Tag Archives: Cubs

19 Oct

mettle test

Game 4. However it plays out, Game 4 of the 2016 National League Championship Series is one Chicago Cubs fans will remember. “Teams that win the whole thing always have games that define them,” Cubs outfielder and ex-Ole Miss star Chris Coghlan told ESPN’s Jayson Stark. Game 4 at Dodger Stadium tonight will be such a game. Win it, and the series is even, guaranteed to go back to Wrigley Field. Lose it, and the Cubs are down 3-1 with Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw looming either in Game 5 or 6. The Cubs, shut out in Games 2 and 3, haven’t been hitting. Coghlan, a .252 hitter in 48 regular season games, hasn’t had much opportunity off the bench, going 0-for-2 with a walk in the NLCS. He doesn’t face lefties often, so he isn’t likely to start Game 4 against Julio Urias. But he could get an at-bat late, in a crucial spot, a “defining” moment perhaps. An anxious Cubs Nation – and every other true fan – will be watching.

12 Oct

shades of ’86

Anything that happens in the MLB playoffs that rekindles memories of the 1986 postseason has got to be pretty special. And it happened on Tuesday night. The Chicago Cubs’ comeback victory at San Francisco was the biggest in postseason-series clinching history, according to mlb.com. Down 5-2 in the ninth, the Cubs scored four times against the Giants’ tattered bullpen, surpassing what the New York Mets – a team loaded with former Jackson Mets – accomplished against Houston in the National League Championship Series 30 years ago. Davey Johnson’s Mets scored three runs in the top of the ninth to tie the Astros, then won the game and the series 7-6 in 16 innings. Ten former JaxMets played in that epic Game 6. Lenny Dykstra ignited the ninth inning rally with a leadoff triple, and Mookie Wilson knocked him in and later scored himself. Rick Aguilera and Roger McDowell combined for eight innings of scoreless relief, and Jesse Orosco, despite blowing a save in the 14th and yielding two runs in the 16th, nailed down the win by fanning Kevin Bass with two runners on. Ole Miss alum Jeff Calhoun came on in relief for the Astros in the 16th and yielded a hit, a walk and a run and threw two wild pitches during the three-run inning. That NLCS was a thrill ride from start to finish, and the World Series that followed was pretty interesting, too. P.S. Spotted in the Giants’ dugout on Tuesday: former Delta State standout Eli Whiteside, now a bullpen catcher for the club. Whiteside played for the Giants during their 2010 and 2012 championship runs and last played in the majors with the Cubs in 2014.

11 Oct

gotta love october

Time to take stock on the MLB postseason. We’ve seen Baltimore go down in flames as Orioles manager Buck Showalter, the ex-Mississippi State standout, kept the best closer in the league in the bullpen with the American League Wild Card Game on the line. MSU product Mitch Moreland was in the middle of the play that ended the season for Texas, the team that had the best record in the AL. First baseman Moreland knocked down the errant throw by Rougned Odor, then threw home too late to stop the winning run from scoring as Toronto completed a stunning sweep. Moreland went 2-for-8 with two RBIs in what may have been his Texas swansong. Ex-Ole Miss star Drew Pomeranz surrendered the pivotal home run (to Coco Crisp) on Monday in the other ALDS as Cleveland ended Boston’s season and David Ortiz’s career with a sweep. UM alum Mickey Callaway, the Indians’ pitching coach, saw his bullpen limit the Red Sox to two runs while fanning 14 in 10 1/3 innings over the three games. Former Rebels standout Chris Coghlan (0-for-2) has had a quiet National League Division Series for the Chicago Cubs, who saw their ace closer, Aroldis Chapman, cough up a lead Monday against San Francisco, which dodged a sweep by winning in 13 innings. Conor Gillaspie – the son of former MSU star Mark Gillaspie and the Giants’ Wild Card Game hero – delivered the big blow against Chapman, a two-run triple in the eighth inning. “He’s been fun to watch,” Giants ace Madison Bumgarner told the Chicago Tribune. It ain’t been fun for everyone, but that’s what makes October baseball so compelling.

07 Oct

it’s been too long

The last time San Francisco and the Chicago Cubs played in the postseason, a former Mississippi State star stole the show. The year was 1989 and the player was Will Clark, who went 13-for-20 with two homers, eight RBIs and eight runs as the Giants won the National League Championship Series in five games. Clark, on the recently announced “Today’s Game Era” Hall of Fame ballot for 2017, hit .333 with 23 homers for San Francisco in 1989, his fourth year in the big leagues, and .303 with 284 for his career. The Giants and Cubs meet again today in the NLDS, and there’s a Mississippi college alum in uniform. Former Ole Miss standout Chris Coghlan isn’t a steal-the-show kind of player – though he was the NL rookie of the year in 2009 — but he could still have an impact for the Cubs. Coghlan, a veteran of eight MLB campaigns, was a hot hitter down the stretch, batting .280 over his last 14 games. He finished the year at .252 in 48 games for the Cubs. He’s got some pop from the left side – six homers in 2016, five while with Oakland – and he has played six different positions in his career. Cubs manager Joe Maddon will find a use for him. The Giants don’t have an MSU alum to turn to, but they do have Wild Card Game hero Conor Gillaspie, the son of former Bulldogs star Mark Gillaspie. Conor was born in Nebraska and went to Wichita State. P.S. Louis Coleman, the ex-Pillow Academy star from Greenwood, did not make the Los Angeles Dodgers’ NLDS roster. Coleman, a right-handed reliever, posted a 4.69 ERA in 61 games this year and had some rough outings down the stretch. He has a career 3.51 ERA over six seasons.

21 Sep

he’s got name

There is something about the name that gets your attention: Delvin Zinn. Some clever headlines in that name. Of course, he’s got game, too. The Chicago Cubs certainly seem to think so, having drafted Pontotoc native Zinn twice. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound shortstop, who made his pro debut on July 28 for the Arizona League Cubs, is still in Arizona for the Instructional League season. His numbers in the AZL weren’t much to shout about. In just 11 games, he batted .182 with one extra-base hit. Zinn was chosen in the 23rd round in June out of Itawamba Community College, where he batted .411 as a freshman this past season with 34 RBIs, 41 runs and seven steals. Scouting reports rave about his defense. Drafted by the Cubs in the 28th round in 2015 out of Pontotoc High, Zinn opted to go to Mississippi State, where he took part in fall ball before transferring to ICC, where he was eligible to be drafted again after his freshman season. Zinn, just 19, isn’t yet among the Cubs’ rated prospects, but he is one to watch in an organization that appears to be set up for long-term success. … Also on the Cubs’ IL roster are left-handers Wyatt Short, drafted out of Ole Miss this year, and Justin Steele, a 2014 fifth-rounder from George County. Southaven native Short (see previous post) had a very good debut in the Northwest League. Steele, the highest-drafted prep pitcher from Mississippi since Matt Butler in 1999, went 5-7 with a 5.00 ERA in the Class A Midwest League this season. Scouting reports say the Cubs’ No. 23 prospect is still harnessing command of his three pitches. P.S. Former DeSoto Central All-Stater Austin Riley is on Atlanta’s IL roster; the third baseman is coming off a 20-homer year at low Class A Rome. Outfield prospect Braxton Davidson, who could be with the Mississippi Braves in 2017, also is in Florida, along with pitchers Carlos Salazar and Chad Sobotka, two other likely candidates for Pearl next year.

19 Sep

junk and stuff

Joe Gray, the highly touted junior at Hattiesburg High, is featured in a story currently posted on Baseball America’s website. Gray is playing on an elite travel team, the EvoShield Canes, with a group of seniors. Gray, a 6-foot-2, 194-pound outfielder, hit .474 with seven homers, 45 RBIs, 11 steals and 12 assists as a sophomore last year for Hattiesburg, helping the Tigers reach the Class 5A finals. He hit .380 as a freshman. Gray, who has not committed to a college, figures to be a high MLB draft pick in 2018. … Fall ball is in the air in Oxford, where the Rebels scrimmaged last Friday. Ole Miss, 43-19 and an NCAA Regional participant in 2016, returns infielders Tate Blackman, Colby Bortles and Will Golsan and reliever Will Stokes. Among the newcomers are freshmen Grae Kessinger, Jason Barber, Thomas Dillard and Houston Roth from powerhouse Oxford High. … Wyatt Short and Trent Giambrone – 2016 draftees out of Mississippi colleges by the Chicago Cubs – helped short-season Class A Eugene win the Northwest League pennant. Left-hander Short, a 13th-round pick from Ole Miss, where he was a standout closer, had a 0.00 ERA and seven saves in 15 games; he got the save in the final game of the title series. Second baseman Giambrone, a 25th-rounder out of Delta State, batted .292 with four homers and 22 RBIs for the Emeralds. … Blake Anderson, a supplemental first-round pick in 2014 out of West Lauderdale High, is on Miami’s Instructional League roster as a rehabbing player. The catcher played only one game this season, going on the disabled list with a shoulder injury on July 7. He has played only 58 games over three seasons. … Bryant Nelson, at age 42, is having a nice season in the independent Atlantic League. The switch-hitting second baseman/outfielder is batting .279 with 49 RBIs and 13 stolen bases for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. For fans of the old Jackson Generals — the ones who played at Smith-Wills Stadium from 1991-99 — the name might ring a bell. Nelson is the last link to a bygone era — the only former General still playing. (Freddy Garcia pitched briefly for Monterrey in the Mexican League this season but is not currently on the roster.) Nelson’s pro baseball odyssey began when Houston drafted him in the 44th round in 1993. He made the Generals’ roster in the 1996 postseason as an injury replacement and helped the Gens win the Texas League championship. Nelson has played in 2,463 pro games, according to baseball-reference.com, and gotten 2,632 hits. He has played in Mexico, Japan and Italy and even made it to the big leagues for 25 games with Boston in 2002.

20 Aug

whatever happened to …

Ernesto Mejia, who had a monster year for the Mississippi Braves in 2011 (.297, 26 homers, 99 RBIs), is playing in Japan for the Seibu Lions and has hit 90 homers over the last three seasons. He is batting .262 with 26 bombs and 80 RBIs in 2016. … Tommy La Stella, who had a big year for the M-Braves in 2013 (.343), is back in the Double-A Southern League with Tennessee. La Stella was sent to the minors — despite his .298 average — by the Chicago Cubs when they acquired Ole Miss alum Chris Coghlan at the trade deadline. La Stella initially refused to report but finally did so on Wednesday. He has a hit in his only at-bat for the Smokies. … Willie Cabrera, who played for the M-Braves from 2008-11, is in his fifth season in the independent American Association. Playing for the Winnipeg Goldeyes, Cabrera is batting .326 with eight homers and 26 RBIs. He hit .281 during his tenure with the M-Braves and also got some time in Triple-A. … Jordan Schafer, the former M-Braves outfielder (and No. 1 prospect in Atlanta’s system in 2008), is currently on a rehab assignment in rookie ball for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now a pitcher, the left-hander has a 3.15 ERA over 31 games in Double-A Tulsa and an 11.81 in five games at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

12 Aug

crazy good

Chris Coghlan, the former Ole Miss standout, has a grand total of 10 hits for the Chicago Cubs this season. The one he got on Thursday night at Wrigley Field may stick in the memory for a while. Batting in the sixth inning with the bases loaded and the Cubs down 2-0 to St. Louis, Coghlan looked back at the umpire and tried to call time before a pitch by Carlos Martinez. Time wasn’t granted. Coghlan swiveled back toward Martinez, re-gripped the bat as the pitch — a changeup – was en route and smacked a two-run single into right field. “Crazy,” he called it after the Cubs had secured a 4-3 win in extra innings. The first-place Cubs have been on a crazy roll with 10 straight wins, though Coghlan’s contributions have been limited. The 31-year-old veteran has just seven at-bats in August. In 24 games since he was reacquired from Oakland, he is batting .208 with four RBIs. But … it takes a bench to win a championship, and the Cubs have a deep one. For his part, Coghlan can play almost anywhere — a quality Cubs manager Joe Maddon seems to really like — and he is a .259 career hitter with some pop from the left side. (He hit five homers for the A’s but none since rejoining the Cubs.) He’ll have more moments, though it’s unlikely any will be quite as crazy as Thursday’s. P.S. Picayune High product T.J. House was sent back to Triple-A by Cleveland, a first-place club in the American League. House made three appearances during his call-up, allowing one run in one inning of work.

22 Jun

where you lead

Scoring first is a big deal in the big leagues — or at any level of the game, really. The team that scores first wins a large percentage of the time. On Tuesday, three Mississippi-connected players in MLB, all batting leadoff, scored the first run of their game, all in the first inning. It worked out well for two of the three. Tim Anderson, the rookie out of East Central Community College, led off the game with a home run – his first — for the Chicago White Sox. They beat Boston 3-1 at Fenway Park. Anderson, 2-for-4 on Tuesday, is batting .292 with seven runs in 11 games. Ole Miss product Zack Cozart walked to start the game for Cincinnati. He would score on a three-run homer by Jay Bruce, and the Reds went on to derail Texas 8-2 at Globe Life Park. Cozart went 2-for-4, including his 11th home run, drove in three runs and scored three. He is batting .284. At Wrigley Field, ex-Ole Miss star Chris Coghlan, getting a look in the leadoff spot for the Chicago Cubs, singled off St. Louis’ Adam Wainwright in the bottom of the first. He would come around to score, but the Cubs couldn’t hold that lead, falling 4-3. Coghlan, 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs, is batting .294 (.455 on-base percentage) with seven runs in 10 games since the Cubs reacquired him from Oakland. He was batting .146 (with five homers) for the A’s. P.S. Former Hillcrest Christian and Ole Miss standout Cody Satterwhite is now on the roster of the Hanshin Tigers in Japan but has yet to pitch. Satterwhite was released earlier this month by the Los Angeles Angels so he could sign with Hanshin. The right-hander, 29, had a 1.50 ERA in 25 innings at Triple-A Salt Lake in his seventh pro season.

12 Jun

draft doodles

There were 29 players picked from state schools over the three days of the MLB draft, 11 of them from Mississippi State, including the only first-rounder, right-hander Dakota Hudson. Ole Miss saw six players drafted, Southern Miss and Delta State three each. Four high school players were selected, and two junior college players, a surprisingly low number. … St. Louis, which drafted Hudson, and the Chicago Cubs picked three each from the state, and several organizations made two picks, including San Diego, which chose two of the high school players, Oxford’s Grae Kessinger and Starkville’s A.J. Brown. Both are likely to be at Ole Miss this fall, Brown to play football. … Milwaukee, whose Double-A club is in Biloxi, also picked two, including MSU lefty Daniel Brown and Pearl River Community College outfielder Zach Clark, who had great numbers this season. Atlanta, parent organization of the Mississippi Braves, didn’t chose any Magnolia Staters. … Five catchers were picked, including State’s Gavin Collins, who played mostly third base this year, by Cleveland. The Bulldogs’ Jack Kruger, who shared catching duties with freshman Elih Marrero, was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels. … USM catcher Chuckie Robinson was drafted in the 21st round, 637th overall, by Houston. He might be a player to watch. A sturdy 5 feet 11, 225 pounds, the Illinois native batted .288 with seven homers and 44 RBIs in 2016, helping the Golden Eagles win the C-USA Tournament. More good numbers: He struck out only 33 times in 208 at-bats and threw out 23 of 36 runners trying to steal. And there’s this: Robinson’s father and grandfather played pro ball.