Results tagged ‘ Darnell McDonald ’
Minor Matters – May 17, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate – After battling back from an early 4-0 hole the Iowa Cubs found themselves leading heading into the late innings, that’s when things fell apart in 9-8 loss to Tucson. Hits were all over the place in this one as the Cubs pounded out eighteen hits, and scored eight runs, they left 11 men on base as well. Logan Watkins was 1-for-4 with a walk, his third home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Brett Jackson had a breakout game going 4-for-5 with a double, and a run, he’s now hitting .265 on the season. Josh Vitters had a solid game as well going 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Darnell McDonald, Brent Lillibridge, and J.C. Boscan each had two hits in the loss.
On The Mound – Guillermo Moscoso got the start for the Cubs, and pitched in and out of trouble having one costly inning. Moscoso went five innings giving up four runs, two earned, on nine hits while striking out eight. Esmailin Caridad was sub par to say the least, he worked two-thirds of an inning giving up three runs on four hits to take the loss. Casey Coleman was roughed up a bit as well, he worked 2.1 innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking one. Hisanori Takahashi worked a scoreless ninth inning to give the Cubs a shot to no avail.
At The Plate – The Smokies jumped on top of the Lookouts with four runs in the second and couldn’t add on the rest of the way, even still they were able to hang on for a 4-3 win. Matt Szczur continues to find ways get on base for the Smokies as their lead-off man, he was 2-for-5 in this one, and he is now hitting .294 on the season. Ronald Torreyes provided the production for the Smokies, he was 1-for-5 with two RBI’s in the win. Christian Villanueva had a huge game, he was 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored.
On The Mound – Kyle Hendricks has been so very good this year, and he was again in this one, he worked seven innings giving up three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out three to earn his third win of the season. Tony Zych did a solid job out of the pen going one scoreless inning while striking out one. Zach Rosscup was good as usual working a scoreless ninth inning for his first save of the season, he walked one and struck out the side.
At The Plate – Daytona owned game one, and it was nice to see them put together a team game and get a win given their recent struggles. As you will read, this day was owned by Jorge Soler and Dustin Geiger, maybe May 17 shall be known as Soler Geiger day moving forward. Soler was a monster in game one, he was 4-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season, and three runs scored. He scored three times because Dustin Geiger was hitting behind him, and he didn’t want Soler to have all the glory. Geiger was outstanding, he was also 4-for-4 with three doubles, a triple (slugging madness!), and four RBI’s. That was it, those two guys won the game for the D-Cubs.
On The Mound - Yeiper Castillo was all Daytona needed on the mound. He spun a gem, going the distance (7 innings for DH’s), he worked seven innings giving up one run on four hits while walking one and striking out two. He improved his record to 1-0 on the season, and lowered his ERA to 2.33, very impressive.
At The Plate – Daytona owned game one, and battled for a character win in game two to sweep the double-header. Javier Baez was 2-for-5 with a walk, a triple, and three runs scored, he also had three errors, bring his 2013 total to seventeen. Jorge Soler was a beast in game two as well, he went 3-for-6 with a double, and a run scored, he was 7-for-10 in the double-header and is now hitting .297 on the season. Back to the other hero of the day Dustin Geiger, he was 3-for-4 in game two with a double, two walks, an RBI, and two runs scored. He was 7-for-8 in the double-header with four doubles, and a triple, he is hitting .331 on the season. Taiwan Easterling was 2-for-6 with a triple, a double, and two RBI’s in the win.
On The Mound – Tough to have a second game of a double header go twelve innings, if not for the bullpen in game two the D-Cubs would have been in trouble, they came through big time. Eduardo Figueroa got the start and was roughed up, he worked three innings giving up four runs on four hits while walking two and striking out one. The bullpen took over and worked a combined nine scoreless innings giving up four hits while walking two and striking out six. Austin Reed worked two of those innings, walking one and striking out two. Sheldon McDonlad was outstanding working four innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out one. Frank Del Valle worked the final three innings to earn his first win of the season, he gave up two hits while striking out three.
At The Plate - The Cougars fought hard in this one against the best team in the league only to fall short in twelve innings. Bijan Rademacher continues to hit, he was 3-for-5 with a double, and two runs scored, he is now hitting .350 on the season. Jeimer Candelario was 2-for-5 with a double, and a run scored, he also made his twelfth error of the season. Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-5 with two singles in the loss.
On The Mound – Dillon Maples had a solid outing, and again, finished the day healthy, which is the most important thing right now. Maples worked five innings giving up two runs on two hits while walking one and striking out five. Lendy Castillo took over and was solid as well, he worked five innings giving up on run on five hits while walking three and striking out four. Nathan Dorris struggled with his command, which is rare, he suffered the loss as a result. Dorris worked 1.1 innings giving up one run on two hits while walking two and striking out two.
Minor Matters – May 10, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate – Game one of the Cougars/Bees double-header needed three extra innings, but it paid of for the Cougars as they stung the Bees 2-1…stung, because they are Bees! Oliver Zapata was 1-for-4 with an RBI, and a walk, Zapata had the game winning hit in the top of the tenth. Bijan Rademacher continues to hit going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, he’s now hitting .378 on the season. Marco Hernandez was 2-for-4 with an RBI in the victory.
On The Mound – The Cougars got back to dealing in this one as they were brilliant all game long. Tayler Scott got the start and was really good going 5.1 innings giving up one run on four hits while walking three and striking out six. Steve Perakslis worked 1.2 scoreless innings out of the pen while walking one. Nathan Dorris was good per usual as he worked two scoreless inning while striking out two to earn his first win of the season. Ian Dickson worked a scoreless inning to earn his first save of the season, he gave up one hit while striking out one.
At The Plate – Nothing happening for either team in the first five innings, then the Cougars broke out, scoring twice in the sixth and seventh to sweep the double-header 4-1. The Cougars could only manage four hits in game two, but walked four times and were 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Rock Shoulders was 1-for-3 with his seventh home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Bijan Rademacher has been out of his mind, he was 1-for-3 with his first home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. David Bote and Oliver Zapata were each 1-for-2 with a walk, and a run scored.
On The Mound – Felix Pena was brilliant again for the Cougars going six innings giving up one run on two hits while walking five, and striking out six. Eddie Orozco came on to finish things off by tossing a scoreless seventh, he gave up two hits while walking one and striking out one.
At The Plate – Nothing good in this one as Iowa was destroyed by the Sky Sox, they were out of it right from the get go. Logan Watkins was 1-for-2 with a double, a stolen base, and an RBI. Donnie Murphy was 1-for-3 with a stolen base, and a walk in the loss. Darnell McDonald was 1-for-4 with a double, and a run scored. The Cubs were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
On The Mound - Brooks Raley got the start and he was pounded, early and often. Raley went four innings giving up eight runs on eleven hits while walking three and striking out four. Yoanner Negrin settled things down out of the pen going three innings giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one and striking out five. Rafael Dolis struggled in his return to Iowa going one inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking two and striking one.
At The Plate - A back and forth game ended with the Smokies rally falling just short in the bottom of the ninth as the Barons escaped with a 5-4 win. Matt Szczur was 2-for-3 with two walks, his tenth stolen base of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Ronald Torreyes was 1-for-3 with two walks in the loss. Christian Villanueva was 2-for-3 with two singles as he looks to get it going, he’s now hitting .216 on the season. Rubi Silva was 1-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored.
On The Mound – Eric Jokisch hasn’t been good since being named the minor league pitcher of the month in April. Jokisch went 4.1 innings giving up five runs on eight hits while walking four and striking out four. Brian Schlitter was outstanding out of the pen going 2.2 scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out two. Frank Batista was good as well going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out two.
Minor Matters – May 8, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate – A roller coaster game for the Cubs in this one as they held a 4-0 lead only to lose it, then an 8-4 lead only to see the Sky Sox get within two, luckily Iowa hung on for the victory. Alberto Gonzalez had a huge day at the plate going 4-for-5 with a walk, a double, and an RBI. Brian Bogusevic was 2-for-5 with a walk, his second home run of the season, one RBI, and two runs scored. Brad Nelson was 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI, and two runs scored. Darnell McDonald was 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI’s, a stolen base, and a run scored. J.C. Boscan is having a great season so far, he was 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored, he’s now hitting .344 on the year. Iowa probably could have scored more than eight runs as they pounded out sixteen hits but were 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position.
On The Mound – A mixed bag for the Iowa pitching on this night, but they did just enough. Barret Loux got the start and didn’t have it as he went four innings giving up four runs on eight hits while walking three and striking out four. Esmailin Caridad was really good out of the pen and earned the win, he went two scoreless innings while walking one and striking out one. Hisanori Takahashi was roughed up, he went 1.2 innings giving up two runs on three hits while striking out three. Blake Parker was solid again as he earned his fourth save, he went 1.1 scoreless innings while walking one and striking out one.
At The Plate – Another wild one in Tennessee as the Smokies trailed 6-0 after one inning, then 9-6 heading to the bottom of the ninth. The Smokies tied it in the ninth with three runs, then they trailed 11-9 heading to the bottom of the tenth, they tied it again with two in the tenth. Unfortunately they couldn’t come back to tie it a fourth time and lost 12-11 in fourteen innings. The Smokies pounded out fifteen hits in this one, drew seven walks, and made four costly errors. Arismendy Alcantara was 2-for-5 with two walks, a double, one RBI, and two runs scored. Ty Wright was 1-for-3 with two walks, a double, and three RBI’s. Rubi Silva was 2-for-7 with his fifth home run of the season, three RBI’s and a run scored. Rafael Lopez was 3-for-5 with two walks, a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Tim Torres was 2-for-7 with his first home run of the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.
On The Mound – I wouldn’t say that the Smokies pitchers were bad, they just didn’t get a lot of help from their defense. Dallas Beeler got the start and struggled a bit with his command. Beeler went 4.2 innings giving up seven runs, four earned, on four hits while walking three and striking out four. Brian Schlitter was first out of the pen and worked 1.1 innings giving up one run, unearned, on two hits. Kyuji Fujikawa was excellent in what was probably his last rehab outing, he went two scoreless innings giving up a single base hit. Frank Batista was touched up, which is rare, he worked two innings giving up three runs on four hits while walking two and striking out one. Zach Rosscup was brilliant late in this one, he tossed three scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out three. Marcus Hatley took the loss in this one, he worked one inning giving up one run on two hits while walking one and striking out one.
At The Plate - Daytona put up plenty of fight in this one, they just can’t figure out a way to beat St. Lucie. The D-Cubs trailed 5-3 in the eight and managed to tie things up with two in the eighth only to lose 6-5 in the ten innings. Tim Saunders was 2-for-5 with a triple, and two runs scored. Jorge Soler has responded from his benching in a big way, he was 3-for-4 with two doubles, his fifth home run of the season, a walk, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. Dustin Geiger was 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and two RBI’s in the loss.
On The Mound - Austin Kirk has struggled his last couple times out, he worked five innings giving up nine hits while walking one and striking out four. Eduardo Figueroa worked two scoreless innings out of the pen while striking out three. Luis Liria took the loss as he went 2.2 innings giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out three.
At The Plate – The Cougars couldn’t get anything going at the plate in this one, and they were undone by one bad inning as Burlington scored four times in the fourth en route to a 4-0 victory. Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-4 with a double, he’s now hitting .297 on the season. Bijan Rademacher has been red-hot and it continued in this one as he was 2-for-2 with a walk, he’s now hitting .371 on the season and .412 in his last ten games.
On The Mound – Pierce Johnson only had one bad inning but it was enough for his second loss of the season. Johnson worked four innings giving up four runs on five hits while walking three and striking out five. Justin Amlung was really good out of the pen going two scoreless innings while walking one and striking out two. Matt Iannazzo was solid as well going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Minor Matters – April 25, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate – A huge first inning from Iowa was all they needed as they scored six times en route to a 9-3 victory over Omaha. Brent Lillibridge had an outstanding game going 4-for-5 with a walk, and two RBI’s. Ryan Sweeney was also 4-for-5, he was a lot more productive though. Sweeney had a walk, a home run, a triple, four RBI’s, and two runs scored in the win. Darnell McDonald was 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Edwin Maysonet was 2-for-4 with a walk, a triple, and an RBI.
On The Mound – Barret Loux got the start and struggled with command, and was wild in the strike zone but managed to pitch around trouble. He was able to go 4.2 innings giving up three runs on eight hits while walking four and striking out three. Esmailin Caridad did a fine job out of the bullpen and earned the win going 2.1 scoreless innings while walking two and striking out three. Cory Wade and Rafael Dolis struggled but managed to each have a scoreless appearance. Dolis worked 1.1 innings to earn his first save of the season while walking two and striking out two.
***
At The Plate – The Smokies are playing good baseball, and if not for a few blown saves recently could be on a real impressive winning streak. It was the Ronald Torreyes show for the Smokies, he was 3-for-3 with a walk, a double, a triple, and a run scored from the lead-off spot. Only three other Smokies registered hits in this one, but it was enough. Rafael Lopez and Jae-Hoon Ha recorded the RBI’s with Ha going 1-for-4, and Lopez going 1-for-3 with a double.
On The Mound – Dallas Beeler is dealing right now, and last night was no exception. Beeler went seven scoreless innings giving up seven hits while walking one and striking out two. Zach Rosscup found some trouble out of the pen but was able to hold the lead, he gave up one run on one hit while walking one in one inning of work. Brian Schlitter worked a stress free ninth inning for his first save of the season, he has yet to give up an earned run this year.
***
At The Plate – Daytona jumped out early in this one and never looked back as they pounded out twelve hits and scored five runs to beat the Flying Tigers…Flying Tigers! 5-3. Every player in the Daytona starting lineup had at least one hit. Javier Baez is slowly but surely turning around his slow start, he was 2-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season with an RBI, and a run scored. Timothy Saunders was 1-for-4 with a big triple, and two RBI’s in the win. Chad Noble was 2-for-3 with his first home run of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. Anthony Giansanti stayed hot since his return going 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.
On The Mound – Zach Cates got the start and the win as he pitched a solid game. Cates worked five scoreless innings giving up four hits while walking one and striking out four. Yeiper Castillo did a solid job out of the pen tossing a scoreless inning. Austin Reed continues to get beat up, he gave up three runs on three hits while walking three in one inning of work. David Cales was outstanding to earn his first save of the year, he went two scoreless innings while walking two and striking out four.
***
At The Plate - A late rally wasn’t enough for the Cougars as they fell to the Tin Caps 6-4 after trailing 6-1 in the third inning. The Cougars approach was fantastic in this one, they just couldn’t get the big hit when they needed it. They had eight hits, walked five times, and only struck out four times, unfortunately they came up just short. Rock Shoulders continues to hit, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .406 on the season. Marco Hernandez was also 1-for-3 with a walk in the loss. Bijan Rademacher was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .314 on the season.
On The Mound – Lendy Castillo ran into trouble in one inning and that was enough for him to suffer his first loss of the season. Castillo worked six innings giving up six runs, five earned, on eight hits while walking none and striking out three. Both Justin Amlung and Steve Perakslis worked scoreless innings out of the pen to keep the Cougars in this one.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Minor Matters – April 21, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate – Not much happening for the Cubs offense in this one as they lost a 1-0 heart breaker to the Redbirds. The Cubs could only manage six hits, all singles in the loss. Brent Lillibridge was 1-for-4, as was Ryan Sweeney, and Donnie Murphy. Darnell McDonald, Brian Bogusevic, and J.C. Boscan were each 1-for-3 in the loss.
On The Mound – The Cubs pitching did all they could and then some in this one, but still couldn’t get a victory. Drew Carpenter got the start and was solid despite having some command issues. Carpenter worked 5.2 scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking five and striking out six. Hisanori Takahashi worked 1.1 scoreless innings with a strikeout. Yoanner Negrin finally gave up a run, unfortunately that’s all it took to lose this one. Negrin went 1.2 innings, he gave up one run on two hits while walking one and striking out two, his ERA “sky-rocketed” to 0.79 on the season.
At The Plate – The Smokies looked to be well on their way to another win after a four run second inning, then they weren’t. Matt Szczur had another solid day going 1-for-4 with two walks, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Rubi Silva was 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI, a run scored, a caught stealing, and an outfield assist, busy day. Anthony Giansanti finally has returned to action and had a solid day going 2-for-2 with a walk, a double, and a run scored.
On The Mound – A mixed bag from the Smokies pitchers, and a very costly error by Ronald Torreyes didn’t help. Alberto Cabrera got the start and was average going 5.1 innings giving up four runs on five hits while walking four and striking out one. Marcus Hatley was solid out of the pen going 1.2 scoreless innings while giving up one hit and striking out one. Kevin Rhoderick continues to struggle, he worked an inning giving up two runs on four hits whiles striking out one. Trey McNutt was outstanding, going two scoreless innings while striking out one. Tony Zych was the hard luck loser, he worked an inning and gave up three runs, all unearned, on one hit while walking one.
At The Plate – Not a lot to cheer about in this one as the D-Cubs did their best Major League Cubs impersonation in this one. Daytona could only manage two hits in this one, singles by Timothy Saunders and Jorge Soler. They did manage to earn three walks, but were 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position.
On The Mound – Not much better here for the D-Cubs. Ryan Searle got the start and got roughed up again. Searle went four innings giving up five runs on six hits while walking two and striking out four. Austin Reed wasn’t much better out of the pen going two innings giving up four runs, two unearned, on six hits while striking out two. David Cales worked two scoreless innings giving up one hit and striking out three, the lone bright spot of the day.
At The Plate - Crazy ballgame yesterday as the Cougars built a 4-0 lead going into the 6th inning, then things got weird. The Chiefs scored six times in the top of the 6th to take a 6-4 lead, then the Cougars scored three times in the bottom half to go back in front and that’s how it ended. Pin-Chieh Chen got a chance to lead-off in this one and delivered going 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Rock Shoulders, or the guy who rarely makes an out, was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, he’s hitting .424 on the season, yikes. Chadd Krist was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored. Trey Martin finally busted out with the bat, and made a tremendous catch in CF as well, he was 3-for-4 with a stolen base, an RBI, a double, and two runs scored. Fun fact, Daniel Vogelbach had a stolen base today, the guy is rather athletic for his size.
On The Mound – Kane County only used two pitchers in this one, rather rare given the fact that six runs were given up, but I guess that’s what happens when it’s all in one inning. Felix Pena got the start at went 5.2 innings giving up five runs on five hits while walking two and striking out two. Ian Dickson got the win coming out of the pen going 3.1 innings giving up on run on four hits while striking out three.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Minor Matters – April 9, 2013
At The Plate – The Iowa Cubs are scuffling, with the latest loss they fall to 0-6 on the season. Brett Jackson had a solid game going 2-for-4 with a triple, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .280 on the season. Darnell McDonald was 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run, an RBI, and a run scored. Ty Wright was 2-for-4 with two singles in the loss.
On The Mound – Chris Rusin was roughed up early then settled in but couldn’t escape the loss. Rusin went six innings giving up four runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out two. Zach Putnam and Rafael Dolis both tossed scoreless innings out of the bullpen in the loss.
At The Plate – The D-Cubs spent the whole night fighting back, but in the end couldn’t catch the Threshers. Zeke DeVoss showed some power from the lead-off spot going 1-for-5 with a home run, an RBI, and a run scored. Javier Baez was 1-for-5 with a triple, and a run scored. Jorge Soler continues his torrid start to the season going 2-for-4 with a walk, and an RBI. The D-Cubs made four errors, that most definitely cost them in this one.
On The Mound – Zach Cates made the start and as I just mentioned didn’t get much help from the guys behind him. Cates went 3.2 innings giving up three runs, one earned, on six hits while walking none and striking out seven. Eduardo Figueroa went 2.2 innings out of the pen giving up two runs on one hits while walking two and striking out three. Sheldon McDonald was solid going 2.2 innings giving up no runs on two hits while walking two and striking out one.
At The Plate – The Cougars smacked the ball all over the place in this one as six different guys had multi-hit games. Daniel Vogelbach was 3-for-5 bring his season average up to .310, all three hits were singles. Rock Shoulders might be the hottest hitter in the Cubs system, he went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run, an RBI, and two runs scored, he’s hitting .480 (12-for-25) on the season. Gioskar Amaya, Jeimer Candelario, Marco Hernandez, and Bijan Rademacher all had two hits.
On The Mound – Pierce Johnson had a rough start to this one as he gave up two runs in the first as he struggled with command, but he found it quickly. Johnson went five innings giving up two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out four. Jeffry Antigua was solid out of the pen going three innings giving up one run on four hits while walking none and striking out one. Eduardo Orozco had some tough luck in blowing the save, but ended up getting the win. Orozco gave up two runs, both unearned on NO hits, and one walk in one inning.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Rusin Shuts Down Dodgers in Win
Chris Rusin was outstanding Thursday afternoon, which is nothing new this Spring as he has been nothing short of brilliant. The lefty is slated to start the 2013 season in the Iowa rotation, and if he has continued success like this don’t be surprised if he is back at Wrigley sooner than later, either starting or coming out of the pen.
Brent Lillibridge made a triumphant return to the lineup going 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Welington Castillo got the start behind the plate and was 1-for-2 with a triple, two RBI’s and a run scored. Luis Valbuena (1), Brian Bogusevic (2), Dave Sappelt (1), and Darnell McDonald (1) had the rest of the runs knocked in.
As I mentioned, Chris Rusin was awesome. Rusin tossed five nearly perfect innings, giving up no runs on one hit while walking one, and striking out one. Raley improved to 2-0 on the Spring with a 0.69 ERA, he has worked thirteen innings this spring and has given up one run. Drew Carpenter, Jaye Chapman, and Blake Parker all had scoreless appearances in the victory.
Split squad action tomorrow as half the team will face the White Sox on the road, and the other half will face off against Team Japan. Travis Wood will make the start against Team Japan, and Scott Feldman will work against the White Sox.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Cubs Edge A’s Behind 12 Hit Attack
The Cubs got back to basics this afternoon and also back into the win column, that’s not a coincidence. After yesterdays game, which was one to forget, the Cubs pitching shut the A’s down all day while the offense pounded out twelve hits, and the defense was solid making no errors, a complete ballgame. Scott Feldman got the start for the Cubs, his first as a North Sider, and 
struggled a bit with his command but was able to pitch around some self-imposed trouble. Feldman worked two innings giving up one run on two hits while walking two and striking out two. Travis Wood followed Feldman out of the pen, and ended up with the victory as he also went two innings, he gave up one run on two hits while walking none and striking out two. Kyuji Fujikawa had his second straight strong outing as he worked a scoreless inning giving up one hit and striking out one, he now has three strikeouts in two innings of work this Spring. Jensen Lewis made things interesting in the ninth inning as he allowed one run on three hits, but got a couple of clutch strikeouts to earn the save.
The Cubs sprayed the ball all over the field offensively today, registering twelve hits with zero leaving the ballpark. Junior Lake had an impressive day at the plate going 2-for-3 with a double, and an RBI, he is now hitting .300 on the Spring (3-for-10). Darnell McDonald had a strong day at the plate as well going 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Jorge Soler flashed some of his tools in the game today, he finished 1-for-3 at the plate with two strikeouts, but gunned down Josh Reddick at 3rd base from right field. Javier Baez got the start at shortstop today while Starlin Castro nurses a tight hamstring, and went 1-for-3 with a run scored, he didn’t endanger any infielders’ lives today, which is good I guess. I know it’s early, and it’s only Spring, but it’s nice to see a Cubs team competitive from the start.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Cubs Let Big Early Lead Slip Away in Loss to Dodgers
The Cubs used the long ball early and often against Chad Billingsley and the Dodgers staff to build a 6-2 lead through three innings. Nate Schierholtz hit a solo shot in the 
first, and then Welington Castillo went back to back with Darnell McDonald in the third inning. McDonald padded the RBI numbers with a three run homer, a no doubter. Unfortunately that was about it for the Cubs offense as they couldn’t scratch across another run the rest of the afternoon. Carlos Villanueva made his Cubs debut and it could have been better as he struggled with his command. Villanueva couldn’t make in through the first inning as he walked two guys, and gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Blake Parker and Barret Loux had solid outings, each turning in a scoreless effort. Robert Whitenack struggled today, giving up three runs, while not allowing a hit, yes he struggled with command as well, walking two in two-thirds of an inning. The news of the day came from Dontrelle Willis, not because he made his debut, but because he only threw seven pitches before leaving with what is being described as shoulder stiffness, he took the loss.
Game Highlights:
Darnell McDonald’s Three-Run Bomb
Dontrelle Willis leaves with an Injury
Welington Castillo’s Solo Shot
Nate Schierholtz Goes Deep
Thanks for reading,
- George
