I was at the back fields today, so I saw only a little bit of the Cubs/White Sox game today, which the Sox won 3-2 (Box Score).
Matt Szczur (oblique) played in one of the minor league games, by the way, and looked pretty healthy as near as I could tell.
I’d expect he’ll finally be back with the big league team soon, and then the process of figuring out whether the Cubs will keep him on the 25-man roster out of Spring Training, or subject him to waivers (he is out of minor league options).
[adinserter block=”1″]Tommy La Stella (calf) also took at bats in one of the games, but did not run, so he’s probably still a ways away from returning. Unlike Szczur, La Stella does have minor league options left, for whatever that’s worth.
In the big league game, Kyle Hendricks was solid once again, allowing just two hits (one earned run) over five innings, with three strikeouts and no walks. We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: barring an injury, he’s going to be in the Cubs’ rotation out of Spring Training.
Travis Wood followed Hendricks with two innings (two hits, one walk, three strikeouts), and Spencer Patton pitched the final inning perfectly with one strikeout. His stellar spring continues, and the only thing keeping him out of the bullpen to start the year is probably the overall crowding and the ability to option him to Iowa. We’ll see.
[adinserter block=”2″]Offensively, the Cubs had a single hit on the day – a Jeimer Candelario double. That’s it. Candelario, by the way, was among today’s roster cuts if you missed it.
Meanwhile, the White Sox/Adam LaRoche story isn’t going away, and ace Chris Sale is publicly grousing very loudly about what happened. Because of my travels, I haven’t had a real chance to think critically about the situation and comment intelligently. So I won’t say much yet, other than to point out that this can’t be easy for White Sox players to deal with right now. It’s all pretty ugly.