Spring Training Miscellany: Angels 10, Cubs 9 – March 12, 2015

arizona cactusWas that more fun than the back-to-back-to-back homer trio? It’s definitely possible. The Cubs lost that game, too, so it’s not like that can be the tie-breaker.

The Cubs lost 10-9 to the Angels today, but the game was the essence of Spring Training, complete with tons of scoring, lead changes, monster homers, prospect excitement, and a comedian running all over the field. It’s supposed to be fun, right? Today was, the score notwithstanding.

  • Kris Bryant had two homers and a deep double to center field on the day, which he calls Thursday. He also threw one away at third base, which has been something of an issue for him this Spring. Obviously nobody gives a hoot when you’re totaling 10 bases in the game, but it’s probably something to start watching.
  • Jorge Soler had a monster shot of his own, plus a hustle double (which he netted with a great slide) which scored Javier Baez on the throw (who also hustled and also netted the score with a great slide).
  • Addison Russell had three hits on the day, and flashed some leather in the field. It’s insane how easily he becomes overshadowed in games like this, but he’s really, really good. Really.
  • Welington Castillo had another nice game at and behind the plate, which has been his story this Spring. Good timing.
  • Felix Doubront definitely did not have his best stuff out there today (do I mention that his inning was interrupted by Will Ferrell coming in an out of the game? eh, probably not a great excuse, given how well everyone else fared), allowing five runs, which is not good timing. The deep fifth starter competition is looking a little thin right now. But, hey, it’s still very early in the Spring.
  • Joe Ortiz gave up another run in his inning of work. He’s in that group of lefties fighting for a job in the bullpen, though Phil Coke is likely the heavy favorite.
  • Albert Almora continues to show off just how good he is in center field. He makes every play look easy.
  • Will Ferrell’s presence at the game proved to be even more fun that I’d anticipated. He played center field for the Angels, where he fielded a single cleanly, and also got to watch Kris Bryant send the first of his two homers deep into the desert. Then he coached third base for the Cubs, took an at bat, played a little first base, and threw down his glove in disgust when he was pulled from the game. More on that in a bit, if you missed any of it.
  • His appearance apparently broke MLB.com, by the way, because their Gameday and box score stopped updating once he appeared. And, partly for that reason, I must apologize for the reduced stats here – I’m just going off of memory.
  • 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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