What Would Tyler Colvin Do
It's your first start of the season, chance to impress the manager and the fans...Cubs need a pick-me up. Tommy Hanson, ace-in-training on the mound just struck out the side in the first. He unleashes a 95 mph fastball down the middle of the plate, might be the best pitch you see the entire at-bat. You calmly let it go for strike one. Bravo. Make him think you know something. Next pitch is another fastball but Hanson misses well inside. 1-1 now, and Hanson mixes it up with a slider but it's outside. A hitter's count and you know the fastball is probably coming. The catcher sets up away and Hanson rears back and fires. He misses his target...badly, ball is right in the lefty sweet spot down and low. You bring the hands in, uncoil the swing and *crack*, you know you hit it good. You're a rookie though, put your head down and start running. A muffled cheer and the ump twirls his finger, time to break out the home run trot but don't show up anybody or you'll get one in the ear next time.
Jesus Heyward ain't got nothing on you Tyler Colvin...well other than probably having a much better major league career. As for rookie theatrics, you're neck and neck.
The Good: Randy Wells goes 6 innings, giving up 6 hits, 2 walks and getting one strikeout and 3 inning-ending double plays, twice with a runner on third base and less than one out. That's some pitching magic. The bullpen throws three scoreless including Sean Marshall retiring two more batters and running his total to 13 straight batters to start the season. Carlos Marmol gives up a loud out to Eric Hinske in the 9th, but manages the 4-out save. Marlon Byrd hits his second home run of the season, on the road no less after I bitched about he didn't show much power away from the Ballpark when the Cubs signed him.
The Bad: Ryan Theriot is 0/11 without a walk out of the leadoff spot. Jeff Baker got 4 at-bats.
Minor League Watch: Andrew Cashner strikes out 10 in 4.1 IP giving up 2 walks and a 3-run HR before getting lifted. Starlin Castro goes 2/4 with a triple and an RBI in the same game as Tennessee wins 4-3. Jeff Gray pitches a scoreless inning for Iowa and Sam Fuld gets on-base twice out of the leadoff spot in a 6-3 loss. Daytona only manages a hit by Michael Brenly, but Rafael Dolis goes 5 innings with 5 K's and 0 BB's against 2 hits, but Daytona loses 3-0. Peoria wins 4-3 as Greg Rohan homers and Hak-Ju Lee walks and scores a run but goes 0/4 out of the leadoff spot. Don't forget you can view all the minor league updates clicking on the "Organizational Results" link underneath the Cubs boxscore on the right sidebar. The First Inning recap doesn't get compiled until the morning though.
Next Up: Cubs head to Cincinnati for a three-game set with Carlos Silva, Carlos Zambrano and Tom Gorzelanny scheduled to go against Homer Bailey, Aaron Harang and Mike Leake.
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