Chicago Cubs to see some familiar faces against the Royals

The Chicago Cubs continue their spring games this afternoon in Surprise. They also will see some familiar faces from their championship team when they take on the Royals.

The Chicago Cubs have had an interesting start to the spring so far. While wins and losses are completely irrelevant in the spring, the Cubs come into play at 1-2-2. They find themselves have had leads in almost every game, only to see them slip away late. Most of the regulars were out of the game by that time, but some of the pitchers are vying for a potential spot on the roster.

After Alec Mills looked good in his Cubs debut yesterday, Eddie Butler gets his crack at it today. The Cubs hope that Butler becomes a depth option for the rotation should one of the starting five suffer from injury. After acquiring Butler in a trade with Rockies, Butler is a former top prospect who is hoping to benefit from a change of scenery. Butler is 6-16 with a 6.50 ERA in his career in all or parts of three seasons so far.

The Royals send Nathan Karns to the mound. Acquired this offseason from Seattle, Karns hopes a change of scenery will get him back on the right track. Karns is 14-9 with a 4.41 ERA in his career.

The Cubs will face former teammate Jorge Soler, who gets the start today. Travis Wood and Jason Hammel are also on the Royals, but neither are expected to pitch. Wade Davis, acquired by the Cubs in the Soler trade, is not expected to pitch either. Either way, it should be a nice little reunion.

The Cubs have yet to pitch their four main starters and most of the veteran bullpen guys, but they should be making their debuts this weekend.

We know that pitching prospect Ryan Williams will also be pitching for the Cubs today. They have not announced anyone else though.

First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 pm in Surprise, AZ. Len Kasper and Mick Gillespie have the call on cubs.com via free webcast. Here are the lineups: