The Chicago Cubs lost to the Oakland A’s 12-10 in their spring opener under new manager Dale Sveum.

Rodrigo Lopez pitched 2 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts.  He did not allow a base runner.  Carlos Marmol also retired all3 batters that he faced in the 3rd inning  with 1 strikeout.  Sveum was especially pleased with Lopez’s strong outing – “He looked great.  The guy is smart. He knows what to do. He came into camp in incredible shape.  He’s definitely in the mix.”

9 runs allowed in the 4th and 5th innings did the Cubs in.  Jeff Beliveau gave up 4 earned runs – 3 walks and a run-scoring single to Josh Reddick.  Dae-eun Rhee did not fare much better in his 1 2/3 innings pitched – 4 earned runs on 6 hits, including 2 home runs.

Darwin Barney had 2 hits and 2 RBI’s in his debut.  Adrian Cardenas, another guy competing for the 2nd base job, drove in 3 runs with a triple and he scored a run.

The Cubs and A’s battle again on Monday in Arizona…