Scouting Report on todays starters from MLB.com
Rich Hill – Hill is coming off a win against the Cardinals, in which he gave up one run on three hits over seven innings. The lefty also struck out seven. It was an encouraging performance after his previous outing against Colorado, when he was roughed up. Against the Cardinals. Hill was able to locate his fastball well and effectively use his changeup and curve. His only mistake was a pitch that catcher Jason Kendall wanted low and inside but ended up up and away to Albert Pujols. Pujols did what he does – hit it out for a home run.
Barry Zito – Zito was masterful in his last outing, twirling seven one-hit innings to beat the Marlins. The left-hander walked two and struck out five to win for the first time in four starts. Zito faced the Cubs one other time this season, picking up the win on July 17 after allowing one earned run and striking out eight in seven innings.
View the game preview from Baseball Reference for all sorts of useful information including how our guys have faired against today’s starter, bullpen rest report, and much more.
News and Notes
Despite being one of the most productive hitters in the country this spring at Florida State, scouts generally were not overwhelmed with Thomas’ tools. He hit .430/.522/.733 for the Seminoles and was a first-team All-American, so the Cubs grabbed him in the third round. Thomas has so far rewarded the Cubs by becoming one of the best hitters in the Northwest League, hitting .308/.388/.566 on the year, including .368/.443/.627 in August. He also has 19 steals in 20 attempts as a professional after stealing 31 in 36 tries at Florida State. A big concern for Thomas, however, is his defense, as scouts felt it was below average in college, and he has already made seven errors in 24 games at second base. If Thomas does not improve enough defensively to stay at second base, his value would be significantly reduced. (Source)
After crushing the Midwest League three years ago, nothing has gone right for Dopirak since then. His stock has plummeted, both in the system and on the prospect scene in general. Dopirak broke his foot on Opening Day last year and his swing was never right at Double-A West Tenn when he returned. After hitting just .218 in Double-A this season, the Cubs sent him back to Daytona where he’s steadily progressed over the last two months. Last week, Dopirak hit .391 to improve his overall numbers to .279/.327/.503 in 298 at-bats, and he’s showing the power of old with 16 homers, 19 doubles and 55 RBIs. (Source)
Tracked Players Results
Team Results
View the full organizational report from First Inning
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