Bleed Cubbie Blue - Cubs vs. Mariners Wednesday 3/3 game threadsA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2021-03-03T18:20:56-06:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/220743402021-03-03T18:20:56-06:002021-03-03T18:20:56-06:00Cubs 8, Mariners 8: Tying one on
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mw5XGI9c6ykvV_s3AcYF49ODgg0=/0x0:3610x2407/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68908022/usa_today_15663895.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Lots of unusual happenings on a windy day at Sloan Park.</p> <p id="lEtmEm">Now is the time when you really know it’s spring training. We’re past the opener, we’re past the home opener, we’re into the meat of the schedule with strange and odd rules.</p>
<p id="Y9UsDn">Four times during the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a>’ 8-8 tie with the Mariners on a day when the wind howled out at Sloan Park at 20+ miles per hour, innings were stopped on a pitch count.</p>
<p id="70MyLS"><a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/2/25/22300984/2021-spring-training-rules-modified-thoughts">That’s a rule that will be in effect through games of March 13</a>, and I personally don’t mind it but a better effort should be made to let fans know what’s going on, instead of just having players run off the field. It got to the point that when an inning had a couple of walks in it, I’d figure, “Well, this one’s going to end on a pitch count, too,” and a couple of them did.</p>
<p id="IcfGHd">The wind helped the Cubs to three home runs in this tie game.</p>
<p id="qtFFGi">The first was by <a href="https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2021/2021-03/03/86236a27-4a2533ee-c4b19ba4-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">Joc Pederson in the first inning [VIDEO]</a> with Willson Contreras on base.</p>
<div id="oSeZ3e"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><video controls="" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;">Your browser does not support HTML5 video.<source src="https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2021/2021-03/03/86236a27-4a2533ee-c4b19ba4-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4" type="video/mp4"></source></video></div></div>
<p id="xza1HW"></p>
<p id="1nONrO">The wind hadn’t really started blowing that hard at that time, so that one was likely a legit home run even on a non-windy day.</p>
<p id="lXJ7Bh">The Cubs added two more in the third after a hit batter, a single and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out. Javier Baez and Jason Heyward hit into force plays, tallying the runs.</p>
<p id="Jc1Skr">Zach Davies threw an efficient first two innings. You can tell that his style is similar to Kyle Hendricks. He induced two ground balls and a weak popup, and struck out a pair. Davies is a very good starter in this league and I expect him to do well.</p>
<p id="LhBssS">After Andrew Chafin threw a scoreless third, Brandon Workman made his Cubs spring debut. He allowed a one-out double but would have gotten out of the inning if not for an uncharacteristic throwing error by Baez. After a pop out followed that error, Mariners top prospect Jarred Kelenic smashed a three-run homer, all the runs unearned.</p>
<p id="LdO0bO">The Cubs turned that 4-3 game into a 6-3 game in the bottom of the fourth. Nick Martini doubled and Anthony Rizzo hit a ball that <a href="https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2021/2021-03/03/6193402d-d6dfd567-1107a842-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">I think is still going. [VIDEO]</a></p>
<div id="XUrMny"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><video controls="" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;">Your browser does not support HTML5 video.<source src="https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2021/2021-03/03/6193402d-d6dfd567-1107a842-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4" type="video/mp4"></source></video></div></div>
<p id="La4lRS"></p>
<p id="bMYUBJ">There’s no distance tracking of spring homers but that’s the first one I’ve ever seen at Sloan Park that cleared the right-field berm on the fly. That had to be at least 440 feet, maybe longer. Rizzo nearly had another long hit earlier in the game but had been robbed by Jake Fraley, <a href="https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2021/2021-03/03/f351c4b6-ca6e5b8b-05d43cbc-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">credit where credit is due [VIDEO]</a>.</p>
<div id="lonISk"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><video controls="" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;">Your browser does not support HTML5 video.<source src="https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2021/2021-03/03/f351c4b6-ca6e5b8b-05d43cbc-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4" type="video/mp4"></source></video></div></div>
<p id="8yks0Z"></p>
<p id="igCJpS">Nice grab by Fraley, otherwise that’s a two-run double.</p>
<p id="pSCIwc">The Mariners, by now with their subs in the game, plated two runs off Kohl Stewart in the sixth to tie the game, and the Cubs re-took the lead in the bottom of the inning on a bases-loaded walk, after which the inning ended on a pitch count.</p>
<p id="iSpIIu">The Cubs’ third and final homer of the afternoon, making it 8-6, was hit by <a href="https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2020/2020-03/03/9f976aa4-60d94701-bdc1c4ab-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">Michael Hermosillo in the seventh [VIDEO]</a>.</p>
<div id="MpVHYw"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><video controls="" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;">Your browser does not support HTML5 video.<source src="https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2020/2020-03/03/9f976aa4-60d94701-bdc1c4ab-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4" type="video/mp4"></source></video></div></div>
<p id="kTsJyY"></p>
<p id="rQ9f41">That one, you could tell right off the bat that it was up in the jet stream — it nearly cleared the left-field berm, probably 420-430 feet.</p>
<p id="8anFGH">That should have been enough for a Cubs win, but Tommy Nance, who won’t make the major-league club, served up a two-run homer to Jack Reinheimer, who was a Cub on a waiver claim for about three weeks in November 2018. The Cubs got the leadoff man on in the bottom of the ninth, but a double play and strikeout ended a game that ran three hours, 26 minutes, largely because of all the walks — 10 drawn by Cubs hitters. Nance, in case you were wondering, was signed by the Cubs in 2016 out of indy ball and has pitched mostly in A ball and Double-A in the organization.</p>
<p id="ylilaB">A tie? So what — results don’t mean anything in spring training. It was good to see the bats come alive after two games of not much offense, although the wind had a fair amount to do with that. The guys who will be on the MLB pitching staff accomplished what they needed to do with this game, so it was satisfying in general.</p>
<p id="fvXg3K">A note about Joc Pederson, who I think will be a big fan favorite — he chose No. 24 in tribute to Kobe Bryant:</p>
<div id="tuG1MS">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Joc Pederson, on wearing No. 24 as a tribute to Kobe Bryant <a href="https://t.co/aLDbCNCXEv">pic.twitter.com/aLDbCNCXEv</a></p>— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/1367244140971364354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="8Ad9JD">The Cubs’ next game is a night game — 7:05 p.m. CT Thursday against the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> in Glendale. TV coverage will be through the Dodgers channel SportsNet LA, and it will be carried nationally (no blackouts) on MLB Network. Tomorrow’s game preview will post at 5 p.m. CT.</p>
<p id="Zlo7iY"></p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/3/3/22312413/cubs-mariners-recap-joc-pederson-anthony-rizzo-mlb-scoresAl Yellon2021-03-03T15:30:01-06:002021-03-03T15:30:01-06:00Overflow thread: Cubs vs. Mariners, Wednesday 3/3, 2:05 CT
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PiM2Dz6-vb7t-qavgKrwHGiwwGY=/488x265:1966x1250/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68905909/usa_today_15657811.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="oI4ztq">——</p>
<p id="a4VzAC"></p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/3/3/22310279/overflow-thread-cubs-vs-mariners-wednesday-3-3-2-05-ctAl Yellon2021-03-03T14:00:00-06:002021-03-03T14:00:00-06:00First pitch thread: Cubs vs. Mariners, Wednesday 3/3, 2:05 CT
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/780CE8uhdyIVz3AsCgO92ku7qZw=/0x161:2679x1947/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68905362/1231364024.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jennifer Stewart/MLB Photos via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="oI4ztq">Go get ‘em, Zach.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/3/3/22310284/first-pitch-thread-cubs-vs-mariners-wednesday-3-3-2-05-ctAl Yellon2021-03-03T12:00:00-06:002021-03-03T12:00:00-06:00Cubs vs. Mariners at Mesa preview, Wednesday 3/3, 2:05 CT
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U_xj3rdz-yggoSph_6tAunV0OgM=/0x0:4178x2785/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68904456/usa_today_15657804.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Cubs go for three spring wins in a row.</p> <p id="CwztT9">It’s just two games into the spring, but so far the Cubs have displayed good pitching and solid defense.</p>
<p id="USzm5M">Those can be the hallmarks of a championship team.</p>
<p id="9vF6st"><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/2016-chicago-cubs-one-best-defenses-baseball-history/">This 2016 article</a> notes that year’s Cubs, by one measure, were among the greatest defensive teams in MLB history. Though the 2016 Cubs scored 808 runs, that was fewer than the 855 scored by the 2008 Cubs. Where the 2016 Cubs really dominated the league was in runs allowed. Their 556 runs allowed was the fewest in the NL by 56, and the fewest by any Cubs team in a full 162-game season since that season length began in 1962.</p>
<p id="DTVL3C">Point: If the Cubs play that kind of defense this year, they will win a lot of games.</p>
<p id="hTCtQR"><strong>GAME NOTE:</strong> Today’s game will go nine innings.</p>
<p id="nkZfMg">Here are today’s particulars.</p>
<p id="NJYOeJ"><a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> lineup:</p>
<blockquote><p id="n2wfSD">Rizzo 1B, Contreras C, Bryant 3B, Pederson LF, Baez SS, Heyward RF, Maybin CF, Bote 2B, Martini DH</p></blockquote>
<p id="1uO95r">Quite a few regulars in the lineup for national TV.</p>
<p id="KdHDpY">Mariners lineup:</p>
<blockquote><p id="0X2mKQ">Moore 2B, Lewis CF, France 3B, Marmolejos 1B, Raleigh C, Kelenic DH, Fraley RF, Trammell LF, Walton SS</p></blockquote>
<p id="OiC8Sq">Zach Davies will start for the Cubs this afternoon. Other Cubs pitchers today: Jason Adam, Andrew Chafin, Juan Gamez, Tommy Nance, James Norwood, Kohl Stewart, Jerry Vasto and Brandon Workman.</p>
<p id="0Hyfqt">Ljay Newsome will start for the Mariners. Other Mariners pitchers today: JT Chargois, Nick Duron, Aaron Fletcher, Vinny Nittoli and Jimmy Yacabonis.</p>
<p id="1t5yGG">Today’s game is on ESPN, full national broadcast, no blackouts. ESPN announcers: Jason Benetti and Jessica Mendoza.</p>
<p id="fTGoI2"><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2021_03_03_seamlb_chnmlb_1">MLB.com Gameday</a></p>
<p id="OISCKL"><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="MUK4nn"><a href="https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/2021/03/03">Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.</a></p>
<p id="nvoKBS">Please visit our SB Nation Mariners site <a href="https://www.lookoutlanding.com/">Lookout Landing</a>. If you do go there to interact with Mariners 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="S6oxx0">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="1zlN3d">These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked ”Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom 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 photos and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.</p>
<p id="9g9Jqo">Discuss amongst yourselves.</p>
<p id="b2dInc"></p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/3/3/22306141/cubs-mariners-mesa-preview-wednesdayAl Yellon