Minor League Discussion & Boxes, 5-31-15

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Box Scores:

 

Iowa won 8-4 Box Score

 

Tennessee lost 5-1 Box Score

 

Myrtle Beach won 7-2 Box Score

 

South Bend was losing game one 3-0 in a game suspended after 3 due to rain Box Score

 

South Bend (game two) Cancelled - Rain

 

DSL Cubs and VSL Cubs had the day off

[PackLandVA]

Game on Comcast Sports Net.

 

Szczur and Baez with btb Doubles in the first.

[PackLandVA]

Baez with a single in has second AB, but get thrown out trying to steal.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Javy with a good AB there.

[KingCubsFan]

Javy with a good AB there.

Agreed, except for that horrible swing on 2-0. I like that they moved him closer to the plate.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Here's some encouraging EXT ST stuff fron Saturday, courtesy of The Cub Reporter:

 

Eloy Jimenez drilled an RBI double and an RBI single, Erick Castillo collected four singles, scored a run, and drove-in another, and RHP Jacob Turner hurled three innings of one-hit shutout ball for the Cubs, and Fernando Pujadas ripped two doubles and knocked-in two runs for the Giants, as the two teams played to a 4-4 ten-inning tie in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning at Indian School Park Field #2 in Scottsdale, AZ.

 

The game was called after 9-1/2 innings of play.

 

Jacob Turner got the start for the Cubs and was masterful, working three shutout innings (37 pitches - 29 strikes) and easily retiring the first eight men he faced (3-U, 4-3, 6-3, K, F-8, F-8, K, 3-1) on just 32 pitches, before surrendering a two-out bouncing double down the LF line (just out of the reach of a diving Adonis Paula) in the bottom of the 3rd inning. He then got the final out on a 3-1 GO to complete his outing.

 

Turner is on the Cubs MLB 60-day DL (retro to 3/27) with a right elbow flexor strain, and today was his first game action since being shut-down on March 10th during MLB Spring Training.

 

As is the practice when a major league pitcher throws in a minor league game, Turner was allowed to use the official "Major League": baseball (which has a different feel than the official "Minor League" ball), and his club (in this case the Cubs) is responsible for supplying the Major League balls to the home plate umpire each half-inning. Then when the big leaguer finishes his inning, the Major League baseballs are sent back to the bench, and the Minor League balls are returned to the home plate umpire.

 

The Minor League ball that was in play when the last out of the top of the 2nd was recorded was inadvertently left on top of the mound after the conclusion of the half-inning, and when Turner got out to the mound and saw it, he picked it up, looked at it for second, and then disdainfully tossed it out of play (usually the umpires job) while a Major League baseball suddenly appeared in his glove at the exact same time (a variation on what I believe magicians call the "vanishing elephant illusion"). It was absolutely amazing (or I was in a drooling stupor, not sure which). Then Turner made the Giants disappear.

 

Chris Denorfia (on Cubs MLB 15-day DL - hamstring strain) continued his rehab in the game, playing LF for five innings and batting four times, once in each of the first four innings. He grounded out sharply 5-3 on a 1-2 pitch in the top of the 1st, hammered an opposite-field double off the RF fence on the first pitch he saw his second time up, roped a line-drive single over the second-baseman's head into right-field on a 2-1 pitch in his 3rd AB, and struck out (swinging) on a 1-2 pitch in his final Plate Appearance of the day in the top of the 4th.

 

Denorfia has five hits (three singles and two doubles), two walks, and four strikeouts in four games (16 PA) this week, and appears to be pretty close to completing the Extended Spring Training portion of his rehab. I suppose he could go directly back to Chicago, but I suspect he will probably spend at least a day or two at AA Tennessee or AAA Iowa to face more-advanced pitching before he is reinstated from the DL.

 

I can still dream of a Lester/Arietta/Turner/Hammel/Hendricks rotation, right?

[Guest]

did you just slot jacob turner #3 there?

 

the [expletive]?

[Smack]

did you just slot jacob turner #3 there?

 

the [expletive]?

 

yeah, that's..... odd.

[Cubswin11]

I thought Turner was shut down for good this year, so this is good news to hear he might be able to be back in a month or so (even if it's just a bullpen role).

[ctcf]

Really glad to see Turner back up and running. Have to imagine he could definitely be of some real value down the stretch, at least in a BP capacity. Otherwise it's always nice to have another option besides Jaxon/Wood if something happens with Wada.

 

Eloy Jimenez is making me really impatient for the Eugene Emeralds to start up.

[Little Slide Rooter]

did you just slot jacob turner #3 there?

 

the [expletive]?

 

yeah, that's..... odd.

 

I'm thinking in terms of a less than realistic world where he's completely Bosioed into what he was once expected to become.

[Tryptamine]

The amount of enthusiasm for Turner, not necessarily just here, but on PSD as well, is really confusing. Yeah his peripherals suggest he should be decent, but how many years does he need to get batted around until we say he's not good? I mean we have a perfectly viable #5 in Wada.

[ScrubMD]

The amount of enthusiasm for Turner, not necessarily just here, but on PSD as well, is really confusing. Yeah his peripherals suggest he should be decent, but how many years does he need to get batted around until we say he's not good? I mean we have a perfectly viable #5 in Wada.

 

He's a former #9 pick who had a 1.4 WAR season as a 22 year old before struggling as a 23 year old last year. Plus he's white, so Bosio probably won't refuse to work with him like he has with Jackson.

[Guest]

The amount of enthusiasm for Turner, not necessarily just here, but on PSD as well, is really confusing. Yeah his peripherals suggest he should be decent, but how many years does he need to get batted around until we say he's not good? I mean we have a perfectly viable #5 in Wada.

 

It's Turner and his repertoire in Bosio's hands that gives me some optimism. That said I'm not in any hurry to displace a current starter.