Results tagged ‘ Darwin Barney ’

4/1 Barney to DL

If Darwin Barney suffered a cut anywhere else on his leg, he might have been in the Cubs’ lineup on Monday. But the Gold Glove second baseman has a deep laceration on his left knee cap, and will be sidelined at least two weeks. Barney, injured in the final exhibition game Saturday at Minute Maid Park when he crashed into the wall along the right field line, was placed on the 15-day DL, retroactive to Sunday. The Cubs selected the contract of infielder Alberto Gonzalez and added him to the 40-man roster, and Brent Lillibridge started at second in the Cubs’ season opener against the Pirates.

“You spend your whole offseason thinking about today [Opening Day] — when you’re in the gym, when you’re pushing yourself,” Barney said Monday at PNC Park, wearing a large bandage on his left knee. “We had a good spring as a club. We did a lot of things positively. It’s unfortunate but the good thing is we have guys who can fill in like Lillibridge and Gonzalez who are good players.

“I feel very comfortable with Lillibridge out there,” Barney said. “He’s a great player. Good thing is, we’re a team, and I’m still a part of it, and I can still be out there helping out. With [pitcher Matt] Garza not here, maybe I’ll take over his yelling role.”

Barney has photos of the cut on his knee, and it’s not pretty.

“You take five stitches anywhere else on the body, he would’ve been playing,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. “It’s right on the middle of the knee cap and anytime you bend it right now, it would rupture the stitches. It’s unfortunate. He’d be playing if it was on the shin or something like that. Unfortunately, it was right on the knee cap.”

Whether Lillibridge will play every day was to be determined, Sveum said.

“We’ll wing that and see how it all goes,” he said.

– Carrie Muskat

3/31 Barney hurt – UPDATED

Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney was expected to miss Monday’s season opener because of a deep cut on his left knee suffered in the last exhibition game. Barney was injured when he crashed into a fence at Minute Maid Park along the right field line in the third inning on Saturday. He needed five stitches on his knee.

“That’s a bummer,” Jeff Samardzija said Sunday about losing Barney for the season opener. “Darwin’s my boy back there. Him and [shortstop Starlin Castro] up the middle, you really develop a relationship with those guys. They’re the guys you can talk to and shoot stuff off of during the game. It’s nothing we’re not used to. We can adjust to things for sure.”

Brent Lillibridge will start at second base Monday. A official announcement on whether Barney will be placed on the DL will be made Monday after the medical staff has a chance to re-evaluate him. Infielder Alberto Gonzalez did make the trip to Pittsburgh in case Barney is sidelined.

“It’s a tough break for Barney but I’ll do my job and fill in until he’s healthy and get off to a good start,” Lillibridge said Sunday.

The Cubs have had their share of injuries this spring. Pitchers Matt Garza (strained lat) and Scott Baker (strained right elbow) will open the season on the disabled list along with third baseman Ian Stewart (left quad). The Cubs already have placed pitcher Arodys Vizcaino (right elbow) on the 60-day DL.

– Carrie Muskat

3/22 Cubs 4, Brewers 1

Darwin Barney hit a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth and Dioner Navarro followed with a solo shot to lift the Cubs to a 4-1 victory Friday over the Brewers. Carlos Villanueva did not get a decision, but had a solid start, throwing six shutout innings. The right-hander walked one, the first free pass given up by a Cubs starter in the last three games.

“I think the way this staff is rounding up now, you want strike throwers,” Villanueva said. “I had that one walk and I’m furious about that. You hate giving up free runners. I don’t know what the percentage is but they usually end up scoring. You make them earn it. Sometimes, it sounds kind of [strange], but you’d rather give up a homer than a walk. If it’s going to score, at least you earn it.”

Hector Rondon, the Cubs’ Rule 5 pick, earned the win in relief, striking out two over one inning.

– Carrie Muskat

3/19 Cubs 5, Rangers 4

Alfonso Soriano hit a two-run home run, Darwin Barney added a solo shot and Welington Castillo scored the tie-breaking run on a passed ball in the sixth to lift the Cubs to a 5-4 victory Tuesday over the Rangers. Chris Rusin started the game and gave up four runs over five innings. He’s expected to open the season at Triple-A Iowa but with injuries to Scott Baker and Matt Garza, Rusin could be next in line if any of the other Chicago starters are sidelined.

“I don’t ask questions,” Rusin said. “I feel if I look too much into it, I won’t be able to put the ball where I want it.”

The left-hander did get off to a rough start, but settled down and retired nine of the last 10 batters he faced. This spring, he had given up one run on eight hits over his previous 13 innings.

“I had a rough first two innings and you never want that but it happens, it’s baseball, and you just have to figure out your mistakes in the game,” Rusin said. “I was able to figure out my release point and calm down and find my location and find my fastball and keep my offspeed in and out and keep them off balance. That’s what Spring Training is for. You go out there and try to figure it out and what you need to do to get back on track.”

Rusin has definitely been tested. He held the Indians and Dodgers scoreless over eight innings in his two previous outings.

“There’s some tough lineups,” Rusin said. “I know that. I just trust my catcher and hit the mitt.”

– Carrie Muskat

3/14 Darwin & Katie

Katie_Pledge_5_years_old

Mark Gallo, stadium manager at HoHoKam, asked Darwin Barney if he would stand next to his daughter, 5-year-old Katie, while she said the pledge of allegiance before Wednesday’s Cubs game. Of course, Barney said yes. This is the third year Katie Gallo has done the pledge before a Cubs game.

3/11 Cubs 7, D-backs 5

Jeff Samardzija hit a solo home run and Welington Castillo added a two-run shot to lift the Cubs to a 7-5 victory Monday over the Diamondbacks in front of a sellout crowd of 12,436 in Scottsdale. Darwin Barney hit a two-run double in the seventh and scored on Jorge Soler’s single to break a 4-4 tie. Samardzija gave up four runs on four hits over 4 2/3 innings, and Blake Parker picked up the save. Rule 5 pick Hector Rondon gave up one hit and struck out one in two-thirds of inning. Steve Clevenger, who played the entire game at first base, had three hits.

* The Cubs have Tuesday off and return to action Wednesday when they play host to the Rockies at HoHoKam Stadium. Edwin Jackson will get Wednesday’s start and Starlin Castro was expected back in the Cubs lineup for the first time since Feb. 27. The shortstop has been sidelined with a tight hamstring.

* Scott Baker and Carlos Villanueva will both pitch at Fitch Park on Tuesday.

– Carrie Muskat

3/6 Cubs vs. White Sox

The Cubs and White Sox face off Thursday at HoHoKam Stadium in Mesa for the first of two Cactus League meetings. Carlos Villanueva will start for the Cubs against the Sox’s Jose Quintana. Here’s the early Cubs lineup:

DeJesus CF
Barney 2B
Schierholtz RF
Soriano LF
Valbuena 3B
Castillo C
Nelson 1B
Maysonet SS
Villanueva P

Note: The lineup is subject to change. There was a last minute switch on Wednesday at the Rangers game because Darwin Barney was in the original lineup and then scratched. Nothing was wrong but Dale Sveum lets his veterans take a day off, and Barney had picked Wednesday but there was a little mixup. Note to Barney fans: He’s not in the doghouse at all.

– Carrie Muskat

3/5 Rockies 6, Cubs 3

Edwin Maysonett hit an inside the park home run and Brad Nelson delivered a pinch-hit homer but it wasn’t enough as the Cubs lost 6-3 to the Rockies Tuesday in Scottsdale. Scott Feldman made his second spring start, and gave up four runs on six hits over two innings, including a two-run homer by Wilin Rosario.

“If you’re going to have an outing like today, it’s a good thing to have it in spring and not the regular season,” Feldman said. “It’s an opportunity to kind of sit back and look at things and what I need to work on and make a little bit of adjustment. From where I am right now, second start of spring, I’m just happy I feel good and my fastball is where it needs to be.”

Tuesday was the Cubs’ first game using a designated hitter and Feldman, who has limited Interleague at-bats, was the first Cubs player to get a hit with a soft single to right with two outs in the third.

“I didn’t hit that ball really hard, but I actually broke the bat,” he said. “It’ll look like a line drive in the box score.”

Feldman is scouting his teammates as well and was impressed by second baseman Darwin Barney’s play to end the second in which he snared Josh Rutledge’s grounder that was headed to center, spun and made a throw in time.

“He’s made a lot of good plays so far this spring,” Feldman said of the Gold Glove second baseman. “You have guys like that behind you, you’re not afraid to pitch to contact.”

– Carrie Muskat

3/4 Cubs complete contracts

The Cubs have agreed to terms with all 21 of their pre-arbitration eligible players on the 40-man roster on Monday, giving second baseman Darwin Barney $562,000 and first baseman Anthony Rizzo $498,000. Pitcher Travis Wood signed for $527,500, reliever Michael Bowden $509,500, and catcher Welington Castillo $503,000.

Other players who agreed to contract terms include right-handed pitches Alberto Cabrera, Rafael Dolis, Trey McNutt, Hector Rondon, Arodys Vizcaino and Robert Whitenack; left-handed pitchers Brooks Raley and Chris Rusin; catcher Steve Clevenger; infielders Junior Lake, Christian Villanueva, Josh Vitters and Logan Watkins; and outfielders Brett Jackson, Dave Sappelt and Matt Szczur.

– Carrie Muskat

2/27 Defining Barney’s space

Darwin Barney’s locker area is defined by a white tape outline on the carpet in the HoHoKam clubhouse. Apparently, Barney needs his space.

“I came out of the game [Tuesday] and this was there,” Barney said Wednesday. “I can live with it. I was thinking about maybe putting up boundaries for everybody.”

There’s no doubting whose territory it is. Someone wrote, “Private, stay out, Barney’s area,” and added “P.S. I won a Gold Glove.” However, there is a typo on “area.” Does the second baseman know who did it?

“It looks like Otis’ handwriting, so that might be my guess,” Barney said of clubhouse manager Tom Hellmann. “Plus, he’s not a great speller. C’mon, I went to Oregon State.”

Wait a minute — isn’t the team supposed to try and be more of a sharing and caring group?

“I allow people in, like you guys [the media] aren’t allowed but teammates are definitely welcome,” Barney said, smiling.

– Carrie Muskat

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