Minor League Discussion & Boxes 5-12-10

[Outshined_One]

Box Scores

 

Iowa won 6-1 Box Score

 

CF S. Fuld 1/5, 2 K

SS D. Barney 1/4, R, 2B (7), K

DH C. Tracy 0/2, 2 BB, 2 R

1B M. Hoffpauir 2/4, R, 3 RBI, HR (5), 2 K

3B M. Smith 0/2, BB, R, RBI

LF B. LaHair 0/4, K

C C. Robinson 0/4

RF B. Snyder 2/4, R, RBI, K

2B M. Camp 1/4

SP A. Cashner 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 6/1 K/BB, 6-6 GO-FO

RP J. Stevens 2 scoreless, 2 H, 2/0 K/BB, 3-1 GO-FO

RP B. Parker 1 perfect, 1-2 GO-FO

 

Tennessee lost 6-5 in the 10th Box Score

 

2B T. Thomas 0/5, RBI, 2 K, E (7, missed catch)

CF/LF T. Wright 1/5, R, 2B (8)

LF R. Canzler 0/1, 3 BB

PR/CF T. Campana 0/1

C R. Chirinos 2/4, BB, 2 R, RBI, 2 2B (9), K

RF M. Spencer 2/5, R, K

3B J. Vitters 2/4, R, 2 2B (3), E (3, throw)

SS N. Samson 1/4, RBI, K

PH M. Gonzalez 0/1

SP C. Carpenter 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2/2 K/BB, HBP, 8-6 GO-FO

RP R. Buchter 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2/3 K/BB, 0-1 GO-FO, E (1, pickoff)

RP M. Mateo 0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER

RP A. Maestri .2 scoreless, 1 H, 2-0 GO-FO

 

Daytona won 10-6 Box Score

 

1B J. Opitz 1/3, BB, R, RBI

SS R. Flaherty 0/3, BB, RBI, 2 K, E (1, throw)

DH R. Ridling 1/5, RBI, K

CF K. Burke 1/2, BB, 2 R, RBI, 2B (8), HBP, Assist (3B)

2B DJ LeMahieu 1/5, RBI, 2B (3), 2 K

C M. Brenly 1/5, 2 R, RBI, 2B (2)

RF N. Perez 2/5, 2 R, 2B (5), K

SP R. Dolis 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3/4 K/BB, 4-3 GO-FO

RP O. Martinez 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1/1 K/BB, 1-2 GO-FO

RP L. Sommer 1.1 scoreless, 1 H, 4/0 K/BB

 

Peoria lost 5-4 Box Score

 

SS HJ Lee 0/4, 2 K

2B L. Watkins 1/4, CS (4), PO (1B)

3B G. Rohan 0/4, R, K

1B J. Bour 1/4, R, E (4, pickoff)

DH DJ Fitzgerald 3/3, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B (2), HR (1), PO (1B)

C J. Mota 1/3, BB, 2 K, PB (3)

LF R. Jones 1/3, RBI, K

CF J. Valdez 0/4, RBI, 2 K

RF F. Guzman 0/3

PH M. Cerda 0/1, K

SP N. Struck 4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 5/1 K/BB, 2 WP, HBP, 4-4 GO-FO

 

OVERALL: 2-2

[Guest]

Probable Starters

 

Iowa: RHP Andrew Cashner (at Tennessee: 3-1, 2.75 ERA, 36 IP, 13 BB, 42 K)

Tennessee: RHP Chis Carpenter (1-1, 5.52 ERA, 14.2 IP, 7 BB, 14 K)

Daytona: RHP Rafael Dolis (1-2, 1.84 ERA, 29.1 IP, 13 BB, 17 K)

Peoria: RHP Nick Struck (2-3, 2.63 ERA, 22.1 IP, 8 BB, 16 K)

[jersey cubs fan]

What are the chances this is Cashner's last AAA start this season? 5%, 15%?

[Keener98]

What are the chances this is Cashner's last AAA start this season? 5%, 15%?

 

Depends if the Cubs win today. They win today 5%, and if they lose, Id say it goes to about 50%.

[rawaction]

What are the chances this is Cashner's last AAA start this season? 5%, 15%?

 

60%

[sandbergcubs]

cabrera to tennesee and carrillo to daytona

[toonsterwu]

gonna be interesting to see alberto handles that AA leap.

 

With the Cubs moving Jay Jackson to the pen, I'd like to think that means Cashner will get a couple more starts in AAA. Why shift Jay to the pen unless you are planning on bringing him up for pen duty?

[Outshined_One]

With the Cubs moving Jay Jackson to the pen, I'd like to think that means Cashner will get a couple more starts in AAA. Why shift Jay to the pen unless you are planning on bringing him up for pen duty?

 

Injury? Dead arm? No arms available in the bullpen?

[SouthSideRyan]

With the Cubs moving Jay Jackson to the pen, I'd like to think that means Cashner will get a couple more starts in AAA. Why shift Jay to the pen unless you are planning on bringing him up for pen duty?

 

Injury? Dead arm? No arms available in the bullpen?

 

I'm sure it's something far stupider. WTF Cubs.

[toonsterwu]

With the Cubs moving Jay Jackson to the pen, I'd like to think that means Cashner will get a couple more starts in AAA. Why shift Jay to the pen unless you are planning on bringing him up for pen duty?

 

Injury? Dead arm? No arms available in the bullpen?

 

If he's injured or has a dead arm, one would think that the Cubs would be a bit more careful. And there were certainly arms available in the pen based on recent usage.

 

I'm not agreeing with the move, but it seems very likely that they want to see what Jay can bring out of the pen to ponder calling him up. As you well know, I'm a fan of Jay as a starter and I think he can succeed in this role, but if this protects Cashner from getting called up right now, then I can live with the move (if it's one or the other).

[TruffleShuffle]

i've seen literally no speculation that jackson should be shifted to the bullpen. everything i've seen projects him as a middle-of-the-rotation starter.

 

maybe the continued ineptitude of this organization's decision making will make people realize that the 100+ year drought is not due to goats or bad luck or black cats.

[CUBZ99]

i've seen literally no speculation that jackson should be shifted to the bullpen. everything i've seen projects him as a middle-of-the-rotation starter.

 

maybe the continued ineptitude of this organization's decision making will make people realize that the 100+ year drought is not due to goats or bad luck or black cats.

 

During one of the chats last year with a BA or BP guy, I remember the person rating Jackson's ceiling as either a middle of the rotation starter, or dominant reliever. I don't remember if it was Callis or Sickels or someone else.

[CubColtPacer]

Jackson is a tough case. He is pretty close if not major league ready at this point. He's almost certainly not going to have any chance at the major league rotation at any point this year with Zambrano and likely Cashner ahead of him. Even if Lilly leaves, he still has to beat out a couple of other pitchers to get into the rotation for next year.

 

So the Cubs have 3 options. They could pitch him in the minors this year and give him a small shot at the rotation next year. He likely won't make it and he'll either go into the minors or the bullpen next year. He could go into the bullpen right now and either develop into a reliever or return to starting down the line (as early as next year). Or he could be traded.

 

Barring expected trades of either starters on the major league roster or Jackson, moving to the bullpen to help the 2010 team is probably the best move for him right now. If the Cubs plan to trade him though then keeping him as a starter in the minors is the better move.

[toonsterwu]

Truffle - Just to be clear, I am a big believer that Jay Jackson can make it as a starter.

 

I think the speculation doesn't relate to whether or not Jay can make it as a starter, but whether or not the Cubs will shift him to the BP to fill their immediate needs this year.

 

Again, I'm not gung-ho about shifting good starting prospects to the pen. Jay still needs some more work. From the little I have heard, it sounds like the delivery is a bit better. The secondary pitches still need more consistency. The ability and package is there.

 

Ideally, he continues working on that as a starter in the minors. That's preferred route 1. But in a make or break season for Cubs leadership, you can expect them to throw the kitchen sink at things.

 

Let's look at a possible way the Cubs brass may see things (not saying I believe it) -

 

a) Offense - I think most of us anticipate Lee/Ramirez will keep it going. At some point, the production of Byrd/Sorinao/Fukudome/Theriot/Soto may slide down a tiny bit. But, if they believe that those 5 guys can continue to be solid, and Lee/Ram will rebound, then the offense looks solid.

 

b) SP - They could view this as relatively solid. Dempster is fine, Wells is fine as a mid-end of the rotation guy, and they likely expect Lilly to get back to form. Even if Gorz/Silva slide down a bit, one figures that Z will get a shot at the rotation again, and overall, it should be decent-solid.

 

c) The pen - the closer is set, Marshall/Russell give you two solid lefties.

 

They could very well feel that this team is a solid setup man away from making a push. Much as a guy like Blake Parker could prove useful, he's no where near ready for setup duty barring a surprise, and there really aren't any other options without going the Cashner route to address the setup role. Trying Jackson there does make some sense.

 

It's not ideal for Jay's development, but development probably isn't the main priority right now for the Cubs brass.

 

At the end of the day, I simply don't want to see Cashner get called up anytime soon. If that means pushing Jay as a starter, fine. He has the stuff to be a late inning arm. He can ditch a couple secondary pitches, which may actually help, and his fastball can be ratcheted up another notch. Considering his track record, I feel much more comfortable with the idea that Jay can fill in the pen right now, and be pondered as a future SP guy next year.

[toonsterwu]

i've seen literally no speculation that jackson should be shifted to the bullpen. everything i've seen projects him as a middle-of-the-rotation starter.

 

maybe the continued ineptitude of this organization's decision making will make people realize that the 100+ year drought is not due to goats or bad luck or black cats.

 

During one of the chats last year with a BA or BP guy, I remember the person rating Jackson's ceiling as either a middle of the rotation starter, or dominant reliever. I don't remember if it was Callis or Sickels or someone else.

 

I'm pretty sure it was Keith Law, or at least, I'm pretty sure Law said something like that.

[Little Slide Rooter]

The only reason that J Jax would be moved to the pen is if they are watching him for a few games to see if he could be worth a look as a reliever on the big league team. I really dont like the move at all either way. As far as Im concerned, the Cubs arent nearly as bad as theyve looked lately, but they just dont seem like a playoff team either. For this reaon, Id prefer Jackson stay in Iowa all season as a starter. Cashner, Jackson, Diamond, and Coleman make up a very nice rotation down there, one worth tracking 4 of every 5 of their games. We have Gaub, Parker, and Stevens in Iowa if they need a reliever, so I dont see the poin in tampering with what could be our rotation of the future. I could really see Cashner as a number 1-2 starter, Jackson as a 2-3, and Diamond and Coleman as 3-5 guys in a big league rotation.I mean what manager in any league would be dumb enoug to send their best starting pitcher to the bullpen?

[davell]

Is it possible that Iowa just needed someone to pitch an inning last night for them and Jackson was available? It wouldn't surprise me if that winds up being the case here. Putting Jay in the pen for the rest of the year is flat out dumb.

[davell]

Vitters with a double his first at bat tonight. Struck and Dolis are struggling early on. And B Jax has the day off evidently.

[Vinestal]

and another double for Vitters in his second at bat. He is on fire!

[Little Slide Rooter]

Is it possible that Iowa just needed someone to pitch an inning last night for them and Jackson was available? It wouldn't surprise me if that winds up being the case here. Putting Jay in the pen for the rest of the year is flat out dumb.

 

If it was late in the game and the rest of the pen had been used, that would be the obvious choice, but he was used I believe in the 4th or 5th and was the 3rd pitcher(2nd reliever) of the night.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Speaking of Jacksons, this is Bretts 2nd game off in a row. Anyone know whats the deal is with him?

[Guest]

Hopefully it's a one-time relief session for Jay Jackson. I'm with toonsterwu on this: if the Cubs are going to call up someone from AAA for the big league pen, I'd rather it be Jackson than Cashner.

 

And I'm pretty excited to see Cabrera get the promotion to AA.

[TruffleShuffle]

vitters continues to hit well and field terribly.

 

i'd also like to know what is going on with b-jax.

[Wrigley Rat]

I mean what manager in any league would be dumb enough to send their best starting pitcher to the bullpen?

Nice. I'm happy that Zambrano is helping the team - not sure he would be as a starter.

 

I personally don't mind seeing any of our minor league starting pitchers pitch out of the bullpen for a period of time. What if their stuff plays up amazingly out of the bullpen? What if they are so dominating that it appears they are MLB-ready today? They could play an important role on our team, give us a boost, and help us get a few more wins.

 

None of the relief pitchers at Iowa are what Lou wants right now. He wants a right-handed, power pitcher with control. Gaub is a lefty and Stevens and Parker have been too wild. This is why Samardzija was given so much time to try to right himself. It's also why Jeff Gray was called up as soon as his velocity was there.

 

Jay Jackson has proven he has the control needed for Lou, but he is not striking out enough guys as a starter to be considered dominant (although he has limited the base hits nicely). I say there is very little risk involved with this little experiment. If his velocity doesn't increase enough in the pen, he will likely be moved back to the rotation where he will be a solid 3rd or 4th starter. If his velocity sits around 94-96, then he can kick off his major league career in a few weeks!

[Keener98]

I mean what manager in any league would be dumb enough to send their best starting pitcher to the bullpen?

Nice. I'm happy that Zambrano is helping the team - not sure he would be as a starter.

 

I personally don't mind seeing any of our minor league starting pitchers pitch out of the bullpen for a period of time. What if their stuff plays up amazingly out of the bullpen? What if they are so dominating that it appears they are MLB-ready today? They could play an important role on our team, give us a boost, and help us get a few more wins.

 

None of the relief pitchers at Iowa are what Lou wants right now. He wants a right-handed, power pitcher with control. Gaub is a lefty and Stevens and Parker have been too wild. This is why Samardzija was given so much time to try to right himself. It's also why Jeff Gray was called up as soon as his velocity was there.

 

Jay Jackson has proven he has the control needed for Lou, but he is not striking out enough guys as a starter to be considered dominant (although he has limited the base hits nicely). I say there is very little risk involved with this little experiment. If his velocity doesn't increase enough in the pen, he will likely be moved back to the rotation where he will be a solid 3rd or 4th starter. If his velocity sits around 94-96, then he can kick off his major league career in a few weeks!

 

What are you talking about?