JUPITER, FL—Tuesday’s slate of spring training exhibition games looked much different than usual. Most matchups featured a major league team facing a World Baseball Classic team, with the international tournament kicking off later this week. At Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, the Miami Marlins hosted Team Israel. Israel won, 1-0.

“I think it’s great for baseball,” said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough.  “It shines a real light on our sport on a global stage…It will be different, a little nice change of pace in spring training, from seeing the Cardinals, Mets, Astros and Nationals like we do—it seems like every day—to seeing someone else, but I hope we’ve provided them a welcoming environment as they get ready for the tournament to begin.”

Neither of the starting lineups on Tuesday were at full strength. Israel did not include major leaguers Matt Mervis, Harrison Bader and Spencer Horwitz, who will be crucial for them to advance past the pool play stage. Their starters against the Marlins included WBC veteran Garrett Stubbs and prospects C.J. Stubbs, Zach Levenson, RJ Schreck.

“We’ll want to get some at-bats and innings on the mound,” said Israel’s manager Brad Ausmus. “It also gives us the opportunity to see some of these guys that we have not seen as a coaching staff. As a manager, we’re aware of what they’ve done, but we haven’t necessarily put eyes on them. It’s an opportunity for them and it’s opportunity for us.”

Marlins trotted out Braxton Garrett to make his second start of the spring, going two shutout innings, walking one and striking out one. His fastball topped out at 92.6 mph and of the 26 pitches he threw, 16 were for strikes.

“A lot more strikes than last time, especially to start,” Garrett said following his start. “Obviously the one walk, but really pounded the zone with everything, minus the changeup. But we’ll work on the on the changeup here this week.”

Daniel Moskos is entering his second season as Marlins pitching coach, but because Garrett spent all of 2025 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, that has been “a little bit of an adjustment” for him.

“I’m not used to having such a big area to look at in the zone,” Garrett said. “They’re really encouraging me, telling me how good my stuff is and how good it is in the zone, and to not be so picky about where it is. We’re not trying to throw everything right down the middle, but we’re not trying to throw everything right on the black, either.”

 

Quick notes

– In addition to Garrett, the following Marlins pitchers threw against Israel: Pete Fairbanks, Calvin Faucher, Dax Fulton, Bradley Blalock, Cade Gibson and Zach Brzykcy.

– Garrett Stubbs drove in the game’s only run in the top of the fourth inning with an RBI triple off of Faucher.

– The first round of cuts from Marlins big league camp included Thomas White, Stephen Jones, Evan McKendry, Patrick Monteverde, Dale Stanavich, Samy Vásquez and Sam Praytor. There are 64 players remaining in camp.

– Michael Petersen, who was expected to pitch for Great Britain in the WBC, will be staying back in camp instead to try to win one of the bullpen spots.

 

What’s next?

The Marlins are off on Wednesday after 11 consecutive days of exhibition games, but they will be back in action on Thursday in Jupiter as they welcome the Houston Astros. In his final tune-up for the WBC, Sandy Alcantara is scheduled to go three innings against Tatsuya Imai. First pitch is at 1:10 pm.

Clayton McCullough told reporters that Alcantara will have a limit of about 65 pitches in his March 11 start against Venezuela. It is undecided if he will make another WBC start after that should the Dominican Republic make a deep tournament run. “We will cross that bridge when we get there,” said McCullough.

Robby Snelling is expected to make a multi-inning relief appearance on Thursday. Eury Pérez will also throw that day, but on the backfields.