Spring Training Game Twenty-Six: Cubs (13-9-3) vs. Mariners (9-14-1)
Game Time – 3:05pm CDT
Coverage – TV: MLB.com (Mariners Feed), MLB Network (Delay) – Radio: XM Channel 180, MLB.com (Mariners Feed)
Location – Peoria Sports Park, Peoria
Ryan Dempster (1-0, 2.51/0.92) vs. Ryan Rowland-Smith (0-1, 7.71/1.89)
It is the final Sunday for the Cubs in Arizona … and of the exhibition season. One week from today the Cubs will be in Atlanta preparing for Opening Day.
Today will be a little more for the media than just a Spring Training ballgame. The Cubs travel to Peoria to face the Mariners for the only time in the Cactus League. With the recent comments made by Milton Bradley about the Cubs’ organization and the City of Chicago, it will be interesting to see how his former teammates and manager greet him this afternoon … the Cubs play three games in Seattle (June 22 – June 24) during the regular season.
A report from Mariners.com indicated Bradley “will probably get Sunday off and spend his day taking extra batting practice.”
According to several reports on Saturday, Xavier Nady will make his first start of the spring this afternoon in a big league outfield. Ryan Dempster will make his fifth start of the spring this afternoon. Dempster has quietly gone about his business and gotten his work in.
Dempster has thrown the ball rather well. In 14 1/3 innings, Dempster has allowed five runs, four earned, on nine hits with four walks and 11 strikeouts. Nearly the 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio Dempster must maintain to be successful.
Ryan Rowland-Smith is projected to be the Mariners number two starter when the regular season begins … Cliff Lee is expected to begin the season on the DL. Rowand-Smith has struggled this spring. In four starts, the lefty has allowed 11 runs, 10 earned, on 20 hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings.
David Aardsma, Mark Lowe, Kanekoa Texeira and Shawn Kelley are also scheduled to pitch for the Mariners this afternoon.
Let’s Talk Cubs Baseball …