Huge home run from Dan Vogelbach last night, a grand slam in the sixth that put Iowa in front for good. Opposite field no less, the big man is crushing the baseball.
Tag: Dan Vogelbach
Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 19, 2016
TUESDAY APRIL 19, 2016
Things started horribly for the Iowa Cubs as they trailed 6-0 after four innings before making a furious comeback that fell just short. With the loss the Cubs fall to 4-7 on the season while New Orleans moves to 5-8.
At the Plate:
- Arismendy Alcantara continues to have a bounce back 2016; he went 3-for-5 with his first triple of the season, a stolen base, and a run scored.
- Willson Contreras actually made a couple of outs last night; he went 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
- Dan Vogelbach had another solid game; he went 1-for-3 with his fourth double of the season, two walks, and two runs scored.
- Albert Almora had a huge game; he went 3-for-4 with an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored. Almora is now hitting .324 on the season.
On the Mound:
- Scott Barnes got the start, and was torched. He worked two innings, giving up five runs on six hits while walking one, and striking out two.
- Stephen Perakslis was solid out of the pen; he worked three innings, giving up two runs, both unearned while walking one, and striking out two.
- Giovanni Soto worked a solid scoreless inning in his Cubs organizational debut.
- Felix Pena was strong as he kept the Cubs in it; he worked two scoreless/hitless innings while walking one, and striking out three.
It was all Smokies in this one as they smacked three dingers en route to a 9-3 victory over the Montgomery Biscuits.
At the Plate:
- Jacob Hannemann ripped his first homer of the season; he went 1-for-5 with an RBI, and a run scored.
- Chesny Young was all over the place last night; he went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, and two runs scored.
- Jeimer Candelario snapped out of an early season funk; he went 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI, and two runs scored.
- Bijan Rademacher had a huge game, what else is new? He went 2-for-4 with two homers (Four on the season now), four RBI’s, and two runs scored.
On the Mound:
- Brad Markey struggled a bit with his command but did enough to pick up his first win of the season. Markey worked five innings, giving up two runs on eight hits while walking four, and striking out three.
- Michael Jensen was decent in relief; he worked two innings, giving up one runs on two hits while walking two, and striking out two.
- James Pugliese and Josh Conway each worked a scoreless inning to shut the door on this one.
It was a rough night for the Pelicans as they blew two different leads before eventually falling to Winston-Salem by a score of 6-5.
At the Plate:
- Gleyber Torres has been really struggling so far this year; last night he went 1-for-4 with his first dinger of the year, an RBI, and a run scored, maybe that will get him going.
- Yasiel Balaguert had a solid game; he went 2-for-4 with his first homer of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.
- Jason Vosler continued his solid start to the year; he went 2-for-4 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .341 on the season.
- Jeffrey Baez had a solid game; he went 1-for-3 with his third double of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
On the Mound:
- Jonathan Martinez turned in a solid outing; unfortunately he had to settle for a no decision. He worked six innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out two.
- Jordan Minch was hung with the loss in this one; he worked 2.2 innings, giving up four runs on six hits while walking one, and striking out two.
At the Plate:
- P.J. Higgins had a solid game; he went 2-for-4 with a walk, and a run scored.
- Daniel Spingola has been red hot so far this year; he went 3-for-5, and is now hitting .394 on the season.
- Andrew Ely went 3-for-4 with a double in the loss.
- Ian Rice went 2-for-4, but the Cubs could not do anything as they were 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position, oof.
On the Mound:
- Preston Morrison got the start and was hung with his second loss of the season. Morrison worked 2.2 innings, giving up four runs, three earned, on seven hits while walking two, and striking out two.
- Casey Bloomquist poured a fair bit of gasoline on the fire; he worked 2.1 innings, giving up six runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out two.
- Scott Frazier was also roughed up in relief; he worked 2.1 innings, giving up two runs on one hit while walking three, and striking out three.
- James Norwood was the lone bright spot; he worked 1.2 scoreless/hitless innings while striking out one.
Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 15, 2016
FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2016
Round Rock doesn’t like losing to Iowa, they haven’t done yet in four games this year. Tonight the Express jumped in front of Iowa 3-0 in the first, and 7-3 at the end of five before hanging on for an 8-6 win.
At the Plate:
- Dan Vogelbach is swinging it; he went 1-for-4 with his first dinger of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.
- Albert Almora is having a solid 2016 so far; he went 1-for-4 and is now hitting .280 on the season.
- Ryan Kalish went 2-for-2 with a double, two walks, and two runs scored in the loss.
On the Mound:
- Drew Rucinski was torched tonight as he picked up his second loss of the season. Rucinski worked 4.1 innings, giving up seven runs on five hits while walking four, and striking out four.
- Stephen Perakslis stopped the bleeding somewhat; he worked 2.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits while walking one, and striking out one.
- C.J. Reifenhauser worked just 1/3rd of an inning while walking one, and striking out one.
- Armando Rivero kept things close by working a scoreless inning.
An early explosion of runs by both teams made the final rather surprising; the Smokies led 3-2 after two innings and held on for a 4-2 win over Birmingham.
At the Plate:
- Jacob Hannemann snapped out of a slump tonight; he went 2-for-4 with his second double of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.
- Bijan Rademacher is reaching levels that not many have seen; he was 1-for-1 with an RBI, and three walks tonight; he is not hitting .524 on the season, crazy.
- Mark Zagunis, Chesny Young, and Billy McKinney all finished 1-for-4.
On the Mound:
- Tyler Skulina got the start, and picked up his first win of the season; Skulina worked five innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out six.
- Juan Paniagua was outstanding in relief, he worked two scoreless/hitless innings while striking out one.
- Starling Peralta was just as good; he also worked two scoreless/hitless innings while striking out two to pick up his second save of the season.
Myrtle Beach was completely handcuffed tonight as they were shut out by Carolina 2-0. The Pelicans could only manage two hits in the loss, definitely a great performance from Max Povse, the starter for the Mudcats.
At the Plate:
- Gleyber Torres did a nice job of getting on base tonight, but that was about it for the Pelicans; Torres went 0-for-2 with two walks, and was caught stealing.
- Jason Volser was 1-for-3 with his third double of the season in the loss.
- Gioskar Amaya was the only other Pelican to register a hit; he finished the night 1-for-2 with a walk.
On the Mound:
- Trevor Clifton got the start and saw his record fall to 0-2 on the season. Clifton worked 4.2 innings, giving up two runs on three hits while walking three, and striking out six.
- Jordan Minch worked in and out of trouble tonight; he worked 2.1 scoreless innings giving up five hits.
- James Farris worked a scoreless inning to keep things close.
Some sloppy baseball from South Bend tonight as they made four errors en route to getting destroyed by Fort Wayne, 10-3.
At the Plate:
- Sutton Whiting and Donnie Dewees each picked up an RBI in this one, Whiting added a base hit.
- J. Higgins went 1-for-3 with his second double of the season, a walk, and a run scored in the loss.
- Nice to see some production from Eddy Martinez; he went 1-for-4 with a double, and an RBI.
- Daniel Spingola had a solid game; he went 2-for-4 with a double.
- Ian Rice has been awesome so far this year; he went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two runs scored, he’s now hitting .444 on the season.
On the Mound:
- Ryan Kellogg got the start tonight, and picked up his first loss of the season. Kellogg worked 4.1 innings, giving up four runs on six hits while walking two, and striking out four.
- Casey Bloomquist wasn’t terribly effective out of the pen; he worked 1.2 innings, giving up three runs, one earned, on three hits while striking out two.
- John Williamson was also touched up a bit; he worked an inning, giving up three runs, one earned, on one hit while walking two.
- Greyfer Eregua worked a scoreless eighth inning to keep things from getting worse.
Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 14, 2016
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016
The Iowa Cubs got some solid pitching, and were able to push across a couple runs late to beat New Orleans 4-2, and move to 3-5 on the season.
At the Plate:
- Javier Baez finished off his rehab with Iowa by going 2-for-4 with a stolen base, and a run scored.
- Dan Vogelbach has been red hot to start the year; he went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .407 on the season.
- Albert Almora is starting to heat up; he went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the win.
- Kristopher Negron is also swinging it well; he went 2-for-4 with a double, and an RBI.
On the Mound:
- Tyler Ihrig got the start and was solid; he worked four innings, giving up one run on three hits while walking one, and striking out three.
- Brandon Gomes was tremendous out of the pen, and picked up the win. Gomes worked two scoreless/hitless innings while walking two, and striking out four.
- Jean Machi picked up a hold; he worked a scoreless inning, giving up two hits while walking one.
- Felix Pena was roughed up a bit; he worked one inning, giving up one run on one hit while striking out two.
- Spencer Patton picked up his first save of the season; he worked a scoreless inning, giving up one hit while striking out one.
An early 3-0 faded away in this one as the Smokies watch the Barons score five unanswered runs en route to a 5-3 victory.
At the Plate:
- Jeimer Candelario had one of the five hits the Smokies had it in this one; he finished the night 1-for-4 with his second double of the season.
- Mark Zagunis went 1-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored in the loss.
- Bijan Rademacher, Taylor Davis, and David Freitas each finished the night with a hit, Freitas chipped in two RBI’s.
On the Mound:
- Brad Markey was pretty solid once again; he worked five innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out one.
- Corey Black pitched relatively well but gave up the lead late; he worked two innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out four.
- Josh Conway picked up the loss in relief; he worked one innings, giving up two runs on one hit while striking out three.
The Pelican defense was not up to par in this one as they committed three errors which played a huge roll in a 3-2 loss to Carolina last night.
At the Plate:
- Rashad Crawford has a relatively tame game by his standards; he went 1-for-5 with his third double of the season.
- Gleyber Torres is starting to trend in the right direction; he went 1-for-4 with a walk.
- Jason Volser had a solid game; he went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.
- Jeffrey Baez was hit and miss in this one; he made one of the costly errors, but finished the night going 2-for-4 with a double, and an RBI.
On the Mound:
- Zach Hedges was really good in this one; unfortunately he was still hung with the loss. Hedges worked 6.2 innings, giving up three runs, one earned, on seven hits while walking three, and striking out one.
- Daury Torrez kept things close out of the pen; he worked 1.1 scoreless/hitless innings while striking out two.
Not a whole lot went right for South Bend last night as they were down 8-1 after two innings, and could only manage two runs on five hits in the 10-2 loss.
At the Plate:
- Donnie Dewees is Mr. Triples; he went 2-for-3 with a walk, two triples which brings his season total up to FOUR, and had two runs scored.
- Tyler Alamo was 2-for-3 with a walk in the loss.
On the Mound:
- Justin Steele didn’t have it, which is probably an understatement. Steele worked just two innings, giving up eight runs on seven hits while walking two, and striking out three.
- Scott Effross was effective out of the pen; he worked three scoreless innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out two.
- Craig Brooks also got some solid work in; he tossed two innings, giving up one run on three hits while walking two, and striking out two.
- Scott Frazier worked a scoreless inning, giving up one hit while walking one.
Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 13, 2016
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016
The Iowa Cubs finally found the offensive explosion that they have been searching for as they scored eight times over the first five innings en route to a 9-5 victory over New Orleans.
At the Plate:
- Arismendy Alcantara ripped his first home run of the season; he went 1-for-4 with a walk, said homer, an RBI, and a run scored.
- Dan Vogelbach has had a great start; he went 1-for-3 with two runs scored, and is now hitting .391 on the season.
- Albert Almora is getting on base quite a bit; he went 1-for-3 with a walk, and three runs scored.
- Juan Perez had a huge day; he went 3-for-3 with two doubles, three RBI’s, and one run scored.
- Logan Watkins couldn’t make an out yesterday; he went 4-for-4 with a double, three RBI’s, and a run scored.
On the Mound:
- Stephen Fife got the start and was brilliant; he worked 4.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking one, and striking out one.
- Miguel Mejia was torched, but picked up the win (the win stat is horrible); he worked an inning, giving up three runs on four hits while striking out one.
- Armando Rivero turned in another solid outing; he worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit while striking out two.
- Carl Edwards Jr. was roughed up a bit; he worked one inning, giving up two runs on two hits while walking two, and striking out two.
- Spencer Patton finished this one off by working a scoreless ninth inning.
All Smokies in this one, Tennessee jumped out to a 7-0 lead en route to a 7-3 victory over Birmingham. The Smokies pounded out 13 hits, and walked six times, nice to see the “Cubs Way” permeating the organization.
At the Plate:
- Big night for Jeimer Candelario; he went 3-for-4 with a walk, and a run scored.
- Taylor Davis has been solid this year; he went 2-for-4 with a walk, and two runs scored to bring his average to .333 on the season.
- Bijan Rademacher doesn’t appear to be bothered by AA pitching; he went 3-for-5 with his second dinger of the year, four RBI’s, and two runs scored.
- Anthony Giansanti went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored in the win.
- Carlos Penalver also chipped in; he went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
On the Mound:
- Paul Blackburn got the start and was brilliant in picking up his first win of the season. Pauly worked six scoreless innings, giving up four hits while walking one, and striking out six.
- David Garner was solid in relief; he worked 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking one, and striking out four.
- Andury Acevedo had a weird, horrible outing; he worked 1.1 innings giving up three runs, on NO HITS while walking FIVE, and striking out two, okay then.
- Starling Peralta closed the door on this one by recording the final out to get out of Acevedo’s trouble, Peralta picked up his first save of the year.
Myrtle Beach came out on the wrong end of a pretty solid game between two teams. After falling behind 2-0 early the Pelicans tied things up in the third and it stayed that way until Winston-Salem scored twice in the ninth.
At the Plate:
- Rashad Crawford has been awesome so far this year; he went 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored. He is now hitting .381 on the season from the lead-off spot.
- Shawon Dunston Jr. continues to produce; he went 1-for-4 with a walk, a double, and a run scored.
- I love Ian Happ, deal with it. He went 1-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI in the loss.
- Yasiel Balaguert, Jason Volser, and Jeffrey Baez each finished the night with one hit a piece.
On the Mound:
- Great effort from Jonathan Martinez after a shaky first; he worked seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out three.
- James Pugliese picked up the loss in relief; he worked two innings, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out three.
A huge fourth inning propelled South Bend to a 6-5 victory over Bowling Green. Things got a little uneasy late in this one as the Hot Rods pulled to within one before their rally fizzled out.
At the Plate:
- Remember how much I love Ian Happ? I love Donnie Dewees just as much; he went 3-for-4 with his second double of the year, three RBI’s, and a run scored. He is now hitting .440 on the season, that’s basically unpossible.
- Sutton Whiting had a solid game; he went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored.
- Bryant Flete has been very good this year as well; he went 1-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored, he’s now hitting .429 on the season.
- Tyler Alamo chipped in from the nine spot in the order; he went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and a run scored.
On the Mound:
- Preston Morrison struggled a bit with command but was good enough to pick up his first win of the season. Morrison worked six innings, giving up two runs on four hits while walking four, and striking out six.
- James Norwood had a rough go of it out of the pen; he worked 1.2 innings, giving up three runs on five hits while striking out three.
- Greyfer Eregura was solid in picking up his first save of the year; he worked 1.1 scoreless innings while striking out one.
Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 11, 2016
MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016
Finally! Nice to see Iowa finally get into the win column, and they did so by mashing the baseball all over the field in a 9-1 victory over New Orleans.
At the Plate:
- John Andreoli was productive out of the lead-off spot; he went 1-for-3 with a double, two walks, three runs scored, and a stolen base.
- Arismendy Alcantara went 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base in the win.
- Javier Baez had a solid rehab appearance; he went 1-for-3 with his first dinger of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.
- Dan Vogelbach continued his scorching start; he went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, his second double of the season, and a run scored. He is now hitting .421 on the season.
- Willson Contreras is just as hot; he went 4-for-5 with his second double of the season, and four RBI’s.
- Albert Almora continues to show a better approach at the plate, he went 0-for-3 but walked twice, and scored a run.
On the Mound:
- Pierce Johnson got the start and struggled a bit with his command, but worked around trouble. Johnson tossed three scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking three, and striking out five.
- Felix Pena picked up the win out of the pen; he worked two scoreless innings, giving up two hits while striking out three.
- Brandon Gomes was good once again; he worked two scoreless innings while striking out two.
- Armando Rivero bounced back from a rough start to 2016; he worked a scoreless inning while striking out one.
- Miguel Mejia was touched up a bit; he worked one inning, giving up one run on two hits while striking out one.
Missed opportunities were the name of the game for Tennessee as they went 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position en route to a 5-4 loss to Mobile.
At the Plate:
- Bijan Rademacher is red hot in 2016; he went 2-for-5 and is now hitting .500 on the season.
- Chesny Young is opening some eyes in the early going; he went 2-for-4 with his second dinger of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
- Billy McKinney is starting to heat up; he went 2-for-5 with an RBI, and a walk.
- Victor Caratini was 2-for-3 with his first double of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.
- Mark Zagunis was productive near the bottom of the order; he went 3-for-4 with his second double of the season.
On the Mound:
- Tough day for Jen-Ho Tseng, and he was awesome. Tseng had to leave early after being hit by a comebacker, before that he worked three scoreless innings, giving up three hits while walking one, and striking out four, no update on his condition.
- Michael Jensen struggled in relief; he worked 2.2 innings, giving up three runs on two hits while walking two.
- Corey Black was much better out of the pen yesterday, but he picked up the loss. Black worked two innings, giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one, and striking out three.
- Andury Acevedo worked 1/3rd of an inning, giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking two.
- Josh Conway worked a scoreless inning while walking one, and striking out one in the loss.
A thriller in Myrtle Beach last night as Ian Happ ripped a game winning walk-off double for the Pelicans, they scored three times in the ninth to beat Winston Salem 5-4.
At the Plate:
- The Pelicans walked 11 (!) times last night, so that will be a common stat mentioned here. Rashad Crawford went 1-for-4 with a walk (see?), his first stolen base of the year, and a run scored.
- Gleyber Torres has struggled in the early going, he was 0-for-4 in this one but walked once, and had two RBI’s.
- Ian Happ as mentioned above was the hero; he went 1-for-5 with his second double of the year, and two RBI’s.
- Yasiel Balaguert has been great this year; he went 1-for-2 with two walks in the win, he is now hitting .389 on the season.
On the Mound:
- Jake Stinnett got the start and picked up a no decision; he worked five innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on three hits while walking two, and striking out three.
- Ryan McNeil was awesome out of the pen; he worked three innings, giving up one run on three hits while walking one, and striking out four.
- David Berg picked up his first win of the season by working a scoreless ninth inning.
More walk-off drama in South Bend as Eloy Jimenez launched a walk-off homer to end a wild one with South Bend beating Bowling Green 7-6.
At the Plate:
- Donnie Dewees is red hot to start 2016; he went 2-for-5 with his first double of the year, and two RBI’s, he’s now hitting .353 on the season.
- Eloy Jimenez walked off as mentioned above; he finished the night 1-for-5 with said dinger, an RBI, and a run scored.
- Eddy Julio Martinez had another good night; he went 2-for-4 with his first homer of the year, an RBI, and a run scored.
- Ian Rice had a solid game; he went 1-for-1 with a double, an RBI, two walks, and a run scored.
- Bryant Flete has been amazing so far this year; he went 2-for-3 with a double, and two runs scored. He is now hitting .625 on the season, wow.
On the Mound:
- Adbert Alzolay got the start and was roughed up a bit; he worked five innings, giving up four runs, three earned, on six hits while striking out five.
- Craig Brooks provided some much needed relief; he worked two innings, giving up one run on two hits while walking one, and striking out one.
- Michael Wagner picked up the win out of the pen; he worked two innings, giving up one run on two hits while walking two, and striking out one.
Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 10, 2016
SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 2016
A rough opening week for the Iowa Cubs didn’t get any easier yesterday as they lost their fourth straight game to Round Rock, 10-4. Round Rock is stacked, and they are going to win a lot of games this year, unfortunately Iowa had to be their first victim.
At the Plate:
- John Andreoli went 1-for-4 with a walk, and two RBI’s in the loss.
- Dan Vogelbach continued his sold start; he was 1-for-4 with two RBI’s.
- Kristopher Negron finished the day 2-for-4 with a run scored, he is now hitting .333 on the season.
On the Mound:
- Drew Rucinski battled in this one; he registered a quality start, but also the loss. He worked six innings, giving up three runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out six.
- Brandon Gomes kept the Cubs close as he worked a scoreless inning in relief; he gave up one hit while walking one.
- C.J. Riefenhauser was massacred in this one, he worked just 1/3rd of an inning, giving up six runs on four hits while walking two, and striking out one.
- Jean Machi was also roughed up; he worked 2/3rd of an inning, giving up one run on two hits while walking one, and striking out two.
- Spencer Patton was a bright spot as he worked a scoreless inning, striking out the side while doing so.
Another rough go of it for the Smokies’ offense in this one, unfortunately their pitching couldn’t completely shut down Mobile like they did the night before. Tennessee had to settle for a four game split after falling 4-1.
At the Plate:
- Chesny Young had one of the four hits by the Smokies on Sunday; he finished the day 1-for-4 and is now hitting .417 on the season.
- Taylor Davis was 1-for-3 in the loss.
- David Freitas has had a great start to the season; he finished yesterday 1-for-2 with a walk, and a run scored.
On the Mound:
- Tyler Skulina got the start and was fantastic; unfortunately he picked up the hard luck loss. He worked six innings, giving up one run on four hits while walking one, and striking out three.
- Starling Peralta couldn’t keep things close as he worked two innings, giving up three runs on three hits while walking one, and striking out one.
- David Garner was solid out of the pen, he worked a scoreless inning giving up one hit while walking one, and striking out three.
Myrtle Beach evened their 2016 record at two on Sunday as they outlasted the Frederick Keys in a 7-5 victory. A big three run seventh inning put the game out of reach despite a late push by Frederick to make things close.
At the Plate:
- Ian Happ went 1-for-4 with his first triple of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.
- Yasiel Balaguert had a huge day; he went 3-for-4 with an RBI, and two runs scored.
- Jason Volser was 1-for-3 with his first double of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
- Shawon Dunston Jr. came up with a huge hit in this one; he finished the day 2-for-4 with his first triple of the year, and three RBI’s.
On the Mound:
- Erick Leal wasn’t so sharp, but was able to pitch well enough to pick up the win. Leal worked five innings, giving up three runs on five hits while walking two, and striking out two.
- Jordan Minch was stellar out of the pen; he worked two scoreless innings, giving up one hit while walking two, and striking out two.
- Daury Torrez was roughed up a bit; he worked 1.2 innings, giving up two runs on four hits while walking two, and striking out one.
- Jose Rosario picked up his first save of the season by recording just one out.
South Bend was snowed out.
Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 9, 2016
SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2016
Another rough one for Iowa as they fall to Round Rock for the third straight time to start the season. The Cubs were down 8-0 after the fifth inning, and never really stood a chance tonight.
At the Plate:
- John Andreoli was solid out of the lead-off spot, he went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
- Arismendy Alcantara was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored in the loss.
- Ryan Kalish was the power source tonight, he went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
- Dan Vogelbach, Willson Contreras, and Albert Almora each finished the night 1-for-4.
On the Mound:
- Eric Jokisch was torched tonight, he worked 4.1 innings, giving up right runs on eleven hits while walking two, and striking out three.
- Armando Rivero worked 1.2 innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out two.
- Scott Barnes, Carl Edwards Jr., and Miguel Mejia all worked a scoreless inning in relief.
Pitching dominated the evening, and the Smokies came out on the right side of a 1-0 thriller.
At the Plate:
- Chesny Young continued his hot start to 2016, he went 2-for-3 in the win.
- Jeimer Candelario knocked in the only run of the night, he went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
- David Freitas was 2-for-3, the Smokies only had six hits, all singles, but it was enough.
On the Mound:
- Brad Markey got the start tonight, and was brilliant. Markey worked five scoreless innings, giving up three hits while walking one, and striking out four.
- Gerardo Concepcion (!) picked up the win out of the pen, he worked two scoreless innings, he didn’t walk anyone, and struck out three.
- Josh Conway picked up a hold, he worked a scoreless inning, giving up one hit while walking one.
- Juan Paniagua shut the door for his first save of the year by working a scoreless ninth, he struck out two.
A late offensive explosion propelled the South Bend Cubs to a 5-3 win over West Michigan, their first of the season.
At the Plate:
- Donnie Dewees was 2-for-4 with a triple, and RBI, and a run scored.
- J. Higgins has been very good so far this year, he went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, and an RBI in the win.
- Eddy Martinez was 2-for-5 with two runs scored, he’s hitting .333 on the season.
- Daniel Spingola chipped in, he went 2-for-4 with a walk, a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.
On the Mound:
- Ryan Kellogg was brilliant in picking up his first win of the season. He worked five innings, giving up one run, unearned, on five hits while striking out three.
- Greyfer Eregua was just as good out of the pen, he worked 2.2 scoreless innings while striking out two.
- Scott Effross made things interesting as he worked 2/3 of an inning, giving up two runs, one earned, on two hits while walking one, and striking out one.
- Michael Wagner picked up his first save of the year, he worked the final 2/3 of an inning to do so.
Not much going right for the Pelicans in this one as they fell behind 4-0 after one en route to falling to Frederick, 6-0.
At the Plate:
- Gleyber Torres was 1-for-4 in the loss, nice to see him get into the hit column.
- Ian Happ was the only Pelican to find some success tonight, he went 2-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base, and a double.
- Jeffrey Baez went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases in the loss.
On the Mound:
- Trevor Clifton got the start, and picked up the loss. He worked three innings, giving up five runs, three earned, on four hits while walking four, and striking out four.
- James Farris was pretty solid out of the pen, he worked three innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out four.
- James Pugliese was solid once again, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up one hit while striking out four.
- David Berg worked a scoreless ninth.
Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 8, 2016
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
After falling behind 4-0 early the Iowa Cubs fell just short in their comeback attempt as they dropped a nail biter to Round Rock, 4-3.
At the Plate:
- Dan Vogelbach continued his solid start, he was 1-for-4 with a double.
- Willson Contreras was 1-for-3 with a walk in the loss.
- Albert Almora had a great night, he went 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored.
- Tim Federowicz was 1-for-2 with a double, a walk, and two RBI’s.
On the Mound:
- Stephen Fife was roughed up in this one, he worked three innings, giving up four runs on five hits while walking three, and striking out five.
- Jean Machi was brilliant, he worked two scoreless innings while walking one, and striking out three.
- Felix Pena was just as good, he worked two scoreless innings, walking one, and striking out two.
- J. Riefenhauser, and Miguel Mejia each worked a scoreless inning to keep things close.
The Smokies couldn’t muster much offense in their quest to move to 2-0 on the season as they could only scratch across one run in a 2-1 loss to Mobile.
At the Plate:
- Billy McKinney had a big night, he was 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored.
- Taylor Davis was 1-for-3 with an RBI in the loss.
- Bijan Rademacher got a start tonight, and finished 1-for-3 with a double.
On the Mound:
- Paul Blackburn struggled early, giving up five hits over the first two innings, but that was it for the night. Blackburn worked five innings, giving up one run on five hits while striking out two.
- Michael Jensen was solid out of the pen, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking one, and striking out one.
- Corey Black picked up the loss in this one, he worked one inning, giving up one run on two hits while walking one, and striking out one.
- Andury Acevedo worked a scoreless inning while striking out one.
The Pelicans came up just short in their attempt at coming back from a 5-1 deficit in the sixth inning. Myrtle Beach pulled to within one before falling to Frederick 7-5.
At the Plate:
- Rashad Crawford had another good night, he was 2-for-4 with a walk, but was also picked off twice, oops.
- David Bote was 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored in the loss.
- Cael Brockmeyer showed off his power, he was 1-for-4 with his first homer of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
- Charcer Burks had a huge night, he was 3-for-4 with a home run, a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.
On the Mound:
- Zach Hedges got the start tonight, and picked up the loss. He worked 5.1 innings, giving up four runs, two earned, on five hits while walking one, and striking out six.
- Dillon Maples struggled, he worked just 1/3 of an inning, he gave up an unearned run on one hit while walking two, and striking out one.
- Ryan McNeil was decent out of the pen, he worked 2.1 innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out three.
- Jordan Minch worked one innings, giving up one run on two hits while walking one.
A messy game for the South Bend Cubs as they made six (SIX) errors on their way to a snow shortened 6-3 loss to West Michigan.
At the Plate:
- Matt Rose went 1-for-2 with a walk, one of four for the Cubs in this one.
- Ian Rice was 1-for-2 with a run scored, and a walk in the loss.
- Bryant Flete was the offensive star tonight, he went 2-for-3 with a triple, and two RBI’s.
On the Mound:
- A weird night for the Cubs start Justin Steele. Steele worked 3.2 innings, giving up four runs, all unearned, he made three (!) errors while walking three, and striking out three.
- Casey Bloomquist worked two innings out of the pen, giving up two runs, both unearned, on two hits while walking one, and striking out three.
- James Norwood was tremendous, he worked 1.1 scoreless innings, he walked one, and struck out three.
Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports); April 7, 2016
The Iowa Cubs kicked off the 2016 minor league season for the Cubs organization today, and they walked way too many guys en route to a 7-3 loss.
At the Plate:
- Dan Vogelbach was 2-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI.
- Willson Contreras went 2-for-4 in the loss.
- Kristopher Negron was 3-for-4, all singles
- Albert Almora came up empty in the hit column but walked, had an RBI, and a run scored.
On the Mound:
- Ryan Williams got the start and was knocked around, he worked three innings, giving up seven runs, six earned, on six hits while walking two, and striking out two.
- Scott Barnes (2 IP), Brandon Gomes (2 IP), Carl Edwards Jr. (1 IP), and Spencer Patton (1 IP) combined to work six scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking five, and striking out six.
A quick start for the Smokies tonight as they put up three runs in the first on their way to a 7-3 victory over the Mobile Bay Bears.
At the Plate:
- Jacob Hannemann was productive out of the lead-off spot, he went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases.
- Chesny Young had a huge game, he went 2-for-2 with a home run, RBI, two walks, a stolen base, and two runs scored.
- Jeimer Candelario went 1-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored in the win.
- Victor Caratini, and Bijan Rademacher each registered their first homers of the year.
- Mark Zagunis was 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI’s, and a walk.
On the Mound:
- Rob Zastryzny had some early trouble, but settled in to pick up his first win of the season. Z worked six innings, giving up two runs on four hits while walking two, and striking out five.
- Starling Peralta was solid out of the pen, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit while walking one, and striking out one.
- David Garner worked 1.1 innings to shut the door, he gave up one unearned run while walking one, and striking out one.
Myrtle Beach is one of my favorite rosters right now in the Cubs system, and they got things off to a good start tonight by dispatching Frederick 5-2.
At the Plate:
- Not too much going for the Pelicans despite the win, they only managed five hits as a team. Rashad Crawford had one of them in his four at bats tonight, he also scored a run.
- Gleyber Torres went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored in the win.
- Yasiel Balaguert, Jeffrey Baez, and Gioskar Amaya all chipped in with one hit a piece.
On the Mound:
- Jonathan Martinez was outstanding tonight in picking up his first win of the season. Martinez worked five innings, giving up one run on three hits while walking two, and striking out one.
- Duary Torrez was lights out coming out of the pen, he worked two innings, giving up one unearned run on one hit while striking out one.
- James Pugliese worked a scoreless inning to pick up his first hold of the season.
- David Berg shut down things tonight, he worked a scoreless ninth to pick up his first save of the season.
This was on was basically over before it started as West Michigan spread right runs across the first three innings en route to a 9-4 victory over the South Bend Cubs
At the Plate:
- Donnie Dewees 2-for-5 out of the lead-off spot, both hits were singles.
- Eloy Jimenez was 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.
- Eddy Martinez was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored in the win.
On the Mound:
- Preston Morrison got beat up pretty bad as he took his first loss of the season. Morrison worked four innings, giving up eight runs, three earned, on seven hits while walking two, and striking out two.
- Kyle Twomey was great out of the pen, he worked four innings, giving up one run on three hits while walking one, and striking out seven.
- Scott Frazier put this one to bed by working a scoreless inning.
Born on Third 