Turner Uses Hidden Ball Trick to His Advantage
Eloy Jimenez drilled an RBI double and an RBI single, Erick Castillo collected four singles, scored a run, and drove-in another, and RHP Jacob Turner hurled three innings of one-hit shutout ball for the Cubs, and Fernando Pujadas ripped two doubles and knocked-in two runs for the Giants, as the two teams played to a 4-4 tie in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning at Indian School Park Field #2 in Scottsdale, AZ.
Jacob Turner got the start for the Cubs and was masterful, working three shutout innings (37 pitches - 29 strikes) and easily retiring the first eight men he faced (3-U, 4-3, 6-3, K, F-8, F-8, K, 3-1) on just 32 pitches, before surrendering a two-out bouncing double down the LF line (just out of the reach of a diving Adonis Paula) in the bottom of the 3rd inning. He then got the final out on a 3-1 GO to complete his outing.
Turner is on the Cubs MLB 60-day DL (retro to 3/27) with a right elbow flexor strain, and today was his first game action since being shut-down on March 10th during MLB Spring Training.
As is the practice when a major league pitcher throws in a minor league game, Turner was allowed to use the official "Major League": baseball (which has a different feel than the official "Minor League" ball), and his club (in this case the Cubs) is responsible for supplying the Major League balls to the home plate umpire each half-inning. Then when the big leaguer finishes his inning, the Major League baseballs are sent back to the bench, and the Minor League balls are returned to the home plate umpire.
The Minor League ball that was in play when the last out of the top of the 2nd was recorded was inadvertently left on top of the mound after the conclusion of the half-inning, and when Turner got out to the mound and saw it, he picked it up, looked at it for second, and then disdainfully tossed it out of play (usually the umpires job) while a Major League baseball suddenly appeared in his glove at the exact same time (a variation on what I believe magicians call the "vanishing elephant illusion"). It was absolutely amazing (or I was in a drooling stupor, not sure which). Then Turner made the Giants disappear.
Chris Denorfia (on Cubs MLB 15-day DL - hamstring strain) continued his rehab in the game, playing LF for five innings and batting four times. He grounded out sharply 5-3 on a 1-2 pitch in the top of the 1st, hammered an opposite-field double off the RF fence on the first pitch he saw his second time up, roped a line-drive single over the second-baseman's head into right-field on a 2-1 pitch in his 3rd AB, and struck out (swinging) on a 1-2 pitch in his final Plate Appearance of the day.
Denorfia has five hits (three singles and two doubles), two walks, and four strikeouts in four games (16 PA) this week, and appears to be pretty close to completing the Extended Spring Training portion of his rehab. I suppose he could go directly back to Chicago, but I suspect he will probably spend at least a day or two at AA Tennessee or AAA Iowa to face more-advanced pitching before he is reinstated from the DL.
Here is the abridged box score from today's game (Cubs players only):
CUBS LINEUP:
X. Chris Denorfia, LF: 2-4 (5-3, 2B, 1B, K)
NOTE: Denorfia batted 3rd in the top of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th innings
1. Robert Garcia, CF: 1-5 (1B, K, K, F-8, L-5, R)
2a. Eloy Jimenez, RF: 2-3 (2B, 1B, 6-4 FC, 2 RBI)
2b. Jenner Emeterio, PH-LF: 1-2 (K, 1B)
3. Joey Martarano, DH #1: 0-5 (K, K, E-5, 3-U, K, R)
4a. Frandy de la Rosa, 2B: 1-3 (F-9, 1-3, 1B)
4b. Jose Paniagua, RF: 0-2 (P-6, 4-6-3 DP)
5. Alberto Mineo, 1B: 1-4 (K, 1B, 4-6 FC, K)
6. Ho-Young Son, SS: 1-2 (1B, F-9, BB, BB, R, SB, CS)
7. Adonis Paula, 3B: 1-3 (K, 1B, F-9 SF, K, RBI)
8. Carlos Sepulveda, DH-2B: 0-2 (3-U, 4-3)
NOTE: SLOT WAS SKIPPED FIRST TWO TIMES THRU BATTING ORDER
9. Erick Castillo, C: 4-4 (1B, 1B, 1B, 1B, R, RBI)
CUBS PITCHERS:
1. Jacob Turner: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 5/2 GO/FO, 37 pitches (29 strikes)
2. Scott Frazier: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 0 K, 1 WP, 1/2 GO/FO, 22 pitches (9 strikes)
3. Santiago Rodriguez: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 3 R (3 ER). 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HBP, 2 WP, 2/5 GO/FO, 60 pitches (37 strikes)
4. Sam Wilson: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 WP, 1 PO, 1/2 GO/FO, 30 pitches (17 strikes)
CUBS ERRORS: NONE
CUBS CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Erick Castillo: 0-1 CS
WEATHER: Sunny with temperatures 100+
ATTENDANCE: 13
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