Did the Cubs Win?
Cubes 3 @ Pirates 4 (16 innings)
OSS: Cubs tie it up in 9th, blow it in 12th, and kiss it goodbye in 16th.
Three Up
1. Luis Valbuena‘s single in the top of the 9th tied the game, part of a 3-6, 2 BB day. Even if Olt doesn’t seize 3B, we should really start to recognize how useful a player Valbuena really is, providing decent production with a decent glove at a deeply discounted price. He’s not going to hit more than .230/.330/.370, but there’s a place for those guys in the majors.
2. Emilio Bonifacio has more hits after 2 games than any player in the history of baseball. That’s really impressive. Never mind that he’s on pace for 243 TOOTBLANS this year. Seriously, Bonifacio has been extremely impressive in his short sample size (so was Donnie Murphy last year, for what it’s worth).
3. Hector Rondon was dominant in 2 relief innings yesterday, fanning 2, walking 1, and allowing no hits. Hector has a chance to be one of the better Rule 5 picks in recent memory.
Three Down
1. Jose Veras didn’t look too good out there, blowing his first save opportunity. It’s early, but 2 walks in one inning is pretty scary.
2. Carlos Villanueva has to EARN his cool nicknames, and he hasn’t earned them so far. It’s hard to be too mad, given that Villanueva did get 4 outs before losing the game, and he was hit-unlucky, but still; he’s on pace to lose 162 games this season (as are his parent squad).
3. Starlin Castro went 0-6, 2 SO, E, and was a complete non-factor at the plate. He’s going to take some time after missing most of Spring Training, but a bad start affects Castro probably more than anyone on this squad after Mike Olt.
Next Game
Today, 11:35 CST, Jason Hammel v. Wandy Rodriguez