Tsuyoshi Wada’s Dominance Continues and Other Bullets

tsuyoshi wada cubsKnocking on wood gets you only so far. The Little Boy appears to be sick once again, so I’ll be taking him to the doctor this morning, and then taking care of him today. That may limit things around here a little bit, depending on his temperament/diagnosis.

  • Tsuyoshi Wada continues to dominate the PCL (we need a stronger word than dominate – domihumiliate?): 2 ER in 31.1. innings, 16 H, 4(!) BB, 37(!) K. Speaking with Tommy Birch, Wada credits a grip change at the end of Spring Training for helping things click. Somehow, some way, the Cubs are going to give him a look, rather than losing him for nothing if he’s got an opt-out date coming. Because I’m sure there are other teams out there that would love to give him a shot in their rotation. Of course, the Cubs are already facing a mini pitching staff crunch, with a 13-man staff in place (probably one more than you’d like to see), and Jake Arrieta set to return this weekend. Obviously you’re not going to root for an injury to open up a spot somewhere for Wada, but maybe an early trade or something. Remember: although Wada is 33, there are reasons to believe he could have success for several years in MLB, and he would be under cheap team control during that time. When you talk about possible “future pieces,” Wada could be one, despite his age.
  • Keith Law chatted, and mentioned that he wasn’t worried about Albert Almora’s lack of a walk so far this year. He also said he’s heard some off-the-record explanations for Anthony Rizzo’s improved approach at the plate this year, and believes it will be sustainable. That’s awesome.
  • Kris Bryant talks about his successful start to the season, and says all of the things you would expect him to say about a promotion and getting to the bigs. He’s just trying to play well.
  • The Cubs’ 1920s homestand starts today, with all kinds of cool stuff this weekend.
  • CBS and Minor League Baseball have agreed to a Game of the Week deal that will feature a minor league game each week on CBS Sports Network each Thursday night throughout the Summer. The Iowa Cubs will be on TV on May 29.
  • Mitch Maier wound up back with the Royals on a minor league deal, in case you were wondering what happened to the outfielder the Cubs signed to a minor league deal, but who didn’t really play in Spring Training.
  • Your holy-adorable moment for the day, wholly unrelated to baseball or sports: dogs annoying cats with their friendship.
  • 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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