Jorge Soler has a stress fracture

More crap news today.  Jorge Soler who was on the disabled list for a couple weeks hasn’t returned to the Daytona lineup yet, but has been available to do so.  We now know why, Soler has a stress fracture in his left tibia, shoot.  Soler will be in a walking boot for 4-6 weeks, and could miss the rest of the season per reports.  So much for seeing him play in the futures game during all-star weekend, shoot times two!

Expletive.

Thanks for reading,
– George

Cubs Extend PDC With Daytona For Two More Years

daytona cubs logo

The Daytona Cubs will remain just that for the next two-years, Cubs.  The announcement was made yesterday via the Daytona Beach News Journal.  Here are some of the highlights from the article.

Daytona General Manager Bradly Ballard spoke to the excitement of not only being part of the Cubs organization still, but the direction as well.

“We’re very excited to know we’ll begin a third decade of affiliation with the Chicago Cubs,” Daytona general manager Brady Ballard said. “Especially with the Cubs’ renewed emphasis on player development since (team president) Theo Epstein and (general manager) Jed Hoyer joined the organization.”

With the new regime now in charge the Minor League facilities have been under the microscope, and that was evident in Daytona as the Cubs brass weren’t blown away by the facilities.

Although there has been some speculation the Chicago Cubs might look elsewhere, Ballard said he never got any indication the National League club ever considered moving. However, the team had some concerns about improving on-site weight training and fitness facilities for players and cramped clubhouse conditions, Ballard said.

Because of that concern the Daytona facility will be getting some much-needed improvements, and should come out of this as one of the nicer Florida State League ballparks.

Those concerns are addressed in a $1.25 million improvement project for Jackie Robinson Ballpark that goes before the Daytona Beach City Commission on Wednesday night. The proposed improvements that directly affect players and coaching staff include construction of a 750-square-foot weight training/fitness room on the north end of the home clubhouse and converting office space used by Ballard and his staff to additional locker and office space for the baseball team’s manager, coaches and roving coaches.

“Having a weight room is a must for a professional baseball team,” Ballard said. “What we’ve been using is essentially a 12-by-12-foot room that can’t fit more than two or three guys working out. Having a real weight room here will allow the players to get their workouts in before having lunch or to work out after the game.”

Jason McLeod issued a statement about the extension as well.

“The (Chicago) Cubs are pleased to extend our relationship with Daytona for at least two more years, and to continue a partnership that dates to 1993,” said Jason McLeod, senior vice president for scouting and player development. “The Daytona franchise and (its) great fans have always been tremendous supporters of our players and of the Cubs organization.”

Definitely good news coming out of Daytona heading into next year, now if they could just do something about those rain outs…

Thanks for reading,
– George

9/2: Around the Cubs Minor League System

Only three games on Sunday as the minor league season comes to a close.  Daytona’s season ended on Sunday, while Peoria and Tennessee will play their final game on Monday.

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Peoria led most of the way, but lost in extra innings 5-4.  Starling Peralta got the start and pitched pretty good, but had one tough inning in which he gave up three runs on three hits, walked three, and struck out eight in 5.1.  Sheldon McDonald and Steve Perakslis combined to pitch the next 2.2 innings allowing one run.  Austin Reed took the loss as he gave up a run in the 10th inning.  Jorge Soler was the story on the offensive side as he was 3-for-5 with a mammoth home run, his third with Peoria.  Jacob Rogers and Timothy Saunders each had two hits with Rogers knocking in one run.  Zeke DeVoss, Pin-Chieh Chen, and Sergio Burruel each had a hit with Burruel adding an RBI in the loss.

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Daytona ended the season on good note beating Brevard County in walk off fashion 3-2.  Also ending the season on a positive note was Javier Baez who was 2-for-3 with two home runs and two RBIs.  Taylor Davis was the hero though as he had two hits, including the walk off RBI.  Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in the win.  Nelson Perez and Micah Gibbs each had a hit.  Ryan Searle got the start pitching six inning allowing two runs, one earned on four hits.  Matt Spencer and Hunter Cervenka combined to pitch 2.1 innings not allowing a hit and striking out four.  Eduardo Figueroa got the win getting the last two outs of the game.  It was a nice way for Javier Baez and the Daytona Cubs to end the season.

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Tennessee scored four in the 15th beating Pensacola 7-3.  Dae-Eun Rhee got the start pitching six innings allowing one run on five hits.  Tony Zych struggled giving up two runs in just 0.2 innings, but Frank Batista and Brian Schlitter did a really nice job pitching the next 4.1 scoreless innings.  Casey Harman was outstanding as well pitching four scoreless innings, allowing only one hit, one walk, and one strike out notching his first win of the season.  Matt Cerda was 3-for-7 with an RBI and a run scored.  Logan Watkins had two hits, including a double and two RBIs.  Junior Lake had one hit, but he made it count hitting a three-run homer and ended with four RBIs on the night.  Jae-Hoon Ha, Rubi Silva, and Michael Brenly each had two hits in the win.

Thanks for Reading,
-Mark

9/1: Around the Cubs Minor League System

Our daily minor league recap.

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Boise closed out the regular season by winning a wild one Saturday night 12-11.  Boise took an early lead, but gave up six in the fourth and five in the fifth and were quickly down by six runs.  They came storming back scoring four in the sixth, one in the seventh, and two in the ninth to get the victory. Marco Hernadez was 4-for-6 with three runs scored and two RBIs, including the game tying RBI and the winning run scored.  Dan Vogelbach had three hits and three RBIs.  Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-4 with a double, triple, three runs scored, and two RBIs.  Albert Almora and Rock Shoulders each had two hits, with Almora knocking one in and Wilson Contreras had two RBIs including the game winner.  Stephen Bruno kept the hitting streak alive as he went 1-for-1, with an RBI, but was ejected shortly after that.  Ian Dickson got the start, giving up six runs, four earned in just 3.1 innings.  Hunter Ackerman followed and gave up five runs, two earned over the next 1.2 innings.  Brian Smith was tremendous pitching three perfect innings with four strikeouts.  Rafael Diplan got his third win of the season pitching a scoreless ninth.  Boise starts their playoffs on Monday.

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Peoria gave up three in the sixth and took the loss 6-5.  Jeff Antigua got the start, but struggled a bit giving up six runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings.  Justin Berg came on and pitched the final 2.1 innings not allowing a run.  Bijan Rademacher had a nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.  Oliver Zapata also had a double and rove in two.  Chadd Krist was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored.  Jorge Soler, Zeke DeVoss and Jacob Rogers each had a hit a piece, with Rogers scoring two runs.  Peoria has two more games against Kane County as the season will come to a close on Monday.

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Daytona beat Brevard County on Saturday 4-2.  Matt Loosen got the start and pitched quite well in his five innings.  He allowed one run on two hits and struck out six, in earning his 11th win of the season.  Jeff Lorick gave up a run, but pitched the next two innings before getting the ball to AJ Morris threw the final two innings and earned his seventh save of the season.  John Andreoli, who has had a really nice season waited until tonight to hit his first home run of the season.  He ended the night 2-for-3 with two runs scored, an RBI, and two stolen bases bringing his total to 55.  Nelson Perez was 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI and Rafael Lopez had a hit and knocked one in as well.  Javier Baez and Christian Villanueva each had a hit, with Villanueva stealing two bases and scoring a run as well.  Daytona’s season will come to a close on Sunday.

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Tennessee scored two in the fifth, but gave up one in the ninth to lose 3-2.  Eric Jokisch started, but did not factor in the decision going five innings and allowing one run on six hits, while striking out five.  After Zach Rosscup gave up a run in his inning of work, both Jaye Chapman and Rafael Dolis pitched a scoreless inning each.  Kevin Rhoderick took the loss giving up a run in the ninth inning.  Logan Watkins was 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs, he also walked twice.  Matt Szczur had two hits, including a double and he scored a run.  The pitcher Eric Jokisch and pinch hitter Dustin Harrington were the only other Smokies to record a hit in the loss.  Tennessee has two games left and will end their season on Monday.

Thanks for Reading,
-Mark

8/31: Around the Cubs Minor League System

A quick recap of the Cubs minor leagues on Friday, August 31.  Peoria was cancelled due to rain and both Iowa and the AZL Cubs seasons are in the books.

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The Boise Hawks had a few rough innings and lost this one 6-4.  Felix Pena pitched five really good innings giving up no runs on four hits with three strikeouts.  Hayden Simpson struggled and took the loss giving up six runs on six hits in two innings.  Eduardo Orozco pitched well in his two innings allowing no runs on one hit and striking out four.  Jeimer Candelario had a nice night at the plate going 2-for-3 with two RBIs.  Stephen Bruno and Gioskar Amaya each had two hits, with Amaya scoring two runs.  Dan Vogelbach and Wilson Contreras each a had a hit in the loss and Rock Shoulders was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.  Marco Hernandez delivered a pinch-hit RBI single.

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Daytona got down early, but Rebel Ridling and the bullpen sparked a 4-3 win.  Ridling was awesome on Friday tying the game in the seventh and winning it with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth.  He ended the night 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, and two RBIs.  Vladimir Frias also had a nice night at the plate going 3-for-4 with an RBI.  Nelson Perez had two hits, including a double and a run scored.  Rafael Lopez and Christian Villanueva each had a hit in the win.  Kyler Burke got the start for the Cubs, he lasted four innings giving up three runs on six hits.  Matt Iannazzo pitched the next three innings allowing only one hit and striking out two.  Scott Weismann got the win as he threw the final two scoreless innings.  It was a nice win for the Cubs as the season is coming to a close.

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Tennessee continued to roll on Friday beating Pensacola 5-0.  Chris Rusin started, but only lasted three innings not allowing a hit and striking out one.  Nicholas Struck pitched the next 5.2 and got the win as he gave up only one hit and struck out six.  Rubi Silva had a nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs.  Matt Szczur had two hits in the win and scored a run.  Junior Lake and Justin Bour each had a hit and combined to score three runs.  Anthony Recker and Matt Cerda each had a hit and Jae-Hoon Ha had an RBI in the win.  It has been fun following Tennessee the past few weeks as they have been playing some really good baseball, unfortunately it was a little late as they have been eliminated from the playoffs.

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The Iowa Cubs were supposed to play a series against New Orleans, but because of Hurricane Isaac the series has been cancelled and their season has come to an end.

Thanks for Reading,
-Mark

8/30: Around the Cubs Minor League System

Here is a quick look at the Cubs minor league recap for Thursday, August 30th.  When the AZL Cubs playoff game ends we will have a full recap of that game.

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Boise scored two in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough as they lost to Everett 4-3.  What else is new Stephen Bruno was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.  His hit streak now sits at 20.  Rock Shoulders hit a pinch-hit two-run home run in the ninth.  Albert Almora was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.  Dan Vogelbach also had a hit in the loss.  Justin Amlung started and took the loss going two innings allowing one run on two hits.  James Pugliese pitched the next four innings allowing two runs and striking out four.  Su-Min Jung and Tyler Bremer combined to throw the last three innings, with Bremer giving up a run and striking out two.

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Cedar Rapids put up four big runs in the 10th inning to beat Peoria 11-7.  The Chiefs had a lot of nice nights on the offensively.  Pin-Chieh Chen was 3-for-4 with two walks, a triple, three runs scored, and a stolen base.  Wes Darvill also had three hits, including a double and an RBI.  Jorge Soler was 2-for-6 with an RBI and Sergio Burruel also had two hits including a double and two RBIs.  Zeke DeVoss had a hit and an RBI as did Jacob RogersTimothy Saunders, Oliver Zapata, and Bijan Rademacher all had a hit in the loss.  Joseph Zeller started and pitched 6.2 innings allowing five runs on eight hits.  Sheldon McDonald and Larry Suarez pitched the next 2.1 innings, but Luis Liria took the loss giving up the four runs in the 10th.

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Going into the ninth tied Brevard County scored two and Daytona one, so the final ended up 6-5 Brevard County.  Kyle Hendricks started and pitched four innings allowing three runs on seven hits.  Matthew Spencer and Hunter Cervenka combined to pitch the next 2.1 innings giving up one run and striking out four.  Eduardo Figueroa took the loss as he allowed the two runs in the ninth inning.  John Andreoli had a nice night going 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored.  Javier Baez was 1-for-4 with a home run and Christian Villanueva had a hit and an RBI.  Rebel Ridling was 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored and Elieser Bonne knocked in a run with a hit in the loss.

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Tennessee beat Pensacola on Thursday 4-2.  Dallas Beeler started and pitched five innings allowing two runs, one earned on four hits, while walking two and striking out four.  After Casey Harman pitched a scoreless sixth, Trey McNutt pitched an outstanding inning as he struck out the side and didn’t allow a base runner.  Brian Schlitter notched his six save as he struck out four over two innings.  The Cubs offense used the long ball as all four runs accounted for via the home run.  Logan Watkins, Justin Bour, and Matt Cerda all connected with Cerda hitting a two-run homer.  Jae-Hoon Ha was the only other Smokies player to have a hit in the win.

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Thursday was not a good night for Iowa losing to Nashville 6-1.  Yonner Negrin started and took the loss as he pitched five innings allowing three runs, two earned on six hits.  Jaye Chapman struck out two in a scoreless inning of work, but Miguel Socolovich gave up three runs in his inning.  Rafael Dolis pitched the final frame, not allowing a run and striking one out.  Adrian Cardenas was responsible for the only Cubs run as he was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.  Tony Campana also had one hit and he scored the Cubs lone run, he also stole his 18th base at Iowa.  The Cubs had five more hits in the loss, as Thursday was not a very good night.

Thanks for Reading,
-Mark

8/29: Around the Cubs Minor League System

Our daily look at the Cubs minor leaguers.  Tennessee was off and the AZL Cubs regular season has come to an end.  They wound up winning the wild card.

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Boise got the bats going once again beating Everett 9-5.  Stephen Bruno was back at it going 2-for-3 with an RBI, he is now hitting .354.  Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-3 with a home run, his 10th of the season.  Rock Shoulders had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and two RBIs.  Darien Martin and Marco Hernandez each had a hit and an RBI.  Albert Almora was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.  Tayler Scott started, but did not factor in the decision pitching only four innings and allowing three runs, two earned.  Michael Heesch did get the win pitching the next two innings not allowing a run.  Nathan Dorris pitched two scoreless innings and Eduardo Orozco pitched the final frame, giving up two runs.

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Cedar Rapids jumped on Peoria early and held on to beat Peoria 9-5.  Jorge Soler was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.  Chadd Krist and Jacob Rogers each had one hit and one RBI, with Krist having a triple.  Zeke DeVoss and Dustin Geiger each had a hit and a hit and combined to score three runs.  Yao-Lin Wang started and struggled, giving up nine runs, seven earned on eight hits in getting the loss.  Bryce Shafer and Pete Levitt combined to pitch the last five scoreless innings.

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Christian Villanueva had a good first game as Daytona won 4-1.  Villanueva was 2-for-3 with a home run, RBI, and two runs scored.  Javier Baez was 1-for-3 with a triple, RBI, and run scored.  Taylor Davis, Elieser Bonne, and John Andreoli all had a hit a piece in the win.  PJ Francescon started and was really good pitching six innings allowing one run on three hits, while striking out three.  AJ Morris got the call in the seventh and recorded his sixth save of the season.

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It took extra innings in game two as Daytona ended up on the losing end of the second one 3-1.  Frank Del Valle started and pitched five innings allowing one run and striking out six.  Ryan Searle pitched a scoreless sixth, but Jeffrey Lorick struggled giving up two runs in the eighth inning as he took the loss.  Rebel Ridling accounted for the only run for the Cubs as he hit a home run in the fourth inning.  Javier Baez was 1-for-3 with a stolen base in game two.  John Andreoli, Elieser Bonne, and Rafael Lopez all had a hit in the loss.

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Iowa got shut out on Wednesday losing 3-0 to Nashville.  Ryan Rowland-Smith started and took the loss giving up one run, two earned in five innings.  Jay Jackson threw one perfect inning in relief striking out one and Jeff Beliveau gave up one run in two innings of work.  There was nothing too exciting on the offensive end.  Diory Hernandez was 2-for-4 with two doubles.  New Cub Anthony Recker was 1-for-3 with a double and Adrian Cardenas also had a double in the loss.  Greg Rohan, Dave Sappelt, and Jeff Frazier all had one hit a piece in the shutout loss.

Thanks for Reading,
-Mark

 

8/25: Around the Cubs Minor League System

Saturday’s minor league recap.

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It was a game of big innings early, until the ninth when the AZL Cubs walked off with another win, this time 8-7.  Paul Blackburn started, but wasn’t at his best giving up three runs on four hits in three innings of work.  Rafael Dolis and Jasvir Rakkar each pitched an inning allowing two runs a piece.  Ethan Elias did a great job keeping the Giants at seven runs as pitched the next three innings allowing no runs on no hits, while walking two and striking out four.  The good luck charm Steve Perakslis improved his record to 4-0 as he got the win after pitching a scoreless ninth.  The Cubs had a lot of nice days offensively.  Carlos Penalver and Yasiel Balaguert each had two hits and drove in two a piece.  Ben Carhart was 2-for-6 with a walk off single and Shawon Dunston had one hit, a double and three RBIs.  Trevor Gretzky and David Bote both contributed with two hits and combined two score three runs for the Cubs.  Daniel Lockhart and Garrett Schlecht each had a hit and an RBI in the Cubs victory.  The victory clinched a spot in the playoffs for the Cubs.

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Boise got out to a quick start and held on to beat Vancouver 8-6.  After a recent struggle Jeimer Candelario appears to have broken out as he went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three RBIs.  Stephen Bruno stayed red-hot going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.  Dan Vogelbach also had two hits, including a double and an RBI.  Wilson Contreras and Gioskar Amaya each had a hit with Contreras knocking in two and Amaya one.  Albert Almora left the game early with an apparent injury, but I have no word yet as to what the problem was.  Ian Dickson started, but did not factor in the decision as was only able to last 4.1 innings as he allowed four runs on seven hits.  Hunter Ackerman did get the victory as he threw the next 2.2 innings giving up one run and striking out five.  Eduardo Orozco got the ball to Nathan Dorris and Dorris closed out the win and the second half for Boise.  With the victory Boise is the second half winners and are headed to the playoffs.

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A three run fourth was enough for Joseph Zeller and the Cubs bullpen as they beat Wisconsin 3-2.  Zeller pitched quite well giving up one run on seven hits in six innings.  Sheldon McDonald pitched the next two innings allowing one run, but got the ball to Larry Suarez who notched his fifth save of the season striking out two in a scoreless ninth.  Timothy Saunders had another nice night going 2-for-4 with a homer and a double.  Chadd Krist also hit a home run, a two run shot in the fourth inning.  Oliver Zapata had a hit, two walks, and two stolen bases and Zeke DeVoss also added a hit in the Chiefs win.

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Daytona lost game one to Tampa 3-2.  Although they only had three hits, they threatened late, but couldn’t finish.  Ronald Torreyes, Elieser Bonne, and Vladimir Frias were the only Cubs to have hits on Saturday.  Nelson Perez drove in the two Cubs runs in game one without the benefit of a hit.  Eduardo Figueroa started, but took a no decision as didn’t give up a run in four inning, while striking out six.  Matt Spencer took the loss as he really struggled with his command walking five and allowing all three of the Yankees runs to score in just 0.2 innings.  Matt Iannazzo finished game one out throwing a scoreless 1.1 innings.

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Daytona returned the favor in game two as Ryan Searle and staff only allowed three hits in a 4-1 win.  Searle started and pitched pretty good going five innings allowing one run on three hits and striking out five.  From there Jeff Lorick pitched a scoreless sixth and Scott Weismann notched his fourth save of the season throwing a perfect seventh.  John Andreoli and Ronald Torreyes hit one-two in the order and set the table of the Cubs in this one.  Torreyes was 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored, and an RBI.  John Andreoli was also 2-for-4 with a double, triple, and two runs scored.  Rebel Ridling had two hits of his own and drove in one run and Nelson Perez drove in another run, again not having a hit.  Javier Baez broke through with a double in the victory.

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Mobile scored one in the ninth to tie it and got one in the 10th to beat Tennessee 4-3.  Nicholas Struck was in line for the win pitching seven innings, allowing two runs, one earned on six hits, while striking out six.  Zach Rosscup did his job getting the ball to Frank Batista, but Batista couldn’t get the save in this one allowing the ninth inning run.  Casey Harman took the loss allowing an unearned run in the 10th.  Rubi Silva had a nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs.  Jae-Hoon Ha had three hits and Junior Lake had two hits and a run scored.  Logan Watkins was 1-for-5 with a home run for the Smokies in the tough loss on Saturday.

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Things have been better for Iowa as of late and Saturday was no different as they beat Oklahoma City 4-1.  Ty’Relle Harris started and got the win pitching six strong innings.  He allowed one run on four hits while striking out six.  Miguel Socolovich and Jeff Beliveau each pitched a perfect frame to get the ball to Jairo Asencio who struck out two and pitched a scoreless ninth to record his fifth save of the season.  The Cubs had a few nice nights offensively on Saturday starting with Diory Hernandez who had a home run and three RBIs.  Dave Sappelt was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Matt Tolbert also had two hits with a run scored.  Greg Rohan and Jeff Frazier each had two hits a piece with Frazier having two doubles and Rohan having one.  It is good to see Iowa finishing the season strong.

It was an exciting night, Congrats to Boise Hawks and the AZL Cubs in clinching a playoff birth.

Thanks for Reading,
-Mark

8/24: Around the Cubs Minor League System

Our nightly trip through the Cubs minor leagues.  The AZL Cubs were off on Friday night.

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Things were looking good for Boise after a six run second, but Vancouver quickly scored four in the bottom half and ended up beating the Hawks 7-6.  With Tayler Scott staked to a four run lead, it was easy to assume this one was over, but Scott was not at his best today, but left with a chance to win as he left with the lead.  He pitched five innings allowing five runs on seven hits, while walking four and striking out three.  Rafael Diplan pitched the final three innings and took the loss as he gave up two runs, one of which was unearned.  At the plate Marco Hernandez had a good night going 3-for-4 with a run scored.  Albert Almora and Jeimer Candelario also had good nights as each had two hits with Almora scoring a run.  Lance Rymel had one hit on the evening and also drove in two runs.  Darien Martin and Stephen Bruno each had a hit and an RBI in the loss.  Not a good loss for Boise, but they have come back strong all second half, I expect much of the same.

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Beloit took an early lead and never looked back beating Peoria 8-2 on Friday night.  Yao-Lin Wang started and took the loss pitching 4.1 innings and allowing six runs, four earned on 10 hits.  Willengton Cruz pitched two innings allowing two runs and Austin Reed pitched a scoreless frame.  There were only a couple bright spots on the offensive side of things for the Chiefs in this one.  Dustin Geiger was 2-for-3 with a home run, his 17th of the season and two RBIs.  Chadd Krist also had two hits and Zeke DeVoss added a hit and scored a run as well.  Jorge Soler got the night off for Peoria.

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Daytona won the first game of a double-header on Friday 4-3.  Kyle Hendricks started and got his first win with the Cubs as he went five innings allowing two runs on three hits, while striking out three.  AJ Morris recorded his fifth save of the season as he pitched the final two innings of game one.  Down 2-0 Elieser Bonne quickly gave the Cubs the lead connecting on a three run homer, his third of the season.  In the sixth inning Christian Villanueva gave Daytona a two run lead as he hit his third home run since coming to the Cubs.  John Andreoli had two hits in the win.

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Game two didn’t go as well as Daytona lost to Tampa 11-5.  Matt Loosen had a really rough outing as he gave up eight runs on five hits to go along with six walks and seven strikeouts.  Hunter Cervenka proved to not be much better allowing three more runs over the next 2.2 innings.  Offensively speaking Christian Villanueva started right where he left off going 2-for-3 witha double and two runs scored.  Elieser Bonne also had two hits including a double and John Andreoli had a hit and two RBIs.  Rebel Ridling and Nelson Perez each had a hit and an RBI a piece.  Javier Baez was held hitless in game one, but added a hit and an RBI in the game two loss.

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A seven run third inning helped Tennessee beat Mobile 11-5.  Dallas Beeler was the beneficiary of all those runs as he got the win despite giving up five runs in five innings.  Kevin Rhoderick and Tony Zych pitched two scoreless innings a piece to close out the game.  The Smokies a had few really nice nights at the plate starting with Matt Sczcur who was 2-for-4 with a home run and three runs scored.  Logan Watkins was 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI.  Jae-Hoon Ha and Rubi Silva each had two hits with Ha having two doubles and driving in three.  Silva hit his first home run and drove in two.  Junior Lake had a home run of his own and knocked in three.  Justin Bour had a double and walked three times, but unbelievably didn’t have an RBI in the Smokies 11 run win.

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Iowa scored two in the seventh and one in the eighth to defeat Oklahoma City 5-3.  Yoanner Negrin started, but did not factor in the decision as he gave up three runs on eight hits in six innings pitched.  Jay Jackson got the win in relief as he pitched a scoreless seventh inning.  After Scott Maine threw a scoreless eighth Jairo Asencio struck out two in the ninth and picked up his fourth save.  Tony Campana had a nice night at the top of the order going 2-for-4 with a triple, a run scored, and an RBI.  Jeff Frazier and Diory Hernandez each had two hits with Hernandez driving in one run.  Adrian Cardenas had only one hit, but it was a home run as he knocked in two in the Cubs win.

Thanks for Reading,
-Mark

8/23: Around the Cubs Minor League System

A look at August 23 minor league recap.

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Down 8-2 the AZL Cubs came storming back to not only tie the game in the ninth, but score five in the 10th to win it.  Dillon Maples started, but struggled with his control walking four and giving up four runs in just 1.2 innings.  After Loiger Padron gave up four runs over 2.1 innings the rest of the pen did a pretty good job only allowing one more run to score.  Chad Martin ended up getting the win as he struck out four in just one inning.  Justin Marra had a good night at the plate going 3-for-5 with three doubles and two RBIs.  David Bote and Trevor Gretzky each had two hits and two RBIs a piece in the win.  Shawon Dunston had two hits and an RBI and Yasiel Balaguert drove in two runs of his own.  Ben Carhart ended the night 1-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored and Anthony Giansanti scored two and knocked on in as well.  This was a great comeback win for the Cubs.

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Boise has been scoring a lot of runs lately and Thursday was no different beating Vancouver 11-5.  Boise once again pounded out 17 hits to go along with their 11 runs.  Albert Almora was back in the lineup and he went 4-for-5, including two doubles, three runs scored, and two RBIs.  Wilson Contreras and Darien Martin each had three hits with Martin knocking in three runs and Contreras scoring three and driving in one as well.  Dan Vogelbach and Stephen Bruno each had two hits, both collecting doubles.  Rock Shoulders and Izaac Garsez both had a hit and RBI in the Hawks victory.  Hayden Simpson started and got the win as he allowed three runs on six hits in five innings, while striking out seven.  Brian Smith pitched two nice innings in relief not giving up a run and striking out two.  Tyler Bremer finished this one off for the Hawks striking out two over the last 1.1 innings.  Boise’s magic number is now at two.

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Behind Michael Jensen Peoria beat Beloit 6-1.  Jensen was stellar pitching six innings allowing only one run on two hits, while striking out four.  He is now 11-5 with a 3.47 ERA.  Justin Berg and Larry Suarez combined to pitch the final three innings, not giving up a run and striking out three.  Leadoff hitter Zeke DeVoss had a really nice game going 3-for-4 with a home run.  Pin-Chieh Chen continued to impress as he had two hits, two runs scored, and two RBIs.  Jorge Soler and Chadd Krist each had a double and Soler had an RBI.  Timothy Saunders is human as he didn’t have a hit in this, but he did drive in a run and Jacob Rogers contributed to the win with a hit and a run scored.

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Robert Whitenack gave up three in the first and that was all Clearwater would need beating Daytona 3-0.  On a positive note Kyler Burke pitched three scoreless innings in relief striking out three.  Matt Iannazzo, Scott Weismann, and Jeff Lorick combined to throw the final two innings of the game.  Offensively there really is nothing to report as Daytona only had three hits.  John Andreoli, Ronald Torreyes, and Rebel Ridling were the only Cubs to have hits in the shutout loss.

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After scoring five runs over the first two innings Tennessee had to hold on in this one beating Chattanooga 5-4.  Austin Kirk started, but got a no decision as he wasn’t able to finish five innings giving up four runs in 4.2 innings.  He gave up four hits, walked five, and struck out six.  Trey McNutt pitched a perfect innings and recorded his eighth win of the season.  Brian Schlitter struck out three in two innings and Frank Batista earned his 24th save of the season as he pitched a scoreless ninth.  At the plate Justin Bour was 2-for-4 including his 35th double and an RBIs bringing his season total to 109.  Jae-Hoon Ha and Junior Lake each had a double and drove in two runs of their own.  Rubi Silva and Michael Brenly each had a hit and a run scored in the Smokies victory.

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A two run second was enough for Oklahoma City as they hung on to beat Iowa 2-1.  Ryan Rowland-Smith started and took the loss giving up two runs in five innings.  Marcus Hatley, Jeff Beliveau, and Esmailin Caridad combined to pitch the final four innings allowing only one hit and striking out five.  Offensively speaking the Cubs had only six hits and one run, but there were a couple of good performances.  Dave Sappelt was 2-for-4 including a double and an RBI.  James Adduci also had a double in the this one and he stole his sixth base of the season.  Tony Campana, Alfredo Amezaga, and Matt Tolbert all had a hit a piece with Amezaga scoring the Cubs only run in the 2-1 loss.

Thanks for Reading,
-Mark