The Baseball Buffet for 3/17/2026

Venezuela 4, Italy 2 - Italy went up 2-0 early, as DET SP Keider Montero got into some trouble in the second inning (1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K). PHI SP Aaron Nola did well (4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), giving up a solo HR to CIN DH Eugenio Suárez in the fourth. After the two early runs allowed, Venezuela’s bullpen shutout Italy the rest of the way, with CHC RP Daniel Palencia striking out two in the ninth for the save. Meanwhile, COL pitcher Michael Lorenzen held Venezuela scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings, and struck out two in the seventh. But then a series of singles with guys on base, including hits from ATL RF Ronald Acuña Jr., KCR 3B Maikel Garcia, and SFG 1B Luis Arraez, drove in three and that would be all it took for Venezuela to win and advance.

8:00pm ET: Venezuela (AZ SP Eduardo Rodriguez) vs. USA (NYM SP Nolan McLean)

CHC SP Cade Horton was outstanding with 10 K in 5 IP, allowing 3 H, 1 BB, and 1 ER

CLE SP Gavin Williams had 7 K in 4.2 IP, but also allowed 7 H, 1 BB, and 5 ER, including a HR by CHC SS Scott Kingery

CHW SP Sean Burke did fairly well with 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, and 4 K

TEX SP MacKenzie Gore pitched well with 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, and 3 K, and TEX DH Danny Jansen went 2-4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI

NYM RF prospect Carson Benge went 2-2 with 2 BB and a double, and is now 13-32 (.406) this spring, though he has yet to connect for a HR

WSH DH James Wood went 3-5 with a double and his first HR of the spring, and WSH SS CJ Abrams went 2-3 with a triple and 2 runs

MIN SP Joe Ryan did well in his spring start with 4 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, and 6 K, and MIN LF Luke Keaschall went 2-2 with a HR and a double

PHI DH Felix Reyes and LF Otto Kemp each had their third homers of the spring

DET SP Jack Flaherty struggled some in his third start of the spring, with 5 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, and 3 K

DET RF Jahmai Jones went 2-4 with a double and 5 RBI, DET 1B Spencer Torkelson was 2-3 with a HR and a double, DET CF Patrick Meadows was 2-3 with 2 walks, a double, and 2 runs, and DET SS prospect Kevin McGonigle went 1-3 with 2 walks, a HR, and 4 RBI

ATL SP Chris Sale did well with 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, and 3 K, ATL C Drake Baldwin was 2-4 with a walk, a HR, a triple, and 4 RBI, ATL RF Eli White went 2-2 with a HR, 2 RBI, and 2 runs, ATL DH Mike Yastrzemski went 2-3 with 2 doubles and 2 runs

TBR SP Nick Martinez struggled in his third spring start with 4 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

TOR CF Daulton Varsho continued his solid spring hitting, going 1-1 with a walk and a HR, and is now batting .432 (16-37, 4 HR, 5 doubles). TOR DH George Springer went 2-2 with 2 runs and his first HR of the spring.

ATH SP Jeffrey Springs did fairly well with 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, and 4 K, and ATH 3B Max Muncy went 1-3 with his fourth HR of the spring

The Brewers and Dodgers played a wild one, with the final score MIL 24, LAD 9. Milwaukee had 16 hits and 12 walks, while Los Angeles had 8 hits and 10 walks. Plenty of strikeouts too, 11 for the Brewers’ hitters and 13 for the Dodgers’ batters. It’s almost as if the two teams just decided to fill up every category of the box score. LAD SP Tyler Glasnow had 6 K in 4.1 IP, but also allowed 3 H, 1 BB, and 3 ER. MIL SP Chad Patrick did worse, with 3.1 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, and 2 K. For the Dodgers, 3B Max Muncy and LF Teoscar Hernández each had third spring homers. The biggest hitter for the Brewers was RF Brandon Lockridge who was 3-5 with 3 runs and a grand slam HR.

AZ SP Ryne Nelson did well with 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, and 6 K, and AZ C James McCann went 2-4 with a HR, a double, 3 RBI, and 2 runs

CIN SP Andrew Abbott had 3 K in 2 IP, but was roughed up to the tune of 8 H, 3 BB, and 8 ER

Four Reds’ hitters had homers, including RF JJ Bleday, 1B Nathaniel Lowe, SS Garrett Hampson, and pinch hitter Rece Hinds who had his fourth of the spring

SFG SP Tyler Mahle did very well with 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, and 6 K

SDP SP Walker Buehler did well with 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, and 7 K

MIN Mick Abel - 1.35 ERA, 17 K and 1 BB in 13.1 IP, .196 BAA

ATL Grant Holmes - 0.00 ERA, 16 K in 12.1 IP, .077 BAA (though has 6 BB)

HOU Mike Burrows - 0.00 ERA, 15 K in 12.2 IP, .140 BAA (though has 6 BB)

SFG Robbie Ray - 1.23 ERA, 15 K in 14.2 IP, .095 BAA (though has 8 BB)

CLE Slade Cecconi - 2.13 ERA, 14 K and 3 BB in 12.2 IP (though has a .283 BAA)

STL Matthew Liberatore - 2.70 ERA, 14 K and 1 BB in 10 IP, .231 BAA

BOS Johan Oviedo - 1.59 ERA, 14 K in 11.1 IP, .205 BAA (though has 6 BB)

NYM Clay Holmes - 2.84 ERA, 13 K and 3 BB in 12.2 IP, .143 BAA

SFG Tyler Mahle - 0.00 ERA, 13 K in 10 IP, .061 BAA (though has 7 BB)

CIN Brandon Williamson - 1.64 ERA, 13 K and 2 BB in 11 IP, .154 BAA

COL Tanner Gordon - 1.64 ERA, 12 K and 2 BB in 11 IP, .200 BAA

NYM Freddy Peralta - 2.70 ERA, 12 K and 2 BB in 10 IP, .121 BAA

DET Framber Valdez - 0.75 ERA, 12 K and 0 BB in 12 IP, .217 BAA

NYY Will Warren - 1.65 ERA, 12 K and 2 BB in 16.1 IP, .158 BAA

STL Michael McGreevy - 2.70 ERA, 11 K and 2 BB in 13.1 IP, .245 BAA

STL Andre Pallante - 2.57 ERA, 11 K in 14 IP, .167 BAA (though has 5 BB)

AZ Brandon Pfaadt - 0.90 ERA, 11 K and 3 BB in 10 IP, .088 BAA

SEA Cooper Criswell - 1.74 ERA, 10 K and 2 BB in 10.1 IP, .194 BAA

BOS Connelly Early - 2.25 ERA, 9 K and 3 BB in 12 IP, .222 BAA

1871: A key step is taken that will lead to the National League. “The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players is founded, setting the stage for the future National League in 1876. The entry fee for a National Association franchise is set at $10.”

1886: The birth of The Sporting News. “The Sporting News, the weekly that will become "The Baseball Paper of the World," publishes its first issue.”

1946: Jackie Robinson first takes the field in a game with the Dodgers. “In Daytona Beach, the Brooklyn Dodgers take the field against their minor-league farm team, the Montreal Royals. With Jackie Robinson in the lineup for Montreal, the game marks the first appearance of an integrated team in Organized Baseball in this century. A crowd of 3,100 attends the game at City Island Park, which will be renamed "Jackie Robinson Stadium" in 1990.”

1969: Orlando Cepeda is traded for Joe Torre. “The St. Louis Cardinals trade former National League MVP Orlando Cepeda to the Atlanta Braves for catcher/first baseman Joe Torre. The trade will benefit both teams; Cepeda will help the Braves win a division title this year and Torre will win the MVP Award in 1971.”

15-year major league career, spanning from 1941-1959, mostly as a LF with the Cubs, Reds, and Giants

Two-time All-Star, including in 1952 when he won the NL MVP Award for the Cubs after hitting .270 and leading the NL with 37 HR and 121 RBI

Had 30+ HR six times, with a career-high of 41 HR in 1954

Overall had 288 HR, a .266/.347/.496 slash line, and a 123 OPS+

17-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1923-1941, almost all with the Cubs

Had 15+ wins eight times, including in 1927 when he led the NL in wins with a 26-15 record

Had a 19-6 record and 3.47 ERA in 1929, and a 15-10 record and 2.60 ERA in 1933

Overall had a 201-160 (.557) record, a 3.59 ERA, and a 111 ERA+

10-year major league career, spanning from 1940-1952 (missing 1943-45 for military service), spending six years as a CF/LF with the Dodgers and the rest spread across three other clubs

Three-time All-Star, including in his first full season in 1941 when he led the NL with a .343 average, 117 runs, 39 doubles, and 17 triples

Batted .310 in 1942 with an NL-leading 20 SB

After returning from military service, led the NL with 34 SB in 1946

Overall had 87 SB, a .295/.380/.450 slash line, and a 128 OPS+

13-year major league career, spanning from 2008-2020, with the Rangers and Orioles

Had 25+ HR six times, including leading the AL with 53 HR and 138 RBI in 2013, and then leading the league with 47 HR again in 2015

Struck out a lot with 165+ K in seven consecutive seasons, including leading the AL with 208 K in 2015 and 219 K in 2016

Overall had 295 HR, a .233/.315/.459 slash line, and a 106 OPS+

12-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1986-1997, mostly with the Pirates and Reds

Two-time All-Star, including in 1991 for the Pirates when he led the NL in wins with a 20-8 record, to go with a 3.08 ERA

Overall had a 126-103 (.550) record, a 3.80 ERA, and a 102 ERA+

12-year major league career, spanning from 2012-2023, playing for six different clubs

Two-time All-Star

Played SS for most his career, before shifting to 2B/3B for his last few seasons

Had 20+ SB six times, including a career-high 44 SB in his first full season in 2013

Led the NL with 203 hits for the Diamondbacks in 2016, while also batting .319 with 20 HR, 41 doubles, 33 SB, and 102 runs

Overall had 211 SB, a .281 average, and a .327 OBP

11-year major league career, spanning from 1967-1978, mostly as an OF with the Padres and Braves

Was an All-Star in 1970 and finished the season with a .318 average, 29 HR, 9 triples, 93 RBI, and 92 runs

Overall had 91 HR and a .256 average

Later managed the Blue Jays for 12 seasons, including leading them to consecutive World Series championships in 1992-1993

16-year major league career, spanning from 1882-1897, mostly with Chicago and Louisville in the National League

He is considered one of the best defensive 2B of his era

Had 25 HR and 101 RBI in 112 games in 1884

We lack SB data for his first four seasons, but after that he had 25+ SB nine consecutive times, with highs of 57 SB in 1887 and 64 SB in 1888

Overall had 1,096 runs, 120 triples, 383+ SB, and a .256 average

2,038 - Fergie Jenkins

1,542 - Carlos Zambrano

1,470 - Kerry Wood

1,432 - Charlie Root

1,367 - Rick Reuschel

1 player who has made a big impression in each camp, by MLB writers, 3/15/2026

Losing the Humanity of Umpiring, by Joe Posnanski at JoeBlogs, 3/16/2026

The Angels: A Tortured Team, by W.H. Johnson at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 3/16/2026