CI Recap (3/24/18, SS Game 1) – Cubs 3, Mariners 7: King Felix, M’s Too Much for Young Cubs

It was the Mariners A squad vs. the Cubs B squad with King Felix Hernandez squaring off against Eddie Butler tonight in Peoria. Butler had a shaky first inning, as he had issues finding his location, but the rest of his outing was pretty good. (Box score)

Why the Cubs Lost

Aside from a leadoff home run, Hernandez and Ariel Miranda shut the Cubs offense down tonight. It’s a fairly predictable outcome considering there was a substantial talent difference between the Cubs hitters and Mariners pitching. The Cubs offense

Things did get interesting against Ryan Cook in the 9th, when the Cubs sent eight men to the dish and pushed two runs across.

Key Moment

Ian Happ hit yet another leadoff home run on the first pitch of the game.

Stats that (Don’t) Matter

The Cubs went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Bottom Line

Not much can be gleaned from this game, though Tommy La Stella did leave the game early. My guess is he had a hot date with a lucky lady.

On Deck

Kyle Hendricks and the Cubs head to Surprise Stadium in beautiful Surprise, AZ to face Ian Kennedy and the Kansas City Royals. The game will be broadcast on WGN, with the first pitch scheduled for 2:05 CT.