Game Thirty-Three – Cubs 6 Diamondbacks 0
WP – Randy Wells (4-0) LP – Barry Enright (0-1) Save – None
Lou Piniella’s crew ended the 2010 exhibition season the same way it began … with a win. The Cubs recorded their fourth shutout of the spring on Saturday afternoon behind a solid starting effort from Randy Wells.
Randy Wells allowed three hits, struck out one, hit a batter and walked a pair in four innings. Brandon Guyer threw out Gerardo Parra at the plate for the second out in the third to keep the Diamondbacks off the board.
The Cubs pen allowed four hits over the final five innings with only one free pass. Carlos Marmol came out of the pen in the sixth throwing heat but walked a batter and threw a lot of pitches. Justin Berg and Esmailin Caridad worked around a couple of this in the seventh and ninth.
The Cubs put together two three-run innings at Chase Field on Saturday afternoon. Ryan Theriot drove in the game’s first run with an infield single and Kosuke Fukudome plated Chris Robinson with a sacrifice fly. Justin Upton lost a ball in the sun off the bat of Aramis Ramirez that led to the Cubs third run in third.
The young Cubs cranked up the offense in the fifth. Starlin Castro (2-for-3 with a double, a triple and a run scored) showed off his speed with an impressive triple to right center on a 3-1 pitch. With two outs, Chad Tracy drove in Castro with a single to left.
James Adduci added a two-out, two-run single to center three batters later.
Spring Training 2010 concluded for the Chicago Cubs after 31 games in 33 days, a scheduled day off, a rainout on a split squad day, four split squad games, a two-day visit in Las Vegas, a broken down bus and the last trip to Tucson. The Cubs finished with an 18-12-3 record.
Practice is over … beginning on Monday afternoon every out and every inning counts. The Cubs first hit came in the third inning on a bloop single to right by Mike Fontenot. Chris Robinson reached on an opposite field single to right … a nice piece of hitting by the young catcher. Fontenot advanced to third with no outs.
Randy Wells pushed a sacrifice bunt to the first base side of the mound. Fontenot held at third but Robinson advanced to second. Ryan Theriot worked the count to 2-2 before hitting a hard single up the middle. Kelly Johnson stopped the ball but bobbled it during the exchange. Fontenot scored and Robinson advanced to third.
Kosuke Fukudome drove in Robinson with a sacrifice fly to left and Theriot advanced on the indecision in left by Connor Jackson.
Derrek Lee walked but Enright uncorked a wild pitch on ball four. Theriot advanced to third with two outs. Aramis Ramirez hit a routine fly to right. Justin Upton lost the ball in the sun. Theriot scored, Lee ended up at third but Ramirez was not running out of the box and did not make it past first base.
Marlon Byrd grounded out to second on the first pitch to end the inning.
Starlin Castro stepped in with one out in the fifth. Not only did Castro show off his speed but a little patience at the plate as well … something the young shortstop is not known for. Castro ripped a 3-1 pitch from Barry Enright into right center and slid into third safely. Castro could have made it standing up.
Kosuke Fukudome popped out to short on the first pitch following Castro triple. Fukudome showed a little displeasure with himself after he made contact. Chad Tracy delivered with an opposite field single to left. Castro scored, 4-0 Cubs.
The Cubs put runners on first and second with two outs after a single to left center by Jeff Baker. Enright was then lifted for Josh Ellis.
Brandon Guyer walked to load the bases. James Adduci followed with a single to center. Tracy and Baker scored, 6-0 Cubs.
The Cubs will spend Sunday in Atlanta working out at Turner Field.
Carlos Zambrano and Derek Lowe will face off on Opening Day in Atlanta … First pitch at 3:10pm CDT on Monday afternoon.