Riding the Bus: May 6, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

WEDNESDAY • MAY 6, 2015

South Bend really couldn’t get much going earlier this afternoon as they dropped a 4-3 decision to Great Lakes. Leading 2-1 after five, the Cubs gave up single runs in the sixth, seventh, and ninth.

At the Plate:

Charcer Burks is having a great 2015, he was 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .341 on the season.
Jesse Hodges was solid, he went 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored.
David Bote was good again today, he went 1-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.
Cael Brockmeyer, and Giokar Amaya each had one hit in the loss, Amaya added an RBI, and a walk.

On the Mound:

Erick Leal got the start, and was solid, he worked 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out four.
David Garner doesn’t usually give up anything, he did today, he worked 1.1 innings, giving up one run on one hit while walking one, and striking out two.
Tommy Thorpe was hung with the loss, he tossed two innings, giving up one run on two hits while walking one, and striking out two.

Full Box Score

A rough start to the double header last night as the Pelicans saw an early 4-1 lead turn into a 5-4 loss at the hands of Salem.

At the Plate:

Mark Zagunis did his job by getting on base in this one, he was 0-for-2 with two walks, and a run scored.
Wes Darvill had a similar night, he was 0-for-1 with two walks, and a run scored.
Jeimer Candelario was solid, he went 2-for-3 with a double, and a run scored.
Victor Caratini was most of the offense, he went 2-for-3 with his third double of the year, and two RBI’s.

On the Mound:

Daury Torrez got the start and worked deep into this one before picking up the loss. Torrez worked 6.1 innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on eight hits while walking one, and striking out six.
James Pugliese was stuck with a blown save as he could not get out of Torrez’s trouble, he tossed two-thirds of an inning, giving up one hit while walking one.

Full Box Score

The Pelicans got back on track in game two as the bullpen shut the door on Salem late in a 4-2 victory.

At the Plate:

Mark Zagunis had another solid game, he went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored.
Wes Darvill came up big in game two, he was 2-for-4 with his first dinger of the year, an RBI, and a run scored.
Billy McKinney was locked in, he went 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
Jacob Rogers, and Carlos Penalver each had one hit in the game two victory.

On the Mound:

Tayler Scott got the start and was solid, he worked three innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on four hits while walking one, and striking out five.
Zach Cates was awesome out of the pen, and picked up his first win of the season. He tossed two scoreless innings, giving up one hit while walking one, and striking out one.
Jasvir Rakkar continued his domination at the end of games, he worked two scoreless/hitless innings to pick up his fourth save of the year.

Full Box Score

The Smokies needed late magic in this one as they lost a 1-0 lead in the 6th but struck for one in the seventh to take game one, 2-1.

At the Plate:

Albert Almora returned to the lineup, and was productive, he went 2-for-3 with two singles.
The Smokies walked all over the place (7 total), Kyle Schwarber was 0-for-1 with two walks.
Anthony Giansanti found extra bases in this one, he went 1-for-2 with a triple.
Bijan Rademacher, and Pin-Chieh Chen picked up the RBI’s in the win.

On the Mound:

Frank Batista got the start, and was stellar, he worked six innings, giving up one run, unearned, on five hits while walking one, and striking out four.
P.J. Francescon has been awesome all year, he worked a scoreless inning to pick up his third save.

Full Box Score

Sweep! It took the whole game, but it was worth it as the Smokies scored four times in the seventh (last) inning to sweep the double header with a 4-1 game two victory.

At the Plate:

Bijan Rademacher had a solid game, he went 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored.
Dan Vogelbach was good, as usual, he went 3-for-4 with a double, and three RBI’s.
Jacob Hannemann, Willson Contreras, and Ryan Dent all had one hit in the win.

On the Mound:

Andres Santiago got the start, and was good. He worked 4.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits while walking one, and striking out three.
Gerardo Concepcion was solid in is AA debut, he worked two-thirds of an inning, allowing nothing.
C.J. Edwards was outstanding, he worked a scoreless inning while striking out the side to pick up his first win of the season.
Michael Jensen tossed a scoreless inning to pick up his first save of the season.

Full Box Score

Tough matchup for the Cubs in this one as they were completely shutdown by Kendall Graveman of Nashville. The Cubs were only able to scratch out five hits in the shutout loss.

At the Plate:

Chris Valaika was really the only guy to swing it well in this one, he was 2-for-4 with two singles.
Javier Baez, Taylor Teagarden, and Rubi Silva all had one hit in the loss.

On the Mound:

Dallas Beeler got the start, and was roughed up, he worked four innings, giving up five runs on nine hits, while walking two.
Michael Wagner was pretty good out of the pen, he worked three innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out one.
Joe Ortiz worked a scoreless inning late to keep the Cubs in it, sort of.

Riding the Bus: April 13, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

MONDAY • APRIL 13, 2015

Full Box Score

The Iowa Cubs struggled with runners in scoring position tonight (0-for-10), but were able to scratch across four runs to take the series opener against New Orleans. A big reason for the victory was the Iowa pitching, only one unearned run tonight on six hits.

At the Plate:

Kris Bryant continued his hot start to the season, he was 3-for-5 with three singles (weird), and a stolen base, but did make two errors.
Junior Lake had a solid game, he was 2-for-5 with a run scored in the win.
Rafael Lopez is on fire, he was 2-for-4 with a double, and two runs scored, he’s hitting .364 on the season.
Mike Baxter is unconscious right now, not literally, he was 2-for-2 with two walks, a double, an RBI, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Yoanner Negrin started this one, and was solid, he worked 4.2 innings, giving up one run, unearned, on five hits while striking out five.
Gonzalez Germen got the win in this one, he worked 1.1 scoreless innings while striking out two.
James Russell, yes ‘that’ James Russell, worked two scoreless innings while striking out one.
Joe Ortiz picked up the save tonight, he worked a scoreless ninth inning allowing one hit.

Full Box Score

The Smokies have a knack for the big inning, today it was in the third as they scored six times and batted around, again. That was more than enough for Frank Batista and company as the Smokies won the series (3-2) with a 10-4 victory. An alarming stat, in a good way, the Smokies walked eight times today, EIGHT, you should probably score a lot of runs when that happens.

At the Plate:

Albert Almora had another solid game, he was 2-for-6 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored. He also had an outfield assist, he does it all.
Christian Villanueva was the hero today, he went crazy, he was 2-for-3 with two dingers, two walks, two RBI’s, and three runs scored, yikes.
Dan Vogelbach continued his torrid start, he was 2-for-3 with two doubles, two walks, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .444 on the season.
Pin-Chieh Chen had a big hit in this one, he finished the day 1-for-5 with a triple, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Frank Batista got the start in this one, his first at the MiLB level since 2013, and was dominant. He worked six innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out three to pick up the win.
Fernando Cruz struggled mightily today, he worked two innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on four hits while walking three, and striking out one.
Andres Santiago made this one official by working a scoreless ninth inning, he walked one.

Full Box Score

Tough one for South Bend tonight as they just couldn’t get much going offensively in a 6-1 loss to Dayton. Although the Cubs had eight hits, they only had two opportunities with runners in scoring position, station to station baseball. Trevor Clifton had all sorts of issues finding the plate which led to an early deficit that South Bend could not recover from.

At the Plate:

Chesny Young had a solid game, he was 2-for-4, both hits were singles.
Cael Brockmyer is having a great start to 2015, he was 2-for-4 with a double, and an RBI in the loss, he’s now hitting .400 on the season.
Gleyber Torres, Trey Martin, Jesse Hodges, and Charcer Burks all had one hit in this one.

On the Mound:

Trevor Clifton got the start and struggled, he worked just two-thirds of an inning, giving up three runs on two hits while walking four, and striking out one.
Jordan Minch was brilliant in relief, he worked 3.1 innings, giving up one run, unearned, on three hits while striking out two.
James Farris found some trouble but put in solid work, he tossed four innings, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out four.

** Myrtle Beach was postponed, because rain is stupid.

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

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

Full Box Score

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

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Full Box Score

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

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Full Box Score

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

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Full Box Score

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

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Full Box Score

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

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

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

SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2014

Full Box Score

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Full Box Score

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Full Box Score

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Full Box Score

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Born on Third: Minor Matters – July 29, 2013

SPOTLIGHT GAME

Full Box Score

At the plate – Arismendy Alcantara was a one man wrecking crew in this one as he went 3-for-4 with four RBI’s, and a walk. Christian Villanueva was 2-for-4 with a run scored in the win. Villanueva was part of a group of hitters at the bottom of the lineup that got the job done in this one. The Smokies five through nine hitters were a combined 7-for-17 with two walks, three RBI’s, and eight runs scored. John Andreoli was 1-for-2 with a walk, his eighth stolen base of the year, an RBI, and three runs scored. Rafael Lopez was outstanding going 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI’s, a walk, and two runs scored.

On the mound – Dae-Eun Rhee was magnificent in picking up his third win of the season against no losses. Rhee worked 6.1 innings giving up two runs on two hits while walking one and striking out five. Hunter Cervenka was touched up a bit as he worked two-thirds of an inning giving up one run on two hits while walking one. Frank Batista was great in closing this one out, he worked two innings giving up one run, unearned, on no hits (what?) while walking one and striking out one.

SCORES

Full Box Score

TOP PERFORMERS

Iowa Cubs: Logan Watkins was 2-for-4 with his eighteenth double of the season, and a run scored
Iowa Cubs: Ty Wright was 2-for-4 with his third home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Iowa Cubs: Darnell McDonald was 2-for-3 with a double, and a walk in the loss.

Daytona Cubs: Zeke DeVoss was the lone offense for Daytona, he went 3-for-4 with two doubles.

Kane County Cougars: Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-4 with his sixteenth home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.

Boise Hawks: Kris Bryant was 1-for-4 with his second double of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
Boise Hawks: Tyler Skulina worked three scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out two.

Notes: AZL Cubs were off, and Tyler Skulina was promoted to Kane County this morning (2013 – 4th round pick).

Born on Third: Minor Matters – July 12, 2013

SPOTLIGHT GAME

Full Box Score

At The Plate – Not much going for the Iowa offense, luckily they didn’t need much to walk away with a victory. Darnell McDonald was 2-for-2 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored in the win. J.C. Boscan had the big hit for Iowa as he was 1-for-3 with a double, and two RBI’s. The Cubs could only manage five hits in this one but they were 2-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

On The Mound – It was the Guillermo Moscoso show as he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before allowing a double, and that was it. Moscoso worked eight scoreless innings giving up one hit, two walks, and five strikeouts. Brian Schlitter was solid as usual as he worked a scoreless inning while walking one and striking out one to earn his eleventh save of the season.

SCORES

Full Box Score

TOP PERFORMERS

AZL Cubs – Starling Peralta was brilliant working three scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out three.
AZL Cubs – Kevin Freeman was 2-for-4 with his first double of the season.
Boise Hawks – Shawon Dunston was 3-for-5 with two doubles (7 on the season), an RBI, and two runs scored.
Boise Hawks – Jordan Hankins was 2-for-4 with his first double of the year, and two runs scored.
Boise Hawks – Tyler Skulina worked two scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out one.
Kane County – Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-3 with his fifth triple of the year, a walks, and a run scored.
Kane County – Oliver Zapata was 1-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.
Tennessee Smokies – Arismendy Alcantara was 2-for-4 with a walk, and a run scored in game one.
Tennessee Smokies – Javier Baez was 2-for-4 with a walk, and an RBI in game one.
Tennessee Smokies – Austin Kirk was solid in game one going six scoreless innings giving up four hits while walking one and striking out three.
Tennessee Smokies – Frank Batista was great out of the pen to pick up the win in game one, he worked three scoreless innings while walking two and striking out two.
Tennessee Smokies – Javier Baez was solid in game two as well, he went 2-for-4 with his second homer of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.
Tennessee Smokies – Yeiper Castillo was solid in game two working four innings giving up one run on one hit while striking out six.
Tennessee Smokies – Kevin Rhoderick is starting to round into form, he worked three scoreless innings out of the pen to pick up his first win of the season, he also struck out two.

Notes: Daytona was rained out

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

Full Box Score

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

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

Full Box Score

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

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

Full Box Score

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

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

Minor Matters – June 1, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

Full Box Score

At The Plate – Rough one for the Iowa Cubs as they built a 6-1 lead by the third inning and ended up losing 7-6 in thirteen innings, what’s worse is they gave up two runs in the ninth to let a win get away. Brett Jackson was 1-for-5 with a walk, third home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored. Brent Lillibridge had a great game going 4-for-6 with his fourth double of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Ian Stewart played! He also had a decent day going 1-for-3 with his fifth double of the season, and two RBI’s.

On The Mound – Weird night for the Iowa pitching as they missed a lot of bats, and found a lot of them too. Guillermo Moscoso was beat up but did alright I guess, he worked 5.2 innings giving up four runs, three earned, on seven hits while walking two and striking out ten (see?). Hisanori Takahashi worked two-thirds of an inning, he walking one and struck out one. Casey Coleman is quietly settling in at Iowa, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings while striking out two. Eduardo Sanchez is officially a Cub, he worked the ninth inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking one and striking out one to register the blown save. Marcus Hatley was recently promoted to Iowa from Tennessee and had his best outing tonight; he worked two scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out three. Jeffry Antigua suffered the loss in this one but didn’t pitch poorly, he worked two innings giving up one run on three hits while walking one and striking out four.

Full Box Score

At The Plate – The Smokies got knocked around pretty good in this one as the Barons built a 5-0 lead en route to cruising to a 9-3 victory. Matt Szczur did his thing at the top of the lineup going 1-for-2 with three walks (CUBS WAY!), and his fourteenth stolen base of the season. Arismendy Alcantara, or as I like to call him “Scoresheet” was 1-for-3 with a walk, his ninth home run of the season, and two runs scored. Christian Villanueva provided some pop in this one as well going 1-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Aside from Matt Loosen the Smokies pitching wasn’t half bad, unfortunately Loosen started this one. Loosen took his second loss of the season after going 5.1 innings giving up eight runs, four earned, on six hits while walking four and striking out three. Frank Batista was solid out of the pen going 1.2 scoreless innings giving up three hits while striking out one. Trey McNutt worked an inning giving up one run on two hits while walking one, if McNutt can harness his stuff and cut down on the walks his ERA will dwindle as well.

Full Box Score

At The Plate – Offensive explosion time for Daytona as they pounded out twenty hits, and scored fourteen runs beating Brevard County 14-5. This might be the longest “at the plate” recap that I write all year, and really, I’m okay with that. Ben Carhart was fantastic today, going 3-for-6 with two doubles giving him fourteen on the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. Javier Baez won the night, end of discussion, that’s it; he was 5-for-6 with three doubles, his ninth home run of the season, SIX RBI’s (ZOMG!), and three runs scored, wow. Jorge Soler also had a solid night going 2-for-5 with his eighth home run of the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. Dustin Geiger was slugging as well going 2-for-5 with two doubles, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. Chadd Krist was also productive in this one going 2-for-3 with his sixth double of the season, and three RBI’s. Wes Darvill and Taylor Davis contributed as well, with Darvill having three hits, and Davis adding two.

On The Mound – P.J. Francescon found some of his 2012 magic in this one, helps having a ginormous lead, but it was nice to see him have a nice outing. He worked six innings giving up one run on five hits while striking out six, with no walks (that’s important). Austin Reed was roughed up a bit out of the pen as he worked two innings giving up three runs on five hits while walking two and striking out three. Sheldon McDonald closed the door in this one, he worked one inning giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out one.

Full Box Score

At The Plate – Nightmarish night for the floundering Cougars as they were obliterated by the Kernels 15-2, yes, a team named after corn scored fifteen runs tonight (they are good, I know). Nice to see Albert Almora in the lineup and healthy after a hamstring scare, he was 2-for-4 with a run scored; he’s now hitting .444 on the season. Jeimer Candelario was 2-for-4 with two singles, kind of shocked that he didn’t hit any doubles in this one. The Cougars could only manage seven hits and two runs tonight as their entire lineup is struggling at the same time, which usually results in losses.

On The Mound – Taylor Scott isn’t used to being roughed up, but he didn’t have it tonight. Scott suffered his second loss of the season as he worked four innings giving up seven runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out four. Ian Dickson wasn’t much better, he worked three innings giving up five runs on four hits while walking five (NO!), and striking out two. Nathan Dorris was solid in this one, working one scoreless inning giving up one hit; his ERA is now 2.78 on the season. David Bote, the second baseman, worked the ninth inning and well, looked like a second baseman pitching. Bote gave up three runs on three hits while walking two in his inning of work.

Minor Matters – May 28, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

Full Box Score

At The Plate – The Iowa Cubs are on to something as they continue to play some solid baseball, and more importantly get wins. Brett Jackson had a solid game going 1-for-3 with a walk, his fourth stolen base of the season, and a run scored. Donnie Murphy is putting together a solid season, he went 2-for-4 with his fourth double of the year, and a run scored. Edwin Maysonet was 1-for-3 with his fifth home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored. Brent Lillibridge has found his power at triple A, I didn’t think he could ever hit a home run, but he was 2-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Chris Rusin was absolutely brilliant and has really found a groove as of late, he earned his fourth win and lowered his ERA to 3.55 on the season. Rusin worked eight strong innings giving up one run on six hits while striking out eight, and no walks, outstanding. Eduardo Sanchez worked the final inning giving up one run on three hits while striking out one.

Full Box Score

At The Plate – Really good game between two solid teams, and it ended with the Smokies hanging on for a 3-2 victory. Arismendy Alcantara was 1-for-4 with his eighth home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Christian Villanueva padded his slugging numbers in this one, he was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, and a run scored. Anthony Giansanti was 1-for-4 with a run scored, and two huge outfield assists in the win.

On The Mound – Kyle Hendricks was solid yet again, and is turning into the ace of the Smokies staff. Hendricks went 6.2 innings giving up two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out six, he improved his record to 5-2 with the win, and lowered his ERA to 2.47 on the season. Kevin Rhoderick continued to struggle with his command, but was able to pitch around it, working one scoreless inning while walking two. Frank Batista was solid again in picking up his seventh save of the year; he worked 1.1 scoreless innings giving up one hit.

Full Box Score

At The Plate –Outstanding comeback win for Daytona as they scored once in the bottom of the ninth to tie it, then walked off in the eleventh. John Andreoli continues to have a solid 2013, he was 2-for-6 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .312 on the season. Javier Baez was the hero last night, he went 2-for-6 with a game winning, walk-off homer in the eleventh, his seventh of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Ben Carhart had a solid game going 1-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored in the win.

On The Mound – Austin Kirk struggled a bit with his command but was still able to work around most of the trouble, he went five innings giving up three runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out three. Austin Reed was okay out of the pen working two innings giving up one run on two hits while walking one. Eduardo Figueroa, Larry Suarez, and Frank Del Valle were solid the rest of the way, shutting down the Yankees over the final four innings. Del Valle worked the final two innings to get the win, his third of the season.

Full Box Score

At The Plate – Tough luck for the Cougars as their rally was cut short by Mother Nature, they scored three times in the fifth to make it 7-5 then the skies opened up and the game was called after five and a half innings. Pin-Chieh Chen was 1-for-3 with his second triple of the season, and two RBI’s in the loss. Gioskar Amaya had a solid game going 1-for-1 with two walks (Cubs Way!), a double, and a run scored. Dan Vogelbach had a productive day going 1-for-3 with his seventh home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Dillon Maples has been having a rough go of it since returning from injury, last night the walks got him into big trouble. Maples worked three innings giving up seven runs on four hits while walking five (see?), and striking out five. Lendy Castillo took over and was solid, going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out two.

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

Full Box Score

At The Plate – Iowa is on a roll, they have now won four games in a row, and seven of their last eight. The Cubs could only manage four hits, and two runs but it was enough for the victory over Oklahoma City. Brian Bogusevic, and Brent Lillibridge each had one hit, and one stolen base in the victory, both hits were singles. It was the Edwin Maysonet show offensively for the Cubs, he was 2-for-2 with his fourth home run of the season, an RBI, a double, and two runs scored.

On The Mound – Barret Loux finally got things in order and was outstanding to earn his third win of the season. Loux went six strong innings giving up one run on three hits while walking three and striking out six. Blake Parker was solid as usual to close this one out; he worked one scoreless inning while striking out one to earn his seventh save of the season.

Full Box Score

At The Plate – Make that five wins in a row for Iowa, and eight wins in their last nine games as they finished off an impressive double-header sweep over a good RedHawks team. The Cubs struck for three runs in the first inning and that lead held up until the sixth inning when Oklahoma City tied things up, but the Cubs bounced right back in the bottom half to win it 4-3. Logan Watkins was 1-for-3 with his fifth home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Brian Bogusevic, Brett Jackson, and Brad Nelson each had one hit in the victory, Bogusevic and Jackson also had a stolen base. Donnie Murphy was 1-for-2 with his fourth home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Yoanner Negrin got the start in this one, he normally does most of his work out of the pen, but he was solid. Negrin worked 4.1 innings giving up two runs on two hits while walking three and striking out five. Marcus Hatley worked 1.2 innings giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out two, which was good enough to give Hatley his first win of the season. Zach Putnam worked a scoreless seventh inning to pick up his fourth save of the season.

Full Box Score

At The Plate – The Smokies pounded out ten hits and five runs en route to a 5-2 victory over Huntsville on Sunday Night. Matt Szczur was 2-for-4 with his ninth double of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Rubi Silva was 2-for-4 with his ninth double of the season in the win. Tim Torres is having a solid 2013, he was 1-for-3 with his second home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Arismendy Alcantara continues to hit, he was 1-for-3 with a walk (that’s great to see from him), and he made his seventeenth error of the season.

On The Mound – Eric Jokisch is putting together quite the solid season; he was good again in this one as he picked up his fourth win of the season. Jokisch worked 5.2 innings giving up two runs on seven hits while striking out six, he lowered his ERA to 3.44 on the season. Trey McNutt bounced back with a solid performance out of the pen, he worked a scoreless inning while striking out the side. Zach Rosscup was solid as well going 1.1 scoreless innings while walking one and striking out two. Frank Batista worked a scoreless inning as well while striking out one; he has a sparkling 2.14 ERA on the season.

Full Box Score

At The Plate – Daytona fell behind 4-0 early and couldn’t ever get back in this one as they fell to Lakeland 5-3. Zeke DeVoss had a solid day from the leadoff spot going 3-for-4 with a walk, all three hits were singles. Javier Baez was 1-for-3, he also made his twenty-third error of the season, he’s now hitting .266 this year. Jorge Soler was 1-for-4 with his seventh home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Chadd Krist was 2-for-4 with his fourth double of the season in the loss.

On The Mound – P.J. Francescon got the start in this one, and was roughed up as he suffered his fourth loss of the season. Francescon worked six innings giving up four runs on six hits while walking three and striking out six. Yao-Lin Wang was solid going 1.2 innings giving up one run on no hits while walking one and striking out two. Jeffrey Lorick was good out of the pen going 1.1 scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out two.

Full Box Score

At The Plate – The Cougars did everything but win this game as they built a 5-2 lead in the fifth inning only to see it disappear in the sixth en route to a 6-5 loss. Pin-Chieh Chen was solid out of the leadoff spot going 2-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and two runs scored. Albert Almora continues to hit, he was 2-for-5, which actually lowered his average to .538 on the season. Marco Hernandez was 2-for-4 with two singles, and an RBI in the loss. Gioskar Amaya was 1-for-4 with his first home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Taylor Scott was roughed up, but really only had two bad innings as he earned a no decision. Scott worked 5.2 innings giving up four runs on six hits while walking three and striking out two. Eddie Orozco added fuel to the fire in the fateful sixth, he worked 2.1 innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking one and striking out three. Jeffry Antigua was solid going one scoreless inning giving up one hit while striking out one.