The Oakland A’s beat the Mariners 8-4 on Saturday. With the victory, the A’s have now won nine of their last 10 Cactus League games, and 11 of their last 13. The moral of the story is that spring training is super meaningful and important.
OK, not really. The games are still just exhibitions, meant more to warm up for the real season than to be truly competitive. But regardless of the setting, it’s nice to see a sparkling performance from the team’s top prospect, and that’s what Jesus Luzardo offered in this game. The lefty struck out eight of the 13 batters he faced, offering another dose of encouragement to a fanbase that hopes to see him rise to stardom this year.