Overview
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto finished spring on form with five scoreless innings, seven strikeouts and one walk on 68 pitches (44 strikes) against the Padres.
- The Friday spring card is widely viewed as the Opening Day template, with Shohei Ohtani leading off at DH, Kyle Tucker batting second, Mookie Betts third at shortstop and Freddie Freeman cleanup, with Yamamoto slated to start.
- Los Angeles edged San Diego 4-3 at Camelback Ranch, where Will Smith doubled in his first game action back from the World Baseball Classic.
- Ohtani’s first spring pitching outing earlier in the week featured 4 1/3 scoreless innings, four strikeouts and a 99.9 mph fastball, and he said it didn’t feel like a first outing.
- Betts credited elements of trainer Osamu Yada’s regimen—including daily javelin work—with changing his perspective and performance, and he has posted a .304/.385/.478 line this spring.