Spring Training Miscellany: Cubs 11, Rangers 4 – March 22, 2012

The Cubs destroyed the Rangers today (ok, well, half the Rangers – but even if you cut the Cubs’ score in half, they still win (I’m pretty sure it works that way)) on the strength of 15 hits, including four homers.

The important bits…

  • Joe Mather is completely uninterested in your stories about Tony Campana finally getting hot. Mather went 3 for 3 with a homer and a double today, playing center field. Mather will be making the Cubs, and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that today’s de-rostering of Andy Sonnanstine is geared toward adding Mather to the 40-man roster. Of course, there’s another guy to add to the roster named Blake DeWitt…
  • Adrian Cardenas had a couple hits in his two at bats (including a triple, plus a stolen base) in relief of Blake DeWitt, who went 0 for 3. I think it’s probably too late for Cardenas – who’s had a fine Spring in his own right – to pass DeWitt, who has, for whatever reason, become a Dale Sveum favorite.
  • Alfonso Soriano hit another homer today, which, like, yeah. That’s what he does right now.
  • Welington Castillo had a hit in two at bats, and Steve Clevenger had a hit in three at bats. There’s still very little separation in the back-up catcher competition, and it may just come down to Clevenger’s left-handed bat.
  • Matt Garza had another fine start – to the extent you remained concerned. He threw five innings, giving up three unearned runs (two hits, three walks). He struck out three while facing a pretty-much-regular Rangers lineup.
  • Frankie De La Cruz – whom the Cubs just picked up on waivers from the Brewers – threw 1.1 innings, giving up a hit and two walks, but no earned runs (though he did allow an inherited runner to score.
  • Marcus Mateo pitched to just one batter and walked him (and left with a forearm injury), while Rafael Dolis (who always seems to get the 9th inning) pitched a scoreless frame with a strikeout.
  • James Russell threw 1.2 innings, allowing nothing, and striking out two. He’s locked into the bullpen.
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    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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