Results tagged ‘ Scott Feldman ’
1000 Words: Getting good (Travis) Wood
(Photo by Stephen Green)
Travis Wood’s 2013 campaign has been nothing short of incredible. On the mound this season, the 26-year-old southpaw is 5-3 with a 2.75 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 50 strikeouts in 72 innings. But it’s what he’s done in the batter’s box that has really captured Cubs fans’ attention.
The right-handed hitter owns a .292/.320/.583 (AVG/OBP/SLG) line with a pair of homers and seven RBI. In the fourth inning of Thursday’s tilt with the White Sox, Wood ripped a Jake Peavy cutter into the left-field stands for a grand slam, propelling the North Siders to an 8-3 win.
The grand slam was the first by a Cubs pitcher at Wrigley Field since Burt Hooten accomplished the feat in 1972.
And Wood isn’t the only pitcher on the staff who’s having success at the plate. According to Elias, the 19 RBI by Cubs pitchers in May is the most in a calendar month since the 1940 Tigers drove in 20. Wood (7) and fellow starter Scott Feldman (6) alone each have more RBI than any other pitching staff. Also, the pitching staff has produced more RBI this month than the Cubs No. 3 hitters (17), and they have matched the total from the No. 4 spot (19).
1000 Words: Feldman takes the mound against old mates
(Photo by Stephen Green)
Tonight’s starting pitcher, Scott Feldman, is looking to continue his hot streak versus his old teammates, the Texas Rangers. In his last outing, a 6-2 win against the Padres, Feldman has his best game as a Cub, pitching a complete game, three-hitter. But the highlight might have been his second inning RBI double down the right-field line to drive in Darwin Barney. Feldman, who spent his entire career with Texas before signing with Chicago this offseason, is a career .138 hitter in 29 at-bats.
2013 Pitching Profile: Scott Feldman
(Photo by Stephen Green)
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When the Cubs (2-1) take on the Braves (2-1) at Turner Field Friday night, Scott Feldman will take the mound for his debut appearance as a member of the rebuilt 2013 Cubs pitching staff. Feldman signed a one-year deal worth $6 million, with a possible $1 million in incentives, back in November.
The 30-year-old right-handed pitcher spent 2005-12 with the Rangers. After two seasons pitching out of the bullpen, Feldman was converted to a starter in 2008. He had a breakout year in 2009 when he finished with a 17-8 record, which tied for fourth in AL wins. He also tied for the major league lead with 12 wins on the road.
Last season’s 5.09 ERA was a bit higher than his career 4.81 mark, but Feldman evolved into a strikeout pitcher with a career high 7.0 K/9. Though he’ll make his first NL start on the road, Feldman looks forward to standing on the mound at Wrigley Field, where he has never pitched before.
“I can’t wait,” Feldman said. “I’m sure it will be one of those things where you get some little goose bumps going and realize you’re in Wrigley. It’s cool. It’s like playing in Fenway or Yankee Stadium.”
Feldman is one of several pitchers profiled in Vine Line‘s 2013 Pitching Preview, available in the April issue, on sale now. We’ll be posting pitching profiles throughout the month, so be sure to check back to see what’s in store on the mound for 2013.
SCOTT FELDMAN*
Repertoire (Avg. MPH): 4-seam (92), Sinker (92), Cutter (90), Change (86), Curve (77)
Age: 30
Arm Angle: Three-quarter
2012 Stats: 123 IP, 17.9 K%, 5.6 UBB%, 5.09 ERA, 89 ERA+, 1.38 WHIPLast Season: Looking for a Return to Form
Feldman is a balanced veteran who broke out in 2009, earning himself a three-year deal with the Rangers and an Opening Day start in 2010. But he got hit around on his way to a 5.48 ERA that year, missed most of 2011 due to microfracture surgery on his knee and wrapped up his Rangers career with a 5.09 ERA in 2012. Though last year marked his second poor full season in a row, the fundamentals showed something different. His K rate jumped from 12 percent to 18 percent, his walk rate dropped from 7 percent to 6 percent, and he gave up fewer extra-base hits.Plan of Attack: Stay off the Barrel
Nothing out of Feldman’s hand is straight. He’s a true sinkerballer, turning the ball over to create heavy movement and get batters to pound the ball into the ground. But he’s more than a one-trick pony, mixing all four of his primary pitches—sinker, cutter, change and curve—in all counts and situations. He prefers to jam hitters to produce a bevy of choppers and pop-ups. He’ll bust his cutter up and in against lefties, while boring his sinker down and in on righties.Putaway Pitch: Curveball
Feldman’s other weapon is a curve that has developed into a breaker with more drop and glove-side sweep. He uses it roughly a quarter of the time, and he gets an above-average 35 percent whiffs when a batter swings (up from about 25 percent in 2009). Look for the curve to be thrown away, goading righties into swinging over it and lefties into taking it for a called third strike. Because the curve and change have gotten more play, he’s become less of a ground ball pitcher and more of a strikeout guy.*Numbers courtesy Brooks Baseball
—Sean Ahmed
Samardzija gets Opening Day nod, E-Jax set for home opener
(Photo by Norm Hall/Getty images)
On Thursday afternoon, manager Dale Sveum and pitching coach Chris Bosio announced the Cubs rotation for the first week of the regular season. Right-hander Jeff Samardzija will get the nod on Opening Day, April 1, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
“That’s what I signed up for,” Samardzija said. “If you don’t want those expectations for yourself, then you may as well go play somewhere else. That’s just kind of a given. There’s going to be pressure, and there’s going to be a lot riding on what you do.”
Samardzija came into last season just hoping to land a spot in the rotation after a successful 2011 in the bullpen. This year, most see the Shark as a front-of-the-rotation guy and a possible ace. He commands five pitches and was third in the league in average fastball velocity last season. His four-seamer clocked in at 95.9 mph, and his two-seamer averaged 95.4 mph.
He’ll be followed in the first week by righty Edwin Jackson, lefty Travis Wood, righty Scot Feldman and righty Carlos Villanueva.
Jackson, who signed a four-year, $52 million contract this offseason, will get the start in the Cubs home opener April 8 against the division rival Brewers.
Both Matt Garza and offseason acquisition Scott Baker will miss the start of the season recovering from injuries.
Cubs split squad, visit White Sox, host Japan
(Photo by Stephen Green)
Even the biggest Cubs die-hard can get a little tired of Spring Training baseball—especially this year, with 39 games on tap. But sometimes all it takes is a high-profile match-up to get fans back in the swing of spring.
Cubs fans are in luck Friday, as the North Siders take on a pair of interesting opponents. Half the team will be traveling to Camelback Ranch to face the White Sox, while the other half will stay at HoHoKam to host Team Japan.
Throwing for the Cubs against the Sox will be right-hander Scott Feldman. In three starts this spring, he’s gone 7.0 innings, owns a 9.00 ERA, and has struck out six. Opposite the 30-year-old will be Sox starter Gavin Floyd.
The game starts off at 2:05 CST and will be broadcast on MLB.TV and locally on WGN. Here’s the lineup Floyd will be facing:
3B Luis Valbuena
2B Darwin Barney
SS Starlin Castro
RF Nate Schierholtz
DH Scott Hairston
C Dioner Navarro
LF Brian Bogusevic
CF Darnell McDonald
1B Brad Nelson
With Anthony Rizzo not yet back from his stay with Team Italy, prospect Dan Vogelbach will man first base as the other half of the Cubs host Team Japan. Named one of the top 10 first base prospects by MLB.com this offseason, the power-hitting Vogelbach had a great 2012 campaign, hitting .322/.410/.641 with 17 homers in 61 games of rookie and Short-Season ball. He’ll be batting eighth.
Having already wrapped up a spot in the World Baseball Classic semifinal (March 17 in San Francisco), the Asian team is looking for a little extra work. Unlike previous Japanese WBC sides that were led by high-profile big league names like Ichiro and Daisuke Matsuzaka, this squad has no players currently on a major league roster.
Travis Wood will be starting for the Cubs. The game kicks off at 3:05 CST. Here’s the lineup Japan will be facing:
CF David DeJesus
SS Javier Baez
C Welington Castillo
DH Alfonso Soriano
LF Dave Sappelt
3B Josh Vitters
RF Jorge Soler
1B Dan Vogelbach
2B Alberto Gonzalez
Scott Feldman set for Cubs debut
(Photo by Stephen Green)
It seems like a new starting pitcher makes his Cubs debut every day. Both Edwin Jackson and Carlos Villanueva got their first starts earlier this week. On Thursday, Scott Feldman will take his turn, as the North Siders host the Oakland Athletics at HoHoKam Stadium.
The right-hander, who signed a one-year deal this offseason, relishes the opportunity to crack the Cubs rotation. He has spent his entire career shuttling back and forth from the rotation to the bullpen, starting 101 of 204 games over his eight-year career. With Texas in 2012, Feldman was 6-11 with a 5.09 ERA in 123.2 innings.
His best season came in 2009, when he went 17-8 with a 4.08 ERA and struck out a career-high 113 batters over 189.2 innings. The 30-year-old has also won a pair of pennants in Texas’ back-to-back World Series trips in 2010-11.
Behind him will be an exciting team that includes two of the organization’s top prospects in Javier Baez and Jorge Soler. The shortstop Baez is going to see a bit more playing time with Starlin Castro out for the next 2-3 days nursing a tight hamstring. Despite being just 20 years old, many view Baez as one of the game’s most promising players. Soler, another elite-level prospect whose power bat has impressed this spring, will be playing right field.
First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 CST, and the game will be webcast at cubs.com. The Athletics will be sending lefty Brett Anderson to the hill. Here is the Cubs full batting order:
CF Dave Sappelt
2B Darwin Barney
DH Scott Hairston
LF Darnell McDonald
RF Jorge Soler
C Dioner Navarro
SS Javier Baez
1B Brent Lillibridge
3B Junior Lake
Now Playing: Mesa Cubscast, The New Guys
After a busy offseason, the 2013 Cubs came into camp riding a wave of optimism. The team added depth to the rotation, versatility in the outfield and an extra year of experience for the younger players. On Tuesday, Vine Line sat down with some of the new guys to find out why they wanted to come to Chicago and what goals they have set for the season ahead.
Vine Line will be posting videos and content from Fitch Park and HoHoKam Stadium all week long, so keep an eye on the blog and our Twitter account, @cubsvineline.
Spring Training Preview: The Starting Five
(Photo by Stephen Green)
Finally, baseball is back. As pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training this past weekend, Cubs fans everywhere got a little more excited with the realization that the baseball season is nearing.
And to get us back into gear, the February issue of Vine Line previewed the squad heading into Mesa, Ariz. We broke the team down into five groups—starting pitching, relief pitching, infielders, outfielders and catchers—to give people a clearer picture of what the team could look like when it breaks camp and heads to Chicago.
Below is the starting rotation preview. The February issue is on newsstands now, with single issues available by calling 800-618-8377. Or visit the Vine Line page on Cubs.com to subscribe to the magazine.
If everyone stays healthy—always a big if—the Cubs will have an abundance of starting pitching for the first time in a while. Matt Garza, Edwin Jackson and Jeff Samardzija are locks for the rotation, while Scott Feldman, Scott Baker, Travis Wood and Carlos Villanueva will battle for the final two spots. Baker, who has a 63-48 career record, underwent Tommy John surgery in April. Though he may be ready come Opening Day, the Cubs’ depth allows them to be patient with his return.
Garza’s rehab from the elbow issues that knocked him out for the final two months of 2012 appears to be on schedule, and he’s been adamant that he’ll be ready by April. A healthy Garza could build on his impressive 2011 season, in which he had a career-best 3.32 ERA and 197 strikeouts. The Cubs’ surplus of starting pitching makes the idea of parting with Garza in a trade for prospects slightly easier to stomach. That’s certainly a possibility, either in March when he’s proven he’s healthy or at the July trade deadline.
Jackson’s acquisition provides the team with a reliable innings-eater—he’s made at least 31 starts and tossed at least 180 innings in each of the last five seasons—a wildly underappreciated skill. Any manager who’s had to overuse his bullpen, like the Cubs have the past few seasons, will tell you how much he appreciates having a pitcher he can rely on to deliver six quality innings every fifth day.
Feldman and Wood both have the ability to be competent starters, and Villanueva showed flashes of brilliance last season, including an impressive 22.9 percent strikeout rate and 6.7 percent walk rate in 92 innings as a starter. However, he has yet to prove he can deliver those numbers over 160-plus innings.
The real breakout star in the rotation may be Samardzija, whose road to this point has been bumpy. In the span of two seasons, Samardzija has gone from failed prospect, to reliable bullpen arm, to possible future ace, thanks to his dogged work ethic and electric arm. Samardzija will have no innings limit in 2013, so it’s a good bet he’ll take another step forward and become the anchor for a rotation that has the potential to be the team’s strength.
