The Cubs required no rain delay to beat the Indians 11-6, and continue their all-out assault on the Cactus League. At 9-2-2, the Cubs are just ahead of the Brewers … um, Marlins, and Padres. Oh. It’s almost like Spring Training results don’t tell you much …
More from the game and the day at Spring camp …
Jose Quintana didn’t have perfect command in this one, seeming to juuuuust miss his spots. But the strike zone was also pretty inconsistent and small. So, shrug. He biffed on a comebacker, which looked pretty ugly. He’ll take some extra pitcher fielding practice for that one.
Dillon Maples faced three batters, and struck out three batters swinging. When he’s on, he’s just so nasty.
But he might not have been the reliever that jumped out at me the most. Alberto Baldonado, a former Mets farmhand the Cubs signed this offseason, was throwing at least mid-90s with a fastball that seemed to get on the hitters quickly. He’s a lefty, whose build and delivery are extremely evocative of Aroldis Chapman. No, the velocity and extension are not THAT good, but if you’re judging based on how the hitters were seeing him, he was throwing extremely well in the 9th. He only just turned 25, for what it’s worth.
I’m not sure people think of @albertalmora as a guy with a ton of pop. But I’m always shocked at his batting practice sessions. He just crushes the ball. As in, he can keep pace with Schwarber, Bryant and Rizzo. #Cubshttps://t.co/rqQReqLs33
The rub, as noted in the Almora homer post, is that his style at the plate has not been conducive to translating that power to in-game power. But it could be coming based on what he’s showed in the big leagues the last two years and the raw power ability that’s in there.
Unfortunately, reliever Shae Simmons left with the trainer after walking a couple batters:
#Cubs Simmons left the game with tightness in his right shoulder. He'll be re-evaluated on Thursday
Simmons is a big-league-caliber reliever whose career has been sent sideways by injuries, including a serious shoulder injury. So that’s not great news to see there for a guy who was competing for the final bullpen spot.
Pitching prospect David Garner gave up a grand slam after failing to complete an easy double play that would have ended the inning. Well, let me clarify: completing the double play would have been easy, since all he had to do was toss the ball to second base. Thing is, he’d just caught a rocket liner back at him, so I can understand if the number of outs in the inning temporarily got knocked out of his mind:
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.
Well, the rain stole one from us yesterday, which is a blessing and a curse. On the bright side, the bullpen gets an extra day of rest (on top of the day Hayden Wesneski bought them). But on the flip...
The Chicago Cubs are against theft. Of bases: https://twitter.com/codifybaseball/status/1781046629103231339 The Chicago Cubs this year have stolen just three bases, the fewest in all of baseball. Dansby Swanson has stolen two bases, Nick Madrigal has stolen one. That's it. I don't...
Even with tonight's rainout, the Chicago Cubs are still making some roster moves. When Patrick Wisdom was removed (perfectly healthy) from the I-Cubs game in the 4th inning on Wednesday, we had an idea of what was coming next. When...
The weather wasn't going to cooperate for Jameson Taillon's season debut, and tonight's Cubs-Marlins tilt has been postponed. The game will instead be part of a split-doubleheader this Saturday, with the first game at 1:20pm CT and the second at...
If you're into tracking young pitchers with star potential like I am—as I watch Jack Leiter's debut while typing this column—then you're probably itching to see Pirates top prospect Paul Skenes make his way to Pittsburgh sooner than later. While...
Cubs vs Marlins — Whew! The Cubs got through their first West Coast road trip of the year, and did so with a winning record (5-4) against the Padres, Mariners, and Diamondbacks. They definitely let a couple games slip out...
As the father of a toddler who was sick for an entire week — the same week Brett was out from his back surgery and the Cubs were playing almost exclusively late-night ballgames on the West Coast — I was...
Kevin Alcántara hit his first home run of the season for the Tennessee Smokies last night, and Owen Caissie hit his first Triple-A home run for the Iowa Cubs as Iowa and Tennessee secured victories. The same can't be said...
Given the way the offseason played out for super agent Scott Boras's top available clients - Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Blake Snell, and Jordan Montgomery - you wouldn't be shocked to see some unhappiness behind the scenes. Did Boras overplay...
Hayden Wesneski was the hero of yesterday's finale and series-win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, coming in to clean up Jordan Wicks' (little) mess in the 5th ... and then tossing 4 shutout innings to save an over-used bullpen and help...
The Cincinnati Reds (9-9) hope to avoid their fourth straight defeat when they host the Los Angeles Angels (9-10) Friday at 6:40 PM ET on BSOH. The Reds are listed as -124 favorites to snap their losing skid, while the...
Coming off of a 3-1 series win over the Red Sox, the Cleveland Guardians (13-6) are -169 favorites to pick up the win in Game 1 of a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics (8-11). The series begins at Progressive...
The Boston Red Sox (10-10) are the underdogs on the moneyline (-105) in Friday's contest versus the Pittsburgh Pirates (11-8). The game starts at 6:40 PM ET on SportsNet PT. The Red Sox are favored against the spread in this...
Jose Altuve, batting .388 this season, leads the Houston Astros (6-14) into a matchup with Jesse Winker (.364 AVG) and the Washington Nationals (8-10). The Astros are -166 favorites on the moneyline for the matchup at Nationals Park, beginning at...
The Philadelphia Phillies (11-8) and Kyle Schwarber (2 HR in his last game) are favored (-182) on the moneyline for their matchup with the Chicago White Sox (3-15) on Friday at 6:40 PM ET on NBCS-PH.Spencer Turnbull takes the mound...
Amed Rosario will look to extend his 10-game hitting streak when the Tampa Bay Rays (11-9) take on the New York Yankees (13-6). The Yankees are listed as -162 favorites on the moneyline for the contest, which starts at 7:05...
Two of the league's top power hitters meet Friday when the Atlanta Braves (12-5) and Texas Rangers (11-9) take the field at 7:20 PM ET, live on Apple TV+. Marcell Ozuna has eight home runs for the Braves (-203 favorites...
After winning four games in a row, the Baltimore Orioles (12-6) play on the road against the Kansas City Royals (12-7) at 7:40 PM ET on Friday.The Orioles will give the ball to Dean Kremer (0-1, 4.96 ERA), who is...
The St. Louis Cardinals (9-10) kick off a three-game series on Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers (11-6). The matchup begins at 8:15 PM ET at Busch Stadium.The Brewers will look to Freddy Peralta (2-0) against the Cardinals and Kyle Gibson...
The Detroit Tigers (10-9) begin a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins (6-11) on Friday at Target Field. First pitch is at 8:10 PM.The Twins will look to Joe Ryan (0-1) against the Tigers and Jack Flaherty (0-1).Twins vs. Tigers...
NEWSLETTER
