The main highlight was seeing a solid outing from Samardzija. He allowed only three hits over five innings and kept the Rangers offense off the scoreboard. The rest of the pitching staff pretty much followed his lead, with lefty James Russell being responsible for the lone run given up to the home team. While the Texas line up was not the one that would be trotted out come Opening Day, it was refreshing to see the Cubs staff allow just one walk compared to the 10 strikeouts they recorded as a unit.

Mar 16, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Hisanori Takahashi (47) pitches in the first inning during a spring training game against the Kansas City Royals at HoHoKam stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-USA TODAY Sports

Luis Valbuena got a look at short stop in this game, as he will be the versatile backup infielder when not starting at third base this season. He also went 1 for 3 from the lead off spot in the line up while scoring once. Starlin Castro participated as the DH, allowing the Cubs All Star to get his at bats in while giving the hamstring a bit of a break by not having to play defense. Castro responded with a double and a RBI. Scott Hairston hit the only homer of the game, his second of the Spring.

An interesting development was seeing Steve Clevenger move from first base to third defensively during the game. The Cubs third string catcher had been getting reps at first to expand his versatility to the team, and with the ongoing injury concerns to third baseman Ian Stewart and the organization’s lack of depth at the hot corner, a split squad Cactus League game was the chance to run this experiment. Clevenger will certainly not make the 2013 roster as a catcher barring an injury to one of the two catchers in front of him, and with Anthony Rizzo firmly in place at first, Clevenger would be a back up at best there as well. It will be interesting to see if Clevenger gets some reps at third in the minors.

The Cubs won the game 5-1 to improve to 9-12.

The team offense that stayed back in Mesa one upped their mates in Vegas by putting up eight runs on the Royals, six being earned off of starter Bruce Chen. The Cubs jumped out to the lead in the first, sparked by a David DeJesus lead off homer. They would score four in the frame before adding single tallies from the third through sixth innings on their way to the 8-3 win. Brent Lillibridge may be a fall back option at third, and he made his case by going 2 for 3 with a run. Christian Villanueva also got some time at the hot corner and got a base knock, but he will not be considered as an option come Opening Day.

Javier Baez continues to flash his power stroke, as he had his second game in which he hit a pair of home runs. These were of the solo variety. Alfonso Soriano made sure Baez did not steal the show with a jack of his own, collecting two RBI and two runs on the day.

Meanwhile on the mound, Hisanori Takahashi is trying to earn a bump up from his minor league deal to being on the roster in April. The veteran lefty started the game and went four innings, with a respectable box score line of one run allowed on five hits. The Cubs could certainly use a second lefty in the pen next to Russell, and selecting Takahashi to be that man would allow Chris Rusin to continue his development as a starting pitcher in the minors.

Late inning relievers Kyuji Fujikawa and Carlos Marmol had another day of opposing results. The potential closer in waiting allowed a run in one inning of work while Marmol tossed a perfect frame.

The Cubs completed the sweep of their splid squad match ups and finished the day with a 10-12 record.

The team that went to pay the Sox a visit did not have much to write home about. In sort, the Cubs were embarrassed at Glendale, getting torn apart 15-3 at the hands of their cross town rivals. Scott Feldman alone was tagged for almost half of the runs, giving up seven over 3 2/3 innings of work. He left two runners on for Hector Rondon, and the Cubs Rule 5 pick allowed his first two runs of the Spring after a walk and a grand slam to Dayan Viciedo.

Jim Hendry’s return on the Matt Garza trade a couple of years ago continues to diminish to say the least. Lefty Zach Rosscup was the final piece to that deal and he promptly walked the bases loaded after coming in to pitch the sixth. He would leave without recording an out, and his fellow pen mates allowed all three of those runners to come home. The Cubs pitching staff issued eight walks on the day, which is the main reason why the Sox were able to score 15 runs on 15 hits.

Mar 7, 2013; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez (70) doubles during the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox at HoHoKam Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Meanwhile, Sox starter Gavin Floyd kept the Cubs offense in check through five plus frames. The Cubs only managed three runs in the game and two of those came in the ninth, with the game long past out of reach.

In these types of games, you have to force yourself to find a silver lining. The one thing that popped out to me was Starlin Castro’s progress after returning from a hamstring injury. Castro tallied a stolen base in the game, a positive sign that he is not concerned about re-injuring his leg. Whether it is back to 100% still remains to be seen, as a good toss by the catcher would have thrown Castro out. The Cubs shortstop also set his feet and had a nice strong throw from deep in the hole in the fifth to record an assist on a groundball out. The All Star infielder went 1 for 3 at the plate with a run.

Castro’s mates back in Mesa put up more of a fight against Japan, with the exhibition a warm up for the Asian team as they prepare for the semi final stage of the World Baseball Classic. Too bad for some of the Cubs players that the stats from this game would not go towards their Cactus League totals.

The Cubs jumped out to an early lead in the first, collecting three runs. There was a Josh Vitters sighting, as he singled in the third run. Unfortunately starter Travis Wood would not be able to hold the lead, allowing a two run homer in the second and a three run shot in the third, putting team Japan ahead 5-3. The long balls are a bit concerning when Wood will be calling Wrigley Field home this season.

Thankfully, Wood’s teammates were able to pick him up. The comeback effort started with his bullpen pals shutting down Japan’s offense the rest of the way. The highlight of the relief corps effort was a perfect frame by Rafael Dolis.

Andrew posted yesterday about the tasteless joke team Japan displayed in warm ups, but the Cubs got the last laugh during the game. Hot prospect Javier Baez got the Cubs within one run with a solo job in the seventh, and the home team played some Japanese like small ball to tie the game in the eighth. Dave Sappelt led off with a single and was bunted over to second by Rubi Silva. First base prospect Daniel Vogelbach drove Sappelt in with a single of his own.

The the punch line and last laugh came in the bottom of the ninth. The drama of a last at bat was heightened just a little bit with the managers of both squads agreeing that there would be no extra innings in this exhibition match. Christian Villanueva further set the stage for Baez by leading off the frame with a double. As Baez left the on deck circle, he told Welington Castillo that the catcher would be getting a chance to bat in the final frame. Baez then promptly launched the first pitch he saw for a walk off two run homer. Cubs 7, Japan 5.

Arigato gozaimasu.

The Cubs picked on Jed Hoyer’s former employer, the San Diego Padres, to get back in the win column. It actually took a bit of a comeback effort to do so. While the 9-3 score line gives the impression that the Cubs were in control all the way, the North Siders in fact did all of their damage in the sixth and eighth innings. Until the bottom of the sixth, the Cubs were actually down 2-0.

March 10, 2013; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Travis Wood (30) throws in the fourth inning during a spring training game against the San Diego Padres at Salt River Fields at HoHoKam Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

New Cub Scott Feldman took the mound and faced former Cub Jason Marquis, now with the Padres. Feldman went three innings, giving up his two earned runs in that final frame of work. He also struck out three during his stint. Travis Wood took over from there and provided a solid outing that reminded everyone that he wants a rotation spot even when Matt Garza and Scott Baker eventually return. The highlights of his scoreless four innings on the mound included only allowing one hit while striking out six. There is a little concern of his walk total of three, however.

Wood did a little bit of everything on Sunday, as he also used his bat to spark the Cubs offense. He led off the sixth inning with a single, a feat lead off man David DeJesus repeated behind him. Alfonso Soriano provided a clutch two out double to drive in two before back up catcher Dioner Navarro launched a two run shot, putting a crooked four spot on the scoreboard for the home team. You have to love seeing Soriano involved in the scoring and the two out hits.

Christian Villanueva added a two run homer of his own in the eighth, part of a five run frame that blew the game open. Villaneuva only has three hits this Spring, but all three are home runs. He still does not look like he will be able to hit Major League pitching enough to warrant a roster spot come Opening Day, but with Ian Stewart on pace to not be an option at third come April, it will be interesting to see if Villanueva is invited to join the team back to Chicago to back up Luis Valbuena at the hot corner.

It should also be noted that Jorge Soler collected his first home run of the Spring, also coming in the eighth inning.

Carlos Marmol had a bounce back outing with a clean eighth inning before Michael Bowden wrapped the game up, despite allowing one run on two hits. The Cubs improved to 6-10 on the Spring, with a 4-6 record at HoHoKam Park.