A Tip of the Recap March 18th

The Cubs won by a final score 0f 7-5 today against the Los Angeles Dodgers and are now 7-9 for the spring and have accounted for 2 of the Dodgers’ 3 losses.

The Good

Arismendy Alcantara got off to a slow start but has been having better at-bats recently. He was 1 for 4 today with a triple and 2 runs scored, and while he did strike out 2 times, one of those was on a 3-2 pitch after he battled for a bit. Mendy is hitting .250 on the spring.

Chris Coghlan went deep today for a 2-run shot that Len estimated went over 390 feet out to RF. It was his 1st spring HR and he later added a sac fly to give him 3 RBI in the game; Coghlan is now hitting .267 with 4 RBI.

Jorge Soler, David Ross and Tommy La Stella each had 2 hits for the day. Soler is now hitting .400, David Ross is up to .235 and Tommy La Stella is at .292.

Albert Almora had a 2 hit day of his own with 2 doubles (1 of which drove in 2 runs). Almora has had a very good spring, playing excellent defense and now hitting .353. This year will be a big one for his development and if he can learn to take a pitch or two he may take a huge step forward.

CJ Edwards came in for the 5th and 6th innings and did a great job of quieting what was a rather loud offense from the Dodgers. He gave up 2 hits and did not walk or strike out anybody and now has 3 scoreless innings.

Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon both turned in a scoreless inning of relief with 2 K’s each. Joe Ortiz closed the game out with a scoreless 9th inning for the save.

The Bad

The Cubs didn’t draw a single walk today and if that feels like I am grasping at something to harp on, then you are correct. They banged out 13 hits and never trailed in the game, but I like to have at least one thing per section, so that is what stood out enough to me to report on from the game. Overall though, it was a good offensive day for the team.

The Ugly

Jake Arrieta was not sharp today and the Dodgers made pretty solid contact against him. He did make it through 4 innings, giving up 5 runs (all earned) on 7 hits (1 HR) and 2 walks. His ERA is now 5.40 in 10 innings pitched.

On Deck

The Cubs are back in action tomorrow at 8:40 PM (CST) against the D-backs with Edwin Jackson getting the start. The game will be televised on CSN Chicago. Kyle Hendricks and Kris Bryant will get some work in during a “B” game earlier in the day. Bryant will hopefully return to the lineup Friday.