Rodrigo Lopez – Born on Third

7/29: Around the Cubs Minor League System

Sunday, July 29th Cubs minor league report. Tennessee was off on Sunday.

The AZL Cubs lost to the AZL Reds 7-3. Dillon Maples made his much anticipated debut on Sunday, giving up one run in one pitched. He stuggled with his command walking two and throwing a wild pitch, but struck out one and got out of a tough jam with a double play. Paul Blackburn pitched 2.1 innings, giving up two hits, no runs, and striking out two. Chad Martin took the loss, giving up three runs in his one inning of work. Our nightly watch of Albert Almora and Jorge Soler was on again. Almora went 1-for-4 and Soler was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Trevor Gretzky and Carlos Penalver each had two hits with Penalver driving one in. Daniel Lockhart also had an RBI.

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Boise got one in the third, which proved to be enough beating Tri-City 1-0. Ian Dickson started and pitched weel allowing no runs on three hits in five innings pitched. He also walked two and struck four. Hunter Ackerman was outstanding in relief picking up his first save. He struck out six in just four innings and allowed only one hit. Gioskar Amaya hit his fifth home run of the year and ended the day 2-for-3. Rock Shoulder also had two hits, including a double and after a slow start his average is now up to .271. Jeimer Candelario added a hit and Marco Hernadnez had a double in the game as well. Lets hope the pitching continues down this path as that is two 1-0 wins in a row.

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Peoria scored nine in the first three innings and held on to beat Beloit 10-6. The offense led the way in this one. Dustin Geiger was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Pin-Chieh Chen was 3-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs. Unbelievably, Javier Baez only had one hit, but he did drive in two and score one. Wes Darvill also had two hits and drove a run in and Chadd Krist also had an RBI. Larry Suarez got the win in relief for Peoria striking out three in 1.2 innings pitched and Bryce Shafer closed out the game pitching a scoreless ninth. Lets see if Peoria can keep playing well going forward.

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A six run fifth helped Daytona win this shootout 12-7. The Cubs had a lot of nice games at the plate on Sunday. Ronald Torreyes went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Rafael Lopez had two hits, including his second home run of the season. Elieser Bonne was 3-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Leadoff man John Andreoli had two hits, stole three bases (40), and scored three runs. Matt Loosen wasn’t at his on Sunday, but it was good enough for him to improve his record to 10-3. He gave up five runs, four earned on six hits in five innings pitched. AJ Morris recorded his third save pitching a scoreless last 1.2 innings. Good to see Daytona hitting the ball and Matt Loosen get to the 10-win mark.

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Leading by one in the bottom of the ninth, Iowa gave up one there and then gave up three in the bottom of the 10th to lose 6-3. James Adduci continues to hit the ball going 3-for-5 on Sunday. Welington Castillo was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer on, his sixth of the season. Adrian Cardenas and Josh Vitters each had a hit. Brett Jackson didn’t have any hits, but he did walk and steal a base, his 24th of the season. Rodrigo Lopez actually pitched well going five innings and allowing only two runs, one earned on five hits, while striking out five. After Ryan Rowland-Smith and Esmailin Caridad pitched the next three scoreless innings the rest of the bullpen blew it. Michael Bowden gave up the run in the ninth and Jay Jackson took the loss giving up a three run homer in the tenth. It’s just not going well for Iowa, finding different ways to lose almost every night.

Thanks for Reading,
-Mark

7/24: Around the Cubs Minor League System

Tuesday July 24 minor league recap.

Peoria was off.

The AZL Cubs were at it again on Tuesday beating the AZL Indians 9-2. Jorge Soler did it again, hitting his second home run in four games. This one off the scoreboard in left. Soler would add another hit ending the night 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Ben Carhart continued his hot hitting going 2-for-4 with a double and a home run. He also drove in three and scored a run. Speaking of hot, Shawon Dunston Jr. had two more hits, a double and a triple plus he scored three runs from the lead off spot. Albert Alomora did not have a hit, but did drive two runs in and scored two. 2012 Comp. pick Paul Blackburn recorded his first win of the season, pitching two scoreless innings in relief. Another good win for the Cubs in the AZL.

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Boise got another great pitching peformance out of their staff on Tuesday beating the Yakima Bears 2-1. Ian Dickson was tremendous thowing six no-hit innings before being removed in the seventh. Dickson struck out four en route to his second win of the season. Hunter Ackerman gave up a run, but struck out three in 2.1 innings and Michael Hamann closed it out recording his first save of the season. Jeimer Candelario had a nice night at the dish going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. In his first game as a Hawk, Dan Vogelbach was 2-for-4 with a double. Gioskar Amaya, Stephen Bruno, and Trey Martin each added a hit and Bruno scored a run. It is nice to see the Hawks pitching have a nice couple days here.

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Daytona held on to beat Brevard County 4-3 on Tuesday night. Matt Loosen started and got the win pitching six innings while allowing two runs on only three hits. He also walked three and struck out eight, lowering his ERA to 2.81. Ryan Searle struck out two in the seventh and AJ Morris pitched the last two recording his first save of the season. Rubi Silva went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Ronald Torreyes, Matt Szczur, Rebel Ridling, and Micah Gibbs all had a hit. Daytona will play two on Wednesday.

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Tennessee was back in action Tuesday pounding Jacksonville 9-2. The Smokies showed some power hitting three home runs on the evening. Junior Lake was 2-for-5 with a double, a homer, and two RBIs. Greg Rohan added two hits of his own including a home run and Michael Brenly connected on his fifth homer of the year. Nelson Perez had his best day since going to Double-A as he went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Michael Burgess also added two hits and scored two runs. Eric Jokisch got the start and the win for the Smokies giving up one run on four hits in five innings pitched while striking out eight. Brian Schlitter, Kevin Rhoderick, and Casey Weathers combined to pitch the last four innings allowing one run and striking out five. This is the way to come back after a day off.

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Another day another bad loss for Iowa, losing 15-9 on Tuesday. Offensively Iowa couldn’t have done much more on Tuesday scoring nine runs on twelve hits. Welington Castillo was 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Brett Jackson hit his 14th home run of the season and drove in two. Josh Vitters had one hit and also drove in two as did Alfredo Amezaga. Dave Sappelt and Diory Hernandez each had two hits as well. The pitching was terrible yet again on Tuesday. Rogrio Lopez got the start and promtly gave up eight runs in 3.2 innings pitched. Ryan Rowland-Smith took the loss as he gave up three more runs in just 1.2 innings. Iowa continues to struggle.

Thanks for Reading,
-Mark

7/16: Around the Cubs Minor League System

A trip through the Cubs minor league system.

Wow AZL just continue to score this time beating the AZL Athletics 11-8. The Cubs had some new heroes on Monday. Shawon Dunston Jr. had two hits, hit a his first home run and knocked in four. Daniel Lockhart, Timothy Saunders, and Jacob Rogers all had two hits and Rogers added to RBIs. Ben Carhart also had two RBIs and Dan Vogelbach drove in his 27th run of the season. Lendy Castillo continued his rehab assignment pitching three innings allowing no runs on only two hits. He also struck out four. The rest of the pitchers on Monday struggled, but David Henrie was able to pick up his fourth win of the season.

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Tied at five in the bottom of the ninth, up stepped Jeimer Candelario. He promptly ended the game hitting a walk-off home run giving Boise the win 6-5. Bijan Rademacher and Stephen Bruno each had three hits in the win, with Rademacher scoring three runs. Marco Hernandez added two hits including a triple and drove in one. Rock Shoulders and Carlos Escobar each contributed with an RBI each and Xavier Batista had two RBIs. Eduardo Orozco pitched well again pitching two scoreless innings and getting the win. He has not allowed a run in eight innings pitched this season in Boise. Starting pitcher Jose Arias pitched five innings allowing three runs, two earned on four hits and striking out four.

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Peoria scored seven times in from the fifth inning on and beat Bowling Green 8-3. Paul Hoilman was outstanding at the plate going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three RBIs. Pin-Chieh Chen also collected three hits. He also scored three and drove in one. Chadd Krist continued his impressive streak adding two hits and driving one in. Javier Baez had yet another hit and had two RBIs. Starling Peralta earned his third win of the season pitching five scoreless innings. He struck out five, walked three, gave up five hits. His ERA now stands at 2.81. It was a good win for Peoria on Monday and will look to build on that.

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Four early runs proved to be all Charlotte would need beating Daytona 5-3. Kyler Burke struggled early, but settled down allowing four runs on nine hits in six innings. He took the loss on Monday and his record at Daytona stands at 1-3. Offensively, Matt Szczur and Rebel Ridling each had two hits. They both scored a run and they each had a double. Szczur stole two bases bring his total to 32 and Ridling added an RBI. Elieser Bonne had a double and an RBI and Matthew Cerda drove in a run as well.

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Tennessee was able to score eight runs, but it was not enough losing to Jackson 10-8. The 2-3-4 hitters for the Smokies did an unbelievable job as each of those hitters had three hits. Jae-Hoon Ha was 3-for-5 with triple, home run, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Logan Watkins and Justin Bour each had three hits, with Bour driving one in. Greg Rohan and Nate Samson had two hits a piece, with Rohan adding an RBI. Junior Lake and Michael Brenly only had one hit, but each drove in two and Brenly hit his fourth home run of the season. The pitching was not so good on Monday. Starter Ty’relle Harris only was able to last 2.2 innings as he gave up six runs. Zach Rosscup and Trey McNutt each surrendered two runs in their two innings of work. McNutt took the loss, his eighth of the season. It’s always tough to lose, but when you score eight and lose it is really tough.

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Iowa had one of the those games again where they aren’t good in any aspect. They were outhit 16-4, made two errors, and lost 6-1 where it really counts. I guess I will start with the offense on this one. Brett Jackson hit his league leading 11th triple and scored the Cubs lone run when he was driven in by Adrian Cardenas. Josh Vitters had another hit, as did Blake Lalli and James Adduci. Rodrigo Lopez took the loss in this one allowing 12 hits and four runs in just five innings. After Ryan Rowland-Smith gave up two more, Alberto Cabrera and Michael Bowden didn’t allow another run in the last 1.1 innings. Not a good one for Iowa on Monday.

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Thanks for Reading,
Mark

7/4: Around the Cubs Minor League System

Happy 4th of July from the Cubs minor leagues.

Boise lost to Tri-City on Wednesday 5-3. Despite the loss there were a couple bright spots for the Hawks. Chadd Krist was 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Rock Shoulders also went 3-for-4 with a double and had two RBI’s. Dong-Yub Kim had a double and an RBI. Stephen Bruno and Bijan Rademacher each added a hit and Rademacher also scored a run. Wellington Cruz got the start and took the loss. His record now stands at 1-2. Felix Pena was really good out of the bullpen striking out two and allowing only a hit in four innings pitched.

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Peoria had a nice win topping Burlington 8-2. There was a lot of good things happening at the plate Wednesday for the Chiefs. Dustin Geiger was 2-for-3 with two home runs, three runs scored and three RBI’s. Oliver Zapata was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI’s and Taiwan Easterling was 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and one RBI. Javier Baez had one hit, drove in a run, and scored one and Zeke DeVoss added a triple. Benefiting from the eight runs Michael Jensen earned his eighth win. he pitched six innings giving up two runs, one earned on six hits while striking out five. Austin Reed struck out three in two innings of relief and Yao-Lin Wang pitched a scoreless ninth to secure Peoria’s victory.

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Daytona got the scoring started in the first, but failed to score after that losing to Dunedin 5-2. Rubi Silva was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Rebel Ridling also had two hits including a two-run double in the first. Ronald Torreyes and Elieser Bonne each recorded two hits of their own. Robert Whitenack only lasted 3.1 innings giving up five runs, four earned on four hits, while striking out five and walking two. Edwardo Figueroa and Jeffrey Lorick did a great job in relief, only allowing one hit and one walk while striking out five in the final 4.2 innings.

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Tennessee lost a close one on Wednesday 4-3. Greg Rohan hit his first home run since moving to Double-A, and he also drove in two runs. Justin Bour was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Elliot Soto also had two hits. Jae-Hoon Ha and James Adduci each had a hit and scored a run on Wednesday. Dallas Beeler took the loss giving up four runs, three earned on nine hits in 4.1 innings. Casey Harman and Ty’relle Harris pitched well in relief. Each gave up a hit, but did not give up a run in the next 4.2 innings of the game.

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Iowa got the crap beat out of them on Wednesday losing to Omaha 11-2. Rodrigo Lopez was aweful allowing eight runs, six earned on 11 hits in just 4.1 innings pitched. Mike MacDougal was terrible once again giving up two runs in one inning pitched. One has to wonder how much longer MacDougal will be pitching for this organization as his ERA now stands at 7.85. Esmailin Caridad struck out four in 2.2 innings, but he also gave up one run and Jeff Beliveau pitched a scoreless ninth. There weren’t too many bright spots, but Brett Jackson was 2-for-4 with two RBI’s hitting out of the five spot tonight. Adrian Cardenas was 2-for-3 with a run scored and Matt Tolbert also added two hits. Josh Vitters and Dave Sappelt each added a hit and Sappelt scored a run.

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Thanks for Reading,
Mark

6/29: Around the Cubs Minor Leagues

A trip around the minor leagues on Friday, June 29.

Boise dropped the game on Friday 4-1. Wellington Cruz pitched well for the Hawks, but took the loss. He gave up one run on three hits while striking out five in five innings of work. Felix Pena struggled in relief and Bryce Shafer pitched a scoreless 1.1 innings. Stephen Bruno was the only Hawks player to have multiple hits going 2-for-4 with a double and a triple. He also scored the lone run when Jeimer Candelario drove him in in the ninth.

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Peoria took a tough loss as they lost 8-7 to Wisconsin. Things started out greatas Peoria took a 6-1 lead, but Micahel Jensen and the defense would give up the lead in the fourth. Jensen gave up six runs, three earned on six hits in five innings pitched. Luis Liria took the loss in relief giving up the winning run in the bottom of the 10th. The Cheifs got two hits a piece from Javier Baez, Anthony Giansanti, and Yasiel Balaguert. The RBI’s for Peoria came from Taiwan Easterling, Paul Hoilman, Pin-Chieh Chen, and Giansanti. This was a tough loss for Peoria, but hopefully they can come back strong in the next one.

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It was a crazy one in Daytona tonight, as Dunedin scored eight times in the last four innings, including three in the ninth to beat the Cubs 11-10. Scott Weismann blew his second save of the season and took his third loss giving up three runs in the bottom of the ninth. Frank Del Valle got the start and he gave up five runs in 5.2 innings. As bad as the pitching was on Friday, the offense was good. Matt Szczur, Arismendy Alcantara, Rubi Silva, and Elieser Bonne all had two hits. Ronald Torreyes went 3-for-4 with a homer, double, two runs scored, and an RBI on the night. Szczur and Alcantara each drove in two runs and Greg Rohan drove in two bringing his season total to 65.

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A lot of runs were scored, but Tennessee hung on to beat Birmingham 10-8. Dallas Beeler got his third win of the season giving up two runs and striking out four in five innings of work. Marcus Hatley had a rough night in relief, but Frank Batista was good once again recording his 13th save. Justin Bour was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI’s. Logan Watkins, Jae-Hoon Ha, Juan Apodaca, Matt Cerda, and Michael Burgess all had two hit games as well. Apodaca, and Burgess also had three RBI’s. On a day where Junior Lake went 0-for-4 it was nice to see the Tennessee offense put up 10 runs.

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Iowa had a good night from the pitching to the hitting as they won 7-0. Josh Vitters was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI’s. Brett Jackson and Alfredo Amezaga also added two hits and an RBI a piece. Adrian Cardenas went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI’s and a run scored. Rodrigo Lopez pitched great giving no runs on three hits in six innings. Esmailin Caridad and Alberto Cabrera pitched well in relief.

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It was an entertaining night throughout the Cubs minor leagues with a lot of runs scored.

Thanks for Reading,
Mark

6/24: Around the Cubs Minor League System

June 24,2012 – Minor League Recap

Crazy night in Boise as the Hawks and the Emeralds combined for 25 runs on 32 hits, and five errors. Boise came out on top 14-11, but not before a scare in the ninth with Eugene putting a six spot on the board. Willengton Cruz pitched surprisingly well given the final score, he went five strong innings giving up three runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out two to earn his first win of the season. The Hawks hit four home runs in the offensive onslaught. Gioskar Amaya, Marco Hernandez, Jeimer Candelario, and Shawon Dunston Jr. all went deep. Six different Hawks had two hits in the victory, check out the box score, it’s enjoyable.

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Another crazy game in the Cubs system as the Peoria Chiefs and Quad Cities combined for 23 runs on 30 hits, and Quad Cities made six errors to help the Chiefs to a 12-11 victory. Michael Jensen finally had a bad outing but was bailed out by his teammates. Jensen only lasted four innings, giving up seven runs on seven hits, while walking one and striking out three. Hunter Cervenka finally gave up a run, in fact a few of them, but thanks to a potent offensive attack he earned the win. Every Chiefs player had at least one hit in the wild victory. Pin-Chieh Chen was 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored. Dustin Geiger continues to have a solid 2012 after starting late due to injury. He was 1-for-4 with his 3rd home run of the season, and three RBI’s. Anthony Giansanti was 2-for-5 at the plate with two RBI’s, he is now hitting .301 0n the season.

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Daytona was postponed by stupid rain.

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Smokies were leading 2-1 against Jacksonville before the game was suspended. This game will resume once the rain decides to stop.

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Rodrigo Lopez struggled with his command, the result was a 5-2 loss to Round Rock. Lopez lasted six innings giving up four runs on three hits, while walking three and striking out five. Brett Jackson stayed hot at the plate going 1-for-3 with his 11th home run of the season, he also had a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored. Welington Castillo was 3-for-4 in the defeat with an RBI, he is now hitting .339 on the season. Anthony Rizzo took an 0-for-3 on the eve of his recall, by all accounts Rizzo will be at Wrigley Field and in the lineup Tuesday night.

Thanks for reading,
– George

6/19: Around the Cubs Minor League System

A look at the minor leagues on June 19.

After getting their first win of the season Boise dropped the game on Tuesday 4-1. Offensively the Hawks had eight hits, but could only plate one run. Marco Hernandez, Wilson Contreras, and Dong-Yub Kim all had two hits. Contreras drove in the only Hawks run on the day. Gioskar Amaya and Brian Inoa also had hits on Tuesday. Wellington Cruz got the start and was pretty good in his five innings of work. He allowed one unearned run on only three hits and struck out six. Felix Pena got the loss as he allowed three runs only one of which was earned in three innings.

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Matt Loosen has been good this year, but he took the loss on Tuesday dropping his record to 5-2. He pitched six innings allowing four runs, three earned on seven hits, while he striking out five. Joseph Zeller, Jeffrey Lorick, and Scott Weismann all pitched well in relief as they combined to pitch three innings of perfect baseball while striking out five. From an offensive standpoint Arismendy Alcantara went 3-for-4 with a double. Taylor Davis went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Rubi Silva drove in the other Cubs run on Tuesday as he also had a double. Alcantara also stole his 20th bag of the season.

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Iowa had 13 hits, but could only score three runs as they lost to Round Rock 6-3. Alfredo Amezaga and Blake Lalli each had three hits and Lalli drove in a run. Dave Sappelt and Ty Wright had two hits a piece and Wright drove a run in. Josh Vitters hit his 10th home run of the season. Rodrigo Lopez took the loss Tuesday giving up six runs in five innings of work. Esmalin Caridad and Rafael Dolis each pitched well in relief.

Thanks for Reading,
Mark

6/13: Around the Cubs Minor League System

A look at the minor league system on Wednesday June 13.

Peoria scored early and often, scoring six runs in the first four innings. That would prove to be plenty for starter Jose Rosario as the Chiefs won 7-1. The offense pounded out 12 hits, including two-hit games by Zeke DeVoss, Dustin Geiger, Javier Baez, and Yasiel Balaguert. Baez and Geiger each hit a homer and each added two RBI’s. DeVoss, Balaguert, and Oliver Zapata also had RBI’s on the day. Not to be overlooked was the great pitching performance by Rosario who gave up one run on three hits in 6.1 innings of work. Hunter Cervenka through another scoreless inning while striking out two. He has not allowed a hit in 10.1 innings or a base runner in 8.2, his ERA is now down to 0.63.

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Daytona was trailing 3-1 in the the third when the game was suspended due to weather. The game will pick up in the fourth inning tomorrow and will then play a seven inning game after the conclusion of the first game.

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Tennessee fell behind early, but came back to score six straight to win 6-3. Dae-Eun Rhee gave up three early runs, but stayed around long enough to get his fourth win of the season. Justin Bour had two hits including his 16th double and he also drove his 50th run of the season. Junior Lake added two hits as well including a triple. James Adduci hit his fifth homer of the season and also had two RBI’s on the day. Jae-Hoon Ha, Wellington Castillo, and Michael Burgess all contributed with RBI’s as well. Frank Batista closed the game out pitching two scoreless innings, and notching his ninth save of the season.

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Not much excitement at Iowa today as the Cubs lost 5-2. Not only did Iowa lose, but there was no Anthony Rizzo as he is day-to-day with a right knee contusion and there was no Brett Jackson in the lineup as well. Rodrigo Lopez pitched six innings allowing three runs on eight hits. Continuing his rehab Geovany Soto caught some today and also hit a double. Luis Valbuena had two hits including a double and an RBI. Blake Lalli had the only other RBI on the day.

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Thanks for Reading,
Mark

6/2: Around the Cubs Minor League System

Javier Baez hit his first home run of his proessional career on Saturday night helping the Chiefs destroy Kane County 15-3. Baez ended the game going 3-for-5 with three RBI’s and two runs scored. Yasiel Balaguert and Taiwan Easterling also delivered three RBIS’s and Anthony Giansanti had two. Also contributing offensively was Wes Darvill who went 4-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored. One of the more unusual stats came from Pin-Chieh Chen who went 1-for-1 with five walks and four runs scored.As good as the bats were on Saturday, starting pitcher Jose Rosario was just as good. He pitched seven scoreless innings giving up three hits and striking out ten. He improved his record to 4-5. The game got interesting late when up 13-0 Baez swung at a 3-0 pitch. Kane County’s manager visited the mound and Baez got hit in the ribs on the next pitch. Things stayed calm and Baez will learn from the experience.

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After scoring 16 on Friday night, Daytona answered by scoring 10 more Saturday beating Fort Myers 10-5. Everyone in the lineup had at least one hit as Daytona pounded out 16 hits. John Andreoli scored three time and he Rubi Silva both had three hits for the Cubs. Arismendy Alcantara and Nelson Perez added two hits a piece with each driving in three runs. The Cubs used four pitchers to take care of the win. Ryan Searle eventually got his second win of the year as he went three strong innings in relief only giving up two hits and striking out three. The Cubs bats look stay hot as we move into Sunday.

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Montgomery outlasts Tennessee winning 4-3 in 10 innings. The Smokies got the scoring started in the second inning and scored another in the fifth to take a 3-0 lead. Montgomery would put up a three spot starter Dae-Eun Rhee in the sixth and the score would stay tied until the bottom of the tenth when the Biscuits walked off with a win. Jae-Hoon Ha had three hits and a run scored on the day. RBI’s came from Justin Bour, Nate Samson, and Elliot Soto. Junior Lake had rough day as he went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. It is always tough to lose games when you are up by three or more runs late in the game, we will see how Tennessee responds.

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Iowa scored enough to win most nights, but giving up seven runs in the seventh proved to be too much. It looked good for Iowa early as they scored the first five runs of the game. Oklahoma City would get right back in the game when they scored four in the third. Iowa would score the next three runs of the game, however the bullpen could not hold the lead giving up seven in the seventh. Offensively there were a lot of good things as Brett Jackson stayed red hot going 3-for-5 with two doubles and a triple. Anthony Rizzo was back on Saturday, he went 2-for-4 with a double. Former first rounder Josh Vitters continues to swing a good bat as he had two hits including his ninth home run of the year. Luis Valbuena, Ty Wright, and Blake Lalli all had multi-hit games. Unfortunately for Cubs this game was pitched by are all designated team, as Rodrigo Lopez, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Mike MacDougal were are all terrible. Hopefully Iowa can respond tomorrow with a victory.

Thanks for reading,
– George

5/25: Around the Cubs Minor League System

Here is a recap of the Cubs minor league system from 5/25/12, enjoy.

Peoria jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and that was all they needed as they knocked off Clinton 3-1. Starling Peralta was very good for the Chiefs as he worked four innings only allowing one run on five hits while walking one and striking out two. Zeke DeVoss got things started at the top as he was 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and a run scored. Paul Hoilman continues to hit the ball hard as he went 1-for-4 with a triple and an RBI, he is now hitting .298 on the season.

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Heartbreaking, that’s the only way you can describe the D-Cubs loss to Clearwater as they fell 2-1, giving up both runs in the top of the ninth. The blown save spoiled Austin Kirk’s outstanding performance on the mound. Kirk, who has been one of the best pitchers in the Cubs organization this year went 8 scoreless innings, only allowing seven hits, walking none, and striking out four, his ERA is now at 2.34 on the season. Micah Gibbs, Rubi Silva, and Dustin Harrington all had three hits at the plate as Daytona finished with one run on nine hits.

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The Smokies held Mobile in check all night, but that was almost not good enough as Mobile’s comeback came up short giving the Smokies a 4-3 win. Mobile only had two hits on the night, but managed to plate three runs, timely hitting I guess. Eric Jokisch was really good for the Smokies tossing five innings of one hit baseball, he only allowed two runs, walked one, and struck out three. Kevin Rhoderick came on in relief and was lights out, what else is new, his ERA drops to 0.90 on the season. Luis Flores was 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, a home run and an RBI. Jae-Hoon Ha popped his second home run of the season, and James Adduci finished his day 2-for-2, he’s now hitting .312 on the year.

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Anthony Rizzo did not start so might as well skip this game, I’m kidding of course. Rodrigo Lopez started this game and left after one pitch with a sore groin. Jay Jackson jumped into duty and was terrific going five innings allowing one run on three hits, he walked two, and struck out five. Carlos Marmol got some work in on his way back to the Cubs, he worked one inning, giving up a hit and a walk with a strike out. The I-Cubs only managed five hits, but had just enough to pull out a 2-1 win. Luis Valbuena was 1-for-4 at the plates with a game winning solo home run in the ninth inning.

Thanks for reading,
– George