You get a triple, and you get a triple, and you get a triple …
Today the Cubs took down the Angels (well, a split squad of the Angels, without any of their superstars) 11-2 in their Cactus League opener, which absolutely means this season will be a pleasant surprise. It was a power barrage for the Cubs, who had 14 hits on the day, eight of which were of the extra base variety. The pitching fared well, too.
If it were the regular season, I’d be in the midst of a smile bonanza.
Luis Valbuena clearly wants to make the most of his opportunity to run with the third base job while Ian Stewart recovers from his quad injury. After homering in the intrasquad game yesterday, Valbuena went deep again today, and also took a walk.
Brett Jackson was all over the place today, tripling twice, and taking a grounder to the groin while he led off third. Fortunately he had his cup on, so all is well. A reminder, kids: protect your junk, even if you’re an outfielder.
Logan Watkins also had a triple, but it was of the “I got it, I got it, I lost it” variety. Still, he hustled right out of the box, which is always nice.
Brad Nelson also had a triple. Hence the triple thing up top …
Jorge Soler and Junior Lake got into the game late, notching a double and a homer, respectively (Javier Baez also got in late, but he had a measly single). Apparently Lake’s homer was a monster shot.
Travis Wood started and gave up a couple earned in his two innings of work, but after a walk and a double to the first two hitters, he really didn’t allow anything.
Trey McNutt pitched a scoreless frame, and Hisanori Takahashi followed up with two of his own. And then each of Rafael Dolis, Hector Rondon, Zach Putnam and Jaye Chapman threw a scoreless inning.
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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