Looking Back at the Travis Wood Trade

December 23, 2011.  That was the day that Theo Epstein and company made their first “big” move to signal a shift in the direction of this organization, it also meant the beginning of starting over.  Theo Epstein signed on with the Cubs just two months prior to the Travis Wood deal, so he acted quickly, and gave a change hungry fan base something to chew on, and for the most part, they hated it.  Sean Marshall was the centerpiece of the deal for the Reds, and Marshall was coming off two brilliant seasons out of the Cubs bullpen.  Fans were borderline outraged that Theo could come in here and trade the Cubs best reliever, and lefty as well, some of us were thrilled though, as it meant that the Cubs just acquired a 24 year-old left handed starter for an aging bullpen arm that meant more to a contending team than to one starting over.

This was my take on the Travis Wood trade, it was in our very first blog post (1/29/2012)

“The fact that the Cubs could trade a relief pitcher and get three players, including a left handed 24 year starting pitcher is tremendous.  Sean Marshall has put up stellar numbers out of the Cubs pen the last few years, but given the direction of the team, and the fact that Marshall had only one year remaining under team control it was a no brainer to take this deal.  Furthermore, the fact that the new CBA eliminates compensation from MLB for the type of FA Marshall would be after this year played a big role in the deal.  Acquiring Travis Wood seems like a no lose situation for the Cubs, as he will be in the rotation or given every opportunity to be in the rotation.  He has shown the ability to have plus stuff at the Major League level, and it’s hard to pass that up given his upside.”

Here was Epstein’s reaction to the deal from the Sun-Times

‘‘No doubt our bullpen just got weaker,’’ said Epstein, who also acquired rookie outfielder Dave Sappelt and infield prospect Ronald Torreyes in the deal. ‘‘But I think our starting rotation just got stronger and our farm system got better. And if Wood bounces back to pitch like he did for that half of 2010, you could even argue we got better for 2012.’’

The trade was a calculated risk by the Cubs as they knew that they had very little use for Sean Marshall at the time, but trading away a guy like him could very well come back to bite them, especially given the fact that the main piece they were getting back (Wood) was coming off a rough year.  So far, the return on investment has been fantastic, and the real payoff is still down the road a bit.  Travis Wood has cemented himself in this Cubs rotation not only right now, but also when the Cubs are contending, and that’s all that Theo and Company could have hoped for.  Let’s take a look at the numbers since this deal happened.

Dave Sappelt – Sappelt did some good things within the organization, unfortunately the thing he was best at was messing around on Twitter.  He is no longer with the Cubs, and is currently in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.

Ronald Torreyes -Roni hit at every level before coming to the Cubs, but struggled a bit once he was here.  He has moved on to the Astros organization, and at 21 years old is having a solid season at the Triple A level.  I wanted him to stay here because I thought he was someone the Cubs could have used, but losing him was not the end of the World.

Travis Wood – I really couldn’t be any happier with how Wood has performed on the North Side.  He has started 62 games over the last three seasons for the Cubs, his record over that time is 16-27, which is more of a reflection of the teams he’s been on than himself.  Wood has worked 381 innings, giving up 161 runs, 150 earned (3.54 ERA) on 323 hits, while walking 124, and striking out 291.  That is pretty solid right there, excellent number two, or number three stuff on a contending pitching staff.

Sean Marshall – Marshall did exactly what the Reds wanted him to do in 2012 in his first season in Cincinnati, unfortunately he was bit by the injury bug and hasn’t been able to be on the mound consistently.  Marshall has a 5-6 record with the Reds over the last three years with nine saves, and a 2.36 ERA.  The issue, as I mentioned, has been his health, he has only worked 72.1 innings for the Reds, giving up 21 runs, 19 earned, on 61 hits, while walking 18, and striking out 85.  Those are solid numbers for what he is, and that is something the Cubs just didn’t need at the time he was traded.

Is it a little early to declare a winner in this trade?  Probably, but when things are all said and done, I think Travis Wood will mean more to a great Cubs season and future than Sean Marshall would have.  Sean Marshall can still be a weapon for the Reds, and if healthy, has plenty of years left on the mound, but I don’t think anyone is too upset that he is no longer pitching for the Cubs, and those same fans that were outraged earlier are most likely thrilled with Travis Wood.

Minor Matters – June 4, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

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At The Plate – After four innings the Cubs didn’t have much going, then they erupted for ten runs over the final four innings en route to a 10-2 victory.  Logan Watkins had an outstanding game at the top of the order going 3-for-5 with three singles and two runs scored.  Brian Bogusevic continues to pad his stats as he was 2-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season, a walk, three RBI’s, and two runs scored.  Steve Clevenger is on the comeback trail, he was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, he’s hitting .429 since returning from that horrible oblique injury.  Brad Nelson had a productive day going 2-for-4 with his eighth home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.  Ian Stewart is still alive, and was decent in this one going 1-for-4 with his first home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Brooks Raley got the start, and I’m not 100% certain but I think Raley had to leave early in this one as he only threw fifty-one pitches.  Raley worked 3.1 innings giving up one run on three hits while walking one and striking out two.  Casey Coleman continues to do tremendous work out of the pen; he worked 3.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out two to earn his first win of the season.  Marcus Hatley scuffled a bit, and has since his promotion to Iowa; he worked one inning giving up one run on two hits.  Alex Burnett, who cleared waivers and was optioned to Iowa got some work in today, he went one scoreless inning giving up one hit.

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At the Plate – Not a lot of offense in this one from the D-Cubs but it was enough as they squeaked out a 1-0 victory over Bradenton.  John Andreoli was 2-for-4 with two singles, and his sixteenth stolen base of the season.  Tim Saunders was 2-for-4; he also had two singles, but had a caught stealing in this one.  The only RBI of the game came from Jorge Soler; he finished the day 0-for-2 with said RBI on a sacrifice fly.

On The Mound – Ben Wells was outstanding to start things off for Daytona; he improved his record to 4-4 on the season with the win.  Wells worked five scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking three and striking out four.  Frank Del Valle was just as good out of the pen and earned the rare four inning save in a one run game.  Del Valle worked four scoreless innings giving up four hits while striking out four.

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At The Plate – The Smokies looked like they had control of this one with an early 4-1 lead but had to battle back from a 6-4 deficit which they did; as they scored four runs unanswered to beat Jackson 8-6.  The Smokies were dangerous all night as they pounded out fifteen hits while scoring eight runs; they were 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position.  Matt Szczur is red hot, he was 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI’s, a stolen base, and two runs scored, he’s now hitting .292 on the season.  Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-5 with his second home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored.  Arismendy Alcantara was 3-for-5 with two doubles, and an RBI, he’s now hitting .290 on the season.  Ty Wright also had a solid game going 2-for-5 with his third home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored.  Chad Noble had a monster game going 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored in the win.

On The Mound – Yeiper Castillo was roughed up in this one but was still able to give the Smokies some valuable innings.  Castillo worked six innings giving up six runs on six hits while walking three and striking out four.  Hunter Cervenka was outstanding out of the pen, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out two, he picked up his first AA win of the season.  Frank Batista was solid as usual in picking up his eighth save of the season.  Batista worked 1.1 scoreless innings giving up one hit; he lowered his ERA to 1.78 on the season.

Minor Matters – May 27, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

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At The Plate – The RedHawks scored in one inning in this one, unfortunately that was enough to defeat Iowa.  The RedHawks scored four times in the third inning, and the Cubs could never get even despite scoring one run in the fourth, fifth, and sixth inning.  Brian Bogusevic had another great day going 1-for-2 with two walks, his thirteenth double of the season, and two runs scored.  Brent Lillibridge was the only other offense in this one as he was 1-for-4 with his third home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Walks were contagious in this one, and it started with Guillermo Moscoso who lost his command and was slapped with his second loss of the season.  Moscoso worked five innings giving up four runs, three earned, on four hits while walking four (see?), and striking out six.  Hisanori Takahashi also struggled with command but worked out of trouble, he worked two scoreless innings while walking three (see?), and striking out one.  Brian Schlitter, who has been outstanding for the Tennessee Smokies was promoted to Iowa earlier in the day, and had a tremendous debut.  Schlitter worked two scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out three.

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At The Plate – The Cougars had to battle back in this one as they trailed 4-3 in the eight, and battle they did, scoring five times in the bottom of the eight en route to an 8-4 victory.  The only bad news is that Albert Almora had to leave today’s game after it looked like he suffered a leg injury, hopefully it’s nothing serious.  Pin-Chieh Chen was solid again from the leadoff spot going 1-for-4 with a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored.  Dan Vogelbach had a huge day going 3-for-5 with his sixth home run of the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.  Jeimer Candelario resembles Garrett Anderson up there right now, we should start calling him doctor doubles, he was 1-for-4 with his seventeenth double of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Michael Heesch was solid in this one, but settled for a no decision.  Heesch worked six innings giving up three runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out four.  Steve Perakslis was outstanding in relief and was rewarded with his first win of the season.  Perakslis worked three innings giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one and striking out three.

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At The Plate – The Smokies had the bats working in this one as they pounded out eleven hits and scored eight times en route to an 8-6 victory.  Matt Szczur was solid at the top of the order going 1-for-3 with two walks, an RBI, and a run scored.  Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-5 with his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.  Ty Wright had a solid game going 2-for-4 with his seventh double of the season, and two runs scored.  Chad Noble was 2-for-3 with a walk, his first double of the season, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Matt Loosen got the start and had one of his better outings but did not factor in the decision.  Loosen worked six innings giving up four runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out two.  Hunter Cervenka made his first appearance with Tennessee after being promoted from Daytona, and it didn’t go well, he worked one inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking one.  Tony Zych was solid out of the pen and was rewarded with his first win of the season; he worked two scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out one.

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 18, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

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At The Plate – The losing ways continue for the Iowa Cubs and they can blame themselves as they made four errors in the loss.  Logan Watkins was 1-for-4 with his seventh double of the season, and a run scored, he also made his fourth error of the season.  Ian Stewart got a rare start and made it count going 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored.  Donnie Murphy was 2-for-3 with an RBI in the loss.

On The Mound –  Chris Rusin got the start and didn’t help himself as he made on of the errors, but he battled.  Rusin went 6.2 innings giving up four runs, three earned, on five hits while walking two and striking out three.  Zach Putnam worked out of Rusin’s trouble in the seventh getting the final out on strikeout.  Rafael Dolis worked a scoreless inning in relief giving up two hits while striking out one.  Blake Parker worked a scoreless inning as well giving up on hit while walking one and striking out one.

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At The Plate –  The Smokies are on a roll again, with the win they are now three game above .500 for the season.  Matt Szczur shows up in every recap, he was 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored, he is now hitting .304 on the season.  Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.  Arismendy Alcantara was all over the scoresheet in this one, he was 3-for-4 with his fifth home run of the season, two doubles, two RBI’s, and a run scored, he also made his fourteenth error of the season.  Anthony Giansanti also had a big day, and has been awesome since he was promoted to Tennessee, he was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .353 on the season.

On The Mound –  Dallas Beeler got the start and his fourth win of the season as he was solid.  Beeler went six innings giving up three runs, two earned, on four hits while walking two and striking out six.  Trey McNutt got back on track working one scoreless inning giving up one hit while striking out two.  Kevin Rhoderick continues to struggle, he worked one inning giving up one run on two hits while walking one and striking out one.  Brian Schlitter worked the ninth for his second save of the season, he went one inning giving up one run, unearned, on two hits while striking out one.

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At The Plate – Nice response the last few days from Daytona as the bats have woke up in a big way, fifteen more hits today in the victory.  The D-Cubs were only 5-for-20 with runners in scoring position in this one, but having twenty chances is rather impressive.  Zeke DeVoss has been struggling but had a solid game going 2-for-5 with two singles, he was picked off as well.  Javier Baez had another solid game going 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.  Jorge Soler picked up right where he left off from yesterday, he was 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.  Dustin Geiger also kept things rolling going 2-for-5 with yet another double, and a run scored.  Ben Carhart supplied the power in this one going 1-for-5 with his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Zach Cates got the start and picked up his fourth win of the season going 5.2 innings giving up three runs on five hits while walking two and striking out one.  David Cales was solid out of the pen going 2.1 innings giving up two runs, one earned, on three hits while walking one and striking out four.  Hunter Cervenka was solid again working a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the season.

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At The Plate – Another solid game between the Cougars and the high-powered Kernels, this time Kane County got the best of them winning 4-0.  Dan Vogelbach was 2-for-4 with his seventh double of the season, he’s now hitting .288 for the year.  Rock Shoulders has been coming back down to Earth as of late, can’t really blame him, but was solid in this one going 2-for-4 with his ninth home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.  Oliver Zapata provided some surprising offense out of the nine spot going 3-for-4 with his third home run of the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.

On The Mound – Pierce Johnson was brilliant in this one as he shut down the prospect laden Kernels.  Johnson went six scoreless innings giving up six hits while walking one and striking out nine to earn his second win of the season.  Justin Amlung was solid out of the pen going two scoreless innings while walking two and striking out three.  Jeffry Antigua closed the door in the ninth working a scoreless inning giving up on hit while striking out two.

Minor Matters – May 17, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

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At The Plate – After battling back from an early 4-0 hole the Iowa Cubs found themselves leading heading into the late innings, that’s when things fell apart in 9-8 loss to Tucson.  Hits were all over the place in this one as the Cubs pounded out eighteen hits, and scored eight runs, they left 11 men on base as well.  Logan Watkins was 1-for-4 with a walk, his third home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.  Brett Jackson had a breakout game going 4-for-5 with a double, and a run, he’s now hitting .265 on the season. Josh Vitters had a solid game as well going 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.  Darnell McDonald, Brent Lillibridge, and J.C. Boscan each had two hits in the loss.

On The Mound – Guillermo Moscoso got the start for the Cubs, and pitched in and out of trouble having one costly inning.  Moscoso went five innings giving up four runs, two earned, on nine hits while striking out eight.  Esmailin Caridad was sub par to say the least, he worked two-thirds of an inning giving up three runs on four hits to take the loss.  Casey Coleman was roughed up a bit as well, he worked 2.1 innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking one.  Hisanori Takahashi worked a scoreless ninth inning to give the Cubs a shot to no avail.

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At The Plate – The Smokies jumped on top of the Lookouts with four runs in the second and couldn’t add on the rest of the way, even still they were able to hang on for a 4-3 win.  Matt Szczur continues to find ways get on base for the Smokies as their lead-off man, he was 2-for-5 in this one, and he is now hitting .294 on the season.  Ronald Torreyes provided the production for the Smokies, he was 1-for-5 with two RBI’s in the win.  Christian Villanueva  had a huge game, he was 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Kyle Hendricks has been so very good this year, and he was again in this one, he worked seven innings giving up three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out three to earn his third win of the season.  Tony Zych did a solid job out of the pen going one scoreless inning while striking out one.  Zach Rosscup was good as usual working a scoreless ninth inning for his first save of the season, he walked one and struck out the side.

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At The Plate – Daytona owned game one, and it was nice to see them put together a team game and get a win given their recent struggles.  As you will read, this day was owned by Jorge Soler and Dustin Geiger, maybe May 17 shall be known as Soler Geiger day moving forward.  Soler was a monster in game one, he was 4-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season, and three runs scored.  He scored three times because Dustin Geiger was hitting behind him, and he didn’t want Soler to have all the glory.  Geiger was outstanding, he was also 4-for-4 with three doubles, a triple (slugging madness!), and four RBI’s.  That was it, those two guys won the game for the D-Cubs.

On The Mound – Yeiper Castillo was all Daytona needed on the mound.  He spun a gem, going the distance (7 innings for DH’s), he worked seven innings giving up one run on four hits while walking one and striking out two.  He improved his record to 1-0 on the season, and lowered his ERA to 2.33, very impressive.

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At The Plate –  Daytona owned game one, and battled for a character win in game two to sweep the double-header.  Javier Baez was 2-for-5 with a walk, a triple, and three runs scored, he also had three errors, bring his 2013 total to seventeen.  Jorge Soler was a beast in game two as well, he went 3-for-6 with a double, and a run scored, he was 7-for-10 in the double-header and is now hitting .297 on the season.  Back to the other hero of the day Dustin Geiger, he was 3-for-4 in game two with a double, two walks, an RBI, and two runs scored.  He was 7-for-8 in the double-header with four doubles, and a triple, he is hitting .331 on the season.  Taiwan Easterling was 2-for-6 with a triple, a double, and two RBI’s in the win.

On The Mound –  Tough to have a second game of a double header go twelve innings, if not for the bullpen in game two the D-Cubs would have been in trouble, they came through big time.  Eduardo Figueroa got the start and was roughed up, he worked three innings giving up four runs on four hits while walking two and striking out one.  The bullpen took over and worked a combined nine scoreless innings giving up four hits while walking two and striking out six.  Austin Reed worked two of those innings, walking one and striking out two.  Sheldon McDonlad was outstanding working four innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out one.  Frank Del Valle worked the final three innings to earn his first win of the season, he gave up two hits while striking out three.

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At The Plate –  The Cougars fought hard in this one against the best team in the league only to fall short in twelve innings.  Bijan Rademacher continues to hit, he was 3-for-5 with a double, and two runs scored, he is now hitting .350 on the season.  Jeimer Candelario was 2-for-5 with a double, and a run scored, he also made his twelfth error of the season.  Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-5 with two singles in the loss.

On The Mound –  Dillon Maples had a solid outing, and again, finished the day healthy, which is the most important thing right now.  Maples worked five innings giving up two runs on two hits while walking one and striking out five.  Lendy Castillo took over and was solid as well, he worked five innings giving up on run on five hits while walking three and striking out four.  Nathan Dorris struggled with his command, which is rare, he suffered the loss as a result.  Dorris worked 1.1 innings giving up one run on two hits while walking two and striking out two.

Minor Matters – May 10, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

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At The Plate – Game one of the Cougars/Bees double-header needed three extra innings, but it paid of for the Cougars as they stung the Bees 2-1…stung, because they are Bees!  Oliver Zapata was 1-for-4 with an RBI, and a walk, Zapata had the game winning hit in the top of the tenth.  Bijan Rademacher continues to hit going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, he’s now hitting .378 on the season.  Marco Hernandez was 2-for-4 with an RBI in the victory.

On The Mound – The Cougars got back to dealing in this one as they were brilliant all game long.  Tayler Scott got the start and was really good going 5.1 innings giving up one run on four hits while walking three and striking out six.  Steve Perakslis worked 1.2 scoreless innings out of the pen while walking one.  Nathan Dorris was good per usual as he worked two scoreless inning while striking out two to earn his first win of the season.  Ian Dickson worked a scoreless inning to earn his first save of the season, he gave up one hit while striking out one.

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At The Plate – Nothing happening for either team in the first five innings, then the Cougars broke out, scoring twice in the sixth and seventh to sweep the double-header 4-1.  The Cougars could only manage four hits in game two, but walked four times and were 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position.  Rock Shoulders was 1-for-3 with his seventh home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.  Bijan Rademacher has been out of his mind, he was 1-for-3 with his first home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.  David Bote and Oliver Zapata were each 1-for-2 with a walk, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Felix Pena was brilliant again for the Cougars going six innings giving up one run on two hits while walking five, and striking out six.  Eddie Orozco came on to finish things off by tossing a scoreless seventh, he gave up two hits while walking one and striking out one.

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At The Plate – Nothing good in this one as Iowa was destroyed by the Sky Sox, they were out of it right from the get go.  Logan Watkins was 1-for-2 with a double, a stolen base, and an RBI.  Donnie Murphy was 1-for-3 with a stolen base, and a walk in the loss.  Darnell McDonald was 1-for-4 with a double, and a run scored.  The Cubs were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

On The Mound – Brooks Raley got the start and he was pounded, early and often.  Raley went four innings giving up eight runs on eleven hits while walking three and striking out four.  Yoanner Negrin settled things down out of the pen going three innings giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one and striking out five.  Rafael Dolis struggled in his return to Iowa going one inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking two and striking one.

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At The Plate – A back and forth game ended with the Smokies rally falling just short in the bottom of the ninth as the Barons escaped with a 5-4 win.  Matt Szczur was 2-for-3 with two walks, his tenth stolen base of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.  Ronald Torreyes was 1-for-3 with two walks in the loss.  Christian Villanueva was 2-for-3 with two singles as he looks to get it going, he’s now hitting .216 on the season.  Rubi Silva was 1-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored.

On The Mound – Eric Jokisch hasn’t been good since being named the minor league pitcher of the month in April.  Jokisch went 4.1 innings giving up five runs on eight hits while walking four and striking out four.  Brian Schlitter was outstanding out of the pen going 2.2 scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out two.  Frank Batista was good as well going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out two.

Minor Matters – May 3, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

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At The Plate – The Smokies had a rough go of it last night as they were only able to record eight hits and two runs in eleven innings, they also struck out seventeen times, yikes.  Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.  Arismendy Alcantara was 1-for-5 with a double, his third of the season.  Ty Wright was 2-for-4 with a double, and an RBI, he’s now hitting .280 on the season.

On The Mound – The Smokies were much better on the mound than they were at the plate.  Alberto Cabrera was outstanding as he went six scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking two and striking out eight, he did not factor in the decision.  A.J. Morris had a rough go of it out of the pen, he was only able to retire one hitter while giving up two runs on two hits while walking two.  Trey McNutt was solid going 1.2 scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out two.  Marcus Hatley also had a scoreless appearance, he worked one inning giving up one hit while walking one and striking out three.  Frank Batista took the loss in this one as he went 1.1 innings giving up one run on two hits while walking one and striking out one.

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At The Plate – The Cougars started this double-header off right, it took a little longer than usual, but they got the win.  A big reason why it took eleven innings was the Cougars inability to hit with runners in scoring position, they were a mind numbing 1-for15.  Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-5 with a double, and a walk.  Rock Shoulders, the newly crowned minor league player of the month kept things rolling, he was 2-for-6 with his sixth home run of the season, this one was a walk-off in the bottom of the eleventh.  Chadd Krist was 1-for-2 with three walks, and a run scored in the win.

On The Mound –  Solid work top to bottom on the mound in this one for the Cougars.  Tayler Scott got the start and was solid, he went 5.2 innings giving up two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out one.  Steve Perakslis was awfully good out of the pen going 2.1 scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out two.  Matt Iannazzo had his best outing of the season going three scoreless innings to get the win, he gave up one hit while walking two and striking out four.

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At The Plate – Outstanding day for the Cougars as they swept the double-header against a very good Bowling Green team.  Jeimer Candelario was 1-for-2 with a walk, a double, and two runs scored.  Rock Shoulders was at it again in game two, he was 1-for-2 with a walk, a double, and an RBI, he’s now hitting .366 on the season.  Bijan Rademacher was 2-for-3 with an RBI in the victory.  The Cougars were much better in game two with RISP, they were 2-for-7 compared to the 1-for-15 disaster in game one.

On The Mound – Another solid job by the Cougars pitching in game two.  Ian Dickson got the start, unfortunately he settled for a no decision, he went 4.2 innings giving up one run, unearned, on two hits while walking two and striking out four.  Brian Smith was stellar out of the pen and earned the win going 2.1 scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out five.

NOTES:  Iowa and Daytona were both postponed.

Thanks for reading,
– George

Minor Matters – May 2, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

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At The Plate – The Smokies swarmed the Braves in this one as the pounded out fourteen hits and scored seven runs to beat the Braves 7-0.  Ronald Torreyes went 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored, and en error.  Christian Villanueva had a solid game going 2-for-5 with an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored.  Rubi Silva continued his superb 2013 going 3-for-4 with a walk, a triple, and two runs scored, he’s now hitting .318 on the season.  Rafael Lopez was 1-for-3 with his first home run of the season, he also walked twice, had an RBI, and scored two runs.  Jonathan Mota was 2-for-3 with a walk, and two RBI’s in the victory.

On The Mound –  Dallas Beeler was outstanding once again for the Smokies.  Beeler went 6.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking three and striking out five to earn his third win of the season.  Zach Rosscup earned his sixth hold of the season as he worked 1.1 scoreless innings out of the pen while walking one and striking out two.  Brian Schlitter worked a scoreless ninth, giving up two hits and walking one.

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At The Plate – After falling behind 2-0 in the first inning the D-Cubs offense went tow work scoring six times over the next four innings to put this one away.  John Andreoli was 2-for-5 with a run scored, and his ninth stolen base of the season.  Stephen Bruno was 2-for-4 with a double, and RBI, and two runs scored, he’s now hitting .362 on the season.  Dustin Geiger also had a solid night going 2-for-4 with a run scored in the win.

On The Mound – Austin Kirk had a weird night, but because he didn’t walk anyone he was able to survive giving up ten hits.  Kirk went six innings giving up two runs on ten hits while striking out four to improve his record to 4-1 on the season.  Austin Reed had was great out of the bullpen, and finally might be finding some confidence, he worked two scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one.  David Cales took care of the rest as he worked a scoreless ninth innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out one.

NOTES:  Kane County and Iowa were both rained out because the weather hates us all.

Thanks for reading,
– George

Minor Matters – April 29, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

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At The Plate – Wild game in Iowa today that saw a total of twenty-four hits and nineteen runs between the two teams, unfortunately Iowa came up one run short.  Logan Watkins was 2-for-4 with a walk, and RBI, and a run scored.  Ryan Sweeney just doesn’t stop hitting, he was 2-for-4 with a walk, and two runs scored, he’s hitting .377 on the season.  Brad Nelson is a huge man, he had a huge day going 4-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI’s, and two runs scored.  Brett Jackson seems to be settling in at the plate, he went 1-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two RBI’s and a run scored.

On The Mound – Rough go of it for the Iowa pitchers in this one.  Nick Struck got the start and worked three innings giving up five runs on four hits while walking four, and striking out one.  Esmailin Caridad didn’t fare much better out of the pen going three innings giving up four runs on four hits while walking three and striking out five.  Cory Wade worked two innings giving up one run on three hits while walking one and striking out one.  Blake Parker was the only Iowa pitcher to escape unscathed in this one as he worked as scoreless inning while walking one and striking out two.

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At The Plate – Not a lot of offense in this one, but just enough for Daytona as they squeaked by the Cardinals 2-1.  Daytona just couldn’t get the big hit in this one to open the game up, they were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.  Dustin Geiger had a solid game and a huge hit, he was 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk, and a run scored.  Javier Baez continues to hit, and make errors, he was 1-for-3 with his eleventh error of the season, it will happen, and he will improve.  Chad Noble and Ben Carhart each had a double in the win.

On The Mound – Yeiper Castillo was disgusting good in this one, unfortunately he didn’t factor in the decision.  Castillo went four scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out eight.  Luis Liria was solid out of the pen going two scoreless innings giving up one hit and striking out one.  Hunter Cervenka blew the save, not really his fault, but also got the win.  Cervenka went two innings giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one and striking out four.

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At The Plate – Game one was as good as it gets when it comes to pitching as the game was scoreless into the last of the seventh.  That’s when Jae-Hoon Ha came off the bench and walked off with a three run shot to give the Smokies a 3-0 victory.  That was really the only offense for the Smokies in game one as they managed seven hits, with only one extra base hit, the Ha home run.  Rubi Silva was 1-for-3 with a stolen base, and a run scored in the win.

On The Mound – Kyle Hendricks was brilliant in this one but did not factor into the decision.  Hendricks went six scoreless inning giving up one hit while walking one and striking out eight.  Marcus Hatley came on in relief and earned the win after working one scoreless inning, striking out two in the frame.

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At The Plate – Game two had the same final score, unfortunately the opposite result as the Smokies could only manage two hits all game in the defeat.  Matt Szczur and Ronald Torreyes were each 1-for-3, and that was it.

On The Mound – Eric Jokisch had a rough go of it early, but then settled in to have a decent outing, but took his first loss of the season.  Jokisch went five innings giving up three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out one.  Frank Batista and Tony Zych kept things close as they both worked a scoreless inning out of the pen, unfortunately the Smokies couldn’t get anything done offensively.

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At The Plate – What a crushing loss for the Cougars in game one, I guess the good news is that there is another game right away so they can forget this one.  The Cougars led 6-2 heading to the last of the 7th (7th inning is the last inning in DH games) and they gave up five runs to lose 7-6.  The Cougars only managed six hits but they were awfully productive in scoring six runs.  Daniel Vogelbach blasted his third home run of the season, he ended game one going 1-for-4 with said home run, two RBI’s and a run scored.  Rock Shoulders joined the fun as well as he launched his fifth home run of the season, he finished game one 1-for-3 with two RBI’s and a run scored.  Willson Contreras was 2-for-3 with a stolen base, and two runs scored.

On The Mound –  Felix Pena did everything possible to earn the win as he went six inning giving up two runs on five hits while striking out three.  Then things went south, and quickly.  Ian Dickson was the first out of the pen, he was only able to get through two-thirds of an inning giving up four runs on two hits while walking two and striking out one.  Matt Iannazzo added fuel to the fire in relief of Dickson, as he didn’t retire a hitter and gave up one run on two hits while walking two to get the loss.

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At The Plate – Game one’s disaster just zapped any energy that the Cougars might have had, and they still could have won this one.  For the second time today the Cougars blew a late inning lead, this one wasn’t as bad as the first game though.  The Cougars could only manage two hits in game two, I know, not very exciting.  Daniel Vogelbach was 1-for-3 with another home run, an RBI, and a run scored.  Oliver Zapata had the only other hit, a single, he also walked.

On The Mound – Michael Heesch pitched well early, then struggled late.  Heesch worked five innings giving up four runs on six hits while walking one and striking out seven.  Steve Perakslis worked a scoreless inning out of the pen, but it was too little too late.

Thanks for reading,
– George