7/22: Around the Minor League System
A Sunday down in the minors.
We didn’t have to wait long as Jorge Soler launched a two-run homer in the fourth, he would add another hit and scored two runs. Despite this excitement the AZL Cubs lost 6-4. Shawon Dunston Jr. had another good game going 3-for-4 and scoring a run. Ben Carhart added two hits, including a double and Dan Vogelbach drove in his 31st run of the season. Lendy Castillo continued his rehab assignment pitching four scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and struck out five. David Henrie took the loss, allowing four runs, three earned in two innings of work. It was more than exciting to see Soler hit his first home run. We have been anticipated it for quite a while and to do so in only his second game was great to see.
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There is not much good that came out of Sunday’s game against Eugene, as Boise lost 8-1. James Pugliese gave up seven runs on eight hits in four innings and took the loss. The bullpen did a pretty nice job the next four innings. Michael Heesch pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three as well. Eduardo Orozco gave up one run, but struck out three in his two innings of work. Offensively not much happened at all. All but one player recoreded a hit for Boise, with the only extra base hit coming off the bat of Xavier Batista, who hit a double. Wilson Contreras scored the only Hawks run of the game. It was a not very fun game for Boise dropping another in a bad loss.
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Peoria couldn’t pull off the win, losing to South Bend 3-2. All good things must come to an end and that was the case with Javier Baez’s hitting streak as he went 0-for-4 on Sunday. Dustin Geiger connected on his 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fourth. Sergio Burruel had two hits and Chadd Krist just keeps on hitting as he had another hit on Sunday. Pin-Chieh Chen and Oliver Zapata each recorded a hit and Chen scored a run as he was on base when Geiger hit his homer. Starling Peralta pitched well, but took the loss. He threw six innings giving up three runs, two earned on six hits. Sheldon McDonald relieved him and pitched two perfect innings, striking out three. Looking forward to Baez starting another streak and the Chiefs winning a few more games.
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Daytona was postponed on Sunday.
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Tennessee finished Saturday nights game and lost a tough one in 11 innings. Twice in extra’s the Smokies took the lead, but couldn’t hold it in either, ultimately losing 12-11. There was a lot of offense, here are some of the highlights. Justin Bour was 2-for-6 with a homer, two RBIs, and three runs scored. Junior Lake, Jae-Hoon Ha, and Greg Rohan all contributed with two hits with Rohan adding an RBI. Logan Watkins went 3-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored. Michael Burgess and Chad Noble each had RBIs and Nelson Perez connected on his third home run since being at Tennessee. The pitching was not very good at all. Dallas Beeler got the start, but obviously didn’t factor in the decision. Casey Harman took the loss giving up the two runs in the 11th. Frank Batista was the lone bright spot out of the bullpen, pitching two scoreless innings, bringing his ERA down to 1.06. It was a very tough loss, because of all the leads the Smokies had.
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Game two was a little different, as a six run sixth led Tennessee to a 8-4 win. Nicholas Struck got his 11th win of the season pitching five innings, giving up only one run on four hits. Zach Rosscup did a great job in relief, striking out five in three scoreless innings of work. Junior Lake, Logan Watkins, Jae-Hoon Ha, and Dustin Harrington all had two hits, scored a run, and all but Ha drove one in. Nelson Perez and Michael Burgess drove in two runs and Chad Noble added an RBI as well. It was a nice bounce back in game two ending the week with a win.
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A late rally fell short, as Iowa lost to Aburquerque 9-5. Chris Volstad was bad yet again giving up six runs, five earned on nine hits in five innings. He took the loss, he is now 2-5 with 5.83 ERA. Ty’Relle Harris did a fine job in relief striking out three in two scoreless innings. Offensively there were only a couple of highlights. Josh Vitters and Welington Castillo each hit a homer. For Vitters it was a three-run shot and Castillo was a solo. Brett Jackson, Adrian Cardenas, and Dave Sappelt all had a hit a piece as well.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
7/21: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Cubs minor league recap for July 21, 2012
The AZL Cubs were postponed.
Boise jumped out on top of Eugene early scoring twice in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately that didn’t last for the Hawks as the Emeralds scored twice in the second and third to take a 4-2 lead. Eugene broke it open in the fifth inning scoring three times to make it 7-2 and put this one away. Boise tried to put together a rally in the 8th but they could only manage to plate two runs to make it 7-4 and that’s how it would end. Jose Arias got the start for Boise and struggled, he went 2.1 innings giving up four runs, three earned, on four hits while walking three and striking out two. The loss was the first of the season for Arias who fell to 2-1. Boise had their chances to say the least, they pounded out ten hits but could only score four times. They were 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base, that usually ends up in a loss. Gioskar Amaya, Stephen Bruno, Willson Contreras, and Xavier Batista all had two hits in the loss, Amaya collected his 8th triple of the season.
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It was an eventful first three innings Saturday Night as Peoria and South Bend combined for 10 runs. Unfortunately, Peoria came out of the first three innings trailing 6-4 on their way to losing to South Bend 6-5. Zach Cates got the start for the Chiefs and didn’t have his best stuff as he lost his third game of the season. Cates worked three innings giving up six runs, four earned on eight hits while walking none and striking out three. It was the Javier Baez show at the plate once again as the young star was 3-for-4 with his 10th home run of the season, his 5th triple of the season and two RBI’s, he added his 19th stolen base for good measure. Pin-Chieh Chen and Bijan Rademacher each had two hits for Peoria in the loss, Chen had a triple and Rademacher had a double.
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Kyler Burke was the hard luck loser for Daytona on Saturday night as he pitched well enough to win but couldn’t get any help from his offense. Burke went six strong innings giving up three runs, one earned on six hits while walking none and striking out two. With Daytona leading 2-1 in the six Jupiter pushed across two runs to take a 3-2 lead. Daytona couldn’t get any closer and Jupiter tacked on an insurance run in the 8th to take this one 4-2. Matt Szczur had a great night at the plate as he pushed his average to .290 on the season. He was 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored. Rubi Silva went 2-for-3 with an RBI, he is now hitting .309 on the season.
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Game suspended in the 7th tied at 8, full recap tomorrow once the game has been completed.
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Things started off well enough as the I-Cubs scored twice in the top of the 1st inning to take a 2-0 lead over the Isotopes. That lead didn’t stand for long as Albuquerque scored eight runs in the bottom of the first and the rout was on. The Isotopes added one in the second, five more in the 5th and single runs in the 7th and 8th to win this one going away 16-3. Casey Coleman was awful, no other way to describe it. Coleman’s night mercifully came to an end after 2.2 innings, he gave up nine runs all earned on ten hits while walking four and striking out three. Alberto Cabrera came in to stop the bleeding, but he reopened the wound in the 5th. Cabrera tossed two innings in relief giving up five runs, two earned on six hits while walking one and striking out five. On the bright side, Josh Vitters had a solid night at the plate going 2-for-4 with his 14th home run of the season and three RBI’s. Adrian Cardenas and Dave Sappelt each chipped in with a double but it obviously wasn’t enough.
Thanks for reading,
- George
7/20: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Our nightly trip through the minor leagues.
Boise dropped another losing 7-2 to Eugene. Rock Shoulders was outstanding at the plate on Friday going 4-for-4 with a double, home run and two RBIs. Besides Shoulders the Hawks only had two other hits, one coming off the bat of Gioskar Amaya and another off the bat of Jeimer Candelario. Felix Pena started and pitched four innings surrendering two runs, he did not factor in the decision. After Michael Hamann pitched two scorelss innings, Rafael Diplan came in and struggled. He gave up three runs, one earned in one inning and took his second loss of the season. Another rough night for Boise as there record now stands at 12-23.
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After tying the game in the eighth Peoria scored four in the eleventh to beat West Michigan 9-6. There were some nice highlights from Chiefs. Pin-Chieh Chen was 3-for-6 with a double, a run scored, and two RBIs. Taiwan Easterling and Dustin Geiger each had two hits and hit a home run on Friday night. Bijan Rademacher and Yaniel Cabezas also had two hits a piece and Cabezas had two RBIs. Javier Baez extended his hitting streak going 1-for-6. Jeffry Antigua struck out three in 1.2 innings and recorded his first win of the season. His ERA now sits at 1.13. Michael Jensen got the start and pitched pretty good going six innings allowing two runs, one earned, while striking out five. Pete Levitt closed out the game striking out two in his one inning of work.
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Robert Whitenack really struggled not recording an out and giving up six runs. The six run first proved to be too much losing 12-8 to Jupiter. Now to some of the highlights. Rubi Silva was 4-for-5 with a triple, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Elieser Bonne had three hits and also drove in three. Ronald Torreyes and Rebel Ridling each had two hits, with Torreyes driving in one along with Matt Szczur. Timothy Saunders got his first hit in seven ABs since being promoted to Daytona. Frank Del Valle pitched four scoreless innings in relief and Brian Schlitter also pitched a scoreless frame bring his ERA down to 1.73. Daytona has given up way too many runs to be successful lately and Friday was no different.
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Tennessee fell to Chattanooga 4-1 in eight innings. Dae-Eun Rhee started and took the loss allowing three runs, two earned on two hits in six innings. Trey McNutt gave up one in 1.1 innings of relief. Justin Bour had two hits and drove in Logan Watkins, the lone Cubs run. Junior Lake, Jae-Hoon Ha, and Michael Brenly all had a hit on Friday. The Smokies have been really struggling as of late and that continued on Friday.
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Iowa and Alburquerque were tied going into the ninth, but Michael Bowden gave up a three run walk off homer to the Isotopes. The offense got going early for Iowa scoring six runs in the first three innings. Brett Jackson led the game off with his 13th home run of the season. He ended the day with two hits and two RBIs. Adrian Cardenas continued his hot hitting going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored. Josh Vitters also had two hits, one of which was his 29th double. He also scored a run and drove in his 53 run of the year. Brian Esposito had a nice night going 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Blake Lalli also drove in two and had two hits. Chris Rusin got the start, but didn’t pitched too well, allowing six runs on eight hits in five innings of work. Yet another bad loss for Iowa on Friday.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
7/19: Around the Cubs Minor League System
All teams back in action on Thursday July 19.
Jorge Soler made his much anticipated debut on Thursday night, but the AZL Cubs fell to the AZL Mariners 4-3 in 12 innings. It was not quite the debut we were looking for from Soler as he went 0-3, grounding out twice and lining into a double play. The Cubs got RBIs from David Bote, Daniel Lockhart, and Justin Marra. Marra also had two hits on the evening. Paul Blackburn got the start on Thursday and pitched three innings allowing one runs on three hits. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino struck out five in four innings out of the pen and Daniel Adrian struck out four in three scoreless innings. Chad Martin took the loss giving up the winning run in the 12th inning. Not the type of game we become accustomed to from the Cubs in Arizona.
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The pitching for Boise did their job on Thursday, but the Hawks still lost to Eugene 2-1. Ian Dickson got the start and took the tough loss. He gave up two runs, one earned in five innings. He also struck out five, his record now stands at 1-3. Hunter Ackerman was outstanding in relief striking out four and allowing only one hit in three innings pitched. All of the Hawks offense came off the bat of Stephen Bruno who had the only two hits for Boise. He also drove in Gioskar Amaya who reached on a walk. This is a tough one to swallow as the pitching did so well, unfortunately the hitting did not.
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Peoria dropped another to West Michigan losing 4-2. Yao-Lin Wang started and took the loss allowing three runs in the second inning, one earned in just 1.2 innings pitched. Josheph Zeller pitched well in relief allowing one unearned run on seven hits in 5.1 innings. He struck out three and lowered his ERA to 1.69. Javier Baez did it again going 2-for-4 hitting his ninth home run of the season and stealing his 17th base. Chadd Krist only was able to muster up one hit tonight as his average dropped to .462. Dustin Geiger added a hit and scored the only other Chiefs run of the day. Peoria will look to get back on track tomorrow.
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It is tough to win when you allow four runs in one inning and then a single run four innings in a row. Daytona didn’t disprove this losing 8-3 to Jupiter. Austin Kirk took the loss allowing five runs in five innings pitched. His ERA stands at an impressive 2.88. Hunter Cervenka, Scott Weismann, and AJ Morris all gave up a run in their inning of work out of the bullpen. The good news came from one of the Cubs top prospects Matt Szczur. He was 3-for-4 with a triple, run scored, RBI and his 33rd stolen base of the year. Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Elliot Soto added two hits driving in one run and Rubi Silva also had an RBI. Not a good loss all the way around for the Cubs.
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After giving up three in the first Tennessee tried to mount a comeback, but it ultimately came up short losing 4-3 to Chattanooga. Eric Jokisch took the loss allowing three runs on six hits in five innings. Kevin Rhoderick hopefully got back on track Thursday striking out all four of the outs he recorded. Marcus Hatley pitched a scoreless inning giving up three hits, but striking out one. Juan Apodaca hit a double and drove in two runs. Jae-Hoon Ha was 2-for-3 with a run scored and Logan Watkins drove stole his 19th base of the season and drove in his 36th run of the season. It was a good comeback attempt, but turned out to be another disappointing loss.
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Casey Coleman got scratched from his start so Ryan Rowland-Smith took his place and struggled giving up five runs, three earned in just four innings pitched. All of those runs came in the second and Iowa could never rebound losing 9-1. Offensively Brett Jackson was 2-for-4 with the Cubs lone RBI. Dave Sappelt and Blake Lalli each had two hits and both had a double. Adrian Cardenas and Welington Castillo had doubles as well. Other than that not much excitement coming from Iowa on Thursday night.
Thanks for reading,
Mark
7/18: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Minor league recap for July 18th, 2012.
Tennessee Smokies were off.
For most of the year the hitting in Arizona has been the highlight on Wednesday the pitching took center stage defeating the AZL Dodgers 4-0. The Cubs used four pitchers to complete the three hit shutout. Anthony Prieto started and pitched two innings striking out two while not allowing a baserunner. Arutro Maltos-Garcia pitched two scorelss innings and Loiger Padron struck out three in his three innings of work. Padron was awarded the win, his second of the season. Alvido Jimenez pitched the last two innings preserving the shutout for the Cubs. Offensively the Cubs did not do as much as we have come to expect, but there were still some highlights. Ben Carhart was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Daniel Lockhart had a hit and drove in two runs. Neftali Rosario was 2-for-3 and scored two runs on Wednesday night. A great performance by the staff on Wednesday led to this win.
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Boise’s two game winning streak came to an end dropping Wednesday’s game to Yakima 8-4. Tayler Scott got the start giving up four runs in 4.2 innings. He did not factor in the decision though as he left with the game tied. Hayden Simpson took the loss giving up four runs in 2.1 innings. The Cubs offense came off the bats of only a few players. Five different players had two hits, but every other player was hitless. Gioskar Amaya hit his fourth home run of the season and Trey Martin drove in a run with his two hits. Jeimer Candelario had two hits and drove in two runs on Wednesday. Stephen Bruno and Xavier Batista also had two hits a piece and scored a run. Let’s see if the Hawks can get back on track on Thursday.
It was an exciting game between Peoria and West Michigan, but the Chiefs did not come out on top. Losing by two entering the eighth, Peoria tied the game and sent it to extra innings. Peoria scored one in the tenth, but then gave up two in the bottom half to lose 9-8. On the offensive side of things every Chiefs player had a hit. Chadd Krist was 2-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Pin-Chieh Chen and Zeke DeVoss also had two hits and drove in two on the night. Javier Baez continued his hot stretch adding two more hits, bringing his average to .333. Bijan Rademacher and Oliver Zapata each drove in a run for Peoria. The pitching was up and down on Wednesday Jose Rosario and Sheldon McDonald were not very good responsible for the first seven runs West Michigan gave up on Wednesday. Luis Liria and Austin Reed each pitched two scoreless innings to put Peoria in line for the win. Larry Suarez gave up two unearned runs in the tenth to take the loss. This is a tough one to swallow as Peoria came back, took the lead, and then blew it in the end.
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Two first inning runs turned out to be all Charlotte would need beating Daytona 3-1 on Wednesday. PJ Francescon got the start and took the loss allowing three runs on seven hits and walking four in 5.1 innings. The bullpen did all they could to keep the game close as Eduardo Figueroa, Ryan Searle, and Brian Schlitter combined to pitch 3.2 innings allowing no runs on only two hits. The Daytona bats never really got going, only having five hits. Taylor Davis was 1-for-2 including his second home run of the season. The Cubs also got single hits from Matt Szczur, Matt Cerda, John Andreoli, and Elliot Soto.
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Iowa took advantage of a lot of New Orleans mistakes to win 2-1 in 11 innings. The Cubs won when James Adduci scored on a throwing error by New Orleans pitcher Gary Glover. Brooks Raley pitched seven good innings allowing no runs on five hits. he also walked four and struck four out, leaving with a chance to get the win. Jay Jackson, however gave up a run in his one inning of work. Michael Bowden pitched two scoreless innings and Jeff Beliveau struck out the side in his one inning of work earning his fourth win of the season. Dave Sappelt was the only Cubs player to have more than one hit, he had two, including a double. Brett Jackson hit his 20th double of the season and Welington Castillo also had a hit. A nice win for Iowa on Wednesday night.
Thanks for reading,
7/17: Around the Cubs Minor League System
July 17, 2012 – Ready, go!
Peoria was off
The AZL Cubs scored three in the top of the ninth to beat the AZL Mariners 6-5. Dan Vogelbach continued crushing the ball going 2-for-5 with a home run, triple and three RBIs. He is now hitting .360 with 7 HR 30RBI, and an OPS of 1.202. The Cubs also got RBIs from Dan Lockhart, Ben Carhart, and Carlos Penalver. Shawon Dunston Jr. had another solid day at the plate going 2-for-4 with a run scored. David Bote and Penalver each had two hits on the day as well. Steve Perakslis gave up two runs on three hits in relief, but managed to get the win. Chad Martin picked up his first save of the season striking out three in a scoreless ninth.
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Boise made it two in a row on Tuesday defeating Yakima 5-0. The Hawks pitching was the story as James Pugliese, Michael Heesch, and Pet Levitt combined for the three hit shut out. Pugliese got his first win of the season striking out five and allowing only one hit in five innings. Heesch and Levitt each pitched two scoreless innings to close ou the game and secure a Boise win. Lead-off hitter Trey Martin did his job reaching base five times. He was 3-for-3 with two walks including his third home run of the season. Marco Hernandez had a nice night as well going 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Wilson Contreras and Rock Shoulders each had two hits as well. Contreras and Carlos Escobar were responsible for driving in a run a piece for the Hawks. Boise hasn’t won two in a row too often so hope more is to come.
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Behind a tremendous effort from Matt Loosen the Cubs beat Charlotte 6-1. Loosen started and recorded his eight win of the season. He pitched into the eighth inning allowing only one run on five hits, while striking out six. Jeffrey Lorick came on to record the last five outs and close the game out for Daytona. Matt Szczur was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Ronald Torreyes and Elieser Bonne each had two hits with Torreyes driving in a run. Rubi Silva added a hit and Micah Gibbs and Elliot Soto each had a hit and scored two runs on Tuesday.
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It was a rough one for Tennessee losing the Jackson 9-2. Nicholas Struck got the start and took the loss giving up six runs in just five innings of work. Casey Harman pitched an inning in relief and was not any better giving up another three runs. The good news from the staff came from Frank Batista and Tony Zych who combined to pitch the last three scorelss innings of the game. Not much happened on the offensive side of things either. Logan Watkins had two hits including a triple. Justin Bour and Greg Rohan were the only Smokies to record RBIs, they also had a hit each. Junior Lake and Jae-Hoon Ha were the only other Smokies to have a hit in the game. Not a very good night for Tennessee on Tuesday.
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Iowa scored two in the first, but that was all they could push across losing to New Orleans 7-2. Chris Volstad was bad again giving up seven runs, six earned on eight hits in 5.2 innings pitched. Brett Jackson was 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored, he also stole his 22nd base of the season. Josh Vitters also had two hits and drove in his 52nd run of the season. Alfredo Amezaga and Dave Sappelt each had two hits and Sappelt drove in a run.
Thanks for reading,
- Mark
7/16: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A trip through the Cubs minor league system.
Wow AZL just continue to score this time beating the AZL Athletics 11-8. The Cubs had some new heroes on Monday. Shawon Dunston Jr. had two hits, hit a his first home run and knocked in four. Daniel Lockhart, Timothy Saunders, and Jacob Rogers all had two hits and Rogers added to RBIs. Ben Carhart also had two RBIs and Dan Vogelbach drove in his 27th run of the season. Lendy Castillo continued his rehab assignment pitching three innings allowing no runs on only two hits. He also struck out four. The rest of the pitchers on Monday struggled, but David Henrie was able to pick up his fourth win of the season.
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Tied at five in the bottom of the ninth, up stepped Jeimer Candelario. He promptly ended the game hitting a walk-off home run giving Boise the win 6-5. Bijan Rademacher and Stephen Bruno each had three hits in the win, with Rademacher scoring three runs. Marco Hernandez added two hits including a triple and drove in one. Rock Shoulders and Carlos Escobar each contributed with an RBI each and Xavier Batista had two RBIs. Eduardo Orozco pitched well again pitching two scoreless innings and getting the win. He has not allowed a run in eight innings pitched this season in Boise. Starting pitcher Jose Arias pitched five innings allowing three runs, two earned on four hits and striking out four.
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Peoria scored seven times in from the fifth inning on and beat Bowling Green 8-3. Paul Hoilman was outstanding at the plate going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three RBIs. Pin-Chieh Chen also collected three hits. He also scored three and drove in one. Chadd Krist continued his impressive streak adding two hits and driving one in. Javier Baez had yet another hit and had two RBIs. Starling Peralta earned his third win of the season pitching five scoreless innings. He struck out five, walked three, gave up five hits. His ERA now stands at 2.81. It was a good win for Peoria on Monday and will look to build on that.
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Four early runs proved to be all Charlotte would need beating Daytona 5-3. Kyler Burke struggled early, but settled down allowing four runs on nine hits in six innings. He took the loss on Monday and his record at Daytona stands at 1-3. Offensively, Matt Szczur and Rebel Ridling each had two hits. They both scored a run and they each had a double. Szczur stole two bases bring his total to 32 and Ridling added an RBI. Elieser Bonne had a double and an RBI and Matthew Cerda drove in a run as well.
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Tennessee was able to score eight runs, but it was not enough losing to Jackson 10-8. The 2-3-4 hitters for the Smokies did an unbelievable job as each of those hitters had three hits. Jae-Hoon Ha was 3-for-5 with triple, home run, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Logan Watkins and Justin Bour each had three hits, with Bour driving one in. Greg Rohan and Nate Samson had two hits a piece, with Rohan adding an RBI. Junior Lake and Michael Brenly only had one hit, but each drove in two and Brenly hit his fourth home run of the season. The pitching was not so good on Monday. Starter Ty’relle Harris only was able to last 2.2 innings as he gave up six runs. Zach Rosscup and Trey McNutt each surrendered two runs in their two innings of work. McNutt took the loss, his eighth of the season. It’s always tough to lose, but when you score eight and lose it is really tough.
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Iowa had one of the those games again where they aren’t good in any aspect. They were outhit 16-4, made two errors, and lost 6-1 where it really counts. I guess I will start with the offense on this one. Brett Jackson hit his league leading 11th triple and scored the Cubs lone run when he was driven in by Adrian Cardenas. Josh Vitters had another hit, as did Blake Lalli and James Adduci. Rodrigo Lopez took the loss in this one allowing 12 hits and four runs in just five innings. After Ryan Rowland-Smith gave up two more, Alberto Cabrera and Michael Bowden didn’t allow another run in the last 1.1 innings. Not a good one for Iowa on Monday.
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Thanks for Reading,
Mark
7/15: Around the Cubs Minor League System
The Cubs minor league report on Sunday July, 15.
Boise gave up one run in the sixth and one in the seventh losing 5-4 to Vancouver. Felix Pena left after the fifth in line for the win, but took a no decision. He gave up three runs on seven hits and struck out five. Willengton Cruz lost his fourth game of the season giving up a run in both the sixth and seventh inning. The Hawks got a hit and an RBI a piece from Jeimer Candelario, Bijan Rademacher, and Rock Shoulders. Stephen Bruno collected two hits and scored a run. The 202 draft pick is now hitting .318 on the season. The loss dropped the Hawks record to a 10-20.
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Peoria had nine hits, but could only plate two runs losing to Bowling Green 4-2. Top prospect Javier Baez was at it again going 3-for-4 with a double and a triple. The ninth overall pick in the 2011 draft is now hitting .331 with an OPS of .980. Wes Darvill and Pin-Chieh Chen each drove in a run and Oliver Zapata scored a run and added two hits. Losing pitcher Zach Cates was only able to last 4.2 innings allowing two runs on four hits while walking four. Jeffry Antigua who had been very good, struggled a bit giving up two runs, one earned in 2.1 innings. He also walked three, his ERA is now at 1.42 on the season. Larry Suarez struck out two in two perfect innings. The Chiefs record now stands at 44-48.
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After giving up the tying run in the ninth, the top of Peoria’s order took care of business walking off with a 4-3 win. John Andreoli led the ninth off with a walk and later moved to third on a Ronald Torreyes double. Rubi Silva then ended the game with a sacrifice fly. Scott Weismann who blew the save ended up getting his second win of the season. Elieser Bonne and Micah Gibbs each were 2-for-4 and Gibbs drove in a run. The Cubs also had an RBI a piece from Andreoli and Torreyes. Andreoli stole his league leading 33rd base of the season. The Cubs started Robert Whitenack on the hill. He pitched 4.2 innings giving up two runs on three hits and walking three. Ryan Searle and AJ Morris did a tremendous job in relief combining to pitch a scoreless 3.1 innings. The win brings Dayton’s record to 41-51.
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Tied at one into the seventh, Tennessee gave up five runs in the last three innings losing 6-1 to Jackson. Kevein Rhoderick struck out four, but took the loss in relief giving up two runs in two innings. Casey Harman wasn’t any better as he gave up three runs in his innings of work. Starter Dallas Beeler pitched well surrendering only one run on six hits in six innings pitched. Offensively, the Smokies had nine hits, but were only able to push one across the plate. Michael Brenly and Logan Watkins each went 2-for-4 on Sunday. Justin Bour drove in the lone Smokies run, he now has 70 on the season. With the loss Tennessee’s record is evened up at 47-47.
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Iowa scored four in the third and five in the fourth in route to a 9-1 win. Adrian Cardenas had a great day at the dish going 4-for-5 with a double. He also scored a run and drove three. Alfredo Amezaga had two his and also drove in three. Welington Castillo and James Adduci each had two hits with Aducci driving one in. Josh Vitters hit his 28th double and drove in one run. Blake Lalli scored collected three hits and scored two runs. Chris Rusin started and earned his seventh win of the season. He pitched five innings allowing only one run on two hits. Esmailin Caridaid, Jeff Beliveau, and Jay Jackson combined to pitch a scoreless last four innings on Sunday. With the win the Cubs record is now 40-55.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
7/14: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A look at the Cubs minor leaguers on Saturday.
The AZL Cubs did it again on Saturday beating the AZL Padres 13-3. After a couple rough nights, Timothy Saunders got back on track going 4-for-6 with a double, home run, three runs scored, and five RBIs. He raised his average back up to .493. Equally as impressive has been Dan Vogelbach, and he didn’t disappoint on Saturday. He had two hits, including a double and drove in four. The Cubs got three hits out of Daniel Lockhart and Jacob Rogers and they combined to score five runs on the night. Shawon Dunston Jr. and Garrett Schlect each added two hits a piece and Carlos Penalver hit a triple and drove in two. One of this year’s supplemental picks Paul Blackburn got his first start of the year. He pitched one inning and allowed a run, but it was good to see him pitch. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino recorded his third win of the season striking out four and allowing only one hit in three innings. The Cubs have been really impressive so far.
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Two four run innings was plenty for Boise beating Vancouver 9-3. The Hawks were led offensively by Trey Martin and Marco Hernandez. Martin was 2-for-4 with a triple and a home run. He also scored two runs and knocked in four. Hernandez also had two, including two doubles and driving in three. Lead-off hitter Gioskar Amaya did his job well on Saturday going 2-for-3 with a walk. One of his hits was a triple and he scored three runs. Hawks got an RBI a piece from Stephen Bruno and Bijan Rademacher. Ian Dickson got the start, but did not factor in the decision as he only pitched 4.1 innings. Pete Levitt picked up his first win in relief pitching 1.2 scoreless innings. Michael Hamann and Rafael Diplan combined to pitch the last three innings of the game securing the Boise win.
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In a back and forth game Peoria was able to come out on top 9-8 in ten innings. Chadd Krist played the role of hero winning the game with a walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth. He ended the night 3-for-6 with two runs scored and an RBI. Javier Baez had his best night as a professional going 3-for-5 with a home run and a triple. He also scored a run, drove in four and stole his 16th base. He now has a ten game hitting streak and his batting average now stands at .319. Taiwan Easterling and Paul Hoilman each had two hits and Easterling drove in two. Michael Jensen got the start giving up six runs in 5.1 innings of work. Yao-Lin Wang got the win pitching a scoreless tenth inning.
****
Daytona watched a six two lead slip away late when Palm Beach scored seven times in the last two innings to win 9-6. Despite walking five and allowing six hits starter Austin Kirk was in line for the win, but was let down by his bullpen. Kirk left only allowing two run, one earned in six inning of work lowering his ERA to 2.59. After a dominate one inning of work by Eduardo Figueroa, Jeffrey Lorick and Brian Schlitter really struggled combining to give up seven runs, five earned over the next 1.1 innings. There were a few bright spots from the offense on Saturday for the Cubs. Ronald Torreyes was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. John Andreoli, Rafael Lopez, and Elieser Bonne all had two hits with Bonne driving one in. Matt Szczur and Rebel Ridling each had an RBI a piece and Taylor Davis drove in two. Another tough loss for Daytona on Saturday.
****
Michael Burgess and Juan Apodaca‘s power was on display Saturday leading Tennessee to a 4-2 win on Saturday. Apodaca hit a three-run homer and Michael Burgess hit a solo shot, his tenth of the season. That was all the offense the Smokies would need as Dae-Eun Rhee and the bullpen would do all the rest. Rhee gave up two runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out six in route to his sixth win of the year. Tony Zych pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three and Marcus Hatley came in to shut it down. That he did striking out three in two innings of work recording his fourth save of the season. It is nice to see Tennessee come out on top of a well-played game from both teams.
****
A seven run second from Omaha was all they needed beating Iowa 7-1. Randy Wells got the start and was terrible allowing seven runs on six hits in just 1.2 innings pitched. As bad as Randy Wells was the offense couldn’t get much going either. James Adduci had two hits and scored a run, the only Cubs player with a multi-hit game. Dave Sappelt drove in the Cubs lone run. Josh Vitters had his 27th double of the season and Brett Jackson also added a hit. Other than that there wasn’t much to the game at the plate. Casey Coleman pitched 5.1 good innings in relief not allowing a run and striking out three. Alberto Cabrera had another nice outing out of the pen striking out one in one inning of work.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
7/13: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Recapping July 13th, 2012 in the Cubs minor league system, enjoy.
The AZL Cubs have a way of punishing their opponents, and more often than not Daniel Vogelbach is leading that charge, tonight was more of the same as the Cubs beat the Rangers 7-3. Vogelbach was a man possessed tonight as he went 3-for-4 with his 6th home run of the season, two doubles, an RBI, a walk, and two runs scored. Vogelbach now has 10 doubles on the season, the man doesn’t now how to hit singles, he’s a slugging machine right now. Ben Carhart and Jacob Rogers made sure Vogelbach had plenty of help as each guy had two hits, Carhart is now hitting .340 while Rogers is now hitting .429 on the season. Timothy Saunders had a shocking 0-for-4 dropping his average all the way down to .475 on the season, please catch that sarcasm, I’m laying it on pretty thick. Anthony Prieto started for the Cubs and only went one inning, he didn’t give up any runs but gave up one hit and issued three walks before departing. Hunter Ackerman came on in relief and earned the win after going three innings giving up one run on two hits, while walking two and striking out two. Nathan Dorris came on in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
***
A late inning collapse can be blamed for Boise’s loss as they seemingly had this one wrapped up leading 4-2 heading to the 8th. Vancouver scored four in the 8th and one more time for good measure in the 9th to take beat Boise 7-4. Tayler Scott started for Boise and was his typical solid self going four strong innings allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits while walking two and striking out one. Hayden Simpson chipped in 3.2 innings of relief but was on the mound for Vancouver’s comeback. The defense behind Simpson didn’t help as he allowed three runs on six hits but only one was earned. Gioskar Amaya continued his solid season at the plate going 2-for-5 with his 3rd home run of the season, he his now hitting .298 on the campaign. Dong-Yub Kim also had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a run scored and Rock Shoulders continued showing patience at the plate as he was 0-for-1 with three walks.
***
For all the press the Chiefs offense gets, and well deserved, the pitching has shown flashes of brilliance as well, tonight Joseph Zeller dazzled. Zeller was perfect in his six innings of work, that’s right, no hits or walks in six innings while striking out four en route to his first win of the season. The Chiefs couldn’t finish off the perfect game eventually allowing one run on two hits in an 8-1 victory over Dayton. Chadd Krist is becoming a story, the 2012 draft pick has already been promoted to Peoria and he is swinging the bat well. Krist was 2-for-4 again tonight with his first home run as a Chief, he also had a double, two RBI’s and two runs scored. Paul Hoilman and Wes Darvill each chipped in with two RBI’s a piece.
***
Losses can’t get much harder to take than this one. The Daytona Cubs were well on their way to a victory behind P.J. Francescon leading 7-0 heading to the 6th inning, then the wheels fell off. Palm Beach blitzed the D-Cubs for seven runs in the sixth inning, and three in the seventh to take a 10-7 lead, eventually winning 11-8. Francescon was brilliant for the D-Cubs, he went five innings allowing no runs on two hits, while striking out three, but had to settle for a no decision. Matthew Spencer, Ryan Searle, Scott Weismann, and Frank Del Valle were really bad, no other way to put it as they tossed a combined four innings giving up 11 runs, all earned, on 11 hits while walking three and striking out three. Rubi Silva had a solid day at the plate going 3-for-6 with a triple, his ninth, yes ninth of the season, and an RBI. Ronald Torreyes and Rebel Ridling each had two hits in the loss, as six different D-Cubs had RBI’s.
***
The Smokies never really allowed Birmingham into this one as they jumped all over the Barons with four in the first, then tacked on three in the fifth and sixth to take a 10-0 lead. The Barons tried to save face by pushing across three runs in the final two innings but it didn’t help as the Smokies rolled to a 12-3 victory. Erik Jokisch was nearly perfect going five innings allowing no runs on one hit while walking four and striking out six. Jokisch struggled with his command, see the six walks, but was untouchable otherwise in earning his 5th win of the season against one loss. Trey McNutt made his debut as a reliever, after officially being moved to the pen yesterday. He was solid going two innings in relief giving up no run on one hit and striking out two. Justin Bour had a stellar game at the plate going 2-for-6 with a double, four RBI’s and a run scored. Logan Watkins wasn’t going to let Bour have all the fun as he went 3-for-4 with two RBI’s, two walks, and three runs scored. Junior Lake, Jae-Hoon Ha, and Michael Burgess all had two hits in the blow out win. The Smokies managed to pound out 14 hits and 12 runs and did it all without a home run.
***
A late rally from Iowa fell just short as they dropped a close one to Omaha 4-3, the I-Cubs scratched across two runs in the ninth unfortunately it was too little too late. Brooks Raley was really good for the I-Cubs going five innings and allowing two runs on six hits while walking one and striking out four. Unfortunately that wasn’t good enough to avoid a loss as Raley fell to 4-5 on the season with a 3.57 ERA. Adrian Cardenas continued his recent stretch of outstanding play, proving that he is a play every day kind of guy, he won’t reach that max potential by coming off the bench. Cardenas was 2-for-3 with a double, triple, a walk, and a run scored in the loss. Welington Castillo was 3-for-4 with a run scored, but that was the extent of the I-Cubs offense as they were a horrendous 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left eight guys on base.
Thanks for reading,
- George
