Brewers Edge Cubs Split Squad in Mesa
Taylor Green singled, doubled, drove-in a run, and scored another, Carlos Gomez crushed a tape-measure home run, and Marco Estrada tossed four innings of one-hit shutout ball and combined with five relievers to throw a two-hitter, as the Milwaukee Brewers edged a Cubs split squad 4-3 in Cactus League action this afternoon at Dwight Patterson Field at HoHoKam Park in Mesa, AZ
Javier Baez drove-in all three Cubs runs with a two-run HR and a bases-loaded walk.
Edwin Jackson got the start for the Cubs and labored through two innings of work (50 pitches - 27 strikes), allowing two runs on two hits (both singles), two walks, and a HBP, in a 38-pitch 1st inning. E-Jax walked another batter and threw a potential DP ball into CF for an E-1 in a 12-pitch 2nd, but was able to retire the side without any further damage.
NRI RHP Drew Carpenter entered the game an inning earlier than expected and threw three innings in relief (42 pitches - 27 strikes), allowing two runs on the Gomez HR and two doubles in the 3rd inning (his first inning of work) before settling down and retiring the last seven men he faced in a row (with four strikeouts). Carpenter is an extreme long-shot to make the Cubs MLB bullpen and it would be an even longer shot for him to make the Cubs MLB starting rotation, but he is in contention for a starting rotation slot or relief job at AAA Iowa.
Japanese imports LHP Hisanori Takahashi (battling for a bullpen job) and RHP Kyuji Fujikawa (who will likely be the Cubs primary 8th inning set-up man) each worked an easy 1-2-3 inning in relief.
The Cubs did virtually nothing against Brew Crew SP Marco Estrada.
Luis Valbuena walked to lead-off the bottom of the 1st and stole second before eventually being left-stranded at 3rd, and Nate Schierholtz doubled leading off the 2nd but was immediately picked-off by Estrada, who then retired eight of the last ten men he faced.
The Cubs broke through in the bottom of the 5th against Milwaukee RHRP Brandon Kintzler when Brett Jackson drew his second walk of the day and then scored on a Javier Baez two-run HR over the LF fence.
The Cubs scored another run in the bottom of the 6th when Nate Schierholtz and Scott Hairston walked and Brett Jackson was hit by a pitch, and Javier Baez drew a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch to force-in the run. But Dan Vogelbach (up from Minor League Camp) struck out swinging to leave three runners stranded.
While the Brewers were defeating the Cubs in Mesa, the other squad of Cubs was playing the Angels in Tempe.
I wasn't at that game, but Brian Bogusevic singled, doubled, and homered, Brad Nelson singled and homered, and SP Nick Struck threw three innings of shutout ball to lead the Cubs to a 4-2 victory.
Barring an injury or a trade, there doesn't appear to be room for Bogusevic on the Cubs 2013 Opening Day 25-man roster, but he's had a great start anyway (615/688/1231). It doesn't happen very often, but every now & then you will see an NRI player (a veteran signed to a minor league contract) get traded before Opening Day, and if Bogusevic keeps hitting, he might be one of them. He could be a nice LH PH and/or platoon corner OF for a team in need of such an animal.
Rule 5 Draft pick (and one-time Indians Top 10 Prospect) Hector Rondon threw another 1-2-3 inning, as he tries to cement a spot in the Cubs bullpen.
As I've mentioned here before, Rondon is not your typical Rule 5 Draft pick. He has been outrighted previously in his career so he can elect to be a free-agent if he is outrighted, and he is out of minor league options, so even if waivers are secured and Cleveland declines to re-claim him, the Cubs cannot option him to the minors, and if they outright him, he can be a free-agent. But for that same reason, the Indians are unlikely to re-claim him if given the chance because they probably wouldn't want to spend $25,000 (half the Rule 5 Draft price) to reacquire Rondon if he can elect free-agency (a Rule 5 pick who is re-claimed by the organization from which he was drafted MUST be outrighted to the minor league affiliate from which he was drafted).
Recent comments
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jdrnym 7 hours 47 min ago (view)
All makes sense, but I think there is one important point of clarification in there -- are you using "practice squad" and "Club Player Pool" interchangeably? If so, I understood the first sentence of your third-to-last paragraph above to mean that Mills/Sadler/Underwood could be outrighted and still be in the Pool, therefore retaining their eligibility to re-selected to the major league active roster later in the season.
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Arizona Phil 10 hours 13 min ago (view)
jdrnym: Zack Short is still on Optional Assignment to the minors (as are Alzolay, M. Amaya, R. Garcia, Maples, T. Miller, Norwood, Rea, M. Rodriguez, and Steele), but he can be recalled at any time without restriction (no "ten-day rule") because he was optioned to the minors prior to the transaction freeze in March.
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crunch 14 hours 36 min ago (view)
the toles update is worse than his troubled past. toles has been diagnosed bipolar + schizophrenia and has been in/out of institutions over the past couple years. he can't seem to stick to any program long enough to get good treatment.
hope he turns whatever corner he needs to in order to get enough treatment to decide what kind of future he'd like to have.
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Dolorous Jon Lester 17 hours 26 min ago (view)
Those two are definitely on more precarious ground once the roster is trimmed to 26, I would say.
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jdrnym 17 hours 28 min ago (view)
Right, just went through the roster quick. Underwood, Sadler, same deal.
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Dolorous Jon Lester 19 hours 45 min ago (view)
Can't answer the Short thing. But I'd agree with your assessment of Mills if he weren't basically a lock to make the roster.
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jdrnym 19 hours 52 min ago (view)
Is Zack Short's official designation still "on optional assignment" even though he's not on the Pool? If so, he can't just be recalled even though he's on the 40-man roster, right?
And someone like Alec Mills who's on the Pool and out of options... he's virtually locked onto the active roster because he can't get taken off (via an outright) and remain eligible to be re-added. Seems like the kind of player you'd prefer to leave off the initial Pool.
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crunch 20 hours 17 min ago (view)
though he went to the hospital for treatment he was never admitted, so he's yet another person who got dragged hard by Covid, but who's case isn't showing up in the hospital admission, ICU bed, or death numbers most of us are looking at.
there's a whole slew of people who have had to shut down their lives for 2-4-6-etc weeks to get over this that are falling outside of the numbers we're tracking most closely.
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Cubster 20 hours 46 min ago (view)
"In yet another reminder of how insidious this particular disease can be, Hottovy says he had acted quite cautiously in public before coming down with it. Fortunately, he was able to self-isolate and avoid transmitting it to his family."
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crunch 21 hours 57 min ago (view)
it'll be interesting to see how things go down when people have to start playing games in AZ. they're damn close to being "early NYC level" screwed with a lack of planning and action.
with the early plan of playing games in AZ/FL, they could have been huge economic winners with 15+ teams playing all their games in AZ (and spring training 2.0). now it's looking like some teams may not even want to fly into AZ for a few dozen "away" games.
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crunch 22 hours 12 min ago (view)
cubs pitching coach tommy hottovy was diagnosed with covid-19 earlier this spring, but he is currently assumed fully recovered.
he had a 100+ degree temperature for 6 days, lost 18 pounds, and it took 30 days for him to test negative.
he's 38 years old, btw.
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Hagsag 1 day 5 hours ago (view)
Bravo Crunch!
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crunch 1 day 21 hours ago (view)
at least the cubs got elston back for pretty much nothing. also, ha.
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Rob Richardson 2 days 2 hours ago (view)
How many coachs, managers, and other "tier 1" individuals around the league are in higher risk groups?
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Rob Richardson 2 days 2 hours ago (view)
Well said Crunch.
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Cubster 2 days 3 hours ago (view)
1956 Cub Hoax...
Hit .215, 5 HR. Age 28 season
https://www.ebay.com/i/153938295586?chn=ps
Comments
Thanks for the report, Phil.
JOHN B: I can't see the Cubs
JOHN B: I can't see the Cubs carrying six outfielders and only five infielders. I'm not saying they should or shouldn't, just that they won't.
If Stewart doesn't get released, Valbuena & Lillibridge are the two utility infielders and Clevenger goes to Iowa. If Stewart does get released and Valbuena is the everyday 3B, I think Clevenger wins the second utility INF job because he can also be the #3 catcher. (Clevenger played 2B his first season in pro ball so he is at least familiar with the position, and he has also played some 1B and 3B in the minors).
BTW, Clevenger is swinging the bat now like he did pre-oblique injury last May.
Unbelievable. Even now, Lohse
Hasn't the issue been the
It's a completely unworkable
Yep...he might be SOL....
CLE has already used this
Lake has also made a couple
nice. i didn't listen to the
JOHN B: Junior Lake made a
JOHN B: Junior Lake made a nice stop & accurate throw to 2nd base to start a nifty 5-4-3 DP today, and he also made an outstanding catch with his back to the infield on a tricky pop fly in LF foul territory, but then there was the horrendous throw to 1st base (E-5) on a routine play leading off the 4th inning (eventually resulted in an unearned run scoring).
Lake needs to play somewhere in the outfield, either CF or RF. And because he can't hit breaking balls from RHP, his future will be as a RH platoon CF or RF. And it probably won't be with the Cubs, either.
for anyone who has XM radio
in case you missed this,
Wind blew Cashman off target
That's a mental image I