Position Battle Updates

Happy St. Patrick's Day Cubs fans! Today is the one Cub off day of Spring Training, so we'll use it to get you caught up on this spring's position battles!

Starting Rotation
The top three men in the starting five have been penciled in. Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, and Randy Wells have all already earned the right to start games this season. However, with Ted Lilly set to start the year on the DL and Rich Harden leaving via free agency, there are two spots open to start the year. This leaves Carlos Silva, Tom Gorzelanny, Jeff Samardzija, and Sean Marshall battling for rotation spots.

Carlos Silva: 2-1, 6.00 ERA, 9 IP
*Jeff Samardzija: 0-1, 9.00 ERA, 4 IP
Tom Gorzelanny: 5.40 ERA, 5 IP
Sean Marshall: 2.57 ERA, 7 IP

*Samardzija worked 3 innings during an intersquad minor league game at Fitch Park today. He did not allow a hit to the AA guys but alarmingly walked 3.

There's no doubt that Marshall's pitched the best of the four, but he is held back by his value to the bullpen. At this point, I would say the best bet is to use Marshall in the rotation. If Silva continues to pitch like he has in the last few starts, he very well could take the starts that Lilly misses.

Starting Second Baseman
Lou has hinted that Mike Fontenot has an edge over Jeff Baker at this point. Fontenot was terrific coming off the bench for the Cubs in 2008, which very well could have lead to the team dealing Mark DeRosa. Last year, when Mike was given a chance to take over the every day job, his production declined. Hopefully he can bounce back. Baker, who came over midseason last year from the Rockies, is also going to be a key even if he is only used as a backup infielder. Let's take a look at their stats:

Mike Fontenot: .409 AVG, .440 OBP, 22 ABs
Jeff Baker: .158 AVG, .238 OBP, 19 ABs

Sorting Out the Bullpen
Who knows who will be in the Cub bullpen come Opening Day. Esmalin Caridad, a young talented right handed pitcher, has been tossed into a setup role. Veteran lefty John Grabow will be the other setup guy, with Carlos Marmol handling the ninth inning duties. After that, there are four openings. Let's assume that the first two vacant spots will go to those that lose out on the rotation battle. After that, there's 2 more long relief roles up for grabs. Here are the spring stats of some young pitchers that are in camp vying for jobs.

Mike Parisi: 1-1, 4.05 ERA, 6.2 IP
Casey Coleman: 5.68 ERA, 6.1 IP
James Russell: 0.00 ERA, 5.2 IP
Andrew Cashner: 1-0, 1.80 ERA, 5 IP
J.R. Mathes: 10.80 ERA, 5 IP
John Gaub: 1-0, 3.86 ERA, 4.2 IP
Thomas Diamond: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4.1 IP
Justin Berg: 1-0, 2.25 ERA, 4 IP
Jeff Stevens: 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 4 IP
Blake Parker: 0-1, 10.60 ERA, 2.2 IP

Diamond is a very underrated guy who could see the diamond at Wrigley as at some point this season. I would say Diamond, Berg, Russell, and Gaub are the favorites for winning spots.

The Fifth Outfielder
Piniella always does a lot of hinting regarding the roster during Spring Training, especially during his pregame WGN Radio interviews with Ron Santo. Lou and Ron sometimes seem to forget that they are on the air because Lou sees Ronny as a friend and not as the media. Based on what we've heard, the Cubs will be keeping five outfielders: Byrd, Kosuke, Soriano, and Nady for sure plus a younger guy who can be used as a defensive sub. Here are the 4 guys competing for that open spot on the bench:

Tyler Colvin: .533 AVG, 6 RBIs, 30 ABs
Brad Snyder: .417 AVG, .533 OBP, 12 ABs
Sam Fuld: .150 AVG, .227 OBP, 20 ABs
Jim Aducci: .348 AVG, .400 OBP, 23 ABs

Jim is a good looking prospect, but he's a long shot to make the team this year. Without question Colvin has the edge, but I wouldn't be totally surprised if the Cubs went with Fuld based on past performance at the big league level. Either way I hope whoever wins this spot gets some playing time and a chance to be a young spark plug.

The Pinch Hitting Utility Man
The Cubs need some leadership off the bench. A guy who has pop, can come up to the plate late in the game and do damage, and who will also provide some leadership. Kevin Millar could fit the bill. Let's check out the stats of Millar and his competitors for the final spot on the bench:

Chad Tracy: 18 ABs, .222 AVG, .300 OBP
Kevin Millar: 15 ABs, .333 AVG, .545 OBP
Micah Hoffpauir: 25 ABs, .120 AVG, .185 OBP

However, when you've had full careers to see these guys play in the case of Tracy and Millar, it does not make sense to base the decision on just a few Cactus League at bats. I still believe Kevin will take this spot because the Cubs like his leadership and his bat. He also brings a better glove than Hoffpauir. Andres Blanco and Brian LaHair are also still in the mix.

My Debut at CCO
I'd like to encourage everyone to check out my first minor league Cubs post over at Chicago Cubs Online. I will be covering the farm system with posts on this site every Monday and Thursday throughout the season! Thanks to Neil for giving me this opportunity! As always, I'll still be posting here on Everything Cubs daily!

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Mid Week Roundup: Lilly, a Bus Stop, the Lineup, & More

Today the Cubs beat the Rangers by a score of 4-1. We are now about half way through Spring Training! Let's get you caught up on Everything Cubs, starting with the highlights of today's game.

Silva Shows Improvement
Today Carlos Silva got the start in Mesa. After a disastrous first start of the Cactus Leauge, Carlos got back on track. He pitched 4 shutout innings today allowing just 2 hits. Prior to today's game, Carlos learned that his mother has obtained a 10-year Visa. She will now be able to come to Chicago to watch him pitch. With the struggles of Samardzija, Carlos actually has a decent shot of making the starting rotation. Look for a full position battles update post on the off day tomorrow.

The Rest of the Staff
Cubs pitching was good all day long. Esmalin Caridad worked 2 shutout innings and struck out three. Caridad will be given a chance to be a primary set-up man in the Cubs' bullpen. Marcos Mateo allowed the only Ranger run of the day by surrendering a solo homer. Mateo still looked sharp, as the long ball was the only hit he allowed in 1.1 innings. Jeff Stevens put a zero on the board in the eighth, and then lefty James Russell retired the side in order in the 9th to record the save.

Cub Hitters Today
Tracy, Fontenot, Hoffpauir, and Soto all went hitless today, but there were still some good performances at the plate. Ryan Theriot went 2-3 to boost his average .565. Tyler Colvin continued his red hot spring with a base hit in his only at bat. Xavier Nady was the star of the show with a pair of doubles driving in a total of 3 runs.

Theriot to Lead Off
Short stop Ryan Theriot has earned his spot atop the Cubs' lineup with his high batting average this spring. Lou Piniella has announced that his Opening Day start lineup will most likely look like this:
Theriot, SS
Kosuke, RF
Lee, 1B
Ramirez, 3B
Byrd, CF
Soriano, LF
Fontenot, 2B
Soto, C
Zambrano, P

There is still a chance that Baker could swipe the starting second base job from Mike Fontenot, but Piniella is leaning towards 'lil Mike. Soto will start the year batting 8th, but if he shows that he is the same guy he was in 2008 he could climb in the order quickly.

Cubs Idol
In the Cubs clubhouse, the team's version of American Idol has been taking place. Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Kevin Millar, and Ryan Dempster are the panel of judges. John Gaub and Mike Parasi beat out Sam Fuld and Micah Hoffpauir in the Semi-final round of the singing today. Gaub and Parisi- both minor leauge pitchers- will battle for the title of "Cub Idol".

Middle of the Order to Return
Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, the Cubs' number 3 and 4 hitter respectively, are expected to return to the lineup on Thursday. Both have been out for a few days with some minor injuries. The team has a day off tomorrow, and then they take on the Dodgers on Thursday at 3:00 pm CT. Expect to see Kevin Millar and Jeff Baker spending some time in the outfield later this week (the Cubs may be deciding whether or not they need Hoffpauir).

Samardzija to Throw at Fitch
Jeff Samardzija will stay on his schedule by pitching on the off day tomorrow in a minor league intersquad game at Fitch Park. Jeff is slated to work about 4 innings.

Bus Breaks Down
The Cubs trip to Tuscan for a Cactus Leauge game against the Rockies went from long to LONG when the bus broke down about 45 minutes outside of Mesa on Monday. Lou Piniella and pitching coach Larry Rothschild were driving separately. The rest of the guys were forced to sit in the desert with no air conditioning for about an hour. Perhaps this lead to their loss that day.

Ted Lilly Updates
Lilly is hoping to get into some Cactus League action soon. Everything has gone according to plan so far, so Lou is hopeful that Ted will only miss 2 regular season starts. He will spend those two starts on minor league rehab. In other Lilly related news, Ted and his wife Natasha had their first child on Sunday. Their son's name? Theodore Roosevelt Lilly IV!

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Weekend Quick Hits: Piniella's Future, Roster Cuts, Injury Updates, and More

• Today the Cubs made the first roster cuts of the spring, trimming 9 off the roster. David Patton (sent to AA) and Mitch Atkins, who was sent to AAA, are among the most notable guys cut from camp. Brett Jackson, Josh Vitters, Steve Clevenger, Blake Lalli, Matt Camp, Jeff Kennard, and Vince Perkins were sent to minor league camp.
• Aramis Ramirez was scratched from yesterday's lineup and sat out again today against the Angels. Rami has a sore right tricep, but he is expected to resume throwing in the next few days.
• Derrek Lee is also still day-to-day after fouling a ball off his foot last Thursday. Lee should be back in the lineup on Tuesday.
• Xavier Nady is expected to start playing outfield the last 10 days of Spring Training. He may not be able to throw at 100% until mid-season.
• It sounds like there are 2 spots left on the Cubs bench. Kevin Millar and Chad Tracy are competing for one of the spots, while Sam Fuld, Brad Snyder, Tyler Colvin, and Jim Adduci are in the mix for the other. Micah Hoffpauir's future is a mystery at this point.
• Kosuke Fukudome's hitting coach is now in Arizona. He is expected to work closely with Rudy Jaramillo in coaching Kosuke this season.
• Ted Lilly threw off the mound again today, and the Chicago Tribune reports that he is ahead of schedule.
• The Cubs fifth starters competition is "still open". Sean Marshall has pitched the best of the four candidates so far, but the lefty is was valuable to the Cubs' bullpen last season.
• Piniella expects the rotation to be decided by March 22 according to Carrie Muskat.
• Angel Guzman will meet with Dr. Andrews tomorrow to get a second opinion on his shoulder tear.
• Tyler Colvin is leading the majors with his .565 Spring Training batting average.
• The Cubs have been committing a lot of errors so far this spring. Many of the miscues were by guys who won't be on the big league roster, but you still don't want to see sloppy defense.
• Crane Kenney has talked openly about the future of Lou Piniella with the Cubs. Kenney hinted that if Lou wants to keep managing, then he'll stick around. However, as Bruce Miles points out, Jim Hendry is in charge of baseball operations not Crane.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

4 Games in 2 Days for the Cubbies

It's a busy weekend for the Chicago Cubs with a total of 5 games, one each day that is on TV. Yesterday the Cubs took on the Brewers in Maryvale while the other half of the team played in Las Vegas against the White Sox. Today, the Cubs have two more game, which we'll preview later in the post.

Brewers 12, Cubs 3
Yesterday it was almost like a day-night double-header since the first game, which started at 2:00 CT, was available for listening on MLB.com and the second game, starting at 9, was on TV. It was a great day of baseball to see a lot of guys in the organization. In game 1, Jeff Samardzija took the hill against Milwaukee in Maryvale. He struggled through 2 innings, giving up 2 longs balls and a total of 4 ER on 5 hits and a walk. One of the homers the Shark allowed was to former Cub Jim Edmonds, who's with the Brewers on a NRI.

Marcos Mateo's wildness cost the Cubs in the 5th when he gave up 5 ER, 5 BB, and 2 H. Mateo, who's the brother of former Cub Juan Mateo, still has an outside chance of making the team as a reliever, but he'll have to bear down the rest of the way. Rafael Dolis got his first appearance of the spring and surrendered 2 ER in 1.1 IP.

Most of the Cubs also had bad days at the plate. Starlin Castro went 0-3, Alfonso Soriano 0-1, Bobby Scales 0-2, and Koyie Hill 1-2. The most concerning story of the day was that Derrek Lee was scratched from Lou Piniella's lineup just before the start of the game. Lee has a bruise on his foot after fouling a ball off it Thursday. He could be back in the lineup today. Brian LaHair, who took Lee's place, went 0-4.

There were some positives in the Cubs' blowout loss at the hands of their division rivals. Tyler Colvin went 2-3, which actually lowered his beastly average to .556. Colvin had a triple against Doug Davis. Aramis Ramirez ripped an RBI double. James Aducci also had a 2-bagger, one of two hits for the young outfielder on the day. John Grabow allowed 2 hits in his inning and an error lead to an unearned run. Grabow didn't look bad and was able to get out of it with minimal damage. James Russell, who's hoping to catch the eye of Lou and his staff, still has an ERA of 0.00 after working around 2 hits and a walk today in 1.2 innings.

Because of the Split Squads, there were a number of guys from the minor league camp that got the chance to dress for the major league games. Jeremy Papelbon faced 2 men, one singled but the other was retired. Second baseman Logan Watkins singled in his only AB. Blake Lalli, Junior Lake, Nelson Perez, Smaily Borgues (who?), and Brandon Guyer all also got into the game. All of them recorded outs in their only ABs.

Cubs 6, White Sox 5
Last night the rest of the Cubs team took the field against the White Sox in Las Vegas at Cashman Field, which is the home of the Pacific Coast League's LV 51s. Tom Gorzelanny, another guy competing for a spot in the rotation, took the mound. Despite one bad inning, Gorzo out-pitched Samardzija by far yesterday. He pitched 3 innings and did not allow a hit, but 3 second inning walks and a wild pitch accounted for a White Sox run against him. Allan Trammell (acting manager) and Lester Strode (acting pitching coach) couldn't have been happy watching 3 straight walks and a wild one, but overall Tom pitched well. Ryan Theriot reached base 3 times out of the leadoff spot with a single and pair of walks. Kosuke was 0-2 but walked twice. Kevin Millar, who was the cleanup hitter, also went 0-2 with 2 walks. He was gunned downed trying to score on a tag play to end the first inning. The Cubs did score 2 runs in the frame before it was ended on the play at the plate.

Geovany Soto and Mike Fontenot also had big games. Fontenot went 3-4 with 2 RBIs, while Geo was 2-3 with a walk. Thomas Diamond allowed only 1 baserunner in his two scoreless innings of work to keep his ERA at 0.00. Sam Fuld has not hit well in Spring Training yet. He dropped a couple of almost-nice plays in foul territory to go along with his 0-5 day at the plate. Fuld's average dipped to .143. Jeff Baker got his first hit of the Cactus League, going 1-4 with an RBI. Xavier Nady (0-3) struck out twice.

After Diamond, the ball was turned over to some minor league hurlers. The Cubs had a 4-0 lead after 5, but that evaporate quickly when Jay Jackson gave up 3 ER in 0.2 IP. Mitch Atkins would come in to get out of that inning, but not before he allowed a base hit that brought in 2 of the runs that were charged to Jackson. The Cubs' bats went back to work in the top of the 7th, scoring 3 more runs. Hung-Wen Chen put a zero on the board in inning number 7. Brian Schlitter, a righty whom the Cubs acquired in the Scott Eyre deal several years back, allowed a run in the 8th to make it 6-5. Blake Parker walked 2 in the 9th to make it interesting, but he was able to get out of it to notch the save.

The only extra base hit for the Cubs was a triple by Josh Vitters, part of the 7th inning rally, that plated 2. DJ LeMahieu, the second round pick from '09, singled in his only trip to the plate.

Today's Games
Today, the Cubs have another split squad. In Las Vegas, they will look for the 2 game sweep of the White Sox at 3:05 CT. Ryan Dempster will pitch against Lucas Harrell. Sean Marshall will make his first start of the spring when the Cubs face the Reds, who are the newest members of the Cactus League, in Mesa. Marshall has pitched better than any of the other 3 rotation options at this point, so we'll see if he can keep it up. Today's game in Mesa is at 2:05 CT, but after the time change here tonight all the rest of the Spring Training games will start at 3:05 central. The game in Vegas will be on CSN with White Sox announcers, while the game against the Reds is available on MLB.com's Gameday Audio package.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

The Cubs Pull One Out

It wasn't pretty, but the Cubs got the job done today holding on for an 8-7 win against the San Diego Padres.

Most of the Cubs regulars stayed back in Mesa to work with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo instead of making the trip to Peoria. While the every day guys were getting their work in, we got the chance to see some guys who are fighting for roster spots compete.

Carlos Silva got his second Cactus League start. Coming off an awful first outing, Silva was able to bounce back with 3 scoreless innings. He really needed this strong outing today to stay in the race for the rotation. He did allow 4 hits and a walk, but managed to work around them.

The Cubs jumped right on Jon Garland early, sending him to the showers after just 1.2 innings. They chased him by scoring 2 in the first and twice more in the second. In the middle innings, the Cubs continued to add on and they felt comfortable with an 8-0 lead at the 7th inning stretch.

Then the defense fell apart. The Cubs made 4 errors on the day, and the sloppiness caused them to surrender 7 unearned runs in the final 3 innings. Jeff Stevens allowed 3 of those runs in just 0.2 innings. Stevens has a shot at making the roster, but so far has not pitched well this spring. Esmalin Caridad got rocked in the 9th for 3 runs on 4 hits. Caridad is going to be the Cubs primary right handed set-up man this season unless Hendry is able to add a piece to the bullpen.

Carlos Marmol's stuff looked sharp today as he worked a perfect 4th. David Patton and Vince Perkins both finally got into game action making their spring debuts. Patton, who made the club because of his microscopic ERA last spring, has continued his Cactus League success, while Perkins allowed 1 run. Lefty J.R. Mathes put a zero on the board in the 6th.

Chad Tracy, Josh Vitters, Bobby Scales, and Mike Fontenot all commited fielding errors today, leading to the 7 unearned runs. Fontenot did have a walk, a hit, and an RBI at the plate to help makeup for his miscue. Starlin Castro continued to live up to the hype today by going 2-3 with a solo homer, 3 runs scored, 2 RBIs, and a base on balls. Castro is hitting .571 so far in Cactus League action.

Brian LaHair and Tyler Colvin both started the game in the outfield. They had two hits a piece. Sam Fuld did not have a good day going 1-4 with 3 Ks. Catcher Robinson Chirinos hit a two run homer in the 6th inning. Josh Vitters reached base both times he came to the plate with a single and walk.

Micah Hoffpaur is another guy who has not helped his cause. He is fighting for one of the final bench spots, and is hitting just .083. He was 0-2 today.

Earlier this week, Lou used the following lineup and hinted that it very well could be the one we see on Opening Day:

Theriot, SS
Kosuke, RF
Lee, 1B
Ramirez, 3B
Byrd, CF
Soriano, LF
Fontenot, 2B
Soto, C

Piniella did mention that Jeff Baker could still earn a starting job, but Jeff is hitting .000 in Cactus League play.

Time For Vegas
Lou Piniella and part of the team will stay behind to play two games in Arizona, but Alan Trammell will lead half of the squad to Las Vegas to play the White Sox twice this weekend. Tomorrow the Arizona split squad Cubs take on the Brewers at 2:05 CT. That game is not on Chicago TV or radio, but you can hear it if you have MLB.com's gameday audio package. The Vegas part of the team will take center stage in the nightcap, which starts at 9:00 CT on CSN Chicago. Jeff Samardzija will pitch against the Brewers tomorrow afternoon while Tom Gorzelanny faces the White Sox tomorrow night. The Cubs also have a split team on Saturday. Ryan Dempster will start in Vegas and Sean Marshall will get the nod against the Reds in Arizona. The Cubs will need 5 starting pitchers in the month of April, so the outings for Gorzo, Marshall, and Shark this weekend are very important as they battle for rotation spots.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Giants 5, Cubs 1 (Game Recap & More)

We'll get to the Milton Bradley stuff later in the post, but let's start off with a recap of today's Cactus League game. The Cubs hosted the Giants at HoHoKam Park for the first of two Cactus League meetings between the two clubs.

Big Z
Carlos Zambrano worked quickly through the first two innings, but then allowed 5 runs in the 3rd including a Pablo Sandoval grand slam. Big Z would go on to take the loss in the game.

The Cubs got one run back on Aramis Ramirez's second hit of the day in the fourth inning, an RBI single. After that, pitching dominated the game and the silent bats of the Cubs led to a 5-1 loss.

The Short Stops
There were a few bright spots on the offensive side, however. Ryan Theriot went 3-3 as his average climbed to .692! When Starlin Castro took over for Theriot as the Cub lead-off man and short stop, he too hit well. Castro went 2-2 with a pair of singles.

X Man
Xavier Nady made his Cactus League debut a day earlier than expected. Zambrano was willing to sacrifice his ABs to allowed Nady to DH today. Xavier looked good, going 1-2 with a walk. He most likely will travel with the half of the team that is going to Las Vegas to get some more at bats in.

The 0 fors
The Spring Training struggles of Jeff Baker continued today. He was in the lineup for the whole game- starting at second base and then shifting over to third when Ramirez departed. Baker was hitless in 4 trips to the plate, but he did draw a walk. Jeff, who's batting .000, will need to step it up in order to beat Mike Fontenot out for the majority of the second base playing time. Koyie Hill (0-3), Alfonso Soriano (0-3), James Adduci (0-4), Micah Hoffpauir (0-2), and Sam Fuld (0-2) all had bad days at the dish as well.

Lights Out Relievers
After Zambrano's rocky start, the Cubs pitching staff was terrific. John Grabow, Mike Parisi, Andrew Cashner, Thomas Diamond, John Gaub, and Justin Berg all worked scoreless innings. Grabow will be a key to the bullpen as one of the only veterans. The rest of the guys that pitched in this game are looking to win the final few open jobs in the pen. Berg and Diamond looked especially sharp, as they each retired the Giants in order. Thomas was picked up after he was let go by the Rangers last year, and is looking to bounce back from an injury. Justin came over as a minor leaguer in a trade with the Yankees a few years ago. Cashner was the Cubs first round draft choice in 2008, Parisi was drafted in the Rule 5 draft this winter, and Gaub came over in the Mark DeRosa trade in late 2008.

No Action For Dolis or Patton
As Chicago Cubs Online pointed out, the Cubs still have several players who have not gotten into any Cactus League games. Diamond pitched for the first time today, while David Patton, Vince Perkins, and Rafael Dolis have yet to take the mound. Patton is expected to start the year at AAA after he was hidden in the bullpen and on the DL in '09 so the organization could keep him. Dolis is a young prospect that the organization is very high on. Also, Steve Clevenger and Blake Lalli are position player who have not played in any Spring Training games yet. With Clevenger and Lalli, it is very surprising because there have been plenty of opportunities for Lou to get different guys in as defensive subs or pinch hitters. Perhaps there is an injury or some other situation that we do not know about.

Backup Outfield Update
Lou Piniella indicated yesterday that he will keep 5 outfielders on the roster to start the season. According to Carrie Muskat, Nady may not be able to throw at full strength until June. Piniella may not want to waste a roster spot on somebody that can pinch hit only, so the DL is a possibility. Right now, there's a good chance that one or possibility two of these young outfielder could break camp with the big club. Their Spring Training stats so far are included:
Jim Adduci: 6 games, .182 AVG
Tyler Colvin: 5 games, .545 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBIs
Brad Snyder: 5 games, .545 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBIs
Sam Fuld: 4 games, .200 AVG, 1 HR, 2 RBIs

Right now, Colvin and Snyder have identical spring numbers. The Cubs are going to need 12 pitchers, so using 5 outfielders would leave them with only 6 infielders plus the 2 catchers. Ramirez, Lee, Fontenot, Baker, and Theriot are 5 infielders on the roster for sure. Therefore, the group of Hoffpauir, LaHair, Tracy, Blanco, and Millar may be competing for 1 spot, with the 4 outfielders listed competing for 1-2 spots depending on the health of Nady. Tyler Colvin and Sam Fuld are the front runners for winning roster spots, with Brad Snyder in the mix as a dark horse.

Can We Just Move On?
Milton Bradley is at it again. Click here for his interview with ESPN in which he describes Cub fans as racist and once again blames the city of Chicago for his failures while he was here. Jim Hendry said that Bradley needs to take a look in the mirror. Hendry and Lou both feel that it is 2010 now, and it's time to focus on 2010. Alfonso Soriano's message to Milton is to leave the negativity in the past. Sori says he thinks Milton is an OK guy. Ryan Dempster defended the city, and says that fans who pay good money to see the team play have every right to boo if they don't like what they see.

Cubs Idol
While Bradley is still discussing the Cubs, it's evident that the current team is much more relaxed. They are putting on their own version of American Idol behind closed doors. Younger players like Andrew Cashner, Jim Adduci, Brett Jackson, and Mike Parisi do the singing while veterans like Kevin Millar and Ryan Dempster put on the competition and serve as judges.

Injury Updates
Cubs LHP Ted Lilly through 30 pitches earlier this week and tossed 35 today. He is feeling good and is hoping to get into a few Spring Training game before the team leaves the valley. Still no word on whether or not Angel Guzman will have surgery or on a timetable for reliever Jeff Gray, who's been out since the start of camp with a groin injury. Andres Blanco is also still sidelined.

A Return of Kerry?
Several sources have mentioned that Kerry Wood could be an option for the Cubs bullpen. Phil Rogers puts him on a list that also includes Brad Ziegler, Jason Frasor, and Heath Bell, but Rogers thinks the Cubs would have to give up lots of talent in return for any of these guys.

Nomar to ESPN
Former Cubs short stop Nomar Garciapara has announced his retirement today. He will take a job as a TV analyst for ESPN. He hit .289 in his two years (2005-2006) in a Cub uniform, playing in just 105 total games.

Random Stat
Kosuke Fukudome hit just .132 with 2 outs and runners in scoring position last season, which was second worst in the league. He has to be better in the clutch in 2010.

Up Next
Tomorrow afternoon the Cubs take on the Padres at 2:05 PM CT in Peoria. The game will not be broadcast on Chicago TV or radio, but you can get it if you have MLB.com's gameday audio package via the Padres Radio Network. Carlos Silva, who has made some mechanical adjustments since his last outing, will take the hill against Jon Garland. On Friday, the Cubs have a split squad game with Jeff Samardzija facing the Brewers in Arizona and Tom Gorzelanny going against the White Sox in Las Vegas.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

The State of the Bullpen

I covered the bullpen some in yesterday's post, but unfortunately technical difficulties prevented me from posting that story. So today, let's talk a little bit about the Cubs' relief core.

Carlos Marmol is the closer. He is of the utmost importance to this ballclub because they already lack bullpen depth. As of now, there would be nobody to take over for Carlos if he goes down or struggles.

But instead of thinking about "What ifs..." let's face the situation the pen is in right now. With the injury to Angel Guzman, the already thin bullpen lost a significant arm. Marmol will be the Cubs closer, John Grabow will be the primary left handed setup man, and beyond that there's a gray area. Lou Piniella has showed confidence in Esmalin Caridad, who pitched well late last year when he received a callup. Lou says that Caridad has made the club as a setup man. Whoever is left out of the rotation of the group of Samardzija, Marshall, and Gorzelanny will fill the 4th spot in the bullpen. That leaves three slots open.

Jeff Gray, who came to the Cubs in the deal that shipped Fox and Miles to Oakland this winter, is out with a groin injury and will probably not be ready to start the regular season.

So these final three spots could be filled with young pitchers that are in camp, or the Cubs could look to add a veteran presence to the bullpen by going outside the organization. Bruce Levine continues to report that Jason Frasor and Luke Gregerson are options for the Cubs. Frasor worked a scoreless inning in his only spring appearance so far for the Blue Jays. Gregerson has worked 2 innings so far for the Padres and has yielded just one base runner and no runs.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports connects the Cubs to John Smoltz and Pedro Martinez. Would it be worth the injury risk to try to bring in one of these post-prime legends?

Even if the Cubs fill 1 spot with a trade or free agent signing, there will still be at least 2 bullpen openings for younger guys. Bruce Levine says that Casey Coleman, John Gaub, Jeff Stevens, and James Russell are candidates. Carrie Muskat mentions Justin Berg, Mike Parisi, and Thomas Diamond. Muskat adds that David Patton will most likely start in the minor leagues now that the Cubs have kept him on the roster long enough to keep him since the Rule V Draft in December of 2008. Carlos Silva will also vie for a spot in the bullpen if he does not make the rotation. He could start the year hidden on the DL if he does not improve upon his Cactus League debut.

Let's take a look at how some of the Cubs competing for spots in the bullpen are doing in the Cactus League:

• Andrew Cashner: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 ER
• Casey Coleman: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER
• J.R. Mathes: 2 IP, 2 ER
• Mike Parisi: 2 IP, 1 ER
• Carlos Silva: 2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER
• Jeff Stevens: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER
• John Gaub: 1.1 IP, 1 ER
• Marcos Mateo: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER
• Jeff Kennard: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER
• Mitch Atkins: 0.1 IP, 0 ER

We'll see how it plays out!