San Diego Padres 27, Seattle Mariners 6.
The final score on Thursday looked more like a Chargers-Seahawks NFL game than a Padres-Mariners MLB matchup. But those things tend to happen in spring training. And that came with Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Xander Bogaerts not around, instead getting ready for their first games today in the World Baseball Classic.
As a reminder: Don’t take anything too seriously in this recap. It is only spring training, where exhibition games often devolve into minor-league scrimmages. The information below is meant as basic news, not necessarily hardcore analysis.
The Friars improved to 6-7 in Cactus League play after losing to the A’s 7-2 Monday, beating the Chicago White Sox 4-3 Tuesday, tying Great Britain 2-2 Wednesday in a WBC exhibition, and clobbering the Mariners 27-6 Thursday.
Who’s Hot? 🔥
If you want to talk about a meaningless game that can give a boost to an entire team, this was it. And it was because Java Joe was back on the mound for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2024. Musgrove’s first inning was a little rough, but that could be because it wasn’t his regular defense behind him. Facing Great Britain in a World Baseball Classic exhibition, Musgrove walked Nate Eaton (Boston Red Sox), then struck out Jazz Chisholm Jr. (New York Yankees) before yielding three straight singles and a run. He was taken out at that point and, under spring training rules, returned to pitch the second inning, allowing another hit, and came out to face three batters in the third, surrendering one final hit while getting two outs, finishing with a strikeout. Only 36 of his 60 pitches were strikes, but the results weren’t what mattered; it was Musgrove being back on the mound.
A candidate to make the Opening Day bullpen if Yuki Matsui is unable to go, Hart threw 2 ⅔ more scoreless innings against the White Sox and hasn’t yielded a run in four spring appearances. He did issue two walks in this outing, but that has been the rare blemish thus far. Hart has mainly been a starter in his pro career, but a long relief role could also be a ticket to make his first Opening Day roster at the MLB level.
A dark-horse candidate for the bullpen, the right-hander spun 2 ⅔ perfect innings against the A’s, striking out three. He has 12 relief appearances over the last two seasons with the Friars after 28 in two seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. Gillaspie had a scoreless inning with three strikeouts in his other Cactus League outing this year. With a loaded bullpen, making the Opening Day roster could be a challenge, but Gillaspie could be one of the first relievers called upon when injuries hit.
With the onslaught against the Mariners, it would be ridiculous not to include a hitter here. Fermin gets the headline with a 3-for-3, six-RBI performance, highlighted by a three-run homer in a five-run third inning off Triple-A reliever Alex Hoppe. That outburst came after the Friars erupted for 12 runs in the second inning. They sent 17 hitters to the plate, with six of the runs coming against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo and the other half against minor-leaguers. The Padres hit eight homers in the game.
Who’s Not? 🧊
The right-hander’s long-shot bid to join the rotation took another hit with his outing against the Mariners. After a scoreless seventh inning, he was tagged for a leadoff homer by Jared Sundstrom, who spent last year at Double-A, then retired the following two hitters before yielding a single and walking a pair to bring his day to an end. Those walks added to a troubling trend for McKenzie. He has faced 26 batters this spring, with seven walks.
Before going 2-for-4 in the back half of the game against the Mariners (which Friars didn’t get a hit in this game?), the infielder-outfielder had been 0-for-5 in the previous three games with a walk and an RBI. That dropped his spring performance to 2-for-14 (.143). He was a dark-horse candidate to earn the last bench job due to his ability to play shortstop (as well as the outfield). He started at short in the WBC exhibition game, going 0-for-3.
Another long shot to snag that final bench job, the 29-year-old, who spent last season at Triple-A El Paso, got a long look this spring. He played in 10 games, including coming off the bench against the Mariners, but only went 3-for-17 (.176) with an RBI, while walking once and striking out eight times. He was reassigned after Thursday’s game to minor-league camp, but could be an infield option if injuries hit.
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