Another Great Sign For Yu Darvish's Comeback

Yu Darvish hasn't felt this good during his career and I don't give a shit that's only spring training. He's shown up to camp ready to go from the start and all indications should give Cubs fans lots of hope that Darvish will be the all-star pitcher he's been throughout his career. Darvish made his first spring training start and was throwing in the mid-90s with his fastball. He got up to 96mph, but did walk four batters in two innings. Then, Darvish was nasty against the White Sox on Sunday, getting some swings and misses, while he struck out three batters. That game wasn't on TV either, but Darvish shared some video from that start. https://www.sportsmockery.com/2019/03/yu-darvish-shares-video-of-his-nasty-stuff-against-the-white-sox/ Anyway, Darvish's next start was scheduled for Friday against the Mariners. It was going to be the first time fans would be able to see Darvish pitch on TV in 2019, but the Cubs have moved Darvish to a simulated game instead in Mesa.

While it sucks that we won't be able to see Darvish in action and it might seem like a bad thing, the simulated game for him is actually another positive sign in his comeback. Bleacher Nation explains.

Veteran left-hander Cole Hamels pitched a simulated game instead of pitching in a spring training game earlier this week for the Cubs.

Oh and I guess if you're in Mesa, you can actually head over to the back fields at Sloan Park and watch Darvish pitch live on Friday. As far as other pitching news, left-hander Xavier Cedeno has been dealing with a wrist injury. He still hasn't pitched in a game, but the Cubs are optimistic about his status going forward.

If he does have any minor set back it could lead to an interesting decision in the bullpen for the Opening Day 25-man roster. https://www.sportsmockery.com/2019/03/new-injury-could-make-bullpen-competition-even-more-interesting-for-cubs/ Brad Brach still hasn't made his Cubs debut in spring training yet and the latest story on him raised a couple eyebrows. Turns out that a viral infection cost him about $2 million. https://www.sportsmockery.com/2019/03/so-the-cubs-restructured-brad-brachs-contract-and-the-reason-is-weird/ Pedro Strop made his spring training debut on Wednesday against the Royals. He gave up a single and a walk, while also striking out former teammate Jorge Soler.

And just another reminder how good Strop has been with the Cubs.

Strop will most likely start the season as the closer, with Brandon Morrow expected to miss the first month of the year.