David Garner

LHSP Brailyn Marquez fired five innings of three-hit/one-run ball with seven strikeouts (and threw 73% strikes), Luis Hidalgo belted an RBI triple, singled, walked, and scored two runs, Christopher Morel drilled a solo HR, Kevin Zamudio slugged a two-run HR, and Carlos Pacheco doubled twice, walked, and scored a run, in Extended Spring Training intrasquad game action Thursday morning on Field #5 on John Arguello Way at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa, AZ. 

The EXST Cubs had a few days off during the MLB First-Year Player Draft, before returning to the field to prepare for the start of the short-season leagues.  

In EXST Cubs roster news, AAA Iowa Cubs RHRP David Garner (who has been at Extended Spring Training since the end of Minor League Camp) has received a 100 game "Drug of Abuse" suspension and has returned home. This is his second "Drug of Abuse" suspension this season (the first one was for 50 games and it expired last week). So Garner will have to wait until Iowa plays another 100 regular season games before he can be reinstated (which will take the suspension well into April 2019, because the I-Cubs have only 83 games left in the 2018 season). And Garner was throwing the ball really well at Extended Spring Training, too...   

Here is the box score from the game: 

Carlos Pacheco singled twice, drove-in a run, and scored another, Delvin Zinn doubled, walked twice, stole a base, and scored a run, and Reivaj Garcia contributed two RBI (a run-scoring double and an RBI GO), leading the Cubs to a 7-5 victory over the Angels Saturday morning on Field #5 on John Arguello Way at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa, AZ. 

Johan Sala singled, walked, and belted a solo HR and Kevin Maitan singled twice and drove-in a run for the Angels in a losing cause. 

RHP Ryan Williams (2017 shoulder surgery) got the start for the Cubs and threw 3.2 IP (46 pitches), retiring the first six men he faced (6-3, 3-U, 4-3, P-6, 4-3, K-swinging) on only 20 pitches before allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits (both singles) and a walk in a 19-pitch third inning of work. The Williams FB sat at 81-83, but he featured a plus-CV and plus-CH that kept Angels hitters off-balance. 

RHP David Garner (on Restricted List and at Extended Spring Training while serving a 50-game Drug of Abuse suspension) relieved Williams and easily retired four of the five men he faced (he walked the first hitter and then retired four in a row - K-swinging, 6-3, 5-3, 4-3). Garner will be getting out of the "penalty box" next week, and he looks like he is ready to roll. 

RHP Erling Moreno worked two innings (32 pitches) in relief, and while his line wasn't great (he allowed two runs on three hits, including a HR), he was pumping his FB consistently at 96-98 MPH and mixing it with a hard slider. E. Moreno has been at EXST for the past couple of months throwing bullpen sessions and working on his mechanics, and from what he showed today, he could maybe fit a reliever profile (perhaps a two-inning reliever in the Archie Bradley/Josh Hader/Amir Garrett mold?).      

LHP Jonathan Bruzual (up from the Cubs Dominican Academy) made his U. S. game debut, throwing a shutout inning. Bruzual's FB sits at 84-86, but he has a solid CV and is working on a CH. He reported to EXST with the other DSL pitchers about two months ago, but he had been throwing only bullpen sessions up until today. 

Here is the unabridged box score (Cubs players only): 

RHSP Ryan Castellani tossed four innings of one-run ball and Roberto Ramos and Scott Burcham hammered back-to-back RBI doubles to highlight a four-run 6th, as the Hartford Yard Goats (Colorado Rockies AA affiliate) edged the Tennessee Smokies (Cubs AA affiliate) 4-3 on Field #5, and Vince Fernandez drilled an RBI double and a two-run single and Todd Czinege belted a solo HR to help the Albuquerque Isotopes (Rockies AAA affiliate) defeat the Cubs AAA Iowa affiliate 8-3 on Field #6, in Cactus League Minor League Camp doubleheader game action Tuesday afternoon on John Arguello Way at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa, AZ.    

In two starts versus Tennessee in the last week, Ryan Castellani has thrown eight innings and allowed just one run on six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. (Castellani is ranked by Baseball America as the Rockies #6 prospect).
 
RHSP Duncan Robinson hurled five innings of shutout ball, Jesse Hodges drove-in two runs with an RBI single and an RBI double, and Chris Pieters singled & doubled and scored a run for Tennessee, and the Smokies had the potential tying and winning runs on base with no outs in the bottom of the 9th but were unable to plate even one of the runners. 

Stephen Bruno (RBI double) and Bijan Rademacher (RBI single) drilled consecutive two-out RBI hits in the bottom of the 3rd to provide Iowa's two runs on Field #6. 

As was mentioned here yeaterday, several Iowa Cubs players traveled to Florida with the MLB squad for the two-game pre-season set versus the Red Sox in Ft. Myers, so a number of players on the Tennessee, Myrtle Beach, and South Bend squads have been temporarily promoted to higher levels for a few days (until the I-Cubs return from Florida).
 
Iowa Cubs RHRP David Garner saw his first game action since being suspended for 50 (official) games after testing positive for a "Drug of Abuse," and he had a very poor outing, allowing three runs on two hits and three walks in 2/3 of an inning while throwing only 38% strikes. (With the approval of the MLB Commissioner and with the consent of the player's MLB organization, a player who is on the Restricted List as the result of a prohibited substance suspension can attend Minor League Camp and Extended Spring Training - without pay - and participate in Minor League Camp and EXST games while serving the suspension, although the player is not required to do so). Barring rain-outs or other postponements, Garner's suspension is scheduled to end on May 27th.   
 
Here are the abridged box scores from the two games (Cubs players only):

Joe Martarano raced home from 3rd base with the winning run on a walk-off wild pitch with one out in the bottom of the 9th, as the Cubs edged the Giants "black" squad 2-1 in Cactus League Extended Spring Training game action Saturday morning on Field #1 at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa, AZ. 

Martarano laced an opposite-fiold  triple into the RF corner in his first PA, in what was his first game AB in almost two years. (Martarano returned to baseball last week after playing football at Boise State).   

1B Chris Dominguez (on AAA Iowa 7-day DL) reached base three times (solo HR, single, and an HBP) in his first game action in about three weeks.

LHRP Manny Parra (April 2016 TJS) needed only nine pitches to throw a scoreless inning in the game, and Cubs relievers Luis Aquino, Juan Carlos Paniagua, and David Garner combined to retire the last 12 Giants batters they faced (including seven on strikeouts), with Garner striking out the side in the top of the 9th. (Paniagua and Garner are at Extended Spring Training waiting for a slot to open up in the Tennessee or Iowa bullpen).  

LHP Ryan Kellogg saw his first game action since returning to the Cubs from Team Canada and the WBC last month. The big left-hander threw two perfect innings (32 pitches)

Jacob Hannemann (on AA Tennessee 7-day DL - right knee injury) continued his EXST rehab, playing CF and batting five times in the game (once in each of the first five innings), going 1-4 with a double and a sac bunt. 

RHSP Williams Perez was scheduled to start the game (he threw 6.2 IP of two-hit shutout ball in an intrasquad game last Monday) but was scratched, possibly because he may be moving-up to Iowa. (I-Cubs RHSP Alec Mills went on the DL yesterday with an ankle injury). 

RHP Casey Kelly (three innings - 45 pitches), RHP Jose Albertos (one inning - 15 pitches), and RHP Carlos Ocampo (one inning - 15 pitches) threw "live" BP on Field #2 prior to the start of the game on Field #1. Kelly is on the Iowa 7-day DL after spending most of Spring Training with the big club at Sloan Park, Albertos (one of the Cubs top pitching prospects) has been in the Rehab Throwing Program at Riverview Park since reporting to Minor League Camp last month and has yet to throw in a game, and Ocampo just arrived from the Cubs Dominican Academy (his expected arrival was delayed by a few days).   

Here is the abridged box score from the game (Cubs players only):  

Nataniel Delgado stroked a two-run single to tie the score and Andrew Ray laced a two-run double to give the Angels the lead, as the Angels rallied to defeat the Cubs 4-2 in Arizona Instructional League action this afternoon at Diablo Park Field #7 in Tempe. 

RF Jeffrey Baez walked twice, singled, stole two bases, scored a run, and threw out two baserunners, and RHP David Garner tossed 3-2/3 innings of one-hit shutout ball for the Cubs.