Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 19, 2016

TUESDAY APRIL 19, 2016

Full Box Score

Things started horribly for the Iowa Cubs as they trailed 6-0 after four innings before making a furious comeback that fell just short.  With the loss the Cubs fall to 4-7 on the season while New Orleans moves to 5-8.

At the Plate:

• Arismendy Alcantara continues to have a bounce back 2016; he went 3-for-5 with his first triple of the season, a stolen base, and a run scored.
• Willson Contreras actually made a couple of outs last night; he went 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Dan Vogelbach had another solid game; he went 1-for-3 with his fourth double of the season, two walks, and two runs scored.
• Albert Almora had a huge game; he went 3-for-4 with an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored. Almora is now hitting .324 on the season.

On the Mound:

• Scott Barnes got the start, and was torched. He worked two innings, giving up five runs on six hits while walking one, and striking out two.
• Stephen Perakslis was solid out of the pen; he worked three innings, giving up two runs, both unearned while walking one, and striking out two.
• Giovanni Soto worked a solid scoreless inning in his Cubs organizational debut.
• Felix Pena was strong as he kept the Cubs in it; he worked two scoreless/hitless innings while walking one, and striking out three.

Full Box Score

It was all Smokies in this one as they smacked three dingers en route to a 9-3 victory over the Montgomery Biscuits.

At the Plate:

• Jacob Hannemann ripped his first homer of the season; he went 1-for-5 with an RBI, and a run scored.
• Chesny Young was all over the place last night; he went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, and two runs scored.
• Jeimer Candelario snapped out of an early season funk; he went 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI, and two runs scored.
• Bijan Rademacher had a huge game, what else is new? He went 2-for-4 with two homers (Four on the season now), four RBI’s, and two runs scored.

On the Mound:

• Brad Markey struggled a bit with his command but did enough to pick up his first win of the season. Markey worked five innings, giving up two runs on eight hits while walking four, and striking out three.
• Michael Jensen was decent in relief; he worked two innings, giving up one runs on two hits while walking two, and striking out two.
• James Pugliese and Josh Conway each worked a scoreless inning to shut the door on this one.

Full Box Score

It was a rough night for the Pelicans as they blew two different leads before eventually falling to Winston-Salem by a score of 6-5.

At the Plate:

• Gleyber Torres has been really struggling so far this year; last night he went 1-for-4 with his first dinger of the year, an RBI, and a run scored, maybe that will get him going.
• Yasiel Balaguert had a solid game; he went 2-for-4 with his first homer of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Jason Vosler continued his solid start to the year; he went 2-for-4 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .341 on the season.
• Jeffrey Baez had a solid game; he went 1-for-3 with his third double of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

• Jonathan Martinez turned in a solid outing; unfortunately he had to settle for a no decision. He worked six innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out two.
• Jordan Minch was hung with the loss in this one; he worked 2.2 innings, giving up four runs on six hits while walking one, and striking out two.

Full Box Score

At the Plate:

• P.J. Higgins had a solid game; he went 2-for-4 with a walk, and a run scored.
• Daniel Spingola has been red hot so far this year; he went 3-for-5, and is now hitting .394 on the season.
• Andrew Ely went 3-for-4 with a double in the loss.
• Ian Rice went 2-for-4, but the Cubs could not do anything as they were 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position, oof.

On the Mound:

• Preston Morrison got the start and was hung with his second loss of the season. Morrison worked 2.2 innings, giving up four runs, three earned, on seven hits while walking two, and striking out two.
• Casey Bloomquist poured a fair bit of gasoline on the fire; he worked 2.1 innings, giving up six runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out two.
• Scott Frazier was also roughed up in relief; he worked 2.1 innings, giving up two runs on one hit while walking three, and striking out three.
• James Norwood was the lone bright spot; he worked 1.2 scoreless/hitless innings while striking out one.

Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 13, 2016

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016

Full Box Score

The Iowa Cubs finally found the offensive explosion that they have been searching for as they scored eight times over the first five innings en route to a 9-5 victory over New Orleans.

At the Plate:

• Arismendy Alcantara ripped his first home run of the season; he went 1-for-4 with a walk, said homer, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Dan Vogelbach has had a great start; he went 1-for-3 with two runs scored, and is now hitting .391 on the season.
• Albert Almora is getting on base quite a bit; he went 1-for-3 with a walk, and three runs scored.
• Juan Perez had a huge day; he went 3-for-3 with two doubles, three RBI’s, and one run scored.
• Logan Watkins couldn’t make an out yesterday; he went 4-for-4 with a double, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

• Stephen Fife got the start and was brilliant; he worked 4.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking one, and striking out one.
• Miguel Mejia was torched, but picked up the win (the win stat is horrible); he worked an inning, giving up three runs on four hits while striking out one.
• Armando Rivero turned in another solid outing; he worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit while striking out two.
• Carl Edwards Jr. was roughed up a bit; he worked one inning, giving up two runs on two hits while walking two, and striking out two.
• Spencer Patton finished this one off by working a scoreless ninth inning.

Full Box Score

All Smokies in this one, Tennessee jumped out to a 7-0 lead en route to a 7-3 victory over Birmingham.  The Smokies pounded out 13 hits, and walked six times, nice to see the “Cubs Way” permeating the organization.

At the Plate:

• Big night for Jeimer Candelario; he went 3-for-4 with a walk, and a run scored.
• Taylor Davis has been solid this year; he went 2-for-4 with a walk, and two runs scored to bring his average to .333 on the season.
• Bijan Rademacher doesn’t appear to be bothered by AA pitching; he went 3-for-5 with his second dinger of the year, four RBI’s, and two runs scored.
• Anthony Giansanti went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored in the win.
• Carlos Penalver also chipped in; he went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

On the Mound:

• Paul Blackburn got the start and was brilliant in picking up his first win of the season. Pauly worked six scoreless innings, giving up four hits while walking one, and striking out six.
• David Garner was solid in relief; he worked 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking one, and striking out four.
• Andury Acevedo had a weird, horrible outing; he worked 1.1 innings giving up three runs, on NO HITS while walking FIVE, and striking out two, okay then.
• Starling Peralta closed the door on this one by recording the final out to get out of Acevedo’s trouble, Peralta picked up his first save of the year.

Full Box Score

Myrtle Beach came out on the wrong end of a pretty solid game between two teams.  After falling behind 2-0 early the Pelicans tied things up in the third and it stayed that way until Winston-Salem scored twice in the ninth.

At the Plate:

• Rashad Crawford has been awesome so far this year; he went 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored. He is now hitting .381 on the season from the lead-off spot.
• Shawon Dunston Jr. continues to produce; he went 1-for-4 with a walk, a double, and a run scored.
• I love Ian Happ, deal with it. He went 1-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI in the loss.
• Yasiel Balaguert, Jason Volser, and Jeffrey Baez each finished the night with one hit a piece.

On the Mound:

• Great effort from Jonathan Martinez after a shaky first; he worked seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out three.
• James Pugliese picked up the loss in relief; he worked two innings, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out three.

Full Box Score

A huge fourth inning propelled South Bend to a 6-5 victory over Bowling Green.  Things got a little uneasy late in this one as the Hot Rods pulled to within one before their rally fizzled out.

At the Plate:

• Remember how much I love Ian Happ? I love Donnie Dewees just as much; he went 3-for-4 with his second double of the year, three RBI’s, and a run scored.  He is now hitting .440 on the season, that’s basically unpossible.
• Sutton Whiting had a solid game; he went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored.
• Bryant Flete has been very good this year as well; he went 1-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored, he’s now hitting .429 on the season.
• Tyler Alamo chipped in from the nine spot in the order; he went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

• Preston Morrison struggled a bit with command but was good enough to pick up his first win of the season. Morrison worked six innings, giving up two runs on four hits while walking four, and striking out six.
• James Norwood had a rough go of it out of the pen; he worked 1.2 innings, giving up three runs on five hits while striking out three.
• Greyfer Eregura was solid in picking up his first save of the year; he worked 1.1 scoreless innings while striking out one.

Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 9, 2016

SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2016

Full Box Score

Another rough one for Iowa as they fall to Round Rock for the third straight time to start the season.  The Cubs were down 8-0 after the fifth inning, and never really stood a chance tonight.

At the Plate:

• John Andreoli was solid out of the lead-off spot, he went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
• Arismendy Alcantara was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored in the loss.
• Ryan Kalish was the power source tonight, he went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
• Dan Vogelbach, Willson Contreras, and Albert Almora each finished the night 1-for-4.

On the Mound:

• Eric Jokisch was torched tonight, he worked 4.1 innings, giving up right runs on eleven hits while walking two, and striking out three.
• Armando Rivero worked 1.2 innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out two.
• Scott Barnes, Carl Edwards Jr., and Miguel Mejia all worked a scoreless inning in relief.

Full Box Score

Pitching dominated the evening, and the Smokies came out on the right side of a 1-0 thriller.

At the Plate:

• Chesny Young continued his hot start to 2016, he went 2-for-3 in the win.
• Jeimer Candelario knocked in the only run of the night, he went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
• David Freitas was 2-for-3, the Smokies only had six hits, all singles, but it was enough.

On the Mound:

• Brad Markey got the start tonight, and was brilliant. Markey worked five scoreless innings, giving up three hits while walking one, and striking out four.
• Gerardo Concepcion (!) picked up the win out of the pen, he worked two scoreless innings, he didn’t walk anyone, and struck out three.
• Josh Conway picked up a hold, he worked a scoreless inning, giving up one hit while walking one.
• Juan Paniagua shut the door for his first save of the year by working a scoreless ninth, he struck out two.

Full Box Score

A late offensive explosion propelled the South Bend Cubs to a 5-3 win over West Michigan, their first of the season.

At the Plate:

• Donnie Dewees was 2-for-4 with a triple, and RBI, and a run scored.
• J. Higgins has been very good so far this year, he went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, and an RBI in the win.
• Eddy Martinez was 2-for-5 with two runs scored, he’s hitting .333 on the season.
• Daniel Spingola chipped in, he went 2-for-4 with a walk, a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

• Ryan Kellogg was brilliant in picking up his first win of the season. He worked five innings, giving up one run, unearned, on five hits while striking out three.
• Greyfer Eregua was just as good out of the pen, he worked 2.2 scoreless innings while striking out two.
• Scott Effross made things interesting as he worked 2/3 of an inning, giving up two runs, one earned, on two hits while walking one, and striking out one.
• Michael Wagner picked up his first save of the year, he worked the final 2/3 of an inning to do so.

Full Box Score

Not much going right for the Pelicans in this one as they fell behind 4-0 after one en route to falling to Frederick, 6-0.

At the Plate:

• Gleyber Torres was 1-for-4 in the loss, nice to see him get into the hit column.
• Ian Happ was the only Pelican to find some success tonight, he went 2-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base, and a double.
• Jeffrey Baez went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases in the loss.

On the Mound:

• Trevor Clifton got the start, and picked up the loss. He worked three innings, giving up five runs, three earned, on four hits while walking four, and striking out four.
• James Farris was pretty solid out of the pen, he worked three innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out four.
• James Pugliese was solid once again, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up one hit while striking out four.
• David Berg worked a scoreless ninth.

Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports); April 7, 2016

Full Box Score

The Iowa Cubs kicked off the 2016 minor league season for the Cubs organization today, and they walked way too many guys en route to a 7-3 loss.

At the Plate:

• Dan Vogelbach was 2-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI.
• Willson Contreras went 2-for-4 in the loss.
• Kristopher Negron was 3-for-4, all singles
• Albert Almora came up empty in the hit column but walked, had an RBI, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

• Ryan Williams got the start and was knocked around, he worked three innings, giving up seven runs, six earned, on six hits while walking two, and striking out two.
• Scott Barnes (2 IP), Brandon Gomes (2 IP), Carl Edwards Jr. (1 IP), and Spencer Patton (1 IP) combined to work six scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking five, and striking out six.

Full Box Score

A quick start for the Smokies tonight as they put up three runs in the first on their way to a 7-3 victory over the Mobile Bay Bears.

At the Plate:

• Jacob Hannemann was productive out of the lead-off spot, he went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases.
• Chesny Young had a huge game, he went 2-for-2 with a home run, RBI, two walks, a stolen base, and two runs scored.
• Jeimer Candelario went 1-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored in the win.
• Victor Caratini, and Bijan Rademacher each registered their first homers of the year.
• Mark Zagunis was 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI’s, and a walk.

On the Mound:

• Rob Zastryzny had some early trouble, but settled in to pick up his first win of the season. Z worked six innings, giving up two runs on four hits while walking two, and striking out five.
• Starling Peralta was solid out of the pen, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit while walking one, and striking out one.
• David Garner worked 1.1 innings to shut the door, he gave up one unearned run while walking one, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

Myrtle Beach is one of my favorite rosters right now in the Cubs system, and they got things off to a good start tonight by dispatching Frederick 5-2.

At the Plate:

• Not too much going for the Pelicans despite the win, they only managed five hits as a team. Rashad Crawford had one of them in his four at bats tonight, he also scored a run.
• Gleyber Torres went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored in the win.
• Yasiel Balaguert, Jeffrey Baez, and Gioskar Amaya all chipped in with one hit a piece.

On the Mound:

• Jonathan Martinez was outstanding tonight in picking up his first win of the season. Martinez worked five innings, giving up one run on three hits while walking two, and striking out one.
• Duary Torrez was lights out coming out of the pen, he worked two innings, giving up one unearned run on one hit while striking out one.
• James Pugliese worked a scoreless inning to pick up his first hold of the season.
• David Berg shut down things tonight, he worked a scoreless ninth to pick up his first save of the season.

Full Box Score

This was on was basically over before it started as West Michigan spread right runs across the first three innings en route to a 9-4 victory over the South Bend Cubs

At the Plate:

• Donnie Dewees 2-for-5 out of the lead-off spot, both hits were singles.
• Eloy Jimenez was 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Eddy Martinez was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored in the win.

On the Mound:

• Preston Morrison got beat up pretty bad as he took his first loss of the season. Morrison worked four innings, giving up eight runs, three earned, on seven hits while walking two, and striking out two.
• Kyle Twomey was great out of the pen, he worked four innings, giving up one run on three hits while walking one, and striking out seven.
• Scott Frazier put this one to bed by working a scoreless inning.

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

WEDNESDAY • MAY 6, 2015

Full Box Score

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 30, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

THURSDAY • APRIL 30, 2015

Full Box Score

South Bend closed out April this afternoon with a 6-3 victory over West Michigan, the win moved the Cubs to 11-10 on the season.  Erick Leal was solid on the mound, and the Cubs had the bats working just enough to take the matinee.

At the Plate:

• Gleyber Torres is not performing like an 18 year old in single A, he went 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored.
• Chesny Young was productive without a hit, he went 0-for-3 with a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
• Jason Volser had a solid day, he went 2-for-5 with two RBI’s, a double, and a run scored.
• Justin Marra has struggled at the plate, but he was productive today, he went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored.
• Gioskar Amaya, and Rashad Crawford each had one hit in the win.

On the Mound:

•  I mentioned Erick Leal was good, what else is new?  Leal worked five innings, giving up two runs on six hits while walking one, and striking out four.
• Ryan McNeil picked up a hold, he worked one inning, giving up one run on two hits.
• Francisco Carrillo was outstanding today, he worked three scoreless innings to pick up his first save of the year.  Carrillo surrendered only one hit, struck out three over said three innings.

Full Box Score

Myrtle Beach looked like they had this one wrapped up before Wilmington struck for four runs in the bottom of the 8th to take this one 6-4.

At the Plate:

• Mark Zagunis had a decent night, he was 1-for-4 with a triple, and an RBI.
• Jacob Rogers has slowed down, but had a good game, he was 2-for-4 with his fourth double of the season, and a run scored.
• Trey Martin has had a good start to his high-A career, he was 1-for-4 with a double, and an RBI in the loss.

On the Mound:

• Daury Torrez is the definition of a pitcher that pitches to contact, he worked six innings, giving up two runs on six hits while walking none, and striking out one.
• Josh Conway got roughed up in this one, he worked 1.1 innings, giving up three runs on three hits.
• James Pugliese worked in and out of some trouble, he tossed two-thirds of an inning, giving up one run, unearned, on two hits.

 

Full Box Score

The Smokies fell behind early in this one, and couldn’t fight all the way back as they fell to Birmingham 5-3.  Things got interesting late as Tennessee scored three times over the final four innings but their rally fell short.

At the Plate:

• Jacob Hannemann likes it in double-A, he was 2-for-5 with two runs scored, he’s hitting .357 on the season.
• Pin-Chieh Chen had a solid night, he was 2-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, and an RBI.
• Kyle Schwarber is rolling, he was 1-for-3 with his fifth double of the year, a walk, and an RBI.
• Dan Vogelbach, Willson Contreras, Elliot Soto, and Anthony Giansanti all had one hit in the loss.

On the Mound:

• Rob Zastryzny got the start but didn’t last very long, he worked one inning, giving up three runs on two hits while walking two, and striking out one.
• Jeffry Antigua took over and was decent, he worked four innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out one.
• Michael Jensen was solid, he tossed two scoreless innings, giving up two hits while striking out two.
• Starling Peralta was good as well, he worked a scoreless inning to keep the Smokies alive.

Full Box Score

Giving this Oklahoma City team thirteen innings worth of at bats is probably going to end bad, and it did for Iowa tonight.  The Cubs didn’t have much working offensively as they only pushed across two runs in the loss.

At the Plate:

• Javier Baez returned to the lineup tonight, that’s definitely a good thing.  Baez was 1-for-6 with a double.
• Christian Villanueva had a good night, he was 2-for-4 with a dinger, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored.
• John Andreoli was solid as well, he went 2-for-5, and is now hitting .261 on the season.

On the Mound:

• Carlos Pimentel got the start, and was outstanding.  He worked six innings, giving up one run on just one hit while walking two, and striking out three.
• Yoanner Negrin picked up a blown save tonight, he worked an inning, giving up one run on one hit.
• Joe Ortiz was solid, he worked two scoreless innings, he surrendered one hit while walking two.
• Blake Cooper worked a scoreless inning, he has a 2.31 ERA on the season.
• Andres Santiago has been so good this year, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking three, and striking out two.
• Michael Wagner took the loss tonight, he worked one inning, giving up two runs on two hits while walking three, and striking out two.

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 12, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

SUNDAY • APRIL 12, 2015

Full Box Score

An odd scheduling quirk as the SB Cubs open a series with Dayton on a Sunday, minor league baseball at it’s finest.  The Cubs jumped out to a quick three run lead in the third, and by the time the inning was over the game was tied at three.  The SB Cubs pitching held Dayton down the rest of the game allowing the bats to wake up and score five times en route to a 8-3 win.

At the Plate:

• Gleyber Torres is hitting his stride, he went 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI’s, a stolen base, and a run scored.
• Jason Volser was all over the place, he went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, and a stolen base.
• Rashad Crawford had a solid game from the nine spot, he went 2-for-2 with two walks, three RBI’s, and three runs scored.

On the Mound:

• Zach Hedges got the start and picked up the win, he worked five innings, giving up three runs, two earned, while walking one, and striking out two.
• Jasvir Rakkar was good once again, he worked two scoreless innings, surrendering zero hits while walking one, and striking out three.
• James Norwood was outstanding as well, he worked a scoreless inning, giving up two hits while striking out two.
• Tommy Thorpe closed things out, he worked a scoreless inning, surrendering zero hits, while walking one, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

One night after a thrilling comeback win, the Pelicans couldn’t find any offense as they could only muster three hits in a shutout loss.  The Pelican pitching was solid, but that doesn’t mean much if you can’t score.

At the Plate:

• Chris Denorfia, who is rehabbing from an injury, went 1-for-2 with a double.
• Mark Zagunis was out in right field today, he went 1-for-4 in the loss.
• Jeimer Candelario was 1-for-3 tonight, he’s now hitting .250 on the season.

On the Mound:

• Tyler Skulina got the start, and was outstanding, he worked five innings, giving up one run on three hits while walking three, and striking out five.
• James Pugliese had a rough go of it, he worked two innings, giving up two runs on four hits while striking out one.
• Matt Brazis had a similar effort, he worked two innings, giving up two run on three hits while walking one, and striking out three.

Full Box Score

The Smokies made some noise early on, then couldn’t push anymore runs across the plate the rest of the game.  By the second inning it was 6-1 Smokies then that was it as far as scoring runs goes.  The Braves were able to score once in the 4th, and once in the 9th to make it close but they still fell to the Smokies 6-3.

At the Plate:

• Elliot Soto got things done at the top of the order tonight, he was 2-for-6 with a run scored.
• Albert Almora had another solid game, he was 2-for-5 with a walk, a double, and two runs scored.
• Christian Villanueva had a productive day, he was 2-for-5 with three RBI’s, and a run scored.
• Dan Vogelbach continued his hot start today, he went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

• Rob Zastryzny got the start, he worked 3.1 innings giving up two runs, one earned on three hits while walking three, and striking out five.  Unfortunately he was hit by a batted ball in the foot and had to leave the game.
• Stephen Perakslis was outstanding, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit while walking one.
• Michael Jensen was solid today, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking one, and sriking out one.
• Hunter Cervenka struggled in this one, he worked 1.2 innings, giving up one run on one hit while walking two, and striking out two.
• Andres Santiago earned the save by retiring one hitter, he worked a third of an inning, while walking one.

Full Box Score

Another outstanding effort from the Iowa Cubs today as they pounded Memphis 7-2 to earn a series split.  The long ball was on display all day as Addison Russell, Kris Bryant, and Jonathan Mota all went deep, dingers!  The Cubs pitching held their own and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way.

At the Plate:

• John Andreoli did his job at the top of the order today, he went 1-for-3 with two walks, a double, and a run scored.
• Addison Russell is on fire right now, he hit 3-for-5 with a dinger, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.  He’s now hitting .389 on the season.
• Kris Bryant did it again, he was 1-for-4 with his second homer in as many days, three RBI’s, and a run scored.
• Jonathan Mota had a huge day, he went 3-for-4 with a homer, an RBI, and two runs scored.
• Adron Chambers had another solid game, he went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and a double.

On the Mound:

• Barret Loux got the start for Iowa and was erratic for the most part, he worked 3.2 innings, giving up two runs on four hits while walking three, and striking out three.
• Drake Britton was brilliant today, and picked up the win, he worked 2.1 scoreless innings, surrendering zero hits while walking one.
• Zac Rosscup, Armando Rivero, and Blake Parker all worked a scoreless inning in relief to close out the Redbirds.

 

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.

Riding The Bus; Minor League Reports for April 9, 2014

 

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

 

Full Box Score

At The Plate:

A much better day all around for Iowa as they found some offense to go with the solid pitching to beat Nashville 6-1.  Javier Baez seems to be rounding into form at the plate, he was 2-for-4 with a double off the center field wall, and two runs scored.  Josh Vitters was able to return to the lineup today, and he continued his hot hitting, he went 1-for-3 with his second home run of the season, two RBI’s, a walk, and a run scored.  Chris Coghlan also joined the fun as he went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.  Vitters didn’t have the only home run today, Brett Jackson also went deep, and finished the day 1-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound:

What an outstanding day for Iowa pitching, collectively they struck out sixteen hitters, and only walked one.  Carlos Pimentel was dominant, he worked six innings, giving up one run on three hits, while walking one, and striking out ten(!).  Zac Rosscup was brilliant out of the pen today, he worked two scoreless innings, allowing only one hit, and striking out four.  Marcus Hatley closed things out with a scoreless inning, he allowed only one hit, and struck out two more.

Full Box Score

At The Plate:

Everything looked great for the Cougars in this one until the 8th inning, and that’s when things started to unravel as the Cougars blew a late 4-2 lead and lost 7-4 in ten innings.  Weird box score, the Cougars had eight hits in this one, each of the first eight hitters in the lineup had one hit, odd.  Jacob Rogers was 1-for-4 with his first home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.  Shawon Dunston looked to have the game winning hit in this one, a two-run single in the sixth, he finished the day 1-for-4 with two RBI’s.

On The Mound:

Some good things early, some bad things late.  Paul Blackburn made his second start of the season and was solid, he worked five innings, giving up two runs on two hits, while walking two, and striking out four.  James Pugliese was sailing right along through two innings of relief then ran into some trouble in his third inning of work.  Pugliese worked 2.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking two, and striking out two.  Nathan Dorris was able to come on and get Pugliese out of the jam, he worked the final two-thirds of the eighth without giving up a hit or run.  Jose Arias had a rough go of it today, he worked two innings, giving up four runs, one earned (oops), on three hits while walking one, he blew the save, and took the loss.

Full Box Score

At The Plate:

Nothing going right for the Daytona offense as they could only manage four hits in game one as they were shut out.  Albert Almora continued to do his part however, as he was 2-for-3 with two doubles, he’s now hitting .364 on the season.  Marco Hernandez, and Pin-Chieh Chen were the only other D-Cubs to get a hit in the loss.

On The Mound:

Really good outing from Felix Pena in this one, unfortunately he fell to 0-2 on the season, but lowered his ERA to 1.50.  Pena worked six innings, giving up one run on five hits, while walking no one, and striking out five.  Michael Jensen finished this one off as he worked a scoreless inning, giving up two hits, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

At The Plate:

Still nothing doing offensively for Daytona, however, they did push four runs across the plate in game two, but only had five hits in the loss.  Pin-Chieh Chen had another solid game, he was 1-for-2 with a double, a run scored, an RBI, and a walk.  Albert Almora continued his own personal hit parade, he was 1-for-3 with a run scored in the second game.  Dan Vogelbach finally connected in this one, he was 1-for-3 with his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound:

The offense finally finds some runs, and the pitching falters, such is the life of a struggling ball club.  Jose Rosario got the start and the loss, he worked five innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on three hits, while walking three, and striking out four.  Starling Peralta really struggled, he was only able to get through one-third of an inning, giving up four runs, two earned (errors!), on three hits, while striking out one.  Andrew McKirahan did a great job keeping the D-Cubs close, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while striking out three.

Full Box Score

At The Plate:

The Smokies found just enough offense in this one as they scored three runs on seven hits to take care of the lookouts.  Stephen Bruno had a solid game, going 2-for-4 with two singles.  Kris Bryant was back in the lineup, and went 1-for-4 with a run scored in the win.  Rafael Lopez was the difference maker as he went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound:

I love C.J. Edwards nights, the mini flame thrower was on full display tonight and didn’t disappoint.  Edwards worked 5.2 innings, giving up one run on five hits, while walking four, and striking out five, walks drove his pitch count up for sure tonight.  P.J. Francescon was solid once again out of the pen, he worked 1.1 scoreless innings, he didn’t give up any hits, struck out two, and took home the win.  Jeff Lorick worked two-thirds of an inning late, giving up one hit, and striking out one.  Armando Rivero was brilliant to close this one out, he worked 1.1 scoreless, hit-less innings, while striking out three to earn his second save of the season.