Riding the Bus: April 17, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

FRIDAY • APRIL 17, 2015

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 11, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2015

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So close, the South Bend Cubs made things very interesting tonight as they scored in the 8th and 9th to push the game to extra’s. Unfortunately they couldn’t come up with anything else, and Bowling Green tallied twice in the 12th to win 7-5, South Bend’s fist loss of 2015.

At the Plate:

Charcer Burks was great out of the lead-off spot, he went 2-for-6 with a double, a triple, and two runs scored.
Jeffrey Baez is doing great things at the plate, he was 2-for-4 with two doubles in the loss. He also had an outfield assist, threw a runner out at the plate.
Gleyber Torres broke out tonight, he’s 18. He went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two runs scored.

On the Mound:

Erick Leal got the start tonight, and was knocked around a bit, didn’t get much help behind him, though. He worked five innings, giving up four runs, two earned on eight hits while walking two, and striking out three.
Jordan Minch worked a scoreless inning in relief, he did walk two, but escaped the trouble.
Ryan McNeil was brilliant tonight, he worked three innings, giving up one run, unearned on one hit while striking out five.
Francisco Carrillo got the loss, and only gave up one hit, he worked three innings, giving up two runs on one hit while striking out one.

Full Box Score

What a thrilling walk-off win for the Pelicans! All hope looked lost when Wilmington scored twice in the top of the tenth, but the Pelicans surged back to score three times in their half of the tenth to win it. Some really good performances from Pelican pitching today, kept them in it all night long.

At the Plate:

Jeimer Candelario had the big day for the Pelicans, he was 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Victor Caratini had a huge hit as well, he finished the night 1-for-4 with two RBI’s, and a walk.
Shawon Dunston Jr. continued his hot start, he went 2-for-4 in the win, he’s now hitting .400 on the season.

On the Mound:

Paul Blackburn made his 2015 debut, and was very good. He worked five innings, giving up one run on four hits while walking one, and striking out six.
Juan Paniagua was even better, he worked a perfect three innings, no hits, runs, or walks while striking out six.
Starling Peralta picked up the win, he worked two innings, giving up two runs on four hits while walking one, and striking out five. That’s right, the Pelicans struck out 17 guys, wow.

Full Box Score

Sloppy one tonight as the Smokies committed five errors in a 6-2 loss to the Braves. Kyle Schwarber launched his first home run of the season, an absolute blast, and things were looking good early. But a six run seventh for the Braves sealed the Smokie’s fate as they fall to 1-2 on the season.

At the Plate:

Pin-Chieh Chen knocked in one of the runs tonight, he finished 1-for-4 with said RBI in the loss.
Kyle Schwarber was 2-for-4 with a dinger, an RBI, and a run scored. Schwarber also gunned down a runner trying to steal second, good stuff.
Ryan Dent had a solid game, he went 1-for-2 with a walk, and was one of the few players without an error.
Christian Villanueva, and Dan Vogelbach each had one hit tonight.

On the Mound:

Felix Pena got the start for the Smokies and was outstanding, he worked six scoreless innings, giving up three hits while walking one, and striking out two.
Zach Cates wasn’t as good, he didn’t register an out, he gave up five runs, two earned, on one hit while walking three.
P.J. Francescon was solid at the end of this one, he worked two innings, giving up one run, unearned, no hits while walking one, and striking out two.

Full Box Score

So the Iowa Cubs struggled in the first two games of the season, note to self, don’t anger the Iowa Cubs. Thirteen runs, and sixteen hits later the Iowa Cubs put their offensive struggles in the rear view mirror. All eight position players that started had at least one hit, six players had at least two RBI’s, tasty.

At the Plate: (Take a seat, just going to list them)

Adron Chambers was 2-for-5 with two doubles, a walk, two RBI’s, and three runs scored.
Addison Russell was 1-for-5 with a walk, and two runs scored.
Kris Bryant was 3-for-4 with a dinger, a walk, three RBI’s, a double, and three runs scored.
Chris Valaika was 3-for-5 with a walk, a home run, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Junior Lake was 1-for-5 with two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Rubi Silva was 2-for-5 with two RBI’s, a run scored, and a stolen base.
Rafael Lopez was 1-for-4 with a walk, two RBI’s, a double, and a stolen base.
Mike Baxter was 2-for-5 with a run scored.

I’m tired.

On the Mound:

Eric Jokisch got the start but couldn’t work deep enough for the win, he worked 4.2 scoreless innings, giving up three hits while walking three.
Blake Cooper was really good out of the pen to get the win, he worked 2.1 scoreless innings, surrendering no hits while striking out four.
Gonzalez Germen, and Joe Ortiz each worked a scoreless inning in relief.

Riding the Bus; Cubs Minor League Reports (4/23/2014)

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2014

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The Cougars are rolling, it took a little while to get going today, but once they did they couldn’t be stopped. Trailing 2-0 in the 4th, the Cougars scored ten runs over the next four innings en route to a 10-4 victory.

At the Plate:

Carlos Penalver continues to rack up extra base hits, he was 1-for-4 with his fourth double of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
Daniel Canela had a solid day, he went 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
Will Remillard was the star today, he went 4-for-4 with a double, a walk, three RBI’s, and a run scored.
Jordan Hankins chipped in as well, he went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Shawon Dunston made some noise from the nine spot, he was 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, and two runs scored.

On the Mound:

Tyler Skulina got the start, and struggled a bit with his command. Skulina worked 4.1 innings, giving up three runs on six hits, while walking four, and striking out two.
Justin Amlung was stellar out of the pen, and was rewarded with his third win of the season. Amlung worked 3.2 scoreless innings, giving up four hits, while walking one, and striking out two.
Gerardo Concepcion closed things out, as he worked one inning, giving up one run on three hits, while striking out two.

Full Box Score

This one was over almost immediately as the Smokies exploded for eight runs in the first en route to a 9-1 win. Corey Black enjoyed the support, but he didn’t need it as he flirted with a no hitter in picking up the win. He actually had a no hitter, but was lifted after six because of pitch count.

At the Plate:

John Andreoli is on some kind of roll, he went 3-for-6 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .286 on the season.
Kris Bryant continues to get on base at an impressive clip, he went 1-for-5 with a walk, and a run scored in the win.
Rafael Lopez was super patient at the plate today, he went 1-for-2 with three walks, an RBI, and a run scored.
Dustin Geiger got back in the swing of things, he went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Rubi Silva muscled up today, he was 1-for-4 with his second home run of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
Wes Darvill was productive out of the nine spot, he went 2-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Corey Black was brilliant today, and was rewarded with his first win of the season. Black was un-hittable, he worked six scoreless, hit-less innings, while walking three, and striking out eight.
P.J. Francescon came on and did a great job out of the pen to pick up his first save. He worked three innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking two, and striking out two.

Full Box Score

A night after scoring eighteen runs, the D-Cubs had some trouble crossing the plate. Not too surprising, that’s usually how it goes, and Clearwater took advantage scoring four times in the 5th en route to a 6-3 win.

At the Plate:

Gioskar Amaya stayed hot today, he went 3-for-5 with a double, a stolen base, an RBI, and two runs scored.
Bijan Rademacher (1-for-2), and Dan Vogelbach (1-for-4) each had one hit, and one RBI in the loss.
Marco Hernandez was good today, he went 2-for-4 with two singles, he is now hitting .321 on the season.

On the Mound:

Rob Zastryzny got the start and was done in by one bad inning as he took his first loss of the season. Zastryzny worked 4.2 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, while walking one, and striking out five.
Michael Jensen was pretty good out of the pen, he worked 2.1 innings, giving up one run on one hit, while striking out three.
Zach Cates found some trouble out of the pen, he worked one inning, giving up one run on two hits, while striking out one.

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

SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2014

Full Box Score

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Full Box Score

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Full Box Score

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Full Box Score

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

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

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

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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.

Born on Third: Minor Matters – July 29, 2013

SPOTLIGHT GAME

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

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

SCORES

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TOP PERFORMERS

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

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

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

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

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

Minor Matters – June 10, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

Full Box Score

At The Plate – Runs came early and often in this one as Iowa held a 6-5 lead after five innings, they added an insurance run, which they would need en route to a 7-6 victory of Oklahoma City. Solid offensive day for Iowa as eight of the nine guys in the starting lineup had at least one hit and the Cubs were 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Logan Watkins was solid out of the leadoff spot going 2-for-5 with a double, and two RBI’s. Brad Nelson had a huge day going 2-for-4 with two home runs, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. All Junior Lake has done since coming back from injury is hit, he was 1-for-5 with his fifth double of the season, and two runs scored. Ian Stewart has found some magic at the plate as of late, he was 1-for-3 in this one with a double, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored.

On The Mound – Yoanner Negrin is still getting stretched out as he makes his transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation; he made his third start of the season last night. Negrin worked five innings giving up five runs on ten hits while walking two and striking out eight, he earned his first win of the season. Casey Coleman continued his brilliance of the pen as he worked three scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out two. Brian Schlitter worked a rocky ninth as he gave up one run on two hits while striking out one to earn his second save of the season.

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At The Plate – Tough loss for Tennessee as they let a 3-0 lead get away in the sixth inning, and wound up losing 4-3 in walk off fashion in the ninth. Arismendy Alcantara continued his stellar 2013 as he went 2-for-4 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .290 on the season. Christian Villanueva also was 2-for-4 with a run scored, unfortunately the Smokies could do nothing with runners in scoring position going 1-for-8. Rafael Lopez had a solid game going 2-for-4 with two doubles, that gives him fourteen on the season, he also had a run scored in the loss.

On The Mound – A.J. Morris got the start for the Smokies and was outstanding going 5.1 innings giving up one run on two hits while striking out four. Zach Rosscup is usually reliable, he was knocked around however as he worked one inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking one and striking out one. Trey McNutt is starting to turn things around, he was solid going 1.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit and striking out two. Kevin Rhoderick continued to struggle and got the loss, he worked two-thirds of an inning giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out one.

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At The Plate – Javier Baez, that’s all you need to know. These types of games don’t come around too often, in fact what Baez did was only the second time that it has been done in the 94 year history of the Florida State League. Baez was 4-for-4 with FOUR home runs (FOUR!), seven RBI’s (SEVEN), and four runs scored, have a day, kid. The huge night makes Baez’s numbers for the season look that much better, he’s hitting .291 with thirteen homers, and forty-four RBI’s, in a pitchers league. Wow.

On The Mound – Rough go of it for Zach Cates, but he did give Daytona some innings, and picked up his sixth win of the season. Cates worked six innings giving up four runs, three earned, on seven hits while striking out six. Luis Liria was knocked around out of the pen as he worked one inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking three (Not Good), and striking out two. Larry Suarez was tremendous out of the pen going 1.1 scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one. Frank Del Valle worked the final two-thirds of an inning to pick up his fourth save of the year, he walked one and struck out two in the process.

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At The Plate – Nothing going right for Kane County lately, and last night was no exception as they fell to Cedar Rapids 6-2. The Cougars could only manage two runs on six hits, but did walk four times, unfortunately they were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Albert Almora was 1-for-4 in the loss with his seventh double of the season, he is now hitting .423 for the year. Rock Shoulders found some hits last night, he was 2-for-4 with his twelfth double of the season, and a run scored. Oliver Zapata was 2-for-3 with a run scored, he now has his average up to .270 on the season.

On The Mound – Pierce Johnson got the start and had one of his worst outings of 2013 as he suffered his fifth loss of the season. Johnson worked 4.2 innings giving up five runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out four. Lendy Castillo took over and did a solid job of keeping the Cougars in it, he worked 3.1 innings giving up one run on three hits while striking out four.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Minor Matters – May 20, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

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At The Plate – The Smokies used a huge fourth inning to secure game one, with the game tied at one the Smokies exploded for seven runs in the fourth en route to a 9-2 victory. The Smokies pounded out twelve hits and scored nine times in just seven innings, and were 5-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Matt Szczur was 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .302 on the season. Arismendy Alcantara had a huge game going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. Christian Villanueva was 1-for-4 with his third home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Rafael Lopez, and Rubi Silva each had two hits in the victory, Silva added a double, and an RBI. Jonathan Mota was 1-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base, and two runs scored.

On The Mound – The Smokies only needed Alberto Cabrera in this one as he went the distance for his fourth win of the season. Cabrera went seven innings giving up two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out six. He improved his record to 4-1 and lowered his ERA to 3.69 on the season.

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At The Plate – The Smokies used all their bullets in game one as they could only manage five hits in a 1-0 loss to Chattanooga. Ronald Torreyes, Ty Wright, and Eric Jokisch all had one hit a piece; Jokisch had the only extra base hit for the Smokies. Christian Villanueva had a solid game going 2-for-3 in the loss.

On The Mound – Eric Jokisch got the start in game two and was even better than Cabrera in game one; unfortunately he couldn’t get the win. Jokisch worked six scoreless innings giving up three hits while walking one and striking out five. Marcus Hatley took over and also took the loss, he worked two-thirds of an inning giving up one run on one hit while walking two and striking out one.

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At The Plate – Daytona couldn’t get much going in this one as they could only manage six hits and one run in a 4-1 loss to Jupiter. The D-Cubs were in it until the end but Jupiter was able to plate three runs in the eighth to break this one open. Zeke DeVoss had another strong game, that’s two in a row for the struggling center fielder; he was 2-for-3 with two singles. Javier Baez seems to be heating up at the plate and making much more contact, he was 2-fo-4 with two doubles, and an RBI, he’s now hitting .262 on the season.

On The Mound – Kyler Burke is probably a name you have known has been missing this year; he has been working at extended spring training and made his 2013 debut tonight. Burke was solid going five innings giving up one run on four hits while walking two and striking out five. Eduardo Figueroa, who seems to pitch every day, was hung with the loss in this one after being roughed up. Figueroa worked 2.1 innings giving up three runs on five hits while walking one and striking out one. Sheldon McDonald was his usual solid self, tossing two-thirds of an inning giving up one hit while striking out one.

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At The Plate – Another very tough loss for the Cougars against the best team in the league, the Cougars lost three out of four, all three by one run, quite the fight in these games. Gioskar Amaya went 2-for-4 with a walk, two doubles, and two runs scored. Dan Vogelbach was 2-for-5 with two RBI’s; he’s now hitting .286 on the season, and has twenty-five RBI’s. Jeimer Candelario is heating up, he was 4-for-5 with two RBI’s, shocked he didn’t double, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .267 on the season. Rock Shoulder wasn’t able to register a hit in this one, but he did walk three times, he was 0-for-2 with a run scored.

On The Mound – Tayler Scott got the start for the Cougars, and did his best to hold off the Kernels but they eventually got to him. Scott worked 5.1 innings giving up five runs, four earned, on eight hits while walking two and striking out four. Nathan Dorris was roughed up which is a rare occurrence, he worked 1.2 innings giving up three runs on three hits while walking three and striking out two. Steve Perakslis worked a scoreless inning out of the pen while walking one.

NOTES: Iowa was rained out. On a more serious note, there has been some terrible weather ripping through the midwest, I just want to take this opportunity to say that my thoughts and prayers are with those of Moore, Oklahoma, terribly sad.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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