Walk in the Park Turns into Nightmare on Center Street

Rolando Gomez hammered a two-run home run and a two-run triple to help overcome an early seven-run deficit, as the Angels rallied to edge the Cubs 10-9 in AZ Instructional League action at Fitch Park Field #3 in Mesa this afternoon.

The Cubs took advantage of 12 walks through the first five innings to plate nine runs, as Gioskar Amaya drove-in three runs with two RBI singles and Jae-Hoon Ha slugged a two-run HR. But the Angels scored two in the 5th, five in the 6th, one in the 8th, and two in the 9th, to claim the victory.

18-year old switch-hitting Dominican OF Oliver "Viva" Zapata had three more hits today and was on base four times, raising his Instructs slash-line to a likely unsustainable 857/889/1.143. (He hit 241/333/661 in 71 games & 301 PA for DSL Cubs #1 during the 2010 regular season). Zapata is a stocky, roly-poly kid (5'8, 200), who looks more like a catcher or a college fullback than an outfielder. But he runs surprisingly well for a player with his body type, he is a good bunter, and he has a nice compact swing from both sides of the plate. He has committed several errors and misplays in the outfield already, however, like errors on successive plays last week, and turning what should have been a line-drive out into a triple leading-off the top of the 9th today. He played both CF and 2B in the DSL, but I've only seen him in the outfield so far.

CF Jae-Hoon Ha had another fine game in the field, making a running catch on the warning track in right-center in the 4th, and throwing out a runner at the plate trying to score from second base on a line-drive single to CF with two outs in the top of the 9th, keeping it a run-run game and at least giving the Cubs a chance to maybe tie it up in their last AB. But despite the fine running catch and the clutch 9th inning outfield assist, one thing Ha does do that he really needs to change is that he tends to hold the ball too long before throwing it back to the infield. He should watch how Kosuke Fukudome does it. (Just throw the damn ball!).

RHP (and ex-C) Alvaro Sosa had an especially bad day on the mound, allowing five runs on four singles, a double, and a triple in the 6th, while Casey Harman gave up the tying and go-ahead runs in the top of the 9th on two triples (one of which was Zapata's misplay), a double, and a single.

Cubs 2B Pin-Chieh Chen had to leave the game in the bottom of the 3rd inning after he was struck on the left rib-cage by a ball thrown in from CF while he was standing on 2nd base. He had to be helped off the field, although he was able to walk to the clubhouse under his own power.

Dustin Geiger returned to action today after leaving Saturday’s game when he was hit on the left hand by a pitch, and Logan Watkins is expected to be in the lineup within the next couple of days after being sidelined for the past week with back spasms.

Here is today’s abridged box score (Cubs players only):

LINEUP:
1a. Pin-Chieh Chen, 2B: 0-0 (BB, BB)
1b. Willson Contreras, PR-3B: 0-3 (4-3 GIDP, L-9, K, R)
2. Hak-Ju Lee, DH-SS: 1-4 (1-6-3 GIDP, 1B, BB, E6, 3-U, RBI, R, CS)
3. Jae-Hoon Ha, CF: 1-5 (K, 6-4-3 GIDP, HR, 6-3, P-1, 2 RBI, R)
4a. Ryan Cuneo, 1B: 0-1 (3-U, BB, BB, R, SB, CS)
4b. Dustin Geiger, 1B: 0-2 (L-9, K)
5. Delbis Arcila, LF: 0-3 (BB, BB, K, 6-3, K, R)
6a. Chad Noble, C: 0-1 (BB, 6-3, BB, R)
6b. Sergio Burruel, C: 0-0 (HBP)
7. Wes Darvill, SS-DH: 0-2 (BB, BB, F-8, K, R)
8. Engel Santana, DH #2: 2-4 (K, 1B, 1B, K, 2 RBI, R)
9. Gioskar Amaya, 3B-2B: 2-4 (4-3, 1B, 1B, 6-3, 3 RBI)
10. Oliver Zapata, RF: 3-3 (1B, BB, 1B, 2B, R, SB)

PITCHERS:
1. Brent Ebinger: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 28 pitches (13 strikes), 3/2 GO/FO
2. Jeff Lorick: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 18 pitches (11 strikes), 2/4 GO/FO
3. Starling Peralta: 1.0, 2 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HR, 12 pitches (9 strikes), 3/0 GO/FO
4. Alvaro Sosa: 0.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R (5 ER), 0 BB, 0 K, 1 WP, 31 pitches (18 strikes), 1/1 GO/FO
5. Jhon Rodriguez: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, 22 pitches (18 strikes), 2/1 GO/FO
6. Casey Harman: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 0 K, 1 PO, 20 pitches (16 strikes), 1/1 GO/FO

ERRORS: (1)
3B Willson Contreras E-5 (missed catch on relay throw from LF allowed runner to score from 3rd)

OUTFIELD ASSISTS:
1. Oliver Zapata: threw out batter 9-4-2 trying to stretch triple into inside-the-park HR
2. Jae-Hoon Ha: threw out runner 8-2 trying to score from 2nd on single to CF.

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ATTENDANCE: 17 (mostly scouts)

WEATHER: Hot and sunny, with temperatures in the 90’s

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2010 CUBS INSTRUCTIONAL LEAGUE ROSTER:

FIELD COORDINATOR:
Dave Bialas

INSTRUCTORS:
Jeff Fassero
Franklin Font
Dave Keller
Greg Maddux
Carmelo Martinez
Marty Pevey
Tom Pratt
Mark Riggins
Min-Kyu Sung

GAME MANAGER:
Juan Cabreja

ACTIVE LIST (47):

* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS (22):
* Hunter Ackerman
* Brent Ebinger
Dustin Fitzgerald
* Cam Greathouse
* Casey Harman
Ryan Hartman
Jin-Yeong Kim
Aaron Kurcz
Luis Liria
Matt Loosen
Robinson Lopez
* Jeff Lorick
Tarlandus Mitchell
Amaury Paulino
Starling Peralta
Austin Reed
Kevin Rhoderick
Jhon Rodriguez
* Brian Smith
Alvaro Sosa (ex-C)
Charles Thomas (ex-3B)
Ben Wells

CATCHERS (5):
* Sergio Burruel
# Micah Gibbs
Max Kwan
Chad Noble
# Engel Santana

INFIELDERS (12):
Gioskar Amaya
* Justin Bour
Willson Contreras
* Ryan Cuneo
* Pin-Chieh Chen
* Wes Darvill
Dustin Geiger
* Marco Hernandez
* Hak-Ju Lee
D. J. Lemahieu
Josh Vitters
* Logan Watkins

OUTFIELDERS (8):
* Delbis Arcila
Xavier Batista
Evan Crawford
Reggie Golden
Jae-Hoon Ha
Chris Huseby (ex-P)
* Kyung-Min Na
# Oliver Zapata