Christopher Paciolla blasted a two-run home run and Mason McGwire, Branden Noriega, and Luis A. Reyes combined to hurl a two-hit shutout, as the Cubs blanked the Giants 4-0 in Arizona Instructional League game action Tuesday morning at Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ.
Here is the abridged box score from the game (Cubs players only):
Despite dropping the first three games against the Diamondbacks this weekend, the Cubs pulled out a win in the final game and remain in the second NL Wild Card spot and three games back in the Central. They begin this week on the road in Colorado where they will play three games against a Rockies team aspiring to lose fewer than 100 games this season. Kris Bryant recently took batting practice but remains without a timetable for his return from a finger fracture.
Zyhir Hope led off the bottom of the 1st inning with a triple and scored, Alexis Hernandez collected two RBI singles, Geuri Lubo drilled an RBI single, walked, and scored a run, and SP Alfredo Romero tossed three innings of shutout ball, as the Cubs defeated the Athletics 4-1 in Arizona Instructional League "Bridge Camp" game action Friday morning on Field # 1 at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa, AZ.
The Cubs are now 1-4 through their first five Instructs games.
Nate Nankill belted a solo home run, Nelson Beltran and Darlyn Montero stroked RBI singles, and SP Nathan Dettmer and four relievers combined to hurl a six-hit shutout, as the Athletics blanked the Cubs 6-0 in Arizona Instructional League "Bridge Camp" game action Thursday morning at the Lew Wolff Training Complex at Fitch Park in Mesa, AZ.
Here is the abridged box score from the game (Cubs players only):
The Cubs swept the Giants to climb to 1.5 games back both in the NL Central and behind the Phillies for the top NL Wild Card spot. Moreover, the offense showed up for this series, with Bellinger and Suzuki staying hot and benefitting from support throughout the lineup. Twenty-two games remain to land a preferable playoff position. They host the Wild Card hopeful Arizona Diamondbacks starting this Thursday. See below for matchups in the four-game series.
Dario Laverde drilled an RBI double and a single, John Wimmer doubled, singled, and scored a run, Capri Ortiz singled twice and stole three bases, and SP Yendy Gomez hurled three innings of no run / no hit ball, leading the Angels to a 6-3 victory over the Cubs in Arizona Instructional League "Bridge Camp" Labor Day game action Monday afternoon at Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ.
The Cubs split the series in Cincinnati, dropping to 3.5 back of Milwaukee and maintaining their second Wild Card spot. They return to Wrigley on Labor Day to take on the 70 and 67 Giants. San Francisco enters the series in a four way tie for the last Wild Card spot. See below for daily matchups.
Game 138, Monday, September 4, 1:20 pm central
CHC: LHP Justin Steele (15-3, 2.69 ERA)
SFG: RHP Logan Webb (9-11, 3.49 ERA)
Game 139, Tuesday, September 5, 6:40 pm central
CHC: RHP Kyle Hendricks (5-7, 3.59 ERA)
SFG: TBD
Yerald Nin drilled a two-run double, singled twice, and scored a run and Jakey Josepha singled twice, walked, stole a base, scored a run, and drove in another, leading the Diamondbacks to a 9-3 victory over the Cubs in Arizona Instructional League "Bridge Camp" game action Saturday morning on Whirlwind Field at Talking Stick at Salt River Fields, east of Scottsdale, AZ.
Batting RH versus a RHP, Reggie Preciado (no longer switch-hitting) clubbed a solo HR over the LF fence to account for one of the three Cub runs.
The Cubs closed out August by squeezing two wins from a three-game set against the Brewers at Wrigley. The barely present offense couldn't overcome a poor inning from Taillon to open the series. But Steele, Hendricks and the bullpen gutted out a pair of one-run wins to bring the Cubs to three back in the Central and to retain the second Wild Card spot.
A club's Post-Season Eligibility List is established at midnight (Eastern) on August 31st.
A club's Active List (26-man roster) must be submitted to the MLB Commissioner prior to the start of the first game of each post-season series (Wild Card game, LDS, LCS, and World Series).
A club's Active List can be changed (tweaked) prior to the start of the first game of each series (WC, LDS, LCS, and WS).
Recent comments
Arizona Phil 09/23/2023 - 09:02 pm (view)
The deadline for trading players on an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) and players who were outrighted to the minors after signing a 2023 MLB contract was August 1st, but trades involving players on a minor league reserve list are prohibited beginning at 12 PM (Eastern) on the 7th day prior to the originally-scheduled conclusion of the 2023 MLB regular season (Sunday 9/24) through the last day of the MLB regular season (including a day on which a regular season game is played after the originally-scheduled conclusion of the MLB regular season).
Arizona Phil 09/23/2023 - 09:58 pm (view)
jdrnym:
As you know, the abbreviation "DFA" stands for "Designated for Assignment."
There are three types of assignments:
1. Trade Assignment (when a player is traded from one MLB club to another)
2. Outright Assignment (when a player is sent to the club's minor league Domestic Reserve List after Outright Assignment Waivers have been secured).
3. Optional Assignment (when a player is optioned to the minors, subject to being recalled at a later time).
So when a player is Designated for Assignment, the player can either be traded, outrighted to the minors, or optioned to the minors.
Normally a player is not Designated for Assignment and then optioned to the minors, because the club could just option the player to the minors immediately without a DFA.
Back in the day It was not that unusual for a player to be Designated for Assignment so that Optional Assignment Waivers could be secured (Optional Assignment Waivers were required before certain players could be optioned to the minors, and just like the old Trade Assignment Waivers, Optional Assignment Waivers were revocable if a player was claimed). Optional Assignment Waivers were eliminated in 2016 and Trade Assignment Waivers were eliminated in 2021, so all revocable waivers have been eliminated. What's left are Outright Assignment Waivers and Outright Release Waivers, and both are irrevocable once requested.
With the new five option limit whereby a player can (with a couple of exceptions) be optioned to the minors no more than five times in a given season before Outright Assignment Waivers must be secured (and it - IS - Outright Assignment Waivers that must be secured, even though it is for the purpose of an Optional Assignment), it now might be necessary for a club to DFA a player to clear a spot on the MLB 26-man roster (MLB 28-man roster in September) for another player and to allow for the two days (actually 47 hours) required to run a player through waivers. After the two day Waiver Claiming Period concludes (and presuming the player isn't claimed), the player can be returned to the MLB 40-man roster and optioned to the minors (even after being Designated for Assignment). But for that to happen, the player can - NOT - be replaced on the MLB 40-man roster by another player after being Designated for Assignment.
However, in the case of Jordan Luplow, he had - NOT - been optioned to the minors five times in the 2023 season prior to be optioned to AAA St. Paul on 9/18, so the Twins did not need to DFA Luplow in order to secure Outright Assignment Waivers so that he could be optioned to the minors a sixth time. But because he was Designated for Assignment and not replaced on the 40 by another player after the DFA, the Twins could option him to the minors (and return him to the 40) even after he was Designated for Assignment, because an Optional Assignment is one of the three types of assignments.
So Luplow was Designated for Assignment even though he didn't need to be, and then the Twins returned him to their MLB 40-man roster and optioned him to the minors a couple of days later (which they can do, since Luplow wasn't replaced on the 40 by another player after he was Designated for Assignment). What the Twins did (DFA Luplow and then option him to the minors a couple of days later) was within the rules. It's just very odd and doesn't make a lot of sense.
So I will offer the most logical reason I can think of to explain why the Twins did this:
The Twins DFA'd Luplow because they intended to reinstate Chris Paddack from the 60-day IL, but then Carlos Correa suddenly needed to go on the 10-day IL and so they decided they wanted to keep Luplow on the 40-man roster (and on Optional Assignment to AAA) and didn't want to risk losing him off waivers or by him electing free-agency after being outrighted. Luplow has Article XX-D rights (he has been outrighted to the minors previously in his career), so he would had the right to elect free-agency after he was outrighted. There was also the possibility that he would have been claimed of waivers, and obviously the Twins felt they might need his RH bat after losing Correa and with Royce Lewis having left a game with a hamstring injury that led to an IL assignment.
Also, if Luplow was outrighted instead of being optioned, he would no longer be automatically eligible to play in the post-season (except as a possible injury replacement).
Not only did Carlos Correa go on the IL, Royce Lewis went on the IL, too, two days after Correa went on the IL and two days after Luplow was optioned to AAA, so the Twins did in fact end up needing Luplow after all, and recalled him just a couple of days after he was optioned to replace Lewis on the MLB 28-man roster.
So that all I've got. That is the only thing that makes sense. The Twins DFA'd Luplow because they had intended to replace him on the 40 with another player (probably Paddack) and hoped that they would be able to run him through waivers and that he wouldn't get claimed and that he would accept an Outright Assignment, but then they suddenly changed their minds because of the injury to Correa and the possibility that Lewis might also have to go on the IL (which did, in fact, happen the next day).
So the Twins were able to return Luplow to the 40 because he hadn't been replaced on the 40 by another player after he was Designated for Assignment, then they optioned him to St. Paul, and then they recalled him after Royce Lewis was placed on the 10-day IL (the minimum 10-day optional assignment being waived because Luplow replaced a player (Royce Lewis) who was placed on an MLB IL.
crunch 09/23/2023 - 09:00 pm (view)
CIN out here blowing a 9-0 lead they built through 3 innings. 9-9 tie in the 7th.
crunch 09/23/2023 - 09:05 pm (view)
boxburger 10d IL, k.thompson back up. it's his right forearm (again).
crunch 09/23/2023 - 09:12 pm (view)
merryweather got out of it, but he loaded the bases with 1 out. of course ross got cuas up in the pen...thankfully he didn't need to come in.
looks like cuas gets the 9th.
crunch 09/23/2023 - 09:46 pm (view)
4ip 2h 0bb 6k, 49 pitches. no idea why they're giving the pen the last 2 innings when he's out there dealing like this and only threw 49 pitches. he was supposed to pitch tomorrow and he's fresh.
crunch 09/23/2023 - 09:52 pm (view)
...and assad is now a pen arm, evidently...odd move given recent success. i guess wicks starts tomorrow?
crunch 09/22/2023 - 09:16 pm (view)
ARZ, MIA, and CIN all lose. nice.
crunch 09/22/2023 - 09:54 pm (view)
stroman is now the saturday starter...okay, then.
jdrnym 09/22/2023 - 09:52 pm (view)
Phil,
Jordan Luplow was DFA'd by the Twins on Monday and was ultimately optioned and then recalled today. I didn't think that was possible since optional waivers were eliminated years ago. How did that work for the Twins?