Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 20, 2016

WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 2016

Full Box Score

After trailing all night the Iowa Cubs were able to tie the game up at two in the eighth only to see New Orleans walk-off in the bottom of the ninth for a 3-2 win.

At the Plate:

• Juan Perez got a chance out of the lead-off spot and came through; he went 2-for-5 with his first homer of the year, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Albert Almora is really swinging it right now; he went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, an RBI, and a run scored; he’s now hitting .368 on the season.
• Matt Murton (!) got the start in left tonight; he went 2-for-4 in the loss.
• Munenori Kawasaki was 1-for-2 with two walks; clearly he has taken the approach of the major league club down to Iowa with him.

On the Mound:

• Drew Rucinski was brilliant last night, but had to settle for a no-decision. He worked six innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking two, and striking out ten.
• Carl Edwards Jr. had a nice bounce back effort last night; he worked a scoreless inning while striking out one.
• Spencer Patton struggled with command but battled through it; he worked a scoreless inning, giving up one hit while walking two, and striking out one.
• Brandon Gomes took the loss in this one; he worked just 1/3^rd of an inning, giving up one run on two hits.

Full Box Score

A tough loss for the Smokies as they rallied to take a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth then watched as the Biscuits scored three times in the ninth en route to a 5-4 victory.

At the Plate:

• It was the Chesny Young show last night; he went 4-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, and two stolen bases.
• Billy McKinney was 1-for-4 with his second double of the season, a walk, and an RBI in the loss.
• Taylor Davis, David Freitas, and Bijan Rademacher all finished the night with one hit a piece.

On the Mound:

• Tyler Skulina got the start and struggled with finding the plate; he worked 3.2 innings, giving up three runs on three hits while walking four, and striking out one.
• Gerardo Concepcion might actually be figuring it out; he was good again last night. Concepcion worked 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits while striking out two.
• Juan Paniagua was also solid in relief; he worked two scoreless innings, giving up three hits while walking one.
• David Garner had a rough go of it, and was hung with the loss. Garner worked one inning, giving up three runs on three hits while walking one, and striking out two.

Full Box Score

The Pelicans didn’t have much going offensively in this one, but they found just enough as they scored three times in the eighth to beat the Winston-Salem Dash 4-1.

At the Plate:

• Ian Happ has had a really solid start to the year; he went 1-for-3 with a walk, and is now hitting .296 on the season.
• Yasiel Balaguert was one of the offensive heroes last night; he went 1-for-4 with two RBI’s, and has now knocked in eight on the season.
• Daniel Lockhart went 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored in the win.
• David Bote provided the big blow in this one; he went 1-for-4 with his first home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

• Brilliance from Zach Hedges; he worked seven innings, giving up one run on four hits while walking one, and striking out four.
• James Farris was just as good in relief, and picked up his second save of the season. Farris worked two scoreless/hitless innings while walking one, and striking out three.

Full Box Score

Eight runs over the first three innings put this one to bed early.  The South Bend Cubs pounded out thirteen hits and eight runs on their way to an 8-4 laugher last night.

At the Plate: (There’s a lot)

• Eloy Jimenez had a solid game; he went 2-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored.
• Eddy Martinez broke out of a small slump; he was 2-for-4 with two RBI’s, he now has seven RBI’s on the season.
• Daniel Spingola has been red hot as of late; he went 2-for-4 with two RBI’s, and a run scored; he’s now hitting .405 on the season.
• Tyler Alamo has been great in the early going this year; he went 3-for-4 with a double, and an RBI; he’s now hitting .455 on the season.
• Sutton Whiting, P.J. Higgins, Donnie Dewees, and Matt Rose all finished the night with one hit a piece.

On the Mound:

• Justin Steele has had a rough start to 2016, but last night was a step in the right direction. Steele worked five innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on four hits while walking one, and striking out six to pick up his first win of the year.
• Craig Brooks was good once again in relief; he worked two scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking one, and striking out five.
• Scott Effross was also solid; he worked two innings, giving up one run, unearned, on three hits while striking out two.

Prospect Files: Gleyber Goes Deep, Rademacher Powers Up, Lockhart Flashes the Leather (VIDEO)

Bijan Rademacher is lighting it up right now, here is video of his second homer of the night, a three run bomb.

Gleyber Torres has struggled for much of 2016 which isn’t entirely surprising for a 19 year old, but last night he showed why he’s such an exciting prospect by blasting an opposite field dinger.

Daniel Lockhart makes a tremendous play.

Riding the Bus: May 4, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

MONDAY • MAY 4, 2015

Full Box Score

Not much offense in this one as the Cubs and Sounds combined for three runs on just thirteen hits.  The right team had more as the Cubs were able to tightrope their way to a 2-1 victory on the road.

At the Plate:

• Arismendy Alcantara is heating up, he was 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored.
• Matt Szczur showed off his power, he was 1-for-2 with two walks, a dinger, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
• Javier Baez had another good night, he was 1-for-2 with a walk, and stolen base.
• Taylor Davis was solid, he went 2-for-4, he’s now hitting .333 on the season.
• Mike Baxter and John Andreoli each had one hit in the win.

On the Mound:

• Eric Jokisch got the start and was outstanding, he worked six innings, giving up one run on four hits while walking one, and striking out five.
• Brian Schlitter was good out of the pen tonight, he worked a scoreless inning while giving up one hit, and striking out one.
• Justin Grimm is working his way back, hooray.  He worked a scoreless inning, surrendering one hit while walking one, and striking out two.
• James Russell is also doing some good things, he worked a scoreless inning as well to pick up his third save of the season.

Full Box Score

 A long one early this afternoon saw the Smokies comeback then blow a lead late in a tough loss.  The Smokies only gave up six hits in thirteen innings, unfortunately that was just enough for Birmingham.

At the Plate:

• Pin-Chieh Chen was seeing the ball well today, and that’s an understatement.  Chen was 2-for-2 with FIVE walks, a dinger, an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored.  That’s right, he reached base SEVEN times.
• Willson Contreras was solid, he went 3-for-5 with a walk, and two doubles.
• Stephen Bruno has been really good, he was 2-for-6, he’s now hitting .293 on the season.
• Ryan Dent had a good game from the nine spot, he was 1-for-5 with a walk, a stolen base, and two runs scored.

On the Mound:

• Felix Pena got the start and struggled with his command, he tossed 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on just two hits while walking five, and striking out four.
• Fernando Cruz bounced back today, he worked 1.1 scoreless innings, surrendering just one base hit.
• Michael Jensen was also really good, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up two hits while striking out three.
• Stephen Perakslis was brilliant, and I thought he was going to get the win, he worked three scoreless innings, surrendering zero hits while striking out three.
• Zach Cates picked up the blown save, and loss, he worked two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on one hit while walking one, and striking out one.

 Final Box Score

Things got a little out of hand in this one as Myrtle Beach fell behind early before racing in front late.  Trailing 2-0, the Pelicans charged ahead with six runs in the fourth inning to take a 7-6 lead.  The Pelicans didn’t stop there as they finished the night with fourteen runs, and seventeen hits.

At the Plate:

• Mark Zagunis was 2-for-6 with two doubles, and two runs scored.
• Wes Darvill was 1-for-3 with two walks, a triple, three RBI’s, and two runs scored.
• Billy Mckinney was 2-for-4 with a triple, three RBI’s, a walk, and a run scored.
• Jacob Rogers was 3-for-5 with a dinger, four RBI’s, a walk, and a run scored.
• Jeimer Candelario was 2-for-6 with a double, and a run scored.
• Kevin Brown was 3-for-5 with a double, and a run scored.
• Daniel Lockhart was 2-for-5 with an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored.
• Carlos Penalver was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI’s, a walk, and two runs scored.
• Alberto Mineo was 0-for-3 but walked twice, and scored three runs.

On the Mound:

• Jen-Ho Tseng got the start was oddly erratic, he worked three innings, giving up three runs on six hits, while walking two.
• Josh Conway was touched up as well, he worked one inning, giving up three runs on three hits while walking two, and striking out one.
• Michael Heesch was outstanding, and he picked up the win.  Heesch worked three scoreless innings, surrendering two hits while striking out three.
• Jasvir Rakkar was solid once again, he worked two scoreless innings to notch his third save of the year.

Full Box Score

 Two quick runs from Great Lakes was the extent of the scoring in this one as South Bend could not get anything going in a 2-0 loss.

At the Plate:

• Charcer Burks continued his hot 2015, he was 1-for-4 with a stolen base, he’s now hitting .313 on the season.
• Chesny Young is also swinging it, he went 1-for-4 in the loss.
• Jason Volser, Justin Marra, and Rashad Crawford all finished the day with one hit.

On the Mound:

•  Jake Stinnett wasn’t too bad, he worked five innings, giving up two runs on seven hits while walking one, and striking out five.
• Francisco Carrillo was dominant, he worked three scoreless innings, surrendering one hit while striking out one.
• Tyler Ihrig was also good, he worked a scoreless inning to keep the Cubs in it late.

Riding the Bus: April 17, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

FRIDAY • APRIL 17, 2015

 

Full Box Score

The Pelicans didn’t get much in this one, but thanks to Daury Torrez it was enough for a win.   Trailing 1-0, the Pelicans scored three times in the second inning to take a 3-1 en route to a 3-2 victory.  There were chances all over the base paths in this one, but the Pelicans could only go 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position, hurts less when you win though.

At the Plate:

• Billy McKinney is off to a slow start this year, but had a solid game, he was 1-for-3 with a walk.
• Jeimer Candelario was a big factor in the win, he was 3-for-5 with a double, and a run scored.
• Jacob Rogers has been really good this year, he was again tonight, he went 2-for-4 with a walk, and a run scored.
• Daniel Lockhart continues his hot start, he was 2-for-4 with a double, and an RBI, he’s now hitting .368 on the season.

On the Mound:

• Daury Torrez got the start and was pretty good despite some command issues, he worked five innings, giving up one run on four hits while walking three, and striking out four.
• James Pugliese turned in a solid relief effort, he tossed 2.1 innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out two.
• Matt Brazis worked the final inning and two-thirds to pick up his first save of the season, he walked two, and struck out one.

 

Full Box Score

Offensive explosion for South Bend in this one as they pounded out fourteen hits, and scored eleven run to take care of Fort Wayne 11-3.  Four different Cubs had multi-hit games, and they were 5-for-21 with runners in scoring position, if you get twenty one opportunities with runners in scoring position you should win.  It was 11-0 in the 5th inning so Cubs pitchers had an easy go of it, and cruised through the rest of this one.

At the Plate:

• Chesny Young had an interesting night, he was 1-for-2 with FOUR walks, a stolen base, and a run scored.
• Gioskar Amaya had a solid game, he was 1-for-3 with two walks, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Cael Brockmeyer is on fire right now (not literally), he went 3-for-4 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .467 on the season.
• Jason Volser had a productive day, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.
• Jeffrey Baez and the bottom of the order did some work tonight, Baez was 3-for-5 with a run scored.
• The eight hitter Charcer Burks finished the night 2-for-5 with two RBI’s, and a run scored.
• The ninth hitter Rashad Crawford was 2-for-5 with two RBI’s, and two runs scored in the win.

On the Mound:

• Erick Leal got the start, and was pretty solid.  Leal worked five innings, giving up one run on six hits while walking two, and striking out three.
• Jordan Minch was knocked around a bit out of the pen, he tossed two innings, giving up two runs on three hits while walking one, and striking out two.
• Tyler Ihrig cleaned things up in this one, nicely.  He worked two scoreless innings, giving up one hit while striking out two.

Full Box Score

Pitching dominated game one in Tennessee as neither team could scratch across a run until the Smokies were able walk-off in the bottom of the 7th (Minor league DH’s are seven innings).  The Smokies only had one chance with runners in scoring position, and they capitalized.  The pitching was outstanding for Tennessee as they kept Pensacola off the board, and only allowed two hits in the win.

At the Plate:

• Kyle Schwarber was back in the lineup tonight, he went 0-for-1 with two walks, he’s hitting .308 on the season.
• Dan Vogelbach continues to be the story of the minor league season so far, he was 2-for-3 in this one, which raised his average to .500, that’s on the season.
• The lone RBI came from Bijan Rademacher, who was 1-for-3 in game one.

On the Mound:

• Ivan Pineyro got the start and was about as good as he could be, he worked six scoreless innings, giving up just two hits while walking none, and striking out three.
• Hunter Cervenka earned his first save of the year, he worked a scoreless inning while walking one.

Full Box Score

Much of the same for the Smokies in game two as they were only able to score once while registering six hits in a 4-1 loss.  The defense didn’t do much to help out the pitching staff in this one, they committed four errors rendering three of the four runs unearned.  Other than that the pitching was outstanding once again, just a sloppy defensive effort.

At the Plate:

• Bijan Rademacher had another solid game, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored in the night cap.
• Dan Vogelbach is a man possessed right now, he was 3-for-3 in game two, he is now hitting .556 on the season.
• Stephen Bruno, who did not start game two, went 2-for-2 but did make two costly errors.

On the Mound:

• Jeffry Antigua got the game two start and was pretty good, he worked 3.2 innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out four.
• Stephen Perakslis was tremendous out of the pen, he worked 1.1 scoreless innings, surrendering no hits, and striking out two.
• Andres Santiago bounced back with a nice outing, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up just one hit.
• Zach Cates was the hard luck loser in this one, he worked two innings, giving up three runs, all unearned, on three hits while walking one, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

Rough night for the Iowa Cubs as they played their first game AB (After Bryant), and could only manage two runs on five hits in a 3-2 loss.  The Cubs really had no answer for Oklahoma City pitching all night, and were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.  On the bright side, the Cubs pitching got a healthy Tsuyoshi Wada back tonight, and he threw the ball well.

At the Plate:

• John Andreoli had a solid game at the top of the order, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base, and two runs scored.
• Chris Valaika provided some production in this one, he was 1-for-3 with two RBI’s.
• Rafael Lopez, Christian Villanueva, and Mike Baxter all had one hit games in the loss.

On the Mound:

• Tsuyoshi Wada made his 2015 debut tonight after some lingering injuiries that lasted through camp.  Wada worked 4.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits while walking two, and striking out six.
• Yoanner Negrin was knocked around in this one, he worked 1.1 innings, giving up two runs on three hits while walking one, and striking out one.
• Drake Britton was outstanding out of the pen, he worked two scoreless innings, surrendering no hits while striking out two.
• Blake Cooper kept this close late, he worked a scoreless inning, giving only one hit in doing so.

Riding the Bus – April 9, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015

Full Box Score

So far so good as the South Bend Cubs make their Cubs affiliate debut with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Bowling Green.  Jake Stinnett got the start for South Bend and was pretty good, he worked five innings, giving up one run on three hits, while walking two, and striking out four.  The game was very much in doubt until Cael Brockmeyer crushed a walk-off dinger to the delight of the South Bend faithful.

At the plate:

• Jeffrey Baez went 1-for-4 with a home run, an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored.
• Cael Brockmeyer had a huge night, he went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a dinger, an RBI, and a run scored.

On the mound:

• Ryan Williams came on in relief of Stinnett and was spotless, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up one hit while striking out one.
• James Farris was equally as good and picked up the win, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up one hit while walking two, and striking out four.

Full Box Score

Talk about a grand entrance to the Cubs organization.  The Myrtle Beach Pelicans exploded this evening, not literally, putting up nine runs on fifteen hits in the victory.  Seven of the nine Pelican hitters had hits, five of them had a multi-hit game.  Duane Underwood was solid, but he could have been throwing underhand and would have picked up the win, but he was really good.

At the plate:

• Jacob Hannemann did his job at the top of the order, he went 3-for-5 with an RBI, and a run scored.
• The other Jacob was pretty good too, Jacob Rogers went 3-for-4 with a double, a dinger, two RBI, and two runs scored.
• Victor Caratini, thanks Braves.  Caratini was 2-for-4 with two RBI in the win.
• Both Shawon Dunston Jr., and Daniel Lockhart each had a triple in the win.
• Carlos Penalver was brilliant as a second lead-off man of sorts from the nine spot, he was 3-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base.

On the mound:

• Duane Underwood was steady as usual in this one, he worked five innings, giving up one run, unearned, while walking two, and striking out five.
• Jonathan Martinez took over and tossed a scoreless inning, giving up one hit while striking out one.
• James Pugliese was outstanding, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up two hits while striking out one.
• Starling Peralta cleaned things up in a mop up role, he worked a scoreless inning, giving up one hit while striking out two.

Full Box Score

The Smokies were extremely efficient in this one as they managed to score seven times on just seven hits, not terribly easy to do.  You know what makes it much easy?  Taking walks, the Smokies earned six walks in the win, that’s how you play winning baseball.  The one-two punch of Corey Black, and C.J. Edwards shut the door on the Braves, Black started, and Edwards came out of the pen to pick up a hold.

At the Plate:

• Albert Almora got things off on the right foot, he went 1-for-4 with a walk, and two runs…. wait, a walk!!?  I like it.
• Kyle Schwarber gave Smokies fans a glimpse of what he beings to the table, he was 1-for-3 with two walks, a triple, an RBI, and two runs scored.
• Dan Vogelbach also joined the fun, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI in the win.

On the Mound:

• Corey Black got the start and picked up the win, he worked five innings, giving up one run on four hits, while walking three, and striking out four.
• C.J. Edwards made his debut out of the pen tonight, and he was okay, he worked 2.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking two, and striking out two.
• Hunter Cervenka was tasked with shutting this one done, and that’s exactly what he did, Cervenka worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit while striking out two.

Full Box Score

This was a tough one, the excitement of opening day, and a really good lineup was erased this morning when we found out that Javier Baez‘s sister Noely had passed away, thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, Javy.  To the game, the Cubs were able to create some two out magic in the third as they scored four times to take a 4-2 lead, it was short-lived however.  Memphis scored twice in the fifth, and then three times in the seventh en route to a 7-4 victory.

At the plate:

• Addison Russell got off to a great start tonight, he was 3-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored.
• Kris Bryant didn’t hit a dinger, let that sink in, he finished the night 1-for-4 with an RBI, and a stolen base.
• Junior Lake was productive, he went 1-for-4 with two RBI in the loss.

On the mound:

• Donn Roach got the start, and found too many Redbird bats, he worked 5.1 innings, giving up four runs on ten hits while walking one, and striking out two.
• Drake Britton was handed the loss in this one, he worked 1.1 innings, giving up two runs on two hits, while striking out one.
• Armando Rivero didn’t get much work in this one, he worked a third of an inning, giving up one run on one hit.
• Gonzalez Germen did some solid work out of the pen, he worked a scoreless inning, he walked one, and struck out one.

Born on Third: Minor Matters – July 8, 2013

SPOTLIGHT GAME

Full Box Score

At The Plate – I know this is the “at the plate” section, but I have to talk about what you have already noticed, that big fat ZERO in the hit column for Dunedin.  That’s right, Daytona started Matt Loosen tossed a no-hitter today, more on that below.  The D-Cubs offense gave Loosen plenty of support early on as they scored seven times in the first three innings.  Zeke DeVoss was 1-for-3 with a triple, a walk, a stolen base, and two runs scored.  Dustin Geiger continued his solid season going 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .282 on the season.  Bijan Rademacher was productive today as he went 1-for-2 with his first home run of the season, two RBI’s, two walks (Cubs Way!), and two runs scored.

On The Mound – Two words, Matt, Loosen.  Loosen was brilliant (understatement, I know) as he was almost perfect going nine no hit innings while walking two and striking out nine.  Shortest “on the mound” recap in the History of ever.

The final out of Matt Loosen’s no-hitter!

SCORES

Full Box Score

Full Box Score Game One / Full Box Score Game Two

Full Box Score

TOP PERFORMERS

• Boise Hawks – Shawon Dunston was 2-for-4 with two walks, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Boise Hawks – Jacob Rogers was 2-for-3 with an RBI, three walks (Cubs Way!), and three runs scored.
• Boise Hawks – Daniel Lockhart was 3-for-4 with two RBI’s, and a run scored.
• Boise Hawks – Dae-Eun Rhee was solid going three scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out three.
• Tennessee Smokies – A.J. Morris was good in game two, he went five innings giving up one run on six hits while striking out three.
• Iowa Cubs – Logan Watkins was 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Iowa Cubs – Brad Nelson was 3-for-4 with a double, and two RBI’s.
• Iowa Cubs – Luis Flores was 2-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season, a double, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Iowa Cubs – Chris Rusin got the win for Iowa, he worked six innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking four and striking out two.

Notes: AZL Cubs had the day off, and Kane County was rained out.

Born on Third; Minor Matters July 6, 2013

Full Box Score

At The Plate – Not much happening for the Cougars at the plate in this one as they were shut out and could only manage three hits the whole night.  Albert Almora was 1-for-2 in the loss and also had to leave the game early with an apparent leg/hamstring injury, he briefly stayed in the game but came out the next inning.  Marco Hernandez and Carlos Escobar each had one hit, all three Cougars hits were singles.

On The Mound – Jose Rosario got the start and also the loss, his fifth of the season as he was roughed up.  Rosario worked five innings giving up five runs on six hits while walking four (not good) and striking out one.  Sheldon McDonald was outstanding in relief going three scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out three.  Michael Hamann worked one inning out of the pen and got into some trouble before escaping unscathed, he worked one scoreless inning giving up one hit while walking one and striking out one.

Full Box Score

At The Plate – Daytona was cruising in this one as they led 6-0 into the bottom of the eighth inning, that’s when thing got uncomfortable.  Dunedin put five runs on the board in the bottom of the eighth to get within one, luckily the D-Cubs stopped the bleeding and held on to win 6-5.  Zeke DeVoss was productive out of the lead off spot going 3-for-5 with three RBI’s.  Ben Carhart continues his solid 2013 as he went 3-for-5 with two RBI’s, he’s now hitting .277 on the season with 38 RBI’s.  Bijan Rademacher was 2-for-4 with two doubles, and an RBI, those are his first two doubles since being called up to Daytona (17 AB).  Pin-Chieh Chen was 1-for-2 with two walks (Cubs Way!), a triple, and two runs scored.

On The Mound – Pierce Johnson got the start in this one and picked up his first win with Daytona in his third start.  Johnson worked five scoreless innings giving up five hits while walking one and striking out five.  Austin Reed was solid out of the pen as he worked two scoreless innings giving up one hit and walking one.  Jeffrey Lorick doesn’t have many bad games, this was one of them as he worked one inning giving up five runs on four hits while walking one and striking out two.  Dayan Diaz took over for Lorick and was barely able to hang on for the save which was the his first of the season.  Diaz worked one scoreless inning giving up three hits before escaping some big time trouble.

Full Box Score

At The Plate – The Smokies fell behind quickly in this one and could never recover as they were trailing 7-1 by the bottom of the fourth en route to an 8-2 defeat.  Not much going offensively but the big news from the day and the game was the debut of Javier Baez, he went 1-for-4 with his first AA home run on his first AA swing of that bat.  Christian Villanueva has put together a pretty decent season so far, he was 1-for-4 with his eleventh home run of the year, and his forty-second RBI.  Rubi Silva had a solid game going 2-for-4 with two singles, he’s now hitting .264 on the season.

On The Mound – Austin Kirk got the start for the Smokies and had a rough go of it as he suffered his third loss of the season.  Kirk worked two innings giving up six runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out two.  Yeiper Castillo was outstanding out of the pen going five innings giving up one run on four hits while walking three and striking out four.  Kevin Rhoderick struggled with his command again in this one, he worked two innings giving up one run on one hit while walking three (the command thing).

Full Box Score Game One / Full Box Score Game Two

At The Plate – Not a great day all around for Iowa as they lost both ends of the doubleheader to Albuquerque.  Logan Watkins was solid in game one going 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a walk, he also made his ninth error of the season.  Junior Lake continues his solid 2013 going 1-for-3 with two walks (Cubs Way!) in game one, he’s now hitting .319 on the season.  The Cubs worked six walks in game one (good!) however they were 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position (bad!).  Game two saw much of the same as the Cubs worked four walks, but could only manage five hits, and were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.

On The Mound – Jake Arrieta made his Cubs debut in game one and was only able to work one inning before the rains came.  Arrieta struggled with his command as he gave up one run on one hit while walking two and striking out two in his inning of work.  Esmailin Caridad took over and also took the loss as he went three innings giving up two runs, one earned, while walking one and striking out two.  In game two Barret Loux was outstanding but still wound up on the losing end as the Cubs couldn’t muster any offense.  Loux went six innings giving up one run on four hits while walking four and striking out six.

Full Box Score

At The Plate – The Hawks were able to pound out ten hits in this one but couldn’t push across any runs except for in the third when they scored three times.  Daniel Lockhart had a solid game, minus one error, he was 2-for-4 with a run scored.  Yasiel Balaguert was 1-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .272 on the season.  Jacob Rogers was the offense in this one as he was 2-for-4 with his third home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.  The Hawks only had five chances with runners in scoring position despite having ten hits, they finished the game going 2-for-5.

On The Mound – James Pugliese was finally roughed up, he worked five innings giving up five runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out six.  Scott Frazier was solid out of the pen going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out one.  Zack Godley, and Matt Iannazzo each worked a scoreless inning in relief to keep the Hawks in the game during the late innings.

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7/31: Around the Cubs Minor League System

After a busy trade deadline here is what the Cubs minor league affiliates did on July 31.

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The AZL Cubs got back on track after a day off beating the AZL Royals 8-2.  Ben Carhart and Daniel Lockhart each had two, a run scored, and an RBI.  Jacob Rogers was 1-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs.  Albert Almora was leading off tonight, but left after his first at-bat.  He was replaced by Yasiel Balaguert who had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Jorge Soler did not have a hit, but he did drive in his seventh run of the season and he stole his third base.  Carl Lang got the start and pitched an impressive four innings allowing no runs on four hits and struck out four.  Jasvis Rakkar pitched one scoreless inning striking out one.  Ethan Elias got the win, but did not have a great night giving up two runs on five hits in two innings.  Daniel Adrian finished the game off striking out two in the last two frames.  Obviously we are a bit concerned as to why Almora left the game.  When we have an update we will let you know, but it was a nice night for the Cubs.

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After winning a few 1-0 games the Boise Chiefs held on to win a shootout 10-9.  It was a wild game as Boise had a big lead, but gave it up and had to win in walk-off fashion.  The Cubs had a few nice nights at the plate highlighted by Daniel Vogelbach‘s first home run at Boise, a three run shot with two outs in the third.  Stephen Bruno had three hits and two RBIs, raising his average to .324.  Jeimer Candelario was the hero going 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs including a walk-off double.  Dong-Yub Kim and Trey Martin each had two hits on the night and Marco Hernandez connected for his third home run of the season.  The Hawks pitching struggled most of the night, but the offense did the the job.  Eduardo Orozco blew a save, but ended up getting his second win of the season.  it is nice to see Boise maybe turning things around.

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Peoria never got things going against Quad Cities losing 5-1.  Michael Jensen got the start and pitched pretty good, although he took the loss.  He pitched five innings surrendering two runs on three hits, while striking out six.  Jeffry Antigua continued to impress pitching two more scoreless innings.  Pete Levitt struggled in his one inning of work.  There wasn’t much excitement at the plate for the Chiefs on Tuesday.  Javier Baez was one of the few bright spots going 2-for-4 with the Peoria’s lone run scored.  Bijan Rademacher also had two hits including his third double of the season.  Nothing too exciting happening for Boise tonight.

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Daytona won a close one on Tuesday beating Fort Myers 5-4.  Daytona pounded out 14 hits so there were a lot of nice nights at the plate.  It was good to see Timothy Saunders get back on track going 3-for-4 with double, runs scored, and an RBI.  Ronald Torreyes continued his hot stretch of late adding two more hits, including his 19th double of the season and two RBIs.  Matt Cerda, Rubi Silva,  and John Andreoli each had two hits with Andreoli driving one run in.  Austin Kirk started and got the win allowing four runs in five innings.  Kirk was not as sharp as he has been in the past walking five batters, but he did strike out five.  The relief was outstanding on Tuesday.  Hunter Cervenka and Jeffrey Lorick combined to pitch three scoreless innings, striking out a batter each.  AJ Morris closed the deal striking out two in one scoreless inning, notching his fourth save of the season.

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Tennessee’s game was suspended because of rain.  The Smokies were winning 2-1 in the fourth and will be continued tomorrow as part of a double header.

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Iowa dropped another to New Orleans losing Tuesday 5-3.  Frankie De La Cruz started and took the loss giving up three runs in four innings.  Jairo Asencio and Marcus Hatley did a nice job in relief both throwing a scoress inning.  Dave Sappelt was the main bright spot for the Cubs offense going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored.  Brett Jackson hit his 21st double of the season and drove in his 46th run as well.  James Adduci had another hit and is hitting .375 since his promotion to Triple-A.  As I have said recently Iowa just can’t seem to get things going in the right direction.

Thanks for Reading,
-Mark

7/16: Around the Cubs Minor League System

A trip through the Cubs minor league system.

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Wow AZL just continue to score this time beating the AZL Athletics 11-8.  The Cubs had some new heroes on Monday.  Shawon Dunston Jr. had two hits, hit a his first home run and knocked in four.  Daniel Lockhart, Timothy Saunders, and Jacob Rogers all had two hits and Rogers added to RBIs.  Ben Carhart also had two RBIs and Dan Vogelbach drove in his 27th run of the season.  Lendy Castillo continued his rehab assignment pitching three innings allowing no runs on only two hits.  He also struck out four.  The rest of the pitchers on Monday struggled, but David Henrie was able to pick up his fourth win of the season.

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Tied at five in the bottom of the ninth, up stepped Jeimer Candelario.  He promptly ended the game hitting a walk-off home run giving Boise the win 6-5.  Bijan Rademacher and Stephen Bruno each had three hits in the win, with Rademacher scoring three runs.  Marco Hernandez added two hits including a triple and drove in one.  Rock Shoulders and Carlos Escobar each contributed with an RBI each and Xavier Batista had two RBIs.  Eduardo Orozco pitched well again pitching two scoreless innings and getting the win.  He has not allowed a run in eight innings pitched this season in Boise.  Starting pitcher Jose Arias pitched five innings allowing three runs, two earned on four hits and striking out four.

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Peoria scored seven times in from the fifth inning on and beat Bowling Green 8-3.  Paul Hoilman was outstanding at the plate going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three RBIs.  Pin-Chieh Chen also collected three hits.  He also scored three and drove in one.  Chadd Krist continued his impressive streak adding two hits and driving one in.  Javier Baez had yet another hit and had two RBIs.  Starling Peralta earned his third win of the season pitching five scoreless innings.  He struck out five, walked three, gave up five hits.  His ERA now stands at 2.81.  It was a good win for Peoria on Monday and will look to build on that.

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Four early runs proved to be all Charlotte would need beating Daytona 5-3.  Kyler Burke struggled early, but settled down allowing four runs on nine hits in six innings.  He took the loss on Monday and his record at Daytona stands at 1-3.  Offensively, Matt Szczur and Rebel Ridling each had two hits.  They both scored a run and they each had a double.  Szczur stole two bases bring his total to 32 and Ridling added an RBI.  Elieser Bonne had a double and an RBI and Matthew Cerda drove in a run as well.

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Tennessee was able to score eight runs, but it was not enough losing to Jackson 10-8.  The 2-3-4 hitters for the Smokies did an unbelievable job as each of those hitters had three hits.  Jae-Hoon Ha was 3-for-5 with triple, home run, two runs scored, and two RBIs.  Logan Watkins and Justin Bour each had three hits, with Bour driving one in.  Greg Rohan and Nate Samson had two hits a piece, with Rohan adding an RBI.  Junior Lake and Michael Brenly only had one hit, but each drove in two and Brenly hit his fourth home run of the season.  The pitching was not so good on Monday.  Starter Ty’relle Harris only was able to last 2.2 innings as he gave up six runs.  Zach Rosscup and Trey McNutt each surrendered two runs in their two innings of work.  McNutt took the loss, his eighth of the season.  It’s always tough to lose, but when you score eight and lose it is really tough.

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Iowa had one of the those games again where they aren’t good in any aspect.  They were outhit 16-4, made two errors, and lost 6-1 where it really counts.  I guess I will start with the offense on this one.  Brett Jackson hit his league leading 11th triple and scored the Cubs lone run when he was driven in by Adrian Cardenas.  Josh Vitters had another hit, as did Blake Lalli and James Adduci.  Rodrigo Lopez took the loss in this one allowing 12 hits and four runs in just five innings.  After Ryan Rowland-Smith gave up two more, Alberto Cabrera and Michael Bowden didn’t allow another run in the last 1.1 innings.  Not a good one for Iowa on Monday.

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Thanks for Reading,
Mark

7/14: Around the Cubs Minor League System

A look at the Cubs minor leaguers on Saturday.

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The AZL Cubs did it again on Saturday beating the AZL Padres 13-3.  After a couple rough nights, Timothy Saunders got back on track going 4-for-6 with a double, home run, three runs scored, and five RBIs.  He raised his average back up to .493.  Equally as impressive has been Dan Vogelbach, and he didn’t disappoint on Saturday.  He had two hits, including a double and drove in four.  The Cubs got three hits out of Daniel Lockhart and Jacob Rogers and they combined to score five runs on the night.  Shawon Dunston Jr. and Garrett Schlect each added two hits a piece and Carlos Penalver hit a triple and drove in two.  One of this year’s supplemental picks Paul Blackburn got his first start of the year.  He pitched one inning and allowed a run, but it was good to see him pitch.  Carlos Martinez-Pumarino recorded his third win of the season striking out four and allowing only one hit in three innings.  The Cubs have been really impressive so far.

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Two four run innings was plenty for Boise beating Vancouver 9-3.  The Hawks were led offensively by Trey Martin and Marco Hernandez.  Martin was 2-for-4 with a triple and a home run.  He also scored two runs and knocked in four.  Hernandez also had two, including two doubles and driving in three.  Lead-off hitter Gioskar Amaya did his job well on Saturday going 2-for-3 with a walk.  One of his hits was a triple and he scored three runs.  Hawks got an RBI a piece from Stephen Bruno and Bijan Rademacher.  Ian Dickson got the start, but did not factor in the decision as he only pitched 4.1 innings.  Pete Levitt picked up his first win in relief pitching 1.2 scoreless innings.  Michael Hamann and Rafael Diplan combined to pitch the last three innings of the game securing the Boise win.

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In a back and forth game Peoria was able to come out on top 9-8 in ten innings.  Chadd Krist played the role of hero winning the game with a walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth.  He ended the night 3-for-6 with two runs scored and an RBI.  Javier Baez had his best night as a professional going 3-for-5 with a home run and a triple.  He also scored a run, drove in four and stole his 16th base.  He now has a ten game hitting streak and his batting average now stands at .319.  Taiwan Easterling and Paul Hoilman each had two hits and Easterling drove in two.  Michael Jensen got the start giving up six runs in 5.1 innings of work.  Yao-Lin Wang got the win pitching a scoreless tenth inning.

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Daytona watched a six two lead slip away late when Palm Beach scored seven times in the last two innings to win 9-6.  Despite walking five and allowing six hits starter Austin Kirk was in line for the win, but was let down by his bullpen.  Kirk left only allowing two run, one earned in six inning of work lowering his ERA to 2.59.  After a dominate one inning of work by Eduardo Figueroa, Jeffrey Lorick and Brian Schlitter really struggled combining to give up seven runs, five earned over the next 1.1 innings.  There were a few bright spots from the offense on Saturday for the Cubs.  Ronald Torreyes was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.  John Andreoli, Rafael Lopez, and Elieser Bonne all had two hits with Bonne driving one in.  Matt Szczur and Rebel Ridling each had an RBI a piece and Taylor Davis drove in two.  Another tough loss for Daytona on Saturday.

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Michael Burgess and Juan Apodaca‘s power was on display Saturday leading Tennessee to a 4-2 win on Saturday.  Apodaca hit a three-run homer and Michael Burgess hit a solo shot, his tenth of the season.  That was all the offense the Smokies would need as Dae-Eun Rhee and the bullpen would do all the rest.  Rhee gave up two runs on five hits in five innings.  He struck out six in route to his sixth win of the year.  Tony Zych pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three and Marcus Hatley came in to shut it down.  That he did striking out three in two innings of work recording his fourth save of the season.  It is nice to see Tennessee come out on top of a well-played game from both teams.

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A seven run second from Omaha was all they needed beating Iowa 7-1.  Randy Wells got the start and was terrible allowing seven runs on six hits in just 1.2 innings pitched.  As bad as Randy Wells was the offense couldn’t get much going either.  James Adduci had two hits and scored a run, the only Cubs player with a multi-hit game.  Dave Sappelt drove in the Cubs lone run.  Josh Vitters had his 27th double of the season and Brett Jackson also added a hit.  Other than that there wasn’t much to the game at the plate.  Casey Coleman pitched 5.1 good innings in relief not allowing a run and striking out three.  Alberto Cabrera had another nice outing out of the pen striking out one in one inning of work.

Thanks for Reading,
Mark