CNATI: Cincinnati OH Sports Journalism

Spring Training 2010

Live: Reds @ Cubs 3.13.10

By C. Trent Rosecrans, CNATI.com Posted March 13, 2010 1:32 PM ET

MESA, Ariz. -- Live from Wrigley Southwest.

I love the sign, "Preserve the Cactus League" and then a website for keeping the Cubs in Arizona. A little presumptuous that the entier Cactus League and all the new stadiums would fall apart without the Cubs.

Oh well, here's our lineups:

Redlegs
Stubbs cf
Dickerson lf
Phillips 2b
Francisco 3b
Bruce rf
Balentien DH
Alonso 1b
Hanigan c
Janish ss

pitching
Homer Bailey

Cublegs
Starlin Castro ss
Darwin Barney 2b
Aramis Ramirez 3b
Tyler Colin cf
Chad Tracy 1b
Alfonso Soriano lf
Bobby Scales dh
Koyie Hill c
Jim Adduci rf

pitching
Sean Marshall

The Cubs have a split-squad here today, the team is also playing in Las Vegas against the White Sox, as they did Friday night as well.

* Baker on Scott Rolen getting scratched: "He's been playing a lot. We've got a tough schedule next week. We have a B game tomorrow where everyone's going to play in either the B or A game. Monday game, then we have Tuscon, the split squad doubleheader and then investors weekend. That's a lot of playing and entertaining at the same time."

* We may have had a 5-minute delay from the anthem. The girl had watched way too much American Idol. He had hand motions and everything. Somewhere in the middle she forgot the words, but recovered and I don't think she actually missed any words.

* Aroldis Chapman will start the Wednesday day game against Milwaukee.

"I ought to change it so you guys will come to the night game," Baker joked with the writers.

I mentioned that he'd be ruining Chapman's first St. Parick's Day.

* Top 1: I will give the Cubs for wearing their regular uniforms for spring training. It just looks so much better. Stubbs flies out to right. Dickerson bunts it straight back to the pitcher. And Phillips grounds out to short. He's still looking for his first hit of the spring. 1-2-3 for Sean Marshall. Redlegs 0, Cublegs 0

* Bottom 1: 1-out single for Darwin Barney. Tyler Colvin's bat is shattered on a groundout to end the inning. Redlegs 0, Cublegs 0

* Top 2: Francisco goes deep. Way deep to center. Infield single by Balentien. Alonso grounds to second where Barney makes a heck of a play, Balentien's hustling and no chance at the double play. But Hanigan pops out. Redlegs 1, Cublegs 0

* Bottom 2: Two pop ups and a K of Bobby Scales. Redlegs 1, Cublegs 0

* Top 3: 1-2-3 with Janish K. Redlegs 1, Cublegs 0

* Bottom 3: Another inning for Homer, Micah Owings is warming up to pitch the fourth and maybe the fifth. K of Koyie Hill then Adduci doubles to left. Nice play by Phillips on a grounder by Castro, but Adduci moves to third. Then Phillips goes to his left on a grounder by Barney and it goes by him. His body language indicates he thought he should have had it. Instead, it's a basehit and an RBI. Bryan LaHair in  for Ramirez and Yonder Alonso gobbles up a grounder. Redlegs 1, Cublegs 1

* Top 4: Casey Coleman pitching for the Cubs. Phillips walks. Man, even when Francisco hits a 2-0 pitch that I thought was off his fists. It goes just to the LF side of the batter's eye in center. Kid has amazing power. Bruce flies out. Balentien walks and Alonso hits one the other way, but the SS nabs it and it's an easy double play. Redlegs 3, Cublegs 1

* Bottom 4: Micah Owings  in to pitch for the Reds. Colin Ks. Tracy grounds out. Soriano singles up the middle. And a flyout ends the half-inning. Owings has some questions for home plate umpire Jim Joyce. It's a pretty long conversation and ends up with Owings patting Joyce ont eh shoulder.  The Cubs pitcher is already warming up when it's over. Redlegs 3, Cublegs 1

* Top 5: Going to go talk to Homer after this half-inning, so I'll miss some stuff. Janish homers to left. 4-1. The crowd throws it back, as someone in the press box noted, "if they knew how rare that was, they wouldn't throw it back." Stubbs hits a shot to left, but it's caught. Dickerson down looking.  Redlegs 4, Cublegs 1 

* Bottom 5: Got back up here just in time to see Andy LaHair hit a 3-run homer off Micah Owings. The next batter singles to left, but is thrown out by Chris Dickerson at second to end the inning. Redlegs 4, Cublegs 4

* Top 6: 1-2-3 for the Redlegs. Redlegs 4, Cublegs 4

* Bottom 6: Jon Adkins in for the Redlegs. And Miller behind the plate, Cairo at first, Miles at second, Sutton at third, Valaika at short, Frazier, Anderson and Heisey in the outfiled.  Single by Tracy up the middle, double by Soriano. Tracy gets caught up around third. Sandburg tried to hold Tracy at the last minute and he gets hungup, Sutton dives to get him at the bag. Soriano is replaced. Bobby Scales doubles down the line to right. 5-4 Cubs.Adduci goes down swinging. Lee doubles, scoring two more. Cublegs 7, Redlegs 4

* Top 7: 1-2-3 for the Reds. Cublegs 7, Redlegs 4

* Bottom 7: LaHair doubles and Colvin singles. That's it for Adkins. Pedro Viola in. Strikeout looking and then a single scores another run. After a fielder's choice (can't get the double play) it's a two-run double. 10-4. That closes the book on Adkins, 1+ inning, 7 hits, 5 runs, all earned. 1 K. No walks, it should be noted. Then another single. 11-4. A fielder's choice ends the inning. Cublegs 11, Redlegs 4

* Top 8: A one-out double by Anderson. Frazier is robbed on a foul ball, great catch by teh tarp by LaHair. Aaron Miles comes up. Last year he was a big signing by the Cubs and he had a bad year, a fan yells to him, 'you're a bum, Miles.' And he grounds out. Fan feels better about his life. Cublegs 11, Redlegs 4

* Bottom 8: Ondrusek is pitching for the Reds. Two quick outs, Colvin hits a shot to Cairo at first. Cairo knocks it down but can't find the ball. Ruled a single. And a strikeout to end the inning. Cublegs 11, Redlegs 4

* Top 9: Sutton down looking, 5-3 for Heisey and Balentien flys out. And we're FINAL -- Cublegs 11, Redlegs 4


Dusty summed up the game, "There's a lot of guys over there calling home... 'dad, I'm ready.'"

AS for the rest, he thought Adkins threw some quality pitches, just they were the pitches the other guys were looking for and jumped on.

And on Juan Francisco's two homers, "He's a strong young man."

Categories: Cincinnati Reds, Featured Stories, Spring Training 2010

Tags: Cubs, Homer Bailey, liveblog, Reds, spring training