Cubs Look to End 5-Game Losing Streak, Midwest League Finals Begin
Cubs finish up their north of the border series versus the Blue Jays and attempt to end a 5-game slide. With Kyle Hendricks on the mound, it seems possible. Although not in the lineup, Anthony Rizzo was spotted taking BP and might be ready to return sometime this weekend.
In non-depressing news of the day, it's is the opening of the Midwest League Finals. Kane County takes on Lake County (Indians affiliate). Jen-Ho Tseng gets the start and the lineup for the Cougars will be: Dunston Jr. LF, Zagunis DH, Candelario 3B, Balaguert RF, Rogers 1B, Brockmeyer C, Penalver SS, Martin SS. I presume Clint Frazier is Lake County's biggest prospect name if you're looking for such things.
While you were sleeping, Bryant took home the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year and the Yahoo one as well. Cubs got 5 mentions on their all-minor league teams (Bryant and honorable mentions for Schwarber, Soler, Russell and Rivero at their individual positions).
Just for kicks...potential 2015 Opening Day Lineup?
Alcantara CF, Bryant 3B, Rizzo 1B, Soler RF, Baez 2B, Castro SS, Olt LF, Castillo C, Arrieta P
Recent comments
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crunch 6 hours 17 min ago (view)
kevin rizzo is in camp with the cubs and is in workouts with the team.
very tiny guy, no power, but he can run down a ball in the field and he's almost impossible to pitch to. time to give him a contract and put him in the OF.
https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1366081602242023425
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crunch 6 hours 57 min ago (view)
Marquee has added a tuesday game, so now the first televised cubs game is March 2nd (3pm EST)
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Arizona Phil 16 hours 47 min ago (view)
The DFA of Robert Stock to make room for Kyle Ryan coming off the CoViD-related IL wil need to be followed by removing another player on the 40 to make room for Ryan Tepera.
It's possible somebody (like a pitcher) is injured to the extent that he might be placed on the 60-day IL, or else maybe somebody else will go on the CoViD-related IL (which is 40-man roster exempt) in the coming days to make room for Tepera.
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Arizona Phil 17 hours 22 min ago (view)
The Cubs have signed LHSP Ben Holmes (ex-LAD) and RHRP Jose Moreno (ex-NYM) to 2021 minor league contracts. Both were post-2020 minor league 6YFA and neither has been on an MLB 40-man roster.
Holmes pitched collegiately at Oregon State and has some AAA experience, but Moreno hasn't pitched above Lo-A over the course of seven seasons in the Mets organization.
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crunch 1 day 2 hours ago (view)
side note...k.wong is on 1st putting on one of those "baserunning mitts" (hand protection for sliding) that's extending past the length of his hand/fingers by at least 2-3 inches.
they're going to have to start regulating this piece of equipment if this keeps up...
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crunch 1 day 4 hours ago (view)
Q with LAA in his debut for them...HBP, a wild pitch, and BB through 7 pitches...then 3 pop-outs to follow.
blah blah spring training...
baseball on TV...neat.
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First.Pitch.120 1 day 7 hours ago (view)
We just traded for Maddux!!! ......... nope, the other one.
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crunch 1 day 20 hours ago (view)
yeah, i'm just saying i did consider piling onto it with a troll-level post about the trade...it's practically asking to be written that way.
jeff passan did it quite well... https://twitter.com/jeffpassan/status/136577746706...
that said, i had no idea zach bryant existed before today, but his early numbers looked oddly good (which means nothing without context that early in his career).
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Charlie 1 day 20 hours ago (view)
Oh, I mean the trade. You were quite diligent in posting!
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crunch 2 days 9 min ago (view)
i contemplated writing the post totally trolled out as hell with "zach" coming after a wall of text.
i decided the cubs being cheap was enough pre-season punishment without piling on.
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Charlie 2 days 1 hour ago (view)
This is a straight up troll
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crunch 2 days 2 hours ago (view)
rsox aquiring ZACH bryant from the cubs.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player...
ptbn from the josh osich deal.
totally useless trade...hopefully not a terrible loss.
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Hagsag 3 days 3 hours ago (view)
Chase Strumpf and Andy Weber invited to the ML camp.
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Dolorous Jon Lester 3 days 9 hours ago (view)
Ryan Tepera returns. Major League deal
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crunch 4 days 7 hours ago (view)
spring training TV is usually fluid...adding and subtracting broadcast games...
first cubs TV (as of now) is March 3 (wednesday) on ESPN at 3pm EST.
radio broadcasts available for almost every game that's not televised. the cubs get going on monday and some other teams will start the day before.
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crunch 5 days 3 hours ago (view)
dj snelton's left elbow is screwed up...6 weeks rest then re-evaluate.
looks like he's going to try to avoid having surgery.
Comments
If Bryant wasn't up in
I'm sure it will play out
I'm sure it will play out that way, but I would be less than surprised if it doesn't either. If Bryant is crushing the ball in the spring and Valbuena and Olt aren't doing much, think he heads north. Also depends on what they do with the roster over the winter.
And i think you mean free agency clock, arbitration would keep him from getting called up until June or even July to avoid Super 2 status. They can bring him with them in April and send him down as well if he struggles to gain that extra year. Less likely scenario, but in the land of pre-arbitation extensions, I think Cubs are less worried about all that right now.
Yes, I know Boras and all, but plenty of clients have fired Boras or gone against his wishes. I think Carlos Gonzalez was a Boras client who signed pre-free agency. It can happen at the right price in the right situation.
Yes, free agency clock I
missed that Bradley Zimmer is
missed that Bradley Zimmer is on Lake County roster, another good prospect for them'
KC up 2-1 on a Zagunis HR
That lineup sucks! BAM.
did jose abreu kick jeff
D. Hutchison making Cubs look
D. Hutchison making Cubs look silly, 10 K through 6
Baez and Olt with 2 each, Abracadabra felt left out and has 2 as well.
(Baez does have a walk).
Strikeoutapalooza?
K'ageddon?
K'ageddon?
K'tastrophe?
The K'ing Fields?
Hendricks killed by BABIP in
Hendricks killed by BABIP in the 6th (and errors).
1B, 1B, Soler error scored a run, line out, K, 1b, BB, 2B scores 2 more
5.2 IP, 5 K, 6 H, 2 BB...deserved better
Soler gets his run back, HR
Soler gets his run back, HR to right.
That was one of the longest
baez's side-arm throwing
Fuji-kaka /shows self out
Fuji-kaka
/shows self out
ugly stuff.
KC Cougars win 4-3.
Cougars have cubs (or they'd
15 strikeouts and 3 errors
homeruns: Cubs 1 Blue Jays 1
"One of the most pleasant
pic of Castro at the above
A close up!
If anybody remembers me
I can honestly say I'd rather
I think until these young
That makes sense, especially
BP Cub prospect stuff..
Reality check!!
it'd be nice to lay a little
But just because he may be
But just because he may be the best pitching prospect in the Cubs system
Tseng greater than Edwards or Pierce Johnson? Not sure about that...
Of course, just noticed Pierce's walk rates in AA (5.3 BB/9)...gadzooks.
What about Underwood? I
"gadzooks"
Gadzooks
our British cousin...
our British cousin...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1...
Who the pours water on a
chavs, bro.
Cubs picked up a draft spot
Cubs picked up a draft spot yesterday with loss and Astros win. Currently with 7th pick, game behind Red Sox and they have tiebreaker. Twins lost game 1 of a doubleheader already today.
-edit- and Game 2...sheesh, is there no pride in baseball anymore?
Can E-jax go on short rest?
I mean he only needs a couple
#Cougars & RHP Underwood v LC
#Cougars & RHP Underwood v LC: Dunston 7, Zagunis DH, Candelario 5, Balaguert 9, Rogers 3, Brockmeyer 2, Young 4, Penalver 6, Martin 8 #Cubs
Game 2 tonight...
2-0 KC up in bottom of 3rd,
2-0 KC up in bottom of 3rd, Balaguert RBI single brings in Dunston, wild pitch brings in another run
Underwood so far: 3 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 4 K
-edit- 3-0, BB loaded walk to Penalver
4 IP, 5 BB, 0 H, 0 R, 5 K for
4 IP, 5 BB, 0 H, 0 R, 5 K for Underwood so far...
Ihrig in for Underwood. Still
I'm Cobb is pitching REALLY
that can't be right. Jeter is
Haha!
Ihrig 1-2-3 top 7th.
Tyler Ihrig gives up back to
Also 6-0 in the postseason
@KernanSean
@KernanSean
The @BoiseHawks GM told local TV station the #Cubs are leaving Boise.
Giants likely taking over
Giants likely taking over Boise.
Report on Stanton...
Report on Stanton...
"Stanton suffered a facial laceration requiring stitches, multiple facial fractures and dental damage.”"
This was an ugly and scary
Did they leave him in to
Exactly right. He was
Fiers has a deceptive
Fiers has a deceptive delivery and a rising fastball (well technically doesn't rise, but that's what we call it in baseball). Both guys committed to the pitch and it rode in on them. Not sure about the lack of control all night, but I didn't watch the game. He had 3 walks through 5, but also 8 K's and 0 runs allowed.
Stanton got hit in the face because his first reaction was to swing at the pitch (he was obviously fooled by it a little), and then couldn't protect himself in time.
Reed Johnson got hit because that's what Reed Johnson does.
The umps can't eject a pitcher for a HBP that wasn't a HBP because in both cases they were called strikes because they deemed the hitter was trying to swing at pitch. Don't forget, although it's never called, that a hitter is suppose to make an attempt to get out of the way of a pitch.
It was all terrible and unfortunate of course, but I don't know what the umps should have done differently and Fiers certainly didn't deserve to be ejected. Brewers took him out after second HBP and end of inning cause he was shaken up.
Ah. That doesn't sound so
it seemed to avoid his eye,
it seemed to avoid his eye, his mouth took the beating...lost some teeth, no concussion apparently. Hockey players are all like, whatever...
Hockey players are all like,
Well I suggest watching it
sure, Roenicke or Fiers
sure, Roenicke or Fiers himself could have taken himself out of the game at that point I suppose, I'll certainly buy that he was distraught in the moment. His gestures were clearly that of being pissed that Marlins thought any of that was intentional.
Stanton was clearly taking a step and ready to swing, maybe he was trying to lift the bat up to protect himself at the last second, but was obviously unsuccessful.
Reed's is a little more sketchy, you could say the swing came after he was hit and just reacting from getting hit.
Here's a good breakdown of why the umps were probably right (from a Marlins fan even).
http://www.fishstripes.com/2014/9/12/6138801/...
Marlins announcers are douchebags btw.
http://m.mlb.com/mia/video/v36169801/?c_id=mia
I hadn't seen the Reed
Also Fiers has been fined for
the anti-Baez...
the anti-Baez...
Pujols struck out 4 times tonight, first time in his career.
Manny flew in for some