Jon Lester and Welington Castillo and Other Bullets

Mar 17, 2015

The Wife and The Little Girl are going to the game with me today, and it’ll be the first baseball game for The Little Girl! I am so over-the-moon excited to share the game I love with her, but I’m sure I really need to temper my expectations for just how much a four-year-old can get into the game. Hopefully she sees a little excitement, enjoys some ballpark food, and finds Clark for some high fives.

An interesting wrinkle to yesterday’s rough start by Jon Lester is that it came with Welington Castillo behind the plate. That is not to say there was a connection, but it’s something folks will undoubtedly notice and discuss. Lester wasn’t about to lay any blame on Castillo, as you can read here or here. Even if you wanted to say there was an issue there, you’d be just as likely to say that it was a pitcher and a catcher working together for the first time (and it just happened to be Castillo), rather than it was some specific confirmation of Castillo’s poor receiving/game-managing abilities. From the Cubs’ perspective, it’s probably not how they wanted things to go, given that putting Castillo out there to catch Lester was almost certainly in part about showcasing him for possible trades, and/or to show the rest of the baseball world that they’re serious about keeping Castillo if necessary. (When it comes down to it: does anyone really think Castillo is going to catch Lester in the regular season, in the highly unlikely event that the Cubs carry three catchers this year?) Hopefully no one takes too much away from this one pairing, as even Lester, himself, said that he wasn’t feeling sharp all game.

As for Lester, he wasn’t going to use “it’s just Spring Training” as an excuse (Tribune), because even when he’s working on things, he wants to get good results. I dig the competitive nature, but I’ll offer the excuse for him: it’s just Spring Training, and I’m sure he was working on some specific things. The outing was very unlikely to be any kind of reflection of how he’ll actually pitch when regular season wins are on the line.

Fantastic read in the New York Times about the Cubs’ offseason plans, expectations, and more.

The Cubs’ goal is to get 1000 innings from starting pitchers this year, which means the sub-goal is that each of the projected starters reaches 200 innings (Tribune). It’s a great goal, and it would certainly mean things are going well for the entire pitching staff, but it’s a tough feat to pull off these days. I suspect one thing about huge innings totals from starting pitchers that would really appeal to Joe Maddon: he could really maximize his bullpen usage and match-ups.

I’m now not so sure about the previous report that Tsuyoshi Wada threw BP the day after he was pulled from his start last week – Carrie Muskat writes that he was expected to play catch yesterday, and there’s still no timeline for his return. That sounds a lot more realistic to me.

That article also has a lot on Jacob Turner’s elbow injury, and just how cautious everyone is being – sounds like something they caught very early, and the effort now is to make sure that it doesn’t bloom into a more significant issue.

Once he’s able to play in the field again (shoulder fatigue), Kris Bryant sounds more than open to playing some in the outfield (Tribune). As we’ve discussed, having both Bryant and Mike Olt able to play in the outfield is nice because of the options it affords the Cubs in the near and long term.

If you missed it last night, Michael looked at one specific kind of value Kyle Hendricks might provide the Cubs.

A friendly NCAA tournament wager between Joe Maddon and Matt Szczur.

Speaking of the Tourney, if you wanted to join a no-money pool for fun, BN’er mjhurdle has set up a BN bracket at CBS that you can fill out. The password, of course, is “lastella”.

Your odds might not be great, but it’s a chance:

@BleacherNation want to throw out a ceremonial First Pitch on @Cubs #OpeningDay? Order from #Giordanos online with code FIRSTPITCH to enter!

— Giordano's Pizza (@GiordanosPizza) March 16, 2015

written by

Brett Taylor

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.

more cubs news

Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs Sign Old Friend Dan Straily

I knew Dan Straily was pitching in Korea, and I knew there was a time in relatively recent memory that he was trying to come back to MLB. But sometime between then and now, he fell off my radar as...

Brett Taylor

Apr 25, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Pre-Gamin’: Astros at Cubs (1:20 CT) – Lineups, Pitching Matchup, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

CUBS LINEUP — The Cubs won again last night, which means they've already won the season-series against the still-struggling Astros. Justin Verlander will be on the bump for today's finale, but he'll have to go up against the mighty Javier...

Michael Cerami

Apr 25, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cubs Farm Report | April 25, 2024: Brennen Davis Homers in His Return to Triple-A

Brennen Davis made his return to Triple-A last night, and of course, he managed to smack a three-run home run in an 8-2 win for the Iowa Cubs. That and more in today's Cubs Farm Report. Cubs Farm Report |...

Patrick K. Flowers

Apr 25, 2024

Chicago Cubs

The Leadoff Role, Cubs Front Office is Not Particularly Well-Liked? And Other Cubs Bullets

It's a pretty big day for the Chicago Bears, eh? For the second year in a row, they own the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Only this time, they actually plan to use it (and on a quarterback,...

Michael Cerami

Apr 25, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs Sign Brazilian-Japanese Pitcher Daniel Missaki Out of Mexican League

That's a geographic mouthful right there, and it underscores what an interesting signing this is. Stray signings throughout the year are not uncommon, particularly as injuries accumulate down on the farm and the Chicago Cubs have the ability to take...

Brett Taylor

Apr 25, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Do the Cubs Have a Scoring-Late Problem?

Once a month since August of 2016, my friends and I get together for "Supper Club." It's like book club, but instead of reading books, we go to a different restaurant in the city. Last night, we hit our 77th...

Michael Cerami

Apr 25, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Enhanced Box Score: Cubs 4, Astros 3 – April 24, 2024

The Cubs did all their scoring in the first, and made it stand up for the win with generally good pitching and generally good defense. Jameson Taillon looked solid again in his second start, locating well, giving up no barrels,...

Brett Taylor

Apr 25, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Dansby Swanson with a First Inning Three-Run Homer

For the second straight night, the Cubs are jumping all over the Astros in the first inning. After a couple hits from Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ to get things going, Michael Busch hit a sac fly, Christopher Morel walked,...

Brett Taylor

Apr 24, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Welcome Back to Iowa, Brennen Davis: Rocket Homer in His First Game Post-Rehab

What a road it's been - continues to be - for Cubs outfield prospect Brennen Davis. The former top prospect was on a rocket ship to Triple-A in 2021, and then mostly lost the last two years to various injuries....

Brett Taylor

Apr 24, 2024

Chicago Cubs

CRAAAAAP: Cody Bellinger to the Injured List (UPDATES)

So much for all those words of optimism and negative X-rays. After colliding with the outfield wall last night, Cody Bellinger fractured his rib (Update: It's actually TWO fractured right ribs) and will hit the injured list today. Chicago Cubs...

Michael Cerami

Apr 24, 2024

Picks

LeBron James Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Nuggets – NBA Playoffs Game 3, Thursday, April 25, 2024

The Los Angeles Lakers meet the Denver Nuggets at 10:00 PM ET on Thursday, in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and one of the 3-pointer over/unders available for this clash requires two trifectas from LeBron...

Data Skrive

Apr 25, 2024

Picks

D’Angelo Russell Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Nuggets – NBA Playoffs Game 3, Thursday, April 25, 2024

D'Angelo Russell must make four 3-pointers to beat his prop when the Los Angeles Lakers play the Denver Nuggets on Thursday at 10:00 PM ET, in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs.D'Angelo Russell's Three-Pointer Prop Odds...

Data Skrive

Apr 25, 2024

Picks

Michael Porter Jr. Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Lakers – NBA Playoffs Game 3, Thursday, April 25, 2024

To beat his 3-point over/under, Michael Porter Jr. must make three from downtown on Thursday, when his Denver Nuggets face the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, tipping off at 10:00 PM...

Data Skrive

Apr 25, 2024

Picks

Jamal Murray Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Lakers – NBA Playoffs Game 3, Thursday, April 25, 2024

On Thursday at 10:00 PM ET, the Denver Nuggets face the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and Jamal Murray's 3-pointer prop for this clash requires three treys.Jamal Murray's Three-Pointer Prop Odds...

Data Skrive

Apr 25, 2024

Picks

Nikola Jokic Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Lakers – NBA Playoffs Game 3, Thursday, April 25, 2024

Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets meet the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday at 10:00 PM ET in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and to beat his 3-point over/under, he needs to make two from downtown.Nikola Jokic's...

Data Skrive

Apr 25, 2024

Picks

Anthony Davis Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Nuggets – NBA Playoffs Game 3, Thursday, April 25, 2024

The Los Angeles Lakers play the Denver Nuggets at 10:00 PM ET on Thursday, in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and one of the 3-pointer props available for this clash requires just one trey from...

Data Skrive

Apr 25, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs Sign Old Friend Dan Straily

I knew Dan Straily was pitching in Korea, and I knew there was a time in relatively recent memory that he was trying to come back to MLB. But sometime between then and now, he fell off my radar as...

Brett Taylor

Apr 25, 2024

Chicago Bears

Oh? The Rams Reportedly Want to Trade into the Top 10 of the 2024 NFL Draft

If you're looking for chaos on NFL Draft day, you just might get it. And leave it to the script-writers to get a team out in Hollywood involved. Here is a scoop from The Athletic's Dianna Russini, who hears the...

Luis C. Medina

Apr 25, 2024

Picks

Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals Series April 26-28: Odds, Starting Pitchers & Predictions

A three-game series featuring the Detroit Tigers and the visiting Kansas City Royals will start on Friday, April 26 at 1:10 PM ET.Tigers vs. Royals Series Info Royals @ Tigers Time: Friday, April 26 at 1:10 PM ET Tigers Starting...

Data Skrive

Apr 25, 2024

Chicago Bears

We Could See 6 Quarterbacks Go in Round 1 of the NFL Draft

NFL Draft followers seem to have settled on four quarterbacks going somewhere in the top 10 picks. Many appear to think that we could get a draft with quarterbacks going 1, 2, 3, 4 in succession at the top. Others...

Luis C. Medina

Apr 25, 2024

Jon Lester and Welington Castillo and Other Bullets

Read More

more cubs news

Latest News

more cubs news

Most Popular

Most Popular

Latest News

Most Popular

Most Popular