Game Twenty-Five – Cubs 2 Padres (ss) 2 – 10 Innings
WP – None LP – None Save – None
In front of a record crowd of 13,462 at HoHoKam Park, Tyler Colvin continued making his case to break camp with the big league club. Colvin finished the game 4-for-5, drove in both Cubs’ runs and finished a double short of a cycle. Colvin hit in the leadoff spot and tallied half of the Cubs eight hits against Padres’ pitching.
Tyler Colvin, a left-handed hitter, recorded two of his four hits off of Clayton Richard, a southpaw. Colvin singled to left in the first but was thrown out trying to steal second. Colvin’s home run to right into the wind in the fifth also came off Richard … the only run allowed by Clayton Richard in his five innings of work. Richard struck out seven on the afternoon.
Tyler Colvin tied the game at two in the seventh with a triple to left center that plated Mike Fontenot.
Saturday afternoon was ‘The Tyler Colvin Show‘
Carlos Silva made his fifth start of the spring and put together a decent outing. Silva continued to throw strikes and did not walk a batter. Silva gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings on seven hits with three strikeouts … but only one run while he was on the mound. Silva kept the ball down for the most part and benefited by the wind blowing in.
One of the two runs Silva allowed came courtesy of the high sky in Arizona. Marlon Byrd lost a ball in the sun, and wind, that ended up being a triple for Oscar Salazar. Nick Hundley doubled in Salazar with one out in the sixth that ended Silva’s day.
Esmailin Caridad replaced Silva and threw the ball rather well … but was credited with allowing an inherited runner to score after Geovany Soto’s throw to third ended up in left field.
After walking the first batter he faced in the ninth, Carlos Marmol settled down and threw strikes. Marmol struck out the last two batters he faced.
Before the game, the Cubs made two roster moves. Andres Blanco was traded to the Rangers for a PTBNL or cash considerations and Mike Parisi was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs’ Spring Training roster is officially at 31 players … but Chris Robinson has been told he will not make the team and both Ted Lilly and Angel Guzman are still on the active roster.
With the third tie of the spring, the Cubs Cactus League record stands at 13-9-3 … On Saturday, Carlos Silva pitched the way a club’s fifth starter is expected to pitch. He threw strikes, ate up a few innings and kept his team in the game. Granted Silva was not facing the Padres’ regular lineup but if the Cubs can get similar performances during the regular season, Silva will anchor the backend of the rotation.
Silva kept the Padres off the board until the sixth inning.
Oscar Salazar reached on a one-out Arizona-triple to center. Marlon Byrd lost the ball in the sun and wind. Once he found the ball, he dove trying to catch it. Byrd put leather on the ball but could not haul it in.
Nick Hundley followed with a solid double off the wall in right on a 3-0 pitch. The Padres tied the game at one … and Piniella brought in Esmailin Caridad.
On a 1-1 pitch to Matt Antonelli, Hundley broke for third. Soto’s throw ended up in left and Hundley scored the go ahead run. Caridad retired two of the three batters he faced to end the sixth … then retired the Padres in order in the seventh.
The Cubs offense was non-existent against Clayton Richard with the exception of Tyler Colvin. The Cubs managed only four hits off of Richard … and eight in 10 innings. Colvin recorded four and Mike Fontenot was responsible for two of the other four.
Marlon Byrd finished the game 1-for-4 and had a rough afternoon. Byrd was hit in the side of the head by a pickoff attempt from Clayton Richard. Byrd remained in the game but was left with a nice bump as a reminder of his afternoon at the ballpark.
The Cubs travel to Peoria on Sunday to face a former teammate and the rest of the Seattle Mariners. Ryan Dempster will face Ryan Rowland-Smith. According to Mariners.com, Milton Bradley will probably get Sunday off and spend his day taking extra batting practice.