The Cubs have a few nagging health problems as well as injuries this spring. Nothing critical. Just stuff like heart arrhythmia's treated with surgery.
Mark DeRosa had ablation surgery to burn the short circuit in the electrical wiring of his heart. Now that he's got normal sinus rhythm, can dancing with the stars be far behind? Our 2nd baseman is back in Mesa and should resume baseball activities as soon as next monday.
Alfonso Soriano broke the tip (distal phalanx) of his right long finger catching during fly ball drills while coached to catch two-handed. Ouch that hurts. If this was a 16 inch softball league he'd be out there the next day (gnarly looking hands are the trademerk of us 16 inch softball players). Fortunately it's a hairline crack in the bone so it will be less sore in a week or two.
Update (from the Sun-Times):
(Soriano)... threw from the outfield in his first work since suffering the injury sunday and fared well. Next up is batting practice.
Aramis Ramires has a sore shoulder. Not sore enough for an MRI. Expect him back soon and more importantly expect to see DeRosa at third soon too.
Update (from the Sun-Times):
...(A-Ram) had his scheduled spring debut pushed back to friday, but Piniella said it's not a concern and plans to have him in the lineup Friday and Saturday.
Michael Wuertz was held back a bit with a weak arm but he pitched a 1-2-3 inning with 2 K's yesterday looking solid. Last year Wuertz had a rough spring but was back on track once the season started, so it appears he's OK.
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Thanks as always, AZ.
On a different subject, I just now noticed the record of the L.A. Angels in the standings.
m.garza debuts tuesday vs pitt
vanillawafers (with recently shaved mustache) to the pen
Ugh
they have an entire section of the bleachers today...kinda creepy.
Mets fans are louder than Cubs fans. A new low point.
Brett Jackson...
"Some of the best advice I've gotten is, I was sitting with Ian Stewart, talking about hitting and I was feeling for my swing as you do early in the season," Jackson recalled. "He asked if I was comfortable at the plate and I said I'm not very comfortable right now. He's like, 'You need to be yourself at the plate and be comfortable and be the type of hitter [you] want to be.'"
http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130518&...
Geiger-Soler put on a fireworks show in yesterday's Daytona Cubs doubleheader...
http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130518&...
Soler...
Interesting tweet in the tweet box: z'Remember when Rizzo was striking out a lot? No K's in last 31 AB's..tied for 2nd longest active streak in majors"
Don't know if that includes last night, but it sure goes a long way to explaining his improved hitting. It's a curious thing, though, the difference between the way his season started and now. How does that happen?
A short doc on a long ago MLB legend
Semi NSFW
http://www.roopstigo.com/reel/morganna-a-kissing-b...
This awesome
http://mlb.mlb.com/photos/gallery.jsp?content_id=4...
Baseball America Hot Sheet:
Christian Villaneuva, 3b, Cubs
Team: Double-A Tennessee (Southern)
Age: 21
Why He’s Here: .435/.500/.739 (10-for-23), 3 R, 4 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 1 BB, 6 SO, 1-for-2 SB
wow...Arizona Phil's universe intersects with Wrong-way Phil Rogers!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/14/Pete...
per Roto...
Remember Albert Almora? The Cubs’ first-round pick last June is almost all the way back after breaking his hamate bone in mid-March. He’s been playing center field and hitting in extended spring games in Arizona and should soon be assigned to the low-A Kane County Cougars. There’s no sign yet of Junior Lake, who suffered a stress fracture to the top rib on his right side in mid-March. Outfielder Reggie Golden, a second-round pick in 2010 recovering from two torn ligaments in his left knee, appears close to completing his recovery.
USA Today Article on Mark Appel.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/2013/...
Scouting report
http://orioles-nation.com/2011/07/28/scouting-the-...
#2 Mark Appel
"Analysis: This is Appel or Gray, assuming one of them goes first, with Appel the preference. The Cubs are in the catbird seat in this draft -- they don't have to pay the premium that comes with picking first overall but are guaranteed to get one of the two huge arms in the class."
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9277478/...