Riding the Bus: May 6, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

WEDNESDAY • MAY 6, 2015

South Bend really couldn’t get much going earlier this afternoon as they dropped a 4-3 decision to Great Lakes. Leading 2-1 after five, the Cubs gave up single runs in the sixth, seventh, and ninth.

At the Plate:

Charcer Burks is having a great 2015, he was 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .341 on the season.
Jesse Hodges was solid, he went 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored.
David Bote was good again today, he went 1-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.
Cael Brockmeyer, and Giokar Amaya each had one hit in the loss, Amaya added an RBI, and a walk.

On the Mound:

Erick Leal got the start, and was solid, he worked 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out four.
David Garner doesn’t usually give up anything, he did today, he worked 1.1 innings, giving up one run on one hit while walking one, and striking out two.
Tommy Thorpe was hung with the loss, he tossed two innings, giving up one run on two hits while walking one, and striking out two.

Full Box Score

A rough start to the double header last night as the Pelicans saw an early 4-1 lead turn into a 5-4 loss at the hands of Salem.

At the Plate:

Mark Zagunis did his job by getting on base in this one, he was 0-for-2 with two walks, and a run scored.
Wes Darvill had a similar night, he was 0-for-1 with two walks, and a run scored.
Jeimer Candelario was solid, he went 2-for-3 with a double, and a run scored.
Victor Caratini was most of the offense, he went 2-for-3 with his third double of the year, and two RBI’s.

On the Mound:

Daury Torrez got the start and worked deep into this one before picking up the loss. Torrez worked 6.1 innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on eight hits while walking one, and striking out six.
James Pugliese was stuck with a blown save as he could not get out of Torrez’s trouble, he tossed two-thirds of an inning, giving up one hit while walking one.

Full Box Score

The Pelicans got back on track in game two as the bullpen shut the door on Salem late in a 4-2 victory.

At the Plate:

Mark Zagunis had another solid game, he went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored.
Wes Darvill came up big in game two, he was 2-for-4 with his first dinger of the year, an RBI, and a run scored.
Billy McKinney was locked in, he went 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
Jacob Rogers, and Carlos Penalver each had one hit in the game two victory.

On the Mound:

Tayler Scott got the start and was solid, he worked three innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on four hits while walking one, and striking out five.
Zach Cates was awesome out of the pen, and picked up his first win of the season. He tossed two scoreless innings, giving up one hit while walking one, and striking out one.
Jasvir Rakkar continued his domination at the end of games, he worked two scoreless/hitless innings to pick up his fourth save of the year.

Full Box Score

The Smokies needed late magic in this one as they lost a 1-0 lead in the 6th but struck for one in the seventh to take game one, 2-1.

At the Plate:

Albert Almora returned to the lineup, and was productive, he went 2-for-3 with two singles.
The Smokies walked all over the place (7 total), Kyle Schwarber was 0-for-1 with two walks.
Anthony Giansanti found extra bases in this one, he went 1-for-2 with a triple.
Bijan Rademacher, and Pin-Chieh Chen picked up the RBI’s in the win.

On the Mound:

Frank Batista got the start, and was stellar, he worked six innings, giving up one run, unearned, on five hits while walking one, and striking out four.
P.J. Francescon has been awesome all year, he worked a scoreless inning to pick up his third save.

Full Box Score

Sweep! It took the whole game, but it was worth it as the Smokies scored four times in the seventh (last) inning to sweep the double header with a 4-1 game two victory.

At the Plate:

Bijan Rademacher had a solid game, he went 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored.
Dan Vogelbach was good, as usual, he went 3-for-4 with a double, and three RBI’s.
Jacob Hannemann, Willson Contreras, and Ryan Dent all had one hit in the win.

On the Mound:

Andres Santiago got the start, and was good. He worked 4.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits while walking one, and striking out three.
Gerardo Concepcion was solid in is AA debut, he worked two-thirds of an inning, allowing nothing.
C.J. Edwards was outstanding, he worked a scoreless inning while striking out the side to pick up his first win of the season.
Michael Jensen tossed a scoreless inning to pick up his first save of the season.

Full Box Score

Tough matchup for the Cubs in this one as they were completely shutdown by Kendall Graveman of Nashville. The Cubs were only able to scratch out five hits in the shutout loss.

At the Plate:

Chris Valaika was really the only guy to swing it well in this one, he was 2-for-4 with two singles.
Javier Baez, Taylor Teagarden, and Rubi Silva all had one hit in the loss.

On the Mound:

Dallas Beeler got the start, and was roughed up, he worked four innings, giving up five runs on nine hits, while walking two.
Michael Wagner was pretty good out of the pen, he worked three innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out one.
Joe Ortiz worked a scoreless inning late to keep the Cubs in it, sort of.

Riding the Bus: April 22, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

WEDNESDAY • APRIL 22, 2015

Full Box Score

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

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Full Box Score

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

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

Full Box Score

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

At the Plate (just going to list them):

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

On the Mound:

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

Full Box Score

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

At the Plate:

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

On the Mound:

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

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

FRIDAY • APRIL 17, 2015

Full Box Score

The Pelicans didn’t get much in this one, but thanks to Daury Torrez it was enough for a win. Trailing 1-0, the Pelicans scored three times in the second inning to take a 3-1 en route to a 3-2 victory. There were chances all over the base paths in this one, but the Pelicans could only go 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position, hurts less when you win though.

At the Plate:

Billy McKinney is off to a slow start this year, but had a solid game, he was 1-for-3 with a walk.
Jeimer Candelario was a big factor in the win, he was 3-for-5 with a double, and a run scored.
Jacob Rogers has been really good this year, he was again tonight, he went 2-for-4 with a walk, and a run scored.
Daniel Lockhart continues his hot start, he was 2-for-4 with a double, and an RBI, he’s now hitting .368 on the season.

On the Mound:

Daury Torrez got the start and was pretty good despite some command issues, he worked five innings, giving up one run on four hits while walking three, and striking out four.
James Pugliese turned in a solid relief effort, he tossed 2.1 innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out two.
Matt Brazis worked the final inning and two-thirds to pick up his first save of the season, he walked two, and struck out one.

Full Box Score

Offensive explosion for South Bend in this one as they pounded out fourteen hits, and scored eleven run to take care of Fort Wayne 11-3. Four different Cubs had multi-hit games, and they were 5-for-21 with runners in scoring position, if you get twenty one opportunities with runners in scoring position you should win. It was 11-0 in the 5th inning so Cubs pitchers had an easy go of it, and cruised through the rest of this one.

At the Plate:

Chesny Young had an interesting night, he was 1-for-2 with FOUR walks, a stolen base, and a run scored.
Gioskar Amaya had a solid game, he was 1-for-3 with two walks, an RBI, and a run scored.
Cael Brockmeyer is on fire right now (not literally), he went 3-for-4 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .467 on the season.
Jason Volser had a productive day, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.
Jeffrey Baez and the bottom of the order did some work tonight, Baez was 3-for-5 with a run scored.
The eight hitter Charcer Burks finished the night 2-for-5 with two RBI’s, and a run scored.
The ninth hitter Rashad Crawford was 2-for-5 with two RBI’s, and two runs scored in the win.

On the Mound:

Erick Leal got the start, and was pretty solid. Leal worked five innings, giving up one run on six hits while walking two, and striking out three.
Jordan Minch was knocked around a bit out of the pen, he tossed two innings, giving up two runs on three hits while walking one, and striking out two.
Tyler Ihrig cleaned things up in this one, nicely. He worked two scoreless innings, giving up one hit while striking out two.

Full Box Score

Pitching dominated game one in Tennessee as neither team could scratch across a run until the Smokies were able walk-off in the bottom of the 7th (Minor league DH’s are seven innings). The Smokies only had one chance with runners in scoring position, and they capitalized. The pitching was outstanding for Tennessee as they kept Pensacola off the board, and only allowed two hits in the win.

At the Plate:

Kyle Schwarber was back in the lineup tonight, he went 0-for-1 with two walks, he’s hitting .308 on the season.
Dan Vogelbach continues to be the story of the minor league season so far, he was 2-for-3 in this one, which raised his average to .500, that’s on the season.
The lone RBI came from Bijan Rademacher, who was 1-for-3 in game one.

On the Mound:

Ivan Pineyro got the start and was about as good as he could be, he worked six scoreless innings, giving up just two hits while walking none, and striking out three.
Hunter Cervenka earned his first save of the year, he worked a scoreless inning while walking one.

Full Box Score

Much of the same for the Smokies in game two as they were only able to score once while registering six hits in a 4-1 loss. The defense didn’t do much to help out the pitching staff in this one, they committed four errors rendering three of the four runs unearned. Other than that the pitching was outstanding once again, just a sloppy defensive effort.

At the Plate:

Bijan Rademacher had another solid game, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored in the night cap.
Dan Vogelbach is a man possessed right now, he was 3-for-3 in game two, he is now hitting .556 on the season.
Stephen Bruno, who did not start game two, went 2-for-2 but did make two costly errors.

On the Mound:

Jeffry Antigua got the game two start and was pretty good, he worked 3.2 innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out four.
Stephen Perakslis was tremendous out of the pen, he worked 1.1 scoreless innings, surrendering no hits, and striking out two.
Andres Santiago bounced back with a nice outing, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up just one hit.
Zach Cates was the hard luck loser in this one, he worked two innings, giving up three runs, all unearned, on three hits while walking one, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

Rough night for the Iowa Cubs as they played their first game AB (After Bryant), and could only manage two runs on five hits in a 3-2 loss. The Cubs really had no answer for Oklahoma City pitching all night, and were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. On the bright side, the Cubs pitching got a healthy Tsuyoshi Wada back tonight, and he threw the ball well.

At the Plate:

John Andreoli had a solid game at the top of the order, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base, and two runs scored.
Chris Valaika provided some production in this one, he was 1-for-3 with two RBI’s.
Rafael Lopez, Christian Villanueva, and Mike Baxter all had one hit games in the loss.

On the Mound:

Tsuyoshi Wada made his 2015 debut tonight after some lingering injuiries that lasted through camp. Wada worked 4.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits while walking two, and striking out six.
Yoanner Negrin was knocked around in this one, he worked 1.1 innings, giving up two runs on three hits while walking one, and striking out one.
Drake Britton was outstanding out of the pen, he worked two scoreless innings, surrendering no hits while striking out two.
Blake Cooper kept this close late, he worked a scoreless inning, giving only one hit in doing so.

Riding the Bus: April 11, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2015

Full Box Score

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 (7/28/2014)

It’s back! Hopefully for good, technology can be a real…. you know what..

Full Box Score

A huge night for the Smokies hitters in this one, as eight of the nine starters had at least one hit, and seven of the nine starters had at least one RBI.

At the Plate:

Albert Almora finally had his break out game for the Smokies. Almora was 4-for-6 with a double, two RBI’s, and three runs scored.
Addison Russell continued his torrid pace of late, he went 4-for-6 as well, with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.
Lars Anderson showed off his power in this one, he was 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBI’s, two walks, and two runs scored.
Dustin Geiger had himself a game, he was 2-for-2 with a double, three RBI’s, three walks (CUBS WAY!), two runs scored, and a stolen base.

On the Mound:

Eduardo Figueroa did just enough to walk away with the win, he worked six innings, giving up five runs on four hits, while walking three, and striking out four.
Zach Cates also had to battle while not having his best stuff, he worked 1.2 innings, giving up two runs, on three hits, while walking one, and striking out two.
Frank Batista shut the door on this one, picking up his eighth save, he worked 1.1 innings, giving up one run on three hits, while striking out one.

Full Box Score

It was the Juan Paniagua show in Daytona last night, as the recently promoted right hander twirled a gem as he picked up his first High A victory.

At the Plate:

Jacob Hannemann has really performed well since being promoted to Daytona, he was 1-for-3 with a double, two walks, a stolen base, and two runs scored in the win.
Willson Contreras had a big night, he was 3-for-5 with a double, and two RBI’s.
Billy McKinney just hits, that is all he has done since being acquired in the Hammel/Samardzija trade with Oakland. He was 2-for-5 with a double, and two RBI’s, he’s now hitting .312 on the season.
Gioskar Amaya had another solid night out of the nine hole, he was 2-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

Juan Paniagua was dominant in this one, he worked six scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while walking two, and striking out six.
Tyler Bremer was brilliant out of the pen, he worked two scoreless innings, while striking out two.
Austin Kirk mopped things up in the ninth, he worked a scoreless frame, while giving up one hit, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

The Cougars lost…… at…..home….. I know, it totally doesn’t feel natural, like the Universe is out of tilt, I think we’ll survive. The two best teams in the Midwest League went toe-to-toe, and the Whitecaps came out on top.

At the Plate:

Shawon Dunston is heating up, he went 2-for-5 with two doubles (12 on the year), and an RBI.
Will Remillard was one of the few Cougars to get on base multiple times, he went 1-for-3 with a walk.

On the Mound:

Duary Torrez did everything he could to keep his team in the game, he finished his night with a no decision. Torrez worked six innings, giving up one run on five hits, while walking one, and striking out four.
Michael Heesch struggled with his command in this one, he worked three innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking three (see?), and striking out three.

Full Box Score

The Boise Hawks just couldn’t get the bats going in this one, as they could only manage one run on five hits in a 6-1 loss to the Hops.

At the Plate:

Danny Canela was one of the few Hawks to find some success, he was 1-for-4 with a double, he’s now hitting .281 on the season.
Danny Lockhart, David Bote, Jesse Hodges, and Bryant Flete all had one hit in the loss, all singles.

On the Mound:

Trevor Clifton got the start for the Hawks, and struggled throughout as he suffered his second loss of the season. Clifton worked 3.2 innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on six hits, while walking four, and striking out three.
Yomar Morel didn’t have much luck either out of the pen, he worked 1.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking one, and striking out one.
Tommy Thorpe was brilliant, he worked three perfect innings, registering two strikeouts.

Full Box Score

Plenty of offense for the Cubs in this one, unfortunately the pitching was lacking. The D-backs pounded out twelve hits en route to a 12-6 victory over the Cubs Arizona League squad.

At the Plate:

Kevonte Mitchell can swing it, he was 3-for-5 with a stolen base, an RBI, and two runs scored, he’s now hitting .317 on the season.
Gleyber Torres is someone you will be hearing a lot about moving forward, he was 3-for-4 with a triple (2nd of the season), a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Roney Alcala had a solid game near the bottom of the order, he was 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored in the loss.

On the Mound:

C.J. Edwards was back on the mound as he continues his rehab, and he was pretty good. Edwards worked 3.2 innings, giving up one run on one hit, while walking three, and striking out six.
Adbert Alzolay struggled out of the pen, he worked one inning, giving up four runs on three hits, while walking one, and striking out two.
Alberto Diaz couldn’t find the plate, and he paid for it. Diaz worked only a third of an inning, giving up three runs, two earned, on one hit, while walking four (see?), and striking out one.
Tanner Griggs was also beat up, he worked 2.1 innings, giving up four runs, three earned, on six hits, while walking two.
Andin Diaz was solid, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit, and striking out two.

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

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2014

Full Box Score

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; Cubs Minor League Reports (4/17/2014)

THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014

Full Box Score

Iowa jumped out to a 3-0 lead early on in this one before having to fight back with two in the seventh to beat New Orleans 5-4. Definitely not how you draw up a typical win as the Iowa Cubs defense made six (SIX!) errors in this one, I guess a win is a win, time to forget that defensive “effort” .. yikes.

At the Plate:

Matt Szczur did a solid job from the lead-off spot, as he went 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored.
Arismendy Alcantara has been swinging it well lately, and he was good again today. AA went 1-for-5 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.
Chris Valaika is making a big push to get the call to the Majors, he was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. He is now hitting .361 on the season.
Christian Villanueva had an encouraging day at the plate, the third baseman was 1-for-2 with two walks, a double, and a run scored.
Logan Watkins made up for a rough day at the field with a solid day at the plate. Watkins went 2-for-2 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored to go along with his two errors.
Eli Whiteside also joined in the fun as he went 2-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI. The Cubs walked seven times in this one, good to see.

On the Mound:

Eric Jokisch got the start today, and was pretty good, except for fielding the ball as he made two errors as well. Jokisch worked 5.2 innings, giving up three runs, all unearned, on three hits, while walking two, and striking out five.
Alberto Cabrera was the first guy out of the pen for the Cubs, and earned his second win of the season. Cabrera worked 1.1 scoreless innings, he gave up one hit, while walking one, and striking out two.
Neil Ramirez had a solid outing today, he worked a scoreless inning, while walking one, and striking out three.
Brian Schlitter worked a bumpy ninth to pick up his second save of the season. Schlitter gave up one run on one hit, while walking one to close it out.

Full Box Score

Rough go of it for the Smokies in game one, as they could only manage one hit as they were shut out by the Jackson Generals, 4-0. Command, or lack thereof, doomed the Smokies staff, but not much you can do when you get no runs of support.

At the Plate:

Dustin Geiger had the lone hit for the Smokies, as he went 1-for-2 to raise his average to .289 on the season. The Smokies walked just twice in this one, while striking out eleven times.

On the Mound:

Corey Black got the start tonight, and the loss, as he couldn’t find the zone consistently enough. Black worked four innings, giving up three runs on two hits, while walking five (see?), and striking out three.
Austin Kirk kept the Smokies in things as he worked two innings, giving up one run on one hit, while striking out one.
Tony Zych mopped things up in this one, and also saw the plate dancing around on him as he worked one scoreless inning, giving up two hits, while walking two, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

It was all Kane County, all the time in this one, as the Cougars had a 10-0 lead by the fourth inning en route to their seventh straight win, a 13-1 thrashing of the Dragons. The Cougars pounded out nineteen hits in the win, and only allowed two against, pure domination.

At the Plate:

Jacob Hannemann got things off on the right foot from the lead-off spot all night, he went 2-for-6 with an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored.
Carlos Penalver was solid once again, as he went 2-for-5 with an RBI, his sixth stolen base of the season, and a run scored.
Ben Carhart played a big role in the production tonight, he went 2-for-6 with two doubles, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.
Yasiel Balaguert has been the catalyst for catastrophe for this club, he went 2-for-5 with a walk, and an RBI, his twelfth of the season.
Jacob Rogers also enjoys hitting doubles, he was 3-for-6 with two doubles, and two runs scored.
Danny Lockhart was on base all night, and scored most of the time as well. Lockhart went 2-for-3 with two walks, and four runs scored.
Will Remillard had a huge game from the bottom of the order, he went 4-for-5 with two doubles, and FIVE RBI’s in the win.

On the Mound:

Daury Torrez didn’t want to give the hitters all the spotlight in this one as he was flat out brilliant in picking up his second win of the season. Torrez worked eight innings, giving up one run on just two hits, while walking one, and striking out four.
Nathan Dorris worked the ninth and was able to hang onto that twelve run lead.

Full Box Score

The Smokies were able to exact some revenge in game two as they fought back from an early 2-0 deficit to beat the Generals 3-2. The Smokies got a lot of help from the Generals defense as they committed two errors, and allowed two unearned runs to score, at that was the difference.

At the Plate:

Kris Bryant has been showing some solid patience at the plate as of late, he was 0-for-1 in this one, but had two walks. He now has walked eight times this season, and struck out thirteen times.
Charles Cutler was 1-for-2 with a double, his second of the season, and a run scored.
Jeudy Valdez had one of the bigger hits of the night, as he went 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.
Taylor Davis was able to drive in the other Smokies run, he went 1-for-3 with said RBI.

On the Mound:

Dae-Eun Rhee got the start in game two and held his own after some early struggles, he worked four innings, giving up two runs on six hits, while walking one, and striking out four.
Hunter Cervenka picked up the win out of the bullpen, and was solid in doing so. Cervenka worked two scoreless innings, giving up three hits, while striking out three.
Armando Rivero made things interesting in the seventh (Doubleheaders in AA are seven innings), but was able to pick up his third save of the season. Rivero gave up one hit, and walked one, while strking out the side to close it out.

Full Box Score

It’s been a season of discontent for Daytona, and that continued tonight as they fall to the Yankees 6-5 after erasing a four run deficit. The loss dropped Daytona to 2-12 on the season, just nothing going right.

At the Plate:

Tim Saunders continued his hot start to 2014, as he went 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, a walk, a stolen base, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
Nice to see Albert Almora back in the lineup, he went 1-for-5 with a run scored.
Bijan Rademacher had a solid game, he went 1-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored in the loss.
Rock Shoulders seems to be getting hot, he went 3-for-4 with a walk, and an RBI in this one. The D-Cubs were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

On the Mound:

Rob Zastryzny got the start tonight, and was wild in the strike zone, as he worked four innings, giving up four runs on nine hits, while walking none, and striking out one.
Zach Cates was really good out of the pen, as he worked four innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking one, and striking out two.
Arodys Vizcaino continues to impress in the early going, he worked one scoreless inning, giving up one hit, while walking one, and striking out three. Vizcaino topped out at 98 MPH tonight, a very good sign.
Andrew McKirahan ended up taking the loss as he worked one inning, giving up one run on three 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 7, 2014

Monday, April 7, 2014

Full Box Score

At The Plate:

The bats were making noise in the early going, but the production, and the lead disappeared in this one, as Daytona dropped a close one to Brevard County, 5-4. Albert Almora is settling into a grove after starting the season slowly, he was 1-for-4 with a run scored in this one, and is now hitting .316 on the season. Dan Vogelbach is still sluggish with the bat, but had a decent game tonight, he went 1-for-3 with a walk. One guy who has been locked in at the plate is Jeimer Candelario, he was 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, a run scored, and committed two errors (oops). The man with the “best name in the minors” had a solid game, Rock Shoulders was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound:

Exciting night for the Cubs organization as Rob Zastryznyy made his Daytona debut tonight, and had moments of brilliance in the no decision. Zastryzny worked four innings, giving up four runs on six hits, while walking two, and striking out six. The D-Cubs bullpen was solid once again in this one as the quartet of Yao-Lin Wang, Zach Cates, Arodys Vizcaino, and Austin Reed combined to work five innings only yielding one unearned run which proved to be the difference tonight.

Full Box Score

At The Plate:

Another light night at the dish for the Smokies as they fell to Pensacola for the fourth time in five games, 3-2. Dustin Geiger has had a solid start to 2014, especially in the power department, Geiger was 2-for-4 with his second home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Jeudy Valdez was the only other Tennessee player to make a difference with the bat, he went 2-for-3 with a double, and an RBI in the loss.

On The Mound:

It wasn’t a bad night at all for Tennessee pitching, especially out of the bullpen, still not good enough for a win. Matt Loosen got the start tonight, he worked five innings, giving up three runs on six hits, while walking three and striking out two. Ryan Searle, Hunter Cervenka, and Tony Zych combined to toss three scoreless, hit-less innings out of the pen, they didn’t even walk anyone, and struck out five.

Full Box Score

At The Plate:

Not a whole lot going on for the Iowa hitters, but they made the most of their opportunities and beat Nashville 4-1. Brett Jackson, who has had a rough start to the season, had a tremendous game. B-Jax was 2-for-2 with a triple, an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base. As a team, the Iowa Cubs had four stolen bases in this one, saw an opportunity and exploited it. Christian Villanueva had the big hit in this one, he was 1-for-4 with his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound:

All sorts of good things from the Iowa Cubs staff tonight. Tsuyoshi Wada started tonight, and took home the win, he worked 6.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits, while walking one, and striking out eight. Working as the setup man, Neil Ramirez worked 1.1 scoreless innings, he didn’t walk anyone, and struck out two. Blake Parker worked the ninth for the save, he flirted with danger but got the job done, he worked a scoreless inning, giving up two hits, and striking out two.

Riding The Bus; Minor League Recaps for April 3, 2014

Welcome to “Riding the Bus” — How about that graphic, eh?? We’re excited, as usual, to bring you recaps of every Cubs minor league game, every night. Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoy it.

Full Box Score

At The Plate:

The Cougars brought their bats with them in the opener as they pounded Quad Cities pitching to the tune of eight runs on eleven hits. Jake Hannemann did a nice job out of the lead-off spot tonight, going 2-for-5 with two runs scored. DH for the evening, Ben Carhart was all over the base paths, Carhart was 1-for-2 with three walks (CUBS WAY!), an RBI, and three runs scored. Dr. Doubles, I mean, Yasiel Balaguert was locked in tonight, he went 4-for-4 with three doubles, and two RBI’s. The ninth spot in the order also got a spark tonight, Carlos Penalver went 3-for-3 with a walk, two stolen bases, and a run scored.

On The Mound:

All in all, a pretty solid effort from the Kane County staff tonight. 2012 first round draft pick Paul Blackburn made his single A debut tonight, and it was hit and miss. Blackburn worked four innings, giving up four runs on nine hits (not so good), while walking none (good), and striking out three. The pen was tremendous, Nathan Dorris, James Pugliese, and Jose Arias all had scoreless appearances. Dorris got the win, as he worked two innings giving up one hit, while walking one and striking out three.

Full Box Score

At The Plate:

The Daytona Cubs mirrored the Major League club in this one as they dropped a tough 1-0 game to the Manatees. The D-Cubs could only manage five hits while getting shut out by a quartet of Brevard County pitchers. Dan Vogelbach was one of the few Cubs to register a hit, he was 1-for-3 in the loss. Jeimer Candelario, and Marco Hernandez also finished the night going 1-for-3 with a single. Gioskar Amaya was seeing the ball the best as he went 2-for-2 with a stolen base, and a walk.

On The Mound:

Nothing but good things from the Daytona staff in this one, unfortunately it wasn’t good enough. Felix Pena got the opening day start and was great, he worked six innings giving up one run on three hits, while walking one and striking out three. Zach Cates, and Arodys Vizcaino each worked a scoreless inning out of the bullpen.

Full Box Score

At The Plate:

Grumble, grumble, grumble. A tough opening day loss for the Smokies as they built a 5-0 lead early, then lost it late. Zeke DeVoss, a personal favorite, went 2-for-5 out of the lead-off spot with a triple, and an RBI. Kris Bryant! Bryant, making his AA debut tonight went 1-for-3 with his first home run of the season, a walk, an RBI, a stolen base, and two runs scored. Fun fact here, Bryant went deep off Reds starter Mat Latos who was making a rehab start, then Bryant swung at a 3-0 pitch later in the game, then Latos hit him, sucks getting torched in AA doesn’t it, Mat? Jorge Soler was 1-for-1 with a double in this one, he left early, and I think that was the plan ahead of time as he is coming back from a couple of injuries.

On The Mound:

Tough go of it for the Smokies pitching in this one as they seemed to lose their command as a group. Dae-Eun Rhee got the start and was solid early, then the plate started jumping around on him. Rhee worked four innings giving up three runs, two earned, on two hits while walking four, and striking out four. Ryan Searle took over and was actually pretty good, he worked three innings giving up one run on one hit, while walking three, and striking out five. Tony Zych took the loss in this one as he worked one inning, giving up two runs on five hits, he didn’t walk or strikeout anyone.

Full Box Score

At The Plate:

Not a lot went right tonight for the Iowa Cubs as they had trouble scoring, and keeping Memphis from scoring. Javier Baez made his triple A debut tonight, going 0-for-3 with a walk, and an error. A rededicated Josh Vitters has a solid night, he went 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Christian Villanueva, the new Iowa third baseman went 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored in the loss.

On The Mound:

Not so good. Chris Rusin, who just lost out to Carlos Villanueva for the number five start spot in Chicago, struggled. Rusin worked 3.2 innings, giving up five runs on six hits, while walking four, and striking out two. Yoanner Negrin was lights out tonight, he worked 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit, walking none, and striking out four, stellar. Casey Coleman, yes, he’s still here, wasn’t sharp, he worked one inning, giving up five runs, four earned, on four hits while walking two, and striking out one. Mop up duty belonged to Marcus Hatley, and he did a fine job, working one scoreless innings while striking out two.

Thanks for reading!