Randy Wells pitched 3 scoreless innings in the Cubs 5-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.  He allowed just 1 hit while striking out 2 and walking none in his efficient outing.  This is great news for Cubs fans as Wells continues to look like a solid #3 starter until Ted Lilly’s return at the end of April.

The Cubs have a TON of issues in their pitching staff after starters Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Wells and Lilly, set-up man John Garbow and closer Carlos Marmol.  Wells had 1 great season in 2009, but that was his 1st full year at the major league and there was still some concern as to whether he would be able to duplicate that effort in 2010.  Wells clearly took the off-season seriously and is looking like he is ready to pick up right where he left off in 2009.  This is definitely a big positive for the Cubs – let’s hope we hear more positives out of Mesa over the next few weeks leading up to the 2010 MLB schedule at Wrigley Field…

One negative – although Marmol struck out the side in the 4th inning, he gave up 1 earned run on 2 hits and a walk.  Youngster James Russell who is competing for a spot in the Cubs bullpen pitched a perfect 8th inning with 3 strikeouts – he has yet to give up a run this spring.

Ryan Dempster provided a solid spring training debut – pitching 2 scoreless innings retiring all 6 batters that he faced in the Cubs 10-3 win over the Oakland A’s on Monday.  This is good news for a Cubs pitching staff that is dealing with its share of troubles.  The Cubs should be good at the front end of the starting rotation once Ted Lily returns, but the 5th starter spot and the bullpen could have some issues.  A good Dempster showing in 2010 will mean some stability that should help keep the Cubs bullpen fresh and ready for a grueling 162 game MLB schedule.

Sean Marshall worked 2 innings giving up 1 run on a solo home run and 1 other hit.

Jeff Samardzija worked 2 scoreless innings giving up 1 hit and 1 walk in the process.

Tom Gorzelanny gave up 2 runs on a home run in his 2 innings of work.

Marshall, Samardzija and Gorzelanny (along with Carlos Silva) are competing for the final starting slots in the rotation.  The other 2 will likely end up in the bullpen and once Ted Lilly returns, a 3rd out of the group will get dropped back into the bullpen or sent to Triple-A to continue working as a starter.

Two good hitting performances in the game – Ryan Theriot was 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored, while Mike Fontenot was 2 for 3 with 2 RBI’s and 1 run scored.  Kosuke Fukodome had another hit in the 2-hole behind Theriot and is hitting .500 during the first few games of spring.

Manager Lou Pinella has gotta be happy with some of these performances…

Injuries to Angel Guzman and Jeff Gray have opened up competition for a few extra bullpen slots for the 2010 Cubs.

Guzman who has had a history of arm injuries will have an MRI on his sore right shoulder this weekend.  Guzman will likely not be ready for opening day and his 2010 status is now up in the air again.  After a solid 2009 in which he appeared in a career-high 55 games (with a 2.95 ERA), this is a big blow for the Cubs who had thought he put his injury woes behind him.

Jeff Gray has been dealing with a sore groin all spring.  Gray was projected to be the right-handed set-up man for Closer Carlos Marmol, so the longer he sits, the more dire the situation for the Cubs.

Right now, the 3 locks for bullpen spots are Marmol, John Grabow and Esmailin Caridad.  Sean Marshall and Jeff Samardzija could also land spots in the rotation if they do not win one of the 2 open starting rotation spots.

Other bullpen candidates include Jeff Stevens, John Gaub, Thomas Diamond, Blake Parker and Andrew Cashner.  Manager Lou Pinella likes what he’s seen out of Cashner so far: “Cashner’s a nice looking young kid.  That’s going to be up to the organization.  First of all, let’s see how he pitches here.  Let’s see what the organization has planned as far as starter, reliever.  I think Jim will make that decision and rightfully so.”

This is not good news for the Cubs.  GM Jim Hendry might have to work a little magic to pick up a more established reliever once spring training camps break in early April.  If not, we could be looking at a lot of young kids pitching a lot of meaningful innings for the Cubs at Wrigley Field in 2010.

Carlos Zambrano cruised through 2 scoreless innings in his spring training debut on Friday.  The Cubs rallied to defeat the D’Backs with a 2-run 9th inning that gave the Cubs an 8-7 win to the delight of the “Wrigley Field West” faithful in Mesa.

Zambrano worked 2 innings and did not allow a hit or a walk.  He had 1 strikeout.

Jeff Stevens and John Gaub – both contenders for a spot in the Cubs bullpen – did not look good in their spring debuts.  Stevens gave up 4 ER on 3 hits and 1 walk in 1 2/3 innings pitched.  He did have 3 K’s.  Gaub gave up an earned run on 2 hits in 1 1/3 innings pitched.  Not what we want to see from our relievers, especially with Angel Guzman and Jeff Gray sidelined with injuries early this spring.

On a positive note, the Cubs position player stars of the future excelled in the win.  Tyler Colvin was 3 for 3 in Thursday’s opener and followed that fine effort up with 2 more doubles and 2 RBI’s in Friday’s win.  Josh Vitters had 2 hits and scored 2 runs, while Starling Castro also had 2 hits with 1 run scored.  These are the stars of the future for the Cubs, so look for them to see some extended action this spring and plenty of action at the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field in the near future.

The Chicago Cubs got off to a good start with a decisive 9-3 win over the Oakland A’s in the Cactus League opener.  Two important pitchers got off to good starts for the Cubs.  Randy Wells pitched 2 scoreless innings striking out 2 A’s batters, while Sean Marshall pitched 2 hitless and scoreless innings while striking out one.  Wells is locked in as the Cubs 3rd/4th starter, while Marshall is competing for a spot in the rotation and will end up in the bullpen if he doesn’t earn a starting spot.

Derrke Lee had 2 hits including a home run to lead off the club’s 4th inning.  Marlon Byrd and Sam Fuld also hit home runs in the win, while Starlin Castro showed off his speed with a triple in the 8th inning.

Good news all around Cubs fans.  Pitching is the key to any team’s chances of winning a pennant, so it’s good to see Wells and Marshall look sharp in their 1st appearances of the spring.

Not sure if this is good or bad – but Alfonso Soriano is “surprised” at how good his knee feels.  Even though he hasn’t run full speed just yet, it looks like all signs are a go for the Soriano Express.  Soriano had this to say about his condition thus far: “I’m surprised.  I feel much better than [Monday].  That’s a good thing.  It’s only the second day and I see the difference… I can move around — that’s the only thing I’m doing 100 percent, is the fielding, and I don’t feel any pain at all.  No problem… I need to trust it more.  That’s the biggest thing.  I think my knee is good, but now I have to trust that it’s 100 percent.”

I guess it is good news that Soriano is feeling this good this early in camp.  Then again, until he shows up on the field in April and can produce during the regular season on a regular basis, I won’t get my hopes up too much.  Soriano seems to be an injury waiting to happen – even on routine plays – so anything can happen during the next 2+ months of spring training.

Hopefully taking the pressure off Soriano by moving him down to the 6th spot with help matters.  If he can increase his HR and RBI numbers by just a little bit from 2009 (he clubbed 20 HR’s and drove in 55 runs in 2009), that should go a long in helping the Cubs offense get back on track in 2010.  A season which sees Soriano hit close to 30 HR’s and rack up over 70 RBI’s will mean good things for this Cubs team.  Let’s hope he – as well as the rest of the team – stays healthy in 2010…

Carlos Zambrano will likely be the Cubs opening day starter against the Braves in Atlanta on Monday April 5th.  Zambrano has made 5 straight opening day starts for the Cubs, but he picked up his 1st win only last year against the Astros in Houston.  Big Z gave up just 1 run and 5 hits in 6 solid innings in the start last season.  Manager Lou Pinella had this to say about the decision: “We haven’t even gone there yet… I’ve been here three years and Zambrano has been the Opening Day starter every year.  I don’t anticipate any difference there.”

It’s unclear who will start the Cubs home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field on Monday April 12th.  If the Cubs let Big Z and Ryan Dempster start on their regular 5 days’ rest after their 1st start, the starter would likely be the winner of the 4th starter’s role coming out of Spring Training.  If the Cubs use 5 starters right out of the gate, then Dempster would likely start the Cubs home opener at the Friendly Confines.

Let’s hope Big Z can get off to a good start this season.  He showed up in camp in great shape and will likely face one of the best young pitchers in the game today – Tommy Hanson – in the opener.  Should be a fun way to test their mettle and see how they shape up against one of the better teams in the National League in 2010.

Marlon Byrd is excited to show off his outfield skills in center field at Wrigley Field for the Chicago Cubs in 2010.  For a big man, most analysts are surprised to see Byrd in action – how well he covers ground in center field in spite of his muscular 245 pound body.  Current Cubs player Sam Fuld is impressed with what he has seen so far: “It goes to show you what an athlete Byrd is.  He certainly doesn’t fit the prototypical center fielder’s body.  He looks more like a linebacker or NFL running back.  He’s obviously proven he can play the position.”

Byrd acknowledges his critics, but knows that he is at home in center field: “I know a lot of writers and scouts who haven’t seen me play in the outfield don’t think I can play out there because of my size.  When people see me play, they know I can play.”

Gotta love the confidence.  I also love the stability that Byrd brings to the center field position for the Cubs.  Byrd had a breakout year with the Texas Rangers in 2009 – .283 batting average with a .329 on-base percentage.  His 547 at-bats, 20 HR’s and 89 RBI’s were all career highs and he also scored 66 runs.  He’ll also have the same hitting coach, as Rudy Jaramillo left the Rangers for the Cubs organization as well.  I don’t like the fact that he is turning 33 in August – GM Jim Hendry’s signings of “older players coming off of great seasons” have not fared too well of late – but hopefully he has at least 2 more good years left in the tank.

Having Byrd patrol center field also allows Kosuke Fukudome to move back to right field where he is more “comfortable”.  If Fukudome feeling more comfortable in right field helps to improve his hitting, that will be a good the Cubs offensive production, especially at the top of the order.  We’ll keep you posted as spring progresses – let’s just hope we don’t get caught in the injury bug with any projected starter.  We need everyone healthy during the 2010 MLB schedule!

Jeff Stevens is eager to show his stuff this spring and hopefully land a spot in the Cubs crowded bullpen.  Stevens is competing with the likes of Esmailin Caridad, Justin Berg, Angel Guzman, Mike Parisi and Jeff Gray.  Four pitchers vying for 2 spots in the starting rotation could also land in the bullpen at the start of the 2010 season depending on how that competition turns out – Tom Gorzelanny, Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija and Carlos Silva.

Stevens came over from the Indians in the Mark DeRosa trade, and spent most of the season at Triple-A Iowa.  Stevens did make 11 appearances for the Cubs at the major league level, and although he posted a high 7.11 ERA, he held the other team scoreless in 7 of his outings.  Now that he is a little more comfortable in the Cubs organization, Stevens is excited for Spring Training 2010 in Mesa where he can showcase his stuff.  “Last year I was trying to make a good impression.  I was new coming, coming over in the trade.  It’s a little different now because I know everybody, people have seen how I pitch.  You definitely want to come in and make a good impression.”

Let’s hope one or two of these guys really steps it up in 2010 to help out Carlos Marmol and John Grabow in the bullpen.  A few of these guys have talent, so if they can provide consistent and reliable bullpen work during the course of the long MLB season, that could mean good things for the Cubs in 2010.

The Chicago Cubs “won” their arbitration case with Ryan Theriot, who will now make $2.6 million for the 2010 MLB schedule.  Sure $2.6 million is a lot of cash, but this is a travesty in my humble opinion.  As we argued before, GM Jim Hendry finds it so easy to shell out tons of money to over-rated, under-producing players like Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome and Milton Bradley, and then has the nerve to fight over $800,000 with hard-working, reliable, productive players like Ryan Theriot.  The Cubs are going to rely on Theriot to play the all-important shortstop position and to bat lead-off in 2010.  This wasn’t a negotiation for a long-term deal either – it was 1 baseball season.  For the Cubs to push Theriot so hard on his contract demands for 2010 (he sought $3.4 million is his 1st year of being arbitration-eligible) should leave a bad taste in his mouth.

Hendry defended his position: “We’ve always paid players what’s fair.  I think those of you who know us know we would’ve never been in Tampa unless I thought we’d reached the highest level of fairness… I’m not mad at Ryan for wanting to go to arbitration.  He has every right to put himself on the other side of the philosophical midpoint… He’s being compensated what I thought was a fair number to begin with.  He’ll be fine.”

Baseball teams won 5 out of 8 cases heard this year, so it looks like Theriot got stuck with the wrong year to have to plead his case.  Hendry has settled 36 arbitration cases in a row during his tenure as Cubs GM.

I sure hope this doesn’t affect Theriot’s play during the upcoming season.  The Cubs need Theriot to play at the highest level right from the get-go, so hopefully he can clear his mind in Mesa during Spring Training and be ready to tackle the big leagues at Wrigley Field come April…