The Hot Corner: Cubs' lineup, Harper meets with Philly, SI Top 100 rankings, more |
Cubs’ Opening Day: 33 days. (March 28 @ Rangers) Spring training opener: Here’s the starting lineup for the Cubs spring training opener against Milwaukee: (1) Jason Heyward- RF, (2) Kris Bryant- 3B, (3) Javy Baez- SS, (4) Daniel Descalso- 2B, (5) Willson Contreras- DH, (6) Jim Adduci- 1B, (7) Taylor Davis- C, (8) Johnny Field- LF, (9) Jacob Hannemann- LF. Taking the mound to start the game will be Jen Ho Tseng. Other scheduled pitchers will include Alberto Baldonado, Craig Brooks, Matt Carasiti, Oscar De La Cruz, Carlos Ramirez, Rowan Wick, and Mike Zagurski. Joe Maddon on Jason Heyward batting leadoff: pic.twitter.com/0zeiUigzep
Message from the Cubs: “We’ve got a baseball game today!” Good morning!
Upcoming games: Sunday vs. Giants (Tyler Chatwood to start), Monday vs. Dodgers (Jon Lester to start), Tuesday vs. D-Backs (Yu Darvish to start), Wednesday vs. Rangers, Thursday vs. A’s, Friday vs. D-Backs. Sports Illustrated Rankings: SI has ranked the top-100 players in all of baseball, and the Cubs faired pretty well. Kris Bryant was ranked 17, followed by Anthony Rizzo (33), Javy Baez (39) and Kyle Hendricks, who ranked 53rd. Saturday: Sunday: 1:05 PM EST: MIN @BOS, NYY @ TBR, TOR @ BAL, PHI @ DET, MIA @PIT, ATL @ HOU, WSH @ STL, HOU @NYM. 3:05 PM EST: CUBS @ SFG, KCR @ OAK, ARI @ CLE, LAA @LAD, CIN @ LAA, CWS @ SDP, SEA @ COL. 4:05PM EST: MIL @ TEX.
Condolences: Baseball lost another friend of the game on Friday when 48-year-old comedian, Brody Stevens, was found dead. Fox News has reported the cause of death to be an apparent suicide. Stevens also had close ties to many in the Cubs’ organization. Before taking questions today, Cubs manager Joe Maddon extended his sympathies to those impacted by the deaths of Nick Cafardo and Brody Stevens. pic.twitter.com/WXBs6ek8Bk
Bryce Harper: What would a day be without at least a little more Harper drama? Philly fans are going nuts, as the owner’s plane was spotted in Las Vegas. Media has confirmed that a meeting has taken place, but there is no evidence that an announcement is coming today. Angels: Former Cub, Tommy La Stella gets the start at second today for the Halos. Braves: Atlanta righty, Mike Soroka, has been shut down for an undetermined amount of time as he has experienced shoulder discomfort in his throwing arm. No MRI has been ordered, and the team suspects tendonitis. Cards: St. Louis and 1B/OF Jose Martinez have agreed to a two year, $3.25M extension. Giants: SF has claimed infielder, Hanser Alberto, off waivers from the Orioles. To make room, the Giants have designated righty, Jake Barrett, for assignment. Mets: Shortstop, Jed Lowrie is now out of the lineup for a while due to an MRI that has diagnosed a “capsule strain” in his left knee. Lowrie commented, “I want to be out there with the guys on Opening Day, but we need to make sure this is right, and it doesn’t linger.” Reds: Continuing to dominate in off-season deals, the Reds have now added shortstop, Jose Iglesias. White Sox: The team has also announced the signing of outfielder, Preston Tucker.Cubs’ news and notes
We've got a baseball game today! pic.twitter.com/4jVEI4CSXj
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