Another day, another big home run from Alfonso Soriano, hopefully he can bottle this magic and take it North with him next week. Soriano has been on fire at the plate, hitting six home runs on the spring, he’s clearly motivated, and a motivated Soriano can be a dangerous one for the rest of the National League.
W: Lopez (1-0) L: Gomez (1-1) SV: None
Cubs 6 – Indians 2 — Full Box Score
At the Plate:
After falling behind 2-0 in the bottom of the first, the Cubs used to three run innings on their way to a 6-2 victory. Bryan LaHair stayed red-hot at the plate, collecting two hits including an RBI single. Speaking of hot, Joe Mather had another two hits on the day, bringing his spring average to a ridiculous .432. Reed Johnson and Edgar Gonzalez also had two hits for the Cubs as they managed to pound out 13 hits and 6 runs.
On the Mound:
Another solid performance from roster hopeful Rodrigo Lopez. Lopez, a long shot to make the club coming into the spring has let his pitching do the talking. Lopez didn’t have his “A” stuff, but battled through 4 and 1/3 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits. The big problem for Rodrigo was command, as he walking three guys on the day. The Cubs pen came in and once again shut down the opponent. Russell, Parker, De La Cruz, and Cabrera combined to go 4 and 2/3 innings, giving up no runs on one hit, one walk, while striking out two.
Highlights:
Mathers leaping grab
Soriano goes deep
LaHair’s RBI single
On deck:
The Cubs play their last split-squad games on Monday. Paul Maholm will face the Padres in Mesa at HoHoKam Park at 3:05 p.m. CT, while Jay Jackson will start the road game against the D-backs at 3:10 p.m. CT in Scottsdale. Maholm has been tabbed as the fifth starter. He was slowed this spring by the flu. David DeJesus, Marlon Byrd and Dave Sappelt will make up the outfield against the D-backs, while Bryan LaHair, Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney will be in Mesa. The game in Mesa will be broadcast on Cubs.com. Carlos Marmol is slated to pitch in relief in Mesa. It’ll be his first appearance since he was pulled from Tuesday’s game with a cramp in his right hand. (Via Jordan Bastian)
Filed under: 2012 Spring Training, Game Recaps
