Arizona Diamondbacks 3, Mexico 6
This spring tune-up for the World Baseball Classic gave Arizona a valuable look at some younger players, as several regulars were away representing their countries. Among those on the other side was Alek Thomas, who spent the day in the Mexico dugout and went 2-for-3, driving in a run against his former club. Six of Arizona’s eight pitchers kept the ball in the yard today. Starter Zac Gallen pitched two innings in his second spring appearance, needing only 22 pitches to complete his stint, yielding one hit with no walks and no strikeouts.
The staff that followed—Taylor Clarke, Joe Ross, Andrew Hoffmann, and Grant Homan in his debut—stayed perfect beyond the scoreboard, each delivering zeros. Hoffmann looked sharp, fanning two of the three hitters he faced in the sixth inning. Most of Mexico’s offense came against Juan Morillo, who was hit hard early, permitting four hits as part of a four-run fourth inning for the visitors. Dylan Ray allowed a home run in the eighth to Rowdy Tellez and another in the ninth to Alejandro Osuna. ABS was not a factor this afternoon, so there’s nothing to report in that regard.
Offensively, both clubs totaled eleven hits. The Diamondbacks got multi-hit efforts from starters Tim Tawa and Jordan Lawlar, who each collected two, while LuJames Groover contributed a 2-for-2 day off the bench. James McCann added an RBI single and drew a walk, but Arizona squandered several opportunities to rally after falling behind 4-0. They finished 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position, a healthier number of chances than Mexico, which went 3-for-9 with RISP. Still, it was a stronger showing for Arizona compared with the Giants, who were routed 15-1 by Team USA. And on a lighter note, the British squad defeated the Brewers 7-3, with Kristin Robinson delivering two hits for England.
As for the spring schedule, normal Cactus League play resumes at Hohokam with a matchup against the Oakland Athletics. Brandon Pfaadt is slated to start, with first pitch set for 1:05 pm.
