Cubs Pitchers Punch-Out 17 Giants in 1-0 Whitewash

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 06/13/2013 - 3:38pm

Five pitchers combined to throw a six-hit shutout with 17 strikeouts, as the AZL Cubs blanked the AZL Giants 1-0 in Cactus League Extended Spring Training post-season action this morning at Indian School Park Field #4 in Scottsdale, AZ.  



All of the Cubs pitchers who threw today looked good, but most-especially 19-year old Dominican RHP Alexander Santana, who hurled 4.1 IP of one-hit shutout ball with seven strikeouts. He did walk a batter and uncorked two WP, but he also threw 79% strikes with a 5/1 GO/FO. Santana features a 93 MPH heater, a hard slider, and a change-up, and will join Erick Leal, Daury Torrez, and Carlos Rodriguez in the AZL Cubs starting rotation, which actually could be better than the starting staff in Boise (what with Ryan McNeil and Josh Conway lost for the season with elbow injuries).  

The Cubs scored their only run today on the wings of speedy Rashad Crawford, who reached base on an E-5, stole a base, and then scored on a WP.

Tennessee Smokies OF Jae-Hoon Ha (lower-back strain) continued his rehab, serving as the DH and batting five times (once in each of the first five innings). He flied out and then grounded out twice, before roping two sharp singles in his final two AB (one an opposite field laser to RF, and the other a line-drive back through the box). He also stole a base.

Smokies 1B Justin Bour (broken wrist) also continued his rehab, playing 1B for seven innings and batting five times. He was called out on strikes in his first PA, then singled his next two times up (the first one an infield single to deep short, and the second a ground single pulled through the 3.5 hole into RF). He bounced into an inning-ending 6-4-3 DP and grounded out 4-3 in his final two AB.   

Once again beefy Mark Malave played 2B, just because there was no other viable option. The two Cubs second-basemen who were at EXST (Danny Lockhart and Brad Zapenas) have been moved up (Lockhart to Boise and Zapenas to Kane County), and none of the newly-signed draft picks who can play 2B are cleared to play in games.   
 
Here is the abridged box score from today's game (Cubs players only) :

AZL CUBS LINEUP:
X-1. Jae Hoon Ha, DH: 2-5 (F-9, 6-3, 5-3, 1B, 1B, SB)
NOTE: Ha batted five times, hitting 2nd in the top of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings
X-2. Justin Bour, 1B: 2-5 (K, 1B, 1B, 6-4-3 DP, 4-3)
NOTE: Bour batted five times, hitting 3rd in the top of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings
1. Jose Morales, C: 0-4: (K, K, 4-6 FC, L-3)
2. Jesse Hodges, 3B: 0-3 (6-3, 1-3, F-9)
3. Xavier Batista, RF: 0-3 (F-8, F-8, K)
4. Garrett Schlecht, LF: 0-3 (F-7, 3-U, 4-3)
5a. Jeffrey Baez, CF: 1-3 (K, 1B, 3-U)
5b. Wilfredo Petit, 1B: NO AB
6. Francisco Sanchez, SS: 0-3 (F-9, 6-4 FC, 5-3)
7. Mark Malave, 2B: 0-2 (K, BB, K)
8a. SLOT WAS SKIPPED FIRST TWO TIMES THRU BATTING ORDER
8b. Rashad Crawford, CF: 0-1 (E-5, R, SB)

AZL CUBS PITCHERS:
1. Starling Peralta: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R. 0 BB, 2 K, 16 pitches (12 strikes), 0/1 GO/FO
2. Carlos Gutierrez: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 32 pitches (19 strikes), 2/0 GO/FO
3. Alexander Santana: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 2 WP, 51 pitches (40 strikes), 5/1 GO/FO
4. Dayan Diaz: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 12 pitches (11 strikes)
5. Luis Villalba: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1/0 GO/FO

AZL CUBS ERRORS: 2
1. SS Francisco Sanchez - E-6 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base safely) 
2. 1B Wilfredo Petit - E-3 (missed catch on pick-off attempt at 1st base allowed baserunner to advance to 2nd)  

ATTENDANCE: 3

WEATHER: Sunny with temperatures 100+


Tags: 
AZL Cubs
Alexander Santana
Justin Bour
Jae-Hoon Ha
Rashad Crawford

Comments

Submitted by crunch  on Thu, 06/13/2013 - 5:54pm  
...wonder what scott baker is up to. back in early/mid May it was suspected he might be back "sometime in July"...but it's getting close to mid-June with no update in sight.

Submitted by Old and Blue  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 7:35am  
I thought he had a setback?

Submitted by crunch  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 4:21pm  
he did in late april...the word at the time was he'd probably return "sometime in july"... it's not the fact he's looking late on that prediction that's bothering me...it's that i've heard nothing since then. he was supposedly hanging out in ARZ for weeks post-injury. it seems like he's not even throwing from flat ground, much less working his way back...mostly because i've heard nothing in a long time.

Submitted by Old and Blue  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 5:29pm  
Well, that's kinda what you get when you go grabbing hurt pitchers in trades and through free agency. Maybe Theo will slap himself in the face next time he starts to pull the trigger on that kind of thing. Arodys Vizcaino paid a visit to Dr. Andrews last month and is shelved for a long while now, too.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 5:31pm  

put a draft signing update table on the left sidebar

a lot of it is rumored stuff from a Pro Sports Daily Forum and not yet out on the media, but it's usually from the twitter accounts of the players. A few guys say they are already in Mesa or just waiting to pass physical and such.

The only confirmed signing BA has is 9th round pick Charcer Burks at $21.1K over slot.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 6:06pm  

and obviously if you hear about a signing, drop a note in the comments, especially if you hear any bonus figures thrown out.

Thanks.

Submitted by crunch  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 6:20pm  
i.stewart, 10 days, under appeal.

Submitted by crunch  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 6:47pm  
marcum fail.. 1st inning solo HR (sureholds), bases loaded 0 outs in the 2nd leads to run on a single, 3 more runs on a dejesus triple with 1 out...cubs up 5-0 a the end of their 1/2 of the 2nd. see what you can do with that edwin...

Submitted by crunch  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 7:05pm  
dejesus -very- hurt going into the wall. in obvious flailing pain on the ground. looks like right shoulder.

Submitted by crunch  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 7:53pm  
sent for xrays...

Submitted by Arizona Phil  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 8:40pm  

If David DeJesus goes on the DL, look for the Cubs to reinstate Steve Clevenger from the 60-day DL. Clevenger is presently on a rehab assignment at Iowa (he is playing 3B and hit a HR tonight) and was eligible to be reinstated from the 60 yesterday.  

Submitted by crunch  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 9:47pm  
sprained right shoulder...DL bound.

Submitted by QuietMan  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 10:04pm  
Video for those who missed it. http://wapc.mlb.com/chc/play/?content_id=2801...

Submitted by SheffieldCornelia  on Sat, 06/15/2013 - 7:11am  
Shades of Garza getting hurt before the trade deadline last year. How does this just keep happening? /Cubbery

Submitted by QuietMan  on Sat, 06/15/2013 - 10:18am  
Patrick Mooney‏@CSNMooney Shawn Camp will be activated as Cubs put David DeJesus (shoulder) on the disabled list.

Submitted by QuietMan  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 7:28pm  
BA Hot Sheet: 4. Javier Baez, ss, Cubs Team: high Class A Daytona (Florida State) Age: 20 Why He’s Here: .304/.429/.870 (7-for-23), 5 R, 1 2B, 4 HR, 8 RBIs, 5 BB, 3 SO, 2-for-2 SB The Scoop: In the interest of full disclosure, Baez is on the Hot Sheet for essentially one day of work. But what a day it was. Baez became the first minor leaguer since 2011 to hit four home runs in a game, and only the second player in Florida State League history to do it. Maybe less noticed are the signs that Baez is catching up to the pitchers when it comes to making contact. He struck out in 30 percent of his at-bats in April, 25 percent in May and so far just 15 percent in June while his walk rate has improved. 13. Albert Almora, cf, Cubs Team: low Class A Kane County (Midwest) Age: 19 Why He’s Here: .433/.438/.667 (13-for-30), 5 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 1 BB, 6 SO, 1-for-1 SB The Scoop: If not for injuries, Almora’s season would be getting more acclaim. He missed the first month with a hamate bone injury that had sidelined him from early in spring training. He announced his return by going 7-for-11 in his first two games with low Class A Kane County. A hamstring injury knocked him out for a few days later in May, but he’s returned from that to rip off an 11-game hitting streak. Almora’s ability to pile up multiple hits in a game is remarkable. In just 19 games, he’s already had three or four hits six different times. http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/prospec...

Submitted by QuietMan  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 7:32pm  
Hot Sheet Chat: Almora seems to be absolutely raking, I know it can be reverted to small sample size, and needing to pitchers to adjust to him so he can learn to adjust back, but is he in a similar position as Buxton, were they both need to face better competition? J.J. Cooper: Almora is really locked in right now, but I do think it’s a different situation than Buxton. In Buxton’s case, he’s gone through the league twice and even after pitchers made adjustments, he’s too good for the league. In Almora’s case, he’s played 19 games. He hasn’t gotten through the league once yet. There’s no reason to promote him yet, as he is still gaining plenty by going out and getting comfortable in the MWL. http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/prospec...

Submitted by fullykräusened  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 10:40pm  
I hope that's correct, because I would like to see Almora play at Kane County a time or two. On the other hand, if he's still hitting .400 in late July, I could see the Cubs wanting him to join his 2016 Cubs teammates in Daytona. (Maybe joined by his future backup Bijan Rademacher...) 2014 could be a good time to plan a trip to that beautiful ballpark near Knoxville, just sayin'.

Submitted by crunch  on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 8:24pm  
e.jackson with 2 good outings in a row... 6ip 5h 3bb 7k, 1er

Submitted by Old and Blue  on Sat, 06/15/2013 - 8:16am  
Even though he's been a bust up until those last two starts, the odds were with him. I noticed a few times out ago his velocity was real good so I figured he wasn't on his way to Dr. Andrews. If that's the case it really should just be a matter of time before he settles in.

Submitted by Old and Blue  on Sat, 06/15/2013 - 8:45am  
Hoyer on the philosophy going into the draft: “Any kind of pitching comes with risk,” general manager Jed Hoyer said Friday. “Pitching in general (is) often best to attack in volume. Putting all your hopes on one arm can be a challenge.” That's exactly why I wanted them to go after Bryant. Who knows, maybe that is the wrong way to go - I certainly can't claim to be an expert. But since that is my current opinion about it, I'm glad the guys in charge agree. I reserve the right to change my mind if Appel or Gray kick ass and Bryant sucks, because I'm a fan, not a GM. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-06-14...

Submitted by QuietMan  on Sat, 06/15/2013 - 1:23pm  
Jason McLeod was on Talkin' Baseball this morning. He said the Cubs have agreements in place with majority of their top 10 draft picks. He said they're waiting on physicals before announcing signings. They hope to sign Kris Bryant soon. But it could still be a couple of weeks. Heyman reporting Astros have a deal with Appel. He's hearing between $6 and $6.5 million. So well under slot. Edit - Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said "nothing's changed" with Mark Appel talks in last 24 hours and sides don't have a deal.

Submitted by QuietMan  on Sat, 06/15/2013 - 8:27pm  
The Astros still are finalizing details with No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel, but two sources have told Baseball America that the sides have agreed on his bonus. Appel, a Stanford righthander, will receive $6.35 million and is expected to sign the deal early next week. http://ht.ly/m4uty

Submitted by crunch  on Sat, 06/15/2013 - 3:35pm  
k.gregg out for his 4th day in a row of relief for the save doing the 'iron man' closer thing. i wonder what he's going to snag in trade...hell of a performance so far for the cubs (and this spring)...it's been an all-season awesome fest.

Submitted by crunch  on Sat, 06/15/2013 - 3:46pm  
nailed it...scrubbies win. ...another awesome feldman win (and another feldman game with a good plate appearance) 28-38...back to 10 games under .500

Submitted by QuietMan  on Sat, 06/15/2013 - 5:57pm  
Trade him quick before his tricep tightens up or he runs into a wall.

Submitted by Old and Blue  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 7:35am  
Hey Crunch, you really hated the Feldman pick up - not saying this to give you crap for it at all - I consider your observations pretty good - but I don't remember what you didn't like about him. It was clearly NOT that his swing was on the same plane all the time. What do you suppose he is doing differently from what you expected?

Submitted by crunch  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 4:16pm  
i didn't like how hittable he's been...and it scared the crap out of me in spring. he's rather decent about not giving up HRs...but still, hittable. he's not been hittable this season...especially hits that lead to production for the other team. i'm not hiding from feldman's success, i've been giving it props...i'm surprised... also, i liked the s.baker signing. ...now it's all turned 180 as far as expected mid-season return. at least 1 of them is going to cash in for the cubs on trade return. as far as what he's doing differently...no idea. he went from the expendable 5th-starter-to-pen type for TEX to a top rotation starter for the cubs (or many other clubs just based on talent not assigned to a club).

Submitted by Old and Blue  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 7:46am  
Yeah, I know you haven't hid from his success. I like to be wrong when I'm predicting suckness, too. So far, TheoCorp has shown an ability to grab minimally priced starters and watch them turn into decent starters, so moving Feldman shouldn't hurt too much for next year (just do it again, fellas!). Wood, Feldman, Maholm. Pretty good grabs so far. I'd keep Wood though, unless somebody made a slam dunk offer.

Submitted by Old and Blue  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 8:15am  
It's cute how the comment system sometimes doesn't save the comment, only the first part of it. Anyway, thanks for the response, Crunch. I honestly had no idea what exactly my reply was, and apparently it wasn't very important, or the system wouldn't have rejected it!

Submitted by crunch  on Sat, 06/15/2013 - 3:42pm  
this is funnier than it should be... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKY5fmDGVLs Bad British Baseball Commentary | Red Sox vs Yankees

Submitted by crunch  on Sat, 06/15/2013 - 6:16pm  
lulzy counter-video (from 2010)... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vJn5XxWg9U&t How to get Americans (USA) to watch Football during 2010 FIFA World Cup

Submitted by crunch  on Sat, 06/15/2013 - 5:19pm  
a.cobb (TB) is the latest pitcher to take a liner off the head coming off a bat. damn. it's pouring this season with this issue coming on the heels of b.mccarthy last year...and the ones before then. d.nippert and d.huff (though he was fine) in 2010, nicasio in 2011, mccarthy and fister (though he seems fine) in 2012, happ and cobb this year...

Submitted by Ryno  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 2:43pm  
Like base coaches, they'll probably end up with helmets on

Submitted by Raisin101  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 2:51am  
Arizona Phil, I was wondering if you could give me a brief rundown on Loiger Padron. He really wasn't on my radar but based on your reports, it sounded like he got stretched out towards the end of ExST and will be starting tomorrow for Boise. Thanks!

Submitted by Cubster  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 10:25pm  
Padron had a solid first outing for Boise. 4.2 IP, no runs, 3H, 3BB, 3K Boise starters have not given up a run in their first 3 games. Boise up 5-1 bottom of 8th in Eugene, OR Hawks have 5 walks (5 different hitters) edit...Yasiel Balaguert (RF) hit a 3 run triple in the 9th. Hawks win 8-2.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 12:32pm  

weirdness...

Here's an interesting development. After announcing he was signing with the , RHP Daniel Poncedeleon now headed back to

there were even pictures of him signing the contract

Submitted by fullykräusened  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 12:49pm  
That's all right. Cubs can draft him again after college. It isn't as if he'll lose anything to age, what with that fountain of youth and all.

Submitted by The Joe  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 2:27pm  
Nice.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 3:08pm  

well-played sir, well-played

Submitted by John Beasley  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 3:02pm  
Marmol has no trade value. Just let him go home.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 3:09pm  

that was something...

at least Dan Haren sucks too, can't feel too bad about the non-trade.

Submitted by Newport  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 3:14pm  
At one point I had both of them on my fantasy team, hence 10th place. Those were dark days, I'm In a better place now.

Submitted by Cubster  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 4:01pm  
I'm not mad about it. 95 games until his contract expires. (aka another Bruce Levine, Talkin' Baseball bit) also, at least Marmol didn't devalue Garza today... as in coming in in relief and permitting 3 inherited runners to score.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 3:56pm  

trade me Rutledge if you're not going to play him

Submitted by Newport  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 4:01pm  
Perhaps. Trade me Castro if you aren't going to play him.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 4:17pm  

sale & rutledge & something else for castro and something else would be interest me...

Submitted by Newport  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 4:31pm  
Any trade of Sale to your team will have to involve Bob Cano or Felix. Not a .700 OPS SS. Sale is my only legit keeper.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 9:07pm  

Too steep for me...enjoy 10th place :)

Submitted by The Joe  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 4:58pm  
Everyone trade me draft picks if you're not even if you're going to use them.

Submitted by crunch  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 4:58pm  
wil meyers called up, fwiw.

Submitted by crunch  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 5:15pm  
fyi on c.zambrano (PHI)...from a couple days ago. http://crashburnalley.com/2013/06/14/carlos-z... "Last night, as soon as Carlos Zambrano’s first pitch entered Cameron Rupp’s glove, I again peeked the guns from a seat that did not belong to me. And again, the radar guns informed us that Carlos Zambrano’s fastball did not have enough juice to power a flux capacitor. A wiser, more patient, less emotionally invested me did not worry, nor whimper nor sweat. I just waited for it to come. It never came. Carlos Zambrano sat 85-87mph with his fastball all night, never touching anything better when I happened to be looking. With that he mixed a cutter in the low-80s, a slider that sat between 75-78mph, a splitter in the upper 70s with moderate sink and one lollipop curveball that came it at about 65mph."

Submitted by Cubster  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 7:47pm  
KCC wins 4-2. Pierce Johnson 7 shutout IP (4 hits). Reggie Golden another HR now hitting .295. No Almora hits today (avg down to .402) but Rock Shoulders hit his 13th HR.

Submitted by QuietMan  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 8:59pm  
Baseball America has added the Cubs 4th round pick Tyler Skulina RHP Kent State to the signed list with a bonus of $800K. Assigned slot value was $477,300.

Submitted by QuietMan  on Sun, 06/16/2013 - 9:07pm  
Jim Callis‏@jimcallisBA #Cubs sign 4th-rder Tyler Skulina for $800k. Kent State RHP has frontline stuff, 91-96 FB, tight 80-84 SL, inconsistent command.

Submitted by Cubster  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 6:00am  
Anyone hear if Henry Rodriguez has reported to the team in New York St. Louis? Can we blame the 9th inning on HRod's absence? More Cubbery.

Submitted by Old and Blue  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 7:53am  
I blame Michael Barrett

Submitted by WISCGRAD  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 7:56am  
The latest I heard was: "The hard-throwing Rodriguez was available out of the bullpen for the opener of a three-game series against the New York Mets. Cubs manager Dale Sveum said he planned to use the right-hander in a middle relief role at first and the team hopes to build up his endurance because he may be needed to pitch two innings at a time." http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/... So I think he was available, but A) he hasn't pitched since a third of an inning on June 1st, so he is going to be rusty, and B) having him blow the save in his first appearance wouldn't be good. Marmol has done this before, so no big deal, but Rodriguez is new and it would be nice if he got off to a good start with this teammates and fans if possible.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 1:30pm  

in case you missed who the Cubs lost to yesterday

http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2013/6/17/4437884...

Submitted by Rob G.  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 1:35pm  

Al lets everyone know that sometimes prospects don't live up to their low minors numbers...insightful.

http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2013/6/17/4437...

and TheJedi should get to the winning because Al is getting old...or something like that, I tuned out after a few paragraphs.

Submitted by The Joe  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 5:29pm  
I managed to read it all. I'll summarize: "I want the Cubs to win". Dude is really going out on a limb.

Submitted by QuietMan  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 6:24pm  
This morning I got wind of a new Al Yellon article so poorly thought out, so unreasonably daffy and so incompetent that I cursed the Twitter Gods for suspending my account because I wanted to share some good old Steve Stone motherboy flesh with the world. http://www.desipio.com/?p=4452

Submitted by crunch  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 7:21pm  
wow...a desipio article that doesn't turn into frat boy chest bumping or a series of profanities before 3-4 paragraphs end...someone's going to get fired.

Submitted by QuietMan  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 1:50pm  
Ben Badler‏@BenBadler With minor league all-star games this week, expect a slew of prospect promotions very soon.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 4:19pm  

BA says Cubs are going after OF Eloy Jimenez out of the Dominican

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/...

and MLB.com article says Cubs are 1 of 7 teams with serious interest in RHP Miguel Gonzalez out of Cuba

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130...

The hard-throwing right-hander has a fastball in the mid-90s, a changeup, fork and a curveball. He made a splash on the international scene at the 2010 University Baseball Championships in Tokyo, and also shined at the Baseball World Cup in '09 and '11. He was suspended from Cuba's national team for most of the past two seasons for trying to leave the island.

 

Submitted by crunch  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 6:02pm  
rain delay...tarp on field...not heavy, but they're not going to be playing baseball for 30-60 minutes, minimum.

Submitted by crunch  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 7:45pm  
tarp off the field... "Carrie Muskat ‏@CarrieMuskat #Cubs vs #STLCards hope to start at 8 pm CT"

Submitted by crunch  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 8:09pm  
game on... 10 pitches in and s.miller is POURING sweat...he looks like a glazed doughnut.

Submitted by Newport  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 8:34pm  
I would be doing the same.....in the stands. St. Louis is swampy.

Submitted by crunch  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 9:21pm  
w.castillo picks up his 8th walk of the season tonight... it's his 7th walk since May 23rd.

Submitted by crunch  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 10:09pm  
EPIC cubbery in the bottom 7th...holy crap...wow. swaimy's busy trying to get tossed... he gets his wish. just wow.

Submitted by Andrew  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 10:18pm  
Reyburn's been terrible all night. What an asshat.

Submitted by QuietMan  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 10:37pm  
Jim Callis‏@jimcallisBA #Cubs sign 2nd-rder Rob Zastryzny for $1.1 mil. Missouri LHP, adds & subtracts from 86-95 mph FB, flashes plus changeup. Slot value was $1,361,900.

Submitted by crunch  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 10:44pm  
h.rodriguez...5 pitches...0 outs...men on 2nd and 3rd. welcome to the cubs, guy. hbp, single, soriano fielding error allowing runners to advance, sac fly, ground out to SS, popout at the wall in CF. 1ip 1h 0bb 0k..1r/0er

Submitted by crunch  on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 11:38pm  
brendan harris (LAA) breaks an 0-24 slide with a single vs SEA. in other news...brendan harris is still playing baseball.

Submitted by Cubster  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 6:05am  
the Brendan Harris primer... June 5, 2001: Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 5th round of the 2001 amateur draft. Player signed July 21, 2001. July 31, 2004: Traded as part of a 4-team trade by the Chicago Cubs with Francis Beltran and Alex Gonzalez to the Montreal Expos. The Boston Red Sox sent Nomar Garciaparra and Matt Murton to the Chicago Cubs. The Minnesota Twins sent Doug Mientkiewicz to the Boston Red Sox. The Montreal Expos sent Orlando Cabrera to the Boston Red Sox. The Chicago Cubs sent Justin Jones (minors) to the Minnesota Twins.

Submitted by John Beasley  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 8:24am  
I am developing the strong opinion that Feldman is a better extension candidate than trade candidate. I'd like to see the Cubs do a 3-year deal with him, unless the prospect package offered is amazing. He's relatively young for a free agent (30), his FIP has been steady the last two years, he's a plus bat, and I really like his approach. I know a guy is easier to watch when he's outperforming his peripheral stats, but even if Feldman's ERA regresses to 4, he's still a guy I wouldn't mind seeing in the rotation, especially given the lack of viable options in the high minors. Going into 2014, having a rotation core of Ninja, Wood, Feldman, and Jackson, with Villanueva, Rusin, and others going for the last spot, is good enough to compete if the rest of the roster shapes up. If they trade Feldman and someone else gets hurt, suddenly it's 2012 all over again. What is Feldman going to get on the open market? I'm thinking about 3/30?

Submitted by Charlie  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 8:27am  
No thanks. Get a starting pitching or infield prospect for him if at all possible, please.

Submitted by Old and Blue  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 9:41am  
It's already 2012 again. Maybe not pitching-wise, but this is a really awful, awful team, and they need to keep piling up prospects.

Submitted by John Beasley  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 3:40pm  
Disagree. This team is merely below average, with the chance to be awful after the sell-off in July. As for prospects, I don't expect a lot for Feldman even if they do trade him, which is why I think he's a better extension candidate than trade candidate. This is opposed to Garza, who is likely to be a better pitcher over the next 3 years than Feldman, but is also far more likely to fetch an impact prospect. Garza is also going to get way more than 3/30 this winter, assuming he doesn't break again before that.

Submitted by Charlie  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:04pm  
If the other option is to get nothing for Feldman, then sure, talk with him about an extension. But if they can find a way to get a Maholm-esque return on him, I say pull the trigger. I'm curious to see whether opposing GM's are still willing to part with any quality prospects for Garza after he missed nearly a year due to injuries. To me, you could make a stronger argument there that the Cubs might be better off extending than trading.

Submitted by crunch  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:12pm  
one problem is going to be a glut in available SP. josh johnson and r.nolasco are strong candidates most likely to be available...along with a slew of others not so strong...then there's garza/feldman in the mix on the strong side. teams like CIN, DET, and ATL are most likely not even going to be looking SP.

Submitted by Arizona Phil  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:38pm  

If the Cubs don't feel they are getting fair value offered back, they can always just hang onto Garza and Feldman and make them Qualifying Offers post-2013. (They could have done the same thing with Ryan Dempster last season). If the QA is accepted, they'll get the pitcher back for about $14.5M (a one-year guaranteed contract) and then they can try and trade 'em again next year (or even during the off-season, because an MLB Article XX-B free-agent who accepts a Qualifying Offer does not get the automatic "no trade" right through June 15th that other Ariticle XX-B FA get).

Or maybe the Cubs will look at the available pitchers out there and offer Garza and/or Feldman a multi-year deal they can't refuse. It's not like they're 35 (Garza and Edwin Jackson are 29, and Feldman is 30).

And if the player declines the QA and then signs with another MLB club, the Cubs get a compensatory draft pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft (Rule 4 Draft). 

Of course not every Article XX-B FA would warrant a QA. A $14.5M (or so) salary wouldn't be something a club would offer all of its free-agents. But for a 30-31 year old starting pitcher? Probably yes. Remember, it's only a one-year contract, and the player can be traded (and the Cubs could even eat some of the salary if necessary).

BTW, I believe the CBA should be modified where the club that loses an Article XX-B FA who was extended a Qualifying Offer receives a compensatory draft pick, but the club that signs the player does not lose a draft pick.

Submitted by John Beasley  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 6:39pm  
Don't look now but Toronto is red hot and only 5 games out of the Wild Card. Unless they collapse again I don't think they're going to sell after going full tilt this year and with Reyes coming back soon.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 10:06am  

Feldman and Garza for Gausman and Bundy

done and done :)

Submitted by John Beasley  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 3:41pm  
I'd probably hit that, but I don't love Gausman and the injury stuff with Bundy is definitely disheartening.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:02pm  

heh, I can't imagine a world where the Orioles would consider trading them both. I'm not sure they'd be willing to trade either of them unless they got a guy for more than a half a season.

Submitted by WISCGRAD  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 12:57pm  
The talk about Garza got me thinking about the trade for him. The Cubs gave up Sam Fuld, Hak-Ju Lee, Chris Archer, Robinson Chirinos, and Brandon Guyer for Zach Rosscup, Matt Garza, and Fernando Perez. Fuld had some flashes of brilliance for the Rays early in 2011 and ended up with 18 doubles and 20 stolen bases, but only put up a line of .240/.313/.360 and has regressed the last two seasons. Right now he is 31 years old and hitting .180 in a back-up outfield role. He was no loss. Chirinos got a cup of coffee with the Rays late in 2011, then missed all of 2012 with a concussion. He was traded this April to the Rangers for a player to be named. He has having a decent season for the Rangers' AAA team, but is already 29 and doesn't look to be anything more than a third string or back-up catcher, though it is still possible he could blossom I suppose. Guyer is 27 and playing in AAA for the Rays and hitting .281/.363/.443 with 12 stolen bases so far. But he has struggled in 50 big league at-bats over 2011-2012. Again, it's possible he could catch on as a reserve outfielder, but he seems destined for AAA depth. Hak-Ju Lee was Baseball America's #90 prospect entering the season and started at AAA as just a 22-year old. He was on fire to start the season (.422 over 15 games), but then torn ligaments in his knee in a collision at second base and had season-ending surgery. Time will tell how he recovers, but he is still very young and still has a high upside as a SS prospect. Archer is still only 24 and having his second solid season at AAA, but has had mixed results filling in as a starter in the majors and has had high walk totals in the majors and minors. He has a year or two more to figure it out and force a spot for himself in the rotation. Right now, he could still turn out to be a solid starter, a back-end/AAA starter, or perhaps a solid reliever with this stuff. Fernando Perez had struggled in the minors for the Rays and struggled in 2011 in AAA Iowa for the Cubs before being released in July. He is now out of baseball. Zach Rosscup is an interesting lefty pitcher. He had some success in the low minors in 2011 before being shut down with an injury, then rehabbed his way back to AA by the end of last season. This year he has a 2.02 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 26 IP at AA, and has the potential to become a big league reliever over the next couple of years. Finally, Matt Garza had a solid 2011 season over 31 starts, and put up decent numbers over 18 starts in 2012 before being shut down with a stress reaction in his elbow. He then missed the first two months of 2013 with a lat injury. So it is still too early to tell how this trade ended up. If Archer becomes a solid starter and Lee an all-star short-stop, and Garza gets injured or nets nothing in a deadline trade, then this could be a huge loss for the Cubs. If Archer becomes a 4-A starter, Lee never lives up to his potential, and Rosscup becomes a solid reliever and the Cubs net some decent prospects for Garza, then it will be viewed much better.

Submitted by johann  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 1:09pm  
I think it's always a mistake to judge trades based on injuries unless it's part of a pre-existing condition. Some things no GM can control.

Submitted by WISCGRAD  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 3:14pm  
Well, I think you are right and you can judge the "decision" to make the trade based on what people thought at the time of the trade. Did the GM get "good value" in return, etc. But then we can still look and see how "the trade turned out for each team in the end" and I think that is a different question and injuries can come into play here. And sure a GM can't control injuries, but some players are more injury prone than others and there is a certain likelihood of injury you always have to expect, and that is no different than trying to predict and control for a player suddenly developing Steve Blass disease, or getting busted for steroids, or deciding to start swinging for the fences, or having anger management issues, or aging much more quickly than expected, etc.

Submitted by crunch  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 3:51pm  
TEX has called up chirinininos today... archer has had issues with control to the tune of barely being able to go 5 innings without throwing more than 100 pitches...AAA and especially majors where he's had a couple of 4ip outings. this season in the minors he's only gone over 5ip twice...both 6ip.

Submitted by crunch  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 5:14pm  
archer only lasts 4.2ip today...109 pitches.

Submitted by Arizona Phil  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:02pm  

LHP Zac Rosscup missed most of last season with biceps tendinitis, but once he got back into action he looked very good (his fastball was clocked at 94 MPH in his last appearance with the AZL Cubs before he was moved-up to Tennessee),

Rosscup, SS Arismendy Alcantara, OF Jae-Hoon Ha, and LHP (ex-OF) Kyler Burke are the Cubs minor leaguers most-likely to be added to the 40-man roster post-2013 (Rosscup, Alcantara, and Ha will be Rule 5 eligible, and Burke can be a minor league FA), although Rosscup, Burke, and Ha might have to show something in the AFL before they actually lock-up a slot (Alcantara is probably already a "lock").   

There will be others (mainly retreads and older guys from the Iowa Cubs) who will be brought up as replacements once the trades start happening, like probably Guillermo Moscoso, Yoanner Negrin, Brad Bogusevic, Dave Sappelt, Michael Bowden, Eduardo Sanchez, and Alex Burnett, but most of them will be removed from the 40-man roster either by outright assignment or non-tender after the season (as happeneed with Jason Berken, Justin Germano, Miguel Socolovich, Anthony Recker, et al last season).     

Submitted by Charlie  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:07pm  
Rosscup and Burke--gotta figure at least one of them makes the 40. Lefties that through like that don't grow on trees. It'd be nice to see Burke developing a bit faster as a pitcher, though, and Rosscup being pushed a bit more.

Submitted by Arizona Phil  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:25pm  

And Chris Rusin is probably the #1 LHSP in the PCL right now. He is #1 among all SP (LHP & RHP) in WHIP, and he is 5th among SP in ERA (behind LHPs Brad Mills and Will Smith and RHPs Johnny Hellweg and Sonny Gray). He has been a real workhorse, too, leading the PCL in IP. and he has allowed only 5 HR in 97 IP (pretty good for a SP in the PCL). And he's hitting 222 and hasn't struck out in 18 PA (he was a DH at the U. of Kentucky on days he wasn't pitching), so he would fit right into the Cubs starting rotation.   

Submitted by crunch  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:31pm  
rosscup may not have impeccable control, and injuries have slowed him, but he's recently turned 25 and needs to get out of AA. his numbers are nice, but it's hard to get excited about them when he's feasting on 21-24 year olds. i'm a rosscup fan, and i'm ready for him to be challenged.

Submitted by Ryno  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 2:46pm  
I wonder what Chad Fox is up to these days...

Submitted by Rob G.  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 3:11pm  

5th round pick Trey Masek out of Texas Tech tweets that he signed with the Cubs. 10th round pick Godley signed for $35K, more than  $100K under slot. Currently BA has Cubs at $22K under slot.

Submitted by Charlie  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:08pm  
So, how much do we think they can spend on the 1st-rounder before they give up a draft pick then?

Submitted by Rob G.  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:39pm  

I don't know the numbers as they spent a quite a bit to land the 12th round pick Clifton (allegedly 3rd round money which is 500 to 750K) and anything over $100K counts against the cap.

But Boras represents Bryant and Appel and I doubt he'd let Bryant sign for more than Appel who got $6.35M and Bryant's slot # is $6.7M. So chances are Cubs are getting him under (rumors is around $5.6M). Gray signed for $4.8M which was $800K less than slot as well.

And I have enough faith in TheJedi that they knew Bryant was signable before they picked him and had a good idea at what number.

Submitted by Arizona Phil  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 5:03pm  

CHARLIE: If a club exceeds it's Signing Bonus Pool by 5%, it loses a draft pick. So the Cubs can spend about $578K above its assigned SBP ($10,556M) and not lose a draft pick.

The #2 overall SBP valus is worth about $6.7M, so the Cubs could offer Bryant well over $7M and still not lose a draft pick if they were inclined to do so (presuming they did not go over their SBP in other rounds).

Submitted by Charlie  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 5:27pm  
Thanks to both Rob and AZ!

Submitted by Rob G.  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 3:13pm  

Soler headed to Daytona's 7-day DL...some sort of shin injury.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 3:24pm  

ugh, only got 4 of 10...quiz on baseball rules

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/quiz/_/id/497...

Submitted by garsky  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 3:40pm  
I got only 6. Sad considering I'm the commissioner of our local Pony league, and study the rulebook every year.

Submitted by crunch  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 3:52pm  
rizzo sits tonight.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 4:40pm  

lovely, put up a post on potential trade candidates for Feldman and Garza and it ate the bulk of the text much like it does with some of the comments...sigh.

Submitted by John Beasley  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 6:36pm  
The lesson is never try http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhjGoaKf52s

Submitted by jacos  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 6:40pm  
Jeff Baker, the pro's pro http://www.thebiglead.com/index.php/2013/06/1...

Submitted by crunch  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 7:21pm  
another announce crew complaining about how long it takes for castro to walk back to the dugout after earning an out at 1st...it was the angels announce crew a couple weeks ago.

Submitted by crunch  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 7:27pm  
cubs up by 4 (all scored with 2 outs), top 1st...wainwrong. ransom and r.sweeney homers.

Submitted by crunch  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 8:04pm  
awesome play @3rd by valbuena, bottom 3rd

Submitted by Cubster  on Tue, 06/18/2013 - 9:02pm  
and Javier Baez has a Grand Slam tonight in the 7th inning.