Bleed Cubbie Blue - Cubs vs. Royals Sunday game threadsA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2018-03-25T16:45:02-05:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/169093112018-03-25T16:45:02-05:002018-03-25T16:45:02-05:00Cubs 5, Royals 3: On to Florida
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<figcaption>Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Cubs’ Cactus League season ended with a victory.</p> <p id="gnjw8I"><strong>SCOTTSDALE, Arizona</strong> — Around midday Sunday, most of the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> regulars, as well as manager Joe Maddon, were on a flight to Florida for the team’s exhibition games against the <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Boston Red Sox</a>, thus skipping Sunday’s game at Surprise against the <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals</a>.</p>
<p id="1N52b6">I decided to skip this one, too, figuring ahead of time that few regulars would be playing, and that turned out to be correct, with only <span>Ben Zobrist</span>, <span>Willson Contreras</span> and <span>Kyle Hendricks</span> among expected 25-man roster players appearing in the <a href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2018_03_25_chnmlb_kcamlb_1">Cubs’ 5-3 win over the Royals</a>. </p>
<p id="bSYAKL">Thus it was up to some of the minor leaguers to win this one. Ian Rice hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to give the Cubs the victory, and then <span>Trey Martin</span> also went deep with a runner on base to extend the lead.</p>
<p id="bTnCw2">Hendricks sure looks like he’s ready to go. He allowed just one hit in four innings, although after this tweet appeared Saturday:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Most strikeouts without a walk this spring<br>(entering today):<br>Kyle Hendricks <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> 21<br>Mike Mayers <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cardinals?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cardinals</a> 12<br>Yusmeiro Petit <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Athletics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Athletics</a> 12</p>— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckamka/status/977583568359538688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2018</a>
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<p id="6yHhZZ">... of course, that was the signal for Kyle to issue his first two walks of the spring. He struck out two, so that’s 23 Ks and two walks in 19 spring innings, a very efficient line. Kyle’s next start will be Friday night in Miami against the <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a> in the second game of the regular season.</p>
<p id="Sj4WFF">Zobrist likely played in this game for a couple of reasons. First, because he got a delayed start to play this spring due to a minor leg issue, and second, because Joe Maddon wanted him working at first base as a potential backup to <span>Anthony Rizzo</span>. Zobrist’s 2-for-2 day with a walk raised his spring numbers to .226/.333/.387 (7-for-31 with five walks and a home run). Not great, but Ben looked good in this one, especially after Len & JD pointed out that he got stuck in traffic heading out to the park in Surprise. Having had that happen to me on a number of occasions, I certainly sympathize.</p>
<p id="5mCC0m">Zobrist scored the Cubs’ only run after his leadoff double; he advanced to third on a fly ball and scored on a single by <span>Stephen Bruno</span>.</p>
<p id="ry6nke">Among Cubs hurlers Sunday were <span>Anthony Bass</span>, still in contention for a bullpen slot, and <span>Randy Rosario</span>, who’s already been optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Bass threw a scoreless inning and Rosario threw two innings, allowing the Royals’ only run.</p>
<p id="oP7Mbe">Pretty much everyone played this game as if they had a plane to catch, because they do. The rest of the Cubs will head to Florida Monday, and the Royals are off to Omaha to face their Triple-A team. </p>
<p id="wEeM7c">Another player who was in Cubs camp this spring also headed elsewhere. <span>Peter Bourjos</span>, who was granted his release from the Cubs Friday, has a new team, and he should wind up on their 25-man roster:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Braves?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Braves</a> sign OF Peter Bourjos to major-league deal. He has passed his physical.</p>— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/978003316570542081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2018</a>
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<p id="VUhkQk">Good for Bourjos. He had a really good spring (.326/.362/.372, 14-for-43 with two doubles) and seemed like a good guy. He’ll get playing time in Atlanta.</p>
<p id="DgJstG">Meanwhile, the Cubs have played well this spring. The 19 wins is their most since 1987 (19-14 that year), not that spring wins and losses mean anything at all. What mattered more was the sense that this team has pulled together in a way we didn’t really see last year, for whatever reason. They seem to be a team on a mission, and beyond that there’s been quite a bit of fun had. All of that has me really optimistic for the 2018 season. </p>
<p id="z8VtYG">Personally, I enjoyed the spring games as I always do, despite the weather not being ideal for a good portion of the month. It hasn’t hit 90 degrees in the Phoenix area yet this year, which is pretty unusual, and there were some dates early on when the temperature didn’t get out of the 50s. We’d take 50s for Opening Day at Wrigley, though.</p>
<p id="5WYxqE">The Cubs’ two games against the Red Sox will be Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon. Monday, <span>Jose Quintana</span> will face Boston’s <span>Rick Porcello</span>. Game time is 5:05 p.m. CT. Audio coverage is on <a href="http://cubs.com">cubs.com</a> and the Red Sox TV crew will provide the pictures via NESN, available via MLB.tv.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/3/25/17162246/cubs-royals-recap-kyle-hendricks-ben-zobrist-mlb-scoresAl Yellon2018-03-25T15:30:02-05:002018-03-25T15:30:02-05:00Overflow thread: Cubs vs. Royals, Sunday 3/25, 2:05 CT
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<figcaption>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="AbRJEy">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/3/25/17145266/overflow-thread-cubs-vs-royals-sunday-3-25-2-05-ctAl Yellon2018-03-25T14:00:01-05:002018-03-25T14:00:01-05:00First pitch thread: Cubs vs. Royals, Sunday 3/25, 2:05 CT
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<figcaption>Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="AbRJEy">Go get ‘em, Kyle.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/3/25/17145260/first-pitch-thread-cubs-vs-royals-sunday-3-25-2-05-ctAl Yellon2018-03-25T12:00:02-05:002018-03-25T12:00:02-05:00Cubs vs. Royals at Surprise preview, Sunday 3/25, 2:05 CT
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<figcaption>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Cubs finish Cactus League play for 2018.</p> <p id="hEX5SN"><strong>SCOTTSDALE, Arizona</strong> — First, please note: The time listed in the headline is not a misprint. This game is beginning at 12:05 p.m. Arizona time (2:05 in Chicago) because it’s getaway day for most AZ-based teams. The Cubs, as you know, are flying to Florida for two practice games vs. the <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a>. The Royals fly to Omaha for a game against their Triple-A squad tomorrow.</p>
<p id="Fx7zhn"><a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/top-10-rotations-for-2018/c-269492154">This MLB.com article</a> ranks the top 10 starting rotations. They’ve got the Cubs third, behind the <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> and <a href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a>, which would make them the best in the National League. I’d concur with that, and perhaps put them ahead of Cleveland. Here’s what they say about the Cubs starters:</p>
<blockquote><p id="IEXGQ6">The Cubs didn’t go into the winter expecting to sign <span>[Yu] Darvish</span>, but his ability to impact a unit that went backward in a big way in 2017 became irresistible. Now, the Cubs again have one of the sturdiest starting sets in the game, as Darvish’s arrival comes in addition to what the Cubs could get out of a full year of <span>[Jose] Quintana</span> (whose stats improved across the board working with <span>Willson Contreras</span> last year) and a nice upside play in the No. 5 spot, where <span>[Tyler] Chatwood</span> should benefit from fleeing Coors Field. <span>Mike Montgomery</span> remains a valuable swingman here when the Cubs inevitably need a sixth starting arm.</p></blockquote>
<p id="dDYGab">Here are today’s particulars.</p>
<p id="cfro7j"><a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> lineup:</p>
<blockquote><p id="0kfeT7">Zobrist 1B, Contreras C, Bruno 2B, Vosler 3B, Rademacher RF, Burks LF, Bernard CF, Penalver SS, Hendricks P</p></blockquote>
<p id="2OECHZ">So much for the “four regulars” going to away games in spring training. I only count three in this lineup.</p>
<p id="qjtsCq"><a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals</a> lineup:</p>
<blockquote><p id="T9uMqG">Jay RF, Moustakas DH, Merrifield 2B, Perez C, Duda 1B, Cuthbert 3B, Orlando CF, Gordon LF, Escobar SS</p></blockquote>
<p id="aViBiS"><span>Kyle Hendricks</span> will start for the Cubs. Cubs scheduled relievers today: <span>Anthony Bass</span> and <span>Randy Rosario</span>.</p>
<p id="FDrpIY">Fun Kyle Hendricks fact:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Most strikeouts without a walk this spring<br>(entering today):<br>Kyle Hendricks <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> 21<br>Mike Mayers <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cardinals?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cardinals</a> 12<br>Yusmeiro Petit <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Athletics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Athletics</a> 12</p>— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckamka/status/977583568359538688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2018</a>
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<p id="6KGn1w">(That was as of Saturday, but it’s still true as of today.)</p>
<p id="xijgWV"><span>Ian Kennedy</span> gets the call for the Royals. Other Royals pitchers on today’s list: <span>Brian Flynn</span>, <span>Tim Hill</span>, <span>Blaine Boyer</span> and <span>Seth Maness</span>.</p>
<p id="dCbZGk">Today’s game is on 670 The Score with Rick Sutcliffe and Zach Zaidman. TV coverage is via WGN-TV with Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies. The TV broadcast will be on MLB Network on a one-hour delay beginning at 3 p.m. CT.</p>
<p id="XAtl65"><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2018_03_25_chnmlb_kcamlb_1">MLB.com Gameday</a></p>
<p id="MNoeEF"><em>Please note that during spring training, Gameday doesn't usually go pitch-by-pitch as it does during the regular season -- usually, it will update after each at-bat.</em></p>
<p id="duh5N2"><a href="https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/2018/03/25">Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.</a></p>
<p id="77FG6H">Please visit our SB Nation <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals</a> site <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals Review</a>. If you do go there to interact with Royals fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.</p>
<p id="fnbMtI">For spring-training games, we'll have a first-pitch thread at five minutes to game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time (because I know how you all like overflow threads!). For today, that will be 2 p.m. CT and 3:30 p.m. CT.</p>
<p id="eDrZXV">These threads will <em>not</em> post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked <a href="http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/chicago-cubs-game-threads">"Chicago Cubs Game Threads"</a> at the <em>bottom</em> of the front page. There will also be a StoryStream on the front page with all the game thread links, as well as the recap after the game is over. The pitcher boxes and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.</p>
<p id="HuD0xg">Discuss amongst yourselves.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/3/25/17130182/cubs-royals-surprise-preview-sundayAl Yellon