Results tagged ‘ AJ Morris ’
9/1: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Our daily minor league recap.
Boise closed out the regular season by winning a wild one Saturday night 12-11. Boise took an early lead, but gave up six in the fourth and five in the fifth and were quickly down by six runs. They came storming back scoring four in the sixth, one in the seventh, and two in the ninth to get the victory. Marco Hernadez was 4-for-6 with three runs scored and two RBIs, including the game tying RBI and the winning run scored. Dan Vogelbach had three hits and three RBIs. Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-4 with a double, triple, three runs scored, and two RBIs. Albert Almora and Rock Shoulders each had two hits, with Almora knocking one in and Wilson Contreras had two RBIs including the game winner. Stephen Bruno kept the hitting streak alive as he went 1-for-1, with an RBI, but was ejected shortly after that. Ian Dickson got the start, giving up six runs, four earned in just 3.1 innings. Hunter Ackerman followed and gave up five runs, two earned over the next 1.2 innings. Brian Smith was tremendous pitching three perfect innings with four strikeouts. Rafael Diplan got his third win of the season pitching a scoreless ninth. Boise starts their playoffs on Monday.
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Peoria gave up three in the sixth and took the loss 6-5. Jeff Antigua got the start, but struggled a bit giving up six runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings. Justin Berg came on and pitched the final 2.1 innings not allowing a run. Bijan Rademacher had a nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Oliver Zapata also had a double and rove in two. Chadd Krist was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored. Jorge Soler, Zeke DeVoss and Jacob Rogers each had a hit a piece, with Rogers scoring two runs. Peoria has two more games against Kane County as the season will come to a close on Monday.
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Daytona beat Brevard County on Saturday 4-2. Matt Loosen got the start and pitched quite well in his five innings. He allowed one run on two hits and struck out six, in earning his 11th win of the season. Jeff Lorick gave up a run, but pitched the next two innings before getting the ball to AJ Morris threw the final two innings and earned his seventh save of the season. John Andreoli, who has had a really nice season waited until tonight to hit his first home run of the season. He ended the night 2-for-3 with two runs scored, an RBI, and two stolen bases bringing his total to 55. Nelson Perez was 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI and Rafael Lopez had a hit and knocked one in as well. Javier Baez and Christian Villanueva each had a hit, with Villanueva stealing two bases and scoring a run as well. Daytona’s season will come to a close on Sunday.
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Tennessee scored two in the fifth, but gave up one in the ninth to lose 3-2. Eric Jokisch started, but did not factor in the decision going five innings and allowing one run on six hits, while striking out five. After Zach Rosscup gave up a run in his inning of work, both Jaye Chapman and Rafael Dolis pitched a scoreless inning each. Kevin Rhoderick took the loss giving up a run in the ninth inning. Logan Watkins was 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs, he also walked twice. Matt Szczur had two hits, including a double and he scored a run. The pitcher Eric Jokisch and pinch hitter Dustin Harrington were the only other Smokies to record a hit in the loss. Tennessee has two games left and will end their season on Monday.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/29: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Our daily look at the Cubs minor leaguers. Tennessee was off and the AZL Cubs regular season has come to an end. They wound up winning the wild card.
Boise got the bats going once again beating Everett 9-5. Stephen Bruno was back at it going 2-for-3 with an RBI, he is now hitting .354. Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-3 with a home run, his 10th of the season. Rock Shoulders had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and two RBIs. Darien Martin and Marco Hernandez each had a hit and an RBI. Albert Almora was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Tayler Scott started, but did not factor in the decision pitching only four innings and allowing three runs, two earned. Michael Heesch did get the win pitching the next two innings not allowing a run. Nathan Dorris pitched two scoreless innings and Eduardo Orozco pitched the final frame, giving up two runs.
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Cedar Rapids jumped on Peoria early and held on to beat Peoria 9-5. Jorge Soler was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Chadd Krist and Jacob Rogers each had one hit and one RBI, with Krist having a triple. Zeke DeVoss and Dustin Geiger each had a hit and a hit and combined to score three runs. Yao-Lin Wang started and struggled, giving up nine runs, seven earned on eight hits in getting the loss. Bryce Shafer and Pete Levitt combined to pitch the last five scoreless innings.
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Christian Villanueva had a good first game as Daytona won 4-1. Villanueva was 2-for-3 with a home run, RBI, and two runs scored. Javier Baez was 1-for-3 with a triple, RBI, and run scored. Taylor Davis, Elieser Bonne, and John Andreoli all had a hit a piece in the win. PJ Francescon started and was really good pitching six innings allowing one run on three hits, while striking out three. AJ Morris got the call in the seventh and recorded his sixth save of the season.
It took extra innings in game two as Daytona ended up on the losing end of the second one 3-1. Frank Del Valle started and pitched five innings allowing one run and striking out six. Ryan Searle pitched a scoreless sixth, but Jeffrey Lorick struggled giving up two runs in the eighth inning as he took the loss. Rebel Ridling accounted for the only run for the Cubs as he hit a home run in the fourth inning. Javier Baez was 1-for-3 with a stolen base in game two. John Andreoli, Elieser Bonne, and Rafael Lopez all had a hit in the loss.
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Iowa got shut out on Wednesday losing 3-0 to Nashville. Ryan Rowland-Smith started and took the loss giving up one run, two earned in five innings. Jay Jackson threw one perfect inning in relief striking out one and Jeff Beliveau gave up one run in two innings of work. There was nothing too exciting on the offensive end. Diory Hernandez was 2-for-4 with two doubles. New Cub Anthony Recker was 1-for-3 with a double and Adrian Cardenas also had a double in the loss. Greg Rohan, Dave Sappelt, and Jeff Frazier all had one hit a piece in the shutout loss.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/24: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Our nightly trip through the Cubs minor leagues. The AZL Cubs were off on Friday night.
Things were looking good for Boise after a six run second, but Vancouver quickly scored four in the bottom half and ended up beating the Hawks 7-6. With Tayler Scott staked to a four run lead, it was easy to assume this one was over, but Scott was not at his best today, but left with a chance to win as he left with the lead. He pitched five innings allowing five runs on seven hits, while walking four and striking out three. Rafael Diplan pitched the final three innings and took the loss as he gave up two runs, one of which was unearned. At the plate Marco Hernandez had a good night going 3-for-4 with a run scored. Albert Almora and Jeimer Candelario also had good nights as each had two hits with Almora scoring a run. Lance Rymel had one hit on the evening and also drove in two runs. Darien Martin and Stephen Bruno each had a hit and an RBI in the loss. Not a good loss for Boise, but they have come back strong all second half, I expect much of the same.
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Beloit took an early lead and never looked back beating Peoria 8-2 on Friday night. Yao-Lin Wang started and took the loss pitching 4.1 innings and allowing six runs, four earned on 10 hits. Willengton Cruz pitched two innings allowing two runs and Austin Reed pitched a scoreless frame. There were only a couple bright spots on the offensive side of things for the Chiefs in this one. Dustin Geiger was 2-for-3 with a home run, his 17th of the season and two RBIs. Chadd Krist also had two hits and Zeke DeVoss added a hit and scored a run as well. Jorge Soler got the night off for Peoria.
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Daytona won the first game of a double-header on Friday 4-3. Kyle Hendricks started and got his first win with the Cubs as he went five innings allowing two runs on three hits, while striking out three. AJ Morris recorded his fifth save of the season as he pitched the final two innings of game one. Down 2-0 Elieser Bonne quickly gave the Cubs the lead connecting on a three run homer, his third of the season. In the sixth inning Christian Villanueva gave Daytona a two run lead as he hit his third home run since coming to the Cubs. John Andreoli had two hits in the win.
Game two didn’t go as well as Daytona lost to Tampa 11-5. Matt Loosen had a really rough outing as he gave up eight runs on five hits to go along with six walks and seven strikeouts. Hunter Cervenka proved to not be much better allowing three more runs over the next 2.2 innings. Offensively speaking Christian Villanueva started right where he left off going 2-for-3 witha double and two runs scored. Elieser Bonne also had two hits including a double and John Andreoli had a hit and two RBIs. Rebel Ridling and Nelson Perez each had a hit and an RBI a piece. Javier Baez was held hitless in game one, but added a hit and an RBI in the game two loss.
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A seven run third inning helped Tennessee beat Mobile 11-5. Dallas Beeler was the beneficiary of all those runs as he got the win despite giving up five runs in five innings. Kevin Rhoderick and Tony Zych pitched two scoreless innings a piece to close out the game. The Smokies a had few really nice nights at the plate starting with Matt Sczcur who was 2-for-4 with a home run and three runs scored. Logan Watkins was 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI. Jae-Hoon Ha and Rubi Silva each had two hits with Ha having two doubles and driving in three. Silva hit his first home run and drove in two. Junior Lake had a home run of his own and knocked in three. Justin Bour had a double and walked three times, but unbelievably didn’t have an RBI in the Smokies 11 run win.
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Iowa scored two in the seventh and one in the eighth to defeat Oklahoma City 5-3. Yoanner Negrin started, but did not factor in the decision as he gave up three runs on eight hits in six innings pitched. Jay Jackson got the win in relief as he pitched a scoreless seventh inning. After Scott Maine threw a scoreless eighth Jairo Asencio struck out two in the ninth and picked up his fourth save. Tony Campana had a nice night at the top of the order going 2-for-4 with a triple, a run scored, and an RBI. Jeff Frazier and Diory Hernandez each had two hits with Hernandez driving in one run. Adrian Cardenas had only one hit, but it was a home run as he knocked in two in the Cubs win.
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
8/7: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Here’s what happened in the Cubs minor league system on Tuesday night.
The AZL Cubs got back on track beating the Angels 6-1. The Cubs used four pitchers, all doing a nice job. Ryan McNeil struggled with his control, but struck out four and allowed no runs in 2.1 innings. Anthony Prieto thew two scoreless innings and Loiger Padron got his fourth win of the season striking out three in three scoreless innings. He is now 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA. Shawon Dunston had only one hit, but drove in an impressive three runs. Jorge Soler went for with an RBI and Albert Almora added a hit of his own. Both top prospects stole two bases and scored a run. Dan Lockhart had a hit and Carlos Penalver knocked in one in the victory. After a couple tough days for the Cubs it was back to business as usual on Tuesday night.
Tuesday didn’t go to plan for Boise as they lost to Everett 6-3. Dan Vogelbach hit his third home run since going to Boise and ended the night 1-for-3. Gioskar Amaya had two more hits, including a triple and an RBI. Izaac Garsez went 2-for-2 with a run scored and Wilson Contreras had a hit and an RBI. Jeimer Candelario and Marco Hernandez each had a hit on Tuesday night as well. James Pugliese pitched four innings allowing one run on six hits, while striking out six in a ND. Michael Heesch allowed three runs in two innings and took the loss. Boise has had a nice run as of late, so they will get back at it tomorrow.
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Starling Peralta was the story in this one as the Peoria won 5-3. Peralta thew seven innings allowing one run on two hits and struck out 14. Yes you read that right, he struck out 14. Bryce Shafer struggled, but Larry Suarez came in to pitch a scoreless 1.1 innings and record his first save of the season. Offensively had one of his best, if not his best game of his young career. He went 4-for-4 with two doubles, one triple, four runs scored, and a stolen base. Chadd Krist and Wes Darvill each had two hits, and Krist drove in two runs. Pin-Chieh Chen and Yaniel Cabezas each added a hit and an RBI. Peralta really just put the Chiefs on his back in this one and had night to remember.
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Daytona picked up the win beating Lakeland 6-1. Austin Kirk was good giving up one run on four hits in 5.2 innings. He got the win and improved his record to 7-3. Jeffrey Lorick and AJ Morris combined to pitch the last 3.3 innings allowing no runs. It took a couple of games, but Javier Baez finally had his coming out party in Daytona. He went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Christian Villanueva was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Rubi Silva added an RBI and John Andreoli went 2-for-3 with a run scored and three stolen bases, he now has 47 on the year. Everyone else in the lineup contributed with a hit on Tuesday as it was one of those rare games where everyone ends with a hit.
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A six run first was way too much to come back from for Tennessee as they lost to Jackson 10-4. In his second start with the Smokies Jacob Brigham really struggled giving up six runs on six hits in just 0.2 innings. The Smokies would use five more pitchers on the evening. Kevin Rhoderick pitched better than he has been pitching 1.1 scoreless ball. Brian Schlitter and Dustin Harrington combined to pitch the last 2.1 innings not allowing a run. Need I say it, Justin Bour was 2-for-3 with yet another RBI and Nelson Perez had two hits of his own. Matt Szczur, Logan Watkins, and Matt Cerda all had triples on Tuesday. Junior Lake, Nate Samson, and Chad Noble all contributed with an RBI a piece. It was definitely a tough start for Brigham, but the Smokies will look to get back on track tomorrow.
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Iowa put up seven on Tuesday and that was enough as the beat Reno 7-4. Ty’Relle Harris was quite impressive pitching six innings allowing only two runs and striking out five. Jaye Chapman pitched a scoreless 0.2 innings, striking out both outs he recorded. Jairo Asencio earned his first save by striking out one in one inning. Dave Sappelt had a nice night going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. James Adduci hit a double and knocked in three and Alfredo Amezaga added two hits and scored two runs. Matt Tolbert added a double and drove in one run . It is nice to see Iowa get a win, hope they can keep it going.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/2: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Nightly minor league recap for August 2, 2012.
The AZL Cubs let things get interesting in the ninth, but they held on to win 6-5. It was a good night for the highly touted prospects of the Cubs. Albert Almora was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Jorge Soler also had a double and drove in two runs on Thursday. Shawon Dunston and Jacob Rogers each had two hits with Dunston driving one run in. Anthony Prieto started and pitched two scoreless innings. He was relieved by 2012 3rd round pick Ryan McNeil who got his first professional win. McNeil struck out two in two innings of work. Jin-Young Kim came in to close things down recording the final two outs of the game and earning his second save. As much as it got close it was still good to see the Cubs get the win.
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As good as Boise has been lately Thursday was not there night losing 15-1. In a game like that there just aren’t too many highlights, but we will try to find a couple. Marco Hernandez and Daniel Vogelbach each had two hits, which those four were the only hits the Hawks had all night. Vogelbach drove in his sixth run since being landing in Boise. James Pugliese got the start and took the loss, but all five runs he gave up were unearned in his five innings of work. Michael Heesch, Rafael Diplan, and Lance Rymel all struggled in relief. hopefully the Hawks can forget about this one and get back on track tomorrow.
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Peoria just didn’t have enough to get the win tonight dropping Thursday’s game to Quad Cities 6-4. Starling Peralta started and took the loss in this one going five innings giving up three runs on three hits, while walking three and striking out six. The game took a turn for the worse when Justin Berg entered and he gave up three runs, unfortunately for him all were unearned in his two innings of work. Sheldon McDonald threw a scoreless ninth striking out one. After an eight RBI two home run performance how could Dustin Geiger do anything close. Well, he went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run staying red-hot. Bijan Rademacher and Pin-Chieh Chen each had two hits, with Chen driving in two. Oliver Zapata had a hit and an RBI and Wes Darvill hit a triple. Javier Baez had a rare rough day going 0-for-4. Peoria will look back to getting on track tomorrow.
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Daytona stayed hot and won another one Thursday defeating Fort Myers 8-2. The story of the night came from newly acquired Christian Villanueva who came over in the Ryan Dempster deal. In his first two at bats in the Cubs organization he hit two home runs. He ended the night going 2-for-3 with two home runs, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Ronald Torreyes continues to just hit going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. John Andreoli, Rafael Lopez, and Timothy Saunders all had two hits a piece with Lopez driving in one. Robert Whitenack started, but didn’t last long enough to get the win, as he only allowed one run, but struggled with his control walking four. Ryan Searle got the win in relief, his fifth of the season. He struck out five in 3.1 innings allowing only one run on two hits. AJ Morris threw the last two inning allowing no runs and striking out one. Daytona is trying to make a push here as they are really playing well as of late.
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Not much good came out of this one as Tennessee lost to Pensacola 6-1. Tennessee was only able to muster up two hits, both coming off the bat of Logan Watkins. Watkins ended the game 2-for-4 with a home run. In his first appearance in the Cubs organization Jacob Brigham only lasted three innings allowing three runs, two earned on five hits. He also walked three and struck out two. Zach Rosscup pitched five innings in relief allowing one run and striking out four and Tony Zych struggled in his one inning of relief. Tomorrow is a new day.
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Iowa lost another losing to Colorodo Springs 7-4 on Thursday. Brooks Raley took the loss giving up six runs on 10 hits in six innings. Marcus Hatley pitched two really nice innings striking out three and not allowing a base runner. Josh Vitters and Dave Sappelt each got back on track as they both went 3-for-5. Greg Rohan followed his big day yesterday with another two hit, two RBI performance tonight. James Adduci had two more hits and drove in one run. Brett Jackson had one hit and stole his 26th base of the season. There isn’t much more that can be said for Iowa that hasn’t been said already.
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Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/31: Around the Cubs Minor League System
After a busy trade deadline here is what the Cubs minor league affiliates did on July 31.
The AZL Cubs got back on track after a day off beating the AZL Royals 8-2. Ben Carhart and Daniel Lockhart each had two, a run scored, and an RBI. Jacob Rogers was 1-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs. Albert Almora was leading off tonight, but left after his first at-bat. He was replaced by Yasiel Balaguert who had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Jorge Soler did not have a hit, but he did drive in his seventh run of the season and he stole his third base. Carl Lang got the start and pitched an impressive four innings allowing no runs on four hits and struck out four. Jasvis Rakkar pitched one scoreless inning striking out one. Ethan Elias got the win, but did not have a great night giving up two runs on five hits in two innings. Daniel Adrian finished the game off striking out two in the last two frames. Obviously we are a bit concerned as to why Almora left the game. When we have an update we will let you know, but it was a nice night for the Cubs.
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After winning a few 1-0 games the Boise Chiefs held on to win a shootout 10-9. It was a wild game as Boise had a big lead, but gave it up and had to win in walk-off fashion. The Cubs had a few nice nights at the plate highlighted by Daniel Vogelbach‘s first home run at Boise, a three run shot with two outs in the third. Stephen Bruno had three hits and two RBIs, raising his average to .324. Jeimer Candelario was the hero going 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs including a walk-off double. Dong-Yub Kim and Trey Martin each had two hits on the night and Marco Hernandez connected for his third home run of the season. The Hawks pitching struggled most of the night, but the offense did the the job. Eduardo Orozco blew a save, but ended up getting his second win of the season. it is nice to see Boise maybe turning things around.
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Peoria never got things going against Quad Cities losing 5-1. Michael Jensen got the start and pitched pretty good, although he took the loss. He pitched five innings surrendering two runs on three hits, while striking out six. Jeffry Antigua continued to impress pitching two more scoreless innings. Pete Levitt struggled in his one inning of work. There wasn’t much excitement at the plate for the Chiefs on Tuesday. Javier Baez was one of the few bright spots going 2-for-4 with the Peoria’s lone run scored. Bijan Rademacher also had two hits including his third double of the season. Nothing too exciting happening for Boise tonight.
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Daytona won a close one on Tuesday beating Fort Myers 5-4. Daytona pounded out 14 hits so there were a lot of nice nights at the plate. It was good to see Timothy Saunders get back on track going 3-for-4 with double, runs scored, and an RBI. Ronald Torreyes continued his hot stretch of late adding two more hits, including his 19th double of the season and two RBIs. Matt Cerda, Rubi Silva, and John Andreoli each had two hits with Andreoli driving one run in. Austin Kirk started and got the win allowing four runs in five innings. Kirk was not as sharp as he has been in the past walking five batters, but he did strike out five. The relief was outstanding on Tuesday. Hunter Cervenka and Jeffrey Lorick combined to pitch three scoreless innings, striking out a batter each. AJ Morris closed the deal striking out two in one scoreless inning, notching his fourth save of the season.
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Tennessee’s game was suspended because of rain. The Smokies were winning 2-1 in the fourth and will be continued tomorrow as part of a double header.
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Iowa dropped another to New Orleans losing Tuesday 5-3. Frankie De La Cruz started and took the loss giving up three runs in four innings. Jairo Asencio and Marcus Hatley did a nice job in relief both throwing a scoress inning. Dave Sappelt was the main bright spot for the Cubs offense going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored. Brett Jackson hit his 21st double of the season and drove in his 46th run as well. James Adduci had another hit and is hitting .375 since his promotion to Triple-A. As I have said recently Iowa just can’t seem to get things going in the right direction.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/29: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Sunday, July 29th Cubs minor league report. Tennessee was off on Sunday.
The AZL Cubs lost to the AZL Reds 7-3. Dillon Maples made his much anticipated debut on Sunday, giving up one run in one pitched. He stuggled with his command walking two and throwing a wild pitch, but struck out one and got out of a tough jam with a double play. Paul Blackburn pitched 2.1 innings, giving up two hits, no runs, and striking out two. Chad Martin took the loss, giving up three runs in his one inning of work. Our nightly watch of Albert Almora and Jorge Soler was on again. Almora went 1-for-4 and Soler was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Trevor Gretzky and Carlos Penalver each had two hits with Penalver driving one in. Daniel Lockhart also had an RBI.
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Boise got one in the third, which proved to be enough beating Tri-City 1-0. Ian Dickson started and pitched weel allowing no runs on three hits in five innings pitched. He also walked two and struck four. Hunter Ackerman was outstanding in relief picking up his first save. He struck out six in just four innings and allowed only one hit. Gioskar Amaya hit his fifth home run of the year and ended the day 2-for-3. Rock Shoulder also had two hits, including a double and after a slow start his average is now up to .271. Jeimer Candelario added a hit and Marco Hernadnez had a double in the game as well. Lets hope the pitching continues down this path as that is two 1-0 wins in a row.
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Peoria scored nine in the first three innings and held on to beat Beloit 10-6. The offense led the way in this one. Dustin Geiger was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Pin-Chieh Chen was 3-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs. Unbelievably, Javier Baez only had one hit, but he did drive in two and score one. Wes Darvill also had two hits and drove a run in and Chadd Krist also had an RBI. Larry Suarez got the win in relief for Peoria striking out three in 1.2 innings pitched and Bryce Shafer closed out the game pitching a scoreless ninth. Lets see if Peoria can keep playing well going forward.
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A six run fifth helped Daytona win this shootout 12-7. The Cubs had a lot of nice games at the plate on Sunday. Ronald Torreyes went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Rafael Lopez had two hits, including his second home run of the season. Elieser Bonne was 3-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Leadoff man John Andreoli had two hits, stole three bases (40), and scored three runs. Matt Loosen wasn’t at his on Sunday, but it was good enough for him to improve his record to 10-3. He gave up five runs, four earned on six hits in five innings pitched. AJ Morris recorded his third save pitching a scoreless last 1.2 innings. Good to see Daytona hitting the ball and Matt Loosen get to the 10-win mark.
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Leading by one in the bottom of the ninth, Iowa gave up one there and then gave up three in the bottom of the 10th to lose 6-3. James Adduci continues to hit the ball going 3-for-5 on Sunday. Welington Castillo was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer on, his sixth of the season. Adrian Cardenas and Josh Vitters each had a hit. Brett Jackson didn’t have any hits, but he did walk and steal a base, his 24th of the season. Rodrigo Lopez actually pitched well going five innings and allowing only two runs, one earned on five hits, while striking out five. After Ryan Rowland-Smith and Esmailin Caridad pitched the next three scoreless innings the rest of the bullpen blew it. Michael Bowden gave up the run in the ninth and Jay Jackson took the loss giving up a three run homer in the tenth. It’s just not going well for Iowa, finding different ways to lose almost every night.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/27: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A quick look at the Cubs minor leaguers on Friday, July 27.
The AZL Cubs dropped a low scoring game to the AZL Athletics 3-1. Lendy Castillo got the start as he continues to work his way back allowing one run on two hits in four innings. He struck out six and took a no decision in this one. Tyler Bremer gave up two runs and took the loss. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino and Jin-Young Kim combined to pitch 3.2 scoreless innings, but the Cubs offense couldn’t come back. The Cubs got their run in the first when Albert Almora hit a two-run double and then scored on a Jorge Soler RBI single. Soler would add another hit on the night and stole a base. Carlos Penalver was the only other Cubs player to record a hit on Friday. This is not what we have come to expect from the Cubs, but they will get back on track soon.
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Boise exploded to beat Tri-City 8-3. The Hawks had five players with multi-hit games. Daniel Vogelbach was one of those going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Gioskar Amaya and Marco Hernandez each had two hits, wtih Amaya driving in two. Trey Martin and Xavier Batista also added two hits a piece. Wilson Contreras connected on his second home run of the season, a three run shot in the second inning. Willengton Cruz got his second win of the season out of the bullpen. He pitched two strong innings striking out four. James Pugliese started and gave up three runs in four innings of work. Michael Heesch and Su-Min Jung each pitched well in relief. After a tough 1-0 loss last night, it was nice to see Boise come back strong tonight.
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Javier Baez gave Peoria a lead with a two-run shot in the eighth and the Chiefs held beating Cedar Rapids 3-2. Baez’s 11th homer of the season turned out to be one of his biggest of his young career. He finished the game 2-for-3 and is now hit a robust .341. Wes Darvill also had two hits, including a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Austin Reed recorded the win in relief, his fourth of the season. Zach Cates got the start, pitching 5.1 innings allowing two runs on three hits, while striking out seven. Sheldon McDonald pitched two scoress inning in relief dropping his ERA to 1.91 on the season. It has been exciting following Baez this year and he continues to impress.
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Robert Whitenack and the staff were outstanding for the Daytona Cubs beating Bradenton 2-0. Robert Whitenack got his first win since coming back from Tommy-John surgery. He pitched five innings allowing no runs on two hits, while striking out four. Eduardo Figuerora struck out four in three scoreless innings in relief. AJ Morris closed the game out recording his second save of the season. The offense lost Matt Szczur who was promoted to Tennessee was able to get enough to win. Rebel Ridling hit his second home run of the season and had two hits. Timothy Saunders also had two hits including a double and a run scored. A big congrats to Robert and here’s to many more in the near future.
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Jacksonville was able to score two runs in three different innings defeating Tennessee 6-4. Junior Lake continued his hot stretch in this one going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Greg Rohan had two hits and connected on his fourth home run with the Smokies. Juan Apodaca also had two hits and an RBI. In his first game with Tennessee Matt Szczur went 0-for-4 with two strike outs. Ty’relle Harris started and took the loss going 2.2 innings allowing four runs on six hits. Zach Rosscup gave up two runs in 3.2 innings, but struck out an impressive six batters. Casey Harman and Kevin Rhoderick also pitched in the loss.
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Iowa wins, Iowa wins, Iowa wins. It has been a rough go as of late so to beat Okalahoma City 5-0 is great to see. Chris Volstad had his best start pitching eight scorelss innings. He only surrendered four hits, walking three, and striking out five. Alberto Cabrerea finished the game off throwing a scoreless ninth striking out two. Alfredo Amezaga led off going 3-for-5 and scored a run. Adrian Cardenas and Brian Esposito each had two hits with Cardenas hitting a double and scoring a run. Dave Sappelt had a triple and drove in two on Friday. Josh Vitters and Brett Jackson each recorded one hit and scored a run, Jackson also drove one in. Hope this is signs to come for Chris Volstad and the Cubs.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark





















































