Must have seemed like an eternity for Cubs fans between the opener and game two against their most hated rivals. I mean, how cruel can it get for Cubbies fans? You can bet it was a pretty unproductive Wednesday afternoon in offices across the North Side when game 2 finally arrived. And for these slackers it was worth the wait – just like it will be worth the wait for Kris Bryant.

ARMS

Anibal Sanchez – ( 6.2IP / 3H / 0R / 0ER / 2BB / 6K)  The 2013 A.L. ERA leader is back to his old tricks. Even with their improved lineup the Twins could not solve his mix of pitches, including one he calls “the butterfly” which drops away from left-handed batters. Durability is his only question mark.

Lance Lynn – ( 6IP / 2H / 2R / 1 ER / 1BB / 9K )  Mr. Consistency pitched a heck of a game, but the Cubs made the most of a HBP, an error, a hit and a sacrifice fly in the 7th. It was that kind of game, with the Cubs scrapping and scraping for the only runs of the game. Lynn was great, but out-dueled by… 

Jake Arrieta – ( 7IP / 3H / 0R / 0ER / 3BB / 7K )  This has to be a big game for the psyche of the team and their fans. Many experts have doubted whether Arrieta can repeat his breakout 2014 season. So far, so good.

Hector Rondon – Had a clean 9th for his 1st save.

R. A. Dickey – ( 6.1IP / 4H / 1R / 1ER / 3BB / 4K )

Michael Pineda – ( 6IP / 6H / 2R / 2ER / 1BB / 6K )

Andrew Miller – In an interesting turn of events, Miller closed the game and Betances got the win for his troubles in the 8th. This is not good news for Betances owners, however. Miller retired the side with 1K for his first save.

Jacob deGrom – ( 6IP / 6H / 2R / 2ER / 2BB / 6K ) 

Jordan Zimmermann – ( 6IP / 5H / 1R / 1ER / 4K )

Miguel Gonzalez – ( 5.2IP / 3H / 1R / 1ER / 5BB / 5K )

Jake Odorizzi – ( 6.2IP / 2H / 0R / 0ER / 0BB / 7K ) Another one our Sleeper picks, Odorizzi was un-hittable yesterday. He allowed a double and a single and that’s it folks. Hope you listened to us.

Brad Boxberger – Struck out the side for his first rent-a-save. The Rays might eventually consider going with him as the closer, but who’s to say at this early juncture. His stats from last year are elite.

Shelby Miller – ( 5IP / 4H / 0R / 0ER / 2BB / 4K )

Tom Koehler – ( 6IP / 5H / 2R / 2ER / 3BB / 4K )

Jason Grilli - Had a clean 9th for his 2nd save.

Jose Quintana – ( 5IP / 9H / 5R / 5ER / 1BB / 4K ) The A.L. Central looks like it could eat up many pitchers this year. The 7-8-9 punch that the Royals have in Herrera, Davis and Holland made it clear that the White Sox still lack some depth in the bullpen, despite a very good offseason of acquisitions. Quintana, another of our Sleeper picks, should bounce back from this tough start.

Danny Duffy – ( 5IP / 8H / 5R / 5ER / 0BB / 5K )  The A.L. Central looks like it could eat up many pitchers this year.

Gerritt Cole –  ( 5IP / 5H / 3R / 3ER / 2BB / 6K )

Carlos Carrasco – ( 6.1IP / 3H / 0R / 0ER / 10K )  Carrasco continued where he left off in the second half last year and earned his first win. Do not be surprised if he continues to do so. This is no small sample size any longer. 

Scott Kazmir – ( 7IP / 1H / 0R / 0ER / 2BB / 10K ) As I watched the Dodger game and listened to Vin Scully last night, I kept my eye on the Oakland/Texas game on a ticker-style thingy. It dawned on me how few players in Oakland’s line-up were wearing an A’s cap in the player pictures that popped up. I began to scrutinize further to see if any of them had played for the A’s last year. There was a Rangers cap, a D-Backs cap, a Rays cap, a Royals cap, a Marlin’s cap from a Minor Leaguer, a Blue Jay’s cap and 2 White Sox caps. Kazmir was the only one. I wonder if this is some kind of record. Billy Beane has outdone himself.

Matt Shoemaker – ( 6IP / 6H / 3R / 3ER / 0BB / 5K )  His conversion of 16 wins in 20 starts was one of the luckiest happenings last season. He came up as a replacement pitcher and showed few signs of this kind of performance throughout the Minors. 

Hisashi Iwakuma – ( 6IP / 9H / 5R / 4ER / 0BB / 3K )  Don’t panic owners. Although he turns 34 this Sunday, Iwakuma has plenty left. However, he goes up against the mighty Dodgers in his next start

Andrew Cashner – ( 5IP / 8H / 6R / 5ER / 3BB / 6K )  The Dodgers/Padres games already have a different feel about them after years of tight low-scoring games. Cashner threw up to 97MPH, but most of his opponents can catch up to that kind of heat.

Brandon McCarthy – ( 5IP / 9H / 4R / 4ER / 1BB / 9K )

Rick Porcello – ( 6IP / 6H / 3R / 3ER / 2BB / 4K )  Don’t expect better numbers than this from Porcello on a regular basis. He’ll be facing many superior offenses than the much maligned/rebuilding Phillies. 

 

BATS

Ian Kinsler – 2/4 with a 3B, 2R, and 4RBI.  Easily one of the hottest bats in the league right through Spring Training. Kinsler appears to be on a mission early. Caveball has the 32 yr. old ranked higher than most other sites – must be why he ended up on my team. Oh well, looks like I’ll have to suffer through his next 100-run season. He may even top his 92 RBI from last year at his present rate.

Miggy Cabrera – 2/4 with 2 RBI. He’s just getting started. He should hit the sacred 400-HR mark some time in May. Let’s have a little fun here. I’ll play oracle here and say May 23 at home against the Yanks will be the day. Further down the road, if Cabrera can average 105 RBI over the next 6 yrs (he’s currently 32), he will join the tiny 3-member 2000 RBI club. Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Cap Anson are the only members.

Julio Iglesias – 4/4 with 3R

Alex Avila – 1/1 with 3BB and 4R.  Leads the league in runs. Wonder what Vegas would have paid out on those odds?

Edwin Encarnacion – 2/4 with no damage

Jacoby Ellsbury - 2/2 with 2R, 2BB and a SB. Was a game changer – in Fantasy too.

Chase Headley - 2/4 with an RBI

Ryan Zimmerman – 1/4 with a 2-run HR. The 1st inning dinger was all the Nats got, but all they needed.

Evan Longoria – 1/2 with 2BB and the only two runs of the game. Is he the new Votto? Not likely. He’s a free swinger, but that’s 4 walks in the last 2 games.

Avisail Garcia – 3/4 with 1R. Could this be the beginning of the breakout everyone has been waiting for?

Lorenzo Cain – 3/4 with 2R, 2RBI and a HR. The Royals all look like they are oozing confidence after making it to Game 7 last year – and it seems like they’re hungry for more. Case in point:

Eric Hosmer – 2/3 with 2R, 3RBI and a HR. 

Joey Votto – 2/6 with 2RBI. One was the game winner in the 11th inning, which means Votto is handling all the critics and pressure. He can hit. Votto’s our top pick for Comeback player in 2015.

Todd Frazier – 2/5 with 2R, 1RBI and his 2nd HR. The new look lineup bodes well for Frazier, as he’s hitting third behind Votto, with Mesoraco hitting cleanup. This bodes well for the Reds in general, as it seems Bryan Price has finally seen the sense in slotting Brandon Phillips later in the order.

Carlos Gonzalez – 2/5 with a 2-run HR. Looking good. Hope it lasts – I mean, he.

Corey Dickerson – 2/4 with his 2nd HR. Again people, this huge talent is hitting 6th.

Albert Pujols – 1/5 with his 521st HR, which ties him with such names as Ted Williams, Willie McCovey and Frank Thomas for 18th on the all-time list.

Kyle Seager - 1/3 with a BB and a 2-run HR. He’s better than we think, as he continues to defy Safeco.

Brad Miller – 2/4 with a HR. Is there a breakout about to show itself here?

Casey McGehee – 2/5 with a 2B and a HR. I wouldn’t normally put him up here, but he might be someone to consider streaming for the coming week. The Giants are at home for 7 games against the D-Backs and the Rockies – two weak pitching staffs. Read more about this in our upcoming Guesthouse post.

And finally, our player of the night last night…

Adrian Gonzalez – 4/4 with 3 home runs and a run-scoring single. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Gonzalez became the first player ever to hit 5 HR in his first 3 games of the season. He’s also got 2 doubles. So what’s he slugging you ask: 2.077. That’s not even recognizable.