Ron Vilone
Cubs Celebrate AARP Day at Riverview Park
Four pitchers combined to hurl one-hit shut-out ball and Yeiler Peguero drilled an RBI single with one out in the top of the 2nd, took second on the throw to the plate, advanced to 3rd on a GO, and then scored on a two-out WP, accounting for both of his team's runs, as Team Banks blanked Team Santo 2-0 in Cubs AZ Instructional League intrasquad game action Thursday morning on Field #3 at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa, AZ.
The game was called after 4-1/2 innings of play.
Jake Hannemann (on AA Tennessee DL since July 7th) played for both squads, handling CF for three innings and getting three Plate Appearances with Team Santo before serving as a DH for Team Banks, going a combined 1-4 (K, 2B, K, 3-U). He will likely play winter ball somewhere in Latin America.
The game featured dramatic comeback attempts by 43-year old Cubs Minor League Pitching Coordinator (ex- MLB RHP) Jim Brower, 46-year old Cubs AZ Advanced Instructional League Pitching Coach (ex-MLB LHP) Ron Villone, 37-year old Mental Skills Program Coordinator (ex-MLB OF) Darnell McDonald, and Rehab Coach (ex-Cubs minor league catcher) Lance Rymel, much to the delight of the Cubs players. Rymel served as the catcher for both Brower and Villone, and McDonald batted once each for both squads, facing Brower once and Villone once.
McDonald's walk-up music lasted about five minutes, Brower received an animated pep-talk at the mound from Coach Ty Wright with two outs in the bottom of the 4th before summoning the courage to strike out McDonald on 82 MPH gas, and Villone had to be helped off the field by Rymel after nearly having a heart-attack waiting for RF Jonathan Sierra to make a spectacuilar stumbling game-ending catch (an L-9 line-drive by McDonald).
While all four of the geezers look to be maybe (somewhat) in something close to near-playing shape, McDonald hasn't played in the big leagues since getting released by the Cubs in Spring Training 2014, Brower last pitched professionally in the Venezuelan Winter League in 2009-10, Villone retired after the 2010 season (but he IS a lefty, so I guess he still has a chance), and Rymel hasn't played since getting released by the Rockies during Spring Training 2015. I will say that Villone still has a nifty Houdini pick-off move. He absolutely nailed Carlos Diaz cold at 1st base, and for all I know, Diaz may still be standing there wondering what just happened.
Here is the box score from the game:
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crunch (view)
no days off til may 9th. moves may happen if the pen gets too worked tomorrow.
Cubster (view)
On top of all that…Wicks scratched for Sunday due to “forearm soreness.” Bullpen day again starting with Mervis or Wisdom (or Wesn).
crunch (view)
"Morel told reporters after the game that he felt alright, just a little banged up — specifically noting his right hip and both elbows. He did say that he was optimistic about his ability to play on Sunday, though manager Craig Counsell may have other plans."
crunch (view)
rsox putting pablo reyes up to pitch...an infielder...cranking 70+mph stuff.
...and of course he gets out of it with no runs scored...that kind of day for the cubs.
crunch (view)
...and wisdom replaces mervis on the mound to try to get the last out.
busch is at 3rd, but i wouldn't read too much into that.
wisdom's thrown a couple in the 80s (one of them 88mph), but both missed the strike zone badly.
crunch (view)
matt mervis is no david ross on the mound.
cubs run differential getting destroyed.
crunch (view)
matt mervis pitching...wisdom replaces morel at 3rd.
he's featuring some high-50s thunder on the fastball.
through 15 pitches, he's straight up throwing BP...all mid-high 50s lobs. no way he's going to jose canseco himself out of a job.
on pitch 21 he railed a 75mph fastball missing high on a 0-1 count. ha.
crunch (view)
he's hugging canario in the dugout cuz morel will shrivel up and die if he doesn't hug at least a dozen people a day.
crunch (view)
and morel is injured...nice.
morel trying to play LF from 3rd...runs into canario while leaping and comes down ribs/arm-first.
hopefully he sticks around to finish this terrible game, or at least is going to avoid the IL.
TarzanJoeWallis (view)
Amen to that last point!