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The Dodgers were a split squad Saturday, but many of their regulars played against the Cubs, among them Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández.
And three Cubs pitchers who are all in the mix for swingman/relief/starter roles threw very well and the Cubs shut out the Dodgers 6-2. And today, if you missed the game, we have video highlights!
Colin Rea threw the first three innings and allowed just one hit, a single, striking out two. He threw 51 pitches (29 strikes). Here’s a breakdown of Rea’s outing [VIDEO].
Here’s Rea’s strikeout of Miguel Rojas that ended the third [VIDEO].
Ben Brown threw the fourth and fifth and was very efficient, throwing just 27 pitches (18 strikes). He also allowed one hit, and struck out three. That’s really encouraging for the tall right-hander. It’s still unclear whether Brown will open 2026 in the Cubs bullpen, or head to Triple-A Iowa to start.
Javier Assad threw the sixth, seventh and eighth. He also allowed just one hit, a single, and struck out four, with another efficient pitch count (37, 24 of which were strikes). Assad will be heading out to pitch for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic soon, and he was very good in the last WBC in 2023. Assad might wind up starting the season at Iowa, stretching out to start.
That’s all really good! Overall those three threw eight innings with just 115 pitches (71 strikes).
The Cubs sent mostly a team of subs and non-roster guys. It was the first game action for Kevin Alcántara and Christian Bethancourt. Alcántara went 0-for-4 as the DH and Bethancourt 1-for-4. Perhaps we’ll see Moisés Ballesteros play tomorrow.
The Cubs broke the scoreless tie in the fifth. B.J. Murray led off with a double and Justin Dean was hit by a pitch. A single by Scott Kingery loaded the bases. Two outs later, Murray scored on a wild pitch [VIDEO].
Another Cubs run crossed the plate in the seventh. With one out, Brett Bateman walked and stole second. Bateman took third when Bethancourt hit a ground ball to short that was booted for an error. A high bouncer by Pedro Ramirez in front of the plate was fielded too late by Dodgers pitcher Ronan Kopp. Ramirez beat it out for a single and Bateman scored. Here’s the play, in the middle of an interview with Freeman [VIDEO].
Cubs minor leaguers put two more on the board in the eighth. Kane Kepley led off with a double and Owen Miller singled him to third. Miller stole second, and one out later Carter Trice walked. Bateman worked a nine-pitch at-bat before singling in two runs [VIDEO].
Bateman has talent and is worth watching going forward. He’ll be 24 in a couple of weeks and likely plays this year at Iowa. He profiles as a fourth outfielder, good defender with a good batting eye (.385 career minor-league OBP) and good baserunning skills (63 stolen bases in three minor-league seasons).
The Cubs added two in the ninth. The first one scored on a double by Drew Bowser and triple by Kepley [VIDEO].
Then Kepley scored on a sac fly by Owen Miller [VIDEO].
Then the ninth inning got messy. Jeff Brigham entered the game. He challenged a called ball and got it overturned, the first challenge of the game, but wound up walking Zyhir Hope anyway. Brigham wound up loading the bases on two walks and a single and walked in a run, ruining the shutout bid. After that Craig Counsell removed Brigham in favor of minor leaguer Dawson Netz. A passed ball scored a second Dodgers run, but Netz ended it with a ground out.
The Cubs had a lot of chances to score even more runs in this game, as they left 13 on base and went 5-for-17 with RISP. Nevertheless, the solid pitching was enough to win, and definitely the story of the game from a Cubs standpoint.
The Cubs return to Sloan Park Sunday to take on the White Sox for the second time this spring. Shōta Imanaga will make his second spring start and he’ll be opposed by a former Cub, Anthony Kay, who’s now with the Sox. Game time is 2:05 p.m. CT. The team returns to TV coverage on Marquee Sports Network for Sunday’s game. There will also be a radio broadcast on the White Sox flagship station, WMVP/ESPN 1000.