Cubs Minor League Wrap -- April 19

It’s raining just as hard and steadily in Chicago; they ought to postpone tonight’s game too.

Well, I got to see a ballgame today here in DSM; now I have no plans for the evening. Nuts.

It was blustery here with the wind coming in from left all day, standing the CF flags straight out the entire game. Some sun in the middle innings, but clouds were present most of the game (no lights, though, because that’s how we do it here in the 515). Chilly, probably 55-60 at game time, but ‘colder’ due to the wind. Despite 10 runs and 20 hits between the two teams, the game took only 2:16; I think the players wanted to get inside.

Despite the wind, both the home runs for the I-Cubs were to the left of dead center. Jake Fox hit his to the left of the LF alley, and although it stalled, it cleared the fence with room to spare. On a calm day, it might have cleared the suites in LF. Fox looks too anxious at the plate, though. He was swinging for the fence at everything that looked close, and his swing looks too forced in a lot of cases. (Oddly enough, in the top of the 9th after he had switched to RF, he kept starting to trot to the dugout on any ball that might end the inning. Indicative, perhaps?)

Andres Blanco looked better than he did Friday at SS. He also had a good night, drawing 2 walks (1 intentional), an RBI single in the 5th, and a sac hit in the 4th.

Dubois had trouble with the wind in LF, allowing one ball to drop when he went back too far; this led to at least one of the runs in the 4th and could have been ruled an error, IMHO. His HR was no doubt, though; on a calm day it would have been a 435 foot shot down the alley, but the wind pushed it to near dead center with just enough left to clear the fence.

Atkins was very impressive, throwing five 1-2-3 innings (according to the scribbles on the back of this McDonald’s receipt, anyway). The only trouble he really got in was in the 4th, when he gave up both runs and three of his four hits. His fielding is also quite sharp; he made one very good stop on a liner back to the mound in the 3rd and either grabbed or knocked down everything else that came his way.

Waddell looked shaky in his two-thirds in the 8th. He got very lucky in having Matt Matulia (2B) get his glove on a sharp grounder and start the DP; otherwise, the inherited runner would have been in and, thanks to his walk, it would have been runners on the corners for the next batter too. Chad Fox looked a little better. His walk came on a full count and could have gone either way, and the hit was right down the line and wound up in the bullpen bench, IIRC.

Might be another report Tuesday, as it is dollar hot dog day.

(Josh, I have to say that I am disappointed there was no “Roundly Rocked the Express” or “Roundhoused the Express” this series. Maybe next time we see them you can throw those in.)