There are no two ways about it, Wednesday was a bad day for the Chicago Cubs. Not only did the Cubs lose a game to the floundering Fish with Jon Lester on the hill. Junior Lake ended up in the headlines for the wrong reasons. The Cubs dropped to third place in the division. And all of that happened after Jorge Soler was placed on the DL and will be out at least two to three weeks.
Joe Maddon was not happy with Junior Lake’s actions that led to the benches and bullpen emptying in the sixth inning. Lake hit a two-run homer off Dan Haren, stood at home plate and admired his first longball of the season before rounding the bases. Rounding third, Lake gestured to the Marlins’ bench to be quiet and when he got to the plate the Marlins’ catcher voiced his displeasure with Lake. No punches were thrown and no one was ejected but Maddon did not like what Lake did at all.
“I don’t want us to take the fight there by acting like a punk,” Maddon said to the beat writers. “I don’t want that at all. I want us to take the fight there by playing the game properly and hard and fundamentally sound. You know that we’re coming after you – that’s what I want. I don’t want us to take a page out of ‘Major League’ and flamboyantly flip a bat after a long home run. I don’t want that at all. That has nothing to do with us ascending. I’d like to use this moment for our minor-league guys … that doesn’t play. For kids watching … that doesn’t play. Don’t do that. That’s not cool. That’s very, very much not cool. If you’re watching the game back home in Chicago tonight, don’t do that if you hit a home run. Don’t do it. It’s not cool.”
Maddon talked to Lake during the game and he apologized to Marlins’ coach Chuck Hernandez. Maddon said what Lake did will not happen again. To Lake’s credit he admitted he was wrong and wanted to apologize to Dan Haren for what he did.
Joe Maddon handled the situation the right way and showed once again why he is the right person to manage the Cubs.
Kyle Schwarber
On the day he was named the organization’s minor league player of the month for May, Kyle Schwarber went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored in the Smokies 6-3 win over Chattanooga. Schwarber was the DH for the game, he did not catch RHP Ryan Williams in his Double-A debut.
After three more hits Wednesday, Schwarber is batting .323/.445/.602 in 48 games with seven doubles, a triple, 12 home runs, 37 walks and 42 strikeouts for a 1.047 OPS. Schwarber has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games.
Willson Contreras
The Smokies’ other catcher just keeps on hitting. Willson Contreras went 1-for-4 with a home run, a walk and three RBI in Wednesday’s victory. Contreras smacked a three-run homer in the third inning that gave the Smokies the lead for good.
Willson Contreras is hitting .328/.394/.514 in 47 games with 14 doubles, two triples and five home runs for a .908 OPS. The 23-year old has 16 walks and 29 strikeouts in 47 games (177 at bats).
Corey Black
RHP Corey Black made his first relief appearance Wednesday. Black tossed two scoreless innings and retired all six batters he faced. Black struck out three on 22 pitches, 17 for strikes.
Carl Edwards Jr.
Carl Edwards Jr. appeared in his second game for the Iowa Cubs and allowed one run on two hits with three strikeouts and no walks in two innings. Edwards pitched better Wednesday than he did in his Triple-A debut.
In two games for the I-Cubs, Edwards has allowed three runs on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts in three innings.
Welington Castillo
Former Cubs’ catcher Welington Castillo was traded for the second time in less than three weeks Wednesday night. Castillo was part of the package sent from Seattle to Arizona for OF/1B Mark Trumbo.
Multiple reports pointed to the Diamondbacks trying to acquire Castillo from the Cubs during the off-season and throughout Spring Training but Dave Stewart was not willing to pay Theo Epstein’s asking price. Stewart finally received Castillo in a trade that could benefit Arizona in the long run. In an interview on MLB Network Radio, Stewart said Castillo was not at the top of the list of catchers he was interested in, Dioner Navarro was the backstop that interested him the most.
The Diamondbacks received Welington Castillo, RHP Dominic Leone, INF Jack Reinheimer and OF Gabby Guerrero for Mark Trumbo and LHP Vidal Nuno. Baseball America listed Gabby Guerrero (Vladimir’s nephew) as the seventh best prospect in the Mariners system and Reinheimer No. 17 in the pre-season rankings.
Welington Castillo appeared in only six games for the Mariners and was 4-for-25 with a walk and two strikeouts (.160/.179/.160). With Tuffy Gosewisch out for the season, Castillo should be the D-Backs everyday catcher.
News, Notes and Rumors
• Kris Bryant admitted to ESPN Chicago that it would be pretty cool if he was invited to the Home Run Derby next month at the All-Star game. Bryant said he would participate if asked.
• The Yankees designated RHP David Carpenter for assignment on Wednesday. Carpenter struggled in the Yankees pen. He retired only 13 of 22 first batters faced and allowed four of nine inherited runners to score. The 29-year old reliever had two decent seasons with the Braves (2013-14) before he was traded to the Bronx in the off-season along with Chasen Shreve for LHP Manny Banuelos.
• Addison Russell is thriving in Kris Bryant’s shadow according to a report from the Sun-Times.
• ESPN Chicago reported the third place Cubs are still trying to figure things out.
This Day In Cubstory
2014 – Cubs released Joel Pineiro
2012 – Cubs selected Albert Almora in the first round (6th pick) of the draft
2012 – Athletics selected Addison Russell in the first round (11th pick) of the draft
2004 – Cubs hit the million mark in attendance, the quickest in franchise history. Mark Prior made his first start of the season, pitched six scoreless innings in a 2-1 loss to the Pirates.
2002 – Cubs selected Billy Petrick in the third round of the draft
2002 – Cubs selected Rich Hill in the fourth round of the draft
2002 – Cubs selected Adam Greenberg in the fourth round of the draft
2002 – Cubs selected Micah Hoffpauir in the 13th round of the draft
2002 – Cubs selected Rock Cherry in the 14th round of the draft
2002 – Cubs selected Randy Wells in the 38th round of the draft
1996 – Cubs selected Chad Meyers in the fifth round of the draft
1996 – Cubs selected Kyle Lohse in the 29th round of the draft
1990 – Cubs selected Lance Nixon in the first round (23rd overall pick) of the draft
1990 – Cubs selected Pedro Valdes in the 12th round of the draft
1984 – Cubs selected Drew Hall in the first round (third overall pick) of the draft
1984 – Cubs selected Greg Maddux in the second round of the draft
1984 – Cubs selected Dwight Smith in the third round of the draft
1984 – Cubs selected Dave Liddell in the fourth round of the draft
1984 – Cubs selected Jamie Moyer in the sixth round of the draft
1984 – Cubs selected Jeff Pico in the 13th round of the draft
1981 – Cubs purchased Bobby Bonds from the Texas Rangers. In his first game with the Cubs, Bonds tripped on a seam in the field at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, broke a bone in his right hand and was placed on the 21-day DL
1976 – Chang-Yong Lim, born
1970 – Cubs selected Tom Lundstedt in the first round (17th overall pick) of the draft
1970 – Cubs selected Gene Hiser in the first round (19th overall pick) of the draft
1970 – Cubs selected Rick Reuschel in the third round of the draft
1967 – Scott Servais, born
1967 – Rick Wilkins, born
1966 – Ron Santo homered twice in a 6-4 victory over the Reds
1953 – After batting practice at Forbes Field, the Cubs and Pirates announced a big trade. Cubs traded pitcher Bob Schultz, catcher Toby Atwell, first baseman Preston Ward, third baseman George Freese, outfielders Bob Addis and Gene Hermanski plus an estimated $150,000 to Pittsburgh for pitcher Howie Pollet, catcher Joe Garagiola and outfielders Catfish Metkovich and Ralph Kiner. Cubs lost 6-1 to Pittsburgh, Kiner went 1-for-4 with a double.
1950 – Ernie Banks made his professional debut with the Kansas City Monarchs. Banks went 3-for-7 in a doubleheader against the Memphis Red Sox.
1929 – Rogers Hornsby, Hack Wilson and Charlie Grimm hit home runs in the fifth inning of a 10-9 victory over the Giants at Wrigley Field