Record: 2-3. Change on 2025: +1. 5-inning record: 1-4.
That was satisfactory – and it didn’t look like it would be initially. Michael Soroka, in his debut for Arizona, pitched his team into a deficit before he recorded an out, opening up by allowing a triple and RBI single. But he gave up just a walk thereafter, getting through two innings while allowing the one run, with three strikeouts. The middle innings were solid, with scoreless frames from Brandyn Garcia, Andrew Hoffmann, Philip Abner and Isiaiah Campbell. Texas did chip away down the stretch, getting single runs off Taylor Rashi, Bryce Jarvis and John Curtiss, but all of them avoided giving up a crooked number, to close out the win. Three ABS challenges, but in a win for home-plate umpire Sean Sparling, all three were confirmed!
Meanwhile, a three-run fifth inning saw Arizona take the lead for good. A Jorge Barrosa single was followed by A.J. Vukovich’s first home-run of spring, and Ketel Marte following him in going deep later in the inning. Two more runs followed in the seventh, on an Alek Thomas triple and Ben McLaughlin single. Both those men had two hits on the day, as did Carlos Santana and LuJames Groover, although nobody on the team drew a walk this afternoon. Small sample size, plus the usual meaningless nature of spring training – but Alek is 4-for-7 with three extra-base hits, and has also walked more than he has struck out. Given he has changed his swing, perhaps this is meaningful.
We’ll get to see tomorrow. No, we’ll really get to see, with the game against the Dodgers being available for free on a dbacks.com live-stream. That will be our first chance to see Zac Gallen, with Dylan Ray and Drew Jameson among those scheduled to pitch out of the bullpen. 1:10 pm start at Salt River Fields for that.
