Soto Shuts Up Talking Stick at Salt River Fields
Elliot Soto belted a bases-loaded triple in the 2nd, walked in the 4th, and singled and scored in the 6th, Varonex Cuevas drilled three singles and scored two runs, Rashad Crawford drove-in three runs with a two-run single and a sacrifice fly, and Jeffrey Baez singled and tripled and scored a run, leading the Cubs to a 7-3 victory over the Rockies in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning on Dust Storm Field at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Resort east of Scottsdale, AZ.
The 24-yeart old Soto is at Extended Spring Traning while serving a 50-game Drug of Abuse suspension received last November. While Soto is on the Restricted List and cannot play in an "official" minor league game, he is permitted ti participate in Extended Spring Training and play in EXST games. Soto is a flashy defensive whiz at SS but has struggled to hit throughout his minor league career (hitting a combined 248/311/301 in 342 career minor league games), but he brought the whippin' stick with him today. Once he has completed his suspension (after AA Tennessee has played 50 games) he will likely rejoin the Smokies.
RHP Dallas Beeler got the start for the Cubs and threw five innings (68 pitches), allowing three runs (all earned) on six hits (five singles and a triple) and a walk, while striking out two. Although he allowed six hits and only struck out two, he did induce quite a few ground balls (9/2 GO/FO, plus most of the hits he allowed were grounders, too). After he left the game Beeler threw another 15 pitches in the bullpen, so he could be close to returning to the AAA Iowa Cubs starting rotation (he has been on the I-Cubs 7-day DL since Opening Day, after missing the second half of Spring Training with a "dead arm").
Today's game was orginally scheduled as a nine-inning contest, but was cut-back to only seven innings by mutual agreement between the two teams after the Cubs arrived almost 90 minutes late for the game. The Cubs team bus was stuck in traffic on the Pima Freeway (AKA "Loop 101") for over an hour after Arizona DPS (Highway Patrol) suddenly closed the freeway as the result of a person threatening to commit suicide by jumping off a freeway overpass.
Here is the abridged box score from today's game (Cubs players only):
CUBS LINEUP:
1. Rashad Crawford, CF: 1-3 (K, F-8 SF, F-7, 1B, 3 RBI)
2. Kevin Brown, 1B: 0-4 (4-3, K, 4-3, 4-3)
3. Jeffrey Baez, DH: 2-4 (1B, 1-3, 3B, K, R)
4a. Eloy Jimenez, RF: 0-2 (F-9, P-3)
4b. Arnaldo Calero, RF: 1-2 (1B, K, RBI)
5. Antonio Valerio, C: 0-3 (HBP, 5-3, 6-3, 6-3, R)
6. Shamil Ubiera, LF: 1-3 (1B, 5-3, L-8, R)
7. Varonex Cuevas, 3B: 3-3 (1B, 1B, 1B, 2 R)
8. Elliot Soto, SS: 2-2 (3B, BB, 1B, 2 R, 3 RBI)
9. Dalfis Ortiz, 2B: 0-3 (4-3, 4-3, K)
CUBS PITCHERS:
1. Dallas Beeler: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 2 K, 1 PO, 9/2 GO/FO, 68 pitches (45 strikes)
2. Erick Leal: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 2 WP, 0/2 GO/FO, 29 pitches (20 strikes)
CUBS ERRORS: 2
1. 1B Kevin Brown - E-3 (overthrow at 3rd base after successful sacrifice bunt allowed runner to score from 3rd)
2. 3B Varonex Cuevas - E-5 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base safely)
CUBS OUTFIELD ASSISTS:
CF Rashad Crawford - threw out baserunner 8-4 after runner overran 2nd base on single to CF
ATTENDANCE: 9
WEATHER: Sunny & breezy with temperatures in the 90's
Comments
"Jose Veras is unavailable
junior lake...wow...just wow.
nevermind...this is team-wide
lyle overbay? still in the
cubs caught a break tonite no
I didnt know this channel
Some names to watch for the
n.ramirez debut...
DON'T bring him up. No walks
veras to DL (oblique)..
jake "how f'n many rehab
Mick Gillispie
that's a short last outing..
It's a typical spring
yow...segura hit in the head
Braun did it
ha.
there's a lot of win in that
there's a lot of win in that comment
t.wood just walked the
...okay...valbuena/castillo..
#deadassteam
Is it safe to assume the mega
i think your second point
Agreed 100%
Valbuena hits a very long
Vin Scully just told me that
i think he's also getting
I usually find him unbearable
i love the dude...he'll read
Listen to an inning of
listening to an inning of
I'm sure he'd be a great
AZ Phil, please explain the
HAGSAG: Just like there is a
HAGSAG: Just like there is a Reserve List limit for MLB clubs (the so-called "40-man roster"), there is also a Reserve List limit for minor league clubs, too:
IOWA (AAA): 38 (25-man Active List)
TENNESSEE (AA): 37 (25-man Active List)
DAYTONA: 35 (25-man Active List)
KANE COUNTY: 35 (25-man Active List)
BOISE: 35 (30-man Active List - 25 designated "active" for any given game of which at least 10 must be pitchers)
AZL CUBS: 35 (35-man Active List - 30 players designated "active" for any given game of which at least 10 must be pitchers)
DSL CUBS: 35 (35-man Active List - 30 players designated "active" for any given game of which at least 10 must be pitchers)
VSL CUBS: 35 (35-man Active List - 30 players designated "active" for any given game of which at least 10 must be pitchers)
So the 60-day DL is essentially used the same way in the minors as it is in the big leagues, to create additional slots on a minor league affiliate's Reserve List during the season if the affiliate's Reserve List is full. (The one difference is that an MLB player can be placed on a club's 60-day DL beginning with the start of Spring Training as long as the MLB club's 40-man roster is full, but minor league players cannot be placed on a 60-day DL until Opening Day).
When players are signed after being selected in the MLB Rule 4 Draft (AKA "First Year Player Draft") and the player signs a contract for that season, the player must be placed on a minor league affiliate's Active List or Disabled List within 20 days after the contract is signed, but the player does not count against the minor league club's Reserve List until the Reserve List rosters are filed in November.
And players who are "Signed for Future Service" (player signed after July 1st and first contract is for the following season) cannot be placed on a minor league affiliate's Active List and do not have to be placed on the minor league affiliate's Reserve List until Opening Day of the following season, even though the player can participate in a post-season Instructional League, Minor League Camp, and Extended Spring Training. So for example, Gleyber Torres was "Signed for Future Service" last July and so he is not presently on a minor league Reserve List. but he will have to be added to the Reserve List AND Active List (or DL) of whatever affiliate he is eventually assigned beginning on Opening Day of that affiliate (whether it be Boise, AZL Cubs, or VSL Cubs). Same goes for Eloy Jimenez, Johan Matos, Erling Moreno, et al.
Because players selected in the June draft who are not Signed for Future Service (which are almost all of the drafted players who sign) must be added to a minor league affiliate's Active List or DL within 20 days of signing, the roster crunch for Boise and the AZL Cubs during the season relates to the affiliate's Active List, not its Reserve List. So (for instance) when the AZL Cubs place a player on its 60-day DL during the AZL season, its because the AZL Cubs 35-man Actve List is full, not because its Reserve List is full.
Also, even though the Iowa Active List presently includes about a dozen players who are on the Cubs MLB Reserve List (Chris Rusin, Matt Szczur, Josh Vitters, Arismenmdy Alcantara, et al), the AAA Iowa Reserve List is usually full or nearly-full because of the number of players who were assigned to the Iowa roster the previous November (prior to the Rule 5 Draft) to exempt the player from selection in the minor league phases of the Rule 5 draft (there are no roster restrictions or right to re-claim players lost in a minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft, so if there isn't room for a prospect on the MLB 40-man roster in November, the next-best thing is to place the player on the AAA affiliate's Reserve List--its "38-man roster"-- so that he will only be eligible for selection in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft), even though the player might presently be on the Tennessee, Daytona, or KC Active List.
Thanks, as always for
"The Cubs team bus was stuck
My only advice, assuming he
Garza gave Samardzija some
Garza gave Samardzija some advice
http://espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/108...
"I told [Samardzija], 'It doesn't matter, dude. You play in Chicago,'" Garza told reporters. "'I was there, and I lost 30 wins in three seasons. It's not your fault. You pitch your way out of there.'"
"Also dude, I'm really bad at math and tell your woman to shut her mouth."
That's one problem I have
Yeah, a quick check of the
Yeah, a quick check of the stats and... He didn't have 30 no-decisions in his three years with the Cubs. Mostly because he couldn't stay healthy. What a jackass.