Looking Back at the Travis Wood Trade

December 23, 2011.  That was the day that Theo Epstein and company made their first “big” move to signal a shift in the direction of this organization, it also meant the beginning of starting over.  Theo Epstein signed on with the Cubs just two months prior to the Travis Wood deal, so he acted quickly, and gave a change hungry fan base something to chew on, and for the most part, they hated it.  Sean Marshall was the centerpiece of the deal for the Reds, and Marshall was coming off two brilliant seasons out of the Cubs bullpen.  Fans were borderline outraged that Theo could come in here and trade the Cubs best reliever, and lefty as well, some of us were thrilled though, as it meant that the Cubs just acquired a 24 year-old left handed starter for an aging bullpen arm that meant more to a contending team than to one starting over.

This was my take on the Travis Wood trade, it was in our very first blog post (1/29/2012)

“The fact that the Cubs could trade a relief pitcher and get three players, including a left handed 24 year starting pitcher is tremendous.  Sean Marshall has put up stellar numbers out of the Cubs pen the last few years, but given the direction of the team, and the fact that Marshall had only one year remaining under team control it was a no brainer to take this deal.  Furthermore, the fact that the new CBA eliminates compensation from MLB for the type of FA Marshall would be after this year played a big role in the deal.  Acquiring Travis Wood seems like a no lose situation for the Cubs, as he will be in the rotation or given every opportunity to be in the rotation.  He has shown the ability to have plus stuff at the Major League level, and it’s hard to pass that up given his upside.”

Here was Epstein’s reaction to the deal from the Sun-Times

‘‘No doubt our bullpen just got weaker,’’ said Epstein, who also acquired rookie outfielder Dave Sappelt and infield prospect Ronald Torreyes in the deal. ‘‘But I think our starting rotation just got stronger and our farm system got better. And if Wood bounces back to pitch like he did for that half of 2010, you could even argue we got better for 2012.’’

The trade was a calculated risk by the Cubs as they knew that they had very little use for Sean Marshall at the time, but trading away a guy like him could very well come back to bite them, especially given the fact that the main piece they were getting back (Wood) was coming off a rough year.  So far, the return on investment has been fantastic, and the real payoff is still down the road a bit.  Travis Wood has cemented himself in this Cubs rotation not only right now, but also when the Cubs are contending, and that’s all that Theo and Company could have hoped for.  Let’s take a look at the numbers since this deal happened.

Dave Sappelt – Sappelt did some good things within the organization, unfortunately the thing he was best at was messing around on Twitter.  He is no longer with the Cubs, and is currently in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.

Ronald Torreyes -Roni hit at every level before coming to the Cubs, but struggled a bit once he was here.  He has moved on to the Astros organization, and at 21 years old is having a solid season at the Triple A level.  I wanted him to stay here because I thought he was someone the Cubs could have used, but losing him was not the end of the World.

Travis Wood – I really couldn’t be any happier with how Wood has performed on the North Side.  He has started 62 games over the last three seasons for the Cubs, his record over that time is 16-27, which is more of a reflection of the teams he’s been on than himself.  Wood has worked 381 innings, giving up 161 runs, 150 earned (3.54 ERA) on 323 hits, while walking 124, and striking out 291.  That is pretty solid right there, excellent number two, or number three stuff on a contending pitching staff.

Sean Marshall – Marshall did exactly what the Reds wanted him to do in 2012 in his first season in Cincinnati, unfortunately he was bit by the injury bug and hasn’t been able to be on the mound consistently.  Marshall has a 5-6 record with the Reds over the last three years with nine saves, and a 2.36 ERA.  The issue, as I mentioned, has been his health, he has only worked 72.1 innings for the Reds, giving up 21 runs, 19 earned, on 61 hits, while walking 18, and striking out 85.  Those are solid numbers for what he is, and that is something the Cubs just didn’t need at the time he was traded.

Is it a little early to declare a winner in this trade?  Probably, but when things are all said and done, I think Travis Wood will mean more to a great Cubs season and future than Sean Marshall would have.  Sean Marshall can still be a weapon for the Reds, and if healthy, has plenty of years left on the mound, but I don’t think anyone is too upset that he is no longer pitching for the Cubs, and those same fans that were outraged earlier are most likely thrilled with Travis Wood.

Minor Matters – June 2, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

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At The Plate – After a stretch of some really solid baseball, and wins, the Iowa Cubs have found themselves struggling again.  Iowa couldn’t really put anything together in this one; sure they scored three runs on eight hits but were 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position.  Dave Sappelt had a solid day going 2-for-4 with his first stolen base, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .276 at Iowa.  Brent Lillibridge accounted for part of the offense; he was 1-for-4 with his fifth double of the season, and an RBI in the loss.

On The Mound – Chris Rusin was knocked around a bit in this one, but still managed to get deep into the game, unfortunately he was still hung with his fifth loss of the season.  Rusin worked seven innings giving up five runs on twelve hits while striking out four.  Michael Bowden was solid, as he was with the big league club for the most part, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out three.  Casey Coleman worked just one-third of an inning in this one, and did it in a scoreless fashion.

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At The Plate – Thanks to the weather Daytona only needed seven innings to take care of Brevard County 5-0.  The top Cubs prospects are really starting to heat up at the plate; Javier Baez is one of those guys.  After a monster day on Saturday Baez had a solid Sunday, he was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored and is now hitting .281 on the season.  Ben Carhart had a solid game as well going 2-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored.  Jorge Soler was 1-for-4 with two RBI’s, that gives him thirty on the season, and he is now hitting .294 for the year.

On The Mound – Austin Kirk was all that Daytona needed as he went the distance for a “complete game” victory to improve his record to 6-2 on the season.  Kirk worked six scoreless innings giving up five hits while walking three and striking out seven, he lowered his ERA to 4.50 in the victory.

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At The Plate – Really nice win for the Cougars who have been struggling as of late, they needed extra innings but they got the job done.  Big day from the big names in the Kane County order as the two through four hitters were a combined 8-for-13 with two doubles, a home run, and one RBI.  Albert Almora looks to be back to 100% health as he was 3-for-4 with a double, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .475 on the season.  Dan Vogelbach had a productive day going 2-for-4 with a double, his eight home run of the season (VIDEO), a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored.  Jeimer Canderlario is really coming around as of late, he was 3-for-5 with three singles, he’s now hitting .259 on the season.

On the Mound – The Cougars pitching was outstanding in this one as they shut down a very good Cedar Rapids lineup.  Michael Heesch got the start and did not factor in the decision, but was solid and kept Kane County in it.  Heesch worked six innings giving up two runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out four.  Steve Perakslis was brilliant out of the bullpen going three scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out three.  Eddie Orozco worked a scoreless tenth inning to earn his third win of the season as the Cougars walked off in the bottom half.

Minor Matters – May 29, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

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At The Plate – The Iowa Cubs fell behind quickly in this one, trailing 4-0 after two innings; they were able to cut the deficit to one by the fifth but couldn’t get any closer losing 4-3.  The Cubs left too many opportunities slip away as they were only 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position.  Brian Bogusevic was 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored, his 2013 has been spectacular, he’s now hitting .358 on the season.  Dave Sappelt was one of the few productive Cubs in this one, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, an RBI, and a run scored.  Brad Nelson and Logan Watkins were the only other Cubs to records RBI’s in the loss.

On The Mound – After a bumpy first two innings Nick Struck was able to settle down, he worked five innings giving up four runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out three.  Struck has struggled this year, his record fell to 3-4 on the season, while his 6.07 ERA is also underwhelming.  Casey Coleman took over and was brilliant, he worked three scoreless, hit-less, innings while walking two and striking out two, he definitely kept the Cubs in this one and gave them a chance to come back.

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At The Plate – The Annual Rickwood Classic didn’t go the way the Smokies were hoping as they fell to Birmingham 6-3.  Arismendy Alcantara had a solid game going 3-for-4 with his first triple of the year, but also made a costly error, his eighteenth of the season.  Christian Villanueva has been on a steady upswing as of late, and it continued today as he was 1-for-4 with his seventeenth double of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored.  Lance Rymel made a successful double A debut going 1-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI in the loss.

On The Mound – Yeiper Castillo is still adjusting to the jump in levels as he struggled again in his second start with Tennessee.  Castillo worked 3.2 innings giving up five runs, four earned, on five hits while walking two and striking out four.  A.J. Morris was solid in relief; he worked 3.1 innings giving up one run on three hits while striking out five.  Trey McNutt had a solid performance as he continues to lower his ERA; he worked one scoreless inning while striking out one, lowering his ERA to 4.98 on the season.

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At The Plate – The Daytona Cubs couldn’t get much offense going in this one but they didn’t need it as pitching carried them to a 3-0 victory.  Zeke DeVoss had a solid day from the leadoff spot going 2-for-4 with two singles, and a run scored.  John Andreoli continues to hit, he was 2-for-3 with his sixth double of the season, an RBI, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .317 on the season.  Dustin Geiger was 1-for-3 with an RBI, his forty-third of the season, and he is hitting .311 as well, quite the year so far.

On The Mound –Daytona won this game on the mound, and they only needed two arms to do it.  Zach Cates got the start and was outstanding for his fifth win of the season, he worked six scoreless innings giving up five hits while walking one and striking out five.  Yao-Lin Wang was brilliant out of the pen, he worked three scoreless innings to earn his second save of the season giving up one hit while walking one and striking out five.

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At The Plate – Kane County continues to struggle without Albert Almora as they could only generate one run on five hits in a 2-1 defeat.  Marco Hernandez was 2-for-4 with two singles, and a run scored in the loss.  Carlos Escobar was 2-for-4, both singles, and an RBI, and that was it for the Cougars as the only other hit came from Oliver Zapata, also a single.

On The Mound – Pierce Johnson might be filing a complaint for lack of run support soon; he was tagged with the loss in this one making his record 3-4 on the season despite a sparkling 2.89 ERA.  Johnson was solid going 5.2 innings giving up one run on four hits while walking one and striking out seven.  Justin Amlung got into trouble, but was able to pitch out of it for the most part; he worked 2.1 innings giving up one run on four hits while striking out two.

Minor Matters – May 24, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

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At The Plate – The Cubs jumped out in front of the RedHawks 4-1 after one inning and 5-1 after three, they had to withstand a late charge but held on for the 5-4 victory.  The Iowa Cubs are surging as of late as they moved to within five of .500 for the first time since forever it seems.  The Cubs could only manage four hits in this one, but they made the most of them.  Brian Bogusevic, Dave Sappelt, and J.C. Boscan all had one hit on the night, all singles.  Josh Vitters had the big night for the Cubs going 1-for-2 with two walks, his third home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored.

On The Mound – Nick Struck struggled with his command in this one but worked deep enough and effective enough to earn his third win of the season.  Struck went 5.1 innings giving up three runs on six hits while walking five and striking out four.  Esmailin Caridad also struggled with his command in this one, he worked two-thirds of an inning giving up one run on no hits (yes, no hits), while walking two.  Hisanori Takahashi was effective out of the pen going one scoreless inning giving up one hit while walking one and striking out one.  Zach Putnam was excellent going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out two to earn his third save of the season.

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At The Plate – The Smokies and Stars were locked in a 1-1 battle until the seventh when the Stars broke the game open, scoring five times over the last three innings to take this one 6-2.  Matt Szczur was 1-for-4 with a walk, a caught stealing, and his eighth double of the season.  Rubi Silva had a solid day going 2-for-4 with his eighth home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored.  Tim Torres was 1-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI in the loss, he’s now hitting .286 on the season.

On The Mound – Yeiper Castillo who was outstanding in Daytona was promoted up to Tennessee and his first start was tonight, and he was brilliant.  Castillo worked six innings giving up one run on three hits while striking out seven.  Trey McNutt took the loss in this one as he worked one inning giving up two runs on one hit while walking one.  Kevin Rhoderick continued to struggle with his command; he worked one inning giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one.  Tony Zych was roughed up going one inning giving up two runs on three hits while striking out one.

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At The Plate – Daytona jumped on top of Lakeland with two runs in the first, unfortunately they couldn’t get much going after that and Lakeland exploded for seven runs late in a 7-3 victory.  John Andreoli continued his strong 2013 campaign going 3-for-5 with a double, two stolen bases (15), and a run scored.  Javier Baez is picking things up at the plate and making contact as well, he was 2-for-4 with a run scored, he also made two more errors bringing his 2013 total to twenty-two, and he’s now hitting .271 on the season.  Jorge Soler was 1-for-3 with a walk, his fourth stolen base of the season, and a run scored.  Dustin Geiger continued his assault Florida State League pitching; he was 2-for-4 with two RBI’s, which brings his total to forty-two on the season.

On The Mound – Ben Wells suffered the loss in this one, unfortunately he really didn’t have too much of a say in that.  Wells went five innings giving up three runs, one earned, on six hits while walking two and striking out two.  Frank Del Valle was roughed up in probably his worst outing of 2013, he worked two innings giving up four runs on three hits while walking one and striking out two.  Austin Reed was really good out of the pen going two scoreless innings while walking one and striking out two.

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At The Plate – The Cougars only needed two innings to blow this game open, they scored four times in the fourth inning and four times in the seventh en route to an 8-1 victory.  The Cougars had an excellent attack, they only had eight hits, but walked seven times, that’s how you score runs (hear that Cubs?).  Albert Almora continued his hot start to the season going 1-for-3 with two walks, and a run scored in the win.  Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-4 with a walk, and two runs scored, sensing a theme here?  Rock Shoulders is having a hard time finding hits as of late but was still productive today, he was 0-for-3 with two walks, an RBI, and two runs scored.  Yaniel Cabezas was 1-for-2 with two walks, a triple, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Pierce Johnson was outstanding again, this time he had enough support from his offense to get a win and improve his record to 3-3 on the season.  Johnson worked 6.2 innings giving up one run on six hits while walking two and striking out eight.  Steve Perakslis was solid out of the pen to close this one out; he worked 2.1 scoreless innings while striking out two.

Minor Matters – May 23, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

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At The Plate – The Cubs jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning and that’s all they would need in this one, they tacked on two more to take a 4-0 and that’s how it ended.  Logan Watkins had a good day from the leadoff spot going 2-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season, two RBI’s, and one run scored.  Dave Sappelt was 2-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI, he also had a caught stealing, he’s now hitting .308 since his demotion to Iowa.  Josh Vitters had a solid day as it was good to see him back in the lineup, he was 2-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Chris Rusin was outstanding in this one to earn his third win of the season against four losses, despite a solid 3.88 ERA.  Rusin went six scoreless innings giving up six hits while walking two and striking out four.  Yoanner Negrin was solid per usual going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out two.  Eduardo Sanchez made his organizational debut and was good going one scoreless inning while walking one and striking out two.

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At The Plate – The Smokies couldn’t get much going offensively but they didn’t need to in order to get the win, they only managed four hits and two runs in the 2-0 victory.  Arismendy Alcantara was 1-for-2 with two walks (Cubs Way!), sixth home run, an RBI, and a run scored.  Rafael Lopez, Tim Torres, and Jonathan Mota were the other Smokies to record hits and with Torres’ being an RBI double.

On The Mound – Kyle Hendricks was outstanding, and really has been all year, quite an impressive start.  Hendricks worked seven scoreless innings giving up three hits while walking one and striking out seven to earn his fourth win of the season and lower his ERA to 2.44, wow.  Brian Schlitter doesn’t give up runs, ever, or at least it seems that way.  Schlitter worked a scoreless inning in relief giving up two hits; his ERA is now 0.90 on the season.  Marcus Hatley worked a scoreless ninth inning for his second save of the season giving up one hit while walking one and striking out one.

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At The Plate – Daytona pounded out twelve hits but could only manage to score four times as they lost 8-4 to Jupiter, the Cubs were 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.  Wes Darvill was 1-for-3 with two walks, a double, and a run scored, he’s having a rough go of it, only hitting .167 on the season.  John Andreoli continues to have a solid season, he was 3-for-5 with his sixth (!) triple of the season, and two runs scored.  Jorge Soler was 1-for-3 with a walk, his tenth double of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.  Dustin Geiger is making a case for a promotion with his play, he was 2-for-3 with an RBI, his 40^th of the season, he’s played in 44 games.  Tim Saunders was 2-for-4 with his thirteenth stolen base of the season in the loss.

On The Mound – Zach Cates didn’t have his best stuff in this one, he worked five innings giving up four runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out four.  Jeffrey Lorick, who very rarely gives up anything, worked one inning giving up one run on one hit while walking three.  Sheldon McDonald was also touched up; he worked two innings giving up three runs, one earned, on two hits while walking one.

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At The Plate – Long, odd night in Peoria that resulted in the Cougars losing 9-8 in fourteen innings.  Here’s the odd part, the score was 8-8 after four, the Cougars couldn’t score over the next ten innings and the Chiefs only scored once for the win.  Pin-Chieh Chen had a solid night at the top of the lineup going 1-for-5 with two walks, two RBI’s, and three runs scored.  Albert Almora has returned to Kane County swinging the bat, he was 4-for-7 in this one with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored, he’s 7-for-11 since returning from injury.  Jeimer Candelario had a productive night going 2-for-7 with his sixteenth double of the season, and four RBI’s, he’s got his average on the rise, it’s now at .267 on the season and he is hitting .333 over his last ten games.  Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-6 with a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored in the loss.

On The Mound – Rough start for Dillon Maples, his worst one since returning to the Kane County rotation, his offense bailed him out so he did not factor in the decision.  Maples worked 3.2 innings giving up eight runs, five earned, on six hits while walking three and striking out four.  Lendy Castillo was about as good as you could be, he worked 5.1 scoreless innings out of the pen giving up five hits while walking two and striking out nine.  Jeffry Antigua was also solid out of the pen going two scoreless innings while striking out four.  Justin Amlung did everything he could to keep this one going but ended up suffering his second loss of the season.  Amlung worked 2.1 innings giving up one run on one hit while striking out three.

Minor Matters – May 19, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

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At The Plate – The Cubs did most of their damage in just two innings and that was enough to win as they scored three times in the fourth and four times in the fifth en route to a 7-3 victory.    Dave Sappelt had a solid day going 2-for-4 with two runs scored; he’s hitting .225 since his demotion.  Brad Nelson is on a roll, he was 2-for-4 with his seventh home run of the season, a double, five RBI’s, and two runs scored.  Donnie Murphy was 2-for-4 with his second home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Nick Struck got the start and picked up his second win of the season as he battled some command issues and worked out of a few tough spots.  Struck went six innings giving up two runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out four.  Yoanner Negrin was solid out of the pen, he worked the final three innings to pick up his first save of the season, he gave up one run on four hits while striking out four.

Dumb weather.

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At The Plate – The Daytona Cubs continue to show some fight which they seemed to discover just about four days ago as they battled back in this one to steal a win.  Wes Darvill was 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored in the win.  Javier Baez was 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, and he made two errors bringing his 2013 total to nineteen.  Dustin Geiger came through big time once again, he was 1-for-3 with his fifth home run of the season which came in the eighth inning to give the D-Cubs a 5-4 lead, he had one RBI, a walk, and a run scored as well.  Tim Saunders was a threat on the bases yesterday, he was 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and two stolen bases, he now has twelve on the season, he also scored a run.

On The Mound – Ben Wells couldn’t keep the ball down in this one but still kept his team in it long enough for them to get the win.  Wells didn’t factor in the decision as he worked five innings giving up four runs, three earned, on four hits while walking two and striking out three.  Jeffrey Lorick was outstanding out of the pen; he worked two scoreless innings giving up three hits while striking out one to earn his second win of the season.  Luis Liria was also solid as he worked two scoreless innings to pick up his first save of the season.

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At The Plate – Really impressed with the way Kane County battled Cedar Rapids this weekend, each game could have went either way but Cedar Rapids has been winning all year, that likely helped them to two victories this weekend as great times know how to win close games, Kane County will get there eventually.  Jeimer Candelario was 2-for-4 with his fifteenth double of the season, which leads the MWL; he also had a run scored.  Rock Shoulders was 1-for-4 with his tenth home run of the season, which also leads the MWL, he also had two RBI’s, and a run scored.  Bijan Rademacher continues to rake, he went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, he’s now hitting .343 on the season.  David Bote was 1-for-4 with his first home run of the season, and it was a big one, a two run shot with two outs in the ninth to tie the game.

On The Mound – Jose Rosario got the start for the Cougars, it was his first appearance of the year, and he was solid.  Rosario went four innings giving up two runs, one earned, on two hits while walking one.  Ian Dickson took over and was roughed up as he took the loss, he worked four innings giving up six runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out four.  Eddie Orozco couldn’t get out of Dickson’s trouble in the ninth as he worked two-third of an inning while walking two, including walking the game winning run in.

Minor Matters – May 16, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

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At The Plate – Iowa didn’t really have a lot going offensively, but they didn’t need it as the one run they scored in the second inning was enough for the win.  Brent Lillibridge was 1-for-3 with a walk in the win.  Dave Sappelt, Brian Bogusevic, and Josh Vitters all had base hits in this one.  Donnie Muphy had the biggest one, a run scoring single in the second, he finished the night 1-for-2 with said RBI.

On The Mound – Matt Garza is just about ready to return to the Cubs and he showed it tonight.  Garza was brilliant going six scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out six, he threw 75 pitches, 53 for strikes.  Brooks Raley took it from there as he worked three scoreless inning out of the pen for his first save of the year, he gave up two hits while walking one and striking out three.

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At The Plate – The Smokies broke through with two runs in the sixth inning to break a 4-4 tie, and eventually win 6-4, the win pushes them one game over .500 on the season.  Arismendy Alcantara was 2-for-4 with a double and a runs scored in the win.  Ty Wright had a huge night for the Smokies going 2-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI’s, and two runs scored, Wright came into this one with no home runs on the season.  Jonathan Mota was 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Rafael Lopez was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.

On The Mound –  Matt Loosen never really found his command in this one as he worked four innings giving up four runs on three hits while walking six(!), and striking out five.  Then the bullpen took over for the Smokies and won the game.  A.J. Morris was perfect going three scoreless innings while striking out three to get his second win of the season.  Marcus Hatley worked a scoreless eighth inning giving up one hit.  Frank Batista worked a scoreless ninth to earn his fifth save of the season while striking out one.

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At The Plate –  The Daytona bats finally woke up, unfortunately that wasn’t enough to win tonight as they drop another disappointing one to Charlotte.  Daytona scored seven times but left a lot out there as they were only 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position.  Dustin Geiger is putting together a solid season and had another good night going 3-for-5 with his fourth home run of the season, a double, an RBI, and two runs scored, he is now hitting .298 on the season.  Ben Carhart was 1-for-4 with a walk, and two runs scored in the loss.  Huge night for Chadd Krist, he went 3-for-3 with a walk, two doubles, and five RBI’s, not bad for his second game with Daytona.

On The Mound – Probably the worst outing you will ever see P.J. Francescon have, he had nothing.  Francescon went five innings giving up ten runs, eight earned, on nine hits while walking five and striking out three, his record fell to 3-3 on the season.  Jeffrey Lorick was decent out of the pen going 1.2 innings giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one and striking out one.  David Cales was okay out of the pen going 1.1 innings giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out one.  Hunter Cervenka worked a scoreless inning giving up one hit, he has a sparkling 1.62 ERA on the season.

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At The Plate – Game one was all Cougars, they didn’t break it open until late but they only needed one as they beat the Chiefs in game one 5-0.  Pin-Chieh Chen was 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored from the lead-off spot.  Gioskar Amaya had a big game going 3-for-4 with a double, three RBI’s, and a run scored.  Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-4 with a double, and an RBI in the win.  Willson Contreras is locked in right now, he was 2-for-3 with a walk, he is now hitting .307 on the season.  Marco Hernandez was perfect in game one going 3-for-3 with a double, and two runs scored.

On The Mound –  Brian Smith was awesome for the Cougars, in fact he was almost perfect.  Smith worked four scoreless, and hit-less innings while walking two and striking out two.  Eddie Orozco took over and was very good, he worked two scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out one to earn his second win of the season.  Jeffry Antigua came on to close this one out, he worked a scoreless inning while striking out one.

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At The Plate – The Chiefs got payback in game two as they routed the Cougars 8-2, the Cougars could only manage three hits in this one.  What’s worse is they committed six errors in seven innings, that usually doesn’t end well.  Jeimer Candelario was one of the few Cougars who had a strong game two at the plate, he was 2-for-3 with two doubles, he also committed three errors.  Marco Hernandez proved to be the only offense for the Cougars going 1-for-3 with his first home run of the season, two RBI’s, a run scored, and you guessed it, an error.

On The Mound – As you could imagine the Cougars pitching didn’t get a lot of help from their defense.  Michael Heesch got the start and took the loss, he worked three innings giving up six runs, two earned, on four hits while walking two.  Steve Perakslis was solid out of the pen working three scoreless innings giving up three hits while striking out two.  Bijan Rademacher, the Cougars starting right fielder, worked one inning giving up two runs, unearned, on two hits while walking one.

Minor Matters – May 12, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

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At The Plate – Tough one to swallow for the Cubs in this one as they blew a 6-1 lead that they had in the third, and an 8-6 lead in the ninth by giving up three runs in the bottom half to lose 9-8.  Brett Jackson seems to be finding a groove ever since coming off the DL, he was 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, and two runs scored.  Josh Vitters was 1-for-3 with two walks, and a run scored.  Dave Sappelt was 1-for-5 with a triple, three RBI’s, and a run scored in the loss.  Brad Nelson was 2-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.  Ian Stewart made a rare appearance in this one and it was a productive one, he was 1-for-1 with a triple, and two RBI’s in a pinch-hitting role.

On The Mound –  Chris Rusin didn’t have his best stuff in this one, going five innings giving up five runs on nine hits while striking out one.  Casey Coleman was outstanding out of the pen going two scoreless innings while striking out one.  Hisanori Takahashi worked just one-third of an inning giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out one.  Rafael Dolis worked one inning and it wasn’t good, he gave up two runs on one hit while walking one and striking out one.  Blake Parker also struggled in a third of an inning, giving up one run on one hit, he was hung with his first loss of the season.

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At The Plate – The Smokies had plenty of opportunities in this one, but were only 4-17 with runners in scoring position.  Even so, the Smokies scored five times, and that was plenty in this one, winning 5-0.  Matt Szczur has been on a roll of late, and today as well, he was 3-for-5 with a double, and two RBI’s, he’s now hitting .287 on the season.  Arismendy Alcantara was 2-for-4 with a double, he also made his eleventh error on the season in the victory.  Christian Villanueva was 1-for-2 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.  Tim Torres was 1-for-4 with a double, and two runs scored.

On The Mound –  Kyle Hendricks was outstanding once again in this one, going 6.2 scoreless innings giving up four hits while walking one and striking out four to earn his second win of the season.  A.J. Morris pitched out of trouble in his inning of work, he worked a scoreless inning giving up two hits while walking one and striking out two.  Zach Rosscup worked 1.1 scoreless innings while walking one and striking out three to close this one out.

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At The Plate – Kane County seems to find ways to lose games in the worst ways, tonight was one of them as the Cougars led 6-3 in the sixth inning only to fall 7-6.  Bijan Rademacher was 0-for-2 with three walks, a run scored, and a caught stealing.  Jeimer Candelario was 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored.  Rock Shoulders was 1-for-5 with a grand slam, his eighth home run of the season, four RBI’s, and a run scored.  Carlos Escobar, and Oliver Zapata each had two hits in the loss.

On The Mound –  Dillon Maples was promoted from extended spring training to Kane County today as got the start.  First things first that is very important as Maples is one of the better pitching prospects in the system, and it’s good to see him back healthy.  Maples went five innings giving up three runs on six hits while striking out two.  Lendy Castillo took over and ended up taking the loss going 4.1 innings giving up four runs on two hits while walking four and striking out four.

Minor Matters – May 11, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

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At The Plate – The Cubs left some runs out on the bases in this one but they found just enough offense to come away with a win.  Brett Jackson was 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI’s, and  his fourth stolen base of the season.  Dave Sappelt had a good day going 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored.  J.C. Boscan was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in the win.  I mentioned that Iowa left some runs out there, they were 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and left nine guys on base.

On The Mound – Guillermo Moscoso was brilliant in this one for the Cubs as he improved his record to 2-0 on the season.  Moscoso went seven innings giving up one run, unearned, on six hits while walking one and striking out seven.  Zach Putnam worked a scoreless inning out of the pen giving up one hit while walking one.  Blake Parker was solid again for his fifth save of the season, he worked a scoreless ninth while striking out one.

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At The Plate – The Smokies finally found a way to beat the Barons, and almost blew the lead late before hanging on to a 5-4 victory.  Matt Szczur was good again at the top of the order going 2-for-4 with two RBI’s, two runs scored, and two stolen bases, he now has twelve stolen bases on the season.  Ty Wright was 2-for-3 with a walk, and a double in the win.  Christian Villanueva had another solid day going 3-for-4 with two doubles, and an RBI, he’s hitting .294 over his last ten games.

On The Mound – Matt Garza had a solid outing for the Smokies, and more importantly came out of it healthy again.  Garza went 3.1 scoreless innings giving up three hits while walking two and striking out two.  Matt Loosen struggled with his command out of the pen but managed to get the win.  Loosen went four innings giving up three runs on two hits while walking four and striking out six.  Marcus Hatley struggled a little bit but earned his first save of the season going 1.2 innings giving up one run on two hits while walking two and striking out one.

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At The Plate – After falling behind 3-1 early the Cougars went to work at the plate scoring six times over the final six innings en route to a 7-4 victory.  Pin-Chieh Chen was solid at the top of the order going 2-for-5 with a double.  Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-4 with a walk, a double, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .292 on the season.  Willson Contreras had a huge day going 3-for-5 with a double, his fourth home run of the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.  Gioskar Amaya only had one hit in this one (1-for-5) but he had two huge RBI’s.

On The Mound – Michael Heesch flirted with disaster all day long but pitched out of trouble for the most part.  Heesch worked six innings giving up four runs on twelve hits while walking one to earn his second win of the season.  Brian Smith was outstanding out of the pen, he worked three scoreless inning giving up two hits while striking out three to earn his first save of the season.

NOTES:  Daytona had a double-header scheduled, and both games were postponed.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mom’s out there, including mine, the best one there is!

Minor Matters – May 7, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

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At The Plate – The Cubs really had nothing going all night against the Sky Sox as they were blanked 5-0.  The Cubs could only manage four hits in the loss, and were o-for-1 with runners in scoring position, a rather uninspiring effort.  Dave Sappelt owns triple A (tiny bit of sarcasm here), he was 1-for-3 in his debut with Iowa tonight.  Luis Flores, Nick Struck, and Edwin Maysonet had the other hits for the Cubs, all singles, and Struck was the starting pitcher, like I said, not a good night.

On The Mound – 2012 minor league pitcher of the year Nick Struck, is finding 2013 not as comfortable as last year.  Struck worked 5.2 innings giving up five runs on eight hits while walking three and striking out six, his record fell to 0-3 with the loss.  Yoanner Negrin was solid out of the pen going 1.1 scoreless innings while walking one and striking out two.  Zach Putnam also had a scoreless appearance, he worked an inning and struck out one.

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At The Plate – No that is not a typo, yes that was the final score, and yes they only played five innings.  The official reason was wet grounds for the shortened game, but I think it might have also been a slaughter rule.  I’m going to go out on a limb and say this was and will be the worst game by the Smokies all year.  The Smokies couldn’t push across a single run, what’s worse is they only had four hits and made three errors, yikes.  Ty Wright, Christian Villanueva, Rafael Lopez, and Elliot Soto were all 1-for-2 with a single in the shellacking.

On The Mound – Look away, or just avoid this part if you are squeamish.  Matt Loosen got the start, and you guessed it, the loss as well, his first of the season.  Loosen went 2.1 innings giving up seven runs on four hits while walking three and striking out two.  A.J. Morris was beat up out of the pen, sort of, Morris went 1.1 innings giving up six runs, all unearned, on three hits while walking two and striking out one.  Tony Zych wasn’t much better, he worked 1.1 innings giving up three runs on four hits while walking one and striking out two.  New game tomorrow, forget about this one.

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At The Plate – Just an awful night all around the minor league system tonight as Daytona was crushed as well, at least they managed to score three times.  Daytona could only manage six hits, and three runs in the loss, they also made two errors, seemed to be a theme for every team tonight.  Javier Baez was 1-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.  Jorge Soler was 1-for-4, as was Ben Carhart, Carhart scored a run as well.  Taiwan Easterling was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI’s in the loss.  Javier Baez and Jorge Soler each made an error in this one, Baez his twelfth, and Soler his first.

On The Mound –  Just a rough night from the D-Cubs pitching, Ben Wells got the start and saw his record fall to 3-2 with the loss.  Wells went five innings giving up five runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out two, what’s more disturbing is that Wells gave up three home runs, he’s now given up four all year.  Sheldon McDonald was the lone bright spot for the D-Cubs as he worked a scoreless inning out of the pen.  Starling Peralta continues to get hammered, he worked one-third of an inning giving up five runs on two hits while walking two.  David Cales was also roughed up, that is a rarity for sure, he worked 1.2 innings giving up three runs, two earned, on three hits while striking out two.

Thanks for reading,
– George