8/23: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A look at August 23 minor league recap.
Down 8-2 the AZL Cubs came storming back to not only tie the game in the ninth, but score five in the 10th to win it. Dillon Maples started, but struggled with his control walking four and giving up four runs in just 1.2 innings. After Loiger Padron gave up four runs over 2.1 innings the rest of the pen did a pretty good job only allowing one more run to score. Chad Martin ended up getting the win as he struck out four in just one inning. Justin Marra had a good night at the plate going 3-for-5 with three doubles and two RBIs. David Bote and Trevor Gretzky each had two hits and two RBIs a piece in the win. Shawon Dunston had two hits and an RBI and Yasiel Balaguert drove in two runs of his own. Ben Carhart ended the night 1-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored and Anthony Giansanti scored two and knocked on in as well. This was a great comeback win for the Cubs.
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Boise has been scoring a lot of runs lately and Thursday was no different beating Vancouver 11-5. Boise once again pounded out 17 hits to go along with their 11 runs. Albert Almora was back in the lineup and he went 4-for-5, including two doubles, three runs scored, and two RBIs. Wilson Contreras and Darien Martin each had three hits with Martin knocking in three runs and Contreras scoring three and driving in one as well. Dan Vogelbach and Stephen Bruno each had two hits, both collecting doubles. Rock Shoulders and Izaac Garsez both had a hit and RBI in the Hawks victory. Hayden Simpson started and got the win as he allowed three runs on six hits in five innings, while striking out seven. Brian Smith pitched two nice innings in relief not giving up a run and striking out two. Tyler Bremer finished this one off for the Hawks striking out two over the last 1.1 innings. Boise’s magic number is now at two.
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Behind Michael Jensen Peoria beat Beloit 6-1. Jensen was stellar pitching six innings allowing only one run on two hits, while striking out four. He is now 11-5 with a 3.47 ERA. Justin Berg and Larry Suarez combined to pitch the final three innings, not giving up a run and striking out three. Leadoff hitter Zeke DeVoss had a really nice game going 3-for-4 with a home run. Pin-Chieh Chen continued to impress as he had two hits, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Jorge Soler and Chadd Krist each had a double and Soler had an RBI. Timothy Saunders is human as he didn’t have a hit in this, but he did drive in a run and Jacob Rogers contributed to the win with a hit and a run scored.
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Robert Whitenack gave up three in the first and that was all Clearwater would need beating Daytona 3-0. On a positive note Kyler Burke pitched three scoreless innings in relief striking out three. Matt Iannazzo, Scott Weismann, and Jeff Lorick combined to throw the final two innings of the game. Offensively there really is nothing to report as Daytona only had three hits. John Andreoli, Ronald Torreyes, and Rebel Ridling were the only Cubs to have hits in the shutout loss.
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After scoring five runs over the first two innings Tennessee had to hold on in this one beating Chattanooga 5-4. Austin Kirk started, but got a no decision as he wasn’t able to finish five innings giving up four runs in 4.2 innings. He gave up four hits, walked five, and struck out six. Trey McNutt pitched a perfect innings and recorded his eighth win of the season. Brian Schlitter struck out three in two innings and Frank Batista earned his 24th save of the season as he pitched a scoreless ninth. At the plate Justin Bour was 2-for-4 including his 35th double and an RBIs bringing his season total to 109. Jae-Hoon Ha and Junior Lake each had a double and drove in two runs of their own. Rubi Silva and Michael Brenly each had a hit and a run scored in the Smokies victory.
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A two run second was enough for Oklahoma City as they hung on to beat Iowa 2-1. Ryan Rowland-Smith started and took the loss giving up two runs in five innings. Marcus Hatley, Jeff Beliveau, and Esmailin Caridad combined to pitch the final four innings allowing only one hit and striking out five. Offensively speaking the Cubs had only six hits and one run, but there were a couple of good performances. Dave Sappelt was 2-for-4 including a double and an RBI. James Adduci also had a double in the this one and he stole his sixth base of the season. Tony Campana, Alfredo Amezaga, and Matt Tolbert all had a hit a piece with Amezaga scoring the Cubs only run in the 2-1 loss.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/22: Around the Cubs Minor League System
The Cubs minor leagues were in full effect on Wednesday with the AZL Cubs and Daytona each playing 7-inning double headers.
The AZL Cubs scored three in the first inning of the first game and that was all Ryan McNeil and company would need beating the Diamondbacks 3-0. McNeil was outstanding pitching four scoreless innings giving up five hits and striking out two. Rafael Dolis continued his rebab pitching the next 1.1 innings and getting the win. Jasvir Rakkar earned his first save of the year, striking out four of the five outs he recorded. Anthony Giansanti also continued his rehab assignment going 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. Justin Marra also had a hit and an RBI in the victory. Shawon Dunston continued his impressive stretch at the plate going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Ben Carhart and Yasiel Balauert also had a hit in the game.
Game two was scoreless until Anthony Giansanti stepped to the plate in the bottom of the seventh. Giansanti delivered hitting a walk off homer as the Cubs swept the double-header against the Diamondbacks. The Cubs used three pitchers in this one as Corbin Hoffner got the start striking out two and allowing three hits in three innings. Some more good news was the return of Ben Wells who began his rebab assignment in style striking out the side in his one inning. Alvido Jimenez ended the scoreless day pitcing the final three innings and getting his second win of the season. Carlos Penalver, David Bote, and Yasiel Balaguert all had a hit in game two of the double-header. The Cubs remain three games behind the A’s for first place, but are leading the wild card by three games over the Giants.
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Boise just keeps rolling as they beat up Vancouver 11-6. The offense was the story in this one as they pounded out 17 hits to go along with those 11 runs. Stephen Bruno is just raking right now as he went 3-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBIs. He is now hitting .344 on the season and .439 in his last 10. Izaac Garsez and Wilson Contreras each had really nice games both having three hits and driving in two runs a piece. Garsez also scored three runs and stole his first base of the season. Carlos Escobar and Darien Martin both had two hits with Escobar knocking in two. Marco Hernandez also had two RBIs and Gioskar Amaya had one of his own. Justin Amlung got the start, but only lasted two innings as he gave up three runs on six hits. Michael Heesch then pitched two scoreless innings and got his second win of the season. James Pugliese struck out six over the next three innings, but did give up three runs before getting the ball to Nathan Dorris. Dorris closed this one out striking out two over the final two innings of the game. Boise remains six games up on the Yakima Bears with their magic number down to four.
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Beloit got off to a great start, but Peoria came roaring back scoring four in the sixth and one in the eighth to tie it up before scoring three in the 13th and beating Beloit 9-6. Timothy Saunders continues to impress at the plate going 4-for-6 with a stolen base, three runs scored and two RBIs. He is now hitting .391 with Peoria in 11 games. Jorge Soler was back at it going 2-for-6 with a stolen base, three runs scored and an RBI. Jacob Rogers and Bijan Rademacher each had a hit and an RBI and Pin-Chieh Chen had two hits. Starling Peralta started, but struggled with his command walking five in five innings. He also gave up five hits and allowed four runs, three earned, and struck out four. After Bryce Shafer gave up an unearned run the rest of the Chiefs staff threw up zeros. First Pete Levitt struck out four in 2.2 innings, then Sheldon McDonald struck out four in his two innings. Luis Liria came on to shut the door in the 13th and recorded his fifth save of the season.
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Game one of Daytona’s double-header was decided early as Clearwater scored two in the first and Daytona scored one in the second. Nothing would change as the Cubs lost game one 2-1. PJ Francescon started and took the loss striking out four and giving up two runs in three innings. Eduardo Figueroa, Matt Spencer, and AJ Morris all did their job not allowing another hit and shutting Clearwater down over the next three innings. The offense just couldn’t get it going, which is to be expected as they haven’t played in several days. Taylor Davis was 2-for-2 and drove in the only Cubs run in this one. Christian Villanueva hit a double and scored the Cubs lone run in the loss. John Andreoli and Elieser Bonne also had hits and Javier Baez was 0-for-3.
Game two didn’t go much better for Daytona as Clearwater jumped out early scoring three in the first and never looked back beating the Cubs 4-2. Frank Del Valle was on the hook for all four runs, only three of which were earned in four innings of work. Ryan Searle and Hunter Cervenka each pitched a scoreless inning a piece. Offensively there were a couple bright spots, one of which was Ronald Torreyes who was 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Vladimir Frias had two hits of his own and Nelson Perez added a hit and an RBI. The offense is obviously having a hard time getting in any kind of rhythm as games have been few and far between.
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Tennessee was embarrassed on Wednesday losing to Chattanooga 11-1. Dae-Eun Rhee started and took the loss giving up three runs on nine hits in 5.2 innings. Things didn’t get any better as Casey Weathers gave up three runs after recording just one out. After Zach Rosscup struck out the side in the seventh, Casey Harman gave up five runs, only one of which was earned in the eighth inning. Dustin Harrington struck out two in the ninth, that’s right Dustin Harrington, the same guy who plays third base. He was 2-for-2 at the plate as well, hitting a double and scoring a run. Matt Szczur was the only other Smokie to have a hit as he had a triple and drove in the lone Cubs run.
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Iowa was winning 3-1 into the eighth, but gave up five over the next two innings and lost 6-3. Horacio Ramirez was great on Wednesday giving up one run on seven hits in seven innings pitched. Blake Parker struggled and took the loss giving up three runs in the eighth and Jairo Asencio allowed two unearned runs in the ninth. Dave Sappelt had a nice day at the plate going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Brian Esposito had a hit and an RBI and Blake Lalli had a hit and scored a run in the loss. Adrian Cardenas finally got to play baseball again and was 1-for-4 with a run scored. It is tough to see Parker give this one up, as his rehab has been going quite well thus far, but I am sure he will come back strong in his next outing.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/21: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Tuesday’s minor league report. As you may have guessed Daytona was postponed yet again.
The AZL Cubs lost to the Mariners 4-1 in one of their two games on Tuesday. Duane Underwood got the start and pitched pretty good going three innings and allowing no runs on no hits, while walking one and striking out three. Anthony Prieto pitched the next 2.1 innnings and took the loss giving up four runs. At the plate Justin Marra had himself a nice day going 2-for-2 with a double and a triple. He also scored the Cubs lone run when he was driven in by Trevor Gretzky who also had two hits. Shawon Dunston also had a hit in the loss.
The AZL Cubs scored four times in the seventh to beat the Mariners 7-6. The offense did a nice job in not giving up in this one. Shawon Dunston was 2-for-3 with a two runs scored and an RBI. Anthony Giansanti who is working his way back from injury also had two hits and drove in three. Justin Marra, Ben Carhart, and Garrett Schlecht all had a hit and an RBI in the game. Carlos Penalver and Jeffrey Baez each had a hit in the win. Carl Lang got the start only pitching one inning and allowing no runs. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino continued to struggle as he gave up five runs, four earned on six hits in only three innings. After Steve Perakslis gave up one run in two innings Chad Martin pitched a scoreless seventh and earned his third win of the season.
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After a rough loss on Monday night Boise came out swinging beating Yakima 7-4. Pierce Johnson started, but struggled a bit giving up three runs in two innings. Felix Pena came in relief and pitched five wonderful innings allowing only one unearned run and striking out three. Eduardo Orozco pitched the final two innings notching his sixth save of the season. Offensively Gioskar Amaya had himself a nice night going 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Albert Almora had a hit and an RBI and Marco Hernandez also drove one in. Stephen Bruno and Xavier Batista each had a hit and combined to score three runs. It was good to get back in the win column after last nights debacle.
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Peoria came back strong on Tuesday beating Wisconsin 4-2. Jeff Antigua was good enough to win this one, but got a no decision. He last 5.2 innings allowing two runs, one earned on five hits, while striking out five. Austin Reed threw 2.1 scoreless innings in getting the win. Larry Suarez pitched the ninth and recorded his fourth save. After a couple rough games for Jorge Soler he got back on track going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Sergio Burruel also had a nice night at the plate adding three hits and driving in one run as well. Pin-Chieh Chen contributed with a hit and an RBI. Timothy Saunders, Dustin Geiger, and Wes Darvill all had a hit a piece with Darvill also scoring a run and stealing a base. It was good to see the Chiefs and Soler get back on track in this one.
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Tennessee lost a pitcher’s duel 3-1 in 11 innings. Eric Jokisch started for the Smokies giving up no runs in five innings of work. He left in line for the win and Trey McNutt and Tony Zych got it to the ninth inning scoreless, but Frank Batista gave up a run in the ninth. Kevin Rhoderick took the loss as Casey Harman couldn’t get the final out of the 11th before the two runs scored. Jae-Hoon Ha and Matt Cerda were the only Tennessee players to have multi hit games. Justin Bour had a hit and drove in the only Smokies run. Rubi Silva and Matt Szczur each had a hit in the loss.
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Iowa scored two in the seventh to beat Memphis 2-0 on Tuesday. Seth McClung started for the Cubs and was brilliant pitching seven strong innings allowing no runs on six hits, while walking one and striking out six. Scott Maine pitched a scoreless eighth and turned the ball over to Blake Parker who struck out two in recording his sixth save of the season. The Cubs didn’t do much offensively, but a two-run homer by Jeff Frazier proved to be more than enough. Blake Lalli also had a hit and scored on the Frazier home run. Diory Hernandez and Matt Tolbert each had doubles in the Cubs victory.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/20: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Monday, August 20 Cubs minor league report. After a couple days of being rained out Daytona had a scheduled off day on Monday.
The AZL Cubs dropped Monday night’s game to the Padres 5-1. The good new first, Paul Blackburn started and pitched well. He pitched four innings allowing no runs on two hits and four strike outs. The bad news now, Rafael Dolis gave up three runs, two earned in 1.1 innings in taking the loss. Arturo Maltos-Garcia couldn’t keep the game close allowing two runs in just .2 innings and Daniel Adrian pitched the final two innings on Monday. The Cubs didn’t do much offensively, but there were a few bright spots. Carlos Penalver and Yasiel Balaguert were each 2-for-4 and Penalver scored a run. Danie Lockhart and Justin Marra each had a hit with Marra driving in the only Cubs run in the game. David Bote and Trevor Gretzky each had a hit in the loss. The Cubs will look to get back on track tomorrow.
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Boise got off to a great start on Monday, but gave up six runs in the last three innings to lose 8-7. Ian Dickson started and pitched five innings, giving up two unearned runs on three hits, while striking out four. Hunter Ackerman had a tough night, giving up four runs on three hits in 2.2 innings. Tyler Bremer was the losing pitcher in this one as he gave up two runs. Dan Vogelbach had a nice night at the plate going 3-for-4 with a home run. Marco Hernandez hit a home run hit his fifth home run of the season and drove in two RBIs. Trey Martin also drove in two runs and Xavier Batista had an RBI as well. Stephen Bruno continued his hot stretch at the plate going 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Albert Almora ended the night with one hit and Wilson Contreras had a hit and an RBI. It was not a good loss for the Hawks, but tomorrow is a new day.
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Wisconsin ambushed Joseph Zeller and the Chiefs beating Peoria 8-1. Zeller struggled giving up seven runs, five earned on 10 hits in six innings. Willengton Cruz and Luis Liria pitched the final two innings combining to give up one unearned run. On the offensive side Timothy Saunders continued to rake going 2-for-4 and he is now hitting .371 since going to Peoria. Zeke DeVoss was also had two hits, one being a double. Bijan Rademacher was 1-for-3 driving in the lone Chiefs run of the night. Jacob Rogers and Pin-Chieh Chen each had a hit in the loss on Monday.
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With the game tied at one, Tennessee put up four in the eighth and defeated Chattanooga 5-1. Nicholas Struck got the start and did a real nice job pitching six strong innings. He gave up one run on six hits, walking two, and striking out three. After Trey McNutt pitched a scoreless seventh, Brian Schlitter cam in and got the win, pitching the final two innings of this one. Junior Lake had a nice night offensively going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Michael Brenly also had a double and he drove in two runs of his own. Jae-Hoon Ha and Rubi Silva each had two hits and Ha scored a run. Logan Watkins and Justin Bour each had a hit and scored a run in the win.
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After a nice stretch for Iowa they lost to Memphis on Monday 11-3. Ty’Relle Harris got the start, but didn’t last long giving up three runs, two earned in just four innings. Jay Jackson gave up a run in his two innings of work before giving the ball to Michael Hatley who really struggled. Hatley didn’t record an out, but gave up six runs on three hits and four walks. Esmailin Caridad and Brian Esposito finished off the game for Iowa combining to pitch the last three innings. Offensively the Cubs had a few nice performances. Greg Rohan and James Adduci each had two hits and each had an RBI in the loss. Alfredo Amezaga and Blake Lalli also had two hits a piece and each also scored a run. Tony Campana and Dave Sappelt both had a hit and Matt Tolbert had an RBI in the loss.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/19: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Sorry for the dealy, better late than never I guess, right??
The AZL Cubs were off on Sunday, Daytona was suspended after one inning of play. I wonder if the D-Cubs still remember how to play baseball.
Top performer: Taylor Scott – 5.o IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (ND)
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Top performer: Dustin Geiger – 1-for-4, HR(16), 2 RBI’s (46)
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Top performer: Matt Cerda – 2-for-4, RBI (10), 2 runs scored
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Top performer: Greg Rohan – 2-for-3, 2B (3), HR (3), 3 RBI’s (22), run scored
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August 19,2012 Minor League Record: 2-2
Thanks for reading,
- George
8/18: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Saturday’s trip through the minors. The AZL Cubs and Daytona were both postponed on Saturday, August 18.
It was a nice night all around for Boise as they beat Tri-City 8-2. Boise’s pitchers only gave up two hits and one earned in the win. Jose Arias got the start and was brilliant pitching five strong innings not giving up a run and allowing only one hit. He also struck out five and walked one in getting the win. Hayden Simpson had been struggling, but pitched better tonight giving up two runs, one earned on one hit in four innings. He also struck out five on the night and got the save. Not only did the pitchers do their job, but the offense did as well. Stephen Bruno was great once again ending the night 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. He is now hitting .332 with Boise this year. Rock Shoulders had only one hit, but it was a big one, a grand slam in the third inning. Marco Hernandez was 2-for-4 with a run and Gioskar Amaya had one hit, two walks, and scored three runs. Dan Vogelbach only had one hit in this one, but did have an RBI. Albert Almora was 0-for-5 in this one, hitting into some tough luck. Boise continues to roll and this team is getting more fun by the day.
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Peoria got back on track Saturday beating Wisconsin 9-2. The offense pounded out 14 hits to go along with those nine runs to back Michael Jensen. Jensen pitched well going five innings allowing two runs, one earned one three hits, while striking out seven. Pete Levitt pitched well in relief pitching three shutout innings before giving the ball to Sheldon McDonald who recorded the last three outs of the game. Jorge Soler was outstanding in this one going 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, and two RBIs. Timothy Saunders and Jacob Rogers also had good games as each went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Yaniel Cabezas had a nice game of his own going 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Zeke DeVoss didn’t have a hit, but he walked four times, scored a run, drove one in, and stole his 35th base of the season. It was good to see the Chiefs come back after a rough stretch.
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Tennessee won 2-1 in a rain shortened game. Austin Kirk pitched a five inning complete game giving up one run on three hits. In his first start with Tennessee he got his first win. The offense did just enough for the win in this one led by Junior Lake. Lake was 2-for-3 at the dish with two doubles and a run scored. Michael Burgess and Justin Bour each had a hit and drove in a run a piece. Matt Szczur also contributed to the victory with a double and a run scored. A win is a win anyway you can get it, even if it only lasts five innings.
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Iowa made it two in a row beating Memphis 3-2 on Saturday. Ryan Rowland-Smith got the start and the win giving up one run on five hits in five innings. Blake Parker continued his rehab assignment pitching 1.2 innings and allowing one run. After a scoreless 1.1 innings Marcus Hatley turned things over to Jairo Asencio who notched his third save of the year. After a big day yesterday, Dave Sappelt did it again as went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Alfredo Amezaga, Jeff Frazier, and Brian Esposito all had two hits a piece. Tony Campana also had a hit and scored a run in the Cubs win.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/17: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Our daily trip through the Cubs system.
The AZL Cubs out hit the A’s, but also made five errors and lost 4-3. Ryan McNeil got the start going three innings allowing no runs on two hits, while striking out two. Rafael Dolis pitched another scoreless innings in relief. The fourth inning is really where the defense cost the Cubs as Corbin Hoffner gave up three runs, only one earned in two innings. Alvido Jimenez took the loss allowing one run on two hits in two inning of work. Yasiel Balaguert had another nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 including a triple and an RBI. Carlos Penalver and David Bote also had two hits, Bote had a triple and scored a run. Alberto Mineo was 1-for-4 and drove in a run of his own. Daniel Lockhart, Shawon Dunston, and Trevor Gretzky all had one hit in the loss.
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Boise put seven early, but had to hold on to beat Tri-City 7-6. The Hawks put up thirteen hits and had several players have a multi hit game. Dan Vogelbach was 3-for-5 including a triple and an RBI. Stephen Bruno had only one hit, but made it count hitting a three-run homer in the fourth. Albert Almora continued his hot stretch going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Izaac Garsez and Lance Rymel each had a two hits and they both drove in one. Jeimer Candelario only had one hit, but drove in another run. Rock Shoulders and Marco Hernandez each had a hit in the victory as well. Justin Amlung started, but did not factor in the decision as he only lasted two innings allowing one run on three hits. Michael Heesch pitched the next two innings and got the win for Boise. James Pugliese and Su-Min Jung each struggled over the next three innings, but got the game to Eduardo Orozco with the lead. Orozco closed out the game recording his fifth save as he pitched two scoreless innings striking out three. Although they allowed Tri-City to mount a comeback it was good to see Boise hold on.
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Peoria lost to Burlington on Friday 5-4. Starling Peralta got the start and pitched pretty good giving up three runs, two earned on five hits in six innings. He also struck out eight in the no decision. Austin Reed took the loss in relief giving up two runs in his one inning of work. Bryce Schafer struck out three in two scoreless innings. Chadd Krist got back on track going 2-for-3 with a home run and a double. Wes Darvill and Dustin Geiger each contributed offensively with a solo home run a piece. Timothy Saunders added a triple and Sergio Burruel also had a hit. Jorge Soler was back in the lineup, but really struggled going 0-for-4 with three strike outs. It has been a tough stretch for Peoria as of late.
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Going into the eighth Daytona was tied at two, but gave up three runs in the inning and lost 5-2. Kyle Hendricks started and went four innings allowing two runs on three hits in a no decision. Kyler Burke continued his struggles since going to Daytona as he gave up three runs in five innings taking his seventh loss at Daytona. Christian Villanueva had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. John Andreoli and Nelson Perez each added two hits as well, both having a double. Javier Baez had another hit and stole two bases, his first two since moving up. Rafael Lopez added a hit in the losing effort on Friday.
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Tennessee scored two in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough as they lost 5-4 to Birmingham on Friday. Starting pitcher Dae-Eun Rhee took the loss giving up four runs on nine hits in just 4.2 innings. Trey McNutt gave up a run, but struck out two in his 1.1 inning of work. Casey Weathers and Brian Schlitter combined to pitch the last two innings of scoreless baseball. Rubi Silva was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Jae-Hoon Ha, Justin Bour, and Chad Noble all drove in a run without getting a base hit on Friday. Junior Lake was 1-for-3 with a triple and a run scored. Logan Watkins had a double and scored a run on the night as well.
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Tied going to the eighth, Iowa put up four in the eighth and three in the ninth to beat Tucson 8-1. Dave Sappelt had a big night going 3-for-5 with a home run and a double. He also drove in four on the night. Alfredo Amezaga also had three hits and scored two runs. Diory Hernandez had a double and drove in two. Greg Rohan and Jeff Frazier each had a hit and had an RBI a piece. Nate Samson contributed to the victory with two hits of his own. In his first start with the Cubs Horacio Ramirez went six strong giving up only one run on six hits. Scott Maine got the win striking out three in his two innings and Jairo Asencio pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the game.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/16: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A quick recap of the Cubs minor league system on August 16.
The AZL Cubs only gave up three hits on Thursday beating the Reds 9-1. Anthony Prieto started and pitched three quality innings allowing no runs on one hit while striking out three. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino got his fifth win of the year pitching five nice innings in relief. He gave up one run on two hits while striking out seven in five innings. Jin-Young Kim threw a scoreless ninth striking out one. The pitching wasn’t the only highlight of the night as the Cubs scored nine on 11 hits. Shawon Dunston was really good going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Yasiel Balaguert had a nice offensive night as he had two hits, a homer and a double. Trevor Gretzky continued his great run going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Garrett Schlecht, Carlos Penalver, and Alberto Mineo all drove in one run. It was good to see the offense get going again on Thursday night.
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Boise put up five runs through the first four innings of this one and that was more than enough as they beat Tri-City 7-2. We will start with our Albert Almora watch. Almora went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Carlos Escobar had two hits, including a double and three RBIs. Jeimer Candelario was 1-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Dan Vogelbach and Wilson Contreras each drove in a run with Contreras going 3-for-5 with a double. Giosakar Amaya added a triple and walked three times. The other story of the night was Pierce Johnson who was just great striking out five of the six outs he recorded. Felix Pena got the win as he went the next five innings allowing two run on five hits. Nathan Dorris picked up his third save of the year striking out three batters in two innings. Boise had a very nice night all around.
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Peoria only gave up three hits, but couldn’t plate a run as they lost to Burlington 4-0. Willengton Cruz got the start for Chiefs and took the loss giving up two runs in two innings of work. Luis Liria and Sheldon McDonald each gave up an unearned run as they combined to pitch the next five innings. Larry Suarez struck out four and pitched the final to innings for Peoria. Dustin Geiger and Timothy Saunders each had a really nice game at the plate recording two hits a piece. Oliver Zapata, Zeke DeVoss, and Pin-Chieh Chen all had a hit to round out the offense for the Chiefs. Once again the defense was an issue as Peoria committed three errors, and allowed two unearned runs to score.
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It started out as a good night, but turned into a tough one as they gave up four runs in the eighth and two in the ninth to lose 7-6. Javier Baez had his best night since moving to Daytona going 3-for-4 with a home run and a double. He ended the night with three RBIs and two runs scored as well. Rebel Ridling was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Taylor Davis also had a double and drove in two for the Cubs. Christian Villanueva had been quiet for a while, but he added a hit and an RBI of his own. Robert Whitenack pitched the first four innings allowing one run on four hits. Matt Spencer threw two really nice innings in relief and was in line to get the win, but the Cubs bullpen couldn’t hold the lead. First Scott Weismann recorded just two outs and gave up four runs and then after the Cubs took the lead again Jeff Lorick gave up two more runs and took the loss. On a positive it was nice to see Baez have a nice night, hope that is the beginning of a tear.
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Tennessee only go four hits in this one, but made them count beating Birmingham 4-3. What else is there to say about Justin Bour. He hit his 16th home run of the season, a three run shot in the third bringing his RBI total to 105. Jae-Hoon Ha was 1-for-3 with an RBI and Elliot Soto drove in a run. Michael Burgess and Dustin Harrington each had a hit as well, with Burgess having a double. Eric Jokisch started, but only lasted 4.2 innings allowing two runs on six hits. Tony Zych came in in relief and got the win pitching a scoreless two innings. After Kevin Rhoderick allowed an unearned run Frank Batista closed the door pitching the final 1.2 innings in recording his 22nd save.
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Iowa lost to Tucson 7-6. Seth McClung‘s first start with Iowa didn’t go as planned allowing seven runs, four earned on seven hits in 3.1 innings. Ryan Searle threw 2.2 scoreless innings and Jay Jackson pitched two scoreless. After getting down by six early Iowa’s offense got to work, but it just wasn’t enough. Alfredo Amezaga was 4-for-5 witha double, a run scored, and an RBI. Tony Campana had two hits and stole a base. Blake Lalli also had two hits driving in one run and Greg Rohan was 1-for-4 with an RBI. Diory Hernandez and Matt Tolbert each had two hits and Jeff Frazier drove in a run. After two wins in a row it’s back to the “L” column for Iowa.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/15: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A look at Wednesday’s Cubs minor leagues.
The AZL Cubs dropped Wednesday’s game to the Angels 3-1. The Cubs got some good pitching, but it wasn’t good enough. Duane Underwood started, but took the loss giving up two runs in two innings striking out two batters. Rafael Dolis and Ethan Elias combined to throw four innings of no-hit scoreless baseball. Brian Smith gave a run in his one inning of work. The Cubs offense struggled as they only recorded two hits. Shawon Dunston and Garrett Schlecht each had a hit a piece. Daniel Lockhart drove in Schlecht for the Cubs lone run in this one. It was a good pitchers duel that went in the favor of the Angels in this one.
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Boise gave up a bunch of runs losing to Salem Keizer 13-5. Everyone was looking forward to the debut of Albert Almora and he didn’t disappoint. In his second at bat Almora hit a solo home run, he ended the evening 2-for-5. Rock Shoulders also hit a home run, a three run shot in the third innings as well. Marco Hernandez had a hit and an RBI and Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-4. Dan Vogelbach and Jeimer Candelario each had a hit in the loss. All the Hawks pitchers struggled in this one all giving up multiple runs. Ian Dickson started giving up four runs on six hits in five innings, but left in line for the win. Hunter Ackerman took the loss giving up six runs in 2.2 innings and Rafael Diplan gave up three in his 1.1 innings.
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Peoria gave up four runs in the third and could never recover losing to Burlington 5-1. Jeffry Antigua took the loss on Wednesday, but didn’t get much help from his defense as he gave up all five runs, none earned. The Chiefs bullpen pitched really well as Justin Berg, Bryce Shafer, and Pete Levitt went the rest of the way striking out nine and only giving up three hits. Bijan Rademacher was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Wes Darvill had a double of his own and Zeke DeVoss had a triple. You might be asking why we haven’t heard Jorge Soler‘s name? Well, he sat this one out tonight, but the Peoria is hoping he will be back in the lineup tomorrow.
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Believe it or not Daytona actually played on Wednesday, a double-header against Lakeland. PJ Francescon started, but lasted only three innings allowing two runs on three hits. Hunter Cervenka followed and pitched two scoreless innings, striking out two batters. AJ Morris got the win pitching the final two innings. Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-4, including a double and an RBI. Elieser Bonne and Taylor Davis each drove in a run in this one. Nelson Perez had a double in the win. Javier Baez continued to struggle going 0-for-4 in game one.
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Daytona only gave up two hits over nine innings in game two, but lost 1-0. Frank Del Valle started and went six strong innings giving up only one hit, while walking three and striking out four. Eduardo Figueroa pitched well in relief, but took the loss giving up a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth. There wasn’t much happening offensively as the Cubs only had five hits in this one. On a positive Javier Baez had one of those hits as did Christian Villanueva. John Andreoli, Elieser Bonne, and Vladimir Frias each had as well in the game two loss.
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Winning 2-0 going to the seventh, Tennessee gave up one in the bottom half and then three in the eighth as they lost 4-2. Nicholas Struck started and pitched really well going six inning allowing one unearned run on five hits while striking out six. Brian Schlitter struggled taking the loss as he gave up all the runs in the eighth. Matt Szczur continued making adjustments as he was 1-for-4 with a double. Justin Bour and Chad Noble each had a hit and drove in the Smokies two runs. Jae-Hoon Ha and Michael Burgess each had doubles of their own and Matt Cerda also got in the hit column. Wednesday’s started off pretty good, but didn’t end the way the Smokies had hoped.
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Iowa got a great start from Chris Rusin as the Cubs won 4-0. In getting his eighth win Rusin pitched six strong innings giving up only four hits and struck out four. Blake Parker continues to impress in his rehab striking out three in two innings and Esmailin Caridad pitched a scoreless ninth. Jeff Frazier had a nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 with a double. Nate Samson and Alfredo Amezaga each had a hit and drove a run in. Chris Rusin not only pitched well, but he also contributed offensively going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Two wins in a row hasn’t happened much lately for Iowa, it would be nice to see if they can have a good run here to end the season.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/14: Around the Cubs Minor League System
It was not a very busy day for the minor leagues on Tuesday as the AZL Cubs and Peoria were both off and Daytona was cancelled once again.
Boise got a great outing from Tayler Scott and the rest of the staff as they defeated Salem-Keizer 5-0. Scott was great once again pitching five scoreless innings giving up four hits and striking out one. He got the win and is now 5-1 on the season with a 1.88 ERA. Tyler Bremer and Eduardo Orozco completed the shutout combing to not allow a run over the final four innings. Jeimer Candelario was 1-for-4 with two RBIs and Xavier Batista hit his fourth home run of the season. Daniel Vogelbach got back on track knocking in his 22nd run since going to Boise. Trey Martin and Gioskar Amaya each had two hits, with Martin driving one run in. After a couple of losses it was nice to see Boise get back in the win column.
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In a scoreless game until the sixth, Tennessee’s offense came to life beating Birmingham 8-2. Jae-Hoon Ha hit his fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot in the sixth to get the scoring started. Junior Lake went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Logan Watkins had two hits and an RBI as did Rubi Silva who played his first game since being promoted from Daytona. Matt Szczur had another hit, this one a double and Elliot Soto knocked in a run of his own. The Smokies used five pitchers to get this win. Dallas Beeler started, but only lasted three innings. Austin Kirk threw one scoreless inning and Casey Harman gave up two runs in 2.2 innings. Trey McNutt got the win and Kevin Rhoderick closed things out tossing the ninth.
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Iowa exploded for 12 runs on Tuesday defeating Tucson 12-7. This game was all about the offense as every starting position player had at least one hit, including the first six who had two a piece. Greg Rohan had two more hits and two more RBIs, he is now hitting .346 with 17 RBIs while in Iowa. Blake Lalli, James Adduci, and Dave Sappelt all had two hits and drove in one run. Tony Campana led things off and went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Juan Apodaca had an RBI and Nate Samson went 3-for-5 with an RBI of his own. Marcus Hatley got the win in relief pitching two scoreless innings. Scott Maine and Jairo Asencio combined to toss the last three scoreless innings. Ty’Relle Harris started and struggled giving up seven runs on nine hits in four innings. Iowa hasn’t had one like this in a while, it was nice to see the offense come around.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
