David DeJesus defends Bunting title; Cubs reduce spring roster to 53 players; Injury updates

David DeJesus is the winner and defending champion of the 2nd Cubs bunting tournament.  Congrats to the Cubs outfielder, who beat Nate Halm, a video staffer, in the final round.

The first place prize was $3,400, of which $1,000 will be donated to the family of Tom Pratt, who is a longtime Cubs Minor League coach who passed away last December.

David DeJesus proudly wearing the Cubs bunting tournament championship belt

Since there are just a few weeks of Spring Training left, the Cubs made some roster moves today, which include:

Alberto Cabrera, Brooks Raley, Trey McNutt and Logan Watkins have been optioned to the Iowa Cubs.  Robert Whitenack has been optioned to the Tennessee Smokies and Nick Struck has been sent to minor league camp.  The current Cubs roster stands at 53 players, which includes 25 pitchers (nine non-roster invitees), five catchers (two non-roster invitees), 13 infielders (five non-roster invitees) and 10 outfielders (three non-roster invitees).

Last Friday, March 8th, the Cubs optioned Matt Szczur to the Smokies and assigned Dayan Diaz and Michael Brenly (both non-roster invitees) to minor league camp.

As far as the Cubs performance this spring, manager Dale Sveum isn't satisfied with the team's low on-base percentage.  "We've got to start kicking it in.  It's getting to that time in Spring Training where the core players will play quite a bit, longer innings and get more at-bats," Sveum said.

First baseman Anthony Rizzo will miss a few more days as he has been playing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic and shortstop Starlin Castro is expected to return on Wednesday, after being sidelined since February 27th with hamstring tightness.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has been playing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic (Chicago Tribune photo)

Sveum is optimistic about the core starting players for the team and said, "You've got a lot of young kids, raw kids, who aren't very patient at the plate and making quick outs.  That's a concern for another day.  I'll be more concerned [if there are problems] when I'm putting my regular eight guys out there and Rizzo is here and Castro is here."

I definitely agree with him and am curious to see how the team does with the regular starting players.  Hopefully there will be more wins, even if they are exhibition games!

Utility player Brent Lillibridge is also expected to return Wednesday, after suffering a strained groin on February 27th.

Third baseman Ian Stewart, who left an intrasquad game on February 21st with soreness in his quad is expected to return and play this Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Glendale.

Sveum said the following about Stewart's chances to make the team, “He came in knowing it was a job he was going to have to play well and produce (to start).  There are still 16, 17 possible games left starting Thursday, so hopefully cram 30 at-bats into that, and some minor league at-bats, too.  Go down there and lead-off and get 7-8 at-bats in a day.”

Josh Vitters, who has also been sidelined with a quad injury will also return Thursday as a reserve.

Can you believe there are just 22 days until the Cubs open their season in Pittsburgh against the Pirates?  Go Cubs Go!

Cubs beat Rockies 4-2 to win third spring training game: Bunting Tournament down to Sweet Sixteen

The Cubs won their third spring training game this afternoon at HoHoKam Park when they defeated the Colorado Rockies 4-2.

Edwin Jackson made his pitching debut with the Cubs and gave up a pair of two-out hits over two scoreless innings.  Jackson said, "Today was pretty much evaluation, and see where I am.  It's all mental.  You keep the ball down and you execute pitches, and everything is pretty much good.  And you can have a lot of success with the ball down in the zone."

Here are the scores from the other Cubs spring training games so far this year:

2/25 - Cubs lost 7-6 to Dodgers
2/24- Cubs win 4-3 against Giants
2/23 - Cubs win 11-2 against Angels

Here are some photos from some of the spring training games:

Jeff Samardzija pitched the Cubs to a 4-3 win against the Giants on Sunday (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Alfonso Soriano and David DeJesus in the outfield during Sunday's win against the Giants (Chicago Tribune photo)

An update on the Cubs' Bunting Tournament:

Brent Lillibridge, Michael Brenly, Jeff Samardzija and Blake Parker advanced on Tuesday.  The players who have reached the sweet 16 and their next match is listed below:
Pitchers: 
Travis Wood vs Nate Halm (video guy)
Jeff Samardzija vs Blake Parker

Position players:
Brent Lillibridge vs Michael Brenly
Edwin Maysonet vs Andy Lane (bullpen catcher)

On Wednesday, left-handed pitcher Brooks Raley will start for the Cubs against the Dodgers at HoHoKam Park.

Matt Garza to get MRI; Tony Campana is now a Dback; Cubs Bunting Tournament Underway

Cubs starting pitcher Matt Garza suffered a mild lat strain during his first live batting practice session on Sunday at Fitch Park.  He will have an MRI to see how everything looks, but there's a good chance he will miss the start of the season.

Cubs starter Matt Garza will have an MRI to determine the extent of his lat strain (photo from Chicago Tribune)

The right hander was on the disabled list the last two months of the 2012 season with elbow soreness.  General Manager Jed Hoyer said, "The good news is his arm felt really strong.  It's unfortunate for sure and it's going to set him back a little bit.  But we're still really confident.  Our concern obviously was with the elbow injury that shut him down last year."

Since newly acquired pitcher Scott Baker is expected to start the season on the DL, that means that Travis Wood and Carlos Villanueva both have a good chance of starting the season in the rotation, even though manager Dale Sveum says he won't have to have his starting rotation pinned down until around March 20th. 

As expected, the Cubs traded outfielder Tony Campana to the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league right handed pitchers Erick Leal and Jesus Castillo.  Both Leal and Castillo are 17-years old.  Hoyer said Leal is likely to pitch in the minors this year, while Castillo probably will pitch in the Dominican.  “Both of them we like a lot,” Hoyer said. “Both of them are projectable (as future major leaguers).  We did a lot of work with our scouts down in the D.R. and we feel very good about getting two projectable arms for Tony.”

Campana tweeted earlier today, "Thanks to the #Cubs and fans for a great time and support... Really excited to get started with the #Dbacks! #readytogo"  It's too bad the Cubs didn't have a spot for the speedy Campy, who quickly became a fan favorite, but we wish him the best in Arizona.

On a lighter note, the Cubs second bunting tournament started today and bullpen catcher Andy Lane upset outfielder Dave Sappelt in the first round.  The competition has pitchers in one bracket and position players in another and has 64 players.  David DeJesus was the winner of last year's inaugural bunting tournament.

The bunting tournament field

Here are some photos from Spring Training:

First baseman Anthony Rizzo on photo day (photo from Chicago Tribune)

Alfonso Soriano and Jeff Samardzija on photo day (photo from Chicago Tribune)

43 more days until Opening Day!

Photos of Cubs pitchers and catchers getting to work in Mesa

Cubs pitchers and catchers had their second official workout of spring training today at Fitch Park in Mesa.  Here are some photos from yesterday and today:

Darwin Barney prepares to enter the batting cage as Anthony Rizzo finishes on Tuesday (photo from @RaferWeigel on Twitter)

Scott Feldman is sporting Ryan Dempster's old number 46

Cubs players and staff at a team meeting before the team's first workout for pitchers and catchers on Tuesday (photo from @Cubs on Twitter)

The field is set for the second Cubs Bunting Tournament (photo from @CarrieMuskat on Twitter)

Any guesses as to who will win the second Cubs bunting tournament?  My early predictions are Travis Wood, Darwin Barney or David DeJesus.  I'd love to hear YOUR guesses in the comments section.  Anyway, it sure is nice to have baseball to get excited about again, isn't it?  Only 48 more days until Opening Day, Cub fans!

Wrigley Field abuzz today; Cubs lose to the Giants; David DeJesus wins Bunting Tournament

The Cubs lost 3-2 to the San Francisco Giants today.  Matt Garza started for the Cubs and gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and issued 1 walk over 4 innings pitched.  This was former Cubs infielder Ryan Theriot's first trip back to HoHoKam Park since he was traded from the Cubs.  Cubs.com has a complete game recap.

Former Cubs infielder Ryan Theriot is now playing for the San Francisco Giants (photo from Jennifer Hilderbrand/US Presswire)

The Cubs claimed right-handed pitcher Frankie De La Cruz from the Brewers today and added him to the 40-man roster where he will be competing for a spot in the bullpen.  The Brewers were hoping that De La Cruz would clear waivers and start at Triple-A Nashville. 

David DeJesus defeated Casey Coleman to win the Cubs' first bunting tournament, held today on a back field at HoHoKam Park.  DeJesus beat Wellington Castillo in the semifinals and Coleman beat Paul Maholm to advance.  Apparently, the players were treated to lunch on the back field.

Cubs Bunting Tournament winner David DeJesus today

Wrigley Field was abuzz today with people attending tours of the historic ballpark and buying tickets.  Here are some photos of the action at Wrigley from earlier today:

The right field bleacher patio construction is ongoing at Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field was busy today (March 16th) with people going on tours and purchasing tickets

The Cubs will play two split squad games tomorrow.  Jeff Samardzija will start against the Texas Rangers in Las Vegas, while Paul Maholm will start in Phoenix against the Oakland A's.  Both games will take place at 3:05pm CST.  You can listen to the game against the A's on WGN Radio or cubs.com.  Only 20 more days until Opening Day! 

Cubs scoreless against the Dodgers; Beliveau impressive; Gerardo Concepcion news

The Cubs bunting tournament continued, where David DeJesus defeated Starlin Castro to round out the Final Four, which also consists of Casey Coleman, Paul Maholm, and Wellington Castillo.

The Cubs lost 5-0 to the Los Angeles Dodgers today, where former Cub Ted Lilly started for the Dodgers and Matt Garza was the Cubs starter.  Garza's line: 1 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 R. 39 pitches/24 strikes.  Jeff Beliveau had an impressive outing as he pitched two scoreless innings in relief  and struck out five batters.  For a recap of the preseason game, you can link to the article on cubs.com here.

A beautiful day at Camelback Ranch, where the Cubs played the Dodgers.

Former Cub Ted Lilly warms up before the Cubs-Dodgers game (photo from Paul Sullivan)

In other Cubs news, the team has signed Gerardo Concepcion to a five year deal with a guaranteed $6 million, with a $3 million signing bonus and the other $3 million spread out over the length of the contract.  The 20-year old was the was the Rookie of the Year last year in the Cuban National League.  You can read more about the deal here.

The next Cubs preseason game is tomorrow at 3:05pm CST against the Cincinnati Reds.  The game can be heard on WGN-Radio.  Only 25 more days until Opening Day!

Cubs get their first Cactus League win over the Rockies, 11-4

The Cubs have clocked their first win of the Cactus League this season against the Colorado Rockies, 11-4.  Matt Garza gave up two runs and three hits during the two innings he pitched.  Alfonso Soriano hit two home runs and a double, driving in three runs.  Brett Jackson also hit a three-run homer.

Alfonso Soriano hit two home runs in today's 11-4 win over the Rockies.

Cubs third baseman Ian Stewart tweeted today, "Fun playing against the Rox today. Good seeing my buds @DFowler24 and @JstyleP. #Rockies fans there were good too. U guys always were. Thanx"

The Cubs also held Round 3 of their bunting tournament.  David DeJesus, Randy Wells, Starlin Castro, and Paul Maholm advanced, while Jeff Baker, Jeff Samardzija, Joe Mather, and manager Dale Sveum were eliminated.  Maholm will face Wells in the next round and DeJesus and Castro will compete against each other.  Other final eight matchups include Jeff Beliveau vs. Casey Coleman and Adrian Cardenas vs. Welington Castillo.

Catcher Geovany Soto is expected to be able to make his spring debut on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers (he has been sidelined with a groin injury).

A trailer for Playstation's MLB 2012 video game shows what the city of Chicago might be like if the Cubs were to win the World Series.  Downtown buildings are lit up to spell out "Cubs win" and delirious fans are shown filling the streets to celebrate what would be the Cubs' first world championship since 1908.  Here is a link to the trailer:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVGAfA15U1I

Jeff Samardzija will make his first start against the Kansas City Royals tomorrow in Surprise, Arizona.  The game is scheduled for 2:05pm and will be broadcasted on WGN Radio.  30 more days until Opening Day!

Cubs lose 8-7 to the A's; Agree to deals with 24 players; Bunting tournament continues

The Cubs lost their second Cactus League game, 8-7 to the Oakland Athletics today.  Ryan Dempster started for the Cubs and allowed one run over two innings.  Blake DeWitt hit a 3-run home run in the second inning to give the Cubs a 3-1 lead.  Darwin Barney, Steve Clevenger, Blake Lalli, and Josh Vitters each had RBIs in today's game.

Ryan Dempster had his spring debut for the Cubs today

The Cubs agreed to contracts with 24 players on the 40-man roster who have had 3 years or less of Major League service.  The league minimum salary this year is $480,000.  Five of those 24 Cubs players have agreed to deals over $500,000 and they are: Jeff Samardzija at $2.64 million, James Russell at $512,000, Starlin Castro at $567,000, Darwin Barney at $500,000, and Travis Wood at $505,000.

The full list of players who agreed to deals are:

Right-handed pitchers:  Alberto Cabrera, Lendy Castillo, Casey Coleman, Rafael Dolis, Marcos Mateo, Jeff Samardzija, and Casey Weathers.

Left-handed pitchers:  Jeff Beliveau, John Gaub, Scott Maine, James Russell, and Travis Wood.

Catchers:  Wellington Castillo and Steve Clevenger.

Infielders: Darwin Barney, Adrian Cardenas, Starlin Castro, Bryan LaHair, Junior Lake, Anthony Rizzo, and Josh Vitters.

Outfielders:  Tony Campana, Dave Sappelt, and Matt Szczur.

The Cubs Bunting Tournament continued into Round 3 today, where Wellington Castillo, Adrian Cardenas, Casey Coleman, and Jeff Beliveau advanced, while Steve Clevenger, Blake Lalli, Chris Rusin, and Trey McNutt were eliminated.

The Cubs will play their next Cactus League game tomorrow at 2:05pm against the Colorado Rockies at HoHoKam Park.  The broadcast can be heard on WGN Radio.  One month from today is Cubs Opening Day!!

Cubs to play another intrasquad game today; first spring training game tomorrow; Bricks & Ivy Ball

The Cubs will play another intrasquad game today at HoHoKam Park at 1pm Arizona time (2pm Chicago time).  The Cubs will also play their first spring training game tomorrow against the Oakland A's at 2:05pm Chicago time.  Rodrigo Lopez is scheduled to start tomorrow.  Manager Dale Sveum hasn't set the starting lineup for tomorrow's Cactus League opener, but did say that he plans on using his regulars.

Look at what came in the mail this morning:

Invitation to the Chicago Cubs Bricks & Ivy Ball that I received in the mail today.

This makes me really long for some Cubs baseball!  Is anyone planning on going to the Bricks & Ivy Ball?  It's on Saturday, April 25th at 6pm at the Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier.  Individual tickets are $500. 

The Cubs Bunting Tournament will be reseeded with the 16 remaining players and will resume on Monday, with the championship slated for March 15th.

The 2012 Cubs Media Guide was released today.  Here's what the front cover looks like:

Front cover of the 2012 Cubs Media Guide

 Only 33 days until Opening Day! 

Cubs played intrasquad game today; Bunting tournament down to Sweet Sixteen

The Cubs played an intrasquad game at HoHoKam Park today.  Travis Wood gave up 6 R, 6 H, 2 BB over 3 IP for the White team, while Randy Wells gave up 3 R, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB over 3 innings for the Blue team.  The final score was: Blue team 10, White team 4.

The Cubs played an intrasquad game at HoHoKam Park today (photo from Chicago Cubs)

The White team's lineup (with Travis Wood starting and Andy Sonnanstine in relief) was:

LF Soriano
3B Stewart
SS Castro
1B LaHair
CF Byrd
RF DeJesus
C Lalli
2B Barney
DH DeWitt

The Blue team's lineup (with Randy Wells starting and Casey Coleman in relief) was:

CF Jackson
RF Szczur
2B Baker
1B Rizzo
LF Johnson
3B Vitters
SS Lake
C Brenly
DH Campana

Randy Wells pitching today (photo from Tim Sheridan)

 

 

Travis Wood pitching today (photo from Tim Sheridan)

It was a busy day for the Cubs today, as they also continued the bunting tournament.  Paul Maholm, Jeff Baker, Dale Sveum, and David DeJesus advanced, while Carlos Marmol, Geovany Soto, Ryan Dempster, and Marlon Byrd were eliminated.

The bunting tournament is now down to 16 players, including Jeff Beliveau, Trey McNutt, Chris Rusin, Casey Coleman, Jeff Samardzija, Randy Wells, Paul Maholm, and Dale Sveum in the pitchers' bracket, while Adrian Cardenas, Blake Lalli, Wellington Castillo, Steve Clevenger, Joe Mather, Starlin Castro, Jeff Baker, and David DeJesus remain in the position players’ half of the bracket.

The Cubs will play another intrasquad game at HoHoKam Park tomorrow at 1pm local time (2pm Chicago time) and their first spring training game against the Oakland A's will take place on Sunday at 2:05pm Chicago time.  Rodrigo Lopez is scheduled to start on Sunday.

Cubs to play two intrasquad games at HoHoKam; Bunting Tournament Round 2 Results

The Cubs will play two intrasquad games this Friday and Saturday at HoHoKam Stadium.  Travis Wood will pitch opposite Randy Wells on Friday and Andy Sonnanstine and Casey Coleman will pitch in relief that day.

Jay Jackson (a non-roster invitee) will pitch against another non-roster player, Chris Rusin on Saturday.  Trey McNutt and Alberto Cabrera will pitch in relief.  The intrasquad games will start at 1pm and will last five or six innings and are free and open to the public.

Round 2 results of the Cubs Bunting Tournament are:  Steve Clevenger, Wellington Castillo, Chris Rusin, and Casey Coleman advanced, while Bryan LaHair, Brett Jackson, Dae-Eun Rhee, and Scott Maine were eliminated.

Only 4 more days until the first Cubs spring training game!  Meanwhile, here's a photo of a shirt I saw when I was shopping near Wrigley Field earlier this year:

Can't wait to see what impact Theo Epstein will continue to have on the 2012 Cubs!

Cubs to play intrasquad games Friday and Saturday; Bunting tournament moves into 2nd Round

Paul Maholm, recovered from the flu, was victorious against Rodrigo Lopez in the Cubs Bunting Tournament today (photo from Chicago Cubs)

The Cubs Bunting Tournament continued into he 2nd round today.  Adrian Cardenas, Blake Lalli, Jeff Beliveau, and Trey McNutt advance, while Matt Szczur, Jonathan Mota, Lendy Castillo, and Rafael Dolis were eliminated.

The Cubs will play intrasquad games this Friday and Saturday at HoHoKam Park.  The games will be free and open to the public.

It looks like the 2012 Cubs have good team chemistry (photo from Chicago Cubs)

Day 4 results of Cubs bunting tournament; Cubs get their baseball card photos taken

The Cubs had their 4th day of their bunting tournament.  Carlos Marmol, Ryan Dempster, Dale Sveum, Geovany Soto, Jeff Baker, Marlon Byrd and David DeJesus advanced, while Matt Garza, Trever Miller, Kerry Wood, Blake DeWitt, Alfredo Amezaga, Reed Johnson and Alfonso Soriano were eliminated.  The matchup between Paul Maholm and Rodrigo Lopez was delayed due to Maholm's illness (he was sent home early from camp today).

Kerry Wood competing in the Cubs bunting tournament today (photo from Meghan Montemurro)

Carlos Marmol celebrates after edging out Matt Garza in the bunting tournament (photo from Paul Sullivan)

Cubs manager Dale Sveum prepares for his turn in the bunting tournament (photo from Chicago Cubs)

The Cubs also had their photos taken for their Topps baseball cards today.  Following are some photos of the action:

Marlon Byrd getting his photo taken for his baseball card (photo from Rafer Weigel)

Matt Garza getting his baseball card photo taken (photo from Rafer Weigel)

Starlin Castro poses for his baseball card photo (photo from Rafer Weigel)

Ryan Dempster poses for his baseball card photo (photo from Rafer Weigel)

Alfonso Soriano getting his baseball card photo taken, possibly his last one as a Cub? (photo from Rafer Weigel)

Manager Dale Sveum announced the starting pitchers for the first three Cubs spring training games:  Lopez, Dempster, and Garza.  He says not to read too much into this starting rotation, because they will be setting the regular season rotation later.

Today, the Cubs announced the details for purchasing single-game tickets.  Details can be found here: http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120227&content_id=26878324&vkey=pr_mlb&c_id=chc&partnerId=aw-4989702543269674948-1023

On another note, former Cubs reliever Sean Marshall signed a three-year, $16.5 million extension with the Reds.  "I'm super excited," Marshall said. "Since day one when I came to the new facility here and got to meet my Reds teammates and staff, and got to be back with Dusty [Baker] and the coaches I was with, they were all very welcoming. I've been very excited so far in Spring Training."  Marshall's contract carries a partial no-trade clause and he can earn up to $1 million in bonuses for games finished as a closer, and $1 million for games started should he ever become part of the rotation.  I'm happy for Marshall, who is very deserving of the extension, but am a little bummed since he won't be returning to the Cubs anytime soon.

There was a small scare this morning when Kerry Wood drilled Starlin Castro's right wrist during batting practice.  Thankfully, Castro was ok and was able to continue with practice.  Phew!

Cubs Bunting Tournament 3rd round results; Maholm out with flu; Soto still out with groin injury

The Cubs held the third round of their bunting tournament today.  Advancing were:  Joe Mather, Darwin Barney, Starlin Castro, Ian Stewart, Travis Wood, Jeff Samardzija, Randy Wells, and Andy Sonnanstine.  Eliminated were:  Edgar Gonzalez, Bobby Scales, Jaramillo, Matt Tolbert, Esmailin Caridad, James Russell, Chris Volstad, and Manny Corpas.  The tournament is expected to last through mid-March.

Starlin Castro in today's 3rd round of the bunting tournament (photo from Chicago Cubs)

Jeff Samardzija's bunt wins over James Russell in the bunting tournament today (photo from Chicago Cubs)

In other Cubs news, Cubs beat reporter Carrie Muskat tweeted, "Paul Maholm has been MIA because of flu. He's day to day. #Cubs"  Hopefully Maholm will be back to spring training soon.

Manager Dale Sveum is apparently an early riser (usually leaving his home early enough to arrive at the ballpark by 4:45am and start working out at 5:00am).  He's followed this routine since he's been a coach.  “As a manager I’m getting here a little earlier,” he said. “I used to start working out around 5:30 or something.”

Catcher Geovany Soto sat out again today due to his groin injury, but Sveum said, "It’s not that big of a deal, just a very minor thing. But this time of spring you don’t want to mess with that.”

One week to go for the Cubs' first spring training game; 2nd round of bunting tournament results

Only one more week until the Cubs' first spring training game!  The team bunting tournament continued yesterday, with Szczur, Cardenas, Mota, Lalli, B. Jackson, W. Castillo, Clevenger, and LaHair advancing and Lake, Vitters, Brenly, Adduci, Ha, Sappelt, Campana, and Rizzo being eliminated.  There's even an entire article from the Chicago Tribune about projected winner Campana's early elimination by Steve Clevenger.  Manager Dale Sveum said it was, "A huge upset, no doubt about it."

Tony Campana prepares to lay down a bunt in the 2nd round of the Cubs bunting tournament (photo from Chicago Cubs)

Even teammate Matt Szczur tweeted yesterday, "Great day at work. Sorry to see @Tcampana_24 take a LOSS!" Meanwhile, outfielder David DeJesus tweeted, "First day was awesome!!! Can't wait to get to wrigley for opening day."

In other Cubs news, catcher Geovany Soto missed Saturday's practice due to a sore groin.  "He went through the calisthenics and stretching, and it was OK," Dale Sveum said. "You can't really catch without using your groin quite a bit, so we gave him the day off."  Hopefully we'll see him back soon.

The Cubs are scheduled for practice at 9:30 today, according to a tweet from @Cubs.  However, if you're in Chicago (like myself), today's the last day the Rink at Wrigley is open for ice skating from 10am-8pm.