9th Inning Rally Gains Split for Cubs at Riverview
RHSP Jen-Ho Tseng hurled three innings of perfect baseball, Kevin Cornelius laced two RBI doubles (one in the 2nd inning and another in the 8th), Eddy Julio Martinez singled and doubled and scored a run, and Gioskar Amaya drilled a bases-loaded two-run walk-off double off the LF fence in the bottom of the 9th to overcome a 4-3 deficit, as the AAA Iowa Cubs rallied to edge the Reno Aces (AAA affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks) 5-4 on Field #6, and Anfernee Grier smacked a two-run HR in the 1st inning and Marcus Wilson hammered a solo HR in the 3rd, and LHSP Alex Young hurled three innings of shutout ball, as the Jackson Generals (D'backs AA affiliate) edged the Tennessee Smokies (Cubs AA affiliate) 4-3 on Field #5, in Cactus League Minor League Camp doubleheader game action Friday afternoon on John Arguello Way at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa, AZ.
Diamondbacks RHSP Taijuan Walker was sent to Mesa from D'backs MLB camp and got the start for Reno on Field #6, working 4.2 IP and allowing one run (earned) on three hits (a double and two singles) and a walk, with seven strikeouts and a 4/2 GO/AO. Kevin Cron belted two tape-measure home runs (a solo blast off Zach Hedges in the 5th and a two-run bomb off Preston Morrison in the 7th) to give the Aces a temporary 3-2 lead (later expanded to 4-2), before the Cubs came back with a run in the 8th on the second RBI double by Cornelius and then the two runs in the bottom of the 9th on the G. Amaya clutch two-bagger (the culmination of a magnificent ten-pitch AB).
Down 4-0 going into the 9th on Field #5, Zack Short blasted a three-run HR to pull the Smokies within a run, but the potential tying and winning runs were subsequently left-stranded.
Tennessee pitchers allowed only three hits on Field #5, but eight walks (including six by Smokies SP Kyle Miller) and two HBP combined with the two early HR helped give the Generals just enough runs and the eventual victory.
Because the Cubs MLB squad has split in two for the weekend (the Cubs will be playing a two-game set versus the Cleveland Indians in Las Vegas on Saturday and Sunday while the other squad remains in Mesa to face an Indians split-squad on Saturday and the Kansas City Royals on Sunday), a number of players (mostly from AAA Iowa) were called up to the MLB squad from Minor League Camp just for the weekend, and so there were also a number of temporary promotions at Minor League Camp as well.
Here are the abridged box scores from the two games played at Riverview Park on Friday (Cubs players only):
FIELD #5
TENNESSEE LINEUP:
1. Roberto Caro, LF: 2-4 (K, 1B, 4-3, 1B, R, PO)
2a. Andruw Monasterio, SS: 0-2 (P-6, F-8)
2b. Luis Diaz, 2B: 1-2 (F-9, 1B, R)
3. Zack Short, 2B-SS: 2-4 (2B, L-9, K, HR, R, 3 RBI)
4. Jesse Hodges, 1B-3B: 1-4 (F-9, 1B, 3-1, P-3, SB)
5a. Vimael Machin, 3B: 0-2 (K, 3-1)
5b. Luis Hidalgo, 1B: 1-1 (1B)
6a. Jhonny Pereda, C: 0-2 (L-9, K)
6b. Richard Nunez, C: 0-1 (BB, 6-U FC)
7a. Chris Pieters, RF: 0-2 (4-3, 1-3)
7b. Jose A. Gonzalez, RF: 0-1 (F-8)
7c. Ramsey Romano, PH: 1-1 (2B)
8a. Kevin Zamudio, DH: 0-3 (F-7, L-8, K)
8b. Tyler Alamo, PH: 0-1 (F-8)
9. Robert Garcia, CF: 0-3 (P-3, K, 1-3)
TENNESSEE PITCHERS:
1. Kyle Miller: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 4 R (4 ER), 6 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP, 1 WP, 2 HR, 1 GIDP, 2/2 GO/AO, 59 pitches (26 strikes)
2. Casey Bloomquist: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP, 3/1 GO/AO, 29 pitches (15 strikes)
3. Jake Stinnett: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 4/0 GO/AO, 23 pitches (14 strikes)
4. Elvis Diaz: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 0/1 GO/AO, 11 pitches (8 strikes)
5. Wyatt Short: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 0/1 GO/AO, 15 pitches (9 strikes)
TENNESSEE ERRORS: 1
3B Vimael Machin: E-5 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base safely)
TENNESSEE CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Jhonny Pereda: 0-2 CS
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FIELD #6
IOWA LINEUP:
1a. Eddy Julio Martinez, CF: 2-3 (K, 1B, 2B, R)
1b. Jose Gutierrez, CF: 0-1 (K)
2a. Jeffrey Baez, RF: 0-2 (5-3, K)
2b. Ian Rice, C: 0-2 (5-3, L-7, RBI)
3a. P. J. Higgins, C-DH: 0-2 (K, BB, F-8)
3b. Christian Donahue, PH: 1-1 (1B, R, SB)
4a. Alexander Guerra, DH #1: 0-3 (K, K, 5-3)
4b. Tyler Payne, PH: 1-1 (1B, R)
5. Bijan Rademacher, LF: 0-3 (3-U, K, K, BB)
6. Gioskar Amaya, 2B: 1-4 (L-7, K, F-8, 2B, 2 RBI)
7a. Carlos Penalver, SS: 1-2 (1B, 5-3, R, SB)
7b. Trent Giambrone, SS: 1-1 (2B, R)
8. Kevin Cornelius, 1B: 2-3 (2B, K, 2B, 2 RBI)
9. Stephen Bruno, 3B: 0-2 (6-3, F-9, BB, CS)
10a. Tyler Pearson, DH #2: 0-1 (K)
10b. Connor Myers, RF: 0-1 (K)
NOTE: SLOT WAS SKIPPED FIRST TIME THRU BATTING ORDER
IOWA PITCHERS:
1. Jen-Ho Tseng: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 3/2 GO/AO, 36 pitches (23 strikes)
2. Zach Hedges: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 2/3 GO/AO, 22 pitches (15 strikes)
3. Preston Morrison: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 22 pitches (18 strikes)
4. Tommy Nance: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1/0 GO/AO, 10 pitches (7 strikes)
5. Dave Berg: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 0/3 GO/AO, 6 pitches (4 strikes)
IOWA ERRORS: 2
1. 3B Stephen Bruno: E-5 (errant throw to 1st base on bunt single allowed batter to advance to 2nd)
2. C Ian Rice: E-2 (errant throw to 1st base on bunt allowed batter to reach base safely)
IOWA CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Ian Rice: 1-1 CS, 1 E (see above)
ATTENDANCE: 49
WEATHER: Partly cloudy with temperatures in the 70's
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"Just because it's not official doesn't mean it didn't happen"
Recent comments
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Hagsag 12 hours 7 min ago (view)
$$$$ for trump's defense fund.
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Dolorous Jon Lester 12 hours 10 min ago (view)
But they got $600 a few months back. Each! That was an unexpected windfall.
Can't wait to see us acquire a 17 year old, 16 year old, 11 year old (all in the 15-30 range of Blue Jays prospects) and one of the shitty Jays surplus OFs. Randal Grichuk jerseys will be the new hot item among Cubs fans.
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crunch 13 hours 2 min ago (view)
things are a little tight, we have to be patient with the ricketts family finances.
when TD Ameritrade was fully/completely sold in october they expected to get 26 billion dollars of value on the transaction, but it only got 22 billion dollars. the massive slew of millions that didn't fully come to realization on the ricketts side of that sale stings.
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Dolorous Jon Lester 13 hours 19 min ago (view)
Trade Hendricks? Cant be true. We're "going to be competitive this year."
Sell the team, Ricketts family.
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crunch 13 hours 35 min ago (view)
"Scott Mitchell of TSN reports that the Blue Jays have discussed a potential trade with the Cubs involving Kris Bryant and Kyle Hendricks.
Mitchell was responding to a question on Twitter asking whether there was any truth to the rumor that the Jays had talked with the Cubs about a deal for both players, and he answered in the affirmative."
this timeline sucks.
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bradsbeard 1 day 17 hours ago (view)
International Scouting Director Louie Eljaua was just on The Score and he mentioned that COVID is causing issues with completing physicals and officially signing guys, but he said they have 24 guys unufficially signed right now.
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KingKongvsGodzilla 1 day 18 hours ago (view)
These guys are a year apart in age and Miller's easily had the stronger career to date. While I'm not big on Miller, much prefer his more standard injury (TJ) than whatever it is that sapped Foltynewicz's velocity. Folty without velocity just isn't interesting and is likely a much bigger injury risk
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Cubster 1 day 18 hours ago (view)
from an mlb.com article by Jordan Bastian...excerpt on Cubs free agent starting pitching options:
"Still, the Cubs need some more experienced Major League innings.
Given the way the offseason has played out for the North Siders, free-agent possibilities could include Chris Archer. Archer missed all of 2020 due to thoracic outlet syndrome, but he hopes to be ready to go by Spring Training. Free agents Mike Foltynewicz, Carlos Rodón, Rick Porcello and Trevor Williams are coming off forgettable '20 seasons but might benefit from the Cubs' analytics team.
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Charlie 2 days 12 hours ago (view)
At this rate, they will need 11 starters in 2021 but like 6 of them will be more or less Alec Mills. The defense will get plenty of practice, at least.
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crunch 2 days 16 hours ago (view)
i wouldn't be surprised to see jake arrieta come on board since no one else seems to want him and he'll probably have to take a 1yr deal...
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crunch 2 days 16 hours ago (view)
cubs get their backup catcher...hopefully not their main catcher...
austin romine 1yr/1.5m
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Dolorous Jon Lester 2 days 16 hours ago (view)
Look no further than Shelby Miller!
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crunch 2 days 17 hours ago (view)
hank aaron has died. passed away in his sleep.
we've lost a lot of HOF'rs and other notables in the past many months.
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Hagsag 2 days 22 hours ago (view)
The Cubs are now the "Little Sisters of the Poor".
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crunch 3 days 6 hours ago (view)
given what little we're supposed to expect out of this offseason that would have been a nice gamble.
at this point i wonder if they're going to snag someone to put in between the 2 current staff aces that throw 88mph on a good day, or if they're just gonna toss one of the kids in there to break up the slow-tossers.
i mean, there's gotta be something more than hendricks/davies/mills/alzolay/???...i hope.
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springs 3 days 6 hours ago (view)
That sucks...I wanted to sign Q to a one year deal and see if he could right the ship. At a minimum I hoped we'd get a draft pick when he left as a free agent and thought we could roll the dice to try and get that. That trade....man.
Comments
Zack (Short) attack!
Zack (Short) attack!
PHIL: Do you know which of
PHIL: Do you know which of the remaining NRIs have options left? Bass, Hancock, Ryan, Court, Freeman, etc.? Thanks!
K-DUB: The only 2018 Cubs
PHIL: Thanks! I had been
PHIL: Thanks! I had been looking for and asking around to see who had options left. As always, you are the go to guy. Thanks for being such an available and excellent resource.
man...vogelbomb is gonna hit
man...vogelbomb is gonna hit like 40 homers this year.
dude seems to have given up "going slim" but the weight he put back on is beefcube bulk...and he's hitting the crap out of the ball.
j.baez played 6 innings of
j.baez played 6 innings of today's early split squad game...got 3ab, 1-3 (single)...says he feels great
schwarber hit a triple and a double. zobrist hit a homer. eddie butler didn't do so well 3.1ip 2h 3bb 2k, 3r/er
Carrie Muskat @CarrieMuskat 15,826 at Sloan Park today for #Cubs vs Indians. 3rd largest Cactus League crowd everMaddon might have defined the
Maddon might have defined the former Grimm spot as competition. Butler showed why he is not made it as a starter, suddenly losing command, my guess he is waived as teams look to vulture a cast off for innings like TB looking for a 5th starter or inclusion as 5th starter by committee. So possible dark horse or acquired, either way I think it just keeps the seat warm until mid June.
Eddie Butler pitched very
So I'm not sure what this all means for Butler going forward. Obviously he is not competing for a job in the Cubs starting rotation so how he performed in his 4th inning of work today probably doesn't matter much, because he was very good for the first three innings. And since he is out of minor league options, I would think the Cubs will probably just keep him on the 25-man roster and see how he performs in a multi-inning role out of the bullpen over the first month or so and then re-evaluate his spot on the roster.
And BTW, LHRP Justin Wilson was excellent today, pitching with confidence and combining a 96-97 MPH FB and a hard slider to produce an easy 1-2-3 inning. And -- HE THREW STRIKES!
RHP Luke Farrell worked the final three innings for the Cubs (he's getting stretched-out to be a SP at Iowa), and he racked up seven strikeouts. Farrell "pitches backwards," meaning he uses his 90-91 MPH FB to set up his plus-CV and CH, and he depends on plus-command to make it work. He had plus-command today.
Thanks for game account, Phil
It seems like a good sign
they seem to like him better
I think Mills needs to be
The thing that concerns me
The thing that concerns me about the Cubs giving up on Eddie Butler is that he fits a similar profile as Jake Arrieta circa-2013. He has above-average stuff and he has the diversity of pitches to be a starter, but he also has command problems, throws too many pitches per inning, and seems to be unable to fight back against adverse situations.
That was the knock against Arrieta when the Cubs acquired him from Baltimore. He was seen as being mentally weak and unable to handle adversity. Of course Arrieta ultimately became mentally and physically strong, but that's probably atypical. There is just no way to tell in advance if that will ever happen with Butler, so it's just a question of how long the Cubs can carry him on the roster waiting for the light to go on (presuming it ever does, which it probably won't).
Also, this is not a rebuilding situation like it was in 2013-14 where the Cubs can afford to let Butler struggle and (hopefully) eventually figure things out and - MAYBE - become another Jake Arrieta. Or - MAYBE - he will be able to harness his stuff in short burts and morph into a quality reliever (as happened with Carl Edwards Jr).
Bottom line is, if the Cubs get a reasonable offer (like maybe a younger pitcher who is not out of minor league options), I can see the Cubs trading Butler. Meanwhile he's the 8th man in the pen.
One hope I've got for Butler
One hope I've got for Butler is that he's always been used in rotation, where his fastball is good but not all that fast. (Faster maybe than the Cubs soft-toss rotation last year, but not fast relative to league.) But a lot of guys throw harder in relief. And sometimes when a guy is pitching more often, it's almost easier to kind of stay in sync. Would be cool, for him and Cubs, if he emerged as a pretty decent long-relief and 6th-inning guy. The erratic control is a concern, though. When Grimm was getting used for 6th inning work, you never new if he'd be able to get the ball over the plate. Maddon might like somebody with averag stuff, but who's safer to be able to throw strikes and get through the 6th inning more consistently.
RIP ryan merritt's ERA and
RIP ryan merritt's ERA and WHIP.
Wow. Hannemann is putting on
Wow. Hannemann is putting on a power display today. 1 HR and two doubles that had home run distance -- and one of them should have been ruled a home run. Double #1 hit high off the 30 foot high centerfield wall 433 ft. from the plate and double #2 hit the 364' sign sticking up above the wall in right center field. It was above the blue line going along the top of the wall (they don't have a yellow line at the top of the wall, for some reason). I think I got all of that right -- there being no replay in spring training games and the TV shot was not very zoomed in. Len and JD discussed that it should have been ruled a HR but no one's going to argue a spring training judgement call like that. It would have been cool for Jacob to have a three homer day, though.
it's one of the few 3-hit
at the end of the top 8th the
at the end of the top 8th the stadium sound dude ended the half-inning by playing the Super Mario World "course clear" song.
vegas is ready for baseball. they have my vote of confidence.
Q: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 8K.
Q: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 8K.
More of that, please.
Q was awsome last night.
Q was awsome last night.
I'm pretty happy about where
PHIL: Thanks for the Eddie
PHIL: Thanks for the Eddie Butler summary. With options for Simmons, Maples, et. al., still, you’re probably right about them keeping him on the 25-man.
I am interested in what you are seeing with J Heyward on a daily basis. It seems really like he just can’t hit anymore. I hate to say it, but do you think he will just be the highest-paid platoon guy now?
Btw, ETHS lost to Whitney Young in the semi’s. Close game...E-MAN: For now Jason Heyward
Too bad about ETHS. As I'm sure you know, 2018 is the 50th anniversary of the Wildkits' last state basketball championship (that was the Bob Lackey-Farrell Jones-Walter Perrin team that had Minnie Minoso's son as the 6th man), and it sure would have been sweet to win the 4-A championship this year. But it was exciting, and at least they did come close. And the businesses at Church & Dodge survived. (There was a near-riot at that intersection in 1968 -- I know because I was there!)
PHIL: Yeah, it was too bad
Ha! 1968 was the year for
Wow K Dub. That is pretty
Wow K Dub. That is pretty neat. Marcus Liberty then went on to Lou Henson's Flyin' Illini team with Kenny Battle, Kendall Gill, and Stephen Bardo? Man - those were they days they could recruit. No more.
AZ Phil, can you give me an
AZ Phil, can you give me an update on Eddy Julio Martinez? What is his
AZ Phil, how is Eddy Julio Martinez looking this Spring? I see he is still with the Iowa group, at least for now.
Hey Hagsag . Opps.
HAGSAG: As I mentioned here
Boy it would be great if the