The Los Angeles Dodgers had MVPs Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger in their lineup for the first time, but runs were still at a premium in a 2-2 tie with their Camelback Ranch co-tenant, Chicago White Sox.
After going hitless in three at-bats during his Dodgers debut, Betts broke the seal with a two-out infield single in the third inning. It put two on for Max Muncy, but he grounded out to keep the game scoreless.
Cody Bellinger then led off the fourth with a double, only to be stranded by Kiké Hernandez, Will Smith and Matt Beaty. Betts’ second hit of the game was another single with two outs, putting runners at the corners in the fifth inning, but Muncy again failed to capitalize.
The Dodgers finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth behind an opposite-field solo home run from Cody Thomas. Two batters later fellow prospect Omar Estevez lifted a drive into the Dodgers’ bullpen for a homer of his own.
For as impressive as Thomas’ power display was, his catch in the seventh inning topped it. After Parker Curry had already surrendered a leadoff homer, Thomas went to the wall in right field and robbed Blake Rutherford of a two-run, go-ahead blast.
That ultimately proved futile in some regard, however, as the White Sox tied the game in the ninth inning on Matt Skole’s RBI double.
Although Ross Stripling is likely poised for a bullpen role come the regular season, his spring debut was with a start. “I felt good about it. I felt good warming up, it feels good to see other guys with different jerseys in the batter’s box and mix in just about everything,” he said.
“I mixed in a change to a righty, which has kind of been a priority this spring.”
Stripling pitched a scoreless inning, but the opportunity to get his new changeup over was all the more imperative. He began tinkering with the grip during the offseason and carried into camp.
“Now this one is spinning quickly right out of my hand and is on a better axis. It seems like it has similar deception,” Stripling explained.
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