SURPRISE, Ariz. — Take a spin around the Cactus League with “Three Up, Three Down,” an inside look at what is coming up and what went down on Monday.
THREE UP
1. If fans or scouts have wanted to see Chicago White Sox ace left-hander Chris Sale so far this March, they would have found him working on back fields in intrasquad or “B” games.
Sale, the White Sox’s Opening Day starter, threw in another “B” game Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing two runs on four hits, two walks and a hit batter while striking out four. He threw 46 strikes among 75 pitches.
Sale is scheduled to pitch in his first “A” game Sunday against the Dodgers. He is eager to remove the training wheels.
“I think it’s time to get out to the big field and start playing with the grownups — no offense to anybody that I might have met,” Sale said. “There’s something to be said for fans being there, being in a big stadium, hearing the noise, the music in between innings, no rollovers. If you’re out there getting it handed to you, you’re out there until you get it over with. I’m ready for that.”
Sale said his command was a little off in the “B” game. He did not throw in a spring training game last year after breaking his right foot in late February.
2. Right-hander Zack Greinke is not only the new Arizona Diamondbacks ace, but manager Chip Hale is considering batting him eighth on the days he starts. Greinke batted eighth in the Diamondbacks’ 8-3 victory over a Seattle Mariners split squad Monday.
“I don’t think it’s a big deal for me personally,” Greinke said. “It doesn’t bother me. I would just prefer to bat wherever it gives our team the best chance to win.”
Greinke is a career .220 hitter with six home runs in 291 at-bats in the majors. He belted two home runs last season.
The Diamondbacks gifted Greinke, a former AL Cy Young Award winner with the Royals and the runner-up in the NL balloting last year, with a six-year, $206.5 million contract for his arm, not his bat.
Greinke had a tough outing against the Mariners, surrendering a Kyle Seager home run and two triples in a three-run third.
“I made some bad pitches, down the middle,” Greinke said. “It is a lot more bad pitches then you would ideally want.”
3. Rookie Trevor Story, the 45th overall pick in the 2011 draft, appears on the verge of claiming the Colorado Rockies’ starting shortstop job. Story homered, tripled, scored three runs and walked in the Rockies’ 6-4 victory over a Seattle Mariners split squad.
Story tops the club with a .350 average and four home runs.
“He is in a really good place,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “He is in complete control of what he is doing right now, looks very comfortable.”
Replacing Troy Tulowitzki, who was traded last July to the Toronto Blue Jays, at shortstop, however, might not be comfortable for anyone.
THREE DOWN
1. Cleveland right-hander Corey Kluber, the 2014 American League Cy Young Award winner, weaved his way into and out of trouble but pitched four scoreless innings against the Indians, extending his spring shutout innings to nine.
The Texas Rangers tagged Kluber for four hits, plus there was a walk, a wild pitch and two Cleveland errors, yet he came out unscathed.
“It was a chance to compete and see if I could find a way to get out of it,” Kluber said. “I was fighting my mechanics. Sometimes you have to fight through it. I was trying to get out and get a competitive feel.
“You need to get ready for Opening Day. You need that. You need to work through the situations and get ready for the season. You can’t just flip the switch and have everything in place.”
2. Reymond Fuentes and non-roster invitee Whit Merrifield may be staying up with the World Series champion Kansas City Royals.
Fuentes has the inside track for a spare outfield spot after Jarrod Dyson pulled an oblique muscle in the first spring game, an injury that likely will force him to begin the season on the disabled list.
Fuentes, a second cousin of former Royals outfielder Carlos Beltran, is hitting .389 with two double and a home run in 11 spring games.
“He’s definitely in the mix,” Kansas City manager Ned Yost said.
While the Royals optioned outfielders Brett Eibner, Jose Martinez (the 2015 Pacific Coast League batting champion) and former first-round pick Bubba Starling to the minors Monday, Fuentes remained in camp. Fuentes won the winter Puerto Rico League batting title.
Merrifield, who is hitting .462 in 10 games, is being eyeballed because of his versatility. He is capable of playing all the infield and outfield positions.
“You just kind of appreciate more his ability to be a super utility guy,” Yost said. “He can swing the bat, bunt, steal bases.”
3. Cuban right-hander Raisel Iglesias, whom the Cincinnati Reds gave a three-year, $27 million contract in 2014, made his spring training debut Monday against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing a run on two hits and striking out one.
He was 0-3 with a 3.68 ERA in six 2015 spring training outings. Iglesias went 3-7 with a 4.15 ERA as a rookie last year in 18 games, including 16 starts.