The Cubs are in their final weekend of spring training and have only three more exhibition games left after this one, so it’s all about setting things up for Craig Counsell. The manager’s plans took a literal blow on Friday afternoon when Justin Steele wore a sharp comebacker in the leg, but it sounds like the lefty won’t miss anny time. He may have to slot back from his Opening Day assignment, so that’s something to monitor.
Getting another strong performance from Ben Brown in his final outing of spring training would be nice. The big righty has worked multiple innings in each of his appearances so far and this will be his second start in a row after going four innings against the Angels a week ago.