John Andreoli – Born on Third

Spring Training AC; Big Ninth Pushes Cubs to Victory

Full Box Score

On the Mound:

Eddie Butler was solid in his Cubs debut, he worked two innings giving up one run on one hit while striking out one.
Ryan Williams was outstanding in relief, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up one hit.
Jon Martinez struggled with command, he worked a scoreless inning while walking THREE, and striking out one.
Mario Meza worked two-thirds of an inning, he walked one and that was it.
Tommy Nance had a bounce back effort, he worked a scoreless inning while striking out one.
Duary Torrez was touched up a bit, he worked one inning, giving up one run on two hits while striking out one.
Juan Paniagua also struggled with his command, he worked one inning, giving up one run while walking THREE.

At the Plate:

Javier Baez went 1-for-3 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .364 on the spring.
Ian Happ was 1-for-2 in the win, he stole a base, and scored a run.
John Andreoli, Jacob Hannemann, Jeimer Candelario, Chesny Young, Albert Almora Jr., Eloy Jimenez, and Chris Dominguez all registered one hit, Jimenez with a double, and Andreoli with a triple.
Victor Caratini was strong once again, he went 3-for-4 with a run scored.

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

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

Full Box Score

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 (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: May 7, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

THURSDAY • MAY 7, 2015

Full Box Score

Walk-off! The Pelicans improved to a seasons best seven games over .500 with a 2-1 win over Salem thanks to a Billy McKinney walk-off dinger! You can also thank Duane Underwood for dominating on the mound.

At the Plate:

Mark Zagunis is an on base machine, he was 0-for-2 with three walks in the win.
Billy McKinney is similar to Zagunis in regards to being one of those on base machines, he was 1-for-1 with FOUR walks, said walk-off dinger, an RBI, and a run scored.
Jacob Rogers, and Trey Martin each had one hit, both singles.

On the Mound:

Duane Underwood Jr. got the start tonight, and was brilliant. He worked seven innings, giving up one run on three hits while walking one, and striking out four.
Juan Paniagua was solid out of the pen, he worked two scoreless innings while striking out one.
Michael Heesch picked up his second win of the season, he worked a scoreless inning in doing so.

Full Box Score

A tough loss for the Smokies as they saw an early 4-0 lead slip away in a 5-4 loss. The Smokies scored four times in the first inning and couldn’t find anymore offense the rest of the way.

At the Plate:

Albert Almora has picked up where he left off before the injury, he was 1-for-4 with a run scored, he’s hitting .310 on the season.
Kyle Schwarber was solid in this one, he went 1-for-4 with a run scored.
Bijan Rademacher had the big hit for the Smokies, he was 1-for-4 with a double, and three RBI’s.
Elliot Soto was the best of the bunch tonight, he was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

On the Mound:

Corey Black got the start, and he struggled with his command, he worked five innings, giving up three runs on four hits while walking four, and striking out seven.
Fernando Cruz was outstanding out of the pen, he worked three scoreless innings, giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while striking out four.
Stephen Perakslis picked up the loss in this one, he worked two-thirds of an inning, giving up one run on three hits.

Full Box Score

Things got a little close late in this one but the South Bend Cubs hung on to beat Bowling Green 3-2. Not many teams can say that as Bowling Green boasts a 17-11 record on the year, tonight the Cubs had just enough.

At the Plate:

Charcer Burks has been great this year, it continued tonight, he was 1-for-3 with two walks, and two RBI’s.
Justin Marra found some extra base magic, he was 1-for-3 with a double, and a walk.
Jesse Hodges was solid as well, he went 1-for-3 with his fifth double of the year, a walk, and a run scored.
Jeffrey Baez had a nice game, he went 1-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored, maybe that will get him going.
Gleyber Torres continues to get on base, he was 1-for-4 with a walk in the win.

On the Mound:

Zach Hedges got the start, and he does what he usually does, put up zeroes. He worked five scoreless innings, giving up three hits while walking two, and striking out four.
Ryan McNeil was decent out of the pen, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out two.
Jordan Minch was touched up, he worked 1.2 innings, giving up one run on one hit while walking one, and striking out two.
James Farris had his shortest outing of the year, but it was all he needed to pick up his third save of the year. He worked a third of an inning to shut the door.

Full Box Score

The Iowa Cubs didn’t have much going in this one, but found a way to push four runs across the plate in the seventh for a 4-1 victory in Nashville.

At the Plate:

Arismendy Alcantara has been flashing the power in Iowa, he was 1-for-4 with a walk, his fourth dinger, two RBI’s, a stolen base, and a run scored.
Mike Baxter has been solid all year, he was 2-for-4 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .314 on the season.
Jonathan Mota was right in the middle of the action, he went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the win.
John Andreoli, Chris Valaika, and Taylor Davis all had one hit tonight.

On the Mound:

Tsuyoshi Wada got the start, and continues to make a push to be promoted, he worked 5.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits while walking two, and striking out six.
Gonzalez Germen has been awesome in Iowa, he worked 1.1 scoreless innings to pick up his third win, he struck out two in the process.
Blake Cooper worked a scoreless inning to pick up his second hold of the year.
Brian Schlitter worked a scoreless ninth to pick up his first save of the season.

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: May 2, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

SATURDAY • MAY 2, 2015

Full Box Score

A number of teams are having trouble beating Oklahoma City this year, you can add Iowa to said list as they lost yet again to the Dodger, 4-1.

At the Plate:

Arismendy Alcantara is starting to heat up, he was 2-for-3 with two walks, an RBI, and a stolen base.
Rubi Silva had a solid game, he was 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and an outfield assist.
Javier Baez, Taylor Teagarden, Christian Villanueva, and John Andreoli all had one hit in the loss.

On the Mound:

Tsuyoshi Wada got the start and was the hard luck loser as he was brilliant. Wada worked seven innings, giving up two run, both unearned, on two hits while walking one, and striking out five.
Yoanner Negrin couldn’t keep things close late in this one, he worked two innings, giving up two runs on three hits while walking three, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

After losing both an early and late lead, Tennessee somehow found a way to pull this one out with a run in the tenth. Of course that run came from a Kyle Schwarber dinger, hero.

At the Plate:

Kyle Schwarber only had one hit but it was a big one, he finished the night 1-for-5 with said dinger, an RBI, and a run scored.
Dan Vogelbach got back on track, he was 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.
Stephen Bruno has been good all year, he was 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored in the win.
Bijan Rademacher provided the early fireworks, he was 1-for-4 with a dinger, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Corey Black got the start and was missing bats left and right, he tossed 5.2 innings, giving up four runs, three earned, on six hits while walking two, and striking out ten(!).
Starling Peralta has been good all year, he was again last night, he worked two scoreless innings while surrendering three hits.
P.J. Francescon picked up a blown save, and a win, he worked 2.1 innings, giving up one run on four hits while striking out one.

Full Box Score

Things got a little dicey for the Pelicans late in this one, but they were able to weather the storm and hang on for a 5-4 win over Lynchburg.

At the Plate:

Mark Zagunis flashed some rare power, he was 1-for-3 with his first dinger of the year, an RBI, a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored.
Jacob Rogers had a solid game, he was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored.
Trey Martin was productive in the win, he was 1-for-4 with an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored.
Carlos Penalver had a great game from the bottom of the order, he was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two RBI’s.

On the Mound:

Paul Blackburn got the start, and picked up his second win of the season, he worked five innings, giving up one run on six hits while walking one, and striking out two.
Gerardo Concepcion had an off and on appearance, he worked two innings, giving up three runs on four hits while walking two, and striking out six.
Tayler Scott, and Jasvir Rakkar both worked a scoreless inning late with Rakkar picking up his second save of the season.

Full Box Score

It’s nice to be on this side of things, after blowing a number of saves early this year the South Bend Cubs finally registered a come back win of their own. Trailing 4-2 in the eighth the Cubs pushed three runs across to the delight of the sellout crowd in South Bend.

At the Plate:

Gleyber Torres is terrorizing Midwest League pitching, he went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base, and three runs scored.
Chesny Young had a great game, he was 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Cael Brockmeyer has been outstanding, he was 2-for-4 with a run scored in the win, and is hitting .356 on the season.
Yasiel Balaguert made his one hit count, he went 1-for-4 with a double, and three RBI’s.

On the Mound:

Trevor Clifton started this one, and didn’t get much help behind him. Clisfton worked five innings, giving up three runs, on earned, on three hits while walking two, and striking out three.
Tyler Ihrig was great out of the pen, and earned his first win of the season. Ihrig worked three innings, giving up one run on four hits in the process.
James Farris was perfect in the ninth to pick up his first save of the season, he struck out the side as well.

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 22, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

WEDNESDAY • APRIL 22, 2015

Full Box Score

The Iowa Cubs are struggling a bit since the departure of Kris Bryant, today was no different as they blew a late 3-2 lead en route to a 6-3 defeat.

At the Plate:

Jonathan Mota has had a hot start to 2015, he was 2-for-4 with an RBI, he’s now hitting .355 on the season.
Junior Lake was solid, he was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and an RBI.
John Andreoli was all over the bases, he was 1-for-2 with a double, two walks, a stolen base, and a run scored.
Taylor Davis, and Matt Szczur each had one hit in the loss this afternoon.

On the Mound:

Tsuyoshi Wada is working his way back from injury, he tossed 5.1 innings, giving up two runs on six hits while walking four, and striking out five.
Hunter Cervenka struggled in his return to AAA, he worked 1.2 innings, giving up three runs on three hits while walking four, and striking out three.
Joe Ortiz struggled with his command, he worked two innings, giving up one run on one hit while walking two, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

Things got off to a promising start for Myrtle Beach as they pushed across a run in the first, but that was it as they fell to Winston-Salem 4-1.

At the Plate:

Mark Zagunis had a decent day, he went 1-for-3 with a walk, and yet another outfield assist.
Wes Darvill had the best day, and he didn’t even start, he went 3-for-3 with a double, and a stolen base.
Billy McKinney, and Victor Caratini each had one hit in the loss.

On the Mound:

Jonathan Martinez got the start, and the loss today as be struggled with finding the plate. Martinez worked five innings, giving up three runs on five hits while walking four (see?), and striking out one.
Josh Conway was knocked around a bit, he worked 1.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits while walking two.
Gerardo Concepcion was outstanding again today, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings, he did not surrender a hit, and struck out two.

Full Box Score

There really isn’t much to say about this one, everything went right for South Bend as they destroyed Great Lakes 16-3. The Cubs pounded out twenty hits, and we the beneficiary of five errors in the win.

At the Plate (just going to list them):

Trey Martin went 2-for-6 with a double, and two runs scored.
Chesny Young was 3-for-3 with a stolen base, and four runs scored.
Gioskar Amaya went 1-for-3 with two walks, an RBI, and three runs scored.
Cael Brockmeyer was 3-for-4 with a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Justin Marra was 1-for-1 with his second dinger, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Jesse Hodges went 2-for-6 with a double, three RBI’s, and two runs scored.
Gleyber Torres was 2-for-5 with two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Charcer Burks was 2-for-3 with two walks, and a run scored.
Rashad Crawford went 2-for-5 with two RBI’s.

On the Mound:

Jeremy Null didn’t much help at all in this one, he worked six scoreless innings, giving up three hits, surrendering no walks, and striking out four.
Tommy Thorpe picked up the save, yes, a save. He worked three innings giving up three runs, one earned, on five hits while walking one, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

Another monster blow out tonight, this time it was the Smokies going all sorts of crazy on the Jackson Generals. After breaking out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first, the Smokies gave all four of them back to tie the game up. It was all Smokies, scoring eight runs over the next eight innings en route to a 13-4 win.

At the Plate:

Pin-Chieh Chen went 3-for-4, with a double, two walks, two runs scored.
Albert Almora was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a two runs scored.
Kyle Schwarber went 4-for-6 with an RBI, and a run scored.
Dan Vogelbach was 2-for-5 with a double, a dinger, a walk, five RBI’s, and two runs scored.
Stephen Bruno was 2-for-5 with a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Elliot Soto went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.
Ryan Dent wasnt 2-for-5 with a dinger, an RBI, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Ivan Pineyro got the start, and picked up the win, he tossed 5.2 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits while striking out six.
Zach Cates was solid tonight, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit while walking one, and striking out three.
Starling Peralta worked 1.2 scoreless innings while striking out three.

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 15, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

WEDNESDAY • APRIL 15, 2015

Full Box Score

It’s definitely hit or miss for the Iowa Cubs in the early going as they were only able to register eight hits, and two runs in a 3-2 loss this afternoon. That would have been just fine if the Cubs bullpen could have closed the door late, but poor command did them in, as it usually does late in ballgames. The Cubs got a great effort from starter Donn Roach, but couldn’t cash in when they needed to as they were 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

At the Plate:

John Andreoli had another nice game, he was 1-for-4 with a double, and a walk.
Chris Valaika snapped out of a funk today, he was 2-for-4 with a double, his second of the season.
Jonathan Mota has been red-hot as of late, he continued that today, he was 2-for-4 with an RBI, he’s now hitting .462 on the season.
Adron Chambers, and Addison Russell each had one hit in the loss.

On the Mound:

Donn Roach deserved better today, he was brilliant. Roach worked six scoreless innings, giving up one hit while striking out three.
Blake Cooper was just okay out of the pen, he worked 1.2 innings, giving up one run on two hits, but did pick up a hold.
Blake Parker had nothing today, he worked 1.1 innings, giving up one run on one hit while walking three(!).
Drake Britton took the loss in this one, he worked two-thirds of an inning, giving up one run on two hits while walking one.

Full Box Score

Well, that didn’t go so well. The South Bend Cubs didn’t have much of an opportunity in this one as they trailed 9-0 by the third inning en route to a 10-7 loss. It was nice to see the Cubs make a come back in this one, but there isn’t much you can do when you are chasing that many. Jake Stinnett just didn’t have anything tonight, he couldn’t find the plate, and the Cubs made three errors behind him, that’s a recipe for disaster.

At the Plate:

Trey Martin has been doing a pretty solid job at the top of the South Bend lineup, he was 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored. He also had an outfield assist.
Gioskar Amaya went 2-for-3 with a double, and a run scored in the loss.
Cael Brockmeyer continued the doubles binge that he is one, he went 2-for-4 with a walk, his sixth double of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.
Chesny Young had a solid game, he was 2-for-5 with an RBI, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Jake Stinnett got the start and as I said, struggled with his command. He worked 2.1 innings, giving up eight runs, five earned, on three hits while walking seven (see?), and striking out two.
Jasvir Rakkar came on in long relief and did a nice job, he worked 3.2 innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on four hits while striking out four.
David Bote, the infielder, saved the bullpen from further work in this one, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up three hits, while striking out two, go figure.

Both Tennessee, and Myrtle Beach were postponed.