Spring Training Battle Watch: March 18, 2010

We’re starting to get down to it, where it’s a bit easier to see who’s going to wind up where, but there are still a few battles to be worked out. Yesterday, the Cubs lost to the Dodgers 7-3, and…

  • Tyler Colvin just won’t stop. He went 1-4 with an RBI single, but one of those three outs was a huge shot out to left that was miraculously grabbed by Manny Ramirez on the warning track.
  • Chad Tracy went 2-2 with a walk, playing third base. Again. Anyone have any view as to why he seems to exclusively be playing third base? Yes, I agree that the Cubs needed to know if he could handle the spot, and yes, I agree that he probably didn’t need the reps at first base. But wouldn’t the Cubs have liked to know how well he could handle the corner outfield spots? He hasn’t played there in five years, but surely the Cubs would like to have the ability to use him there in a pinch. Regardless, it is looking increasingly like a cinch that he’s making this club – somehow.
  • Brad Snyder and Bryan LaHair continue to get their reps off the bench, which is probably not a good sign in Spring Training. Neither did much in this one worth comment.
  • Two reliever contenders went in this one – Justin Berg and John Gaub. Berg continued to shine, throwing one scoreless with a strikeout, and Gaub continued to struggle. Gaub’s Spring ERA is now pushing eight, and the four hits and three earned runs he gave up in this one won’t engender him to a Cubs bullpen that’s already going to be crowded with lefties. Gaub’s chances of making the pen are looking quite bleak.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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