Taylor Widener has had a pretty decent spring. On Wednesday, he was perfect.MLB.com's No. 82 overall prospect retired all nine batters he faced with three strikeouts as the D-backs carried a perfect-game bid into the seventh inning before topping the White Sox, 11-2.
Taylor Widener has had a pretty decent spring. On Wednesday, he was perfect.
MLB.com's No. 82 overall prospect retired all nine batters he faced with three strikeouts as the D-backs carried a perfect-game bid into the seventh inning before topping the White Sox, 11-2.
Getting the spot start, Widener utilized four groundouts in the spotless effort. Arizona's No. 3 prospect spun two one-hit frames in each of his last two Grapefruit League outings before being reassigned to Minor League camp last week. Widener has six strikeouts in seven big league innings.
In his second full season, the University of South Carolina product went 5-8 with a 2.75 ERA, 176 strikeouts and 43 walks in 137 1/3 innings over 26 games (25 starts) for Double-A Jackson. That punchout total ranked second in the Minor Leagues, two behind the Orioles' Dean Kremer.
The perfect-game bid ended in the seventh when D-backs No. 14 prospect Yoan López allowed a leadoff homer to Ryan Goins. Lopez's final line was a run on two hits with a strikeout in 1 1/3 innings.
With his father, Allen, who is the White Sox director of strengthening and conditioning in the other dugout, D-backs No. 7 prospect Alek Thomas drilled a three-run homer in his only at-bat. Geraldo Perdomo (No. 6) laced a triple and Jake McCarthy (No. 8) knocked an RBI single.
White Sox No. 10 prospect Luis González belted a double and came around to score.
In other spring action:
Tigers 3, Phillies 1
Michael Fulmer's injury has opened up a spot in the Tigers rotation, and Spencer Turnbull is doing his best to claim it. Detroit's No. 19 prospect struck out seven over five scoreless innings at Spectrum Field. He allowed three hits and walked one. After yielding only a single to César Hernández over the first two innings, Turnbull struck out the side in the third before giving up back-to-back singles to Jean Segura and Bryce Harper to start the fourth, although Segura was thrown out trying to advance to third on Harper's hit.
J.T. Realmuto lined into a double play to end the inning, and Turnbull benefited from a strike-him-out-throw-him-out double play after Odúbel Herrera walked to start the fifth. Despite allowing four baserunners, the 26-year-old right-hander faced just one batter over the minimum in his five frames. Box score
Braves 8, Blue Jays 7
Atlanta's No. 21 prospect Chad Sobotka struck out one and hit a batter in a scoreless inning of relief. Ninth-ranked Blue Jays prospect Sean Reid-Foley was tagged for two runs on four hits with one strikeout over two innings, and No. 28 Elvis Luciano didn't record an out after being hit up for three runs on one hit and two walks in relief of starter Matt Shoemaker. Box score
Marlins 6, Cardinals 0
Alex Reyes struck out two in one frame after a rough start from Daniel Ponce de Leon at the teams' shared home of Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Reyes, the Cardinals' top prospect, worked around a walk and lowered his spring ERA to 5.14. Ponce de Leon was not as fortunate: St. Louis' No. 17 prospect was charged with five runs on seven hits and two walks over 3 2/3 innings. He struck out two and allowed a home run. Box score
Astros 2, Yankees 1
Josh James and Dean Deetz made scoreless appearances out of Houston's bullpen as Houston held New York to four hits in Palm Beach. James, the Astros' No. 4 prospect, allowed a hit and two walks in 1 1/3 innings before No. 20 Deetz pitched around a walk in one inning. Yankees No. 19 prospect Thairo Estrada, hitting .320 this spring, drew a walk in three plate appearances. Box score
Pirates 6, Twins 5
Pittsburgh's No. 18 prospect Pablo Reyes got the start at shortstop and delivered three singles at the top of the Bucs order. The 25-year-old scored twice and drove in a run in Fort Myers. Relievers Clay Holmes (No. 23) and Nick Burdi (No. 24) pitched one scoreless inning of relief apiece. Box score
Brewers 10, Padres 7
Top Milwaukee prospect Keston Hiura added a single to raise his spring average to .263. Fourth-ranked San Diego prospect Luis Urías went 1-for-4 and scored once. Box score
Indians (ss) 4, Angels 2
Los Angeles' No. 28 prospect Brennon Lund went 2-for-4 with his second triple in two days, knocking in a pair of runs to get the Halos on the board in the fourth. Ty Buttrey (No. 14) tossed a scoreless seventh, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out one. Box score
Red Sox 6, Orioles 4
Boston's No. 22 prospect Bobby Poyner allowed one hit and struck out three across two scoreless innings en route to his first save of the spring. Box score
Dodgers 4, Cubs 4
Los Angeles' No. 3 prospect Dustin May allowed a run on three hits and a walk while fanning three over three innings to bring his ERA to an even 1.00 ERA. The No. 69 overall prospect also stroked a single in two at-bats. Edwin Ríos (No. 13) singled and knocked in a run on a fielder's choice. Box score
