PHOENIX, Ariz. — The most important action on Sunday didn’t take place down at Camelback Ranch, but rather back at the Rangers spring training facility in Surprise, where Jacob deGrom, Jakob Junis and Josh Jung all appeared in a minor league game.
In the actual exhibition game, in which the Rangers’ only real starter was Joc Pederson, the split squad Dodgers won 5-3.
In Surprise, in the morning, deGrom pitched four scoreless innings in a minor league game against El Paso of the San Diego organization, allowing one base runner on a single and striking out five. DeGrom threw just 47 pitches in the outing, so he went to the bullpen and threw additional pitches.
“I know it was a back field game, but that’s about as exciting I’ve seen from a pitcher this spring,” said manager Skip Schumaker, who stayed back to watch deGrom before heading to the Dodgers game. “It was really, really impressive. He’s a future Hall of Famer and I’m watching and when he’s healthy and right, he’s as good as anybody in the league. That’s what he showed me today.”
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He is expected to make his final start of spring on the day the Rangers break camp, though due to forecast extreme heat, he may pitch in a morning minor league game again. The schedule puts him on pace to start the second game of the season at Philadelphia and then the home opener against Cincinnati on April 3.
Junis threw one inning to complete the hurdle of pitching on back-to-back days relievers have to clear during spring training. He allowed a homer during his 13-pitch outing.
Also in that game, Jung went 1-for-3, clearing the way for him to return to the lineup. Jung hasn’t played in an exhibition since Feb. 24 due to an adductor strain in his thigh.
Other observations from the last Sunday in Arizona:
Throwing them a Curvelo: If the Rangers need an optionable reliever to finish out the bullpen, Luis Curvelo is making a strong case. He was perfect in an inning of work, striking out two batters and has held opponents scoreless in his last five outings (including the unofficial Brazil exhibition). In that time, Curvelo has struck out eight and walked none. For the spring, throwing fastballs at 96 mph, Curvelo has a 10-to-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That’s a huge metric for the Rangers.
A year ago, Curvelo walked 10 batters in 19 major league innings, though he’s had a 7.9% walk rate in the minors.
Battle of the part-time DHs: While Andrew McCutchen, playing for the third straight day, started in left, Mark Canha got the DH role and capitalized. Canha had a 2-run homer and a single. Canha has had a very solid spring, hitting .333 with a pair of homers and an .868 OPS.
Meanwhile, McCutchen walked for the fourth straight game and beat out an infield single, hustling hard to first on a squibber down the third base line. He also handled fly balls to both his right and left and looked comfortable in doing so.
There are worse things to have than two solid options for the final bench spot heading into the final week.
Church time: After battling a teres major strain that bothered him for most of camp, RHP Marc Church made his first official appearance of spring. It may be his last, too.
Church did struggle a bit, hurt partly by a catcher interference call. Normally, that wouldn’t matter in the first outing of spring, but with 10 days until the season opener, there simply may not be any innings for him. Jose Corniell made his A game debut earlier in the week, then was sent down on Sunday.
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