Let's Play 2 - Game Recap

Game - Cubs 4 Rangers 1
WP - Carlos Silva (2-1) LP - Neftali Feliz (0-1) Save - James Russell (1)

In front of the largest crowd of the spring at HoHoKam Park (13,157), the Cubs made quick order of the Texas Rangers in two hours and eight minutes on Tuesday afternoon. The Cubs pitching staff limited a Rangers' lineup of mostly backup players and minor leaguers to one run on three hits.

Carlos Silva tossed four innings of shutout ball. He retired the last seven batters he faced ... and 10 of the last 11. Silva surrendered only two hits, hit a batter but did not issue a free pass. Esmailin Caridad did not allow a hit in his two innings of work. Caridad walked a batter but faced the minimum when Geovany Soto threw out Joaquin Arias attempting to steal second to end the fifth inning.

The Rangers lone run came in the eighth inning. Justin Smoak launched a solo home run over the right field wall off of Marcos Mateo. Mateo struck out three in his 1 1/3 innings of work.

James Russell stuck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth for the save.

Xavier Nady had a very good day at the ballpark. Nady hit a pair of doubles (left and right center), drove in two of the Cubs four runs and scored another in four trips to the plate. Nady delivered a two-out, two run double in the third inning that plated Ryan Theriot and Kosuke Fukudome. Nady then scored the Cubs' third run on a two-out single by Marlon Byrd.

Jeff Baker hit his first longball of the spring in the seventh for the Cubs final run.

Ryan Theriot (2-for-3 with a run scored) and Tyler Colvin (1-for-1) continued their hot springs.

With the win, the Cubs improved to 9-5 in the Cactus League ...

Game Thirteen - Cubs 2 Rockies 5
WP - Jhoulys Chacin (1-0) LP - Mike Parisi (1-1, BS 1) Save - Franklin Morales (1)

Lou Piniella's crew made their final trip to Hi Corbett Field on Monday ... and the trip took a little longer than expected. The Cubs bus broke down less than an hour outside of Mesa, a clamp came off the radiator line. A majority of the team was an hour late to the park and they were unable to take batting practice due to the delay.

Kevin Millar reportedly entertained the team.

Once the Cubs got to the park, a starting lineup stocked with backup players, Ryan Theriot and Carlos Zambrano were beaten by the Rockies.

Carlos Zambrano was happy with the way he threw the ball. He kept the ball down, allowed one run on five hits, four doubles, in four innings of work. Big Z is hopeful he can pitch the way he did on Monday throughout the season. Zambrano threw 43 pitches, 28 for strikes ... and recorded seven groundball outs to just two fly ball outs.

Zambrano also drove in one of the Cubs' two runs with a double in the second off of Jeff Francis.

The Cubs sloppy play in the field continued on Monday. They committed three more errors (Mike Parisi, Sam Fuld, Starlin Castro) and gave the opposition another free run.

The Cubs slipped to 8-5 on the spring with Monday's loss ...

Game Twelve - Cubs 8 Angels 7
WP - Andrew Cashner (1-0) LP - Rich Thompson (0-2, BS 1) Save - Thomas Diamond (1)

The Cubs won their fourth game in a row and finished the long five-game weekend with a 4-1 record. Two non-roster invitees played a role in the victory against the Angels.

Kevin Millar drove in the Cubs first run with a double to left center in the first ... and hit a two-run homer over the wall in left in the third. Millar finished the game 2-for-2 with a walk, a double, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI.

Starlin Castro (2-for-2 with a double, a run scored and two RBI) continued his impressive spring on Sunday afternoon. Castro reached base with a double and a single in his only two trips to the plate. Castro doubled in James Adduci with the tying run in the seventh and scored the go ahead run on a double by Micah Hoffpauir.

Castro also showed off his range and arm on Sunday with mixed results. Castro was shook up a little in the ninth on a grounder up the middle. Castro appeared to lose his footing and hit the dirt as he flipped the ball to Darwin Barney. Reports after the game indicated Castro's knee was okay.

The Cubs offense pounded out 12 hits, six for extra bases, and scored at least a single run in five of the nine innings.

After being just short of perfect in his first two outings, Randy Wells struggled mightily in his third start of the spring. Larry Rothschild said Wells' performance on Sunday might be a good wake-up call for the young right-hander.

Wells was hit rather hard in the second inning. The Angels sent 11 batters to the plate, scored six times and seemed to rattle the normally calm, cool and collected Randy Wells.

While the Cubs pen on Sunday allowed only one run after Randy Wells left the game, the questions surrounding the bullpen continue to be justified. Carlos Marmol was effective but struggled with his command and walked a batter. John Grabow, like Marmol, struggled with throwing strikes.

The Cubs pen allowed only four hits over the final six innings but they walked nine batters, five in the last two innings, with only seven strikeouts. Lou Piniella was visibly upset at the performances by Blake Parker and Thomas Diamond in the eighth and ninth.

With the win, the Cubs improved to 8-4 in the Cactus League ...

Game Ten - Cubs (ss) 11 Reds 4
WP - Mike Parisi (1-0) LP - Jon Adkins (0-1) Save - None

Game Eleven - Cubs (ss) 8 White Sox (ss) 7
WP - John Gaub (1-0) LP - Jeffrey Marquez (0-1, BS 1) Save - Justin Berg (1)

The Cubs got their work in on Saturday in Mesa and Las Vegas ... with some solid performances but with a little injury in Mesa.

Lou Piniella's crew beat the Reds in Mesa by a lopsided 11-4 score. Sean Marshall put together a good start. He allowed only one run in three innings, a solo home run by Juan Francisco. The Cubs managed only one run off of Homer Bailey in his three innings of work ... his first start of the spring. After the Reds built a 4-1 lead, the Cubs offense scored 10 times in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

Bryan LaHair (2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI) tied the game with a three-run homer in the fifth ... and Hak-Ju Lee added a two-run double in the sixth. Tyler Colvin (3-for-5 with a run scored) and Darwin Barney (2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and a RBI) had good days at the plate.

Aramis Ramirez left the game against the Reds in the third inning with right triceps soreness. Ramirez is listed as day-to-day and the Cubs downplayed the injury.

Alan Trammell managed the Cubs to a two-game sweep of the White Sox in Las Vegas. For the second time in less than 24 hours, Josh Vitters drove in the game winner against the South Side. Vitters grounded into a fielder's choice in the eighth that broke a 6-6 tie.

Ryan Dempster was solid once again. The White Sox managed one unearned on one hit against Dempster in three innings of work. Dempster did not walk a batter and stuck out a pair.

With the wins on Saturday, the Cubs improved to 7-4 in Cactus League play ...

Game Nine - Cubs (ss) 6 White Sox (ss) 5
WP - Mitch Atkins (1-0) LP - Jhonny Nunez (0-1, BS 1) Save - Blake Parker (1)

The Cubs took an early lead in the first of two against the Sox in Vegas. Marlon Byrd and Mike Fontenot drove in the first two runs of the game in the first inning. Tom Gorzelanny did not allow a hit in his three innings of work. But Gorzelanny walked the bases loaded in the second and his wild pitch allowed the White Sox to score a run.

Jay Jackson surrendered the White Sox first hit in the sixth before giving up the lead. The Sox scored three runs off of Jackson and took a 4-3 lead into the seventh.

Marlon Byrd reached on an error by Brent Lillibridge to start the seventh. Brett Jackson pinch ran for Byrd and advanced to second when Kevin Millar walked. Micah Hoffpauir took over for Millar on the bases.

Josh Vitters ripped a 1-1 pitch from Jhonny Nunez into right center. The ball rolled to the wall. Jackson and Hoffpauir scored on Vitters' triple. Mike Fontenot drove in his second run of the night with a single to center ... and gave the Cubs a 6-4 lead.

The Sox cut the Cubs' lead to 6-5 in the eighth with a single to right by Alejandro De Aza. De Aza took too wide of a turn at first, Kyler Burke threw behind him and Micah Hoffpauir tagged him out to end the inning ... with the tying run at third.

Blake Parker labored through a 28-pitch ninth inning (14 strikes) to pick up the save.

Several of the Cubs' top prospects contributed to the win on Friday night. The Cubs improved to 5-4 on the spring with the victory over the White Sox ...

Game Eight - Cubs (ss) 3 Brewers 12
WP - Doug Davis (1-0) LP - Jeff Samardzija (0-1) Save - None

The Cubs long weekend of exhibition games got off to a bad start on Friday afternoon. The Brewers lit up Jeff Samardzija in the first inning and Doug Davis continued his domination of a team in blue pinstripes.

Granted it is "just Spring Training" but the performance from Jeff Samardzija on Friday was very similar to his outings from a year ago. Samardzija gave up four runs, all earned despite an error by Starlin Castro in the first inning, on five hits in two innings. Samardzija walked a batter, struck out two and served up back-to-back jacks in the first to Jim Edmonds and Gregg Zaun.

Samardzija turned the game over to the pen in the third ... and the pitchers Lou Piniella did not send to Las Vegas did not fair any better than 'The Shark.'

John Grabow surrendered an unearned run in his inning of work, but one of the two hits he allowed was a double by Jim Edmonds. Marcos Mateo could not find the strike zone. He walked five batters in the fifth, uncorked a wild pitch and served up a two-run homer to Jody Gerut. Jeremy Papelbon, called in from minor league camp, allowed two of Mateo's runners to score.

Rafael Dolis and James Russell closed the game. Dolis was solid in his first inning but struggled in his second and both runs he was charged with scored with James Russell on the mound.

The Cubs offense was non-existent. They managed nine hits, but scored only three runs and two of those came in the seventh inning. Tyler Colvin continued his hot spring and finished the game 2-for-3 with a triple, a run scored and a RBI. Aramis Ramirez doubled in the Cubs' second run in the seventh.

With the loss, the Cubs slipped back to .500 in the Cactus League (4-4) ...

Game Seven - Cubs 8 Padres 7
WP - Carlos Silva (1-1) LP - Jon Garland (0-1) Save - None

The Cubs ended their two-game losing streak behind more stellar play from the young Cubs ... namely Starlin Castro, Robinson Chirinos, Tyler Colvin, Bryan LaHair and Sam Fuld.

The Cubs jumped out to an early lead on Jon Garland and the Padres. Garland could not find the strike zone. Garland walked in the first run of the game and the Cubs scored four runs on three hits with three walks in 1 2/3 innings against the former South Sider.

The Cubs young offense pounded out 12 hits, four for extra bases and built an 8-1 lead before the defense forgot how to catch the ball. The Padres scored seven runs in the last three innings ... all unearned.

Carlos Silva put together a better outing. The Padres hit him pretty hard and Sam Fuld's catch against the wall in left center took an extra base hit away from Scott Hairston ... and ended the inning. Silva allowed four hits, two doubles, in three innings with a walk and no strikeouts.

Carlos Marmol completed a perfect inning of work, with a strikeout. Marmol followed Silva and threw just eight pitches, six for strikes, in his third tune-up of the spring.

Starlin Castro ended his first week of big league games with another impressive performance. Castro hit his first home run of the spring ... and finished the game 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, two RBI and three runs scored.

Tyler Colvin (2-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored), Bryan LaHair (2-for-4 with a double, a walk, a RBI and a run scored), Robinson Chirinos (1-for-2 with a walk, a two-run homer and two RBI) and Sam Fuld (1-for-4 with a double and a run scored) stood out on an afternoon that Lou Piniella played a lot of non-roster invitees.

Vince Perkins, David Patton and Steve Clevenger finally made their spring debuts on Thursday in Peoria.

With the win, the Cubs improved to 4-3 in the Cactus League ...

Game Six - Cubs 1 Giants 5
WP - Jonathan Sanchez (1-0) LP - Carlos Zambrano (0-1) Save - None

Lou Piniella's crew lost their second game in a row after a bad third inning from Carlos Zambrano on Wednesday afternoon. Zambrano breezed through his first two innings of work. He retired all six of the seven batters he faced on just 14 pitches, 11 for strikes ... then the third inning happened.

Zambrano allowed the first three Giants hitters to reach in the third. Aaron Rowand loaded the bases with a bloop single to right on the ninth pitch of the at bat. Zambrano then hit Eugenio Velez to force in the first run of the game.

With the bases loaded and no outs, Pablo Sandoval hit a 2-0 pitch from Zambrano over the wall in right. Sandoval's grand slam capped the five-run third inning.

The Giants batted around against Zambrano in the third but Z was able to induce a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Juan Uribe to end the inning.

In three innings, Carlos Zambrano allowed five runs on six hits with a walk, a strikeout and a hit a batter.

The Cubs' pen did not allow the Giants to tack on over the final six innings.

The Cubs out-hit the Giants, 9-7, but managed just one run. Aramis Ramirez drove in pinch runner Micah Hoffpauir with a double in the fourth.

With the loss the Cubs slipped to .500 on the spring with three wins and three losses.

Game Five - Cubs 3 Brewers 5
WP - Macro Estrada (1-0) LP - Blake Parker (0-1) Save - A.J. Murray (1)

After rain delayed the start of the game 48 minutes, the Cubs faced the Brewers for the first time in 2010 on a cool afternoon in Mesa. Without a scoreboard until the eighth inning, the Cubs jumped out to an early 3-0 lead.

Mike Fontenot drove in the game's first run with a single to center in the second. Randy Wells knocked in the second run with a sacrifice fly two batters later. Derrek Lee hit his second home run of the spring in the third ... all three runs came off of Jeff Suppan.

Randy Wells faced the minimum over his three innings of work ... with two strikeouts. Wells allowed a hit to Craig Counsell, but picked him off first with Carlos Gomez at the plate. Wells made quick order of the Brewers in the second and recorded two of his four groundball outs in the third inning.

Carlos Marmol struggled a little with his command and gave up a run on a pair of hits and a walk in the fourth ... but struck out three. Geovany Soto's throwing error allowed the Brewers' second run to score with Marmol on the mound.

James Russell struck out the side swinging in the eighth and should have helped his stock in the eyes of Lou Piniella.

Blake Parker took the loss on Tuesday after issuing a leadoff walk in the ninth to Adam Heether. After a sacrifice bunt advanced Heether to second, Joe Inglett put the Brewers ahead for good with a two-run shot that ended up in the Cubs' pen just beyond the right field wall.

Despite the loss, there were several bright spots for the Cubs on a rainy, cold day in Mesa.

Game Four - Cubs 10 A's 3
WP - Ryan Dempster (1-0) LP - Gio Gonzalez (0-1) Save - None

After losing two games on Sunday due to rain, the Cubs got back to action on a cool day in Phoenix ... and beat the A's 10-3 behind a seven-run seventh inning.

Ryan Dempster pitched two perfect innings in his first outing of the spring. Dempster threw strikes and got his work in.

After a leadoff single by Ryan Theriot (2-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored) and a double by Kosuke Fukudome (1-for-2 with a double, a walk and a run scored) in the third, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez delivered back-to-back sacrifice flies to plate the first two runs of the game. Ramirez (1-for-2 with a RBI) recorded his first hit and RBI of the spring.

Mike Fontenot made his spring debut at shortstop and finished the game 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored and a pair of RBI. The Cubs offense pounded out 12 hits (six doubles), scored 10 runs.

The Cubs got their work in, picked up a win and received good outings from Ryan Dempster and the rest of the pitching staff ... the A's managed only three runs on four hits Monday afternoon.