Turner Uses Hidden Ball Trick to His Advantage
Eloy Jimenez drilled an RBI double and an RBI single, Erick Castillo collected four singles, scored a run, and drove-in another, and RHP Jacob Turner hurled three innings of one-hit shutout ball for the Cubs, and Fernando Pujadas ripped two doubles and knocked-in two runs for the Giants, as the two teams played to a 4-4 tie in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning at Indian School Park Field #2 in Scottsdale, AZ.
Jacob Turner got the start for the Cubs and was masterful, working three shutout innings (37 pitches - 29 strikes) and easily retiring the first eight men he faced (3-U, 4-3, 6-3, K, F-8, F-8, K, 3-1) on just 32 pitches, before surrendering a two-out bouncing double down the LF line (just out of the reach of a diving Adonis Paula) in the bottom of the 3rd inning. He then got the final out on a 3-1 GO to complete his outing.
Turner is on the Cubs MLB 60-day DL (retro to 3/27) with a right elbow flexor strain, and today was his first game action since being shut-down on March 10th during MLB Spring Training.
As is the practice when a major league pitcher throws in a minor league game, Turner was allowed to use the official "Major League": baseball (which has a different feel than the official "Minor League" ball), and his club (in this case the Cubs) is responsible for supplying the Major League balls to the home plate umpire each half-inning. Then when the big leaguer finishes his inning, the Major League baseballs are sent back to the bench, and the Minor League balls are returned to the home plate umpire.
The Minor League ball that was in play when the last out of the top of the 2nd was recorded was inadvertently left on top of the mound after the conclusion of the half-inning, and when Turner got out to the mound and saw it, he picked it up, looked at it for second, and then disdainfully tossed it out of play (usually the umpires job) while a Major League baseball suddenly appeared in his glove at the exact same time (a variation on what I believe magicians call the "vanishing elephant illusion"). It was absolutely amazing (or I was in a drooling stupor, not sure which). Then Turner made the Giants disappear.
Chris Denorfia (on Cubs MLB 15-day DL - hamstring strain) continued his rehab in the game, playing LF for five innings and batting four times. He grounded out sharply 5-3 on a 1-2 pitch in the top of the 1st, hammered an opposite-field double off the RF fence on the first pitch he saw his second time up, roped a line-drive single over the second-baseman's head into right-field on a 2-1 pitch in his 3rd AB, and struck out (swinging) on a 1-2 pitch in his final Plate Appearance of the day.
Denorfia has five hits (three singles and two doubles), two walks, and four strikeouts in four games (16 PA) this week, and appears to be pretty close to completing the Extended Spring Training portion of his rehab. I suppose he could go directly back to Chicago, but I suspect he will probably spend at least a day or two at AA Tennessee or AAA Iowa to face more-advanced pitching before he is reinstated from the DL.
Here is the abridged box score from today's game (Cubs players only):
CUBS LINEUP:
X. Chris Denorfia, LF: 2-4 (5-3, 2B, 1B, K)
NOTE: Denorfia batted 3rd in the top of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th innings
1. Robert Garcia, CF: 1-5 (1B, K, K, F-8, L-5, R)
2a. Eloy Jimenez, RF: 2-3 (2B, 1B, 6-4 FC, 2 RBI)
2b. Jenner Emeterio, PH-LF: 1-2 (K, 1B)
3. Joey Martarano, DH #1: 0-5 (K, K, E-5, 3-U, K, R)
4a. Frandy de la Rosa, 2B: 1-3 (F-9, 1-3, 1B)
4b. Jose Paniagua, RF: 0-2 (P-6, 4-6-3 DP)
5. Alberto Mineo, 1B: 1-4 (K, 1B, 4-6 FC, K)
6. Ho-Young Son, SS: 1-2 (1B, F-9, BB, BB, R, SB, CS)
7. Adonis Paula, 3B: 1-3 (K, 1B, F-9 SF, K, RBI)
8. Carlos Sepulveda, DH-2B: 0-2 (3-U, 4-3)
NOTE: SLOT WAS SKIPPED FIRST TWO TIMES THRU BATTING ORDER
9. Erick Castillo, C: 4-4 (1B, 1B, 1B, 1B, R, RBI)
CUBS PITCHERS:
1. Jacob Turner: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 5/2 GO/FO, 37 pitches (29 strikes)
2. Scott Frazier: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 0 K, 1 WP, 1/2 GO/FO, 22 pitches (9 strikes)
3. Santiago Rodriguez: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 3 R (3 ER). 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HBP, 2 WP, 2/5 GO/FO, 60 pitches (37 strikes)
4. Sam Wilson: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 WP, 1 PO, 1/2 GO/FO, 30 pitches (17 strikes)
CUBS ERRORS: NONE
CUBS CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Erick Castillo: 0-1 CS
WEATHER: Sunny with temperatures 100+
ATTENDANCE: 13
Recent comments
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Dolorous Jon Lester 10 hours 15 min ago (view)
Lame. He was intriguing
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crunch 12 hours 24 min ago (view)
cubs release matt dermody...he's heading to japan.
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Cubster 18 hours 49 min ago (view)
The Jared Porter story gets worse and does involve the Cubs...
"The Jared Porter situation is equally a Cubs and a Mets problem. The Mets need a new GM. The Cubs need to reevaluate themselves as an organization.
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Cubster 21 hours 38 min ago (view)
and they are including amusement tax, healthcare costs (Doc Adams doesn't come cheap!), social security and political donations to the City and the Governor of Nebraska.
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bradsbeard 22 hours 3 min ago (view)
It all depends what you count as "payroll." If you include the $11M in Lester and Descalso's buyouts plus the $3M sent in the Darvish trade you get to somewhere like $145M. If you include the $15M in estimated share of player benefits, you get to $160M. I think that last year, including player benefits, they were slated to be up around $205M for MLB payroll before the pandemic.
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crunch 1 day 7 hours ago (view)
not sure, but i think it's around 130-135m right now even with bryant/baez/contreras still on board...including the 3m to set darvish free and other random $$ expenses on the roster.
tack on another 3-4m for happ when that gets settled....plus other odds/ends that have a chance to make the roster (s.miller, a.morgan, j.holder, etc) and other pre-arbitration guys...
cubs still need someone to back up contreras (if he sticks around, which i wouldn't be surprised to see him stick around)...not sure if taylor gushue is gonna be that guy and m.amaya is too young.
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George Altman 1 day 8 hours ago (view)
Seriously, what's the 2021 payroll number? Currently at approximately $165M and after they trade Bryant, Baez, & Contreras - $130M. Is that it, $135-140M.
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crunch 1 day 8 hours ago (view)
Q to the angels...supposedly 1/8m
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crunch 1 day 17 hours ago (view)
pete ricketts (the governor of Nebraska ricketts) is a key part of an anti-gambling Nebraska group called "Gambling With The Good Life" that actively lobbied their open legislature...including a speech by pete...to keep gambling illegal in Nebraska.
he last spoke for the group to the state government in-session 3 months ago.
...it's also worth mentioning all of this is separate from the Draft Kings/Wrigley Field deal that flew under the radar toward the end of the season that will put a sportsbook directly in wrigley field, itself.
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Charlie 1 day 18 hours ago (view)
Of all the things, why does this most make me want to punch
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Cubster 1 day 23 hours ago (view)
I thought the Cubs had lost a rising star in Porter, seems the just got lucky with him leaving the organization.
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crunch 2 days 7 hours ago (view)
jared porter...damn dude...mets gm, ex cubs director of scouting...
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crunch 2 days 11 hours ago (view)
cubs freeing up that chatwood + lester loot sure did help...wait...sigh.
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Cubster 2 days 11 hours ago (view)
Plus Chatwood signing w Bluejays is done.
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crunch 2 days 12 hours ago (view)
...and done. 1 year deal with a mutual option.
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Cubster 2 days 13 hours ago (view)
Dolorous in discussions with the Washington Schwarbs.
Comments
it would be very cool if
While it will be great to
per the Twitter box... Cub
46F...meanwhile i'm sitting
Fox has replaced it with the
in kauai...i like my island
The day off will give the
The day off will give the Cubs a chance to rest the pen. And give the Royals a chance to rest their pen. Crap.
Why no double header tomorrow?
Oh No Not Lennie ...
Schwarber with two more HR's
how many SB? 2? 3? =p
You may well be right that he
im not jumping to a
In the case of Kyle Schwarber
In the case of Kyle Schwarber, I don't think it's a matter of whether he can or can't eventually be an MLB-quality catcher (Cubs Minor League Catching Coordinator Tim Cossins believes he can be). Rather, it's more a matter of Schwarber projecting to be an elite hitter, maybe even in the class of Anthony Rizzo or Kris Bryant, and I woudn't want Rizzo or Bryant to be a catcher, either, even if one or both had the aptitude to play the position.
There is just too much wear & tear and the chance for injury at catcher than there is at other positions, and just like Bryce Harper and Wil Myers were moved from catcher to the outfield, I believe Schwarber will be moved, too.
I suspect Schwarber will be moved to LF at Instructs post-2015 and then play LF in the AFL after that, and that he will continue to play LF at Spring Training next season and then at Iowa, and that he will be called up early in the 2016 season to play LF for the Cubs, at about the same time Kris Bryant and Addison Russell were called up this season.
Again, it isn't that Schwarber can't develop into an MLB-quality catcher, or that he doesn't want to be a catcher (because he really does want to be a catcher), it's that he shouldn't be a catcher. From what I saw of him in LF at AZ Instructs post-2014, he isn't exactly a natural outfielder (he's a much better catcher than outfielder), but unless he is the second coming of Johnny Bench or Gary Carter (which he is not), you just don't leave an elite hitting prospect like Schwarber behind the plate. (I'm not sure even Gary Carter would stay at catcher if he came up today).
And if the DH is implemented in the N. L. in 2017 with the new CBA (as I believe it will be), Schwarber (not Vogelbach) would be the best bet to be the Cubs full-time DH (and emergency 3rd catcher) going forward. And then Billy McKinney (or Kris Bryant, if he is moved from 3B to the outfield) would project as the future LF.
I agree, Phil. He can be a
not phil, obviously, but i
I agree that Schwarber could
If the Cubs keep all of their
I like Coghlan in LF more
K-DUB: Crunch said pretty
K-DUB: Crunch said pretty much the same thing as what I'm saying, but after Schwarber has worked as hard as he has on improving his catching skills (like paying his own way to California to work with Cubs Catching Coordinator Tim Cossins during this past off-season), I don't think the Cubs want to move him to the outfield without giving him a chance to be what he really wants to be (a catcher)... at least for one season.
But he has emerged as an elite hitter at AA this season (possibly THE best hitting prospect in baseball), and so now I think the game has (a bit unexpectedly perhaps) changed for him and for the Cubs. Just like Bryce Harper and Wil Meyers moved from catcher to outfield, it's only a matter of time before Schwarber does, too. And once he does, his ETA to MLB will be significantlly shortened. And at some point in the near-future I would expect the Cubs will sit down with him and explain the facts of life.
"a chance to be what he
if he is that good of a
Thanks for your response,
He leads the Southern League
Blackhawks to the finals.
They are the anti-Bulls.
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