The Rundown: C.J. Edwards Solid Again, Royals Sweep, Markakis?
I know it’s only the Arizona Fall League. And I know it was only three innings.
But yesterday, C.J. Edwards made his second start in the AFL, and once again he performed well. And I feel pretty good about that.
Edwards, the Cubs’ top pitching prospect, went three scoreless innings for the Mesa Solar Sox, giving up one hit and striking out three. I’m trying not to get my hopes up TOO much, but if everything falls into the right place, Edwards could possibly be up in Chicago in 2015.
To help the Solar Sox pick up the win on Wednesday, Addison Russell started at DH and went 1-for-3 with a double, walk and RBI. Outfielder Bijan Rademacher was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Royals sweep
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but on Wednesday, the Kansas City Royals won another one-run game as they beat the Baltimore Orioles 2-1. The Royals have yet to lose in the playoffs this year.
I can’t tell if this team is actually great or if they just got hot at the perfect time. I do know that their pitching staff is for real. The Royals’ three-man bullpen attack of Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera and Greg Holland have been lights-out, as they were once again in Game 4.
It’s fun to watch a team with a ton of home-grown talent have success. I know it’s something I hope to see in Chicago in the near future.
Giants one win from World Series
If the Cubs watched the Giants’ 6-4 win in Game 4 of the NLCS, they may have come up with a new strategy for defeating the Cardinals in the future: Hit it at Matt Adams.
Adams made a number of miscues while playing first base, including one on a grounder in which he failed to look back the go-ahead run at third base in the sixth inning. He tried to step on first and turn a double play at second, but you need to prevent the runner on third base from advancing in that situation.
Game 5 should be a good one, with a pair of aces squaring off: Adam Wainwright against Madison Bumgarner. The Cardinals will need a better outing from Wainwright, who struggled in Game 1. And it’ll be interesting to see if Yadier Molina plays. (I bet he will.)
Other notes
* Last night, Evan wrote about another Cuban defector, left-handed-hitting infielder Jose Fernandez. He is reportedly a high-OBP and good-contact guy but with questionable defensive skills. My thought is that the Cubs won’t be in on him because of their surplus of infielders at the moment.
* The Orioles will not be picking up the option next year on Nick Markakis but are expected to try and re-sign him, according to Jon Heyman. If Markakis leaves Baltimore, he may be an OK fit for the Cubs as a left-handed veteran presence. Not enamored with the idea, but wouldn’t hate it.
* Cubs prospects dominated another Baseball America list, this time for the Pacific Coast League (Triple-A). Kris Bryant topped the list (he led the Southern League’s list as well), with Javier Baez coming in at No. 3. Also on the list are Arismendy Alcantara (10) and Kyle Hendricks (17).