Bleed Cubbie Blue - WGN-TV And Radio Carrying Cubs vs. Angels SaturdayA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2013-03-23T19:22:10-05:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/39015872013-03-23T19:22:10-05:002013-03-23T19:22:10-05:00Cubs Beat Some Guys Dressed As Angels
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<p>The Cubs came from behind to defeat a team wearing Angels uniforms; some of those players might be playing in Anaheim... next year.</p> <p><b>MESA, Arizona</b> -- If you will kindly check out <a href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2013_03_03_chnmlb_anamlb_1" target="_blank">this boxscore</a> from the last time the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> played the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a>, March 3 in Tempe, you might find the answer to the question, "Why did the Angels send only one of their regulars to Mesa Saturday?"</p>
<p>The Cubs were a split squad that afternoon; the other half played the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a> in Mesa. <a href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2013_03_03_milmlb_chnmlb_1" target="_blank">As you can see by this boxscore</a>, most of the regulars played in that game (and <span>Starlin Castro</span> probably would have, too, if he hadn't been hurt).</p>
<p>So was this "payback", of a sort? The Cubs send a team of scrubs to Tempe three weeks ago, so the Angels return the favor? I don't know if that's true, but if so, it's pretty disrespectful to the Cubs, the national TV audience on WGN, and the Angels fans who paid to see their team play in Mesa Saturday afternoon, and instead got a team of minor-league scrubs, who were then replaced by <i>other</i> minor-league scrubs.</p>
<p>I get it, to some extent; the Angels want more of their starters at their home park. But seriously, Major League Baseball should enforce the unwritten rule of four starters at every spring-training game, even when there's a split squad. These aren't just practice games. They are now a revenue source for teams. If fans want to see minor-league games, they can watch them for free at the teams' minor-league fields. Ask people to pay, let them see at least some of the big-league players.</p>
<p>For a time, it looked like the miscellaneous minor leaguers (and catcher <span>Chris Iannetta</span>, the only Angels regular sent to Mesa) might just beat the Cubs; they hit <span>Edwin Jackson</span> pretty hard, scoring five off him in five innings (and one batter into the sixth). By the time Jackson left, the miscel-Angels had a 5-1 lead. <span>Joe Blanton</span>, who will be in the Angels rotation, threw six pretty good innings before <span>Brent Lillibridge</span> led off the seventh with a triple down the right-field line. Jackson also had two singles* off Blanton; all together now:</p>
<p><b><i>Hey, Edwin! You're not helping my argument in favor of the DH!</i></b></p>
<p><em>* For the record, Cubs pitchers are now hitting .409 (9-for-22) this spring with two home runs and five RBI. I guarantee you this will not be repeated during the regular season.</em></p>
<p>Anyway, the Cubs then piled on Angels reliever <span>Nick Maronde</span>, who is likely to spend this summer at Triple-A Salt Lake City. Scott Hairston finished a four-run outburst with a home run that went to the back fence behind the left-field scoreboard, and the Cubs had a 6-5 lead.</p>
<p>Enter Carlos Marmol. If any scouts were watching Marmol Saturday afternoon, they likely sent a thumbs-down report to their employers. Marmol walked two, hit a batter, uncorked a wild pitch that scored the tying run, and might have given up more runs if <span>Anthony Rizzo</span> hadn't made a perfect throw to <span>Steve Clevenger</span> to get an Angels runner trying to score.</p>
<p>That left the game tied, and Clevenger led off the eighth with a double. Clevenger's bat has been solid; that left him hitting .378 (14-for-37 with four doubles) for the spring. I'm surprised Dale Sveum hasn't tried him in the infield, because the Cubs are still hoping to find a third base-type on the waiver wire before the spring is over. Could Clevenger be that guy? Maybe not, but why not at least try it?</p>
<p>Shawon Dunston Jr. got the nod from the minor-league camp Saturday and ran for Clevenger. Advancing to third on a groundout, he scored on a wild pitch from Angels reliever <span>Ernesto Frieri</span>, one of the few big-league players wearing Angels red in this game. <span>Rafael Dolis</span> got the call for the save, and despite giving up two singles, got it, helped out by a pickoff of <span>J.B. Shuck</span>, and the Cubs had <a target="_blank" href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2013_03_23_anamlb_chnmlb_1">a 7-6 win, their third straight</a>.</p>
<p><span>Hisanori Takahashi</span> was the other Cubs pitcher in this game. He didn't get charged with any runs to his record, but a double he allowed in the sixth scored the fifth Angels run. He got out of trouble in the seventh when <span>Nate Schierholtz</span> threw out Shuck trying to stretch a leadoff single into a double. Though he's got what might be the inside track to the last spot in the bullpen because he's lefthanded, the Cubs will probably still be looking around for bullpen help that might be available before the end of spring training a week from now.</p>
<p>So the Cubs even their spring record at 15-15, and they're one of the few teams that has not played a single tie game this spring (the Angels, by comparison, have four ties). Attendance watch: the announced crowd of 13,012 was noted as a sellout, though officially it was a few below official capacity (13,074). That makes the spring total attendance at HoHoKam 110,984 over 14 dates, an average of 7,927. There are three dates remaining; I understand the Cubs are expecting a near-sellout Monday with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">Giants</a> visiting Mesa.</p>
<p>I'm taking a break Sunday and not making the drive to Goodyear, where the Cubs will face the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a>; I need the day, and have already seen the Tribe twice this spring. <span>Chris Rusin</span> will face <span>Ubaldo Jimenez</span> and the game will be carried over WGN radio.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2013/3/23/4140306/cubs-beat-angels-mesa-recap-mlb-scoresAl Yellon2013-03-23T16:30:01-05:002013-03-23T16:30:01-05:00Overflow Thread: Cubs vs. Angels, Saturday 3/23
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>And this is the place for even more comments on this game!</p> <p>Go for three in a row!</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2013/3/23/4137558/overflow-thread-cubs-vs-angels-saturday-3-23-3-05-ctAl Yellon2013-03-23T15:00:04-05:002013-03-23T15:00:04-05:00First Pitch Thread: Cubs vs. Angels, Saturday 3/23
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<figcaption>Jamie Squire</figcaption>
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<p>Place all your comments for this game here, beginning at 3 p.m. CDT.</p> <p>Go get 'em, Edwin.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2013/3/23/4137550/first-pitch-thread-cubs-vs-angels-saturday-3-23-3-05-ctAl Yellon2013-03-23T13:00:07-05:002013-03-23T13:00:07-05:00Cubs vs. Angels at Mesa Preview, Saturday 3/23
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Jon Garland was once a Cubs prospect. That was a long time ago. They might have a chance to bring him back. Should they?</p> <p><b>SCOTTSDALE, Arizona</b> -- Nearly 16 years ago, the Cubs made <span>Jon Garland</span> their No. 1 pick (10th overall pick) in the draft.</p>
<p>A little more than a year later, they sent him to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a> for Matt Karchner, in one of the worst trades in recent Cubs history. Karchner was out of baseball less than two years later, while Garland pitched effectively for more than a decade. Not a star player -- made just one All-Star team and had just one year with Cy Young votes (the same year, 2005) -- but he sure would have looked good in the Cubs' rotation all those years.</p>
<p>Garland, whose last outing was against the Cubs Thursday (and he was reasonably effective), had an opt-out clause in his non-roster agreement with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lookoutlanding.com/">Mariners</a>; <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130322&content_id=43162426&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb" target="_blank">he's expected to exercise it</a> and become a free agent, possibly as early as today.</p>
<p>So. Would you repatriate Garland to the organization that never should have let him go in the first place? <a href="http://www.bleachernation.com/2013/03/23/lukewarm-stove-jon-garland-expected-to-be-a-free-agent-conceivable-cubs-fit/" target="_blank">At Bleacher Nation</a>, Brett says Garland could be a bullpen fit. Maybe, although I think the Cubs are looking toward <span>Hisanori Takahashi</span> for that final spot, to have a second lefty. Also, I suspect Garland wants to go to a team that would use him as a starter.</p>
<p>The Cubs are still somewhat in flux rotation-wise, although the first five spots are somewhat settled -- at least for now. Would Garland accept a deal that sends him to Iowa with a deal that he'd be let go if he got a big-league offer, or by a certain date if he wasn't recalled to the rotation?</p>
<p>I'd definitely do that if he's interested.</p>
<p>One more note, for those of you who thought the Cubs should sign <span>Brennan Boesch</span>, who went to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> -- <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/yankees-insider-boesch-latest-banged-bomber-article-1.1296987" target="_blank">he can't play because he's injured</a>.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> lineup:</p>
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<pre>DeJesus CF, Castro SS, Rizzo 1B, Hairston LF, Schierholtz RF, Navarro C, Valbuena 3B, Barney 2B, Jackson P</pre>
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<p>For the second day in a row, the regular lineup is starting -- with the two exceptions of <span>Scott Hairston</span> in center field, and <span>Dioner Navarro</span> behind the plate.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a> lineup:</p>
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<pre>Shuck CF, Rodriguez 2B, Calhoun RF, Iannetta C, Harris 3B, Cousins LF, Navarro 1B, Romine SS, Blanton P</pre>
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<p>So there used to be a rule, or at least a gentleman's agreement, that when you had a split-squad game, you'd send at least four of your big-league starters to the away game. That's not the case for the Angels today; the only player in that lineup who even resembles one of their starting players is catcher <span>Chris Iannetta</span>. All the Angels' regulars are playing in their home game in Tempe. (And <span>Albert Pujols</span> is not playing at all today.) Only four of these position players (Iannetta, <span>Scott Cousins</span>, <span>Andrew Romine</span> and <span>Kole Calhoun</span>) are on LA's 40-man roster.</p>
<p>One of the reasons you do this is because... well, people pay to see these games. The Cubs are expecting what is likely going to be their only sellout of the spring.</p>
<p>Pitching-wise this afternoon, <span>Edwin Jackson</span> will start for the Cubs. He'll face the Angels' <span>Joe Blanton</span>. Blanton, at least, is a member of the Angels' rotation. Cubs relievers on today's list: <span>Jaye Chapman</span>, <span>Carlos Marmol</span>, <span>Rafael Dolis</span> and Hisanori Takahashi.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_03_23_anamlb_chnmlb_1&mode=gameday">MLB.com Gameday</a></p>
<p>This afternoon's game is on WGN-TV with Len and JD. And, it can be heard on WGN radio with Pat and Keith..</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mediacenter/index.jsp?date=2/28/2013#date=3/23/2013">Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.</a></p>
<p>For spring-training games, we'll have a first-pitch thread at 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 3 p.m. CT and 4:30 p.m. CT. These threads will <i>not</i> post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked "<a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chicago Cubs</a> Game Threads" at the <i>bottom</i> of the front page. They will also appear in this StoryStreamâ„¢. The pitcher box and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.</p>
<p>Discuss amongst yourselves.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2013/3/23/4137534/chicago-cubs-los-angeles-angels-mesa-preview-saturdayAl Yellon