Cubs Cut Ties With Kane County; Hello South Bend

After two seasons the Chicago Cubs are moving on from Kane County, and will begin a player development contract with the South Bend Silver Hawks next season (Low A affiliate). For me this is disappointing only because it was very easy to get to Kane County to see the Cubs prospects play, South Bend is a little further. ~~On the bright side, the Silver Hawks are still in the Midwest League, so they will travel to Kane County regularly.~~ As pointed out on Twitter, Kane County is in a different division, and South Bend will not travel there in 2015…. Never mind that “bright side” comment.

South Bend would kill to get the Cubs, not saying they did…. (nervous laugh) but they were hard after the Cubs for a very long time, and it now is coming to fruition. The main reason for moves like this are to enhance the player development within the organization, hence “player development contract.” For the two years with Kane County, the Cubs wanted major improvements to the facilities, and while the Cougars announced that they were making upgrades this offseason, it seems as though it wasn’t enough.

I’m sad to say so long to the good people at Kane County, but excited for South Bend Cubs baseball, hope the price of gas goes down next summer…yeeeeeaaah.

Riding the Bus; Cubs Minor League Reports (7/28/2014)

It’s back! Hopefully for good, technology can be a real…. you know what..

Full Box Score

A huge night for the Smokies hitters in this one, as eight of the nine starters had at least one hit, and seven of the nine starters had at least one RBI.

At the Plate:

Albert Almora finally had his break out game for the Smokies. Almora was 4-for-6 with a double, two RBI’s, and three runs scored.
Addison Russell continued his torrid pace of late, he went 4-for-6 as well, with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.
Lars Anderson showed off his power in this one, he was 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBI’s, two walks, and two runs scored.
Dustin Geiger had himself a game, he was 2-for-2 with a double, three RBI’s, three walks (CUBS WAY!), two runs scored, and a stolen base.

On the Mound:

Eduardo Figueroa did just enough to walk away with the win, he worked six innings, giving up five runs on four hits, while walking three, and striking out four.
Zach Cates also had to battle while not having his best stuff, he worked 1.2 innings, giving up two runs, on three hits, while walking one, and striking out two.
Frank Batista shut the door on this one, picking up his eighth save, he worked 1.1 innings, giving up one run on three hits, while striking out one.

Full Box Score

It was the Juan Paniagua show in Daytona last night, as the recently promoted right hander twirled a gem as he picked up his first High A victory.

At the Plate:

Jacob Hannemann has really performed well since being promoted to Daytona, he was 1-for-3 with a double, two walks, a stolen base, and two runs scored in the win.
Willson Contreras had a big night, he was 3-for-5 with a double, and two RBI’s.
Billy McKinney just hits, that is all he has done since being acquired in the Hammel/Samardzija trade with Oakland. He was 2-for-5 with a double, and two RBI’s, he’s now hitting .312 on the season.
Gioskar Amaya had another solid night out of the nine hole, he was 2-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Juan Paniagua was dominant in this one, he worked six scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while walking two, and striking out six.
Tyler Bremer was brilliant out of the pen, he worked two scoreless innings, while striking out two.
Austin Kirk mopped things up in the ninth, he worked a scoreless frame, while giving up one hit, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

The Cougars lost…… at…..home….. I know, it totally doesn’t feel natural, like the Universe is out of tilt, I think we’ll survive. The two best teams in the Midwest League went toe-to-toe, and the Whitecaps came out on top.

At the Plate:

Shawon Dunston is heating up, he went 2-for-5 with two doubles (12 on the year), and an RBI.
Will Remillard was one of the few Cougars to get on base multiple times, he went 1-for-3 with a walk.

On the Mound:

Duary Torrez did everything he could to keep his team in the game, he finished his night with a no decision. Torrez worked six innings, giving up one run on five hits, while walking one, and striking out four.
Michael Heesch struggled with his command in this one, he worked three innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking three (see?), and striking out three.

Full Box Score

The Boise Hawks just couldn’t get the bats going in this one, as they could only manage one run on five hits in a 6-1 loss to the Hops.

At the Plate:

Danny Canela was one of the few Hawks to find some success, he was 1-for-4 with a double, he’s now hitting .281 on the season.
Danny Lockhart, David Bote, Jesse Hodges, and Bryant Flete all had one hit in the loss, all singles.

On the Mound:

Trevor Clifton got the start for the Hawks, and struggled throughout as he suffered his second loss of the season. Clifton worked 3.2 innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on six hits, while walking four, and striking out three.
Yomar Morel didn’t have much luck either out of the pen, he worked 1.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking one, and striking out one.
Tommy Thorpe was brilliant, he worked three perfect innings, registering two strikeouts.

Full Box Score

Plenty of offense for the Cubs in this one, unfortunately the pitching was lacking. The D-backs pounded out twelve hits en route to a 12-6 victory over the Cubs Arizona League squad.

At the Plate:

Kevonte Mitchell can swing it, he was 3-for-5 with a stolen base, an RBI, and two runs scored, he’s now hitting .317 on the season.
Gleyber Torres is someone you will be hearing a lot about moving forward, he was 3-for-4 with a triple (2nd of the season), a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Roney Alcala had a solid game near the bottom of the order, he was 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored in the loss.

On the Mound:

C.J. Edwards was back on the mound as he continues his rehab, and he was pretty good. Edwards worked 3.2 innings, giving up one run on one hit, while walking three, and striking out six.
Adbert Alzolay struggled out of the pen, he worked one inning, giving up four runs on three hits, while walking one, and striking out two.
Alberto Diaz couldn’t find the plate, and he paid for it. Diaz worked only a third of an inning, giving up three runs, two earned, on one hit, while walking four (see?), and striking out one.
Tanner Griggs was also beat up, he worked 2.1 innings, giving up four runs, three earned, on six hits, while walking two.
Andin Diaz was solid, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit, and striking out two.

Kyle Schwarber Continues to Roll

It’s been a busy few weeks for Kyle Schwarber. Drafted by the Cubs in early June, goes to Boise and demolishes the pitching there, now he finds himself at Kane County, and he continues to mash. Schwarber is slugging with the best of them right now, and tonight was no different as he went 2-for-3 with a double, his first Low A home run, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored.

Schwarber is now 15-for-26 as a professional ballplayer, that includes two doubles, a triple, five home runs, and twelve RBI… good Lord.

Video of the home run coming as soon as it is available. We will be at the Cougars game on Sunday, I will get plenty of pictures.

Riding the Bus; Cubs Minor League Reports (4/23/2014)

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2014

Full Box Score

The Cougars are rolling, it took a little while to get going today, but once they did they couldn’t be stopped. Trailing 2-0 in the 4th, the Cougars scored ten runs over the next four innings en route to a 10-4 victory.

At the Plate:

Carlos Penalver continues to rack up extra base hits, he was 1-for-4 with his fourth double of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
Daniel Canela had a solid day, he went 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
Will Remillard was the star today, he went 4-for-4 with a double, a walk, three RBI’s, and a run scored.
Jordan Hankins chipped in as well, he went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Shawon Dunston made some noise from the nine spot, he was 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, and two runs scored.

On the Mound:

Tyler Skulina got the start, and struggled a bit with his command. Skulina worked 4.1 innings, giving up three runs on six hits, while walking four, and striking out two.
Justin Amlung was stellar out of the pen, and was rewarded with his third win of the season. Amlung worked 3.2 scoreless innings, giving up four hits, while walking one, and striking out two.
Gerardo Concepcion closed things out, as he worked one inning, giving up one run on three hits, while striking out two.

Full Box Score

This one was over almost immediately as the Smokies exploded for eight runs in the first en route to a 9-1 win. Corey Black enjoyed the support, but he didn’t need it as he flirted with a no hitter in picking up the win. He actually had a no hitter, but was lifted after six because of pitch count.

At the Plate:

John Andreoli is on some kind of roll, he went 3-for-6 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .286 on the season.
Kris Bryant continues to get on base at an impressive clip, he went 1-for-5 with a walk, and a run scored in the win.
Rafael Lopez was super patient at the plate today, he went 1-for-2 with three walks, an RBI, and a run scored.
Dustin Geiger got back in the swing of things, he went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Rubi Silva muscled up today, he was 1-for-4 with his second home run of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
Wes Darvill was productive out of the nine spot, he went 2-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Corey Black was brilliant today, and was rewarded with his first win of the season. Black was un-hittable, he worked six scoreless, hit-less innings, while walking three, and striking out eight.
P.J. Francescon came on and did a great job out of the pen to pick up his first save. He worked three innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking two, and striking out two.

Full Box Score

A night after scoring eighteen runs, the D-Cubs had some trouble crossing the plate. Not too surprising, that’s usually how it goes, and Clearwater took advantage scoring four times in the 5th en route to a 6-3 win.

At the Plate:

Gioskar Amaya stayed hot today, he went 3-for-5 with a double, a stolen base, an RBI, and two runs scored.
Bijan Rademacher (1-for-2), and Dan Vogelbach (1-for-4) each had one hit, and one RBI in the loss.
Marco Hernandez was good today, he went 2-for-4 with two singles, he is now hitting .321 on the season.

On the Mound:

Rob Zastryzny got the start and was done in by one bad inning as he took his first loss of the season. Zastryzny worked 4.2 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, while walking one, and striking out five.
Michael Jensen was pretty good out of the pen, he worked 2.1 innings, giving up one run on one hit, while striking out three.
Zach Cates found some trouble out of the pen, he worked one inning, giving up one run on two hits, while striking out one.

Riding the Bus; Cubs Minor League Reports (4/22/2014)

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

Full Box Score

It was all Iowa today as they built a 10-1 lead over Round Rock by the fifth inning en route to a 10-3 cake walk. The I-Cubs sprayed the ball all over the place as they pounded out twelve hits to improve their record to 10-9 on the season.

At the Plate:

Chris Coghlan was the poster child for the “Cubs Way” today as he went 1-for-1 with four walks, a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Arismendy Alcantara is making an awful lot of noise lately, he was 2-for-5 with his second home run of the season, two RBI’s, a double, and two runs scored in the win.
Javier Baez is starting to heat up at the plate, he was 2-for-5 with a triple, three RBI’s, and a run scored.
Chris Valaika has been destroying Triple A pitching, he went 3-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, a double, and a run scored, he’s hitting .340 on the season.
Luis Flores is pounding the baseball this season, he was 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBI’s, and three runs scored.

On the Mound:

Eric Jokisch was very good today, and was rewarded with his first win of the season. Jokisch worked seven innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, while walking none, and striking out eight.
Marcus Hatley continued his brilliance out of the pen, he worked a scoreless inning, while walking one, and striking out two.
Marcos Mateo cleaned things up tonight, he worked a scoreless inning, while walking one, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

The Cougars looked to be sailing right along to a 5-2 win when things got dicey in the ninth inning. The Snappers scored twice and had the tying, and go ahead run on base before the Cougars escaped with a 5-4 win.

At the Plate:

Carlos Penalver has had an impressive start to 2014, he was 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored in the win today. He’s now hitting .302 on the season.
Ben Carhart had another solid game, he went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Yasiel Balaguert was productive again today, he went 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, a run scored, and an RBI, his 15th of the season.
David Bote joined in on the double fun as well, he was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Paul Blackburn was solid once again as he moved his record to 2-0 on the season. Pauly worked 5.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits, while walking two.
Nathan Dorris did a solid job out of the pen but did get touched up a bit. Dorris worked 2.2 innings, giving up one run on one hit, while walking two, and striking out three.
Jose Arias started the ninth, and couldn’t finish this one off. Arias worked two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on two hits, while walking two, and striking out two.
Zack Godley came on and cleaned up the mess as he struck out the final batter of the game to pick up his third save of the season.

Full Box Score

2014 has been frustrating for Daytona, they took out a seasons worth of frustration on the baseball tonight. The D-Cubs pounded out seventeen hits while scoring eighteen runs to embarrass Clearwater 18-5, I’m sure that felt good.

At the Plate:

Pin-Chieh Chen is turning into a weapon out of that lead-off spot, he was 4-for-5 with a walk, three RBI’s, two triples, a double, and four runs scored, yikes.
Tim Saunders was solid yet again, he went 2-for-2 with two doubles, a walk, three RBI’s, and a run scored.
Bijan Rademacher never stops hitting, he was 2-for-5 with two doubles, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored, he’s hitting .365 on the season.
Rock Shoulders went insane today, he was 3-for-5 with a grand slam, a walk, two doubles, four RBI’s, and four runs scored.
Gioskar Amaya made his long awaited return to the lineup tonight, and was awesome. Amaya went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, and four runs scored.
Marco Hernandez made some noise from the nine spot, he was 2-for-5 with a triple, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Taylor Scott was the beneficiary of the offensive onslaught tonight, as he picked up his second win of the season. Scott worked 5.1 innings, giving up three runs, on earned, on four hits, while walking three, and striking out one.
Stephen Perakslis was really good out of the pen, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit, while striking out three.
Austin Reed got mop up duty in this one, he worked two innings, giving up two runs on four hits, while walking one, and striking out two.

Full Box Score

Pierce Johnson made his long awaited Double A debut tonight, and things were going just fine until the 5th inning. The Barons scored eight times to erase a 1-0 deficit on their way to crushing the Smokies 14-3.

At the Plate:

John Andreoli had another solid game out of the lead-off spot, he went 2-for-3 with two walks.
Kris Bryant is rolling, he was 3-for-5 with a double, and a run scored in the win. He has now reached base in eighteen straight games, and is hitting .311 on the season.
Taylor Davis was good from the nine spot, he went 2-for-4 with two RBI’s, he’s hitting .429 on the season.

On the Mound:

Pierce Johnson made his 2014 debut, and it had some good, and some bad. Johnson worked four innings, giving up three runs on four hits, while walking four (bad), and striking out five. I think he was a little too amped up for this start, the command was spotty at best.
Ryan Searle wasn’t much better out of the pen as he worked three innings, giving up six runs on six hits, while walking one, and striking out three.
Jeff Lorick suffered the same fate as the others, he worked one inning, giving up five runs, three earned, on three hits, while walking two.

Riding the Bus; Cubs Minor League Reports (4/21/2014)

MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

Full Box Score

The Cougars built an early 3-1 lead only to watch it slip away at the hands of some suspect defense in the late innings. The Cougars committed three errors, and gave up three unearned runs in the loss, wasting another solid start from 19-year-old Jen-Ho Tseng.

At the Plate:

Carlos Penalver had a tremendous game today, he went 2-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored in the loss.
Ben Carhart had another solid effort, he went 2-for-4 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .259 on the season.
Yasiel Balaguert continues to be a threat at the plate, he went 1-for-4 with two RBI’s, he now has fourteen RBI’s on the season.

On the Mound:

Jen-Ho Tseng continued his strong 2014, he worked five innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on seven hits, while walking one, and striking out three. He lowered his ERA to 2.93 on the season.
Tyler Bremer was fantastic out of the pen, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while walking one, and striking out three.
Josh Davis took the hard luck loss in this one, he worked two innings, giving up two runs, both unearned, on two hits, while walking one, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

The Smokies struck early and often in this one as they scored ten runs in the first six innings to cruise to a 10-5 victory over the Barons. The Smokies did get some help from the Barons, even if they didn’t need it, as Birmingham committed three errors and allowed three unearned runs.

At the Plate:

John Andreoli got things started from the lead-off spot in this one, he went 2-for-6 with a triple, an RBI, a stolen base, and two runs scored.
Rubi Silva was productive today, he went 2-for-5 with his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.
Kris Bryant was 1-for-5 with a walk, and an RBI, he’s now hitting .286 on the season.
Jae-Hoon Ha went crazy today, he was 3-for-5 with a double, his first home run of the season, an RBI, and three runs scored.

On the Mound:

Dae-Eun Rhee got the start tonight, and picked up his first win of the season despite some control issues. Rhee worked five innings, giving up two runs on four hits, while walking five (see?), and striking out four.
Austin Kirk did some solid work out of the pen, he was able to get through three innings, giving up two runs on four hits, he didn’t walk or strikeout anyone.
Tony Zych cleaned things up in this one, he worked one inning, giving up one unearned run on two hits.

Full Box Score

Kyle Hendricks, and the rest of the Iowa pitching controlled this one from start to finish as the I-Cubs took care of Round Rock, 5-1. Offensively, it was the top of the Iowa order doing the heavy lifting as the one-two-three hitters combined to go 6-for-13 with two RBI’s.

At the Plate:

Matt Szczur did the job at the top of the order tonight, he was 3-for-4 with a triple, a stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored.
Arismendy Alcantara provided some power, he was 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored.
Javier Baez returned to the lineup yesterday, and was effective tonight, he went 1-for-3 with a run scored in the win.

On the Mound:

Kyle Hendricks was brilliant tonight as he picked up the win to move his record to 3-1 on the season. Hendricks worked six scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while walking two, and striking out six.
Yoanner Negrin was solid per usual out of the pen, he worked a scoreless inning, while striking out one.
Brian Schlitter worked two innings to pick up his third save of the season, he gave up one run on two hits, while walking two in his two innings of work.

Full Box Score

The Daytona Cubs pulled this one out late after both teams scored early and often tonight. After four innings it was all tied at five, and no one could find the scoreboard again until the D-Cubs pushed across the winning run in the eleventh.

At the Plate:

Pin-Chieh Chen has had a great start to 2014, he was 2-for-5 with an RBI, he is now hitting .294 on the season.
Chadd Krist put together a solid game, he was 3-for-5 with a double, and a run scored.
Rock Shoulders provided some production, he was 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI, and a run scored.
Jeimer Candelario found some success tonight, he was 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Jake Arrieta made what is thought to be his final rehab start, and was effective. Arrieta worked 5.2 innings, giving up five runs, three earned, on five hits, while walking two, and striking out seven.
Andrew McKirahan only faced one hitter, but it was a big out as he got out of the sixth inning for Arrieta to keep the game tied.
Jose Rosario picked up the win out of the pen, and he deserved it. Rosario worked four scoreless innings, giving up three hits, while striking out four.
Arodys Vizcaino worked the last of the eleventh to pick up his fist save of the season.

Riding The Bus; Cubs Minor League Reports (4/17/2014)

THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

Full Box Score

Iowa jumped out to a 3-0 lead early on in this one before having to fight back with two in the seventh to beat New Orleans 5-4. Definitely not how you draw up a typical win as the Iowa Cubs defense made six (SIX!) errors in this one, I guess a win is a win, time to forget that defensive “effort” .. yikes.

At the Plate:

Matt Szczur did a solid job from the lead-off spot, as he went 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored.
Arismendy Alcantara has been swinging it well lately, and he was good again today. AA went 1-for-5 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.
Chris Valaika is making a big push to get the call to the Majors, he was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. He is now hitting .361 on the season.
Christian Villanueva had an encouraging day at the plate, the third baseman was 1-for-2 with two walks, a double, and a run scored.
Logan Watkins made up for a rough day at the field with a solid day at the plate. Watkins went 2-for-2 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored to go along with his two errors.
Eli Whiteside also joined in the fun as he went 2-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI. The Cubs walked seven times in this one, good to see.

On the Mound:

Eric Jokisch got the start today, and was pretty good, except for fielding the ball as he made two errors as well. Jokisch worked 5.2 innings, giving up three runs, all unearned, on three hits, while walking two, and striking out five.
Alberto Cabrera was the first guy out of the pen for the Cubs, and earned his second win of the season. Cabrera worked 1.1 scoreless innings, he gave up one hit, while walking one, and striking out two.
Neil Ramirez had a solid outing today, he worked a scoreless inning, while walking one, and striking out three.
Brian Schlitter worked a bumpy ninth to pick up his second save of the season. Schlitter gave up one run on one hit, while walking one to close it out.

Full Box Score

Rough go of it for the Smokies in game one, as they could only manage one hit as they were shut out by the Jackson Generals, 4-0. Command, or lack thereof, doomed the Smokies staff, but not much you can do when you get no runs of support.

At the Plate:

Dustin Geiger had the lone hit for the Smokies, as he went 1-for-2 to raise his average to .289 on the season. The Smokies walked just twice in this one, while striking out eleven times.

On the Mound:

Corey Black got the start tonight, and the loss, as he couldn’t find the zone consistently enough. Black worked four innings, giving up three runs on two hits, while walking five (see?), and striking out three.
Austin Kirk kept the Smokies in things as he worked two innings, giving up one run on one hit, while striking out one.
Tony Zych mopped things up in this one, and also saw the plate dancing around on him as he worked one scoreless inning, giving up two hits, while walking two, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

It was all Kane County, all the time in this one, as the Cougars had a 10-0 lead by the fourth inning en route to their seventh straight win, a 13-1 thrashing of the Dragons. The Cougars pounded out nineteen hits in the win, and only allowed two against, pure domination.

At the Plate:

Jacob Hannemann got things off on the right foot from the lead-off spot all night, he went 2-for-6 with an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored.
Carlos Penalver was solid once again, as he went 2-for-5 with an RBI, his sixth stolen base of the season, and a run scored.
Ben Carhart played a big role in the production tonight, he went 2-for-6 with two doubles, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.
Yasiel Balaguert has been the catalyst for catastrophe for this club, he went 2-for-5 with a walk, and an RBI, his twelfth of the season.
Jacob Rogers also enjoys hitting doubles, he was 3-for-6 with two doubles, and two runs scored.
Danny Lockhart was on base all night, and scored most of the time as well. Lockhart went 2-for-3 with two walks, and four runs scored.
Will Remillard had a huge game from the bottom of the order, he went 4-for-5 with two doubles, and FIVE RBI’s in the win.

On the Mound:

Daury Torrez didn’t want to give the hitters all the spotlight in this one as he was flat out brilliant in picking up his second win of the season. Torrez worked eight innings, giving up one run on just two hits, while walking one, and striking out four.
Nathan Dorris worked the ninth and was able to hang onto that twelve run lead.

Full Box Score

The Smokies were able to exact some revenge in game two as they fought back from an early 2-0 deficit to beat the Generals 3-2. The Smokies got a lot of help from the Generals defense as they committed two errors, and allowed two unearned runs to score, at that was the difference.

At the Plate:

Kris Bryant has been showing some solid patience at the plate as of late, he was 0-for-1 in this one, but had two walks. He now has walked eight times this season, and struck out thirteen times.
Charles Cutler was 1-for-2 with a double, his second of the season, and a run scored.
Jeudy Valdez had one of the bigger hits of the night, as he went 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.
Taylor Davis was able to drive in the other Smokies run, he went 1-for-3 with said RBI.

On the Mound:

Dae-Eun Rhee got the start in game two and held his own after some early struggles, he worked four innings, giving up two runs on six hits, while walking one, and striking out four.
Hunter Cervenka picked up the win out of the bullpen, and was solid in doing so. Cervenka worked two scoreless innings, giving up three hits, while striking out three.
Armando Rivero made things interesting in the seventh (Doubleheaders in AA are seven innings), but was able to pick up his third save of the season. Rivero gave up one hit, and walked one, while strking out the side to close it out.

Full Box Score

It’s been a season of discontent for Daytona, and that continued tonight as they fall to the Yankees 6-5 after erasing a four run deficit. The loss dropped Daytona to 2-12 on the season, just nothing going right.

At the Plate:

Tim Saunders continued his hot start to 2014, as he went 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, a walk, a stolen base, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Nice to see Albert Almora back in the lineup, he went 1-for-5 with a run scored.
Bijan Rademacher had a solid game, he went 1-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored in the loss.
Rock Shoulders seems to be getting hot, he went 3-for-4 with a walk, and an RBI in this one. The D-Cubs were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

On the Mound:

Rob Zastryzny got the start tonight, and was wild in the strike zone, as he worked four innings, giving up four runs on nine hits, while walking none, and striking out one.
Zach Cates was really good out of the pen, as he worked four innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking one, and striking out two.
Arodys Vizcaino continues to impress in the early going, he worked one scoreless inning, giving up one hit, while walking one, and striking out three. Vizcaino topped out at 98 MPH tonight, a very good sign.
Andrew McKirahan ended up taking the loss as he worked one inning, giving up one run on three hits, while striking out one.

Riding the Bus; Cubs Minor League Reports (4/15/14)

TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014

Full Box Score

Looked like it was going to be a rough one right away tonight as the Zepghyrs put up five runs in the second inning, but Iowa bounced right back with four in their half of the second. Unfortunately that was all that Iowa could do with the bats as they dropped this one to New Orleans 8-4.

At the Plate:

Chris Coghlan was 1-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored.
Chris Valaika continued his hot start, he was 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and is now hitting .333 on the season.
Logan Watkins had a big two run single tonight, he went 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Carlos Pimentel was beat up tonight, he took the loss as he worked five innings, giving up seven runs (oops) on six hits, while walking five (oops, again), and striking out five.
Yoanner Negrin, a personal favorite, was solid out of the pen. Negrin worked 3.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits, while walking none, and striking out three.
Marcus Hatley mopped things up as he worked two-thirds of an inning, striking out both guys he faced.

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The Daytona Cubs can’t find any offense, and recently their pitching has faltered as well, that’s not a good mix. The trends continued tonight as the D-Cubs could only manage to score three runs on nine hits in a 10-3 loss to red hot Dunedin.

At the Plate:

Pin-Chieh Chen had a solid game at the top of the order, he went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Tim Saunders is not having any trouble at the plate right now, he went 3-for-4 with two doubles, and two stolen bases tonight. He is eight for his last fourteen at the plate, yikes.
Rock Shoulders had a big game tonight, he was 2-for-4 with a double, his first home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored.
Bijan Rademacher has been outstanding this year, it continued in this one, as he went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .379 on the season.

On the Mound:

Jose Rosario didn’t have much going for him in this one, he took the loss to drop to 0-2 on the season. He worked 4.1 innings, giving up eight runs, six earned, on seven hits, while walking six, and striking out two, yuck.
Starling Peralta was really good out of the pen, he worked 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up no hits, he didn’t walk anyone, and he struck out three.
Stephen Perakslis struggles in relief, he worked one inning, giving up two runs on two hits, while walking one, and he didn’t record a strikeout.

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The Cougars could only manage two runs on two hits in game one, and that was enough for another win. 19 year-old Jen-Ho Tseng was brilliant in picking up his first win of 2014.

At the Plate:

Ben Carhart is having a solid 2014 so far, and he was able to find some success in this one, he went 1-for-2 with a double, and a walk.
Yasiel Balaguert is unconsious at the plate right now, he was 1-for-2 with an RBI, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .409 on the season.

On the Mound:

All Jen-Ho Tseng, all the time. Tseng was stellar, he worked 5.1 scoreless innings, giving up six hits, while walking none, and striking out six.
Zack Godley was just as good out of the pen to pick up his second save of the season. Godley worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit, while striking out four of the five guys he faced.

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Another light hitting game for the Cougars, and another win, how about that? The Cougars are rolling and it’s because of their pitching, Blackburn followed Tseng with a “one up you” performance, and that was great to see tonight.

At the Plate:

Jacob Hannemann was 1-for-4 out of the lead-off spot, with his fifth stolen base of the season.
Carlos Penalver had the only run scoring hit of the game, for either team, he was 1-for-3 with a double, and an said RBI.
Ben Carhart capped off a productive doubleheader going 1-for-3 in the win.

On the Mound:

Paul Blackburn couldn’t have been much better tonight as he picked up his first win of 2014. He worked six scoreless innings, surrendering one lone hit, while walking one, and striking out six, hot fire!
Jose Arias worked the final inning for the save, how’s this for a line? One scoreless inning pitched, no hits, walked one, and struck out FOUR, in one inning, yep.

Riding The Bus; Minor League Reports for April 12, 2014

SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2014

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At the Plate:

For the second straight night the Iowa Cubs went to battle without Javier Baez (sore back), and tonight they found a way to come out on top. Brett Jackson got an opportunity to lead off, and did a number of good things, he went 1-for-3 with two walks (Cubs Way), an RBI, and was caught stealing. Arismendy Alcantara was also a part of the offensive attack, he went 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored in the win. Matt Szczur didn’t start this one but came up with a huge hit in the ninth, a two run single to give the I-Cubs some breathing room.

On the Mound:

Pure domination from Tsuyoshi Wada tonight as he improved to 2-0 on the season. Wada embarrassed the Cardinals lineup, he worked 6.2 scoreless innings, giving up four hits while walking none, and striking out ten…ten! Marcus Hatley worked 1.1 scoreless innings out of the pen, and Brian Schlitter, who was sent to Iowa earlier today worked a scoreless frame to close this one out.

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At the Plate:

The Smokies brought their bats to this one as they pounded out ten hits en route to scoring five times as the beat the Lookouts 5-1. Zeke DeVoss was a factor out of the lead-off spot, he went 1-for-3 with a triple, a walk, a stolen base, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Kris Bryant made some noise again tonight, he was 2-for-4 with a double, his third home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Rafael Lopez was also a force in this one, he went 2-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Ivan Pineyro got the start tonight, and was solid once again as he worked five innings, giving up one run on three hits, while walking one, and striking out four. Ryan Searle got the win in relief as he was outstanding, Searle worked two scoreless innings, giving up one hit, while striking out three. Frank Batista, and Jeffery Lorick combined to work the last two innings without giving up a run while striking out three.

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At the Plate:

A win! Daytona finally ended the night in the win column thanks to some solid pitching, and some offensive thunder. It was the Albert Almora show, and what else is new really? Almora was 2-for-5 with a double, his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, a stolen base, and two runs scored. Dan Vogelbach joined the fun tonight, he was 1-for-4 with two RBI’s, maybe this will get him going. Marco Hernandez made things happen from the nine spot as he was 3-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored in the win.

On the Mound:

Rob Zastryzny picked up his first win of the season tonight as he was all over the strike zone. Zastryzny worked 5.2 strong innings, giving up one run on seven hits, while walking one, and striking out five. Zach Cates was stellar out of the pen as worked two scoreless innings, giving up two hits while striking out two. Stephen Perakslis worked a scoreless ninth to close this one out. Solid win for Daytona, maybe they will get on a nice roll here.

Full Box Score

At the Plate:

A wild win for the Cougars as they almost blew two different four run leads, but they were able to hold on to move their record to 6-3 on the season. Carlos Penalver did the job from the top of the order tonight as he was 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and three (!) runs scored. Yasiel Balaguert can carry a team when he gets hot, he’s hot right now, he went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored, he has ten RBI’s on the season now. Another guy win ten RBI’s is Jacob Rogers, he went off tonight, he was 2-for-4 with a double, his second home run of the season, four RBI’s, and a run scored. Not to be left out, David Bote also delivered, he was 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Dicey, but effective tonight. Juan Paniagua got the start and struggled with his command, he worked four innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking four (see?), and striking out six. Gerardo Concepcion continues to make a comeback this year as he worked two scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while walking one, and striking out two. Scott Frazier struggled, that right there is an understatement. Frazier did not register an out, did not give up a hit, but walked all three batters he faced en route to giving up three runs, ouch. Josh Davis got knocked around a bit, but was decent, he worked two innings, giving up one run on four hits. Tyler Bremer closed this one out, but it wasn’t without some adventure, he worked one inning, giving up three runs on two hits, while walking one, and striking out two… whew.

Riding The Bus; Minor League Reports for April 9, 2014

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

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At The Plate:

A much better day all around for Iowa as they found some offense to go with the solid pitching to beat Nashville 6-1. Javier Baez seems to be rounding into form at the plate, he was 2-for-4 with a double off the center field wall, and two runs scored. Josh Vitters was able to return to the lineup today, and he continued his hot hitting, he went 1-for-3 with his second home run of the season, two RBI’s, a walk, and a run scored. Chris Coghlan also joined the fun as he went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Vitters didn’t have the only home run today, Brett Jackson also went deep, and finished the day 1-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound:

What an outstanding day for Iowa pitching, collectively they struck out sixteen hitters, and only walked one. Carlos Pimentel was dominant, he worked six innings, giving up one run on three hits, while walking one, and striking out ten(!). Zac Rosscup was brilliant out of the pen today, he worked two scoreless innings, allowing only one hit, and striking out four. Marcus Hatley closed things out with a scoreless inning, he allowed only one hit, and struck out two more.

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At The Plate:

Everything looked great for the Cougars in this one until the 8th inning, and that’s when things started to unravel as the Cougars blew a late 4-2 lead and lost 7-4 in ten innings. Weird box score, the Cougars had eight hits in this one, each of the first eight hitters in the lineup had one hit, odd. Jacob Rogers was 1-for-4 with his first home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Shawon Dunston looked to have the game winning hit in this one, a two-run single in the sixth, he finished the day 1-for-4 with two RBI’s.

On The Mound:

Some good things early, some bad things late. Paul Blackburn made his second start of the season and was solid, he worked five innings, giving up two runs on two hits, while walking two, and striking out four. James Pugliese was sailing right along through two innings of relief then ran into some trouble in his third inning of work. Pugliese worked 2.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking two, and striking out two. Nathan Dorris was able to come on and get Pugliese out of the jam, he worked the final two-thirds of the eighth without giving up a hit or run. Jose Arias had a rough go of it today, he worked two innings, giving up four runs, one earned (oops), on three hits while walking one, he blew the save, and took the loss.

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At The Plate:

Nothing going right for the Daytona offense as they could only manage four hits in game one as they were shut out. Albert Almora continued to do his part however, as he was 2-for-3 with two doubles, he’s now hitting .364 on the season. Marco Hernandez, and Pin-Chieh Chen were the only other D-Cubs to get a hit in the loss.

On The Mound:

Really good outing from Felix Pena in this one, unfortunately he fell to 0-2 on the season, but lowered his ERA to 1.50. Pena worked six innings, giving up one run on five hits, while walking no one, and striking out five. Michael Jensen finished this one off as he worked a scoreless inning, giving up two hits, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

At The Plate:

Still nothing doing offensively for Daytona, however, they did push four runs across the plate in game two, but only had five hits in the loss. Pin-Chieh Chen had another solid game, he was 1-for-2 with a double, a run scored, an RBI, and a walk. Albert Almora continued his own personal hit parade, he was 1-for-3 with a run scored in the second game. Dan Vogelbach finally connected in this one, he was 1-for-3 with his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound:

The offense finally finds some runs, and the pitching falters, such is the life of a struggling ball club. Jose Rosario got the start and the loss, he worked five innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on three hits, while walking three, and striking out four. Starling Peralta really struggled, he was only able to get through one-third of an inning, giving up four runs, two earned (errors!), on three hits, while striking out one. Andrew McKirahan did a great job keeping the D-Cubs close, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while striking out three.

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At The Plate:

The Smokies found just enough offense in this one as they scored three runs on seven hits to take care of the lookouts. Stephen Bruno had a solid game, going 2-for-4 with two singles. Kris Bryant was back in the lineup, and went 1-for-4 with a run scored in the win. Rafael Lopez was the difference maker as he went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound:

I love C.J. Edwards nights, the mini flame thrower was on full display tonight and didn’t disappoint. Edwards worked 5.2 innings, giving up one run on five hits, while walking four, and striking out five, walks drove his pitch count up for sure tonight. P.J. Francescon was solid once again out of the pen, he worked 1.1 scoreless innings, he didn’t give up any hits, struck out two, and took home the win. Jeff Lorick worked two-thirds of an inning late, giving up one hit, and striking out one. Armando Rivero was brilliant to close this one out, he worked 1.1 scoreless, hit-less innings, while striking out three to earn his second save of the season.