CI Recap (3/14/18) – Royals 7, Cubs 6: Top of the Lineup Looks Good
The Cubs headed out to Surprise on Wednesday to take on the Kansas City Royals. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo both looked good in the Chicago loss. (Box score)
Why The Cubs Lost
Dillon Maples continues to struggle with his control and allowed the go-ahead runs to score in the 7th inning.
Key Moment
Anthony Rizzo slashed a single up the middle off of Willy Peralta in the top of 5th, driving home two and giving the Cubs a 4-1 lead.
Stats That (Don’t) Matter
- Kris Bryant drew two more walks and scored a run. KB has drawn eight walks this spring with only seven strikeouts and may be morphing into Ben Zobrist, just taller and with more power. Oh, and better walk-up music.
- Ian Happ reached base twice more Wednesday, displaying his athleticism beating out an infield hit on a tapper in front of home plate.
- Justin Wilson had his first rough outing, allowing a run on three hits and his first walk of the spring.
Bottom Line
I’m starting to really like having Happ, Bryant, and Rizzo at the top of the lineup. Maybe toss in Kyle Schwarber in the two-hole.
On Deck
The Cubs host the Diamondbacks at Sloan Park on Thursday. The Professor, Kyle Hendricks, takes the hill at 3:05 pm CT, with an audio feed available on cubs.com.