Ok, so it’s just Spring Training, and, indeed, it’s just seven games into Spring Training. But you know the last time the Chicago Cubs had a winning record? April 20, 2011, when they were 9-8. So, we’ve waited, and I’m going to smile about it, Spring Training or not.
Today the Cubs took out the Brewers 6-1, and Starlin Castro hit a homer. Both things are swell. Among the notable bits:
Blake DeWitt really wants back on the roster. He had another couple hits today, and is up to .625 on the Spring. Dale Sveum has already discussed the bench as though DeWitt is on it, so it’s fair to consider DeWitt a “favorite,” such as there is one, to win a utility job. At the same time, Sveum’s been very complimentary of Adrian Cardenas. The battle remains one to watch.
Alfredo Amezaga, another utility infield candidate, also had a couple hits, and forced me to try very, very hard not to say “that guy is Amezaging!” Obviously I didn’t try hard enough. I apologize.
The Cubs gave reliever Blake Parker – the guy Dale Sveum talked up early in camp – two innings of work today, and he responded by striking out two and giving up just one hit. There are a handful of spots for the taking in the bullpen, and Parker might just be emerging as a possible taker.
To the contrary, Marcos Mateo and Manny Corpas weren’t overly impressive in their innings of work, with Mateo giving up two hits (including the only run of the game on a homer to Alex Gonzalez), and Corpas giving up a hit and lacking velocity.
Casey Coleman got an inning of work at the end of the game, which suggests he’s already out of the rotation competition. To his credit, he was perfect, with a strikeout.
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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