Spring Training Game Fifteen: Cubs (5-9) vs. Reds (ss) (2-11)
- Game Time – 8:05pm CST
- Coverage – TV: None – Radio: Cubs.com
- Location – Goodyear Ballpark, Goodyear
Nick Struck (0-0, 1.80/0.80) vs. Tony Cingrani (0-1, 9.00/1.50)
Updated 8:58pm CST – Tonight’s Cubs-Reds Spring Training Game was called after the top of the second inning due to rain and field conditions.
Weather permitting … The Cubs hit the road in search of their first spring win in nearly a week. The Cubs have lost four in a row and have dropped seven of the last eight exhibition games … the offense has scored three or fewer runs in five of the last eight games.
The Cubs will play their first night game in the Cactus League in nearly two years. While Bronson Arroyo and half of the Reds roster will take on the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch, Dusty Baker will manage a Reds’ squad that features one of the top prospects in the organization, lefty Tony Cingrani.
The Cubs and Reds square off one more time in the Cactus League (March 26 at HoHoKam), then begin their regular season matchups in April. The Cubs make the trip to the Queen City for three games in the last week of the month (April 22-April 24).
Len Kasper and Mick Gillispie will call the action once again on Cubs.com.
Tonight all begins with Nick Struck …
After a rough first outing against the Rockies in which he allowed a run on two hits over two innings, Nick Struck held an Angels’ lineup full of Major League hitters in check for three innings last Sunday. Struck allowed only two hits, did not walk a batter and struck out one.
Struck figures to begin the season in Iowa’s rotation, and he can only improve his stock with another solid outing tonight. The Cubs lack of pitching depth has been exposed over the first 14 games of the Cactus League schedule. The organization needs for one or two of the young pitchers to step up and provide actual starting pitching depth in order to avoid a repeat of last August and September.
Chris Rusin is scheduled to follow Struck in the Cubs’ pitching rotation tonight.
The Cubs offense will face one of the top left handed pitching prospects in the game tonight. Baseball America ranked Tony Cingrani as the third best prospect in a very deep Reds’ system. The hard-throwing southpaw figures to be a staple in the Reds’ rotation in the near future.
Cingrani makes his second start and fourth appearance of the spring tonight. In four innings, Cingrani has allowed four runs on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
Let’s Talk Cubs Baseball …