Call to the pen
Fansided

Feb. 28: Winners and losers from Friday’s Spring Training action

By Bill Felber

PORT CHARLOTTE, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 24: Vidal Brujan #22 of the Tampa Bay Rays hits the ball during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox at Charlotte Sports Park on February 24, 2020 in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
PORT CHARLOTTE, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 24: Vidal Brujan #22 of the Tampa Bay Rays hits the ball during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox at Charlotte Sports Park on February 24, 2020 in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
(Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
(Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

Winner: Dee Gordon, Seattle Mariners second baseman

In the unlikely event that the Seattle Mariners do anything in 2020, Dee Gordon has to be in the middle of it. Gordon is one of the few veterans in what projects to be an overwhelmingly young lineup. Coming off a 2019 season in which he provided neither on base average nor power, Gordon finds himself competing for playing time against Shed Long Jr. this spring.

Against the Arizona Diamondbacks Friday, Gordon stated a strong case for giving the veteran another look. In the second inning he singled and stole a base. He led off the fourth with his second hit, stole a base and scored. He led off the sixth with another hit, this time a double, before being removed for a pinch runner. The Mariners won 6-2.

Winner (and non-roster player of the day: Alex Kiriloff, outfielder, Minnesota Twins

The 16th overall pick from 2016, Kiriloff is the No. 2 rated prospect in the Twins system. He’s not expected to make the roster this year, but on Friday Kiriloff tried hard to push the timetable.

In a 4-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox, Kiriloff replaced Max Kepler in the 6th inning with Boston leading 1-0. His single leading off the inning led to the Twins’ first run, and he added a two-run seventh inning home run to pad the winners’ eventual margin of victory.

Winner: Anthony DeSclafani, Cincinnati Reds pitcher

The Reds project DeSclafani as their No. 4 starter this season. He’s a career 36-37 pitcher who went 9-9 last year. So if he’s on form, following behind Luis Castillo, Trevor Bauer, and Sonny Gray, the Reds will be tough.

Taking on the Athletics Friday, DeSclafani looked like a No. 1. He clicked off Oakland’s first three batters on a groundout, a strikeout and a fly out, then completed the second with a strikeout and two lineouts.

If you want to pick nits, it must be noted that Oakland sent none of its front-line stars out against DeSclafani. But hey, he retired the guys they sent out to beat him. That’s all he could do. For the record, Cincinnati won 10-1.

Home/MLB News