Zastryzny Gets Start for AZL Cubs

Hector Hernandez (on Kane County 7-day DL) hurled three innings of one-hit shutout ball and combined with three relievers to toss a four-hitter, as the AZL Diamondbacks defeated the AZL Cubs 4-1 in AZL action this evening on Whirlwind Field at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Resort east of Scottsdale, AZ.


LHP Rob Zastryzny (on AA Tennessee 7-day DL with a foot injury) saw his first game action since April 23rd (not counting EXST "sim" games), getting a rehab start and working four innings (63 pitches - 38 strikes) for the AZL Cubs. He allowed one run on three hits and two walks, with four strikeouts and a 5/3 GO/FO. He also threw three wild pitches.

Zastryzny had a lot of trouble commanding his breaking ball, but his fastball had life, and while he had some control issues, he threw strikes when he needed to throw them.

With four innings and 63 pitches under his belt, I would think it's fairly likely that Zastryzny will be reinstated from the DL later this week and make his next start for Tennessee on Saturday or Sunday.

Fireballin' RHP Dylan Cease followed Zastryzny to the mound and was unable to get through the bottom of the 5th, allowing three runs (and all three runs should have been scored as earned - see below) on two hits, a walk, and two WP, with one strikeout in 0.2 IP (24 pitches - 15 strikes).

The play-by-play log at milb.com is inaccurate in a couple or three ways regarding the bottom of the 5th. Here is how it appears at milb.com:

> Pitching Change: Dylan Cease replaces Rob Zastryzny.
> Jacob Cordero singles on a fly ball to right fielder Robert Garcia.
> With Alvaro Rondon batting, Jacob Cordero steals (1) 2nd base.
> Alvaro Rondon hits a sacrifice bunt. Missed catch error by third baseman Wladimir Galindo, assist to pitcher Dylan Cease. Jacob Cordero scores. Alvaro Rondon to 2nd.
> Jacy Cave strikes out swinging.
> With Dylan Kelly batting, wild pitch by Dylan Cease, Alvaro Rondon to 3rd.
> Dylan Kelly grounds out, second baseman Carlos Sepulveda to first baseman Joe Martarano. Alvaro Rondon scores.
> Daniel Comstock walks.
> With Ramon Hernandez batting, wild pitch by Dylan Cease, Daniel Comstock to 2nd.
> Ramon Hernandez singles on a line drive to center fielder Roberto Caro. Daniel Comstock scores.
> Pitching Change: Tanner Griggs replaces Dylan Cease.
> Ismael Pena grounds out, second baseman Carlos Sepulveda to first baseman Joe Martarano.

And here is what actually happened:

> Pitching Change: Dylan Cease replaces Rob Zastryzny.
> Jacob Cordero singles on a fly ball to right fielder Robert Garcia.
> With Alvaro Rondon batting, Jacob Cordero steals (1) 2nd base.
> Alvaro Rondon hits a sacrifice bunt. Missed catch error by third baseman Wladimir Galindo, NO ASSIST TO PITCHER DYLAN CEASE BECAUSE IT WAS A SH-FC. Jacob Cordero scores. Alvaro Rondon to 2nd.
> Jacy Cave strikes out swinging.
> With Dylan Kelly batting, wild pitch by Dylan Cease, Alvaro Rondon to 3rd.
>WITH DYLAN KELLY BATTING, PASSED BALL BY YOHAN MATOS, ALVARO RONDON SCORES
> Dylan Kelly grounds out, second baseman Carlos Sepulveda to first baseman Joe Martarano. ALVARO RONDON DID NOT SCORE ON THE PLAY AND KELLY SHOULD NOT GET CREDIT FOR AN RBI BECAUSE RONDON HAD ALREADY SCORED ON A PASSED BALL.
> Daniel Comstock walks.
> With Ramon Hernandez batting, wild pitch by Dylan Cease, Daniel Comstock to 2nd.
> Ramon Hernandez singles on a line drive to center fielder Roberto Caro. Daniel Comstock scores.
> Pitching Change: Tanner Griggs replaces Dylan Cease.
> Ismael Pena grounds out, second baseman Carlos Sepulveda to first baseman Joe Martarano.

So contrary to what you might read in the box score, Cease allowed three runs, and all three runs (not just one) were earned, because the E-5 on the bunt was not a missed catch that would have resulted in an out  Hence Cease should not be credited with an assist, either. Rather it was a SH-FC, where without the E-5 there would have been runners at 1st & 3rd and no outs, and both runners would have eventually scored anyway thanks to the two wild pitches, the 4-3 GO, a walk, and another single later in the inning. (Cease should have thrown to 1st instead of 3rd on the bunt, but catcher Yohan Matos yelled "three, three three," causing Cease to make a throw to a base where there was no play, but that is a SH-FC, not an error... BTW, Matos was also picked-off 1st by D'backs catcher Dylan Kelly with one out and runners at 1st & 2nd in the top of the 4th).

RHP Tanner Griggs (1.1 IP, 25 pitches - 14 strikes) saw his first game action since suffering a groin injury while pitching in an intrasquad game in mid-April, relieving Cease with two outs and one man on base in the 5th and then retiring the side on a 4-3 GO, before escaping another jam of his own making (thanks to two walks) in the bottom of the 6th

RHP (ex-C) Mark Malave (16 pitches - 10 strikes, with 2 K - both looking in the bottom of the 7th) and RHP Santiago Rodriguez (8 pitches - 5 strikes - 0/3 GO/FO in the bottomo of the 8th) each threw a 1-2-3 inning.

The Cubs scored their lone run in the top of the 5th on a two-out RBI single by Roberto Caro that drove-in Carlos Jimenez from 2nd base. And here we have still another screw-up in the milb.com box score and game log (play-by-play), because there was a fielding error by CF Max Brown on Caro's hit (which was a single) that was not recorded in the box score and that was listed in the game log as a single by Caro and a "deflection"(?) by the CF that allowed Caro to take second and then try for third, where he was thrown out for the final out of the inning.