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MESA, Arizona — I got nothin’.
Well, actually, that’s not true. This is a recap of a Cubs game, and you come here to get more than nothin’, and I will give you a few somethings.
The Cubs lost to the Rockies 17-1. So what? The result is irrelevant.
A few things that are relevant:
- Alec Mills just got pounded. He allowed seven hits and recorded five outs. Five of the hits went for extra bases, two of them home runs. This isn’t good, and let’s hope it’s just a case of Mills working out some things in a spring game, and that he’s not injured.
- Seiya Suzuki had two at-bats and struck out twice. I’m not concerned; it’s his first MLB game of any kind. He is, however, hilarious:
Seiya Suzuki, via his translator:
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) March 25, 2022
"I had that adrenaline rush when I saw my name on that billboard [during visit to Wrigley]. But if I keep on striking out like today, someone's going to throw some beer at me someday."
A lot of people around the Cubs have said Seiya Suzuki is “hilarious.” For example, manager David Ross offered this funny story this morning… pic.twitter.com/8mm8hBcGrn
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) March 25, 2022
This is a great thing to have on a team, I think you’ll agree. Here are six more minutes of Suzuki [VIDEO].
- The Cubs scored one run, on an RBI single by Clint Frazier in the fifth [VIDEO].
That’s good from Frazier. Not so good was when he almost ran over Jason Heyward trying to get to a ball in the second inning. Spring training and all, sure, but seriously the Cubs do not want this sort of thing happening during the regular season.
- Intriguing was a 28-year-old lefthander named Eric Stout, who the Cubs signed to a minor-league deal just a week ago. He struck out the side in the seventh 1-2-3. Granted, those were Rockies minor leaguers. Still, he showed a good pitch mix. Stout is a Chicago-area native (St. Francis High School in Wheaton) and drafted out of Butler University by the Royals in 2014. He pitched in three MLB games for Kansas City in 2018 (and he and Mills were Double-A teammates in the KC organization). He’s now struck out seven in 5⅓ spring innings. Could be someone to send to Iowa to keep an eye on.
- Ben Leeper threw a scoreless fifth with a pair of strikeouts. He’s another reliever to watch at Iowa this year.
Now that’s all I got.
Oh, yes, one more thing... Attendance watch: 10,595 paid to watch this game on the hottest day of the spring so far:
The high so far today at Sky Harbor is now up to 96 degrees...15 degrees above the normal for the date...and a new daily record! #azwx
— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) March 25, 2022
Total attendance for five spring games is 48,241, or 9,648 per date.
The Cubs travel to Peoria to face the Padres Saturday afternoon. Drew Smyly will make his Cubs debut and Ryan Weathers will start for San Diego. Game time is 3:10 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network (using the Padres TV feed) and there will also be a radio broadcast on 670 The Score.