Well we all knew that something was going to happen with Todd Wellemeyer before opening day. He was out of options and it didn’t look like he would be making the Major League team so the Cubs traded him to the Marlins for a couple of minor league pitchers. You can never have enough pitchers right?

The Cubs are getting right-hander Lincoln Holdzkom and lefty Zach McCormack. Holdzkom, 24, has a 2.86 ERA in 110 career games in the Marlins organization. He has worked primarily out of the bullpen, striking out 194 in 160 1/3 innings. Opponents have hit .184 against him. McCormack, 24, was an 11th-round pick in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft out of Sacramento City Junior College. He was 8-8 with a 4.88 ERA and seven saves in 86 career relief appearances. He has struck out 126 in 121 2/3 innings.

Good luck to Todd in Florida. He was a pretty nice guy to the fans every time I seen him and he will be missed.

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The Cubs split squad that played the Oakland A’s went through 9 full innings without giving up a hit, but the only problem was the score was still tied 0-0. Cubs pitchers Sean Marshall and Angel Guzman, battling for the fifth starter spot, each threw four hitless innings against the A’s at HoHoKam Park. Marshall walked four and struck out five, while Guzman walked two and struck out two. Neither has been involved in a no-hitter. Dave Aardsma then threw a perfect ninth for the Cubs. In the 10th inning Dan Johnson (former Nebraska Cornhusker!) came up against John Koronka and singled to center field breaking up the no hitter. The Cubs eventually won in the 10th inning on a game ending double by Brandon Sing that scored Jamal Strong (another former Nebraska Cornhusker) who doubled to lead off the 10th inning.

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Mark Prior will have more tests on his ailing right shoulder this weekend before he gets clearance to begin a throwing program next week. Prior said “most of the visible discomfort is gone,” but he won’t be able to gauge anything until he begins throwing.

“It’s a situation where I can do a lot of normal activities,” Prior said. “It’s not like I have a broken foot or a broken wrist or something visible and I have a cast.

“I won’t know a whole lot of how it’s feeling until they put me through some tests. They’re not going to do that until this weekend because they don’t want to sit there and keep playing around with it and aggravate it.”

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The Cubs made some roster cuts Thursday, optioning catcher Geovany Soto to Triple-A Iowa and catcher Jose Reyes and first baseman Brian Dopirak to Double-A West Tenn. Infielders Casey McGehee and Augie Ojeda were returned to minor-league camp. Also, right-hander Juan Mateo, selected by St. Louis in the Rule 5 draft in December, was returned to the Cubs. He also was assigned to their minor-league camp.