Rusin had made the team on my projections, but unfortunately for him my name is not Sveum or Theo Epstein. The lefty had a Spring performance worthy of a shot at the rotation, but also had a chance to make the team as the second south paw in the bullpen. With this move it appears the Cubs front office continues to see Rusin’s future in the Majors as a starter, and being sent to Iowa will allow him to continue to get innings under his belt as a starting pitcher.

The pitching corps that joined Rusin as those no longer in the running include Jensen Lewis, Blake Parker, and Jaye Chapman. That leaves four ball tossers competing for what is assumed to be the final bullpen job: Hisanori Takahashi, Rafael Dolis, Zach Putnam, and Cory Wade. From this quartet, only Dolis is currently on the 40 man roster, meaning if any of the other three were to make the team, the Cubs would have to make room on the 40 man. As mentioned in my projection, I wanted to lean toward Takahashi over Rusin if the roster limit was a non issue. Now it is looking more and more like the front office will be making moves unless Dolis is the winner. I am still in favor of having a second lefty in the pen, so my vote would be for Takahashi. A pick up off of the waiver wire should also not be left out of the conversation. Shawn Camp says hello.

Brian Bogusevic appears to be the snub of the Spring, as he was part of the contingent of position players assigned to minor league camp. The Illinois native practically hit everything in sight, sporting a plus .400 average this Spring. But in an outfield that already features lefties David DeJesus and Nate Schierholtz, combined with the fact that Bogusevic is not on the 40 man, the Oak Lawn product will not be suiting up for the hometown team on Opening Day.

February 12, 2013; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum (33) addresses the team during spring training camp at Finch Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Bogusevic is joined by Brad Nelson, Edwin Maysonet, Johermyn Chavez, and Darnell McDonald as the position players cut. Maysonet and McDonald basically lost out to Brent Lillibridge and Dave Sappelt at their respective position battles. With Maysonet no longer in consideration and with a back up infield spot still up for grabs, the attention turns to Alberto Gonzalez and Steve Clevenger. The Cubs third string catcher provides an interesting twist to the situation, as the former infielder now turned catcher is being asked to take some reps in the infield again. Clevenger also provides a left handed infield bat and the fact that he is already on the 40 man means the Cubs would not have to make a roster move to include him on the Opening Day roster.

Just as intriguing as the question marks over the remaining roster spots is the potential for the corresponding 40 man roster moves, and the answer to that wondering should begin to become a little clearer in these final days of March.

Against LA, the Cubs went up 2-0 thanks to a two out RBI single by Brent Lillibridge in the second and a solo homer by Starlin Castro in the third. Unfortunately Chicago starting pitcher Scott Feldman continued his sub par Spring and gave up the lead by the fourth inning. A three run long ball in the bottom of the fourth inning was the big blow. Feldman ended up making it through five innings and the positive sign is that he did get five strikeouts. The pitcher did mention afterwards that the change up is what he still needs to work on, but April is right around the corner.

Feb 23, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Brent Lillibridge (20) tosses a ball into the stands after the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Hisanori Takahashi, Michael Bowden, and Jaye Chapman all combined to toss two hitless innings as they try to earn as many final brownie points as they can to squeeze onto the Opening Day roster.

Feldman did help himself on offense with a RBI single in the fifth, driving in Lillibridge, who had doubled to lead off the inning. Unfortunately the pitcher would get doubled off first base to end the inning on a liner off the bat of Castro to Dodgers second baseman Mark Ellis.

The Cubs put up a fight and rallied to within one run in the top of the ninth, but the game tying run in the form of (guess who) Lillibridge  ended up being stranded at third. The former White Sox went 2 for 3 with a run and a RBI, and he certainly has earned a spot on the 25 man roster rather than being a default selection to back up the thin depth at third base.

Castro and Brian Bogusevic were the only other Cubs with more than one hit, and the two hit Cubs club members from this game are all hitting over .400 for the Spring. Castro also picked up his third stolen base.

Meanwhile in Peoria, fell behind in the first third of the game, with Opening Day starter Jeff Samardzija giving up three earned including a homer. The Shark would end up going six frames and struck out seven Mariners, good to see from a pitcher that tosses the hard stuff.

Samardzija also followed Feldman’s lead of Cubs pitchers helping their own cause, collecting his second homer of the Spring. His home run got the scoring started for the Cubs and had tied the game at one at the time. Alfonso Soriano also provided a long ball in the fourth inning for the second tally and the North Siders tied it at four in the seventh thanks to RBI singles by The Shark and Darnell McDonald. Brad Nelson hit a two run shot in the eighth to put the Cubs on top for good.

While the Cubs offense pulled away late in the game, their bullpen did a great job keeping the team within shouting distance. James Russell pitched a perfect seventh to collect the win and close Carlos Marmol had a fairly stress free eighth, just issuing a walk with no damage to the scoreboard. Set up man Kyuji Fujikawa had a Marmol like ninth, allowing two hits before tight roping his way to the first save of his Spring.

At the end of the day the Cubs record settled at 13-15.

Feb 23, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Junior Lake (73) throws to first before a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

From the bump, Scott Feldman made his Cubs Spring debut and got through his two innings of work, allowing one run on two walks and two hits, while striking out two. Travis Wood picked up his second win in Cactus action with two innings of his own, although he did surrender a solo home run. Carlos Marmol picked up a hold with an one inning effort that featured one walk and one strike out, but his potential replacement in waiting Kyuji Fujikawa matched the incumbent closer’s efforts with a scoreless frame of his own.

One name to note is Rule 5 pick Hector Rondon, who by multiple accounts has impressed so far this Spring. Rondon made his second appearance in Cactus League play and registered a one, two, three inning. The Cleveland Indians had left the right handed reliever unprotected in the Rule 5 draft, presumably thinking that teams would not take a chance with a selection on a pitcher coming off of Tommy John surgery. To keep Rondon, the Cubs would need to maintain the former Indian on their 25 man Major League roster for the entirety of the 2013 season. If Rondon keeps pitching as he has done so far, keeping him in the Major League bullpen would be a non issue for the North Siders.

The Cubs improved to 4-2 in Cactus play, with their lone pair of losses coming at the hands of the Dodgers.