Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 11, 2016

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

Finally! Nice to see Iowa finally get into the win column, and they did so by mashing the baseball all over the field in a 9-1 victory over New Orleans.

At the Plate:

John Andreoli was productive out of the lead-off spot; he went 1-for-3 with a double, two walks, three runs scored, and a stolen base.
Arismendy Alcantara went 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base in the win.
Javier Baez had a solid rehab appearance; he went 1-for-3 with his first dinger of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.
Dan Vogelbach continued his scorching start; he went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, his second double of the season, and a run scored. He is now hitting .421 on the season.
Willson Contreras is just as hot; he went 4-for-5 with his second double of the season, and four RBI’s.
Albert Almora continues to show a better approach at the plate, he went 0-for-3 but walked twice, and scored a run.

On the Mound:

Pierce Johnson got the start and struggled a bit with his command, but worked around trouble. Johnson tossed three scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking three, and striking out five.
Felix Pena picked up the win out of the pen; he worked two scoreless innings, giving up two hits while striking out three.
Brandon Gomes was good once again; he worked two scoreless innings while striking out two.
Armando Rivero bounced back from a rough start to 2016; he worked a scoreless inning while striking out one.
Miguel Mejia was touched up a bit; he worked one inning, giving up one run on two hits while striking out one.

Full Box Score

Missed opportunities were the name of the game for Tennessee as they went 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position en route to a 5-4 loss to Mobile.

At the Plate:

Bijan Rademacher is red hot in 2016; he went 2-for-5 and is now hitting .500 on the season.
Chesny Young is opening some eyes in the early going; he went 2-for-4 with his second dinger of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
Billy McKinney is starting to heat up; he went 2-for-5 with an RBI, and a walk.
Victor Caratini was 2-for-3 with his first double of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.
Mark Zagunis was productive near the bottom of the order; he went 3-for-4 with his second double of the season.

On the Mound:

Tough day for Jen-Ho Tseng, and he was awesome. Tseng had to leave early after being hit by a comebacker, before that he worked three scoreless innings, giving up three hits while walking one, and striking out four, no update on his condition.
Michael Jensen struggled in relief; he worked 2.2 innings, giving up three runs on two hits while walking two.
Corey Black was much better out of the pen yesterday, but he picked up the loss. Black worked two innings, giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one, and striking out three.
Andury Acevedo worked 1/3^rd of an inning, giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking two.
Josh Conway worked a scoreless inning while walking one, and striking out one in the loss.

Full Box Score

A thriller in Myrtle Beach last night as Ian Happ ripped a game winning walk-off double for the Pelicans, they scored three times in the ninth to beat Winston Salem 5-4.

At the Plate:

The Pelicans walked 11 (!) times last night, so that will be a common stat mentioned here. Rashad Crawford went 1-for-4 with a walk (see?), his first stolen base of the year, and a run scored.
Gleyber Torres has struggled in the early going, he was 0-for-4 in this one but walked once, and had two RBI’s.
Ian Happ as mentioned above was the hero; he went 1-for-5 with his second double of the year, and two RBI’s.
Yasiel Balaguert has been great this year; he went 1-for-2 with two walks in the win, he is now hitting .389 on the season.

On the Mound:

Jake Stinnett got the start and picked up a no decision; he worked five innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on three hits while walking two, and striking out three.
Ryan McNeil was awesome out of the pen; he worked three innings, giving up one run on three hits while walking one, and striking out four.
David Berg picked up his first win of the season by working a scoreless ninth inning.

Full Box Score

More walk-off drama in South Bend as Eloy Jimenez launched a walk-off homer to end a wild one with South Bend beating Bowling Green 7-6.

At the Plate:

Donnie Dewees is red hot to start 2016; he went 2-for-5 with his first double of the year, and two RBI’s, he’s now hitting .353 on the season.
Eloy Jimenez walked off as mentioned above; he finished the night 1-for-5 with said dinger, an RBI, and a run scored.
Eddy Julio Martinez had another good night; he went 2-for-4 with his first homer of the year, an RBI, and a run scored.
Ian Rice had a solid game; he went 1-for-1 with a double, an RBI, two walks, and a run scored.
Bryant Flete has been amazing so far this year; he went 2-for-3 with a double, and two runs scored. He is now hitting .625 on the season, wow.

On the Mound:

Adbert Alzolay got the start and was roughed up a bit; he worked five innings, giving up four runs, three earned, on six hits while striking out five.
Craig Brooks provided some much needed relief; he worked two innings, giving up one run on two hits while walking one, and striking out one.
Michael Wagner picked up the win out of the pen; he worked two innings, giving up one run on two hits while walking two, and striking out one.

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

MONDAY • MAY 4, 2015

Full Box Score

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

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Full Box Score

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

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Final Box Score

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

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Full Box Score

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

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

Jake Stinnett wasn’t too bad, he worked five innings, giving up two runs on seven hits while walking one, and striking out five.

Francisco Carrillo was dominant, he worked three scoreless innings, surrendering one hit while striking out one.

Tyler Ihrig was also good, he worked a scoreless inning to keep the Cubs in it late.

Riding the Bus: April 14, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

TUESDAY • APRIL 14, 2015

Full Box Score

Tough luck loss for the Cubs in this one as they held a late lead only to watch Dayton push across a run in the 8th, and 9th for a 3-2 victory. Ryan Williams didn’t do much wrong in his first professional start for the Cubs, he was brilliant, unfortunately the result was a no decision.

At the Plate:

Trey Martin had a solid game at the top of the order, he was 2-for-4 with a double, and a triple.
Cael Brockmeyer is a doubles machine, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, and his fifth double of the season.
Gleyber Torres is doing great things as an 18 year old, he went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and a stolen base in the loss.

On the Mound:

Ryan Williams got the start and was dominant, he worked six innings, giving up one run on one hit while striking out seven.
Ryan McNeil battles his command, but was able to pitch out of trouble. He worked one scoreless inning, giving up one hit while walking two, and striking out two.
Tommy Thorpe struggle, and was hung with the loss, he worked 1.1 innings, giving up two runs on three hits while walking one, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

The Pelicans jumped out in front early, scoring four times in the second to take a 4-0 lead. Jen-Ho Tseng, who was making his 2015 debut made that hold up with a rather solid performance to earn the victory.

At the Plate:

Mark Zagunis had a solid game, he was 1-for-2 with a walk, and an RBI.
Victor Caratini continued his hot start to the season, he was 1-for-1 with a walk, and two runs scored.
Carlos Penalver came up big from the nine-hole, he was 1-for-2 with a walk, a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Jen-Ho Tseng was solid in his 2015 debut, he worked five innings, giving up two runs on four hits while striking out five.
Tayler Scott finished shut the door, earning his first save of the year. Scott worked two innings, giving up one run on three hits while walking one, and striking out three.

Full Box Scores

The Pelicans couldn’t earn the double-header sweep as the bats went silent in a 3-1 loss in the nightcap. The Pelicans could only manage four hits in this one, and were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Starter Jonathan Martinez did everything he could to get his team a win, they just fell short.

At the Plate:

Jacob Hannemann had a solid game from the lead-off spot, he was 1-for-2 with a walk, and a run scored.
Mark Zagunis was the only other Pelican to make noise in this one, he was 2-for-3 with a double, a solid day all around.

On the Mound:

I mentioned that Jonathan Martinez was brilliant, he was. Martinez worked five innings, giving up one run on two hits while walking one, and striking out four.
Josh Conway struggled a bit with command, he worked one scoreless inning, giving up two hits while walking one, and striking out two.
Gerardo Concepcion took the loss in this one, he worked one inning, giving up two runs, one earned, on one hit while walking two.

Iowa was postponed.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans Roster is Set

Here come the Myrtle Beach Pelicans! That’s right, another new affiliate for the Cubs, the Pelicans replace the Daytona Cubs at the high Class-A level. An outstanding location, and a roster filled with talented prospects makes this team a must see, the season opens on Thursday!

Pitchers:

Paul Blackburn (RHP)
Matt Brazis (RHP)
Gerardo Concepcion (LHP)
Josh Conway (RHP)
Michael Heesch (LHP)
Jonathan Martinez (RHP)
Juan Paniagua (RHP)
Starling Peralta (RHP)
James Pugliese (RHP)
Tayler Scott (RHP)
Tyler Skulina (RHP)
Daury Torrez (RHP)
Jen-Ho Tseng (RHP)
Duane Underwood (RHP)

Catchers:

Victor Caratini (S)
Ben Carhart (R)
Alberto Mineo (L)

Infielders:

Jeimer Candelario (S)
Wes Darvill (L)
Andrew Ely (L)
Daniel Lockhart (L)
Carlos Penalver (R)
Jacob Rogers (L)

Outfielders:

Shawon Dunston Jr. (L)
Jacob Hannemann (L)
Billy McKinney (L)
Mark Zagunis (R)

Players to watch? How much time ya got? The pitching staff is electrifying, Torrez, Blackburn, Underwood, Tseng, oh my. Billy McKinney, and Mark Zagunis are a pair of highly touted prospects roaming the outfield, so much excitement here.

Riding the Bus; Cubs Minor League Reports (4/21/2014)

MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014

Full Box Score

The Cougars built an early 3-1 lead only to watch it slip away at the hands of some suspect defense in the late innings. The Cougars committed three errors, and gave up three unearned runs in the loss, wasting another solid start from 19-year-old Jen-Ho Tseng.

At the Plate:

Carlos Penalver had a tremendous game today, he went 2-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored in the loss.
Ben Carhart had another solid effort, he went 2-for-4 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .259 on the season.
Yasiel Balaguert continues to be a threat at the plate, he went 1-for-4 with two RBI’s, he now has fourteen RBI’s on the season.

On the Mound:

Jen-Ho Tseng continued his strong 2014, he worked five innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on seven hits, while walking one, and striking out three. He lowered his ERA to 2.93 on the season.
Tyler Bremer was fantastic out of the pen, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while walking one, and striking out three.
Josh Davis took the hard luck loss in this one, he worked two innings, giving up two runs, both unearned, on two hits, while walking one, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

The Smokies struck early and often in this one as they scored ten runs in the first six innings to cruise to a 10-5 victory over the Barons. The Smokies did get some help from the Barons, even if they didn’t need it, as Birmingham committed three errors and allowed three unearned runs.

At the Plate:

John Andreoli got things started from the lead-off spot in this one, he went 2-for-6 with a triple, an RBI, a stolen base, and two runs scored.
Rubi Silva was productive today, he went 2-for-5 with his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.
Kris Bryant was 1-for-5 with a walk, and an RBI, he’s now hitting .286 on the season.
Jae-Hoon Ha went crazy today, he was 3-for-5 with a double, his first home run of the season, an RBI, and three runs scored.

On the Mound:

Dae-Eun Rhee got the start tonight, and picked up his first win of the season despite some control issues. Rhee worked five innings, giving up two runs on four hits, while walking five (see?), and striking out four.
Austin Kirk did some solid work out of the pen, he was able to get through three innings, giving up two runs on four hits, he didn’t walk or strikeout anyone.
Tony Zych cleaned things up in this one, he worked one inning, giving up one unearned run on two hits.

Full Box Score

Kyle Hendricks, and the rest of the Iowa pitching controlled this one from start to finish as the I-Cubs took care of Round Rock, 5-1. Offensively, it was the top of the Iowa order doing the heavy lifting as the one-two-three hitters combined to go 6-for-13 with two RBI’s.

At the Plate:

Matt Szczur did the job at the top of the order tonight, he was 3-for-4 with a triple, a stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored.
Arismendy Alcantara provided some power, he was 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored.
Javier Baez returned to the lineup yesterday, and was effective tonight, he went 1-for-3 with a run scored in the win.

On the Mound:

Kyle Hendricks was brilliant tonight as he picked up the win to move his record to 3-1 on the season. Hendricks worked six scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while walking two, and striking out six.
Yoanner Negrin was solid per usual out of the pen, he worked a scoreless inning, while striking out one.
Brian Schlitter worked two innings to pick up his third save of the season, he gave up one run on two hits, while walking two in his two innings of work.

Full Box Score

The Daytona Cubs pulled this one out late after both teams scored early and often tonight. After four innings it was all tied at five, and no one could find the scoreboard again until the D-Cubs pushed across the winning run in the eleventh.

At the Plate:

Pin-Chieh Chen has had a great start to 2014, he was 2-for-5 with an RBI, he is now hitting .294 on the season.
Chadd Krist put together a solid game, he was 3-for-5 with a double, and a run scored.
Rock Shoulders provided some production, he was 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI, and a run scored.
Jeimer Candelario found some success tonight, he was 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Jake Arrieta made what is thought to be his final rehab start, and was effective. Arrieta worked 5.2 innings, giving up five runs, three earned, on five hits, while walking two, and striking out seven.
Andrew McKirahan only faced one hitter, but it was a big out as he got out of the sixth inning for Arrieta to keep the game tied.
Jose Rosario picked up the win out of the pen, and he deserved it. Rosario worked four scoreless innings, giving up three hits, while striking out four.
Arodys Vizcaino worked the last of the eleventh to pick up his fist save of the season.

Riding the Bus; Cubs Minor League Reports (4/15/14)

TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014

Full Box Score

Looked like it was going to be a rough one right away tonight as the Zepghyrs put up five runs in the second inning, but Iowa bounced right back with four in their half of the second. Unfortunately that was all that Iowa could do with the bats as they dropped this one to New Orleans 8-4.

At the Plate:

Chris Coghlan was 1-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored.
Chris Valaika continued his hot start, he was 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and is now hitting .333 on the season.
Logan Watkins had a big two run single tonight, he went 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Carlos Pimentel was beat up tonight, he took the loss as he worked five innings, giving up seven runs (oops) on six hits, while walking five (oops, again), and striking out five.
Yoanner Negrin, a personal favorite, was solid out of the pen. Negrin worked 3.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits, while walking none, and striking out three.
Marcus Hatley mopped things up as he worked two-thirds of an inning, striking out both guys he faced.

Full Box Score

The Daytona Cubs can’t find any offense, and recently their pitching has faltered as well, that’s not a good mix. The trends continued tonight as the D-Cubs could only manage to score three runs on nine hits in a 10-3 loss to red hot Dunedin.

At the Plate:

Pin-Chieh Chen had a solid game at the top of the order, he went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Tim Saunders is not having any trouble at the plate right now, he went 3-for-4 with two doubles, and two stolen bases tonight. He is eight for his last fourteen at the plate, yikes.
Rock Shoulders had a big game tonight, he was 2-for-4 with a double, his first home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored.
Bijan Rademacher has been outstanding this year, it continued in this one, as he went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .379 on the season.

On the Mound:

Jose Rosario didn’t have much going for him in this one, he took the loss to drop to 0-2 on the season. He worked 4.1 innings, giving up eight runs, six earned, on seven hits, while walking six, and striking out two, yuck.
Starling Peralta was really good out of the pen, he worked 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up no hits, he didn’t walk anyone, and he struck out three.
Stephen Perakslis struggles in relief, he worked one inning, giving up two runs on two hits, while walking one, and he didn’t record a strikeout.

Full Box Score

The Cougars could only manage two runs on two hits in game one, and that was enough for another win. 19 year-old Jen-Ho Tseng was brilliant in picking up his first win of 2014.

At the Plate:

Ben Carhart is having a solid 2014 so far, and he was able to find some success in this one, he went 1-for-2 with a double, and a walk.
Yasiel Balaguert is unconsious at the plate right now, he was 1-for-2 with an RBI, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .409 on the season.

On the Mound:

All Jen-Ho Tseng, all the time. Tseng was stellar, he worked 5.1 scoreless innings, giving up six hits, while walking none, and striking out six.
Zack Godley was just as good out of the pen to pick up his second save of the season. Godley worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit, while striking out four of the five guys he faced.

Full Box Score

Another light hitting game for the Cougars, and another win, how about that? The Cougars are rolling and it’s because of their pitching, Blackburn followed Tseng with a “one up you” performance, and that was great to see tonight.

At the Plate:

Jacob Hannemann was 1-for-4 out of the lead-off spot, with his fifth stolen base of the season.
Carlos Penalver had the only run scoring hit of the game, for either team, he was 1-for-3 with a double, and an said RBI.
Ben Carhart capped off a productive doubleheader going 1-for-3 in the win.

On the Mound:

Paul Blackburn couldn’t have been much better tonight as he picked up his first win of 2014. He worked six scoreless innings, surrendering one lone hit, while walking one, and striking out six, hot fire!
Jose Arias worked the final inning for the save, how’s this for a line? One scoreless inning pitched, no hits, walked one, and struck out FOUR, in one inning, yep.

Riding the Bus; Minor League Reports for April 8, 2014

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Full Box Score

At The Plate:

The Iowa Cubs are having trouble consistently scoring runs, one night they explode, the next they can’t buy a hit, like tonight. The I-Cubs could only manage four hits, and one run in the loss tonight. Chris Valaika, and Chris Coghlan each finished the night going 1-for-4, and that was about it. Christian Villanueva continued his hot stretch, he went 1-for-3 with a double, and a run scored in the loss. The only RBI tonight belonged to Eli Whiteside, he was 1-for-3.

On The Mound:

Not a bad job at all from the Cubs staff, they are just in a position where they can’t afford to make any mistakes. Chris Rusin had a much better second start, but fell to 0-2 on the season. Rusin worked six innings, giving up three runs, two earned (Baez error), he didn’t walk anyone, and struck out five. Alberto Cabrera was decent out of the pen, he worked two innings, giving up one run on three hits, while striking out one. Marcos Mateo finished things up tonight by working one scoreless inning.

Full Box Score

At The Plate:

An exciting home opener for the Cougars as they walk off in the 12th inning with a 4-3 victory. Jacob Hannemann has had a good start to 2014, he was 2-for-5 with an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored in the win. Yasiel Balaguert, Daniel Canela, Trey Martin, and Carlos Penalver all finished the night going 1-for-5 as the Cougars could only manage six hits in the twelve inning victory.

On The Mound:

It was an outstanding night for the Cougars pitching, not just the results but who was pitching, very exciting. Nineteen year old Jen-Ho Tseng got the start and was very good, he just had one rough inning. Tseng worked five innings, giving up three runs on eights hits, while walking none, and striking out five. Gerardo Concepcion was the next arm on for the Cougars, and he was brilliant, working three scoreless innings, while walking none, and striking out three. Both Tyler Bremer, and Zack Godley each worked two scoreless innings out of the pen with Godley picking up the win.