Minor Matters – June 4, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

Iowa 6-4 line

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At The Plate – After four innings the Cubs didn’t have much going, then they erupted for ten runs over the final four innings en route to a 10-2 victory.  Logan Watkins had an outstanding game at the top of the order going 3-for-5 with three singles and two runs scored.  Brian Bogusevic continues to pad his stats as he was 2-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season, a walk, three RBI’s, and two runs scored.  Steve Clevenger is on the comeback trail, he was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, he’s hitting .429 since returning from that horrible oblique injury.  Brad Nelson had a productive day going 2-for-4 with his eighth home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.  Ian Stewart is still alive, and was decent in this one going 1-for-4 with his first home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The MoundBrooks Raley got the start, and I’m not 100% certain but I think Raley had to leave early in this one as he only threw fifty-one pitches.  Raley worked 3.1 innings giving up one run on three hits while walking one and striking out two.  Casey Coleman continues to do tremendous work out of the pen; he worked 3.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out two to earn his first win of the season.  Marcus Hatley scuffled a bit, and has since his promotion to Iowa; he worked one inning giving up one run on two hits.  Alex Burnett, who cleared waivers and was optioned to Iowa got some work in today, he went one scoreless inning giving up one hit.

Daytona 6-4 line

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At the Plate – Not a lot of offense in this one from the D-Cubs but it was enough as they squeaked out a 1-0 victory over Bradenton.  John Andreoli was 2-for-4 with two singles, and his sixteenth stolen base of the season.  Tim Saunders was 2-for-4; he also had two singles, but had a caught stealing in this one.  The only RBI of the game came from Jorge Soler; he finished the day 0-for-2 with said RBI on a sacrifice fly.

On The MoundBen Wells was outstanding to start things off for Daytona; he improved his record to 4-4 on the season with the win.  Wells worked five scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking three and striking out four.  Frank Del Valle was just as good out of the pen and earned the rare four inning save in a one run game.  Del Valle worked four scoreless innings giving up four hits while striking out four.

Smokies 6-4 line

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At The Plate – The Smokies looked like they had control of this one with an early 4-1 lead but had to battle back from a 6-4 deficit which they did; as they scored four runs unanswered to beat Jackson 8-6.  The Smokies were dangerous all night as they pounded out fifteen hits while scoring eight runs; they were 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position.  Matt Szczur is red hot, he was 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI’s, a stolen base, and two runs scored, he’s now hitting .292 on the season.  Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-5 with his second home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored.  Arismendy Alcantara was 3-for-5 with two doubles, and an RBI, he’s now hitting .290 on the season.  Ty Wright also had a solid game going 2-for-5 with his third home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored.  Chad Noble had a monster game going 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored in the win.

On The MoundYeiper Castillo was roughed up in this one but was still able to give the Smokies some valuable innings.  Castillo worked six innings giving up six runs on six hits while walking three and striking out four.  Hunter Cervenka was outstanding out of the pen, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out two, he picked up his first AA win of the season.  Frank Batista was solid as usual in picking up his eighth save of the season.  Batista worked 1.1 scoreless innings giving up one hit; he lowered his ERA to 1.78 on the season.

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Minor Matters – May 27, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

Iowa 5-27 line

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At The Plate – The RedHawks scored in one inning in this one, unfortunately that was enough to defeat Iowa.  The RedHawks scored four times in the third inning, and the Cubs could never get even despite scoring one run in the fourth, fifth, and sixth inning.  Brian Bogusevic had another great day going 1-for-2 with two walks, his thirteenth double of the season, and two runs scored.  Brent Lillibridge was the only other offense in this one as he was 1-for-4 with his third home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Walks were contagious in this one, and it started with Guillermo Moscoso who lost his command and was slapped with his second loss of the season.  Moscoso worked five innings giving up four runs, three earned, on four hits while walking four (see?), and striking out six.  Hisanori Takahashi also struggled with command but worked out of trouble, he worked two scoreless innings while walking three (see?), and striking out one.  Brian Schlitter, who has been outstanding for the Tennessee Smokies was promoted to Iowa earlier in the day, and had a tremendous debut.  Schlitter worked two scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out three.

Kane County 5-27 box

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At The Plate – The Cougars had to battle back in this one as they trailed 4-3 in the eight, and battle they did, scoring five times in the bottom of the eight en route to an 8-4 victory.  The only bad news is that Albert Almora had to leave today’s game after it looked like he suffered a leg injury, hopefully it’s nothing serious.  Pin-Chieh Chen was solid again from the leadoff spot going 1-for-4 with a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored.  Dan Vogelbach had a huge day going 3-for-5 with his sixth home run of the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.  Jeimer Candelario resembles Garrett Anderson up there right now, we should start calling him doctor doubles, he was 1-for-4 with his seventeenth double of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound Michael Heesch was solid in this one, but settled for a no decision.  Heesch worked six innings giving up three runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out four.  Steve Perakslis was outstanding in relief and was rewarded with his first win of the season.  Perakslis worked three innings giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one and striking out three.

Smokies 5-27 line

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At The Plate – The Smokies had the bats working in this one as they pounded out eleven hits and scored eight times en route to an 8-6 victory.  Matt Szczur was solid at the top of the order going 1-for-3 with two walks, an RBI, and a run scored.  Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-5 with his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.  Ty Wright had a solid game going 2-for-4 with his seventh double of the season, and two runs scored.  Chad Noble was 2-for-3 with a walk, his first double of the season, and a run scored.

On The MoundMatt Loosen got the start and had one of his better outings but did not factor in the decision.  Loosen worked six innings giving up four runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out two.  Hunter Cervenka made his first appearance with Tennessee after being promoted from Daytona, and it didn’t go well, he worked one inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking one.  Tony Zych was solid out of the pen and was rewarded with his first win of the season; he worked two scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out one.

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Minor Matters – May 14, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

Iowa 5-14 line

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At The Plate – The Cubs had nothing going for them in this one as they could only manage to score once on seven hits while being routed by the Aces 11-1.  Brian Bogusevic continues to hit even if the rest of his team doesn’t, he was 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .373 on the season.  Brad Nelson has been on fire as of late, he was 2-for-4 with a double, and an RBI, he has his average all the way up to .286 on the season.  Ian Stewart got a rare start and had a good day, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, and a double, much better approach.

On The Mound – Yuck.  Barret Loux got the start and was torn apart, he went 3.1 innings giving up seven runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out two, his record dropped to 2-2 with the loss.  Yoanner Negrin came on in relief and really didn’t help his cause as he made two errors.  Negrin worked 2.2 innings giving up three runs, two earned, on seven hits while walking one and striking out three.  Hisanori Takahashi came on and stopped the bleeding as he worked a scoreless inning.  Casey Coleman was roughed up a bit as he worked an inning giving up one run on three hits while striking out one.

Smokies 5-14 line

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At The Plate – Another thrilling win for the Smokies after it looked like to could be a crushing loss.  The Smokies gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game but recaptured the lead in the tenth and hung on to win 3-2.  Matt Szczur is rolling right now, and has been solid all year, he was 3-for-5 with three singles, he is now hitting .302 on the season.  Arismendy Alcantara was 1-for-5 with two RBI’s, that one hit was a two out drag bunt base hit that scored the winning run in the tenth.  Christian Villanueva was 2-for-3 with his second home run of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored, he’s hitting .250 on the season and .303 over his last ten games.

On The  Mound – Unfortunately Alberto Cabrera did not factor in the decision as he deserved a win tonight, he was electric.  Cabrera went seven innings giving up one run on five hits while walking one and striking out seven.  Marcus Hatley worked a scoreless inning out of the pen giving up one hit while striking out one.  The usually reliable Zach Rosscup hit a speed bump in this one as he blew the save giving up on run on two hits while walking one in the ninth, but ended up getting the win.  Frank Batista was solid in the tenth inning to earn his fourth save of the season he worked a scoreless inning while striking out one.

Daytona 5-14 line

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At The Plate – Once again the D-Cubs couldn’t do anything offensively and suffered another loss to a team that they probably should beat.  The D-Cubs could only manage four hits all night, and were 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position, they scored twice.  Javier Baez, John Andreoli, Dustin Geiger, and Chad Noble had the hits in this one, all singles except for a Geiger double.  Jorge Soler, and Chad Noble recorded the RBI’s in the loss.

On The Mound –  Ben Wells rebounded from his last outing with a solid performance going 5.1 innings giving up two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out four.  Jeffrey Lorick came on in relief and allowed an inherited runner to score working two-thirds of an inning giving up one hit.  Eduardo Figueroa took the loss in this one as he worked one inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking two.  Austin Reed did a great job out of the pen going two scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one.

Kane County 5-14 line

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At The Plate – The Cougars grabbed an early lead in this one, but it was all Chiefs from there on out as they easily dispatched Kane County 8-4.  Gioskar Amaya was 1-for-2 with two walks, and a run scored, he seems to be in the middle of everything lately.  Rock Shoulders, who has struggled a bit as of late, that’s going to happen when you hit .400 for a month, he was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored.  Willson Contreras was 2-for-2 with his fifth home run of the season,  stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored.  The Cougars didn’t really help their own cause in the field as they made three errors in the loss.

On The Mound –  Ian Dickson got the start and didn’t last very long but wasn’t bad at all, he went four innings giving up two runs on five hits while walking one and striking out four.  Justin Amlung took over and ended up taking the loss, his first of the season.  Amlung worked three innings giving up four runs, three earned, on five hits while walking one and striking out two.  Steve Perakslis tossed two innings giving up two runs on two hits while walking one.

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Minor Matters – April 29, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

Iowa 4-29 line

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At The Plate – Wild game in Iowa today that saw a total of twenty-four hits and nineteen runs between the two teams, unfortunately Iowa came up one run short.  Logan Watkins was 2-for-4 with a walk, and RBI, and a run scored.  Ryan Sweeney just doesn’t stop hitting, he was 2-for-4 with a walk, and two runs scored, he’s hitting .377 on the season.  Brad Nelson is a huge man, he had a huge day going 4-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI’s, and two runs scored.  Brett Jackson seems to be settling in at the plate, he went 1-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two RBI’s and a run scored.

On The Mound – Rough go of it for the Iowa pitchers in this one.  Nick Struck got the start and worked three innings giving up five runs on four hits while walking four, and striking out one.  Esmailin Caridad didn’t fare much better out of the pen going three innings giving up four runs on four hits while walking three and striking out five.  Cory Wade worked two innings giving up one run on three hits while walking one and striking out one.  Blake Parker was the only Iowa pitcher to escape unscathed in this one as he worked as scoreless inning while walking one and striking out two.

Daytona 4-29 line

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At The Plate – Not a lot of offense in this one, but just enough for Daytona as they squeaked by the Cardinals 2-1.  Daytona just couldn’t get the big hit in this one to open the game up, they were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.  Dustin Geiger had a solid game and a huge hit, he was 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk, and a run scored.  Javier Baez continues to hit, and make errors, he was 1-for-3 with his eleventh error of the season, it will happen, and he will improve.  Chad Noble and Ben Carhart each had a double in the win.

On The MoundYeiper Castillo was disgusting good in this one, unfortunately he didn’t factor in the decision.  Castillo went four scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out eight.  Luis Liria was solid out of the pen going two scoreless innings giving up one hit and striking out one.  Hunter Cervenka blew the save, not really his fault, but also got the win.  Cervenka went two innings giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one and striking out four.

Smokies 4-29 game one

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At The Plate – Game one was as good as it gets when it comes to pitching as the game was scoreless into the last of the seventh.  That’s when Jae-Hoon Ha came off the bench and walked off with a three run shot to give the Smokies a 3-0 victory.  That was really the only offense for the Smokies in game one as they managed seven hits, with only one extra base hit, the Ha home run.  Rubi Silva was 1-for-3 with a stolen base, and a run scored in the win.

On The MoundKyle Hendricks was brilliant in this one but did not factor into the decision.  Hendricks went six scoreless inning giving up one hit while walking one and striking out eight.  Marcus Hatley came on in relief and earned the win after working one scoreless inning, striking out two in the frame.

Smokies 4-29 game two

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At The Plate – Game two had the same final score, unfortunately the opposite result as the Smokies could only manage two hits all game in the defeat.  Matt Szczur and Ronald Torreyes were each 1-for-3, and that was it.

On The MoundEric Jokisch had a rough go of it early, but then settled in to have a decent outing, but took his first loss of the season.  Jokisch went five innings giving up three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out one.  Frank Batista and Tony Zych kept things close as they both worked a scoreless inning out of the pen, unfortunately the Smokies couldn’t get anything done offensively.

Kane County 4-29 line game 1

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At The Plate – What a crushing loss for the Cougars in game one, I guess the good news is that there is another game right away so they can forget this one.  The Cougars led 6-2 heading to the last of the 7th (7th inning is the last inning in DH games) and they gave up five runs to lose 7-6.  The Cougars only managed six hits but they were awfully productive in scoring six runs.  Daniel Vogelbach blasted his third home run of the season, he ended game one going 1-for-4 with said home run, two RBI’s and a run scored.  Rock Shoulders joined the fun as well as he launched his fifth home run of the season, he finished game one 1-for-3 with two RBI’s and a run scored.  Willson Contreras was 2-for-3 with a stolen base, and two runs scored.

On The Mound –  Felix Pena did everything possible to earn the win as he went six inning giving up two runs on five hits while striking out three.  Then things went south, and quickly.  Ian Dickson was the first out of the pen, he was only able to get through two-thirds of an inning giving up four runs on two hits while walking two and striking out one.  Matt Iannazzo added fuel to the fire in relief of Dickson, as he didn’t retire a hitter and gave up one run on two hits while walking two to get the loss.

Kane County 4-29 line game 2

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At The Plate – Game one’s disaster just zapped any energy that the Cougars might have had, and they still could have won this one.  For the second time today the Cougars blew a late inning lead, this one wasn’t as bad as the first game though.  The Cougars could only manage two hits in game two, I know, not very exciting.  Daniel Vogelbach was 1-for-3 with another home run, an RBI, and a run scored.  Oliver Zapata had the only other hit, a single, he also walked.

On The MoundMichael Heesch pitched well early, then struggled late.  Heesch worked five innings giving up four runs on six hits while walking one and striking out seven.  Steve Perakslis worked a scoreless inning out of the pen, but it was too little too late.

Thanks for reading,
– George

Minor Matters – April 26, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

Iowa 4-26 line

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At The Plate – Iowa fought back in this one scoring twice in the ninth inning to tie the game at four, only to lose it in the bottom of the tenth.    Ryan Sweeney continues to pound the ball as he went 2-for-5 with his fifth home run, two RBI’s, and a run scored, he’s hitting .404 this season.  Brian Bogusevic is just as hot as he went 3-for-4 in the loss, he’s hitting .394 on the season.  Brad Nelson extended the game in the ninth inning with a pinch hit two run homer, his fourth of the season to tie it at four.

On The MoundChris Rusin was really good just didn’t get any help from his offense is this one.  Rusin went six innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking two and striking out one.  Hisanori Takahashi couldn’t keep things tied during his outing, he went one inning giving up one run on one hit while striking out one.  Blake Parker was decent out of the pen going two innings giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out three.  Zach Putnam took the loss in this one, he worked a third of an inning giving up one run on three hits.

Smokies 4-26 line

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At The Plate – The Smokies just continue to roll on as they walked away with another win Friday Night.  Jae-Hoon Ha filled up the score book going 2-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base, and three runs scored.  Rubi Silva had a big night as well going 2-for-4 with a triple, a home run, three RBI’s, and a run scored.  Rafael Lopez knocked in the other run for the Smokies and that’s all they would need, Lopez finished the night 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

On The MoundAlberto Cabrera was outstanding for the Smokies going six innings giving up one run on three hits while walking three and striking out six to earn the win.  Kevin Rhoderick was touched up a little bit again, he went two-thirds of an inning giving up one run on two hits while walking one.  A.J. Morris also allowed Clearwater to get closer in his one inning of work, he gave up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out one.  Trey McNutt got the train back on the tracks in this one to earn his second save of the year.  McNutt went 1.1 scoreless innings giving up one hit and striking out one.

Daytona 4-26 line

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At The Plate – Daytona jumped all over the Flying Tigers early and often en route to a 7-3 victory Friday Night.  Javier Baez is rounding into form right now, he went 2-for-4 in this one with a double, two RBI’s and a run scored, he’s now hitting .253 on the year and .341 in his last ten games.  Dustin Geiger was also productive going 2-for-4 with three RBI’s, he’s an RBI machine, he now has twenty-one on the season.  Chad Noble was 2-for-4 with two runs scored while Taiwan Easterling was 2-for-4 with a run scored, and a stolen base.

On The MoundBen Wells battled command issues but was able to work effectively enough to earn the win.  Wells went 5.2 innings giving up three runs, two earned, on one hit while walking five and striking out one.  Eduardo Figueroa found some trouble out of the pen going two-thirds of an inning giving up two hits while walking one and striking out one, and would have given up a couple runs if not for the work of Hunter Cervenka.  Cervenka bailed out Figueroa while working 2.2 scoreless innings to earn his second save of the season, he didn’t give up any hits while walking three and striking out four.

Kane County 4-26 line

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At The Plate – Kane County might not have another loss all year that stings as much as this one, and they really only have themselves to blame.  The cougars lead 5-1 in the ninth inning but gave up four in the ninth and lost in the tenth, they made five errors in the process.  Rock Shoulders continues to hit, he was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored, he’s hitting .403 on the season.  The bulk of the damage was done by the bottom of the Cougars order.  Eight hitter Oliver Zapata was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored.  Nine hitter Yaniel Cabezas was 3-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored.

On The MoundPierce Johnson continues to dominate as of late, he went 5.2 innings giving up one run, unearned, on five hits while walking two and striking out seven.  Jeffry Antigua was great out of the pen going 2.1 scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out three.  Then things went bad, Nathan Dorris was roughed up in one-third of an inning, he gave up four runs, two earned (sending a theme?), on three hits while walking one.  Eddie Orozco was officially charge with the blown save and the loss, he worked 1.1 innings giving up one run on three hits while walking two.

Thanks for reading,
– George

Minor Matters – April 25, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

Iowa 4-25 line

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At The Plate – A huge first inning from Iowa was all they needed as they scored six times en route to a 9-3 victory over Omaha.  Brent Lillibridge had an outstanding game going 4-for-5 with a walk, and two RBI’s.  Ryan Sweeney was also 4-for-5, he was a lot more productive though.  Sweeney had a walk, a home run, a triple, four RBI’s, and two runs scored in the win.  Darnell McDonald was 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored.  Edwin Maysonet was 2-for-4 with a walk, a triple, and an RBI.

On The MoundBarret Loux got the start and struggled with command, and was wild in the strike zone but managed to pitch around trouble.  He was able to go 4.2 innings giving up three runs on eight hits while walking four and striking out three.  Esmailin Caridad did a fine job out of the bullpen and earned the win going 2.1 scoreless innings while walking two and striking out three.  Cory Wade and Rafael Dolis struggled but managed to each have a scoreless appearance.  Dolis worked 1.1 innings to earn his first save of the season while walking two and striking out two.

***

Smokies 4-25 line

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At The Plate – The Smokies are playing good baseball, and if not for a few blown saves recently could be on a real impressive winning streak.  It was the Ronald Torreyes show for the Smokies, he was 3-for-3 with a walk, a double, a triple, and a run scored from the lead-off spot.  Only three other Smokies registered hits in this one, but it was enough.  Rafael Lopez and Jae-Hoon Ha recorded the RBI’s with Ha going 1-for-4, and Lopez going 1-for-3 with a double.

On The MoundDallas Beeler is dealing right now, and last night was no exception.  Beeler went seven scoreless innings giving up seven hits while walking one and striking out two.  Zach Rosscup found some trouble out of the pen but was able to hold the lead, he gave up one run on one hit while walking one in one inning of work.  Brian Schlitter worked a stress free ninth inning for his first save of the season, he has yet to give up an earned run this year.

***

Daytona 4-25 line

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At The Plate – Daytona jumped out early in this one and never looked back as they pounded out twelve hits and scored five runs to beat the Flying Tigers…Flying Tigers!  5-3.  Every player in the Daytona starting lineup had at least one hit.  Javier Baez is slowly but surely turning around his slow start, he was 2-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season with an RBI, and a run scored.  Timothy Saunders was 1-for-4 with a big triple, and two RBI’s in the win.  Chad Noble was 2-for-3 with his first home run of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.  Anthony Giansanti stayed hot since his return going 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

On The MoundZach Cates got the start and the win as he pitched a solid game.  Cates worked five scoreless innings giving up four hits while walking one and striking out four.  Yeiper Castillo did a solid job out of the pen tossing a scoreless inning.  Austin Reed continues to get beat up, he gave up three runs on three hits while walking three in one inning of work.  David Cales was outstanding to earn his first save of the year, he went two scoreless innings while walking two and striking out four.

***

Kane County 4-25 line

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At The Plate – A late rally wasn’t enough for the Cougars as they fell to the Tin Caps 6-4 after trailing 6-1 in the third inning.  The Cougars approach was fantastic in this one, they just couldn’t get the big hit when they needed it.  They had eight hits, walked five times, and only struck out four times, unfortunately they came up just short.  Rock Shoulders continues to hit, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .406 on the season.  Marco Hernandez was also 1-for-3 with a walk in the loss.  Bijan Rademacher was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .314 on the season.

On The MoundLendy Castillo ran into trouble in one inning and that was enough for him to suffer his first loss of the season.  Castillo worked six innings giving up six runs, five earned, on eight hits while walking none and striking out three.  Both Justin Amlung and Steve Perakslis worked scoreless innings out of the pen to keep the Cougars in this one.

Thanks for reading,
– George

Minor Matters – April 19, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

Iowa 4-19 lineFull Box Score

At The Plate – The Cubs didn’t do much at the plate in this one, but didn’t need to, as the two runs they got in the first were plenty on their way to a 5-o victory.  Logan Watkins had a solid day at the top of the lineup going 2-for-5 with a run scored.  Ian Stewart, who is trying to make his way back to the big club was 0-for-2 but did draw two walks and scored a run.  Brian Bogusevic was 1-for-2 with two walks, a double and a run scored in the win.

On The Mound – Barret Loux was outstanding in this one as he earned his second win of the season.  Loux went five scoreless innings giving up three hits while walking one and striking out six.  Casey Coleman, Zach Putnam, Rafael Dolis, and Blake Parker all worked scoreless innings to close the door on Nashville.

Daytona 4-19 lineFull Box Score

At The Plate – The D-Cubs never really had a chance in this one as they fell behind 6-0 in the first and could never catch up.  Jorge Soler had another solid game going 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .414 on the season.  Dustin Geiger continues to pad his stats going 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, he now has fifteen RBI’s in just fourteen games.  Chad Noble was 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored in the loss.

On The Mound – Zach Cates didn’t have it tonight, and that might be putting it nicely.  He could only last two-thirds of an inning giving up six runs on three hits while walking three and striking out one.  Hunter Cervenka did a solid job out of the pen going two scoreless innings, he did walk three and struck out one, and didn’t give up any hits.  Luis Liria was good as well going 3.1 innings giving up one run on three hits while walking one and striking out five.  Frank Del Valle was effective as he usually is but didn’t have command at all, he worked 2.2 innings giving up one run on three hits while walking five(!) and striking out three.  In all D-Cubs pitchers walked twelve men in the loss.

Smokies 4-19 lineFull Box Score

At The Plate – Matt Szczur has had a solid start to the 2013 season and it continues last night as he was 2-for-5 with a triple, and two runs scored, he’s hitting .288 and has a .348 on base percentage.  Ronald Torreyes as been a house on fire since his return, he was 1-for-4 with a double, and two runs scored, he’s hitting .353 on the season.  Arismendy Alcantara continues to impress everyone associated with the Cubs, even their fans, he was 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBI’s, and a stolen base, his sixth in the last three games.  Christian Villanueva was 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI’s, and two runs scored, his average is only at .204 on the season but he already has twelve RBI’s.

On The Mound – Matt Loosen got the start and didn’t get the win but did some solid work, he just couldn’t get through five innings.  He went four scoreless innings giving up four hits while walking two and striking out eight.  A.J. Morris came on in relief to record the win as he went three innings giving up one run on three hits while walking two and striking out two.  Brian Schlitter shut things down over the last two innings, as he didn’t give up a run, he gave up three hits and struck out three.  I would also like to thank Born on Third friend Celeste Whiteside @aspenthisyear for sending along the following picture of Trey McNutt from last night, thanks so much Celeste!

Trey  McNutt

NOTES: Kane County doesn’t play games anymore, they were rained out, again.

Thanks for reading,
– George

8/17: Around the Cubs Minor League System

Our daily trip through the Cubs system.

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The AZL Cubs out hit the A’s, but also made five errors and lost 4-3.  Ryan McNeil got the start going three innings allowing no runs on two hits, while striking out two.  Rafael Dolis pitched another scoreless innings in relief.  The fourth inning is really where the defense cost the Cubs as Corbin Hoffner gave up three runs, only one earned in two innings.  Alvido Jimenez took the loss allowing one run on two hits in two inning of work.  Yasiel Balaguert had another nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 including a triple and an RBI.  Carlos Penalver and David Bote also had two hits, Bote had a triple and scored a run.  Alberto Mineo was 1-for-4 and drove in a run of his own.  Daniel Lockhart, Shawon Dunston, and Trevor Gretzky all had one hit in the loss.

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Boise put seven early, but had to hold on to beat Tri-City 7-6.  The Hawks put up thirteen hits and had several players have a multi hit game.  Dan Vogelbach was 3-for-5 including a triple and an RBI.  Stephen Bruno had only one hit, but made it count hitting a three-run homer in the fourth.  Albert Almora continued his hot stretch going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.  Izaac Garsez and Lance Rymel each had a two hits and they both drove in one.  Jeimer Candelario only had one hit, but drove in another run.  Rock Shoulders and Marco Hernandez each had a hit in the victory as well.  Justin Amlung started, but did not factor in the decision as he only lasted two innings allowing one run on three hits.  Michael Heesch pitched the next two innings and got the win for Boise.  James Pugliese and Su-Min Jung each struggled over the next three innings, but got the game to Eduardo Orozco with the lead.  Orozco closed out the game recording his fifth save as he pitched two scoreless innings striking out three.  Although they allowed Tri-City to mount a comeback it was good to see Boise hold on.

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Peoria lost to Burlington on Friday 5-4.  Starling Peralta got the start and pitched pretty good giving up three runs, two earned on five hits in six innings.  He also struck out eight in the no decision.  Austin Reed took the loss in relief giving up two runs in his one inning of work.  Bryce Schafer struck out three in two scoreless innings.  Chadd Krist got back on track going 2-for-3 with a home run and a double.  Wes Darvill and Dustin Geiger each contributed offensively with a solo home run a piece.  Timothy Saunders added a triple and Sergio Burruel also had a hit.  Jorge Soler was back in the lineup, but really struggled going 0-for-4 with three strike outs.  It has been a tough stretch for Peoria as of late.

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Going into the eighth Daytona was tied at two, but gave up three runs in the inning and lost 5-2.  Kyle Hendricks started and went four innings allowing two runs on three hits in a no decision.  Kyler Burke continued his struggles since going to Daytona as he gave up three runs in five innings taking his seventh loss at Daytona.  Christian Villanueva had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.  John Andreoli and Nelson Perez each added two hits as well, both having a double.  Javier Baez had another hit and stole two bases, his first two since moving up.  Rafael Lopez added a hit in the losing effort on Friday.

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Tennessee scored two in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough as they lost 5-4 to Birmingham on Friday.  Starting pitcher Dae-Eun Rhee took the loss giving up four runs on nine hits in just 4.2 innings.  Trey McNutt gave up a run, but struck out two in his 1.1 inning of work.  Casey Weathers and Brian Schlitter combined to pitch the last two innings of scoreless baseball.  Rubi Silva was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.  Jae-Hoon Ha, Justin Bour, and Chad Noble all drove in a run without getting a base hit on Friday.  Junior Lake was 1-for-3 with a triple and a run scored.  Logan Watkins had a double and scored a run on the night as well.

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Tied going to the eighth, Iowa put up four in the eighth and three in the ninth to beat Tucson 8-1.  Dave Sappelt had a big night going 3-for-5 with a home run and a double.  He also drove in four on the night.  Alfredo Amezaga also had three hits and scored two runs.  Diory Hernandez had a double and drove in two.  Greg Rohan and Jeff Frazier each had a hit and had an RBI a piece.  Nate Samson contributed to the victory with two hits of his own.  In his first start with the Cubs Horacio Ramirez went six strong giving up only one run on six hits.  Scott Maine got the win striking out three in his two innings and Jairo Asencio pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the game.

Thanks for Reading,
-Mark

8/15: Around the Cubs Minor League System

A look at Wednesday’s Cubs minor leagues.

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The AZL Cubs dropped Wednesday’s game to the Angels 3-1.  The Cubs got some good pitching, but it wasn’t good enough.  Duane Underwood started, but took the loss giving up two runs in two innings striking out two batters.  Rafael Dolis and Ethan Elias combined to throw four innings of no-hit scoreless baseball.  Brian Smith gave a run in his one inning of work.  The Cubs offense struggled as they only recorded two hits.  Shawon Dunston and Garrett Schlecht each had a hit a piece.  Daniel Lockhart drove in Schlecht for the Cubs lone run in this one.  It was a good pitchers duel that went in the favor of the Angels in this one.

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Boise gave up a bunch of runs losing to Salem Keizer 13-5.  Everyone was looking forward to the debut of Albert Almora and he didn’t disappoint.  In his second at bat Almora hit a solo home run, he ended the evening 2-for-5.  Rock Shoulders also hit a home run, a three run shot in the third innings as well.  Marco Hernandez had a hit and an RBI and Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-4.  Dan Vogelbach and Jeimer Candelario each had a hit in the loss.  All the Hawks pitchers struggled in this one all giving up multiple runs.  Ian Dickson started giving up four runs on six hits in five innings, but left in line for the win.  Hunter Ackerman took the loss giving up six runs in 2.2 innings and Rafael Diplan gave up three in his 1.1 innings.

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Peoria gave up four runs in the third and could never recover losing to Burlington 5-1.  Jeffry Antigua took the loss on Wednesday, but didn’t get much help from his defense as he gave up all five runs, none earned.  The Chiefs bullpen pitched really well as Justin Berg, Bryce Shafer, and Pete Levitt went the rest of the way striking out nine and only giving up three hits.  Bijan Rademacher was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.  Wes Darvill had a double of his own and Zeke DeVoss had a triple.  You might be asking why we haven’t heard Jorge Soler‘s name?  Well, he sat this one out tonight, but the Peoria is hoping he will be back in the lineup tomorrow.

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Believe it or not Daytona actually played on Wednesday, a double-header against Lakeland.  PJ Francescon started, but lasted only three innings allowing two runs on three hits.  Hunter Cervenka followed and pitched two scoreless innings, striking out two batters.  AJ Morris got the win pitching the final two innings.  Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-4, including a double and an RBI.  Elieser Bonne and Taylor Davis each drove in a run in this one.  Nelson Perez had a double in the win.  Javier Baez continued to struggle going 0-for-4 in game one.

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Daytona only gave up two hits over nine innings in game two, but lost 1-0.  Frank Del Valle started and went six strong innings giving up only one hit, while walking three and striking out four.  Eduardo Figueroa pitched well in relief, but took the loss giving up a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth.  There wasn’t much happening offensively as the Cubs only had five hits in this one.  On a positive Javier Baez had one of those hits as did Christian VillanuevaJohn Andreoli, Elieser Bonne, and Vladimir Frias each had as well in the game two loss.

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Winning 2-0 going to the seventh, Tennessee gave up one in the bottom half and then three in the eighth as they lost 4-2.  Nicholas Struck started and pitched really well going six inning allowing one unearned run on five hits while striking out six.  Brian Schlitter struggled taking the loss as he gave up all the runs in the eighth.  Matt Szczur continued making adjustments as he was 1-for-4 with a double.  Justin Bour and Chad Noble each had a hit and drove in the Smokies two runs.  Jae-Hoon Ha and Michael Burgess each had doubles of their own and Matt Cerda also got in the hit column.  Wednesday’s started off pretty good, but didn’t end the way the Smokies had hoped.

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Iowa got a great start from Chris Rusin as the Cubs won 4-0.  In getting his eighth win Rusin pitched six strong innings giving up only four hits and struck out four.  Blake Parker continues to impress in his rehab striking out three in two innings and Esmailin Caridad pitched a scoreless ninth.  Jeff Frazier had a nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 with a double.  Nate Samson and Alfredo Amezaga each had a hit and drove a run in.  Chris Rusin not only pitched well, but he also contributed offensively going 2-for-3 with a run scored.  Two wins in a row hasn’t happened much lately for Iowa, it would be nice to see if they can have a good run here to end the season.

Thanks for Reading,
-Mark

 

8/7: Around the Cubs Minor League System

Here’s what happened in the Cubs minor league system on Tuesday night.

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The AZL Cubs got back on track beating the Angels 6-1.  The Cubs used four pitchers, all doing a nice job.  Ryan McNeil struggled with his control, but struck out four and allowed no runs in 2.1 innings.  Anthony Prieto thew two scoreless innings and Loiger Padron got his fourth win of the season striking out three in three scoreless innings.  He is now 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA.  Shawon Dunston had only one hit, but drove in an impressive three runs.  Jorge Soler went for with an RBI and Albert Almora added a hit of his own.  Both top prospects stole two bases and scored a run.  Dan Lockhart had a hit and Carlos Penalver knocked in one in the victory.  After a couple tough days for the Cubs it was back to business as usual on Tuesday night.

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Tuesday didn’t go to plan for Boise as they lost to Everett 6-3.  Dan Vogelbach hit his third home run since going to Boise and ended the night 1-for-3.  Gioskar Amaya had two more hits, including a triple and an RBI.  Izaac Garsez went 2-for-2 with a run scored and Wilson Contreras had a hit and an RBI.  Jeimer Candelario and Marco Hernandez each had a hit on Tuesday night as well.  James Pugliese pitched four innings allowing one run on six hits, while striking out six in a ND.  Michael Heesch allowed three runs in two innings and took the loss.  Boise has had a nice run as of late, so they will get back at it tomorrow.

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Starling Peralta was the story in this one as the Peoria won 5-3.  Peralta thew seven innings allowing one run on two hits and struck out 14.  Yes you read that right, he struck out 14.  Bryce Shafer struggled, but Larry Suarez came in to pitch a scoreless 1.1 innings and record his first save of the season.  Offensively had one of his best, if not his best game of his young career.  He went 4-for-4 with two doubles, one triple, four runs scored, and a stolen base.  Chadd Krist and Wes Darvill each had two hits, and Krist drove in two runs.  Pin-Chieh Chen and Yaniel Cabezas each added a hit and an RBI.  Peralta really just put the Chiefs on his back in this one and had night to remember.

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Daytona picked up the win beating Lakeland 6-1.  Austin Kirk was good giving up one run on four hits in 5.2 innings.  He got the win and improved his record to 7-3.  Jeffrey Lorick and AJ Morris combined to pitch the last 3.3 innings allowing no runs.  It took a couple of games, but Javier Baez finally had his coming out party in Daytona.  He went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.  Christian Villanueva was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.  Rubi Silva added an RBI and John Andreoli went 2-for-3 with a run scored and three stolen bases, he now has 47 on the year.  Everyone else in the lineup contributed with a hit on Tuesday as it was one of those rare games where everyone ends with a hit.

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A six run first was way too much to come back from for Tennessee as they lost to Jackson 10-4.  In his second start with the Smokies Jacob Brigham really struggled giving up six runs on six hits in just 0.2 innings.  The Smokies would use five more pitchers on the evening.  Kevin Rhoderick pitched better than he has been pitching 1.1 scoreless ball.  Brian Schlitter and Dustin Harrington combined to pitch the last 2.1 innings not allowing a run.  Need I say it, Justin Bour was 2-for-3 with yet another RBI and Nelson Perez had two hits of his own.  Matt Szczur, Logan Watkins, and Matt Cerda all had triples on Tuesday.  Junior Lake, Nate Samson, and Chad Noble all contributed with an RBI a piece.  It was definitely a tough start for Brigham, but the Smokies will look to get back on track tomorrow.

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Iowa put up seven on Tuesday and that was enough as the beat Reno 7-4.  Ty’Relle Harris was quite impressive pitching six innings allowing only two runs and striking out five.  Jaye Chapman pitched a scoreless 0.2 innings, striking out both outs he recorded.  Jairo Asencio earned his first save by striking out one in one inning.  Dave Sappelt had a nice night going 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  James Adduci hit a double and knocked in three and Alfredo Amezaga added two hits and scored two runs.  Matt Tolbert added a double and drove in one run .  It is nice to see Iowa get a win, hope they can keep it going.

Thanks for Reading,
-Mark