Cubs & A's Spend Saturday in the (Fitch) Park

Delvin Zinn singled, doubled, walked, stole a base, and scored a run, Andy Weber singled twice, walked, and scored a run, and Miguel Amaya ripped a bases-loaded RBI single (Wladimir Galindo was thrown out at home on the play or it would have been two RBI), as the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs Hi-A affiliate) edged the Stockton Ports (Hi-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics) 2-1 on Field #4, and SP Wyatt Marks hurled three innings of no run/no hit ball, Max Schuemann drilled an RBI single and a double and scored a run, and Jesus Lopez belted a solo HR, leading the Beloit Snappers (A's Lo-A affiliate) to a 5-3 victory over the South Bend Cubs (Lo-A affiliate of the Cubs) on Field #3, in Cactus League Minor League Spring Training game action Saturday afternoon at the Lew Wolff Training Complex at Fitch Park in Mesa, AZ. 

Yonathan Perlaza crushed a two-run double (a near three-run HR) for South Bend in a losing cause.

Eight of the ten Cubs pitchers who worked in the two games were clearly pitching to avoid being assigned to the Eugene/Mesa squad and being left behind at Extended Spring Training when the four full-season Cubs affiliates leave Arizona in a couple of weeks, and I would say of the eight, only Jack Patterson, Raidel Orta, and Carlos Vega maybe showed that they should at least be considered for a spot in the South Bend bullpen. (Besides the eight pitchers on the "EXST bubble" who worked in the game, the other two pitchers who threw -- Brendan King and Eugenio Palma -- are really not in danger of being left behind at Extended Spring Tainining, but there is still the matter of whether they will open the season at Myrtle Beach or in South Bend).

Also, it is becoming apparent that (barring injury) the Cubs will assign both Wladmir Galindo - AND - Austin Filiere (both of whom are primarlily third-basemen) to Myrtle Beach on Opening Day and that Filiere will play mostly 1B (as he did today). This is bad news for Tyler Durna, because he showed enough at Winter Instructs and so far in Minor League Camp to at least make the Cubs think about him as the Pelicans' Opening Day first-baseman, but the Galindo/Filiere bottleneck at 3B and the desire to assign both players to Myrtle Beach and therefore play Filiere mostly at 1st base will almost certainly mean that Durna starts the season at South Bend.  

While Durna looks to be headed to South Bend, another 2018 Cubs draft pick continues to make a push for a Myrtle Beach Opening Day roster slot. Like Durna, Andy Weber has stood-out at both Winter Instructs (where he was in the advanced technical hitting group) and at Minor League Camp (where he has played all over the infield and done a nice job no matter where he is posted). However, Weber's chances to open the season at Myrtle Beach will probably depend on either Nico Hoerner or Aramis Ademan making the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and that remains TBD.   

Here are the abridged box scores from the games (Cubs player only):  


FIELD #3 

SOUTH BEND LINEUP:
1a. Josue Huma, SS: 1-3 (4-3, 1B, K)
1b. Christopher Morel, SS: 0-2 (K, 1-4-3 DP) 
2. Yonathan Perlaza, 2B: 1-5 (F-9, 1-U, P-4, 2B, 3-1, 2 RBI)
3a. Nelson Valazquez, RF: 1-3 (1B, K, 1B, R)
3b. Dalton Hurd, RF: 0-1 (P-6)
4. Grant Fennell, LF: 1-3 (F-9, 1B, BB, 5-3)
5a. Tyler Durna, 1B: 0-1 (P-4, BB)
5b. Fidel Mejia, 3B: 1-2 (1B, K, RBI)
6a. Jake Slaughter, 3B: 0-1 (BB, K)
6b. Rafael Mejia, 1B: 1-2 (6-4-3 DP, 2B) 
7. Jonathan Sierra, DH: 0-4 (1-6-3 DP, F-9, 4-3, F-8)
8a. Chris Singleton, CF: 0-2 (P-4, K)
8b. D. J. Artis, CF: 0-0 (BB, BB, R, SB)
9a. Eric Gonzalez, C: 0-2 (P-4, K)
9b. Raymond Pena, C: 1-1 (HBP, 1B, R) 

SOUTH BEND PITCHERS: 
1. Zach Mort: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 1 WP, 2/1 GO/AO, 37 pitches (20 strikes)
2. Kohl Franklin: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, 1/3 GO/AO, 24 pitches (17 strikes)
3. Niels Stone: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HBP, 1/4 GO/AO, 35 pitches (18 strikes)  
4. Blake Whitney: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 0/1 GO/AO, 17 pitches (9 strikes) 
5. Carlos Vega: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 3/0 GO/AO, 26 pitches (16 strikes) 

SOUTH BEND ERRORS: 1 
SS Josue Huma: E-6 (errant throw to 1st base allowed batter to reach base safely) 

SOUTH BEND CATCHERS DEFENSE: 
Eric Gonzalez: 0-2 CS 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FIELD #4 

MYRTLE BEACH LINEUP:
1a. Jimmy Herron, CF: 0-3 (5-3, K, 1-3)
1b. Brandon Vicens, LF: 0-1 (K)
2. Delvin Zinn, SS-3B: 2-3 (2B, F-7, 1B, BB, R, SB)  
3a. Andy Weber, 2B: 2-2 (BB, 1B, 1B, R) 
3b. Austin Upshaw, 2B: 0-1 (F-7)
4a. Wladimir Galindo, 3B: 1-3 (6-4-3 DP, 1B, 5-3, RBI)
4b. Rafael Narea, SS: 0-1 (K) 
5a. Austin Filiere,1B: 1-3 (3-1, 1B, K)
5b. Gustavo Polanco, 1B: 0-1 (F-9)
6a. Miguel Amaya, C: 1-3 (K, 1B, P-6, RBI)
6b. Caleb Knight, C: 0-1 (K) 
7a. Edmond Americaan, RF: 0-3 (1-3, F-7, K)
7b. Kevin Moreno, RF: 0-1 (K) 
8. Zach Davis, LF-CF: 1-3 (K, 1B, K, PO)
9. Brennen Davis, DH: 0-3 (6-3, K, K)

MYRTLE BEACH PITCHERS:
1. Brendan King: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 3/1 GO/AO, 25 pitches (17 strikes) 
2. Eugenio Palma: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1/4 GO/AO, 22 pitches (15 strikes)
3. Jack Patterson: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 2/1 GO/AO, 37 pitches (23 strikes)
4. Jake Reindl: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 1/0 GO/AO, 27 pitches (14 strikes) 
5. Raidel Orta: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 GIDP, 4/1 GO/AO, 19 pitches (13 strikes) 

MYRTLE BEACH ERRORS: 
NONE 

MYRTLE BEACH CATCHERS DEFENSE: 
Miguel Amaya: 1 PB 

MYRTLE BEACH BASERUNNING:
Wladimir Galindo thrown out 8-2 attempting to score from 2nd base on line single to CF 

ATTENDANCE: 23 

WEATHER: Sunny & a bit breezy with temperatures in the 70's 

Arizona 
Scoing 
Service 

"Just because it isn't official doesn't mean it didn't happen"