Cubs and Angels Tie One On at Diablo Park
Xavier Batista blasted his fourth home run in four games (a solo shot in the top of the 6th that put him into a tie for the team-lead in HR with Jeffrey Baez), Jose Morales hammered an RBI triple, scored a run, and drew a walk, and Carlos Penalver doubled, walked, and scored two runs, as the Cubs and Angels played to a 6-6 tie in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning at Diablo Park Field #6 in Tempe, AZ.
Junior Lake played six innings at 3B and batted six times, going 1-6. He drove-in a run with an RBI 5-3 GO in the 1st, reached base on an RBI infield single, stole a base, and scored a run in the 2nd, struck out swinging in the 3rd, reached base on a 5-4 FC and stole a base in the 5th, was called out on strikes in the 6th, and struck out swinging in the 7th.
In five Cactus League Extended Spring Training games (26 PA), Lake is hitting 409/500/682 with six doubles, seven runs scored, three RBI, 3/6 BB/K, and 3 SB (1 CS). He has played three of the five EXST games at 3B and two in CF, and he has not commited an error at either position.
RHP Paul Blackburn got the start for the Cubs and was roughed-up in the bottom of the 1st inning, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits (four singles and a triple). Bit then he got into a groove and retired nine in a row.
RHP Armando Rivero relieved Blackburn and was hit hard, allowing three runs on five hits (four singles and a triple) in 1.2 IP. He struck out three (all three swinging).
Here is the abridged box score from today's game (Cubs players only):
CUBS LINEUP:
X-1. Jose Morales, DH #1: 1-4 (3B, F-8, F-8, 4-3, BB, R, RBI)
NOTE: Morales batted five times, hitting 2nd in the top of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings
X-2. Junior Lake, 3B: 1-6 (5-3, 1B, K, 5-4 FC, K, K, R, 2 RBI, 2 SB)
NOTE: Lake batted six times, hitting third in the top of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th innings
1. Rashad Crawford, CF: 2-4 (1B, 1B, 3-1, 3-U, R, RBI)
2. Shawon Dunston Jr, LF: 1-4 (1B, K, P-6, K)
3. Xavier Batista, RF: 2-4 (E-9, K, HR, 1B, R, RBI)
4. Jacob Rogers, 1B: 0-2 (BB, BB, K, 4-6-3 DP)
5. Jose Dore, DH #2: 0-2 (K, BB, BB, F-9)
6. Brad Zapenas, 2B: 1-2 (L-7, 1B, 5-3 SH)
7. Carlos Penalver, SS: 1-2 (2B, BB, L-4, 2 R)
8a. Wilfredo Petit, C: 0-2 (P-3, P-5)
8b. Erick Castillo, C: 0-1 (5-3)
9a. SLOT WAS SKIPPED FIRST TWO TIMES THRU BATTING ORDER
9b. Jesse Hodges, 3B: 0-0 (BB)
CUBS PITCHERS:
1. Paul Blackburn: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 5 K, 74 pitches (46 strikes), 4/3 GO/FO
2. Armando Rivero: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 3 K, 41 pitches (30 strikes), 1/1 GO/FO
3. Matt Iannazzo: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 PO, 26 pitches (18 strikes), 2/0 GO/FO
4. Tyler Bremer: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 20 pitches (14 strikes), 2/1 GO/FO
CUBS ERRORS: 1
2B Brad Zapenas - E-4 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base safely - eventually scored unearned run)
CUBS CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Erick Castillo: 0-2 CS
ATTENDANCE: 3
WEATHER: Sunny with temperatures 100+
Comments
castro batting 7th...cold.
FSL All-Stars announced
FSL All-Stars announced
INF Javier Baez
INF Dustin Geiger
OF John Andreoli
OF Jorge Soler
http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=2013...
fwiw, I do my best to keep
fwiw, I do my best to keep track of the mid-season and post-season All-Stars througout the years.
http://wiklifield.thecubreporter.com/Category...
shouldn't you and the mrs be
always unfortunate when life
always unfortunate when life gets in the way of pleasurable pursuits...
but also cared way more about the Hawks game than the Cubs suckfest that they trot out most nights.
Wed's game is at 4pm out here for some God forsaken reason, no way to make it there on time without taking the whole day off which isn't happening.
unlikely cycle watch in
...and he finishes 2/6.
Crunched.
Ian Stewart hits his first HR
so much for that adjusted
http://espn.go.com/espn/otl
Bob KlapischVerified account
Canoe and maybe Sweeney
Tommy Birch@TommyBirch
might want to reset his
might want to reset his defintion of the word huge there....
Hey Hollandsworth, try the
he's improved a lot behind
Jim Callis@jimcallisBA
you never know and all how it
you never know and all how it'll end up, but I'd be happier if the Cubs get Gray over Appel
Yeah, I can't wait to start
Well, here are some ( idk if
I looked into it just for
Nerd.
Heh. While this is great, O&B
Well, he said: "I'd like to
to expand upon that, here are
to expand upon that, here are the pitchers drafted #1 or #2 overall out of college since 1980.
1981 - #1 Mike Moore (28.2 career WAR)
1983 - #1 Tim Belcher (26.9)
1984 - #2 Bill Swift (18.7)
1986 - #2 Greg Swindell (30.3)
1988 - #1 Andy Benes (31.7)
1989 - #1 Ben McDonald (20.9)
1992 - #2 Paul Shuey (7.0)
1993 - #2 Darren Dreifort (7.9)
1994 - #1 Paul Wilson (2.2)
1996 - #1 Kris Benson (13.0)
1997 - #1 Matt Anderson (-0.5)
1998 - #2 Mark Mulder (20.0)
2000 - #2 Adam Johnson (-1.1)
2001 - #2 Mark Prior (16.5)
2002 - #1 Bryan Bullington (-0.2)
2004 - #2 Justin Verlander (37.1)
2006 - #1 Luke Hochever (0.8), #2 Greg Reynolds (-1.3)
2007 - #1 David Price (15.1)
2009 - #1 Stephen Strasburg (7.0)
2010 - #2 Jameson Tailon
2011 - #1 Gerrit Cole, #2 Danny Hultzen
And honestly, if you break it out to high school pitchers, that just adds Brien Taylor and Josh Beckett I believe (apologies if I'm missing someone).
We can discount Tailon, Cole and Hultzen as they haven't seen the majors yet. That leaves 20 names. I'd say 5 are all-out busts (G. Reynolds, B. Bullington, A. Johnson, M. Anderson and P. Wilson). Hochevar is probably a disappointment, but looks like he's could at least have a decent career in the bullpen. I'd say 12 have had decent careers or headed that way (Verlander, Price, Strasburg, Prior, Mulder, Benson, McDonald, Benes, Swindell, Belcher, Swift, Moore). Some of those could have been better without injuries of course (McDonald, Prior and Mulder to begin with). I don't know anything about Paul Shuey, but i presume some injury forced him to the pen, but he was decent out of there for his career. Dreifort looked like he was well on his way to a good career before arm injuries.
Not the greatest odds that the pick will succeed (depending on your personal definition of baseball success), but slightly above a flip of the coin. As for this pick of the Cubs becoming an ace with a lengthy career, those odds seem quite slim, which will make the pick a disappointment in many fans' eyes.
1989 - #1 Ben McDonald (20.9)
he's no Jim Abbott
he had twice the arm...arms of Jim Abbott
1993 - #2 Darren Dreifort
he was almost a Cub, wasn't
he was almost a Cub, wasn't he? forgot all about that....
I think it's safe to presume that whomever the Cubs pick tomorrow will be going to the Hall of Fame.
Neat. Cubs pick twice
yep, two rounds tomorrow,
yep, two rounds tomorrow, Cubs have #2 and #41.
Then #75, #108 and every 30 after that.
Kris Bryant, zero miles on
my feeling is that if Bryant
my feeling is that if Bryant was special, he'd have been drafted out of high school near the top of the draft. If you look at the history of top college bats with the first 2 picks, very few real stars. Some good players, but I'd say just two real stars (Clark & Drew...I think Erstad has the third best WAR of the group mostly thanks to his defense).
Joe Carter ('81- #2 pick), BJ Surhoff('85 - #1), Will Clark ('85 - #2), Jeff King (#1 - '86), Mike Kelly ('91 - #2), Phil Nevin('92 - #1), Darin Erstad ('95 - #1), Travis Lee ('96 - #2), JD Drew ('97 - #2), Pat Burrell ('98 - #1), Rickie Weeks ('03 - #2), Alex Gordon ('05 - #2), Pedro Alvarez ('08 - #2), Dustin Ackley('09 - #2)
That's not saying that Bryant won't be good, but there was a study not too long ago that one of the best draft strategies is to get the youngest guy. Essentially get them into pro ball as young as possible...so a guy like Frazier might be the best bet to hit a home run with this pick (I doubt the Cubs go that way though).
Nice research ROB G.
Austin Meadows is even
it would pretty much shock
is castro capable of catching
Bleh.
Fart.
I think Pujols gets a free
I think Pujols gets a free steak for that home run.
If EpHoy had bothered to do
Wasn't Villanueva part of the
what was the thing they didn
what was the thing they didn't do?
besides make it good?
O&B: Let's say it's actually
Teheran no-no through 6 v.
Beasley'd