The Cubs continue to sleepwalk through these five Spring Training games between the Tokyo opener and the domestic Opening Day in Arizona.
The Cubs continued their five-game Spring Training homestand after their season-opening trip to Japan and once again the bats were silent as they lost to the Sacramento Athletics 8-1 before 13,024 at Sloan Park.
New Cub Matthew Boyd started and gave the Cubs a yeoman-like outing, giving up three runs on six hits over 5.2 innings. Two of those hits were solo home runs—one by DH Brent Rooker in the first inning and another by second baseman Max Schuemann to lead off the fifth. The other run came when center fielder JJ Bleday hit a sacrifice fly to score shortstop Jacob Wilson in the third. Boyd struck out three and walked one. Not great, not terrible.
The other new pitcher expected to compete for a spot in the starting rotation (and maybe even on the team) definitely did not impress. Rea pitched a solid seventh inning—retiring the side in order with one strikeout—but then got rocked in the eighth for four runs before Brooks Kriske had to finish out the inning. The big blow in the eighth was a three-run home run by Colby Halter.
Then in one of those Spring Training rules, Rea came back out to pitch the ninth and allowed another solo home run in the ninth to Nick Kurtz. Overall, Rea’s final line was five runs on six hits over 2.2 innings, walking two and striking out two.
The Cubs bats throughout this game pretty much slept. They plated their only run in the sixth inning off of reliever Mitch Spence. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner both singled with one out and after Justin Turner hit a fly to center for the second out, Miguel Amaya singled home Crow-Armstrong for the only Cubs’ run of the game.
Once again this game wasn’t televised, so we don’t have any video. Not that there were any real highlights for the Cubs, but I guess a bright spot was a nice double play turned in the third inning off the bat of Shea Langoliers. Gage Workman was playing shortstop, and he started a 6-4-3 double play with Nico Hoerner at second and Justin Turner at first. Ron Coomer was impressed with Workman at short at least.
Here’s an artist’s rendition of the double play.
I’m especially proud of Turner’s beard.
Hoerner, whose availability for Opening Day is still in doubt, played six innings at second and went 1 for 3. Amaya was 2 for 3 in his six innings behind the plate and he was the only Cub with more than one hit. Crow-Armstrong and Turner also both singled, which accounts for all five hits the Cubs had today.
Tomorrow the Cubs will take on the Braves at Sloan Park at 3:05 Central time. This one will be on Marquee, so you’re getting video highlights tomorrow. Sorry.