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Last updated 3-26-2024
 
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PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
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Hector Neris 
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Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
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Game 48 Recap: Cubs 1, Dodgers 2 (11 innings)

One to forget on Memorial weekend

Game Center, Box Score, Play by Play, Game Chart, Photos

W -Billingsley (3-0), finding ways to lose

L -Guzman (0-1), finding ways to win

 

Things to take from the game

1. Second Guessing

It's been a good day for the armchair managers. Let's see:

  1. Lou pulls Hill, who has thrown 66 pitches in 6 shutout innings, so that Ward can pinch-hit with a runner on second and two outs in a 0-0 game. Doesn't work.
  2. Lou asked Barrett, hitting fourth and with no sac. bunts on the year, to bunt with runners on 1st and 2nd and nobody out in a 1-0 game in the eighth. Doesn't work.
  3. With the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth, Lou pinch hits Aramis Ramirez for the hot-hitting Pagan, a move that requires Jones to enter the game as a defensive replacement. Doesn't work.
  4. Lou pulls Wuertz, after an effective seventh, for Eyre, who hasn't pitched in a week, to start the eighth. Doesn't work.  (Eyre gives up HR to Ethier, tying the game)
2. More slow curves than you can can swing a stick at Both Hill and Wolf pitched well, Hill especially so. His reworked legkick(s) out of the stretch seemed to be effective both at holding runners on, and without distracting from his ability to pitch well out of the stretch. 3. Whiff in the Fifth Murton doubles, Pagan bunts his way on, and with Pagan advanceing on a wild pitchwe have runners at 2 and 3 with no outs. To my eyes, at least, Wolf tries to pitch around Izturis, in hopes that he'll either chase something, or walk and set up a DP with the pitcher hitting. Izturis lays off some sliders in the dirt, but with a 3-1 count, he weakly taps one to third. No run scores. Hill strikes out, Soriano walks, and Theriot grounds out. That's runners on 2 and 3, no outs, no runs scored. On average, a team should score two runs from that point in an inning. 4. New ways to lose. Bottom of the eleventh begins with two walks issued by Guzman, Marmol in to intentionally walk a batter, then Marmol hitting Pierre to end the game, on what would have been a wild pitch to end the game, had Pierre not gotten in the way. That's a new one. All the nutty details, below

 

 

 

  • Wolf looks sharp, for Wolf, to start the game. 1-2-3 easy, with some big curves, Lilly-style.
  • So all this business has been made about messing with Hill's delivery out of the stretch. (Most of which, I wonder, would have been better left alone, as opposed to giving him something to have to deal with in the middle of the season) On his first two pitches out of the stretch, Hill starts with a big leg kick where he just dangles that leg there, seemingly for at least a full second, if not longer, before moving towards home. It was really, incredibly deliberate. Second pitch from the stretch was a slide step. Will be curious to see what this does, longterm, in the battle against the base-stealers vs. the battle against the guy at home plate with the bat in his hands.
  • Heh. Hill promptly picks off Furcal by using this exaggerated, suspended leg kick. He sees Furcal break before he's come toward home with the leg, and chucks it over to Lee to pick Furcal off as he heads back to first. Rather easily.
  • Furcal with a tough start. Now he boots what likely was a 6-4-3 ball in the first. 2 on, 1 out instead of out of the inning. Inning ends, however, with a Pagan K and Barrett then trying to steal third on a 2-0 count to Izturis.
  • with two outs and a runner on first, Theriot grounds back to Wolf, who spins and throws to second, thinking he needs to start a double-play. Count the number of outs again, Randy.
  • fifth inning of a game with nothing going on, and Murton leads off with a double, followed by a bunt single by Pagan. Pagan then takes second on a not-that-wild pitch from Wolf. It barely gets away from Martin, a few feet, but Pagan breaks immediately, and Martin doesn't risk the throw with a runner on third.
  • so Izturis is up with a base open and the pither behind him. Wolf tries to pitch around Izturis to get to Hill and the potential double play. (At least, that's how I'm seeing it.) If Izturis swings at any of this crap, he's doing Wolf a favor. On a three-one count, every pitch either a breaking pitch or a nibbler, Izturis hits a weak ground ball to third, which can't score the run. Hill now up with one out, and the runners still on second and third.
  • and Hill proceeds to strike out. Soriano battles Wolf, with a bunch of foul balls, before finally walking on a 3-2 count to load the bases with two outs. It'll come down to the Theriot AB.
  • and Theriot grounds out. No runs scored in an inning that began with runners on second and third, and no outs.
  • nice play by Izturis to get Hill out of a mini-jam in the 5th. Barehands a check-swing grounder to get the man at first.
  • Am I the only person who let out a loud HA HA HA at Brenley's fabulous "high chopper" pun? With the camera focusing on a helicopter flying overhead, Brenley asks Len "do you know what that is? (pause) it's a high chopper."
  • Wolf has thrown a lot of pitches through six, and has, as I recall, a reputation for falling apart late in games. So he is removed for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the sixth, with his shutout going.
  • Murton pops out to start the seventh, and reveals to me a new, ugly feature of Dodger Stadium: Russel Martin chases after the pop up, catches it, and backs into this really cheap, flimsy wire "fence" that separates these new up-close seats from the playing field. It didn't offer almost any resistance against his body at all, as he tumbled into the seats. Very nice play, but the player's union should be raising hell about the danger these super-premium seats pose to players.
  • Another stranded runner. This time, it's Pagan, doubling with one out in the seventh, who doesn't score. Hill, who has a shutout going with only 66 pitches thrown, is pulled for Ward as a pinch-hitter with two outs. Is it worth taking down Hill to see if Ward can score a runner from second with two outs? Debatable.
  • top of the Eighth, Soriano singles off of Seanez, and Theriot hits a ball to straight-away right field on a hit and run. With Brady Clark guarding the line, the ball lands, nearly getting to the wall before Clark does a nice job cutting it off. On the one hand, it's a disappointment that we only have runners at first and third. Ont he other hand, it could have been a fly-out
  • Lee promptly singles to make it a moot point, 1-0 Cubs in the eighth.
  • With Aramis having a scheduled off-day, Barrett is hitting cleanup. With runners on first and second and nobody out in a 1-0 game, Lou has our cleanup hitter with zero sacrifice bunts on the year, lay down a sacrifice bunt. Right back to the pitcher, Lee out at third. Bind-boggling. We wind up loading the bases in the inning, but Aramis pinch-hits and drives a ball to the wall, for an exciting but unproductive final out to the inning.
  • There have been a few questionable calls by Lou. Aramis came in to pinch-hit for Pagan. Granted, Aramis is the far superior hitter, but Pagan's been hot, and now Jones has to come in to replace Pagan in center, in what is still a 1-0 game, late.
  • And along with that, Lou takes Wuertz out of the game, after an effective seventh, in favor of little-used Scott Eyre. First appearance in a week.
  • and there you have it. a HR to the only batter he's likely to face, Andre Ethier. Tie game.
  • Lou has spent the rest of this inning looking pissed. WGN keeps cutting to him waving and gesturing and gesticulating, at what or whom it's hard to say. They then show him berating Barrett after the inning, about where he's setting up for pitches.
  • Howry works the rest of the eighth inning. His fly-out-to-the-warning-track ball bamboozles three straight Dodgers.
  • This game has really slowed down. Guzman seems to be pitching well in extra innings. Maybe it's an L.A. thing, bu there seems to be absolutely no enthusiasm for a 1-1 game in extras.
  • Maybe Guzman's not pitching so well. back to back walks to start the bottom of the eleventh.
  • Ramon Martinez (yes, he's still around) takes his secondary lead off of second, stumbles, and Barrett tries to pick him off by throwing behind him. Martinez just breaks for third, and makes it. Should have run directly at Martinez. Winning run is how on third with no outs. Guzman out of the game.
  • Marmol in, an intentional walk to load the bases and create the force at home. (As Brenley asks, why not just have the exiting pitcher do that, instead of the guy who needs to throw strikes, the rest of the way?)
  • the game ends with Pierre getting a game-winning hit-by-pitch that would have been a game-winning wild-pitch, had Pierre's body not been there. That's a new one.
Parachat Recap

Inning 1

Is Al Yellon gellin'? Neighbors having quickies. Home Runs in Bunches. Ryan Braun updates.

Inning 2

Duties of Parachat greeters. Accounting puns. Rice and beans.

Inning 3

How baseball is like the card game of Hearts

Inning 4

Who, exactly, are the Big Ten baseball champions? Some school that no one has ever heard of, or cares about, outside of one of those rust-belt states. Wanderlust.

Inning 5

Why your state sucks and mine doesn't. That Izturis at-bat. Bratwurst. Meatie-veg. If pitchers used the tricks of "heel" pro wrestlers. Intent of memorial day.

Inning 6

Wolf puns. Offensiveness. Cheating at crosswords puzzles.

Inning 7

the informational goodness of Gameday. TMI? Real People.

 

Inning 8

Sweet Baby Jesus's BBQ sause. Things we care about more than the Bonds HR chase. Reptiles on my window. Marriage prospects. Worry about Eyre. Frustration with Eyre. Rhyming couplets for Howry and Eyre (Howry and Eyre and set fire to my hair, etc.)

Inning 9

Reconsidering LaTroy Hawkins, in light of Eyre and Howry. Hancock's Dad's lawsuit against the restaurant.

Inning 10

If you win a debate against a stoner and he's too high to figure it out, have you actually won? Libertarians and Vegetarians: is there a difference?

Inning 11

pickle-related slang. Ramon Martinez: is that really him? Ringtones. Final Countdown. Final Countdown ringtones.

 

 

Comments

I posted this on the game thread, but I thought it was a good post game thought: If this game gets EYrroRE DFA’d then I’ll take the loss, sometimes the only way to win is to lose.

I agree with all of the above except the use of Ramirez. Other than the double earlier in the game, and then a bunt hit, Pagan has actually been rather cold, 0 for his last 7 games (14 ABs), without a hit since May 18th. I also think given the game situation you have to bring your clean-up hitter off the bench to hit there to try to break it open. But overall this is becoming frustrating to watch, especially with the rest of the Central collapsing. If we don't gain ground now when will we...

Dear Louis Victor Piniella: I've been considerably more patient with your decisions regarding the bullpen than the average fan of the club you manage. Most folks think you stink at managing when you actually have to, you know, manage. When to bunt, pinch-hit, who to pitch late, etc. Hasn't been so good yet, skipper. Lots of unhappy folks on the northside. That said, I, like you, thought that if you ran Eyre out there a few times, he'd eventually snap out of it. I thought he'd figure out that if you throw a slider in the happy zone during the daytime at Chavez Ravine, it would get hit into the 11th row. Apparently doing that 4 or 5 times in a row hasn't learnt him anything. I'm all for believing in your workhorses down there. Guys slump all the time. But this is getting a bit ridiculous. Have you had enough yet? Can we do something different now? Can we trade an outfielder for somebody WHO CAN GET SOMEBODY OUT?!? Please? Signed, Commenter Wes

I'm sorry, if I'm the manager of this team, I never intentionally walk the bases full. Not no how.

Furcal was their hottest hitter, I think that is why he did it. However Pierre isnt a guy who will K alot or that you get the ground into a double play throwing home. Honestly the game was over at that point anyway.

I stand corrected on "hot-hitting" then, and it already was the toughest one to second-guess. But you're right, again, that Pagan already had two hits on the day....

Don't forgot about Barrett's making the third out trying to steal third base in the 2nd inning. And his brilliant play allowing Martinez to steal third base in the 11th. (All this in addition to his missed bunt in the 8th.

Mentioned, inthe longer game recap. Didn't mention them higher up, on the guess that those calls didn't come from Lou. But yeah, Barrett had a really, really bad game.

chifan: "If this game gets EYrroRE DFA’d then I’ll take the loss, sometimes the only way to win is to lose." Many fans thought that way with Dusty, but now we got almost the same with Lou. But if that were true i would root for them to lose to get Hendry out of here, but I just can't bring myself to do it.

I had a big long post up about why I disagreed with you, CTWP. However, most of that was contingent on the ball being scored a wild pitch and not a HBP. cubs.com has changed it back and forth at least twice, and have now settled on that ball hitting Pierre and it being scored a HBP. I see your point with a typically erratic Marmol (and bullpen in general). However, I'd rather have the force at any base and a guy at the plate who is not 27 for his last 51 or whatever Furcal is. I'd be second guessing it more for NOT walking Furcal and having him hit one to the outfield to score the game winner instead of going after the normally light-in-the-britches Pierre.

I feel like Lou in a postgame press conference. I don't know what to say. This team never ceases to amaze.

IN LA right now - but predicted a 2 win West Coast trip. Luckily, I saw one of the 2 yesterday. This is the best rotation right now since the 2003 team. So, it took Hendry 4 years to correct his mistakes and get terrific starting pitching. Unfortunately, without a bullpen, having a .500 record at years' end (along with having Its-Turd-is being forced on us) will be very hard, indeed.

BOO!

It'd be interesting to know how often Lou has pulled Wuertz after one inning, and the very next reliever has given up runs. At some point, Lou really needs to allow him to pitch more then one inning, especially if he's had quick work. I'm also very annoyed with the lack of patience ARam sometimes shows at the plate. Eh well, go Murton and Theriot!

We should've swept the Dodgers, simple as that. No excuses. This Cubs team is a bunch of f$#@in' chokers. Bad News Bears pile of shit. Meh.

the dodgers did not get a freaking hit that inning. they still loaded the bases and got a run in. who the hell does this happen to besides the cubs? i am so effing tired of this crap.

its funny how the one thing Hendry didnt take a look at in the offseason is by far the absolute worth thing on this team The bullpen now has the same amount of losses as the Starting rotation, Yes the same amount. i could see this happening in the first week on the month but its ALMOST JUNE. If there were any other division we would already be saying, wait till next year. If i were GM id look at my bullpen and everyone that has more hits than innings pitched would be gone (not the rotation, namely because of Zambrano). If they have options they go to iowa or need be the schaumburg flyers, otherwise if i cant trade them they are just taking up roster spots. that means Howry and his 29 hits in 23 innings would be gone Erye, bye bye, you are really worthles with your 23 hits in 14 innings. I'll include Wade Miller and his 81 mph fastball, 24 hits in 13 innings. another sad stat is runs Howry has given up 5 fewer runs than Marquis, 7 fewers than Hill Eyre 7/9 BTW, the 3 people mentioned have the worst WHIP and OBA on the team with Eyre having a incredible .467. Just think for a second if the cubs had won Friday nights game against LA Todays game against LA The debable against the mets the debable against the Phillies the debable against Cincy on Friday the 13th thats just 5 games, we would be tied for first place THATS WHY YOU PLAY THE GAME

sorry about my bad wording and mistakes, i was ranting "i could see this happening in the first week on the month" i meant, the first week of play "absolute worth thing on this " worst thing

another rant The cubs could have easily taken 2 of 3 from the Phillies (1 bullpen collapse) 2 of 4 from the mets (i wouldnt call what happened here a collapse) 2 of 4 from the Padres (no hitting) swept the dodgers (2 bullpen collapes)

it was only a 3 game series vs Padres ----- aren't rants fun? once again we lose a series...so here's the season so far: lose 2 of 3: Dodgers, Padres, Phils, Pirates, Brewers, Reds, Reds(7) lose 3 of 4: Mets lose 2 of 2: Astros win 2 of 3: WSox, Pirates, Brewers(3) win 2 of 2: Cardinals win 3 of 3: Nationals split 1 of 2: Padres, Braves so our record (4 games under .500) is based on the fact that the Cubs have won only 3 three game series and lost 7 of these. The rest has balanced itself out as a even wash. They have to start winning the first game of a series if any improvement in their performance is going to happen. I was yelling at the TV yesterday when he took Wuertz out to put Eyre in. I hate that lefty-lefty matchup stuff anyway, but yesterday it felt particularly bad and took little time to show how bad a move it was. Also, anyone notice that all three outs Howry got were deep fly balls? He's not better, he just gets through every other outing. Next time Howry pitches, kaboom. They keep springing the same leak over and over. It's like waiting for LaTroy Hawkins to get better...not going to happen.

Kevin: rant away, I like the accidental malappropism: "debable" for "debacle" because when I hear it, I think "da bobble" which conveys the distressing collection of missteps, poor judgment, inferior execution, etc which individually do not necessary condemn a player, but collectively in sufficient abundance do serve to condemn a team.

cubster, I'm a big fan of playing lefty/lefty and righty/righty matchups. However, that's if, and only if (iff for you math majors), the numbers back that situation up. Ethier career vs. left: 351/378/468 Ethier career vs. right: 298/362/480 LOOK IN THE BOOK, LOU. I know that information is in there. I promise it is. Another iff regarding the situation: I won't go to the lefty against the lefty at this point in the season if the guy I'm bringing in is Scott Eyre. Period. Despite the problems of William McDaniel Ohman, his line against lefties is still 136/269/182. (4 walks in 22 AB's, however). If I'm going to pull a very successful Wuertz to play the lefty/lefty and then put Guzzy in anyway, I want my lefty specialist out there. There's no reason for your LOOGY to not be ready in a tie game in the late innings. I'd like to figure out Eyre as much as the next guy, but you typically put him in to do that in games that you lead 9-3. This team doesn't do that.

It looks like Eyre is about to get Wade Miller disease and Lou has Clay The-Rappa on his mind? from the sun-times: Eyre says he feels great physically, but if the Cubs can locate some sort of ''fatigue'' issue with him, a short stint on the disabled list might not be out of the question. Earlier in the week when talking about some of the pitching prospects the Cubs are paying attention to, Piniella raised the name of Clay Rapada, a left-hander who has pitched well at Class AAA Iowa. later in the same article, Eyre does some standup comedy: "I worked hard this winter to get in shape. It's funny, I actually feel better this year than I have in a long time. Maybe I should just get fat again. [Former pitcher] Sid Fernandez lost all that weight, and he stunk for a year and then got chubby again. I don't know. I'm looking for anything now.'' ------ Anyone notice that Eyre has an uncanny resemblance to Flounder? Dean Wormer: Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

http://tinyurl.com/32k9fh So much for bad vibes, cause it's been worse, but some things just don't seem to change. They just came off the 13-12 loss to the Braves (and 6 game losing streak) where ARam bounced a ball off his head for a 2 run error. With the game tied at 12 in the Braves' 11th against Scott Eyre (0-1), Langerhans was safe at second on Ramirez's muff as Langerhans' popup hit the third baseman on the head. CMuskat's article starts off: The Chicago Cubs figured out a new way to lose Sunday. and here's a Dusty quote postgame: "You think you've seen everything and wonder what else can happen, and something else happens," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. The above link is to the mlb standings as of 5-28-06 StL 32-18 Cincy 28-22 Brewers 26-24 Houston 26-25 Cubs 18-31; 13.5 GB Pirates 16-34

On the plus, at least Hill was awesome again, and go Theriot, Murton and Lee with the timely hits! And boo ARam swinging at the first pitch with the bases loaded. You're paid too much for that kind of swing.

lol... last year the Cub's couldn't keep people healthy for the life of them, this year they have to invent injuries just to get guys off the 25-man. Does anyone else find this amusing?

luckily, the brewers are in full suck mode, won't revert to the non-suck mode unless they get to play only the bad central teams all year, and the cubs bullpen shakeup is not over. i believe someone will be coming from out of town soon, i would love the chief rumors to be true. marlins-braves-brewers-braves the next two weeks.....it starts now, turn that frown upside down, cubs fans.

jacos, As a huge Match Game fan, I'm very sorry to hear that. However, I must say that it did not come as a shock to me, as I thought he had been dead for over a decade.

Please, please -- somebody tell me that Eyre wasn't on the team flight home. 0-2 pitch against a lefty, and he puts it on a tee in the middle of the plate. Lou -- what in the world were you thinking, putting him in a one-run game? And, bunting with Barrett? And, sending Guzman out for a third inning? Etc. Etc. Barrett -- that's twice you have thrown behind the winning run and had him advance (last year's hilarious throw to third so the winning run can score, laughing). This is not rocket science -- when you have a man trapped, you run at him and make him commit. Nice to see the new emphasis on fundamentals really paying off. The real shame -- Cubs could easily be 2 or 3 out.

Blanco is going to be Z's new personal catcher... 'When I was in Seattle, we used to find who our backup catcher had the most success with, and that's who we gave the assignment to,'' Piniella said. ''So we could do that. We're going to have to play Henry 20 percent of the time anyway, so if we can give him one pitcher, that's fine, too.'' Didn't Lou at the beginning of the year say he wasn't a fan of the personal catcher?

Well, at least we can say A.J. Pierzynski barely has better stats then Barrett, and Barrett is actually doing better then Pudge. Small victories!

Losing could prove to be a good thing this year and, if they are out of the race by mid-July, they might actually be able to trade Soriano and Jones to give this team some much needed balance. A team with 3 starting leftfielders (Soriano, Murton & Floyd) in the same outfield with Jacque Jones in centerfield is a poorly assembled team. It looked okay with Soriano in centerfield; and it would have been better if Soriano played rightfield; however, his inability to field makes it difficult to effectively utilize the rest of the outfielders, including those at AAA Iowa (Pie, Walker, 1B/OF Haufpauir & 3B/LF Moore). Maybe a contender will take Soriano and his salary during what could be our first true "fire sale" during mid-season. I like him; however, he doesn't fit the assembled roster and he further stagnates the minor league talent.

Whew the LouPa pregame, man, this guy is definitely outta here after this year, IMHO. Like Vin Scully apparently mentioned the other day from personal comment/anecdote (I missed it), Lou is unpleasantly disappointed that things really can be as bad as this. He sounds really, really out of gas, getting hard to muster much emotion beyond just basic disgust. Maybe its the jet lag...

LouPa in pregame interview said Lilly might not be ready for thursday's game, but didn't say why. Soriano, Floyd, DLee, ARam, Barrett, JJones, DeRosa & Theriot, Marshall. vs. Abercrombie, Uggla, HRam, Cabrera, Willingham, Hermida, Wood, Treanor & (per Santo) Yum-Yum Kim

Lou also mentioned that Lilly is iffy for his next start. What is wrong with Lilly?

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    in other news, it took 3 PA before a.rizzo got his 1st HBP of the season.

  • Eric S (view)

    With two home runs (so far) and 5 rbi today … clearly Nick Martini is the straw that stirs the Reds drink 😳

  • crunch (view)

    madrigal at 3rd...morel at DH.

    making room for madrigal or/and masterboney to get a significant amount of ABs is a misuse of the roster.  if it needed to get taken care of this offseason, they had tons of time to figure that out.

    morel played almost exclusively at 3rd in winter ball and they had him almost exclusively there all spring when he wasn't DH'ing.

    madrigal doing a good job with the glove for a bit over 2 chances per game...is that worth more than what he brings with the bat 4-5 PA a game?  it's 2024 and we got glenn beckert 2.0 manning 3rd base.

    this is a tauchman or cooper DH situation based on bat, alone.  cooper is 3/7 with a double off eovaldi if you want to play the most successful matchup.

    anyway, i hope this is a temporary thing, not business as usual for the rest of the season.  it will be telling if morel is not used at 3rd when an extreme fly ball pitcher like imanaga is on the mound.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    There are two clear "logjams" in the Cubs minor league pipeline at the present time, namely AA outfielders (K. Alcantara, C. Franklin, Roederer, Pagan, Pinango, Beesley, and Nwogu) and Hi-A infielders (J. Rojas, P. Ramirez, Howard, R. Morel, Pertuz, R. Garcia, and Spence, although Morel has been getting a lot of reps in the outfield in addition to infield). So it is possible that you might see a trade involving one of the extra outfielders at AA and/or one of the extra infielders at Hi-A in the next few days. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.