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Birthday Card: Scott Sanders

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Scott Sanders is best remembered by some (myself included) as the guy whose jersey Tony Gwynn once wore in a spring training game, but since today is his forty-fifth birthday he deserves to have his jersey displayed with him in it.

Sanders is pictured here on his 1996 Fleer card, number 578. Fleer's 1996 set is a 180-degree departure from their psychedelic 1995 set. The cards have a matte finish on a thick stock with the player and team names presented in a no-nonsense font printed with tasteful gold foil.

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The year this came out would prove to be Scott's best big league season. Sanders pitched a career-high 144 innings over 16 starts and 30 relief appearances in 1996. His 3.38 ERA and 157 strikeouts were also high-water marks, as was his 9.8 K/9 rate. He was traded to Seattle for Sterling Hitchcock after the season, but came back to San Diego a month into the 1998 season. With his familiar number 27 taken by Kevin Brown, Sanders was issued 26 and went 3-1 with a 4.11 ERA in 23 relief appearances for the National League champions.

After an unsuccessful 1999 with the Cubs, Sanders spent 2000 in AAA with four organizations. He made it back to the majors for one last start that year... sort of. The game got rained out, so the four earned runs he surrendered in less than two innings never officially happened.

Sanders retired with a 34-45 record in seven major league seasons, but was 24-22 in his five seasons with the Padres. He was also a member of two division-winners, one in each stint in San Diego. Not a bad legacy to leave behind. Between that and helping out Tony The Gwynn in his time of need, he's borderline legendary. To some of us, at least.


Padres Beat Cubs, 7-1

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Before the game started, my friend Shane predicted that his Cubs would win 6-3. I don't know what orifice he pulled those numbers out of, but he couldn't have been more wrong. He was probably feeling pretty good about his prognostication when Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but I didn't hear a peep out of him as the Padres scored seven unanswered runs. Not a word about Tommy Medica's third homer of the spring or the quartet of doubles from Seth Smith, Chase Headley, Carlos Quentin, and Nick Hundley. In a weird coincidence, all of those two-baggers were their third. And the base that Everth Cabrera stole? His third.

Eric Stults played a big role in shutting Cubs fans up. He allowed just that run in his five-and-two-thirds innings of work, giving up a triple and four singles while only walking one batter. Tim Stauffer gave up a single and a double in his inning-and-a-third before Dale Thayer and Huston Street pitched perfect innings.

The Padres and Cubs will face off again on Tuesday night, this time with Chicago bringing a split squad to Peoria. I look forward to Shane's prediction about that one and the silence that will follow as the Friars go 1984 all over the Cubs for the second day in a row.

Roll Call Info
Total comments23
Total commenters12
Commenter listB Cres, Friar Fever, Hormel, IputtheYinTony, Jay Stokes, Sam (sdsuaztec4), TheThinGwynn, Timmah73, chris.callahan.7777, hashtagtroll, jbox, jodes0405
Story URLs

jodes led a quiet thread with five comments and three recs.

Padres 7, Cubs 1: Lights Out

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We don't want to see the Cubs play many games like Monday night's in 2014. Unfortunately, we're probably not going to get our wish.

MESA, Arizona -- There's an old saying attributed to legendary manager Casey Stengel. It's variously quoted as: "Can't anyone here play this game?" or "Can't anyone play this here game?"

The Cubs provided evidence of both Monday night in a dull 7-1 loss to the San Diego Padres, who are not a very good team. The Cubs, though, made them look like the best team in baseball, as the visitors at Cubs Park pounded out 10 hits, drew five walks, and generally made the Cubs look helpless at the plate all evening.

Here's the sum total of the Cub scoring Monday night: Emilio Bonifacio led off the bottom of the first inning with a triple into the right-field corner, well placed, and I'll give the guy credit because I went on record earlier as not being in favor of his signing: He runs well, has played multiple positions creditably, and is obviously going to make this team and be an asset.

Bonifacio then executed another baserunning play well, as he held up on Donnie Murphy's ground ball to third long enough to make third baseman Chase Headley throw to first, upon which he took off for the plate and scored, giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead.

Really, if you were a Cubs fan, you could have left after that half-inning and not missed much of anything. The Cubs posted just five more hits and, though they got three runners into scoring position, never seriously threatened to score. Meanwhile, the Padres were pounding hits off Carlos Villanueva, who gave up three runs before being lifted after four innings -- does that make sense to you? If Villanueva is going to be the fifth starter, shouldn't he have more than a four-inning outing one week before Opening Day?

Jose Veras wasn't any better, allowing a pair of runs in an ugly fifth inning in which he faced eight batters and allowed three hits, a walk, a hit batsman and was charged with two runs.

Brian Schlitter had a nice inning, striking out the side, two of those being Padres regulars (Headley and Will Venable). But Schlitter's not going to make this team, as we already know.

Which brings up another point that I've made several times over the last few days. The Padres' regulars played most of the game, several of them getting four at-bats. Meanwhile, among the Cubs who started this game, only Bonifacio got four at-bats; most of the rest were gone after six innings, replaced by four guys from the minor-league camp, players far from playing at the major-league level. What's the point of that, one week before Opening Day? Shouldn't the team be looking at combinations of bench players who actually are going to be playing in the major leagues this year?

The perfect example was the bottom of the ninth. The Padres trotted out closer Huston Street. Facing him were John Andreoli (who played at Double-A Tennessee last year), Jacob Hannemann (last June's third-round draft pick) and Jeimer Candelario (2013 at Low-A Kane County). The results were predictable: a groundout and two strikeouts. I can see doing this during the first week of spring training. The last week? Not so much.

Attendance watch: another sellout produced a crowd of 15,126, making the season total 183,369 for 13 dates, an average of 14,105. That puts the Cubs on pace for 211,580, which, again, would shatter the all-time spring-training record set by the Cubs in 2009.

The Cubs invited spring season-ticket holders to a reception before the gates opened Monday and offered free drinks, a nice gesture; I thanked them for this yesterday but thought I'd do so publicly here again. Upon leaving the area where the drinks were being served, I passed by the Cubs Park marquee, which has an electronic sign upon which you can have your name placed for photographs. Monday night, though, it looked like this:

20140324_165338_medium

I can tell you, that applies very well to Monday night's game... one we'd all like to forget. The Cubs also had a fireworks show after the game, a first, and also a nice gesture. Too bad they couldn't have provided any from hitters during the game.

Tuesday is the final split-squad game of spring 2014. Tsuyoshi Wada, just released and re-signed to a minor-league deal, will start against the Angels in Mesa in the afternoon affair (I'll be there), and C.J. Edwards will start against the Padres in Peoria in the evening contest, which I won't be attending.

03/25 Padres Preview: Game 27 vs. Cubs

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Andrew Cashner will take the mound one last time before his regular season debut on Opening Night. Meanwhile, the Cubs will send their star pitching prospect, C.J. Edwards, to the mound to make his Cactus League debut.

After solidly beating the Cubs 7-1 on the road last night, our Padres will try to keep the momentum going when they become host to Chicago tonight. Andrew Cashner will get his final preseason start before he pitches the regular-season opener in San Diego on Sunday.

Cashner hadn't allowed a run all Spring up until his most recent outing, when things fell apart for him (with the help of some defensive struggles). The Giants tagged him for eight runs, though only half were earned, on nine hits (matching his previous total through four starts) and a walk (his only one this Spring) his last time out, going 3 2/3 innings against San Francisco. He has collected eight strikeouts in 12 2/3 total innings, not counting his appearance in a minor league game where he pitched 5 2/3 frames of one-run ball.

Leading the Cubs' split-squad against the Padres will be C.J. Edwards, who was acquired from the Rangers as part of the Matt Garza trade last Summer. The Top-100 prospect and reigning minor league pitcher of the year is making his Cactus League debut in Peoria tonight after going 8-2 in 24 starts with a 1.86 ERA in 2013, splitting time in single-A affiliates for both Texas and Chicago.

Watch/listen

Tonight's game will be available for your listening pleasure on The Mighty 1090, Gameday Audio, and At-Bat. Tune in at 7:05 pm, but join us on GLB an hour earlier.

Royals Claim Rule 5 Pick Patrick Schuster Off Waivers

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The Royals acquire a left-handed reliever, but will he stick on this roster?

MLBTRaderumors is reporting the Royals have claimed left-handed pitcher Patrick Schuster off waivers from San Diego. Schuster has had an interesting off-season. He was in Arizona's organization last year, but was the first pick in the Rule 5 draft this past December by the Houston Astros. The Astros then shipped him to San Diego for pitcher Anthony Bass. Schuster had a decent camp, allowing four runs (two earned) in eight innings of work with just one walk and three strikeouts, but was not going to make the Padres club, so they placed him on waivers, where the Royals scooped him up.

Schuster is a 23 year old left-hander who pitched in High A ball last year in the California League. He has become a full-time reliever, making 55 relief appearances as a situational lefty, posting a 1.83 ERA in 44 1/3 innings, with 45 strikeouts and 18 walks. He has averaged 7.6 strike outs per nine innings in his minor league career, although that has gone up to a strikeout per inning since being converted to a reliever. He has some command issues, giving up 3.8 walks per nine innings. Schuster was originally a 13th round pick out of high school.

Schuster is still subject to Rule 5 draft rules, meaning he must be kept on the Major League roster all season or be returned to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Does his acquisition spell trouble for left-handed reliever Francisley Bueno, who had seemingly made the club? Or are the Royals "acquiring assets" and hoping to find a way to keep Schuster in a deal with Arizona?

Padres Down To 28 Candidates For The Final Roster

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After 8 cuts yesterday, the final roster is starting to take shape.

The Padres made some cuts yesterday. Rule 5 pick Patrick Schuster was put on waivers for the purpose of sending him back to the Arizona Diamondbacks, but was claimed by the Kansas City Royals. Two other players who were thought to be on the roster bubble, INF Ryan Jackson and UT Alex Castellanos, were optioned to AAA. OF Alex Dickerson was reassigned to minor league camp (players not on the 40 man roster get reassigned instead of optioned). Meanwhile non-roster invitees Alberto Gonzalez, Blaine Boyer, Tony Sipp and Kevin Quackenbush were told they would not make the final roster. Once you account for the players about to go on the DL, Josh Johnson, Casey Kelly, Joe Wieland and Cameron Maybin, that gets you down to 28 players for 25 roster spots. Here are those final 28:

PlayerPositionNotes
Joaquin BenoitP
Andrew CashnerP
Robbie ErlinPOn the bubble
Ian KennedyP
Donn RoachPOn the bubble
Tyson RossP
Tim StaufferP
Huston StreetP
Eric StultsP
Alex TorresP
Dale ThayerP
Nick VincentP
Matt WislerPOn the bubble; not on 40 man roster
Yasmani GrandalC
Nick HundleyC
Rene RiveraCOn the bubble; out of options
Yonder AlonsoINF
Alexi AmaristaINF
Everth CabreraINF
Jedd GyorkoINF
Chase HeadleyINF
Tommy MedicaINFOn the bubble
Kyle BlanksOFOn the bubble
Chris DenorfiaOF
Xavier NadyOFOn the bubble; not on 40 man roster
Carlos QuentinOF
Seth SmithOF
Will VenableOF

The "on the bubble" note is my own take (although not a very debatable one) and notes that these players are candidates for the final roster spots, while the others not noted as such will be on the final roster. That makes 7 players fighting for 4 roster spots. The other notes are facts. Rene Rivera is out of options and will have to clear waivers if the Padres to be sent to the teams' minor league club. Matt Wisler and Xavier Nady are not on the 40 man roster, but with Schuster going to the Royals there is an open spot on that roster.

Even though I have listed Donn Roach as "on the bubble", there does not appear to be any competition with him for the 12th spot in the bullpen. Wisler and Erlin are the two candidates for the 5th rotation spot. That leaves 2 position player roster spots for the remaining 4 players. Tommy Medica, Xavier Nady and Kyle Blanks do approximately the same thing: they bat right handed and to vary degrees can play in the outfield. To me that makes it likely that only one of them makes the final roster spot making Rene Rivera the guy to get the final nod. On top of that the Padres acquired a AAA catcher, Adam Moore, today from the Royals, which would signal that they needed more depth there presumably because the AAA team would be without Rivera.

Padres GM Josh Byrnes discusses Josh Johnson injury

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Here's my notes from yesterday's interview

Josh Byrnes Interview with Darren Smith (MP3)

  • Sometimes these symptoms are nothing, sometimes they're Tommy John -Josh Byrnes on Josh Johnson
    In the 5th inning of Josh Johnson's last start on Tuesday night he had his velocity drop off and he had some swelling in his elbow after the game.  He's felt better every day since, which is encouraging.  He's frustrated but determined to get through it.  He won't throw for two weeks.  "Sometimes these symptoms are nothing,  sometimes they're Tommy John, sometimes they're more flexor mass, more of a muscular issue."  There's a degree of unknown.  He already had Tommy John in 2007.  He had shoulder issues with the Marlins and bone chips last year.  Anytime there is swelling in the elbow there's possibility of Tommy John, but it's not time to sound the alarm.
  • Byrnes says there are a few pitchers that could replace Johnson.  Robbie Erlin will probably fill that position, but Matt Wisler had a good showing and Burch Smith is in the conversation.  For the most part the decision will be based on who is throwing the best.  The Padres won't use their 5th starter until the 3rd series of the season.
  • "We're testing our depth as most teams are, but were not quite as wobbly as we were the last two years in terms of injuries."
  • Byrnes and his team have a pretty good idea of who they'll have on their 25 man roster.  They'll tell the players in the next few days.
  • Byrnes doesn't think he'll make a deal with Chase Headley in the next 5 days.  "We've kept our commitments pretty open so we'll have some dollars to use whether on Chase or some of our other players or players that aren't with us now."  There's no deal to report for Chase or negotiations to discuss at this point.

Red Reporter Previews: Chicago Cubs

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Enjoy the suck while it lasts

Long the laughingstock of the NL Central, in 2014, the Cubs look poised to remain the laughingstock of the NL Central. Their pitching is suspect, their lineup has more holes than Dennis Rodman's face, and even their star players aren't the stars many thought they would be. However, with Theo Greyjoy and Jed Hodor in town, the future is bright. Wait, sorry, I have Game of Thrones on the brain. I meant Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer. Ahem. Apologies. Regardless, Theo and Jed have amassed an army of position prospects that are getting closer and closer to the majors. Let's take a closer look at this year, however.

Who's New?

I suppose we should start at the top. The Cubs fired Dale Sveum after 2 years, and, after flirting with Joe Girardi, settled on Padres bench coach and relative nobody Rick Renteria. Like Bryan Price, this'll be his first major league managerial job. Unlike Price, however, Renteria managed a few minor league teams, so in that sense he has a bit more experience. In any case, he'll have his work cut out for him.

The Scott Feldman Honorary Memorial Mediocre Pitcher on a One-Year Deal Award goes to Jason Hammel, who signed an aforementioned one-year, $6M deal. I'm pretty sure all parties involved assume if he has a halfway decent first half, he'll be flipped before the deadline. The Cubs also snagged former Astros closer Jose Veras on a 1-year, $4M deal with a $5.5M club option, and brought in Justin Ruggiano to play CF, who, when asked about how he'll handle the position, replied that he's "got this."

Other familiar faces on the squad are Ryan Sweeney, who'll start as the 4th OF/PH, James McDonald, who'll probably serve as AAA depth, and George Kottaras as the backup C. As for minor league signings, former Reds Chris Valaika and Darnell McDonald are in camp, along with Emilio Bonifacio, former ROY Chris Coghlan, Ryan Roberts, and Jonathan Sanchez. LOL.

Who's Gone?

He. He gone. Oh wait, wrong team. The Cubs said "suck it" to Dioner Navarro, and rightly so, as the Blue Jays tossed a Walt Jocketty special his way, signing him to a 2-year, $8M deal. Another former Red, Dave Sappelt went off seeking greener pastures, leaving just Travis Wood as the last remnant from the Sean Marshall deal. I think they still might've won the trade, though. The Cubs also lost surprisingly not-terrible closer Kevin Gregg, along with Scott Baker, Daniel Bard, and Brian Bogusevic from last year's squad. These names I've spent more than 400 words describing tell you just how rebuild-y this Chicago team is.

Storylines

Your average, everyday run-of-the-mill Cubs fan will be eager to look for a scapegoat for what's sure to be a rough year, and new manager Rick Renteria could be just that. Although now that I think about it, the average, everyday, run-of-the-mill Cubs fan knows nothing about baseball and is only a Cubs fan because it's trendy or neat to go get sloshed at Wrigley with that Cubs hat his Aunt Mabel got him last year. But you know what I mean. It's easy to put the manager in the hot seat when the team is a hot pile of muffcabbage, but I doubt Theo/Jed will get rid of him unless the team underachieves even the low expectations people have for them.

Another thing to keep an eye on will be Jeff Samardzija. Will he take the next step? Will he be traded? My gut says yes, for cheaper, controllable high-minors pitching prospects, but what do I know?

Will Starlin Castro rebound from his shockingly replacement-level 2013? Hopefully! Then we might get to see more of this:
Starlin-dawdling_medium_medium

via cdn2.sbnation.com

The biggest storyline, however, is one that might not materialize until later in the year. You see, the Cubs have a glut of pretty amazingly terrifying position prospects, including Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Albert Almora, and Jorge Soler, among others. Their pitching pipeline isn't nearly as impressive, but judging by their pursuit of Masahiro Tanaka, it appears they're willing to invest to improve there. This team could be scary in a couple of years.


Projected Lineup:

1B: Anthony Rizzo
2B: Darwin Barney
SS: Starlin Castro
3B: Luis Valbuena
LF: Junior Lake
CF: Justin Ruggiano
RF: Nate Schierholtz
C: Wellington Castillo

Rotation:
Jeff Samardzija
Edwin Jackson
Travis Wood
Jason Hammel
Chris Rusin/Jake Arrieta/Carlos Villanueva/James McDonald

Closer: Jose Veras
RH Set-up: Hector Rondon
LH Set-up: James Russell

The Gist

By all accounts, the Cubs won't be very good in 2014. They're a bad team right now, waiting on their talent to mature and become major-league ready. The thing is, that might happen sooner than we think. The future of the rotation is certainly still very much a work-in-progress, though Epstein and Hoyer are constantly tinkering, making savvy moves to bolster the supporting staff that should fill in around what looks to be an offensive powerhouse in the making. But not yet. Let's all enjoy the LOLCubs while we still can.


Cubs vs. Padres Tuesday Game Threads

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Tuesday night's game threads are all right here.

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona --

Cubs lineup:

Bonifacio 2B, Lake CF, Wells RF, Olt DH, Baez SS, Kalish LF, Valaika 1B, Villanueva 3B, Baker C

Padres lineup:

Almonte CF, Seager 3B, Cano 2B, Smoak 1B, Morrison DH, Ackley LF, Saunders RF, Zunino C, Miller SS

Pitcher stuff here

Tonight's game is on WGN radio with Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer. No TV for tonight's game.

MLB.com Gameday

Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

For spring-training games, we'll have a first-pitch thread at game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time (because I know how you all like overflow threads!). For today's game, that will be 9 p.m. CT and 10:30 p.m. CT. These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked "Chicago Cubs Game Threads" at the bottom of the front page. They will also appear in this StoryStream™. The pitcher box and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Cubs vs. Padres at Peoria Preview, Tuesday 3/25, 9:05 CT

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The Cubs head to the west Valley for the night-time portion of Tuesday's split squad.

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona -- This is the game I know all of you are interested in listening to, given that C.J. Edwards is pitching, and Javier Baez is playing. No Cubs audio or video coverage of this one, though you can listen online. Details below. (I'm not attending this game.)

A few roster notes: it was reported in the Tribune this morning that Donnie Murphy and George Kottaras could be on the bubble. I've heard it's possible that John Baker could wind up being the backup catcher, if Kottaras is indeed let go. If he is, that would seem to be a waste of a big-league contract.

Ryan Roberts could also make this team. If so, the Cubs could need up to four 40-man roster spots, for Roberts, Baker, Emilio Bonifacio and Ryan Kalish, who also has a shot at making this team.

Those would likely come from having Kyuji Fujikawa and James McDonald placed on the 60-day DL, and the spots vacated by Murphy and Kottaras.

Six days to Opening Day, decisions have to come soon.

Cubs lineup:

Bonifacio 2B, Kalish RF, Rizzo 1B, Sweeney CF, Baez SS, Baker C, Roberts 3B, Coghlan LF, Edwards P

Javier Baez playing... and no TV. Oh, well.

Padres lineup:

Amarista SS, Smith LF, Blanks RF, Nady 1B, Rivera C, Spangenberg 2B, Gonzalez 3B, Jankowski CF, Cashner P

Ex-Cub night, with Xavier Nady, Alberto Gonzalez (who started 2013 with the Cubs) and Andrew Cashner.

C.J. Edwards, one of the centerpieces of the Matt Garza deal with the Rangers last fall, starts for the Cubs tonight. He's likely ticketed for Double-A Tennessee. Others scheduled: Zac Rosscup, Wesley Wright, Eric Jokisch and Blake Parker.

As noted above, former Cub Andrew Cashner, San Diego's Opening Day starter, will throw for the Padres this evening.

As noted above, there is no Chicago radio nor TV for tonight's game. There will be radio coverage via Padres radio, XPRS 1090, which should be available via MLB Audio (see the Mediacenter below).

MLB.com Gameday

Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

For spring-training games, we'll have a first-pitch thread at game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time (because I know how you all like overflow threads!). For today's game, that will be 9 p.m. CT and 10:30 p.m. CT. These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked "Chicago Cubs Game Threads" at the bottom of the front page. They will also appear in this StoryStream™. The pitcher box and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

First Pitch Thread: Cubs vs. Padres, Tuesday 3/25, 9:05 CT

Overflow Thread: Cubs vs. Padres, Tuesday 3/25, 9:05 CT

Padres 5, Cubs 5: Bullpen Gives Up The Lead, But Not The Game

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Andrew Cashner looked good in his last three innings before Opening Night, allowing just one run on a pair of singles. He only picked up a single strikeout, but got the rest of his outs on grounders (they're more democratic, anyway). He was backed up by a solid offense that mixed 7 walks in with 6 hits (3 of those were doubles). Unfortunately, none of that mattered as the Cubs clawed their way back into the game in the last two innings, picking up a run off Nick Vincent and another 3 off Blaine Boyer (though only one of those was earned; the end of spring training means scrubs in the late innings). This was the Padres' fifth tie game of the spring. What does that mean?

Ian Kennedy will make his final appearance of the spring at 12:05 PM tomorrow.

Roll Call Info
Total comments5
Total commenters3
Commenter listJay Stokes, Senor_Lumpy, jodes0405
Story URLs

Only 5 comments in the game thread tonight, so I guess everybody is resting up for the Opening Night game thread. Good plan, guys.

Cubs 5, Padres 5: Almost Predictable

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It was a long day for the Cubs, and they wound up not winning either game... but not losing two!

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona -- I have to be honest here. I had dinner plans Tuesday night so I followed very little of this game, a 5-5 Cubs tie with the Padres. But remember when I told you Monday that the Padres had the most tie games in the Cactus League and this might happen when playing them? This tie gives San Diego six tie games this spring, a remarkably large number even given the fact that no one plays games beyond 10 innings in spring training.

This one went just nine, and when a San Diego minor leaguer named Clint Moore -- playing in his only game so far this spring -- dropped a popup by Javier Baez with two outs in the ninth inning, Emilio Bonifacio and Dustin Geiger scored, tying the game, which is where it ended when San Diego couldn't score in the bottom of the ninth.

Now that's the kind of thing that happens to the Cubs, not something that benefits them, usually.

The story of the game was the start by prospect C.J. Edwards, the tall, skinny righthander who came over in the Matt Garza deal last summer. Carrie Muskat has more details, including some quotes from Edwards:

"I went out there the first inning, and nerves were crazy," Edwards said of his start against the Padres. "I can’t even explain the nerves I had. Overall being out there, I felt like I should be out there."

Carrie's article says that Theo and Jed made the drive to Peoria to watch Edwards' first start against major-league competition, and though the numbers (two innings, four hits, three walks, three runs) weren't that great, it sounds like everyone involved was happy with Edwards' outing. He'll start the year at Double-A Tennessee, and at age 22, he still has a while to get his game polished before he makes his actual major-league debut. Edwards, who is listed as an unbelievably skinny 155 pounds at 6-2, reminds me a bit physically of the Rays' Chris Archer. We can only hope Edwards has as bright a future.

No more split-squad contests for 2014; the Cubs have just four games remaining before Opening Day in Pittsburgh next Monday, and so roster decisions have to come very soon. One of those decisions will be for fifth starter, and the team has yet to rule Chris Rusin out for that role. Rusin will throw in Wednesday afternoon's game against the Diamondbacks, following Jeff Samardzija, who is likely going to go only three or four innings in his final spring tuneup before that Opening Day start in Pittsburgh.

Today's game preview will post at 1 p.m. CT.

03/26 Padres Preview: Game 28 vs. Royals

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The Padres play their final game in Arizona before hitting the road and heading back to San Diego to close out Spring Training. Today they will host the Royals in Peoria as Ian Kennedy makes his sixth start of the Spring. Kennedy's strong Spring campaign earned him the no. 2 starting spot behind Andrew Cashner. He's coming off his best Cactus League start, one in which he gave up two runs in 5 2/3 innings, throwing 95 pitches along the way. Today he's expected to make upwards of 100 pitches.

The Padres will be going up against the Royals' no. 1 starter, James Shields, who will likely throw around 60 pitches this afternoon. So far this Spring, Shields has given up seven runs (six earned) on 13 hits through 20 2/3 innings of work. But the majority of that came in his most recent start, when he struggled and surrendered five runs on six hits, including three homers, through six frames against the Reds.

Watch/listen

Today's contest will begin at 12:05pm and you can listen on Gameday Audio or At-Bat.


ST Game Thread: 03/26 Padres vs. Royals

Padres Clock In, Beat Royals 9-5

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Teamwork and togetherness was the theme of the day as nine Padres each drove in one run apiece in San Diego's 9-5 win over Kansas City. After the Friars jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, starting pitcher Ian Kennedy gave the Royals a trio of runs on a pair of homers in the second. Johnny Barbato took over and surrendered an unearned pair in the third, allowing the Royals to narrow the gap to 7-5. That was as close as Kansas City would get, however, as Robbie Erlin stated his case for the fifth spot in the rotation with five shutout innings.

The Padres have Thursday off, all the better for your basketball viewing pleasure, I suppose. They'll be back in action on Friday with Arizona in their rear-view mirror, but more about that then.

Top Performers:

Robbie Erlin, P: 5 IP, 0 R, 6 H, 1 BB, 6 K

Everth Cabrera, SS: 1-2, 2 BB, R, RBI

Yonder Alonso, 1B: 3-4, 2 R, RBI

Alexi Amarista, CF: 1-2, R, RBI

Jedd Gyorko and Will Venable doubled, and Rene Rivera had an RBI single in his only plate appearance. Our old pal Pedro Ciriaco went 2-3 with a run and an RBI for Kansas City.

Roll Call Info
Total comments97
Total commenters8
Commenter listAxion, B Cres, Darklighter, TheThinGwynn, Thelonious_Friar, Wonko, jbox, jodes0405
Story URLs

Wonko led with 35 comments. Thelonious_Friar was nipping on his heels with 32, and Darklighter took third place with 18. I fell asleep in the second inning and only made three comments, but still led the thread with three recs.

San Diego State beats Arizona, 14 Padres to 9

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As I mentioned Sunday morning, I know next to nothing about basketball, so when I hear about tournament teams, the only thing that comes to mind is baseball players who went to those schools. Since Arizona and Gonzaga were facing off that night at Viejas Arena for the right to face the Aztecs in the Sweet Sixteen, I checked with Baseball Reference to see how many Padres played for each school. Arizona won handily, 9-to-1, and then went on to win on the basketball court.

Since Arizona won and will be facing San Diego State tonight, I thought I'd revisit the premise and see how these two schools match up. As a refresher, here are the nine Padres that Arizona has to its credit:

  1. Craig Lefferts, RP (1984-'87, '90-'92)
  2. Ed Vosberg, P (1986, '99)
  3. Jack Howell,3B (1991)
  4. Kevin Ward, LF (1991-'92)
  5. Trevor Hoffman, RP (1993-2008)
  6. Jason Thompson, 1B (1996)
  7. George Arias, 3B (1997-'99)
  8. Cory Burns, RP (2012)
  9. Nick Hundley, C (2008-present)

In what must be a good omen, the Aztecs have five more Padres than the Wildcats.

  1. Dave Robinson, P (1970-'71)
  2. Dave Roberts, C/IF (1972-'75, '77-'78)
  3. Tony Gwynn, RF (1982-2001)
  4. Mike Couchee, P (1983)
  5. Graig Nettles, 3B (1984-'86)
  6. Chris Gwynn, OF (1996)
  7. Alex Pelaez, IF (2002)
  8. Royce Ring, RP (2007)
  9. Tony Clark, 1B (2008)
  10. Edgar Gonzalez, IF (2008-'09)
  11. Anthony Gwynn, Jr, OF (2009-'10)
  12. Lance Zawadzki, IF (2010)
  13. Aaron Harang, SP (2011)
  14. Alex Hinshaw, RP (2012)

In addition, former Aztecs outfielders Al Newman (1984) and Quintin Berry (2010) played at the AA level in the Padres organization before reaching the majors with other teams. Second baseman Harold Reynolds (1994) and outfielder Jeff DaVanon (2008) were Spring Training Padres toward the end of their careers, but didn't suit up with the team in the regular season. Two other San Diego State alumni with Padres ties are current manager Bud Black and his first base coach for the 2007 season, Bobby Meacham.

I wish I had thought of this before the whole shebangabang started; I would have done a bracket where the school with the most Padres advanced. Oh well, there's next year. And if there isn't a next year, failing to be one of the 28,138,019 people to make some whimsical bracket won't be one of my regrets.

I'd say "Best of luck to the Aztecs" but they don't need it; they've got the most Padres. It's science.

Why the Padres will win the pennant

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SB Nation 2014 MLB Preview

It bears repeating because it happened twice: 76-86. 76-86. Back-to-back years of identical records. The 2012 season was handicapped by bad pitching brought about both by the trading of the team’s best pitcher and injuries. The 2013 season was ruined by injuries to almost everyone and suspensions. The only position on the field where the projected Opening Day starter did not spend time on the disabled list was right field. When these players were healthy they played well, but when they were out of the lineup the team’s depth was stretched. Going into 2014, the assumption is if the team is healthier, it can compete.

If the Padres had stood pat this offseason, even with improved health they probably wouldn’t stand a chance. They didn’t stand pat. General Manager Josh Byrnes, perhaps learning from the previous offseason’s inactivity, made a few gambles to get his team over the hump. He added veteran pitchers with above-average track records in Josh Johnson and Joaquin Benoit, traded for a sorely needed left-handed bench bat in Seth Smith, and brought a high-upside arm to the bullpen in Alex Torres, in addition to Ian Kennedy at last year’s trading deadline. These are not Angelic contracts to Josh Hamilton or Albert Pujols, but they addressed needs.

Still, double-digit increases in the win column require more than a couple key moves and healthier players. The team will need young players to take steps forward or build on the steps they took in 2013. Everth Cabrera was the team’s lone All-Star last year, though his season was cut short with a PED suspension. Two young pitchers, Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross, spent time in the bullpen last year before moving to the rotation and looking ace-like at times, and a full season of continued success as starting pitchers would buoy the team’s playoff chances. Rookie standout 2B Jedd Gyorko led the team in home runs, and considering he’s just 25, there’s reason to believe he can get better. Local product Nick Vincent emerged from a cavalcade of bullpen candidates to show he could be counted on in late innings, and with a 1.98 ERA over 72 games in the last two seasons, he is ready to be relied on for a full season. Finally, there’s the ultimate wild card in 25-year-old Yasmani Grandal. His 2013 was cut short by both injury and suspension, but he has occasionally looked like an important piece of the offense. With his suspension over and knee on the mend, he has the chance to be a catalyst for a Padres playoff run.

Another key to a Padres’ postseason run is for solid veterans to produce. Players like Chris Denorfia, Will Venable, Huston Street, Eric Stults, Tim Stauffer, and Dale Thayer were all valuable parts of the 2013 team, and all are returning for 2014 and will be 30 or older this year, though they don’t seem obvious candidates for imminent decline, Denorfia, Venable, Stults, and Thayer logged more time in 2013 that they had in any previous season and shone in their respective roles.

The final piece to the puzzle is depth. Even with all the previously listed reasons for optimism, things will go wrong. Some of the players mentioned earlier will be part of that depth, but the team has even more options. Starters Robbie Erlin and Burch Smith made their debuts and had some success in 2013. By getting their feet wet last year, they can be counted on in 2014 to fill in where needed this season. Casey Kelly and Joe Wieland should recover from Tommy John surgery and be ready to contribute at some point this season, too. The Padres’ top pitching prospect Matt Wisler will be logging innings in the upper minors and could be called upon to help the big club.

The club also has a good helping of MLB-ready backups who can fill in as needed. When healthy, Kyle Blanks has pop. Alexi Amarista has versatility. Ryan Jackson has a good glove. Nick Hundley has been a reliable backstop. Tommy Medica has bat, will travel, and Reymond Fuentes is ready to run. None are starting material, but they, along with Seth Smith, make up one of the better benches the Padres have had in recent history. The hope is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Josh Byrnes has done what he could to leave no glaring weakness on the team. By no means does that guarantee success, but it gives the team a puncher’s chance at the postseason.

Dodgers Sunday starter will be Hyun-jin Ryu or Dan Haren

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LOS ANGELES -- The status of Hyun-jin Ryu's cracked toenail will determine two-thirds of the Dodgers starting rotation for their three-game series against the Padres in San Diego.

Ryu felt better after testing his toe with dry work and playing catch on Wednesday, and if healthy will get the start for the Dodgers in the series opener on Sunday night.

"He came out of yesterday feeling positive. That being said, he's going to throw a bullpen tomorrow," manager Don Mattingly said. "We can't know 100% where we're going to go until how we find out how that goes."

Ryu as a general practice doesn't throw bullpen sessions in between starts unless he has extra rest. If he is unable to pitch on Sunday, the start will go to Dan Haren.

"We should know by Friday how Hyun-jin is, and that would change how we use Danny," Mattingly said. "Danny knows where we're at. He's feeling ready either way."

Haren last started on Monday in a minor league game at Camelback Ranch. If Ryu is cleared to start Sunday, the plan is for Haren to start on Saturday against the Angels in Anaheim in a shortened affair, then start against the Padres in the series finale on Wednesday.

If Haren has to start Sunday, the starter for Wednesday is up in the air at this point. The Dodgers will know more on Clayton Kershaw, who was scratched from the Sunday start with back tightness, after he throws this weekend. Paul Maholm is another option.

Zack Greinke, starting tonight against the Angels, starts on Tuesday in San Diego.

As for the remainder of the Freeway Series, look for a minor leaguer to start Friday and possibly Saturday. Zach Lee is in the mix, as are Matt Magill and Stephen Fife, both of whom are expected to join the team by tomorrow.

Pitchers in uniform for the Dodgers from the minor league side on Thursday include Sam Demel, Lee and Red Patterson.

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