MLB goes green for St. Patrick's Day spring games
Players will wear special holiday-themed uniforms for today's slate
Major League Baseball will have a new look Thursday when teams take the field for St. Patrick's Day. All across the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues, players will be sporting special green uniforms in celebration of the holiday.
Fans can catch much of the St. Patrick's Day action live on MLB.TV, with seven games available for streaming. Thursday's full spring slate features a National League West matchup along with several notable names, including Stephen Strasburg, Jose Fernandez, Jason Heyward, Jacob deGrom and Masahiro Tanaka.
Here's what to watch for throughout the day (all times ET):
• Get official St. Patrick's Day gear
Tanaka looks to stay scoreless: NYY@PIT, 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB.TV
The Yankees will send Tanaka to the mound when they visit the Pirates in Bradenton, Fla. Tanaka has been sharp this spring, tossing five scoreless innings in his previous two starts and showing no lingering effects from offseason elbow surgery.
"I feel that I'm exactly where I need to be at," Tanaka said through an interpreter. "If I compare with my first year and my second year right around this time, I think I'm exactly where I was in the previous two Spring Trainings."
Pittsburgh's Jeff Locke will try to stretch out to a full five innings in the contest. The left-hander gave up two runs, but retired 10 straight batters his last time out against a Tigers lineup loaded with regulars.
Fernandez, deGrom compete in Jupiter: NYM@MIA, 1:05 p.m., Gameday Audio
A pair of All-Star pitchers -- Miami's Fernandez and New York's deGrom -- will take the mound when the Marlins host the Mets at Roger Dean Stadium. It'll be the second Grapefruit League outing for deGrom, who was scratched from his last scheduled start with back stiffness. This is the second time deGrom has been limited by a minor injury this spring; he was also sidelined last month with a leg strain. The right-hander labeled the latest issue as simply "precautionary", however.
Fernandez, the Marlins' expected Opening Day starter, will be joined by several regulars, including Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich and Ichiro Suzuki. Miami's ace is expected to go four innings or around 65 pitches. He pitched three innings in a scrimmage against Marlins players on Saturday.
"The ball was coming out really well today," Fernandez said after the scrimmage. "It was fun. It's fun to be out here facing the guys."
NL West clubs meet under the lights: SF@SD, 10:10 p.m., MLB.TV
After a day off Wednesday, the Padres will be back at it with an evening contest vs. a familiar opponent in the San Francisco Giants. Andrew Cashner is scheduled to start, looking to keep his scoreless innings streak in tact. Cashner has yet to surrender a run through five Cactus League innings, striking out six while allowing only three hits. Opposite Cashner will be Giants right-hander Jake Peavy, making his fourth appearance of the spring.
Strasburg takes the hill: ATL@WSH, 1:05 p.m., Gameday Audio
Strasburg will toe the rubber for the Nationals in his third Grapefruit League start. The right-hander has allowed three runs through five innings and struck out six so far this spring. He's scheduled to go four innings vs. a split-squad Braves team at Space Coast Stadium.
Atlanta will counter with Mike Foltynewicz, who is competing for a spot in the club's rotation. Foltynewicz hasn't pitched in live game action since a blood clot sidelined in September.
Cardinals-Tigers open two-game tilt: STL@DET, 1:05 p.m., MLB.TV
The Cardinals and Tigers play the first of back-to-back matchups. Detroit's Mike Pelfrey will try to build upon his impressive spring. The right-hander has surrendered just two earned runs on five hits over 10 1/3 innings, including five scoreless frames against the Pirates last week.
St. Louis' Carlos Martinez will take the ball for St. Louis in his second Grapefruit League start. The 24-year-old hurler is progressing through a modified throwing program after a shoulder injury ended his 2015 campaign. He went two innings in his spring debut, touching 99 mph on the radar gun.
Heyward, Cubs take on Arizona: ARI@CHC, 7:05 p.m., MLB.TV
One of Chicago's biggest splashes in free agency, Heyward, will be in the lineup when his Cubs host the D-backs. Heyward, who inked an eight-year, $184 million deal with the Cubs in the offseason, is coming off his best performance of the spring; he drove in three runs with a pair of doubles Tuesday against the Padres. The Cubs' Jason Hammel will start, while Rubby De La Rosa goes for Arizona.
Crawford returns to LA lineup: KC@LAD, 4:05 p.m., Gameday Audio
Carl Crawford will make his return to the Los Angeles lineup when the Dodgers take on the Royals. Crawford hasn't played since Saturday due to back soreness. When healthy, he's hitting just .188 (3-for-16) through five Cactus League games. Another Dodgers player who has missed time this spring, Alex Wood, will be back on the mound after skipping his last start with slight forearm stiffness. For Kansas City, Kris Medlen will start, with Kelvin Herrera, Ross Ohlendorf and Peter Moylan scheduled to follow in relief.