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.