Two of the Cubs’ top prospects will be on the National stage Sunday afternoon at the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. Kyle Schwarber is in the starting lineup, batting third and catching for the U.S. Team and Carl Edwards Jr. is scheduled to be the seventh pitcher used by skipper Ken Griffey Sr.
Kyle Schwarber finished the first half of his season with impressive minor league numbers and a pit stop in the big leagues. In 75 games with Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa, Schwarber batted .323/.430/.591 with 17 doubles, two triples and 16 home runs for a 1.022 OPS. Schwarber walked 49 times with 72 strikeouts in 310 plate appearances.
And in six games in the majors, Schwarber was 8-for-23 with a double, a triple and six RBI.
Carl Edwards Jr. started the season as C.J. Edwards and in the Smokies bullpen. Edwards Jr. finished his first half in Iowa. In 24 relief appearances over the two minor league levels, Edwards Jr. posted a 3-2 record with five saves, a 2.83 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. Edwards has allowed 19 hits with 30 walks and 59 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings.
The 17th Annual Futures Game begins at 2:00pm CDT on Sunday afternoon and will be carried live on MLB Network. The broadcast can also be seen on MLB.TV. MLB Network Radio has the play-by-play with coverage before and after the game. Mike Ferrin and Jim Duquette will call the game on SiriusXM Radio.
Tony Perez is managing the incredibly talented World Team.
Miguel Montero
The Cubs will announce Sunday the results of the MRI on Miguel Montero’s left thumb. But as of Saturday night, the Cubs were discussing options for the finale with the White Sox if Miguel Montero has to be placed on the DL.
Montero was lifted from Saturday’s game after the first inning. Montero jammed his left thumb and could not continue. Taylor Teagarden caught the rest of the game as Jonathan Herrera sat on the bench as the Cubs’ backup catcher. Teagarden is starting Sunday’s game regardless of the results the Cubs get from the MRI on Montero’s thumb.
Maddon did not have an update on Montero when he held his post-game session with the media. The Cubs’ skipper said the team was discussing backup options for Teagarden, and those conversations included activating David Ross from the 7-day DL. Ross has passed all of the concussion tests but the Cubs wanted to wait until after the break before putting him on the active roster.
The Cubs have not addressed the Kyle Schwarber questions yet. But if Montero lands on the DL, that should be the first question Maddon is asked.
Cubs Starting Rotation
Joe Maddon announced Saturday what his rotation will be out of the break. The Cubs open on the road with three in Atlanta (July 17-19) and four games in three days in Cincinnati (July 20-22). The Cubs first homestand begins July 24 with the first of three with the Phillies (July 24-26). And the Rockies (July 27-29) make their annual trip to Wrigley for a three-game series that starts on July 27.
Kyle Hendricks will get the ball for the first game after the time off. Maddon said Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta will follow Hendricks. Clayton Richard will open the series in Cincinnati and Jason Hammel is penciled in for the second game with the Reds on July 21.
Tsuyoshi Wada
The Cubs transferred LHP Tsuyoshi Wada from Double-A Tennessee to Triple-A Iowa to continue his rehab. Wada made one start for the Smokies and allowed four runs on eight hits (two home runs) with no walks and five strikeouts in four innings.
Wada started Saturday night in game two with Omaha. Wada allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits with two walks and no strikeouts in four innings.
The Cubs have not given a timetable on when he could return to the big leagues. With Clayton Richard starting the fourth game out of the break, Wada will stay on his current rehab assignment for at least another 10 days.
News, Notes and Rumors
• Jason Hammel played catch in the outfield prior to Saturday’s game.
• Patrick Mooney reported Jon Lester’s message to the frustrated Cubs: Figure it out. Lester said the team is frustrated but Joe Maddon is not worried according to a report from ESPN Chicago.
• Comcast SportsNet: Jon Lester says no more excuses after an up-and-down first half.
• According to a report from Comcast SportsNet, Starlin Castro knows he needs to start producing. Castro is going to spend the break in Chicago with his family. Castro said he plans to hit the reset button on the season when it resumes.
• LHP Scott Kazmir completed a scheduled bullpen session Saturday. According to Susan Slusser, Kazmir made 50 pitches and said afterwards he felt great. Kazmir explained Saturday’s session was like a simulated game. He threw all of his pitches in the windup and stretch and “nothing was grabbing.”
• According to a report from Hardball Talk, Phillies’ interim skipper Pete Mackanin thinks all of the trade rumors are affecting Cole Hamels. Over his last two starts, Hamels is 0-1 with a 7.84 ERA and 1.94 WHIP (nine runs on 18 hits with two walks and 10 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings).
• Trade deadline rentals come at a price according to Jesse Rogers.
• The Cubs have scored two or fewer runs in 13 of their last 18 games, a total of 44 runs over that span (2.4 runs per game).
• Joe Maddon has not seen any carryover from the loss against the Cardinals to the White Sox series. Maddon told the Sun-Times the Cubs have faced tough pitching.
And last, but not least, Anthony Rizzo welcomed Simon back to Wrigley Field.
This Day In Cubstory
2012 – Cubs released Mike MacDougal
1998 – Cubs released Bob Patterson
1997 – Cubs signed amateur free agent Carlos Zambrano
1982 – Tom Gorzelanny, born
1977 – Bruce Sutter gave up a game-winning home run to the Mets’ Steve Henderson in a Cubs 4-2 loss to the Metropolitans. After the game Sutter asked to be excused from the All-Star Game due to pain in his arm. Bleeding was found in Sutter’s arm and he received the week of the All-Star Game off to rest the injury.
1965 – Ron Santo singled in Willie Mays in the seventh inning with the winning run for the NL. The Senior Circuit beat the Junior Circuit 6-5 at the All-Star Game at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota
1946 – Peanuts Lowry hit two singles and a home run and drove in seven runs in a 13-2 win over the Dodgers at Wrigley Field
1945 – Cubs won their 11th game in a row with a 6-1 victory over the Braves at Wrigley Field
1931 – The Cubs and Cardinals combined to 23 doubles and 43 extra basehits as the Cardinals beat the Cubs 17-13 in the second game of a doubleheader. The Cubs hit 10 doubles, Cardinals 13, three by Gabby Harnett, Woody English, Rip Collins and Gus Mancuso. An overflow crowd of 45,715 in St. Louis caused the umpires to rule that any ball ending up in the crowd would be a ground rule double.
1917 – Phillies selected Johnny Evers off waivers from the Braves
1910 – The legendary verse detailing the Cubs double play combination of Tinkers to Evers to Chance, entitled That Double Play Again, was published for the first time. When the ‘New York Evening Mail’ republished the same poem six days later it used the title by which it is known best, Baseball’s Sad Lexicon.
1905 – Mordecai ‘Three-Finger’ Brown notched the first of nine straight wins over Christy Mathewson. Brown allowed two hits in a 8-1 victory over New York.