Last week, Marc Rzepczynski made his Vegas debut in fine fashion, going 5 2/3 shutout innings, striking out 9. This time, he had, um, almost the exact same outing, going 5 2/3, allowing 1 run and striking out 7. He also allowed 5 hits, a walk, and had 7 ground balls to only 3 flies. It’s safe to say the promotion has been going well, though the pitch counts are a little high (103 tonight). It could be the case that he’s afraid to pitch to contact, not ununderstandable in minor league ball.

Just like in tonight’s lower level games, the offense wasn’t great but it was good enough. Joe Inglett had 3 singles and Brett Harper went 2-3 with a walk to lead the 51s.

Portland at New Hampshire - postponed

St. Lucie 5 at Dunedin 2

St. Lucie got to starter Kenny Rodriguez early, scoring 3 runs in the top of the first inning on a double steal of 2nd and home (is there a better term for that? delayed steal?) and a 2 run homer. Though K-Rod struck out the side in the first, that was all the Mets needed. Rodriguez actually pitched very well after the first; from innings 2-7, he allowed 4 hits and a walk, and didn’t allow a run. He got a bit tired in the 7th and Trystan Magnuson let his 2 inherited runners score, but K-Rod probably deserved better than his line of 7 1/3 innings, 5 ER. Kenny struck out 11, and had 7 ground outs to only 3 fly outs, a very good ratio.

Despite the fact that the offense managed 9 hits and 7 walks, they could only muster 2 runs. The team was 1-11 with RISP, and left 12 men on base. Moises Sierra had the best night, going 3-4 with a walk, and his seasonal line is up to 319/395/450/844.

Lansing - scheduled day off

Jamestown 9 at Auburn 0 (game 1)

This was an ugly one, so I won’t write much about it. The offense ran into Royals’ prospect Mike Montgomery, and only managed 2 hits and 2 walks. No hitter reached base more than once (remembering, of course, that it was a 7 inning game). The pitching was no better, giving up 14 hits and a couple of walks in the 9-0 defeat. Starter Egan Smith bore most of the brunt.

Jamestown 1 at Auburn 5 (game 2)

That’s better. The story of this game was pitcher David Sever, who pitched 5 innings of relief, allowing a run on 2 hits and a walk while striking out 9. Starter James Lehman wasn’t too shabby either, pitching 2 shutout innings while allowing a hit, 2 walks, and striking out 3.

Bradley Glenn led the offense by going 2-3 with a double, 2 runs scored and an RBI. Eric Eiland reached base twice.

GCL Blue Jays 3 at GCL Tigers 0 (game 1)

The GCL Jays continued the trend of fine pitching, as starter Carlos Pina went 5 strong, not allowing a run, to lead the short seasoners to victory. The offense provided enough, led by 18 year old catcher Carlos Perez, who went a perfect 2-2, including a double, 2 runs, and a HBP. By the way, the GCL Tigers’ starter was named Ramon Lebron. Guess he shoulda stuck to basketball.

GCL Tigers 2 at GCL Blue Jays 3 (game 2)

This time, the game was a little closer, but once again 3 runs proved to be enough for the young’uns as the GCL Jays swept the home and home doubleheader against their Tiger counterparts. Of note, Kenny Wilson played in this game and went 1-3, and Gustavo Pierre was the offensive star, going 2-3 with a triple.

Three Stars!
3. Carlos Pina, GCL Blue Jays - 5 shutout innings
2. Marc Rzepczynski, Las Vegas - 5.2 IP, 5H, 1BB, 1ER, 7K
1. David Sever, Auburn - 5 IP, 2H, 1BB, 9K

Iowa Cubs

The I-Cubs were stopped by the Round Rock Express 8-4.

Greg Reinhard started and took the loss, giving up five runs in only three innings. Reinhard surrendered eight hits and a walk while fanning four.

Right fielder So Taguchi led off the game with his first home run of the year. It was his only hit in five trips to the plate.

Second baseman Luis Rivas went 2 for 4.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies were eclipsed by the Huntsville Stars, 3-2.

Marcos Mateo pitched well, allowing only one run on five hits in his five inning start. The one run scored on a solo home run. Mateo didn’t walk anyone and struck out two. He did hit two batters.

Jake Muyco took the loss in relief when he allowed a solo home run in the ninth. Muyco pitched one inning and allowed only that one home run. He struck out two.

Right fielder Doug Deeds was 2 for 4 and scored a run.

Daytona Cubs

The D-Cubs denied the Fort Myers Miracle, 5-1.

Andrew Cashner continues to put up zeros on the scoreboard, pitching another four innings today, allowing no runs on two hits. Cashner walked three and struck out three. He has now not allowed a run in his last three starts, which spanned 12 innings.

Dustin Sasser got the win because Cashner didn’t go five. He pitched three innings and allowed one unearned run on two hits and a walk. Sasser struck out four.

Second baseman Nate Samson had a big day. He went 4 for 5 with two RBI and two runs scored.

Peoria Chiefs

The Chiefs rode a nine-run eighth inning to skin the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 15-6.

Starter Aaron Shafer had a rough game, allowing five runs on six hits over five innings. Shafer walked two and struck out two.

Jeffrey Beliveau is putting up some ridiculous numbers for Peoria this season. Today he pitched four innings and allowed one run on two hits and two walks. The ridiculous part was that he struck out eight. Beliveau has now struck out 72 batters in only 53 innings this season.

The Chiefs banged out 17 hits today, led by Drew Rundle, who was 4 for 5 with a double. Rundle scored three times and had one RBI.

Josh Vitters, Ryan Flaherty and Rebel Ridling each went 2 for 5 with a run scored. Vitters had one RBI, Flaherty two and Ridling three. Both of Ridling’s hits were doubles.

Right fielder Nelson Perez was 2 for 6 with two RBI and a run scored. We’re also past the MWL All-Star Break and I don’t think I’ve called him Nelson Cruz yet, which is something of a miracle. Not only do they have similar names, they’re similar players.

Boise Hawks

The Hawks came home today and managed to defeat the Yakima Bears, 3-2.

Jeffry Antigua got the win with four innings of shutout relief. He gave up three hits and a walk while striking out three.

Second baseman Logan Watkins was 2 for 4. Catcher Alvaro Sosa went 2 for 3.

AZL Cubs

Lost to the Giants, 11-3.

Had there been no incidents in yesterday’s win over the White Sox, I probably wouldn’t have posted anything this morning — the first post today would have been the preview thread at 1 pm CDT.

But given the passion exhibited in last night’s recap regarding Milton Bradley — and I commend all of you for keeping it on topic and not making anything personal — I felt it was important to have a post up this morning where discussion on this issue can continue, because this appears to be a real turning point for this team, just as the Michael Barrett/A.J. Pierzynski brawl did the same thing two years ago, coincidentally in a game at the Cell.

First, I continue to stand by the two things I posted last night regarding things I have heard about Milton Bradley. I learned these a couple of weeks ago but decided to sit on them at the time, only posting them last night because I felt they were relevant to yesterday’s incident. No, I can’t and won’t post names. Believe what you will, but I have absolutely no doubt I was told the truth.

There’s another take on this situation this morning from Chris DeLuca in the Sun-Times:

Veteran Alfonso Soriano, who doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being a true team leader, said he had never seen anything like it during his nine-year career. And then Soriano — always one of the first Cubs in the clubhouse — put the onus on Bradley to shape up or ship out.

“That’s my first time to see a manager fighting with a player; get mad with a player,’”Soriano said. “Sometimes you can get mad, but not like that. It’s something new for me every day.

“We are 25 players, and we have to be on the same page. If he is not 100 percent to help the team win, we don’t need him. If he’s 100 percent and he wants to play, he’s more than welcome.”

That means Bradley must arrive today at U.S. Cellular Field earlier than usual — which means, don’t be the last position player to wander into the clubhouse. He must put the team first — for the first time in his career. He must accept responsibility for his selfish actions — instead of blaming everyone else.

You can criticize Soriano all you want, justifiably, for his play on the field. But one thing you cannot say is that Soriano has the wrong attitude. Soriano’s a leader, and he is absolutely correct. I have a lot more to say, so there’s more below the fold.

I’m also posting again about this because of two articles written by Cubs beat writers, one by Paul Sullivan, the other by Gordon Wittenmyer. I posted this from Sullivan’s article in the comments last night, but felt it deserved further attention:

Bradley blamed himself for his poor start (.237 batting average), and conceded he didn’t realize how “overwhelming” it would be to be a focus of attention on the North Side.

“People are always watching and looking at everything I’m doing,” he said. “My personality is more of a guy who likes to go unnoticed — to show up, do my job and go home, and really not have a whole lot of hoopla about it.

“I’m really not a guy who’s seeking any attention. I’m not seeking to be noted, like ‘Milton Bradley and the Chicago Cubs.’ I don’t want that. I just want to be part of a group and fit in and just love and be loved. That’s the basis of what I am.

“Maybe years ago I might have thought I wanted all this, but I really don’t want all the attention.”

He didn’t want the attention? Exactly where did he think he was signing? The Yukon? The Cubs get more attention than perhaps any team in baseball save the Yankees and Red Sox! They have been on national cable for 30 years and have a national fan base! Yes, I know — he played in “major markets” before (Oakland, Dallas, Los Angeles). But neither the Athletics nor the Rangers have the huge and rabid fan bases that the Cubs do, and in laid-back LA, the Dodgers don’t get the kind of scrutiny that the Cubs do, nor are they under the pressure to win that the Cubs are. Didn’t Bradley think of this? Didn’t Jim Hendry do his due diligence regarding Bradley’s personality and whether it would fit in the pressure cooker that is Cubs baseball?

Bradley was, in some sense, signed to be “Milton Bradley and the Chicago Cubs”, given the desire for LH-hitting production and the dollars he signed for. All of this could have and should have been known to him last December. I have no doubt that Bradley wants very badly to succeed and perform well. The “passion”, however, that he supposedly brings to this team isn’t the kind of “passion” we need. Instead, it’s a daily soap opera of one kind or another. If Bradley wanted to “show up, do his job and go home, and really not have a whole lot of hoopla about it”, he should have signed with Pittsburgh, Kansas City or Florida, places where baseball is an afterthought.

The second point, brought out in Wittenmyer’s article, is more disturbing and more direct:

Piniella ordered Bradley to the clubhouse and followed him — with Carlos Zambrano joining him — through the tunnel from the dugout.

According to sources, Piniella then shouted at Bradley, “You’re not a player! You’re a piece of sh–!”

Bradley then said, “I have too much respect for you to respond to that,” a source said.

Presuming the above exchange is true — and I have no doubt that it is — there are a couple of things I’d like to say. First, a manager really shouldn’t say that about one of his players. Bradley’s reaction, when he surely could have exploded and made the situation far worse, does give me some respect for him.

But keep this in mind: two years ago after the Barrett/Pierzynski incident, it’s clear to me that Lou likely went to Jim Hendry and said, “Get him off my team.” And two weeks later, Hendry obliged him.

It’s unlikely Milton Bradley can be traded anywhere at this point, unless the Cubs are willing to eat large chunks of his remaining contract. As some say, however, he is a “sunk cost”. Maybe this is the thing to do — admit this was an enormous mistake, see if any team will send a face-saving prospect or two, eat most of the deal, and move on. Perhaps Adam Dunn could be acquired to play right field the rest of the year — honestly, I don’t care how bad his defense is, at least he’d be getting on base and hitting home runs (and you could run Reed Johnson, Ryan Freel or Kosuke Fukudome out there the last couple innings for defense). Or send Jake Fox out there once Aramis Ramirez returns — Fox has shown he can be at least capable in the field.

If not, then the Cubs are stuck with Hendry’s bad decision, and hopefully can go out and reclaim Mark DeRosa to get another bat in the lineup — yes, the Cubs are interested and have inquired about DeRo, says Wittenmyer. For me, I will not boo Bradley unless he makes an egregious on-field mistake (such as tossing another ball into the stands with less than three outs). I’ll cheer his positive contributions as long as he wears the blue pinstripes. I have no doubt that he wants to win and do well, very badly. The problem is: I don’t think he knows how, how to be part of a team, how to channel that passion and aggressiveness to the team.

And I will expect nothing from him. Because that’s what he has given us so far.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs zipped past the New Orleans Zephyrs, 7-3.

Jeff Samardzija picked up his fifth win tonight with seven solid innings. He allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out five.

The I-Cubs had ten hits, all singles. Bobby Scales and Luis Rivas were both 2 for 4 with a run scored. Rivas added in an RBI. So Taguchi went 2 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI. Matt Camp had a walk, an RBI and a stolen base in a 2 for 3 game.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies lost to the Montgomery Biscuits, 4-2.

Starter Jeremy Papelbon took the loss, allowing all four runs in only 3.2 innings. Papelbon was tagged for seven hits, including two home runs. He walked two and fanned three.

First baseman Doug Deeds went 2 for 4 with a double and a home run. Deeds scored twice.

Daytona Cubs

The D-Cubs transformed the hometown cheers for the Fort Myers Miracle into whine, 8-6.

Starter Craig Muschko threw four innings, allowing only one run on three hits. He walked two and struck out five.

Henry Williamson pitched very poorly, but got the win anyway when the offense scored for him. Williamson pitched two innings and gave up four runs on five hits and two walks. He didn’t strike anyone out.

Shortstop Starlin Castro had a huge game, collecting five RBI with a double and a triple in a 2 for 4 night. Castro also walked once and scored once.

Third baseman Marwin Gonzalez was 3 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored. Center fielder Tony Campana went 2 for 5 with two runs scored. Left fielder Jonathan Wyatt went 2 for 4 with a run scored.  First baseman Jovan Rosa was 2 for 5 with a double and a run scored.

Right fielder Brandon Guyer had a double and an RBI in a 2 for 4 game. Guyer is now hitting .396 in 13 games in High-A. If the Cubs hadn’t jumped him all the way to AA this season, I don’t think anyone would be disappointed in his numbers at Daytona so far.

Peoria Chiefs

The Chiefs bullpen broke down and the Chiefs fell to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 3-2.

Starter Chris Archer had a no-hitter going when he got pulled after five innings. The only problem was that he had probably thrown a lot of pitches considering he had walked five batters in that time, although none of them scored.  Archer struck out four.

Chris Huseby blew his first save of the season, taking the loss as he allowed one run on four hits in one inning. He also allowed an inherited runner to score in the eighth inning. Huseby struck out one.

Josh Vitters hit his first home run this month, going 2 for 4 with two RBI. As hot as Vitters was in May, he’s been cold in June. Perhaps this is a sign he’s breaking out of his slump.

Center fielder David Macias was 2 for 4.

Boise Hawks

The carnage continued as the Hawks were blown up by the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, 11-1.

Robert Hernandez got beat up for four runs on five hits and two walks over four innings. He walked two and struck out five. One of the runs was unearned.

Catcher Alvaro Sosa was 1 for 3 with his first home run of the season.

AZL Cubs

Lost to the Angels, 7-5.

Please feel free to add or make up your own.
Here’s my attempt:

#10: It turns out Geovany Soto’s rotund shape came from a bad case of the munchies.

#9: Back to back sweeps in St. Louis and…San Diego (May 19 - 24).

#8: Taking out frustrations on a defenseless Gatorade dispenser.

#7: The “Exhibition” Games at the new Yankee Stadium, where the Cubs lost by a combined score of 5 to 17 in the two games.

#6: Getting more left handed.

#5: “Captain Morgan Club” - you just have to hope that the team really got alot of cash from that booze company to put that sign up at Wrigley Field. I can’t even walk in there because the name is so embarassing.

#4: Aaron Miles. You can’t even say “scrappy” about this guy.

#3: This thinking: “well, it’s okay that the Cubs lost because so did St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Cincinnati.” EMBARASSING!

#2: The absolute lack of clutch hitting, and how the loss of one bat (Aramis) completely ruined an entire, expensive, professional, veteran line-up.

#1: Milton Bradley - from bumping the ump in his first game to tossing the ball into the bleachers with only two outs (Milton’s Boner) - there isn’t alot about Milton that isn’t excruciatingly embarrassing.