Cubs Take Two from D'backs at Talking Stick

P. J. Higgins belted a two-run HR, a double, and a single, Roberto Caro reached base six times (a double, an RBI single, three walks, and an E-6), stole a base, and scored a run, Andruw Monasterio singled twice, walked, and scored three runs, and Enrique de los Rios tossed 4.2 IP of two-hit shutout ball, as the AZL Cubs pounded the AZL Diamondbacks 12-1 in the completion of a game suspended on July 5th, and Angelo Amendolare doubled, singled, and drove-in two runs and Jose Paniagua clubbed a two-run home run to lead the AZL Cubs to an 8-4 victory over the AZL Diamondbacks in the regularly-scheduled game that followed, in Arizona League action Tuesday night on Whilrlwind Field at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Resort east of Sciottsdale, AZ. 

The Cubs - Diamonbacks AZL game on July 5th at Whirlwind Field was suspended in the top of the 1st inning with one out and the Cubs leaduing 3-0 due to a medical enmergency. A person attending the game suffered a heart attack and went into cardiac arrest, and the game was halted while the Cubs & D'backs trainers performed emergency CPR until Salt River Fire Dept paramedics arrived. Unfortunately, the person could not be resuscitated, and so AZL Cubs Manager Carmelo Martinez, AZL Diamondbacks Manager Mike Benjamin, and the two umpires met at home plate and decided it would be best to just suspend the game and send everybody home. The players, managers, coaches, umpires, scouts, and many of the spectators who were there that night knew the person who very suddenly passed away in front of their eyes, and so it really wasn't possible to continue playing the game that night. 

Even the completion of the suspended game once it got going again last night was further delayed another 25 minutes in the fourth inning after the home plate umpire took a foul tip off his mask and had to leave the game with concussion symptoms. So while the players, managers and coaches were basically just standing around, the base umpire hurried back to his car to retrieve his home plate umpire gear, and then he disappeared into the Diamondbacks clubhouse to change into the outfit (which took even more time), after-which he umpired the game by himself (from behind home plate) for the final five innings (and nobody gave him any shit, either). .   

Here is the abridged box score from the suspended game from July 5th that was completed last night (Cubs players only) 

NOTE: The "official" box score at milb.com is WRONG. Wladimir Galindo had two RBI (NOT one) on a two-run double in the top of the 1st inning back on July 5th, and Jose Paniagua was 2-3 (not 3-5) with one RBI (NOT two), because his first inning 6-3 GO on 7/5 did not drive-in a run, and then Varonex Cuevas pinch-hit for Paniagua in the top of the 6th and stayed in the game and played 1st base and went 1-2 with a walk, a triple, and a strikeout (and a run scored) over the last four innings. Except Varonex Cuevas is not even listed as having been in the game in the box score at milb.com! It shows Jose Paniagua doing everything he did plus everything Cuevas did. The Cubs lineup is correct in my abridged box score below. 

AZL CUBS LINEUP:
1. Roberto Caro, CF: 2-3 (E-6, 2B, BB, BB, 1B, BB, R, RBI, SB)
2. Andruw Monasterio, SS: 2-5 (1B, BB, F-8, 1B, 6-3, 6-4 FC, 3 R)
3a. Wladimir Galindo, 3B: 1-1 (2B, R, 2 RBI)
NOTE: Galindo batted once in game before it was suspended - he is presently on 60-day DL
3b. P. J. Higgins, 3B:  3-5 (HR, 2B, 6-4 FC, 4-3, 1B, 2 R, 2 RBI)
4a. Jose Paniagua, LF-1B: 2-3 (4-3, 2B, 2B, 2 R, RBI)
4b. Varonex Cuevas, PH-1B: 1-2 (BB, 3B, BB, R)
5a. Alex Bautista, RF; 1-1 (1B, RBI)
NOTE: Bautista batted once in game before it was suspended - he is presently at Eugene
5b. Michael Foster, PR-RF: 1-3 (3-U, BB, 4-6 FC, 2B, L-8 SF, R, 2 RBI)
6a. Joey Martarano, 1B: NO AB
NOTE: Martarano was in original starting lineup but he did not bat before game was suspended - he is presently at South Bend
6b. Donnie Cimino, PH-LF: 0-5 (6-3 DP, F-8 SF, F-7, 6-3, P-4, K, RBI)
7a. Jhonny Pereda, DH: NO AB
NOTE: Pereda was in original starting lineup but he did not bat before game was suspended - he is presently on 60-day DL
7b. Yohan Matos, PH-DH: 2-5 (K, 6-3, 1B, E-5, 2B, R, RBI) 
8. Tyler Payne, C: 0-4 (L-7, L-8, 6-3, P-1, BB)
9. Carlos Jimenez, 2B-3B: 1-4 (1B, F-8, 6-3, BB, 6-4 FC) 

AZL CUBS PITCHERS: 
1. James Norwood: 0.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 0 pitches
NOTE: Norwood was the starting pitcher but he did not pitch before game was suspended - he is presently at South Bend
2. Enrique de los Rios: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 5/6 GO/FO, 60 pitches (37 strikes) 
3. Trey McNutt: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R 1 BB, 0 K, 0/1 GO/FO, 8 pitches (4 strikes) 
4. John Michael Knighton: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP, 1 HR, 1 GIDP, 1/3 GO/FO, 37 pitches (26 strikes) 
5. Heath Dwyer: 1.0: 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 2/0 GO/FO, 8 pitches (6 strikes)

AZL CUBS ERRORS: 2 
3B Carlos Jimenez: E-5 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base safely) 
3B Carlos Jimenez: E-5 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base safely) 

AZL CUBS BASERUNNING ADVENTURES: 
Carlos Jimenez was thrown out 9-3-2 attempting to score from 1st base on a double into RF corner with two outs in top of the 2nd inning 

And here is the abridged box score from the second game (the regularly scheduled game), which was automatically pre-planned as a seven-inning game because of the suspended game that preceded it (Cubs player only):

AZL CUBS LINEUP:
1. Robert Garcia, RF: 1-3 (F-7, BB, 2B, 3-U, 2 R, 2 RBI)
2. Carlos Sepulveda, 2B: 1-3 (K, BB, 1B, P-5, 2 R, RBI)
3. Angelo Amendolare, 3B: 2-4 (2B, 1B, 5-3, K, 2 RBI)
4. Michael Foster, LF: 1-2 (HBP, K, BB, 1B, R)
5. Jose Paniagua, 1B: 1-4 (K, K, HR, 5-4 FC, R, 2 RBI)
6. P. J. Higgins, SS: 0-4 (6-3, K, F-8, K) 
7. Varonex Cuevas, DH: 2-4 (1B, L-9, 1B, 3-1)
8. Yohan Matos, C: 0-3 (F-8, BB, K, 6-3, R)
9. Roberto Caro, CF: 1-3 (L-8, 2B, BB, K, R) 

AZL CUBS PITCHERS: 
1. Pedro Silverio: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R (4 ER), 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 1 WP, 5/4 GO/FO, 74 pitches (47 strikes) 
2. Carlos Rodriguez: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 2/0 GO/FO, 24 pitches (16 strikes) 
3. M. T. Manucci: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 23 pitches (11 strikes) 

AZL CUBS ERRORS: NONE