If you were at one of those games, your hot dog probably fell in the mud. It was just one of those bad, bad days.
Some good news appeared immediately, though. While Almora left early with a nosebleed, the rumors that he was dealing with a more serious issue were quickly squashed. As confirmed by the Daytona Cubs on Twitter, all Almora had was a bloody nose.
When a bloody nose qualifies as the highlight of the day, you know it’s been a terrible day.
Scores From Yesterday
Iowa – It was raining in Memphis, and this game was postponed. Tennessee – The Smokies gave up three runs in the ninth to lose 6-4. Daytona – Daytona held Dunedin to just three hits, but it wasn’t enough. The Cubs lost 1-0. Kane County – It was also raining in Bowling Green, and this game did not happen either.
Performances of Note
[Tennessee] C.J. Edwards struck out 7 over 5 innings and 80 pitches, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk. Those concerned about his durability might be interested to note that two of those strikeouts came in his fifth and final inning, including one on his final pitch. Two of the runs came on bloopers and dinkers, too.
[Tennessee] Austin Kirk also pitched well. Through 2.1 innings of relief he allowed just two hits. Tony Zych finished off the game, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and ultimately blowing the save.
[Tennessee] The offense in this game was provided by Kris Bryant (a double), Dustin Geiger (a double and a homer), and Rafael Lopez (a single and a homer).
[Daytona] Tim Saunders accounted for half of Daytona’s hits, and his double was the Cubs lone extra base hit. He finished 3 for 5 with a pair of strikeouts.
[Daytona] Dan Vogelbach picked up two hits in this game. That makes Monday his first multi-hit game of 2014. Chadd Krist had the other hit for the Cubs, and also reached on a walk.
[Daytona] The star of the night was Felix Pena. The Cubs right handed starter put on a clinic of pitching efficiency. He pitched all 8 innings, allowed a run on just 3 hits and 2 walks, struck out one, and needed only 75 pitches to do it.
Other News
Felix Pena is the current best example of how worthless wins and losses are as a pitching stat. His record this season is 0-3, but in those three games and 20 innings he’s allowed a total of 3 runs on 11 hits and 3 walks. That means this winless pitcher has an ERA of 1.35, a WHIP of 0.700, and is holding opposing hitters to just a .162 average. That is a very, very good start to the season no matter what the pitching W/L column says. I can’t fault a pitcher for getting absolutely no run support, and that is exactly what Pena’s Win-Loss record does. Wins are the single most important team stat, but they are useless when used as a tool to evaluate pitchers.
Interestingly, as much success as Pena is having this spring (sample size alerts apply), he is doing it largely without the strikeout. We know that strikeouts are not the most efficient way to get outs, and if a pitcher is focused on keeping down his pitch count and working deep into games he will go after weak contact rather than trying to strike every one out. What we don’t know, though, is if a pitcher who does not rack up the strikeouts in the minors is doing so out of a desire to be efficient, or because he lacks excellent swing-and-miss stuff. History hasn’t exactly been kind to pitchers who posted lower K/9 numbers in their minor league campaigns. Despite that history, though, it is hard to deny that Pena is doing quite well. He has never racked up the strikeouts at any level, but here he is mowing through High-A lineups anyway. At this stage I think he’s worth keeping an eye on, but not someone we need to elevate on pitching prospect charts just yet. If he eventually recreates this success in Double A, though, we may have reconsider that verdict.
The Chicago Cubs' President of Baseball Operations just hopped on 670 The Score On the Bernstein & Holmes Show, discussing a number of Cubs-related items. He led things off with a discussion of newly-acquired reliever, Tyson Miller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hes1lI-8ZCI So, then,...
There is nothing Shota Imanaga can't do. Going up against one of the best teams in baseball — and best overall offenses versus LHP — on the road, without his best stuff, Shota Imanaga tossed 5.0 scoreless innings in Atlanta, with...
Baseball's top two pitchers in the ERA department squared off last night and did not disappoint—that and more in today's MLB Notes. Shōta Imanaga Was Awesome (Again), But So Was Reynaldo Lopez I've watched a lot of Reynaldo López, given...
The Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates were off on Monday, so it's time to take stock of some recent hot (and not-so-hot) performers inside the Cubs Top 25 prospects down on the farm in today's Cubs Farm Report. Cubs Farm...
I've gotten back into baseball cards, which, among other things, sends me down a lot of Memory Lanes. You pull a particular card, you think about that player, and you have various memories. It's part of the fun. The other...
I hope your Tuesday is treating you well. So far so good on my end ... Shota Imanaga dealt with more traffic last night than he has thus far in his debut MLB season, but hey, that's a ridiculous Braves...
The Tyson Miller trade is now official, with the Chicago Cubs sending minor league utility man Jake Slaughter to the Seattle Mariners for Miller, who figures to be mostly a match-up righty/middle reliever in the bullpen. More on the trade...
I have been to more Cubs and MLB games than I could realistically remember. And not ONCE — not even once — have I caught a ball. No homers, no foul balls, no outfielders chucking it to me. Nothing. And...
We don't yet know if there's an "injury" here, but it's a pretty scary possibility, so I'm leading with it. If you didn't catch the moment in last night's game, Christopher Morel fouled a ball off his toe in the...
The Chicago Cubs are acquiring righty reliever Tyson Miller from the Seattle Mariners for minor league utility man Jake Slaughter, per Jeff Passan. The Cubs did it! An early-May bullpen trade! It can be done! ... ok, there are some...
The Chicago Cubs' President of Baseball Operations just hopped on 670 The Score On the Bernstein & Holmes Show, discussing a number of Cubs-related items. He led things off with a discussion of newly-acquired reliever, Tyson Miller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hes1lI-8ZCI So, then,...
The PGA Championship tee times are out and ready for your consumption. The second major of the 2024 calendar will take place at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, from May 16-19. The 106th edition of the championship will be...
For the second time this season, Rudy Gobert has been handed down a hefty fine by the NBA. During the T'Wolves' Game 4 loss at home to the Nuggets, Gobert flashed the money sign with his hands directed at officials....
The NFL's schedule release is just over 24 hours away, but we're already getting some juicy teasers this week. Here's a roundup and some upcoming NFL-related productions coming to Amazon in today's NFL Notes. Chiefs Will Host the Ravens in...
I've gotten back into baseball cards, which, among other things, sends me down a lot of Memory Lanes. You pull a particular card, you think about that player, and you have various memories. It's part of the fun. The other...
Baseball's top two pitchers in the ERA department squared off last night and did not disappoint—that and more in today's MLB Notes. Shōta Imanaga Was Awesome (Again), But So Was Reynaldo Lopez I've watched a lot of Reynaldo López, given...
You're gonna need a bigger arena ... The Chicago Sky will be quite the draw for WNBA fans across the country. But don't just take my word for it. The Washington Mystics confirmed the excitement on Tuesday, announcing that the...
Bad news for the Boston Bruins this morning. Trailing 3-1 in their second-round series with the Florida Panthers, it was revealed that captain Brad Marchand will again not be available for tonight's win-or-go-home matchup in South Florida. https://twitter.com/FlutoShinzawa/status/1790401949998706932 Brad Marchand...
The Tyson Miller trade is now official, with the Chicago Cubs sending minor league utility man Jake Slaughter to the Seattle Mariners for Miller, who figures to be mostly a match-up righty/middle reliever in the bullpen. More on the trade...
The Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates were off on Monday, so it's time to take stock of some recent hot (and not-so-hot) performers inside the Cubs Top 25 prospects down on the farm in today's Cubs Farm Report. Cubs Farm...
NEWSLETTER
Yesterday was a sad day for the Cubs farm system.
