Casey Kelly makes MLB comeback after LG Twins farewell, signs with Arizona – KBO League LG Twins pitcher Casey Kelly (36), regarded as the best foreign player in the team’s history, is making a comeback in Major League Baseball. Although he is at a considerable age, he has signed a minor league contract to continue his career… Even though he left Korea, Kelly’s affection for LG remains unchanged. On the 16th of last month, he made a surprise visit to Scottsdale, Arizona, where LG had its spring camp, and joyfully reunited with his teammates. Kelly said, “I missed my teammates a lot, and I feel good to see them again. I missed everyone in the team. I hope the team prepares well for the season and great things happen this year.” Kim In-seok, CEO of LG Sports, warmly welcomed him with a thank-you plaque and a photo album.
And, elsewhere…
[MLB.com] Germany beats China, Brazil tangles with Colombia in Classic Qualifiers – After Nicaragua and Chinese Taipei booked their trips to the 2026 World Baseball Classic last week, only two spots remain. Those will be decided this week in Tucson, Ariz. Four teams — Brazil, China, Colombia, and Germany — will battle in hopes they will be the team to advance. Just like the Taipei Qualifiers, the teams will play a three-game round robin to determine the pool’s winner. There will then be a one-game, winner-advances final between the second- and third-place teams on Thursday. On Sunday, Germany beat China 12-2, with former D-backs minor leaguer Markus Solbach getting the win. Colombia also came away with an opening victory, beating Brazil 5-0.
[Denver Post] Rockies Journal: Young players scoff at “hilarious” negative predictions, but Rox have much to prove – Outfield prospect Zac Veen said it loudly and boldly. Veen, the ninth overall pick of the 2020 draft, is still waiting to make his big-league debut. So take Veen’s words with a giant grain of salt. Veen has seen the dire predictions about the 2025 Rockies. The latest: according to Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projections, the Rockies have a 0.0% chance to reach the postseason and predicts that the Rockies will win 55.5 games. “I think it’s hilarious,” Veen said. “I mean, when we look at each other, we know we are going to be good … pretty soon. I think the team is already good with the guys we already have on it and the (players) we have brought in. “I think the younger guys just laugh at all of the stuff we read and all of that. I think we all know we are going to be good.”
RIP Gene Hackman
The French Connection (1971)
Rating: B
Dir: William Friedkin
Star: Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco
The year 1971 may have been when the movies achieved peak “Hard men meting out tough justice.” It was a year which not only gave us this; we also got Dirty Harry and, on the other side of the pond, Get Carter. A new breed of hero, for a new, cynical era, setting the tone for a decade which would see Watergate, the fall of Vietnam and rolling blackouts. The gritty, almost documentary style utilized here by Friedkin (with a large nod to Jean-Pierre Melville and Costa-Gavras) has remained nearly obligatory in police thrillers ever since. This might work against the film to some extent, because it formalized what now can tiptoe close to cliché.