The Cubs go for the series win behind Travis Wood. The Tigers counter with Justin Verlander. Over/under on Verlander K's at 11. Over/under on hits for the Cubs is 2. Take the over on the K's and under on the hits. Hell, perfect game #23 doesn't sound too unreasonable.

The Cubs go for their 5th straight win at Wrigley and Garza tries to impress the Tigers into trading for him.

...about sums it up.

Till game time.

The Cubs are actually an almost reasonable 12-15 at home, so maybe they won't get crushed tonight. But as Cubnut noted on Twitter the other day, the Cubs record in last 22 games that didn't involve the San Diego Padres is 2-20.

Coming into tonight's action Anthony Rizzo trailed Omaha's Will Myers (Double A and Triple A combined) by eight for the top spot in all of minor league baseball in total bases. So he homered twice and doubled to briefly wrest the lead away before Myers homered off of Jeff Beliveau to break a 7-7 tie in the top of the 9th and give the Storm Chasers a hard fought win in a series opener at Principal Park.

Dan Vogelbach singled twice, doubled, drove-in three runs, and scored three more, Carlos Penalver collected three singles and two RBI and scored two runs, and Danny Lockhart had four hits (three singles and a double) and scored twice, leading the AZL Cubs to a 12-6 victory over the Boise Hawks this morning at Fitch Park Field #3 in Mesa, AZ.  

Baseball here, baseball there; baseball, baseball everywhere…

Friday night I got home from work as quick as I’m able, changed outfits and headed to the ballpark, arriving in the second inning of game one as the I-Cubs dug into the first of four games with the Nashville Sounds in barely 24 hours.

Here are the final Cubs Cactus League Extended Spring Training game statistics.

There is no official scorer at the games, so the stats are unofficial.

Trey Martin ripped two doubles and a home run, drove-in two runs, and scored three, and James Pugliese threw four innings of shutout ball with five strikeouts, leading the Cubs to an 8-2 victory over the Reds in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning at Fitch Park Field #3 in Mesa, AZ.

16th ROUND (494):
Michael Hamann, RHP
R/R, 6'3 170, 21 years old
U. of Toledo
COMMENT: College Junior... had season-ending shoulder surgery in 2011... went 3-5 with a 5.80 ERA for Rockets in 2012, but with a 2.12 ERA over last five starts... allowed 89 hits in 76 IP (14 GS), with 29/55 BB/K... was a mainstay of the Toledo starting rotation freshman & sophomore seasons... throws 90-93 MPH fastball that touches 95, but command and secondary stuff need work... projects as a reliever in pro ball... was a member of National Honor Society in HS... was selected by Cleveland Indians in 24th round of 2009 draft but did not sign...

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2nd ROUND (67):
Duane Underwood, RHP
R/R, 6'3 210, 17 years old
Pope HS - Marietta, GA
COMMENT: Outstanding all-around athlete... Two way player (RHP/OF) in HS... fast runner with plus-power at the plate... throws 91-94 MPH fastball that can touch 96-98, but has had command issues... change-up has been his best and most-reliable pitch... mediocre curve ball needs a lot of work... signed NLI with U. of Georgia...
SIGNING BONUS POOL #67 SLOT VALUE: $769,600

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1st ROUND (6):
Albert Almora, CF
R/R, 6'2 180, 18 years old
Mater Academy - Hialeah Gardens, FL
COMMENT: Rated best HS defensive outfielder and 2nd best HS hitter in draft by Baseball America... Gold Glove quality defender right now... has average arm strength but with outstanding accuracy... is line-drive hitter with plus bat-speed... has just average speed for a centerfielder but is an above-average baserunner and base-stealer... was named tournament MVP while playing for Team USA 18 & Under squad at Pan American Games in Columbia last November... signed NLI with U. of Miami...
SIGNING BONUS POOL #6 SLOT VALUE: $3.25M

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The first round of the MLB draft happens today. It will last at least twice as long as necessary. Good news for us Cubs fans is they have the #6 pick, so we can get the first pick over quickly. I believe they do go through the supplemental round though today and that's two more picks (#43 and #56) for the Cubs at the end of the evening.

The buzz for the Cubs centers around the 2 high school position players, Carlos Correa ("He's another A-Rod!!!) and Albert Almora ("the Cubs would take him even if they had the #1 pick"). Huzzah! The latest mock drafts from Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus both had the Cubs taking Almora for what it's worth.

Other names loosely linked to the Cubs are Florida catcher Mike Zunino and LH prep pitcher Max Fried.

You can watch the fun on MLB.com.

Four Rockies pitchers combined to toss a six-hit shutout, as the Cubs were blanked 3-0 in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning at Dust Storm Field at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, east of Scottsdale, AZ.