Spring Training Game Fifteen: Cubs (9-5) vs. Dodgers (4-6-1)
Game Time - 3:05pm CDT
Coverage - TV: MLB TV.com (Dodgers Feed) - Radio: MLB.com
Location - Camelback Ranch, Glendale
Ryan Dempster (1-0, 0.00/0.20) vs. Chad Billingsley (0-0, 1.80/0.80)
Lou Piniella's crew returns to work this afternoon following their only scheduled day off of the spring ... the Cubs next day off is April 4 before the season opener in Atlanta. Today is the first of back-to-back games for the Cubs at Camelback Ranch. The Cubs play the White Sox for the final time in Arizona on Friday.
The Cubs will face the Dodgers for the first time this spring. The Dodgers only trip to HoHoKam Park was rained
out on March 7. Ryan Dempster will see a Dodgers' lineup that could feature a former teammate ... Reed Johnson.Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez are expected back in the lineup this afternoon. The Cubs' regulars should begin receiving more playing time with just over two weeks remaining on the Cactus League schedule.
Ryan Dempster has quietly gone about his business this spring. In two starts, five innings, Dempster has allowed one unearned run on one hit with two strikeouts ... and no walks. Dempster is slated to pitch four innings this afternoon.
The Cubs will see a familiar face they have struggled against in the past. Chad Billingsley will make his third start of the spring. In Billingsley's first two outings, just one earned run on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts in five innings.
Jeff Weaver and knuckleballer Charlie Haeger are scheduled to follow Billingsley this afternoon.
Mike Fontenot is expected to start and play a lot at shortstop over the weekend. Lou Piniella needs to see if he is a realistic option to backup Ryan Theriot. Fontenot's ability to play short could impact Micah Hoffpauir, Andres Blanco, Kevin Millar and Chad Tracy making the team.
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Today's lineup:
Theriot - SS
Fukudome - RF
Lee - 1B
Ramirez - 3B
Colvin - CF
Soriano - LF
Fontenot - 2B
Soto - C
Dempster - P
The alternate, opening day lineup.
Change in the lineup ... Ramirez is not playing, will play against the Sox on Friday. Reports are he is fine, just taking another day
Theriot - SS
Fukudome - RF
Lee - 1B
Colvin - CF
Fontenot - 2B
Soriano - LF
Tracy - 3B
Soto - C
Dempster - P
Test
Hey Neil! the site looks strange today, is it me?
In the process of an upgrade.
I figured...Good Luck!
Lets do it TRACY
May I call him Dick?
Manny just went yard, 2-run shot off Dempster in the first. 2-0 Dodgers
Dempster probably thinks this is game one of the 2008 NLDS.
Soto Knocked in Tracy.
Dempster out of a jam in the second. Runners on second and third, no outs. Retired next three batters.
Still 2-1 Dodgers going into bottom of second.
Good outing for Dempster and other than the 2-out walk to Furcal, Marmol did a good job as well
Neil,
I haven't paid attention to the game on radio. How's everything looking today?
Dempster pitched well. Manny hit a home run. Dodgers ran out their A-team today.
Colvin just drove in Adduci with the tying run. Adduci pinch ran for Lee.
2-2 top of 6
I saw that ARAM was held out on the Chicago Breaking News post...Piniella was quoted as saying he might need to get AB's in minor league games.
If that's the case, I simply do NOT understand how you could enter the season with Millar on the roster, and a gimpy Nady, necessitating a move to have an additional OF on the roster that can play all 3 OF positions (Fuld, Adduci, Snyder, and especially Colvin fit that description). The Cubs have to take Tracy with them given ARAM's struggles. Baker is NOT an everyday player. Fontenot really isn't either, and those are the only other guys that can play 3B. Millar has exactly 32 games played at 3B in his career with 4 errors, and played 4 games last year at 3B. Prior to that, he had 2 games at 3B in 2002, 10 in 2001, 13 in 2000, 1 in 1999, and 2 in 1998.
So, basically, if ARAM misses any significant time, you're looking at Baker, in all likelihood, subbing at 3B, and he only has 41 games at 3B to go with his .270 career avg and .326 OBP.
Sorry, but that's quite a drop-off in production from ARAM to Baker...even Millar.
However, if you break camp with Tracy, at least he has a .280 career avg, .339 OBP, and per 162, he averages 18 hr, 73 RBI (Millar sits at .274, .358 OBP, 19 hr, 79 RBI per 162, which isn't bad, but mostly accumulated at 1B), and Tracy also has 340 games at 3B to boot, and would provide lefty power off the bench and/or everyday lineup to hedge against an ARAM injury
Am I wrong?
No, your right! If Millar is to make this team he needs to atleast prove he can still play 3b in spring training. Or play some thirdbase in minor league spring training. I would prefer to keep Tracy.
agreed.
Millar will never make this team. The one spring game I've watched this year was with him at 1st and he looked absolutely feeble. There is no way i would take chemistry over talent
U Are 100% on the money. No way Millar gets a spot over Tracy. At any rate we still have to wait and while I admit I have certain simpathy for Millar...the answer is No Thank you unless we bring only 11 pitchers.
They are hitting Grabow hard
Grabow got knocked around pretty good
Do I detect a little surprise?...just a little?...LOL
I, for one, am NOT surprised. 2 yrs, $7.5 million for an average-to-below average LOOGY, who can't even get lefties out at a decent clip, was a HORRIBLE move to begin with. I firmly believe that we would've been far better served to have gone with Gaub and Marshall in the pen (and lo and behold, we find out Russell is more than capable of handling that this spring), PLUS, I still believe Papelbon would be a good option as well. How Hendry ever thought that giving a 2 yr deal to an average reliever for that much money, knowing full well he has floating bone chips in his elbow is absolutely beyond me. One year, I could probably see that...but with Beimel still out there, and being an above average lefty reliever, that move just didn't make any sense whatsoever, and looks worse every single day he pitches.
Aaron, from me? Nope
Earth to Aaron, Earth to Aaron
It's spring training. These games mean ZERO ! Nada !!
:-)
you are right...and you are also very wrong at the same time. We've seen superstar hitters and superstar pitchers have awful stats in Spring Training, only to turn it on once the regular season starts.
Everything needs to be put into context, especially with young hitters, where a vast majority of them accumulate huge numbers while facing a majority of minor league pitchers in later innings.
Unfortunately for Grabow, he has faced both MLB superstars and minor leaguers, and been hit equally as hard.
I wasn't talking about anyone else's stats this spring, just Grabow's, and because of that, you're very very wrong.
Grabow has been hit REALLY hard, because he simply is NOT a good pitcher. That's ALL I was saying. $3.75 million/year for the next 2 years is going to be a very ugly deal for us, and Hendry was a moron for signing him to that contract with better options not only in our own system, but also in free agency with Beimel available.
Reed Johnson just hit a three run homer off of John Gaub
Sure glad we dumped Reed.
:-)
Neil are you serious. He gave up a double and a homerun. Four hits one walk three strike outs in just four innings. How is this a good outing.
The double was a bloop, I will give you the home run. I liked the way he pitched out of the jam in the second and did not let Lee's error lead to more runs.
I thought it was a good outing against a very good offense.
Sorry Neil, I would call it an okay outing and call what it is. Spring baseball and thats it.
Fair enough ...
I'm with you Neil...2 runs isn't bad at all. Giving up a bomb to anyone sucks, but it's Manny, so I give him a pass. It's not the starters I'm worried about, even though we have injury issues (Lilly...and Z's problems last year), and Wells' sophomore season (likely to slump)...but what worries me most is the pen, and I have to tell you..outside of Marmol, Caridad, Berg, Marshall (if he's going to the pen), and Russell...and both Russell and Berg aren't even guaranteed spots at this point. So, when you look at it from that perspective, Marmol and Caridad are the only ones we can count on. If Gorzelanny loses out, and gets moved to the pen in favor of Marshall in the rotation, then our pen becomes even worse.
I see that our top of the lineup tandem in Theriot/Fukodome when a combined 0-6 today. That'll get it done.
And hey, Soriano got a hit today...but oops, had another 2 strikeouts as well. Nice.