Zambrano Throws Five Shutout Innings at HoHoKam

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sat, 03/20/2010 - 7:28pm

Carlos Zambrano threw five innings of three-hit shutout ball and Ryan Theriot drove in three runs with a bases-clearing double, leading a Cubs "split squad" to a 4-0 whitewashing of the Kansas City Royals in front of 11,842 fans at Dwight Patterson Field at HoHoKam Park in sunny & warm Mesa, AZ this afternoon.


 


Cubs-Royals box score


Zambrano labored through his first two innings, needing 45 pitches (25 in the 1st and 20 more in the 2nd) to get his first six outs. But then he started throwing strikes (26 of is last 37 pitches were strikes), retiring 11 of the last 13 men he faced. For the day, "Z" allowed two singles and a double, plus two walks, while striking out four (incuding David DeJesus twice), throwing a total of 82 pitches (51 strikes), with a 6/5 GO/FO.


RHP Casey Coleman was brought back from Minor League Camp for the day (he just got sent down yesterday), and pitched OK in his first inning (10 pitches - 8 strikes, with two strikeouts and a 6-3 grounder), before the Royals loaded the bases with one out in his second inning of work on a sharply-hit ground single to right, a line single to right-center, and a walk. But then Coleman was able to induce Cody Clark to hit into a 5-3 DP to end the threat and the inning.


RHP Esmailin Caridad pitched the 8th (14 pitches - 10 strikes), and while he threw strikes and got one punch-out, he also allowed two hard-hit singles before the side was retired on the defensive play of the game, a diving stop & throw by Cubs second-baseman D. J. Lemahieu (up from Minor League Camp) on a ball that was headed into RF. Lemahieu needed all of his 6'4 frame to reach the ball, and then he had the cool to make a solid throw to 1st base to cut down speedy Derrick Robinson by a half-step.


Closer Carlos Marmol pitched the 9th, and he needed 25 pitches (15 strikes) to strikeout the side, allowing just one harmless two-out single through the box into CF.


The Cubs scored all four of their runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning off Royals rookie LHP Edgar Osuna. Marlon Byrd led off with a double off the top of the LF fence (near HR) and advanced to 3rd on a one-out Alfonso Soriano ground single to left. Geovany Soto followed with an RBI infield single to deep short (outstanding acrobatic dive-stop & throw by KC SS Wilson Betenmit, BTW) that scored Byrd, and then Brad Snyder walked to load the bases. Carlos Zambrano struck out swinging (and he was clearly not happy with himself for his strike-three half-swing), but Ryan Theriot picked up "Z," lacing a line double into the LF corner to clear the bases.


Meanwhile, the other Cubs squad made the trip to Phoenix Municipal Stadium and faced the Oakland A's, losing 7-4.


Cubs-A's box score


Battling for a spot in the Cubs starting rotation, LHP Tom Gorzelanny got the start in Phoenix and went 3.2 IP, allowing two unearned run on four hits (two singles, a double, and a triple) and five walks (he has had major control problems all Spring), while striking out five. Sean Marshall clearly has out-pitched Gorzelanny this Spring, so if it's indeed a battle between the two lefties for one spot in the rotation (with Carlos Silva and Jeff Samardzija competing for the other starting slot), Marshall would probably win the starter's gig and Gorzelanny (who is out of minor league options) would be the #2 lefty in the bullpen.


Still in the mix for a possible bullpen spot, LHP John Gaub worked one inning in relief and struck out the side, but he also allowed two walks and a HBP (ex-Cub Jake Fox).


Micah Hoffpauir had two hits (a single and a double) and scored two runs (but he also made an error), and Ryan Flaherty (brought up from Minor League Camp for the game) drove in two runs with a double. Tyler Colvin went 0-4 with a strikeout.

Tags: 
Cubs Spring Training Recap
Carlos Marmol
Carlos Zambrano
Ryan Theriot
Esmailin Caridad

Comments

Submitted by George Altman  on Sat, 03/20/2010 - 8:49pm  
Castro, Snyder sent back to minor league camp today. Pinella says Berg has made the bullpen.

Submitted by Charlie  on Sat, 03/20/2010 - 9:39pm  
Wow. I thought Snyder would stick around longer. Guess there's less room for him with Aducci getting a look, which I didn't anticipate. I often forget about him. I hope they just go with the young guys in the bullpen unless they get a real deal on some relievers. Like, if they can trade a Robnett-type prospect for a Wuertz-like reliever.

Submitted by Bryan  on Sat, 03/20/2010 - 10:09pm  
Nice for Z. Let's hope that 2-inning trouble is behind him when he faces big league hitters.

Submitted by Ryno  on Sat, 03/20/2010 - 10:34pm  
...worked one inning in relief and struck out the side, but he also allowed two walks and a HBP
The prototypical Cubs pitcher, imo.

Submitted by crunch  on Sat, 03/20/2010 - 11:56pm  
future cubs closer material right there

Submitted by Cubster  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 6:25am  
Kerry Wood is back on the DL for awhile...pulled a muscle in his upper back. http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/03/... Wood needs 55 games to get his 2011 option to vest. Cleveland GM Shapiro getting a reprieve and makes Wood that much more likely to be with another team come the trade deadline if his contract is expiring.

Submitted by The Joe  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 11:48am  
Ironic. I just put his 20K game on the TV to watch while our fantasy draft takes place.

Submitted by Cubster  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 6:09am  
Dave VanDyke reported that ARam had 5 at bats in a minor league game yesterday. Did Az Phil hear anything about how he looked? http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball...

Submitted by Cubster  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 6:20am  
D-Train might get released. I wonder what happened to him; whatever he had earlier in his career seems gone. http://www.detnews.com/article/20100320/OPINI...

Submitted by The Joe  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 11:48am  
I thought he had anxiety issues, like Greene? Did I make that up?

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 5:26pm  
He had that and some mechanical and some physical issues as well.

Submitted by Cubster  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 7:13am  
Bruce Levine blog... http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/i... Berg in, Parisi vs Mateo, Gaub and Russell for the last spot. Which will be a short lived spot cause it belongs to Theodore Roosevelt Lilly III. Fuld vs Colvin, (that will be Fuld, they won't have Colvin rust on the bench) Tracy and/or Millar, (not sure how they can wiggle a spot for Happy the Clown unless they pull the 25 clowns in a VW trick) They will decide the starting rotation by Wed, 3/24 (Silva, Gorz, Marshall and Smush, which also will be short lived for the 2nd starter of the bunch, as long as Lilly returns in short order). and of course the elusive trade or waiver wire pickup could happen to screw the above up

Submitted by Charlie  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 12:41pm  
I think we can be fairly confident Parisi beats out Mateo too, just as a matter of being a rule V player, unless Parisi just sucks. Mateo hasn't pitched above AA has he?

Submitted by Arizona Phil  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 11:11am  
Submitted by Charlie on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 11:41am. I think we can be fairly confident Parisi beats out Mateo too, just as a matter of being a rule V player, unless Parisi just sucks. Mateo hasn't pitched above AA has he? ============================================= CHARLIE: That's correct. But moving from AA to MLB (and skipping AAA) is not unheard of, either.

Submitted by The E-Man  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 7:55am  
Thanks AZ PHIL. It is as if I was there (and looking at the snow outside, I wish I was!). IS there a scenario where they could put Gorzo on an "extended DL" at all to start the season? To have him as a lefty in the pen when he is having major control issues, does obviously not make for an effective reliever. I believe there is some talent there, yet, as you have noted, Marshall has clearly out-pitched him this spring. Or, could Gorzelanny be moved in a trade for one of the oft-rumored Cubs RH relief interests?

Submitted by Sweet Lou  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 9:00am  
E-man -- I was wondering the same thing, but according to Bruce Levine, Gorzellany will be in the starting rotation. Scary stuff considering his struggles so far this year. http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/i...

Submitted by The E-Man  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 9:05am  
Sweet Lou - I don't know...from the blog entry I interpret it as Gorzo "is a leader - or candidate" for the fifth spot in the rotation. Guess we will soon know, right? He still is only 28, and pitched 200 innings only a couple of years ago, with a better than 2-1 K to BB rate. Go figure...

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 9:26am  
That says he's a leader for the spot, not that he has it clinched. I am much less concerned about Gorgonzola than I am about Silva.

Submitted by Arizona Phil  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 9:53am  
With MLB Opening Day just two weeks from today, here are a couple or three things to keep in mind over the last two weeks of Spring Training... At present, the Cubs Spring Training roster stands at 40 (including seven NRI). Players can be placed on the 15-day DL no earlier than next Friday. Also, DL assignments made during the last week of Spring Training can be backdated no further back than next Friday. So expect Andres Blanco, Jeff Gray, Angel Guzman, and Ted Lilly to go on the 15-day DL next Friday. (Players can be placed on the 60-day DL anytime during Spring Training, but to place a player on the 60, the club's 40-man roster must be full and the player must be replaced on the 40 by another player). Angel Guzman will likely be the first player to be transferred to the 60 day DL (or be transferred from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL) during the season if the Cubs get to the point where they run out of room on the 40-man roster, and Gooz would also provide the Cubs with a post-season roster exemption (presuming the Cubs can get there). Chad Tracy likely has the right to get his release if he is not added to the Cubs 40-man roster by a certain date, probably several days prior to Opening Day (same as Paul Bako last year). So the Cubs may need to decide about Tracy sooner rather than later, possibly as soon as some time this week. And I would be very surprised that, if it's indeed between Tracy and Kevin Millar for one slot, that Millar would get the job. Tracy can play 1B and 3B and is one of the best LHPH in baseball, while Millar essentially is the poor man's Xavier Nady, maybe not even that. So I would say Tracy gets that slot for sure, and Millar gets one ONLY if Nady starts the season on the DL. And if Nady does start the season on the DL because he can't make throws from RF, it would probably be in his best interest to tell Jim Hendry that he will waive his automatic "no trade" (as an Article XX FA signee, he has an automatic NT through 6/15) if he can get traded to an A. L. team where he can DH. That's because Nady has a $3.3M base salary with an additional $2M in performance bonuses based on games played and PA, which he probably won't reach if he spends a period of time on the DL at the start of the season rehabbing his elbow, or if he is on the 25-man roster but is just used as a PH. If Nady were to waive his NT (and request a trade to an A. L. club), the Cubs could trade him prior to June 15th, but only for cash or player contracts with a maximum aggregate value of $50,000 (meaning minor league player or playes not on 40-man roster). So he could NOT be traded for an MLB reliever (for example) prior to 6/15 even if he waives his NT. If Sam Fuld had had just an average Spring Training he'd get the 4th OF job without a second thought (he can play all three OF positions, he can PR, he hits LH and RH pitching about equally well, and he can come into a game in a double-switch and replace Soriano in LF in the late-innings when the Cubs are trying to protect a lead), but Tyler Colvin has so clearly out-hit Fuld this Spring, it's hard to automaticaly give the job to Fuld. But Colvin really needs to play everyday, so I think Fuld gets the 4th OF job no matter what, and Colvin goes to Iowa. James Adduci has had a good Spring, and might be considered for the 4th OF gig (because that IS his future occupation), but I suspect the Cubs probably think he needs some time in AAA (he has not yet played above AA). Andres Blanco is out of minor league options, so he probably would get claimed off waivers if the Cubs try to send him to the minors when he is ready to be reinstated from the DL. But Darwin Barney has played well enough in Spring Training to be the Plan "B" at SS in case Theriot gets hurt and Starlin Castro is deemed not yet ready for Prime Time. So I think Blanco is ultimately a goner. The only way Blanco gets a reprieve is if Piniella believes he needs a true SS on the 25-man roster to back-up Theriot, and that would mean either Fuld, Tracy, or Nady/Millar would have to go to make room for Blanco when he's ready to be reactivated. Which could happen, but right now it doesn't seem likely. Up until now, Jeff Samardzija has not earned a spot on the Cubs Opening Day 25-man roster, but he has a $2.5M guaranteed salary in 2010, and that might be why he gets a slot on the 25. It shouldn't be that way, but it probably is. (He does have one minor league option left, though). I still don't see what the Cubs fall-back option is at closer, in case Carlos Marmol has thrown too many days in a row, or gets hurt, or is just plain ineffective. John Grabow is no closer, and neither is Caridad, Berg, or Samardzija. I can't believe the Cubs won't go hard after Jason Frasor before Opening Day (harder than they have previously). A contending team (or one that thinks it is) needs a Plan "B" fall-back closer who has MLB closer experience and who can be used as an 8th inning set-up guy when he's not needed as the closer. If the Cubs were Washington, Pittsburgh, or San Diego, it wouldn't matter about not having a back-up closer with MLB closer experience, but I doubt that Hendry thinks of the Cubs that way. The bullpen could be the Cubs Achilles Heel in 2010. It looks VERY shaky right now.

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 11:08am  
So you're saying you don't have faith in Justin Berg as a setup guy? Too bad Jeff Gray hasn't gotten to show anything yet. Stevens and Parker really disapointed me. They had the jobs there for the taking and just did nothing to serve notice that they wanted them. Marmol, at least so far this spring, has gotten his walks back in line with his pre-2009 numbers. If he can keep that up it will be a big relief to me, and probably to Pinhead. I don't see too much demand for a mediocre OBP and power hitting RH DH, so I doubt Nady will wind up in the AL any time soon.

Submitted by Dr. aaron b  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 4:09pm  
I wish the Cubs would just stick Samjay in the pen and quit the whole "square peg/round hole" routine He pitched well in the pen in 08 and is really only a 1 1/2 pitch pitcher. It reeks of Cubbery to trade prospects for a pen guy because they are trying to justify the Samardjiza signing bonus.

Submitted by Hagsag  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 11:29am  
Az. Phil, how do you see the catching situation shaking out between the four minor lge teams to start the year?

Submitted by Arizona Phil  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 12:26pm  
Submitted by Hagsag on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 10:29am. Az. Phil, how do you see the catching situation shaking out between the four minor lge teams to start the year? =========================================== HAGSAG: I had thought that Welington Castillo might go back to AA for another year, because he is still very raw and he won't be out of minor league options until Spring Training 2013 (so why push him?), but I think the Cubs want him at AAA. If Castillo is assigned to Iowa, that creates a problem because I would think Chris Robinson and Steve Clevenger would ordinarily share catching duties at Iowa, with Mark Johnson as a player-coach who could be activated whenever a position player goes on the 7-day DL. But I don't know if the Cubs would keep Castillo, Robinson, and Clevenger at Iowa, because there just wouldn't be enough playing time for three catchers, although Clevenger could play some 1B (except Bryan Lahair and Micah Hoffpauir will probably be there, too). It's possible that if Castillo ends up at Iowa that either Chris Robinson or Steve Clevenger could get moved down to AA, just to get them more-regular playing time. Robinson Chirinos probably will be back at AA again, probably as the #1 back-up behind either W. Castillo, Robinson, or Clevenger. Blake Lalli and Mark Reed will probably get released (Reed's hitting just hasn't progressed, and he is going to be a Rule 55 minor league FA post-2010 anyway), but the Cubs might want to keep Lalli at Tennessee as a player-coach (activated whenever a position player goes on the 7-day DL). And then it will probably be Michael Brenly, Luis Flores, and Mario Mercedes at Daytona, and Jae-Hoon Ha, Jovan Rosa, and Richard Jones (unless Jones is moved to 1B or LF full-time) at Peoria. If Ha is sent to EXST to work on his defense, Jose Guevara could be his replacement at Peoria, or else Guevara could end up at EXST or he could get released. John Contreras and Alvaro Sosa will probably get released, although one (or both) could be kept around as a player-coach at Daytona or Peoria. And then Sergio Burruel, Carlos Romero, Garrett Maines, and Brandon May will probably be the catchers at EXST, with Burruel and either Maines or May likely headed for Boise (or Maines and/or May could get released at the end of EXST) and Romero staying at Fitch Park (AZL Cubs) when the short season clubs begin play in June, although Burruel could also remain at Fitch Park (AZL Cubs) for another season.

Submitted by Hagsag  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 12:57pm  
Is Jovan Rosa a legit catching prospect? Thanks.

Submitted by Arizona Phil  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 11:09am  
Submitted by Hagsag on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 11:57am. Is Jovan Rosa a legit catching prospect? Thanks. ======================================= HAGSAG: Way too soon to tell. He's only ben catching since AZ Instructional League last Fall. He might be kept at Extended Spring Training to work on his catching, then move up to Peoria or Daytona in mid-June (as happened with Robinson Chirinos a couple of years ago). Jae-Hoon Ha is more advanced than Rosa as a catcher, because at least he was a catcher in HS. (The Cubs moved Ha to the OF after he signed, then they moved him, Rosa, and Brandon May to catcher in Instructs last Fall).

Submitted by Cubster  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 2:57pm  
from the Cubs radio pregame (Judd Sirott)...Joe Nathan will undergo Tommy John elbow reconstruction. it will be interesting if this impacts the market for Jason Frasor although I'd expect the Twins go after Heath Bell

Submitted by Mike Wellman  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 4:17pm  
AZ Phil - please speculate as to a trade package that would net us jason frasor...

Submitted by The E-Man  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 5:17pm  
With the Rays and Twins now looking for a closer, I will be surprised if the Cubs acquire Frasor, unless they "overpay". I'd bet money on it, actually.

Submitted by Arizona Phil  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 11:13am  
Submitted by Mike Wellman on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 3:17pm. AZ Phil - please speculate as to a trade package that would net us jason frasor... ============================================== MIKE W: Tyler Colvin, James Russell, and either Blake Parker or Jeff Stevens.

Submitted by Dusty Baylor  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 12:26pm  
Pass. I'd rather just start trying the guys we have in the pen...

Submitted by The E-Man  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 12:45pm  
Unfortunately, if Marmol needs a rest, gets injured, or just plain sucks, the Cubs are screwed. The scenario where Matt Capps (I think that's his name) signed with the Nats could take its toll on the club in AZ PHIL's aforementioned names, or if the scenario you describe is the case, and Marmol does indeed have issues, our late-inning opportunities become pretty grim as the probable 25-man roster does not have a viable closer other than Marmol. We would be back to Gregg, except he is now gone!

Submitted by Charlie  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 2:38pm  
Eh. Bob Howry picked up 8 saves in 12 opportunities and Scott Eyre picked up 0 saves in 4 opportunities in 2007 when the Cubs won the division. I'd rather wait until at least May to see if the team looks good at all before I worry about the bullpen.

Submitted by Dr. aaron b  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 3:50pm  
Agreed

Submitted by John Beasley  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 4:52pm  
Silva left the game after 2 innings today because of tightness in his quad. But he immediately went to the bullpen and began throwing, so it can't be too bad. Also, Tyler Colvin is awesome.

Submitted by Cubster  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 5:04pm  
it's not as significant in meaning as 3/44, but Mauer is getting 8/184 http://twitter.com/JoeCStrib/status/10839296950

Submitted by John Beasley  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 5:40pm  
This deal is great for baseball.

Submitted by Ryno  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 5:59pm  
Absurd, imho.

Submitted by navigator  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 6:29pm  
The entire state of Minnesota isn't worth $184 million.

Submitted by Sweet Lou  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 6:41pm  
In the whole scheme of things, Mauer may be worth $23 million per year. I'm fairly certain that another team would have paid him that amount if he hit the FA market. However, the Twins only had a $65.3 million total payroll in 2009. Can a team be successful paying 20-25% of their payroll to just one player? The Twins may have signed the face of the franchise, but they also may have sealed their fate as a mediocre or worse team for the next several years.

Submitted by John Beasley  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 6:45pm  
With the new ballpark and Pohladdeth, the payroll should stay above $90M for the foreseeable future.

Submitted by Sweet Lou  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 8:10pm  
John -- That's what I was thinking, but Mauer's contract still makes up about 25% of the entire payroll.

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 9:22pm  
If you farm system continues to produce players who can contribute significantly in their first four years, then I don't think it's too much of a concern.

Submitted by Paul Noce  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 7:52pm  
Mauer's jump from 9hr to 28hr looks like a red flag to me. His hr totals by season for his entire career: 6 (only 128 ab's) 9 13 7 9 28 So why the sudden jump? Did Jim Frey talk to him? He didn't change ballparks. Did his shoe and hat size suddenly grow with his hr numbers? With all the other cheating bastards from the last decade, I can't help but wonder when you see a guy jump up like that.

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 9:21pm  
What if the guy is a 6'3" hitter who people have been projecting to hit for more power for the last 8 years?

Submitted by Ryno  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 9:55pm  
You pay him 8/184. Duh.

Submitted by Paul Noce  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 11:15pm  
I'm just saying that's a huge jump, and he had a 6 year track record of not being a hr guy (2 full seasons in the minors with 5 hr's or less). Maybe he just put it all together. Ryno made a big jump but he had a much shorter MLB track record before he jumped up to 19 hr's. Plus, with Ryno we saw him start turning on balls. I haven't watched Mauer to see how he has evolved as a hitter. I've never heard anyone talk about him as a HGH or roid guy. But he had a relatively long track record of not hitting lots of homers. Now he's going to average $23 million a year for 8 years. If he goes back to being a 9-10-11 hr guy, it's kind of like you're paying Wade Boggs $23 million a year to catch (although in this day and age, Boggs probably would have made gobs of money in his prime).

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 11:47pm  
Imagine being so good at baseball that you roll out of bed one day and say to yourself "I am going to hit more HR's this year," and then being able to do it. That's what it's like to be Joe Mauer. The question isn't why he hit 28 HR's last year, it's why it took him so long to do it.

Submitted by Ryno  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 11:04am  
Someone check TRN's Joe Mauer koolaid. =) Love you...

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 11:51am  
Just trying to explain to you how good this guy is. He's doing things that no one in the history of MLB has done before.

Submitted by Wes  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 12:23pm  
Joe Mauer is what Horatio thinks situational hitting is. Hitting the ball pretty much wherever you want whenever you want in just about any count against just about any pitch. THAT. GOOD. There's a joke the old timey TCR crowd right there.

Submitted by MikeC  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 12:24pm  
Mauer suffered a rare lower back injury during the last off-season that took forever to heal up. Only until the right combination of meds did it finally clear up. Mauer was forced to work on his upper body strength mostly in order to stay in shape and keep from being bored.

Submitted by John Beasley  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 10:01pm  
It's probably an outlier, but he'll likely hit more than 9 per year going forward unless the new park is murder on lefty hitters.

Submitted by waveland  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 4:40am  
Good for Mauer, and good for MN guess, but why do the damn articles have to mention Mark Prior? Mauer, Lee, ARam in the middle would look so good... http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5...

Submitted by Cubster  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 5:47pm  
Dusty and Lou kiss their sisters, final in 10 innings 1-1

Submitted by Ryno  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 5:57pm  
WTH, is this soccer?

Submitted by JoePepitone  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 6:54pm  
No, it's Spring Training baseball, which is nearly as meaningless. ~snark~

Submitted by crunch  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 7:17pm  
WTH, is this an all-star game?

Submitted by JoePepitone  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 10:00pm  
Spring Training: This Time It Counts!

Submitted by artskoe  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 10:19pm  
From Yahoo sports: “Lehr was only supposed to go three innings, but his pitch count was so low we had him go four,” manager Dusty Baker said." Beware the Duster, Aroldis!

Submitted by rokfish  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 10:53pm  
How can X. Nady make this team if he cant throw? He needs to stay in arizona to build arm strength and to work on the towel drill.

Submitted by Paul Noce  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 11:16pm  
I don't know about the towel drill but I agree, he belongs on the DL if he can't play the field. There's no reason to limit the team from day one. We did that crap last year with David Patton.

Submitted by Charlie  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 12:23am  
Even if he can't throw, he's about as versatile as a Hoffpauir-type player (he can play 1B and the trade-off on the arm would probably equal the tradeoff on glove in the outfield), who would probably take his spot if he didn't make it. Unless he's being traded (dumped) on an AL team, they might as well keep him.

Submitted by Dr. aaron b  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 1:02am  
Que the "When Xavier Nady comes back it will be like making a trade" banter from Jim Hendry.

Submitted by rokfish  on Sun, 03/21/2010 - 11:15pm  
What if the cubs cut Jeff Baker. keep Chad Tracy to back up third and first. Then keep D. Barney to back up second and short he would be a much better defensive choice for short then fontenot would be.Just a thought.

Submitted by Charlie  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 12:25am  
It's not a terrible idea. But I think the Cubs are hoping Baker hits, and I don't know that they believe in Barney as a hitter yet. (That's just sort of guessing on my part.)

Submitted by Ryno  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 11:09am  
I think the Jeff Baker magic is over. I hope I'm wrong. I hope he can channel Mark Derosa, but I fear the worst.

Submitted by Dusty Baylor  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 12:27pm  
Agreed...because he's looking a lot like Jeff Blauser during his Cub days....i.e, not good...

Submitted by VirginiaPhil  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 12:48pm  
I like this concept of taking a hard look at Jeff Baker, revoking his "made" status and just putting him in the mix with other guys trying to earn a spot on the 25-man. I was looking at Baker's fielding stats recently, and he's not really a middle infielder. He never played shortstop a day in his pro life, and he only started playing 2nd in 2008, including in the minors, where he played third base and some outfield. With Theriot, Fontenot and Baker you have three middle infielders who are mediocre at best, and you've axed capable defenders like Blanco and Barney. That's fine, as long as you're never protecting a one-run lead, late, and one of your middle infielders has to make a play that's slightly more than routine.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 12:56am  
Piniella said that trainer Mark O’Neil advised him that he could use outfielder Xavier Nady in the outfield sometime by the end of this coming week. Piniella doesn’t want Nady to throw all out, but insists that the outfielder needs to play in order to get his legs game-ready for the season. Piniella said unequivocally, that Nady will be on the 25-man roster, not on the disabled list to start the season.
http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/i...

Submitted by The E-Man  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 7:48am  
Welcome back, ROB G. Hope you had a nice break!

Submitted by Rob G.  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 1:09am  
looking at the schedule and when Cubs might need Nady to start... @ Atlanta - Hanson, Lowe, Hudson or Jurrjens, so no lefties @ Cincy - possibly Chapman, otherwise rotation is all righties vs Brewers - Wolf, Davis would most likely pitch vs. Astros - could see Wandy Rodriguez @ NY Mets - Johan, O. Perez, possibly J. Neise @ Brewers - Wolf and Davis again vs. Nationals - Lannan or Olson possibly vs. DBacks - don't think they have a lefty I guess we'll see what happens, but I'm guessing Nady wouldn't play b2b games, but could start if needed and that might not have to happen until the 2nd week of the season.

Submitted by Rob G.  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 1:12am  
just a cramp, according to the Levine link in #53

Submitted by Rob G.  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 1:19am  
C - Soto, Hill INF - Lee, Fontenot, Theriot, Ramirez, Baker, 1 of Tracy, Millar, Hoffpauir OF - Fukudome, Byrd, Soriano, Nady, Fuld or Colvin SP - Z, Dempster, Wells, Marshall, Silva RP - Marmol, Grabow, Berg, Caridad, Gorzelanny, Samardzija, 1 of Gaub, Russell, Mateo or Parisi DL - Lilly, Guzman, Blanco and I could see Samardzija being optioned if he's not starting, leaving a 2nd spot open for one of those 4 competing.

Submitted by Charlie  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 9:13am  
Samardzija being optioned if he's not starting Please and thank you. If his only problem were that he does not now have nor will ever an effective 3rd pitch, then I'd say he's a bullpen pitcher. But his most prominent issue right now is his lack of control, so they might as well send him AAA to get his innings in. He's much more likely to work out those control issues in the rotation--and once he finds some command they can decide whether he helps the club more as a starter or reliever.

Submitted by Jumbo  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 5:48am  
I listened to Saturday's game while driving to Chicago for a party and listened to WGN broadcast. ~4th Inning, Hughes on the mic: Cubs have played KC 15 times since interleague began Cardinals play KC every year as interleague rival Cubs and NL Central have to root for KC to beat Cardinals Cue Santo: Do the Cardinals play Cincinnati in interleague? Who does St Louis play in interleague? Pat: What? Santo: St Louis plays Kansas City, right? Pat: Right. 2-2 count on... ~5th Inning, Hughes: Brian Anderson, formerly of the White Sox hit for the cycle in a ST game in his first 4 at bats. The blond haired young man had the cycle by the 4th inning. I can't remember any hitting for the cycle by the 4th inning. Santo: No, Pat, I can't. Pat: An incredible feat by the youngster. Usually there is a 5th at bat when hitting for the cycle, and a player has to face a late inning reliever making the feat more difficult. Cue Santo: Is this the same Brian Anderson that played for the White Sox? I can't believe how awful Santo is. I don't think he even listens to Pat Hughes. While listening I decided that Ron is definitely mentally challenged or he has lost the mental ability to hold up a conversation, even about baseball. Perhaps dementia? We love ya', Ron, but Jesus Christ.

Submitted by The E-Man  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 7:53am  
I have personally just sucked it up and try to let it roll off and advise you to do the same or you will go nuts and make it worse on top of listening to a frustrating baseball team. Santo is 70, battles more than we do on an every day basis, and will end up dying in the booth. Unless, he "retires", of course. Which I cannot imagine, unfortunately.

Submitted by Ryno  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 11:07am  
It's better if you just have fun with it. ...but yeah, he's rather terrible.

Submitted by Jumbo  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 6:28pm  
I was really just hoping someone would get a laugh out of it. I mean, this really happened on the air! It's unbelievable to me. I understand his role to the organization and everything that goes along with that. Pat must be pulling his hair out on some days

Submitted by navigator  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 10:52pm  
Ignore the cranks, Jumbo. Thanks for posting. It was funny.

Submitted by jacos  on Tue, 03/23/2010 - 8:53am  
Santo needs to go away. How long do you have to be obligated to the guy?

Submitted by crunch  on Tue, 03/23/2010 - 1:07pm  
at least they knew better than to put him on TV. some people found harry carry's shtick cute...i found it annoying. santo is intolerable compared to harry, though...imo.

Submitted by QuietMan  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 11:17am  
Lou goes by the numbers. http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/columns...

Submitted by The Real Neal  on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 11:59am  
"Math professor brilliant", obviously that would preclude him from being a TCR poster. I wish he would brush up on the concept of sample sizes, though. Interesting read, thanks for the link.