Cactus League-Spring Training

Spring Game Four - Cubs 6, Royals 4
WP - Jeff Samardzija (1-0) LP - Jonathan Sanchez (0-1) Save - None

Jeff Samardzija has been saying for several weeks that he wants to be a big league starting pitcher. Samardzija told everyone that was his goal and he has been working all off-season preparing to win a spot in the Cubs rotation. While it was only one start in the first week of exhibition games, Jeff Samardzija took a step in the right direction Wednesday to reaching his goal.

Samardzija looked like a different pitcher on the mound. He appeared confident and ready to prove he belongs in the Cubs rotation. Samardzija's typically shaky command was absent Wednesday and he did not walk a single batter in his three innings of work ... the longest outing by a Cubs' pitcher in the first four games.

Samardzija faced the minimum over three shutout innings and allowed only one hit ... and he helped erase his only mistake with a well-timed side step that gave Steve Clevenger a chance to throw out Chris Getz. Samardzija struck out three and consistently hit the mid-90s with his fastball (94-96 MPH) and his changeup ranged from the high-80s to low-90s (87-91 MPH)

Jeff Samardzija threw 36 pitches, 28 for strikes, Wednesday afternoon in Surprise.

The Cubs' offense did just enough against the Royals and scored four of their six runs in the first inning. The Cubs hit the ball where it was pitched against Jonathan Sanchez and were aggressive on the bases but it was three miscues by the Royals that helped the Cubs put a four-spot on the board in the opening frame.

Reed Johnson (2-for-3 with a run scored), Starlin Castro (2-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base), Bryan LaHair (2-for-3 with a RBI, a run scored and a stolen base), Darwin Barney (1-for-3 with a double and a RBI) and Brett Jackson (1-for-1 with a RBI) led a Cubs' offense that pounded out 15 hits.

Spring Game Three - Cubs 11, Rockies 4
WP - Matt Garza (1-0) LP - Guillermo Moscoso (0-1) Save - None

Dale Sveum picked up his first 'win' as a Cubs manager on Tuesday afternoon at HoHoKam Park behind big days at the plate from Alfonso Soriano (3-for-3 with two home runs, a double, two runs scored and three RBI), Brett Jackson (1-for-2 with a home run, a walk and three RBI), Anthony Rizzo (2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored) and Welington Castillo (2-for-3 with a double, a run scored and a RBI). Soriano, Jackson and Rizzo drove in eight of the Cubs' 11 runs.

The Cubs offense pounded out 14 hits, scored runs in half of their eight at bats, and put a four-spot on the scoreboard twice on a very windy day in Mesa. The wind did help Soriano's homers and Jackson's blast, but all three would have left the park without help ... the wind was just good for the 'wow factor'.

Matt Garza threw the ball extremely well. After working out what appeared to be early communication problems with Welington Castillo, Garza pounded the strike zone in his two innings. Garza ended up allowing two runs on three hits and a hit batsman with a strikeout but his command was excellent and he seemed to throw the ball exactly where he wanted.

The Cubs' pen was an issue in the first two exhibition games (Sveum and his staff have a lot of work to do with their relievers) but not on Tuesday. The Cubs skipper received solid pitching performances from his pen (Casey Coleman, James Russell, Chris Rusin, Alberto Cabrera and Andy Sonnanstine) in relief of Matt Garza, which was the difference against the Rockies' travel team.

A new-look Casey Coleman pitched two shutout innings. Coleman threw strikes and did not issue any free passes. James Russell struggled a little but his problems came against right-handed hitters. Russell is a lefty specialist at this point in his career. Chris Rusin labored through two innings but Alberto Cabrera was impressive and throws a very heavy ball. Andy Sonnanstine made his Cubs' debut and should have ended the game before he did. Sonnanstine did not receive two strike calls that should have ended the exhibition game.

The Cubs defense was much better Tuesday and Ian Stewart turned in several excellent defensive plays against his former team.

For the first time, Dale Sveum was able to hear 'Go Cubs Go' after a game he won as the manager of the Chicago National League Ball Club.

Spring Game Two - Cubs 7, A's (SS) 8
WP - Fabio Castro (1-0, BS 1) LP - Tony Zych (0-1) Save - Travis Banwart (1)

For the second day in a row the Cubs had a lead early but could not hold on and win their first game of the spring. The Cubs jumped on Bartolo Colon early and put a three-spot on the board in the second thanks to one swing by Blake DeWitt. DeWitt launched the first pitch he saw this spring over the wall in right ... DeWitt's three-run homer landed in the Cubs' bullpen.

The Cubs scored three more times in the fourth with Josh Vitters and Darwin Barney driving in runs. After four the Cubs led 6-1 thanks to enough offense and solid pitching performances by Ryan Dempster, Scott Maine, Blake Parker and Casey Weathers.

Ryan Dempster threw the ball pretty well in his first outing of the spring. Dempster struggled with his command a little and allowed one run on two hits with two strikeouts and no walks in his first two innings of the exhibition season.

The A's took a big bite out of the Cubs 6-1 lead in the sixth. Marco Carrillo could not throw strikes and gave up four runs on three hits with a pair of walks and no strikeouts in 2/3 of an inning. Manny Corpas finished the sixth then had his own issues in the seventh. Corpas gave Blake Lalli a workout behind the plate and appeared to struggle with finding an arm slot. Corpas surrendered two runs on three hits with two strikeouts and no walks in 1 1/3 innings.

Two of the highlights of the day were a pair of call-ups from minor league camp. Kevin Rhoderick and Tony Zych made their way up from Fitch for the day. Both pitchers were extremely impressive despite the fact Zych gave up a home run on his first pitch of the day.

Darwin Barney (1-for-3 with a RBI), Blake DeWitt (1-for-2 with a home run, walk, two runs scored and three RBI), Josh Vitters (1-for-2 with a double and one RBI), Steve Clevenger (1-for-2 with a sac fly, a run scored and a RBI) and Jeff Baker (2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored) led the Cubs' offense on an overcast Monday afternoon at HoHoKam Park.

Dale Sveum and the 2012 Chicago Cubs took the field for the first time Sunday afternoon at HoHoKam Park. Several players made their first appearance in a Cubs' uniform in the exhibition game against the A's including Ian Stewart, Jeff Beliveau, Dae-Eun Rhee, Trever Miller, Lendy Castillo, Adrian Cardenas and Anthony Rizzo.

Here is original video shot by the CCO from Sunday's game ...

Game One - Cubs 10, A's 12
WP - Travis Schlichting (1-0, BS 1) LP - Marcos Mateo (0-1) Save - None

After the off-season of change, the Chicago Cubs finally took the field Sunday afternoon at HoHoKam Park. The focus shifted from the front office and coaching staff to the field with mixed results. While it is important to win every time a team steps on the field, Spring Training is more about performances than final scores.

The Cubs played like a team trying to find an identity and at times looked good doing so. All of the baserunning drills from camp led to their first two runs of the game ... then later in the game both David DeJesus and Darwin Barney were picked off first in the same inning. It was that kind of day. Seemingly for every good play or pitch there was a bad one.

After building a 3-0 lead in the third, the Cubs found themselves down 9-3 going into the bottom of the fifth. The young Cubs took over at that point and never quit.

The Cubs tied the game with a five-run fifth inning with the big hit, a bases clearing triple, coming off the bat of former A's farmhand Adrian Cardenas.

The A's took the lead in the top of the eighth but the Cubs tied the game on a throwing error by third baseman Josh Donaldson. Marcos Mateo struggled with his command in the top of the ninth and ended up taking the loss after allowing two runs.

Darwin Barney (2-for-2 with a double, two RBI) drove in the Cubs first runs of the spring with a two-out, two-run double in the second off of Brandon McCarthy.

Adrian Cardenas drove in three with a bases clearing triple in the fifth and made one of the better defensive plays of the game, a diving catch in foul ground in the seventh.

Welington Castillo started in place of the injured Geovany Soto. Castillo was 1-for-2 with a home run ... and what a home run it was. Castillo lined a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left ... the ball got out of the park in a hurry.

As for the pitching performances, Carlos Marmol and Rafael Dolis stood out and Jeff Beliveau threw the ball much better than the box score indicates.

Spring Training Game Four - Cubs 5 Brewers 12
WP - Yovani Gallardo (1-0) LP - Carlos Silva (0-1) Save - None

Wednesday was a beautiful day for baseball that soon turned ugly for the Chicago Cubs ... both on the field and in the dugout.

The game started on a positive note. Kosuke Fukudome (1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored) led off with a walk and scored on the Cubs' first home run of the spring ... a two-run shot to left center off the bat of Starlin Castro (2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI). Castro worked the count and drove the ball with authority against one of the best young pitchers in the NL in Yovani Gallardo. But the feel-good start did not last long.

Carlos Silva took the hill in the bottom of the first and it all went downhill from there. Silva was horrible and the defense behind him was worse. Silva walked Craig Counsell to start the game then served up a two-run homer to Luis Cruz on the first pitch of the at bat.

Silva retired Ryan Braun before the Cubs defense fell apart. Prince Fielder reached second on a pop up into shallow left that clanked off Aramis Ramirez's glove. Prince hustled into second and scored on the first of two home runs on the day by Casey McGehee.

Casey McGehee (3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI) continues sticking to the team that never gave him a shot.

The Cubs defense committed two more errors in the first to run their spring total to 12, at the time. Silva ended up allowing six runs, three earned, on three hits with a walk in his inning of work. Silva labored through the 34-pitch inning (19 strikes) as the Brewers batted around.

After the inning, Silva reportedly exploded in the dugout and exchanged words with Aramis Ramirez. Silva's day was over ... and so were the Cubs. Silva took the long walk across the field to the Cubs' bus as Jay Jackson jogged in from the bullpen.

The Cubs played another sloppy game and had trouble throwing strikes. The "defense" and that word should be used loosely, committed five more errors to run their spring total to 14. 14 errors in four games and there could have been more.

Q's crew appears lackadaisical on the field. And while it is "only" Spring Training, the three teams the Cubs have faced seem a lot more focused on using the exhibition games as a tune-up for the regular season.

Spring Training Game Three - Cubs 3 Giants 2
WP - Todd Wellemeyer (1-0) LP - Madison Bumgarner (0-1, BS 1) Save - Esmailin Caridad (1)

The Cubs put one in the win column ... on the third game, behind a three-run inning, against Madison Bumgarner in his third inning of work and Esmailin Caridad saved the exhibition game, Caridad wears number 33. The big negative from Tuesday also involved the number three, the Cubs "defense" committed three more errors.

Both managers ran out a majority of their regulars Tuesday afternoon, which is a rarity early in the spring. Tim Lincecum dominated the Cubs in his three innings of work, while Ryan Dempster did more than just get his work in.

Ryan Dempster made his first appearance of the spring. Dempster worked three innings, the first Cubs' pitcher to go three innings. Dempster threw the ball well and even worked around the lack of defense behind him. Dempster retired the Giants in order in the first on just seven pitches, six for strikes, but ran into problems in the second after falling behind to Pablo Sandoval.

Dempster threw 19 pitches in the second, 12 for strikes, and gave up a run on two hits. Dempster pitched around the Cubs' eighth error of the spring in the third and did not give up any runs. Dempster threw 15 pitches in the third, nine for strikes. Dempster's final line from Tuesday: one run on two hits with a walk and three strikeouts on 41 pitches, 27 for strikes.

The Cubs bullpen put together a solid afternoon in Scottsdale. Todd Wellemeyer picked up the spring win after throwing two innings of shutout ball. Casey Coleman, Jeff Stevens and Scott Maine did their jobs ... with mixed results. And Esmailin Caridad survived his command issues, along with a great catch by Jim Adduci in right, to pick up the save.

The Cubs offense was overmatched by Tim Lincecum for the first three innings. The Cubs managed only one baserunner of Lincecum. Starlin Castro reached on a throwing error by Miguel Tejada but was picked off first by Buster Posey.

The Cubs first hit came in the fourth and they finally got on the scoreboard in the sixth. Kosuke Fukudome (1-for-3 with a run scored) and Starlin Castro (2-for-3 with a run scored) set the table for Marlon Byrd (2-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored) and Aramis Ramirez (1-for-3 with a double and two RBI).

Byrd drove in Fukudome with a single to left center to tie the game ... and Ramirez gave the Cubs a 3-1 lead with a double down the left field line. Byrd slid in safe ahead of a relay throw by Mike Fontenot. Mike Quade was the first to greet Castro and Byrd after they scored.

Mike Quade must figure out a way to improve his defense. The Cubs committed three more errors Tuesday (one each by Blake DeWitt, Starlin Castro and Bobby Scales). In three games, the Cubs have been credited with nine errors, but they have misplayed more balls than the nine errors they've been given.

Tuesday was a good day for the Cubs, after all a win is a win, no matter if it counts or not. But they have to start making the routine plays in the field.

The Cubs took the field for the second time of the spring Monday afternoon. Q's crew was able to get work in before, during and after the game.

Tyler Colvin took more grounders at first and the team was able to take a little BP before the first pitch. Randy Wells, Andrew Cashner, Jay Jackson, Kerry Wood, John Gaub, Chris Carpenter and Sean Marshall warmed up in the pen before entering the game.

Here are a few videos from Monday at HoHoKam Park ...

Spring Training Game Two - Cubs 3 Brewers (ss) 5
WP - Tim Dillard (1-0) LP - Andrew Cashner (0-1, BS 1) Save - Brian Garman (1)

Monday was a beautiful day at HoHoKam Park and Q's crew responded with a better effort in front of a very small crowd of 5,405. The Cubs once again struggled with their defense and pitching plus on Monday they could not buy a hit with runners in scoring position. Again, wins and losses are not important in the spring but execution is and after the second game it is clear to see the Cubs have a lot of work to do.

Randy Wells had a good outing and threw the ball well. Wells kept the Brewers off the board but more importantly he hit his spots. The Cubs defense did not help Wells but unlike last year, Wells did not let the miscues impact his outing. Wells threw 26 pitches in his two innings of work, 16 went for strikes. Wells ended his day by striking out Caleb Gindl swinging on a nice changeup.

Andrew Cashner and Kerry Wood pitched better than their results. Cashner allowed two runs on three hits with a walk, a wild pitch and a wild pick off attempt in his two innings of work. After his outing Cashner said, "Today was fun. My stuff was good, it just didn't go where I wanted." The Brewers jumped on Cashner's first pitch for a majority of his outing and Cashner did not miss his spots by much. Cashner threw 23 pitches in the third, 15 for strikes. Cashner settled down in the fourth and threw 19 pitches, 10 for strikes.

After receiving a standing ovation as he jogged in from the bullpen, Kerry Wood threw strikes and both of his strikeouts came on his breaking ball. The Brewers were very aggressive against Wood and jumped on the first pitch. Wood was tagged for two runs on three hits with two strikeouts and a wild pitch in an inning of work. Wood threw 19 pitches, 13 for strikes.

Of all the relievers Mike Quade used Monday, Jay Jackson was the most impressive. Jackson threw strikes (10 out of 13 pitches) and if not for Jeff Baker losing a pop up in the sun, he would have retired the Brewers in order. Jackson faced Triple-A hitters but showed an ability to throw strikes and appeared confident on the mound. The Cubs should use him against Major League hitters to see how he responds.

Chris Carpenter, John Gaub and Sean Marshall each threw an inning. Marshall sat down the backend of the Brewers' roster in order thanks to a nice tumbling catch by Fernando Perez in right center.

Reed Johnson (2-for-3 with a run scored), Tyler Colvin (1-for-2 with a triple and a RBI), Alfonso Soriano (1-for-3 with a double and a run scored), Welington Castillo (2-for-2 with a run scored) and Scott Moore (2-for-3 with a RBI) led the Cubs offense. As a whole, the team struggled again with runners in scoring position, especially with two outs. The Cubs refuse to change their approach at the plate and they finished the game 2-for-15 with RISP. The Cubs left 12 on base and eight of them came with two outs.

The Cubs suited up for the first time Sunday afternoon at HoHoKam Park. Several members of the 2011 Cubs made their debut in blue pinstripes, including Matt Garza and Carlos Pena.

Here is original video shot by the CCO from Sunday's game against the Oakland A's ...