Javy Baez made an uneventful return to the lineup – exactly what we wanted! – singled in three trips to the plate, and made a nice play in the field. He felt good:
Javier Baez (hamstring) after rehydrating and playing in first Cactus League game since March 8: “I feel great. No more sugar drinks now."
Eddie Butler made the start for the Cubs, as he continues to be a multi-inning, stretched-out-guy in Spring Training, rather than a traditional reliever. I say it that way, because he’s currently competing for a spot in the Cubs’ bullpen. So, it’s a little apples and oranges to evaluate his performance as a starter as the basis for making a bullpen decision, but the reality is: pitching well is pitching well. If Butler pitches well, he can win a spot in the Cubs’ bullpen one way or another.
… but today, he did not pitch well, or at least he didn’t when he got into the 4th inning. After cruising through the first three innings and retiring the first batter in the fourth, Butler walked the bases loaded and departed just before a grand slam. That’s the concern with Butler: an inability to consistently locate his pitches has led to a parade of woes in his attempts to become a big league pitcher, despite having above-average stuff and velocity. When you can’t locate, you’re going to prolong counts and be inefficient, you’re going to give up walks, and you’re going to get hit when you miss your spots. It’s nice to see that he was able to cruise for the first three innings, but the loss of control from there is always concerning. (I should note that, without the ability to watch the game, it’s hard to know just how wild he was. Gameday suggests that those walks were actually BS, but the tracking is not always accurate in the Spring.)
Steve Cishek pitched a clean inning in this one, as did Justin Wilson, which was very nice to see, since his last outing was the first that featured some control problems, and he was apparently dealing with a blister issue.
Luke Farrell is a depth starter for the Cubs who will likely be at AAA in the rotation, and he struck out seven(!) in his three innings of work. Keep in mind, that was after the regulars in a split-squad game departed, but it’s still fun to see.
Kyle Schwarber doubled and tripled (WHEELS!) in this one, and the Cubs’ lone run came on a Ben Zobrist homer.
Cubs have a couple excellent spring performers who are going to be heading to AAA Iowa:
Top spring performers who are unlikely to make Opening Day roster:
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.
In the top of the seventh inning of today's 8-3 win over the Miami Marlins, Alexander Canario trotted out to left field in place of Ian Happ. At first, we thought (or maybe just hoped) that Craig Counsell was giving...
And just like that the Chicago Cubs are the first team in the NL Central to reach 12 wins! They're not technically in first place yet because the Brewers (11-6) have played fewer games, but we're talking about a matter...
With a lefty Marlins starter on the mound this afternoon, Nico Hoerner lead off today's game for the Chicago Cubs. And he did it in style, ripping a leadoff double to the left-center field wall, before coming into score a...
*The Cubs were rained out yesterday, but today? Today, we've got a Friday 1:20 start at Wrigley Field, and that means all is right in the world. Before you take a look at the Cubs lineup against Miami, check out...
Happy Friday! Well, for everyone except for the pilots who were supposed to be manning the Colorado Rockies flight last week but instead allowed a member of the Rockies coaching staff to hop in the pilot's seat for a fun...
Justin Steele, arguably the single most irreplaceable player on the Chicago Cubs 2024 roster, went down with a hamstring injury just 4.2 innings into his Opening Day start against the Rangers on March 28. In his place, the Cubs sixth...
If you do this job long enough, it's really wild to see the range of topics that can somehow become attached to sports. That is to say, I did not envision myself at some point writing about flight safety, cockpit...
The Iowa Cubs were rained out, but the rest of the farm was in action, and so was Kevin Alcántara, who picked up four hits and now has seven in his last three games as he breaks out of an...
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...
On Saturday, Zac Gallen will take the mound for the Arizona Diamondbacks (9-11) versus Kyle Harrison and the San Francisco Giants (9-11), with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 PM ET at Oracle Park.The article below will provide you with everything...
The Los Angeles Dodgers (12-9), with Gavin Stone on the mound, host the New York Mets (10-8) who will start Jose Butto, at 4:05 PM ET on Saturday in a series opener.Keep reading to find out all the details on...
On Saturday, Miles Mikolas will start for the St. Louis Cardinals (9-10) versus D.L. Hall and the Milwaukee Brewers (11-6), with first pitch scheduled for 2:15 PM ET at Busch Stadium.If you're planning on watching this game, keep reading for...
On Saturday, Javier Assad will start for the Chicago Cubs (12-7) versus Jesus Luzardo and the Miami Marlins (4-16), with first pitch scheduled for 2:20 PM ET at Wrigley Field.If you're intending to watch this game, keep reading for TV...
Bailey Ober will take the mound for the Minnesota Twins (6-11) when they host starting pitcher Reese Olson and the Detroit Tigers (10-9) in a series opener on Saturday, with first pitch at 2:10 PM ET.Keep reading to find out...
Nestor Cortes Jr. will take the mound for the New York Yankees (14-6) when they host starting pitcher Zach Eflin and the Tampa Bay Rays (11-10) on Saturday, with first pitch at 1:05 PM ET.Keep reading to find out all...
The Cincinnati Reds (10-9), led by Elly De La Cruz, host Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels (9-11) on Saturday at 6:40 PM ET.Keep reading to see how to watch the Cincinnati-Los Angeles matchup below.When is Reds vs. Angels...
The Cleveland Guardians (14-6), led by Josh Naylor, host Abraham Toro and the Oakland Athletics (8-12) at 6:10 PM ET on Saturday.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on how to watch Cleveland play Oakland live.When is Guardians vs....
The Seattle Mariners (9-10), who will give the start to Luis Castillo, visit the Colorado Rockies (4-15) with Dakota Hudson on the mound, Saturday at 8:10 PM ET.If you're intending to watch this game, keep reading for TV and streaming...
Corbin Burnes takes the mound for the Baltimore Orioles (12-6) when they visit starting pitcher Cole Ragans and the Kansas City Royals (12-7) at 7:10 PM ET on Saturday.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on how to watch...
NEWSLETTER
