Mar 13, 2016; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) throws the ball in the first inning during a spring training game against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
PHOENIX, 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 Tuesday.
THREE UP
1. Around the Cactus League, aces and Opening Day starting pitchers either threw Tuesday or will get their final starts Wednesday before the regular season begins.
Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, San Diego Padres right-hander Tyson Ross and Seattle Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez are scheduled to pitch Wednesday. These are likely to be abbreviated outings to keep them fresh for Monday, when the season starts.
Typically the second-to-last spring starts, at least for the top pitchers, are the longest ones as far as innings and pitch count.
2. Second baseman Robinson Cano and the Mariners were in action Tuesday night, a day after Cano hit a mammoth home run over the batter’s eye and out of the park at the Peoria Sports Complex against Kris Medlen of the Kansas City Royals.
That gave Cano four home runs in the past two games, and seven home runs in spring training.
Cano had what was by his standards — and those set for him based on previous performance — a down season in 2015, when he struggled over the first half of the year. He was hampered by illness and then a sports hernia injury that required offseason surgery. It sure looks as if he is back to being the Cano we know.
3. The San Francisco Giants held an open house at AT&T Park on Tuesday to unveil to local media what is new and in store for fans at the stadium by the bay.
San Francisco will have its largest number of season-ticket holders in franchise history this year with 30,750, and the Giants have the longest consecutive regular-season home sellout streak in the National League at 408 games. That doesn’t include 23 postseason games.
The Giants will have a 1986 team reunion, featuring former star Will Clark, who helped the Giants improve from 62-100 in 1985 to 83-79 the following year. The team will also dedicate a statue to former pitcher and Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry.
The stadium has wifi at 1,628 access points, and giveways include a “Two Flaps Down” cap in homage to Jeffrey Leonard, the former Giant who became famous for trotting around the bases with one arm down at his side.
“We are excited to begin this season and reunite with our fans at AT&T Park,” Giants president and CEO Larry Baer said in a statement. “There is a unique relationship between our team and our fans and we look forward to celebrating that special bond throughout the season.”
THREE DOWN
1. The Cactus League champions were crowned. The Arizona Diamondbacks are 21-7-3 in spring training games after Tuesday’s play and cannot be caught.
When Arizona last had the best mark in the Cactus League, it made the postseason in 2007.
Prior to Tuesday’s game, a loss to the Colorado Rockies, the D-backs led the majors with a spring training batting average of .320, 213 runs, 348 hits, 136 extra-base hits and 10 or more hits in 24 of 30 games.
Of course, none of this counts or means anything… depending on whom you ask.
2. Shane Victorino, a World Series champion with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox, was released by the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.
Chicago’s is a tough roster to crack with all of the young talent that is already there, and Victorino couldn’t beat out Matt Szczur for a backup outfielder job. Hard to say if he will be picked up by another club, given that he is 35 years old now.
Victorino went 2-for-10 in four Cactus League games this spring. In a combined 78 games for the Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels last season, he hit .230 with a .308 on-base percentage, a .292 slugging percentage, one homer, seven RBIs and seven stolen bases.
3. The Angels named Garrett Richards their Opening Day starter on Tuesday, and he went out the same day and allowed a run on two hits with four strikeouts in five innings against the Cleveland Indians.
Jered Weaver started on Opening Day for the Angels each of the past six years, but that won’t be the case in 2016.
“I think that there’s been growth in Garrett and it’s good to see in a pitcher,” Scioscia said, according to the Orange County Register.
Richards, 27, went 15-12 with a 3.65 ERA in 33 starts last year. The previous year, he finished 13-4 with a 2.61 ERA in 26 starts.
While Richards has a 5.52 ERA this spring, Weaver has a 7.45 mark.
