March 29--The summary
The Cubs knocked out the Rockies' Jon Gray, who was the first overall pick in the 2013 draft -- one ahead of Kris Bryant -- with seven runs in the first inning of an 18-4 victory Saturday at Sloan Park. Jake Arrieta batted eighth and smacked a three-run homer off Gray and ripped an RBI double off the center field wall in the second. At Goodyear against the Reds, the Cubs couldn't recover from an 8-0 deficit despite a home run from Dexter Fowler in the 9-5 loss.
At the plate
Anthony Rizzo batted leadoff and reached first on an error and single in the first. Bryant went 4-for-5 with an RBI double and is batting .459. Javier Baez went 2-for-4 against the Reds.
On the mound
After allowing two singles to start the game, Arrieta settled down and allowed only one hit over the next four innings. The length between innings prompted Arrieta to be pulled and work on his pitch count in the bullpen.
In the field
Second baseman Jonathan Herrera and Addison Russell at shortstop teamed to turn a quick and impressive double play in the first against the Rockies.
Key number
2 -- Home runs for Cubs pitchers this spring.
The quote
"I haven't seen many instances where guys appear nervous. I see guys calm and collected at the plate and between innings there's positive chatter, keeping guys' awareness up, and their confidence remains high." -- Arrieta
Up next
At Royals, 3:05 p.m. Sunday. RH Edwin Jackson vs. RH Edinson Volquez.
