The Latest Breaking News from Spencer Strider

NORTH PORT, Fla. — Michael Soroka (“Michael” is his preference, now) reported to spring training, but is not a full go.

The idea is simple: When you have a great starting rotation, you have a chance to win every night. It’s a relatively reliable path to piling up victories.

PHILADELPHIA — Inside a somber clubhouse Saturday, Dansby Swanson, head hung, embraced Kenley Jansen. Michael Harris, with his head down, sat facing his locker and looked at his phone. A bit further down that row of lockers, a small group of players chatted. All around the room, coaches, players and…

Fittingly, Aaron Nola and Rhys Hoskins were the brightest stars when playoff baseball returned to Philadelphia.

PHILADELPHIA — Charlie Morton said he began preparing days ago to pitch either game 3 or 4 of the National League Division Series against Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park.

PHILADELPHIA — They’d been through the worst of it. Through the rebuild, and the losing, and the failed prospects and the empty seats and the last four managers and the dead Octobers.

PHILADELPHIA — Years from now, when they roll highlights from the 2022 Phillies’ postseason run, the clip of Rhys Hoskins demolishing a ball into the left-field seats, raising both arms, and spiking his bat — and let’s be clear: this was a Jalen Hurts-quality spike — will play prominently.

Sometimes, there is absolutely nothing you can do. A hitter is so locked in that it doesn’t matter how good your pitcher is or where you pitch to him, or even whether you pitch to him at all—he’ll find a way to beat you. That’s Yordan Alvarez right now against…

BALTIMORE — The Atlanta Braves announced on Monday that they signed strikeout-inducing starter Spencer Strider to a deal that could last through the 2029 season, keeping the rookie right-hander under team control one to two years beyond when he otherwise would have become a free agent.