Thearon W. Henderson/Getty ImagesThursday's 21-3 blowout loss to the Oakland

Athletics may not have been one to remember for the Los Angeles Angels as a team Juan Lagares Jersey , but it certainly was for Angels catcherFrancisco Arcia from an individual standpoint.According to MLB.com's Maria Guardado, Arcia became the first player in MLB history to catch, pitch and hit a home run in the same game."It's a nice little note for Frankie, for sure," Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said, per Guardado. "OK guys, are we good on that note? I think we're good."The game started like any other for Arcia, penciled in to catch while hitting seventh. However, Scioscia would have to adjust his game plan as the matchup quickly got out of hand.After opening the scoring with a run in the top of the third, the Angels promptly allowed five in the bottom of the frame and another seven in the next inning. Just like that, a 1-0 lead turned into a 12-1 deficitnd the rout was on.Los Angeles got a run back in the top of the sixth Travis d'Arnaud Jersey , but once again, Oakland had an answer. The A's tacked on to their lead with six in the sixth. By the time the seventh arrived,Angels pitchers had served up 18 runs on the night. Even with the September roster expansion, Scioscia opted to put a position player on the mound to finish up the game.Enter Arcia.The 5'11", 195-pound right-hander promptly retired the first two batters he faced. Unfortunately for him, like many of his teammates before him on this night, he was unable to get out of the inning unscathed. He allowed a two-out single to Josh Phegley before serving up back-to-back home runs to Nick Martini (the first of his career) and Chad Pinder.With one more defensive inning still to play, Arcia went back out for the eighth. Even after allowing a single, he was able to have a 1-2-3 eighth of sorts thanks to an inning-ending double play.Arcia's day was not done, though. After Oakland pitcher Chris Hatcher set down the first two Angels hitters of the ninth inning, Arcia made history by sending a 3-2 offering from Hatcher over the wall in right-center. Technically Noah Syndergaard Jersey , the dinger came while he was in the game as a pitcher.His final line was 1-for-4 with one home run and one RBI at the plate while allowing three runs on four hits in two innings of work (a 9.00 ERA). Although he fanned twice at the plate, he did not strike anyone out on the mound."I just try to stay positive and just play hard all game," Arcia said, per Guardado. "I feel good about it." CHICAGO (AP) — After four consecutive playoff appearances and the 2016 World Series title, the Chicago Cubs are way past playing for Joe Maddon’s future.They also know what’s going on, too.Maddon is entering the final year of his contract after the team declined to offer an extension to its 65-year-old manager. While president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has said he thinks the relationship will continue past this season, the situation with Maddon hovers over the Cubs as they try to bounce back from last year’s disappointing finish.“I love Joe. He’s created a culture here that can’t be beat anywhere in the league,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “I’m obviously biased. I think Joe, when he talks everyone listens. He has so much knowledge. When he talks he is like a father figure. He gets it, and he understands it.”Maddon took a more hands-on approach during spring training after the Cubs blew a five-game lead in the NL Central last September and were eliminated by Colorado in the NL wild card game. He joined new hitting coach Anthony Iapoce for extensive work with the team on situational hitting, looking to help an offense that was plagued by inconsistency last year.Chicago hit an NL-best .258 last season and scored 761 runs http://www.metsfanproshop.com/authentic-tim-tebow-jersey , fourth in the league. But it also managed one run or less in a whopping 39 games.The remedy for the Cubs’ offensive issues might be on the roster, or at least they hope so after they failed to make any major moves over the winter.Kris Bryant is healthy again after he was hampered by left shoulder inflammation last year. Ian Happ stumbled in his second major league season, and Willson Contreras is looking to return to form after he hit just 10 homers and struck out 121 times in 138 games.“A lot of times as a player you try too hard,” Contreras said. “You fail and you step up. Last year was a learning year for me, my second full season in the big leagues. This year is going to be a little bit easier.”The Cubs open the season March 28 at Texas.IN NEED OF RELIEFThe bullpen has potential, but health is a major concern at the moment. Closer Brandon Morrow will miss the start of the season while he recovers from elbow surgery. Pedro Strop has been hampered by right hamstring trouble, and Tony Barnette and Xavier Cedeno also are dealing with injuries. Steve Cishek, Carl Edwards Jr. and newcomer Brad Brach could get plenty of work until reinforcements arrive from the injured list. The 32-year-old Cishek had a 2.18 ERA in a career-high 80 appearances in his first year with Chicago. Brach had 12 saves and a 3.59 ERA in 69 games for Baltimore and Atlanta last season.NEW FACESThe Cubs are hoping Daniel Descalso can provide some additional veteran leadership after he agreed to a $5 million, two-year contract in December. The utility infielder hit .238 with a career-best 13 homers and 57 RBIs in 138 games with Arizona last season.LOOKING GOODJon Lester, Yu Darvish, Cole Hamels http://www.metsfanproshop.com/authentic-tim-tebow-jersey , Kyle Hendricks and Jose Quintana form what could be baseball’s deepest rotation. Lester went 18-6 last year with a 3.32 ERA. Darvish missed most of his first season with Chicago because of injuries, but looked much better this spring. Hamels provided a big lift after he was acquired in a July trade with Texas, and Hendricks and Quintana also are consistent performers.JAVY TIMEJavier Baez is coming off a breakout season , becoming one of baseball’s biggest stars. The slugger hit .290 with 34 homers and an NL-high 111 RBIs while playing his usual stellar defense all around the infield. Producing a similar year could be a tough task.WORTH WATCHINGAlbert Almora Jr. played in a career-high 152 games in 2018, and the results were mixed. Almora, who turns 25 on April 16, batted just .234 in September. The sixth-overall pick in the 2012 draft could help strengthen Chicago’s lineup with a better all-around performance this season.