These are the kind of games that are easy to write for. First off, your team does really well. That makes it a lot easier to write about the team. Second, low scoring shutouts also mean there’s less to write about, as not as many things happened. :)
This game started off with Adam Eaton pitching for Texas. He unfortunately came out of the game in the second, as he was hit by a batted ball. Apparently, he’s OK, but it’s never good to see one of your starters (and the projected #2) come out of a spring training game being hit by a ball. From what I’ve read since, we’re fortunate it wasn’t a serious injury. However, his removal from the game didn’t stop our pitching. Fabio Castro came in and went 3 innings, giving up just two hits. What’s amazing to me about this game wasn’t so much the shutout, but the fact that we didn’t walk anyone. Texas sent out seven pitchers in all, and they all combined for a 6 hit shutout of the Cubs, walking none and striking out 9. A really nice looking game in the box scores. A lot of zeroes. :)
Offensively, we couldn’t get much going against the Cubs, either. Texas only had 6 hits overall (2 by Dellucci). In fact, it was Dellucci who gave us all we needed, going 2 for 2 with an RBI triple. Kevin Mench had the other RBI. In all, we had 6 hits, Chicago had 5. Not a lot of offense, but we had enough, because our pitching carried us on Sunday.
ST17: Mar 19, 2006 vs. Cubs (W: 2-0)
8-8-1 (.500) – 5th – 4.5 Dn – Streak W1
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News Coverage
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Texas Rangers/MLB.Com News Coverage: #1 | #2
Photos
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Game Recap
MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Chicago starter Carlos Zambrano struck out seven and allowed two runs in five innings and a split squad of Chicago Cubs lost 2-0 to the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
David Dellucci drove in Michael Young with a two-out triple in the fourth inning against Zambrano and Kevin Mench followed with a base hit to make it 2-0.
Other than that, Zambrano was sharp. He struck out the side in the first inning and fanned two of the three batters he faced in the fifth. He allowed four hits and didn’t walk a batter.
“I was feeling good today,” said Zambrano, who pitched for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. “My fastball was good and my sinker, all my pitches. I don’t think I need much to go. I’m ready for the season. I think I have two starts left, and I will finish strong.”
The Rangers got a scare with their starting pitcher. Right-hander Adam Eaton took a line drive off his right forearm in the second. He picked up the ball and made the unassisted putout at first base to retire Marquis Grissom, but manager Buck Showalter removed him from the game.
The Rangers said Eaton has a bruised right forearm and was taken out of the game for as a precaution.
Notes
Cubs catcher Michael Barrett played in his first game since returning from the World Baseball Classic. Barrett was 0-for-2. He and first baseman Derrek Lee both played for Team USA. Lee said he would like to play Tuesday, but the Cubs may hold him out until later in the week because he bruised his left shoulder diving for a ball against Japan last Sunday.
Box Score
CAC FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - TEXAS 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 1 CHICAGO CUBS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 FINAL
WP - FABIO CASTRO (1-0) LP - CARLOS ZAMBRANO (0-1) SAVE - KELVIN JIMENEZ (2)
TIME: 2:31 ATT: 9,148
TEXAS (2) AT CHICAGO CUBS (0)
TEXAS AB R H BI CHICAGO CUBS AB R H BI B Wilkerson cf 2 0 0 0 J Pierre cf 3 0 0 0 I Kinsler 2b 2 0 1 0 D Gregg cf 1 0 0 0 M Young ss 2 0 1 0 J Hairston Jr 2b 3 0 1 0 B Harrison lf 2 1 0 0 E Patterson 2b 1 0 0 0 M Teixeira 1b 2 0 0 0 A Ramirez 3b 2 0 2 0 J Botts 1b 2 0 0 0 C McGehee 3b 2 0 0 0 H Blalock 3b 2 0 0 0 B Dopirak 1b 2 0 0 0 A Hyzdu rf 2 0 0 0 B Sing 1b 2 0 0 0 D Dellucci lf 2 1 2 1 M Grissom lf 2 0 0 0 A Brown cf 2 0 0 0 M Padgett lf 2 0 1 0 K Mench rf 2 0 1 1 M Barrett c 2 0 0 0 J Brewer ss 1 0 0 0 D Anderson c 2 0 0 0 E Durazo dh 3 0 0 0 F Pie rf 2 0 0 0 M Derosa 2b 2 0 0 0 R Harvey rf 1 0 0 0 D Jimenez 3b 1 0 1 0 R Cedeno ss 2 0 1 0 G Laird c 3 0 0 0 A Ojeda ss 1 0 0 0 J Burke c 0 0 0 0 R Wells p 0 0 0 0 C Zambrano p 2 0 0 0 S Williamson p 0 0 0 0 L Walrond p 0 0 0 0 I Salas ss 1 0 0 0 TOTALS 32 2 6 2 TOTALS 33 0 5 0
TEXAS 000 200 000 -- 2 CHICAGO CUBS 000 000 000 -- 0
E--I Kinsler. LOB--TEXAS 3, CHICAGO CUBS 6. 2B--J Hairston Jr, R Cedeno, M Padgett. 3B--D Dellucci. CS--D Jimenez.
IP H R ER BB SO HR TEXAS A Eaton 1 1-3 1 0 0 0 0 0 F Castro (W,1-0) 3 2 0 0 0 4 0 T Thompson 2-3 0 0 0 0 2 0 F Cordero 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 E Ramirez 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 A Alfonseca 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 K Jimenez (S,2) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 CHICAGO CUBS C Zambrano (L,0-1) 5 4 2 2 0 7 0 S Williamson 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 L Walrond 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 R Wells 2 2 0 0 0 1 0
WP--C Zambrano, F Castro. SO--TEX: G Laird 2, A Hyzdu, M Derosa, E Durazo, J Botts, B Harrison, I Kinsler, M Teixeira, M Young, B Wilkerson. CHN: C Zambrano 2, M Barrett, J Hairston Jr, E Patterson, R Harvey, M Padgett, B Dopirak, J Pierre. T--2:31. A--9,148.