Results tagged ‘ Brooks Raley ’
Minor Matters – May 16, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate - Iowa didn’t really have a lot going offensively, but they didn’t need it as the one run they scored in the second inning was enough for the win. Brent Lillibridge was 1-for-3 with a walk in the win. Dave Sappelt, Brian Bogusevic, and Josh Vitters all had base hits in this one. Donnie Muphy had the biggest one, a run scoring single in the second, he finished the night 1-for-2 with said RBI.
On The Mound – Matt Garza is just about ready to return to the Cubs and he showed it tonight. Garza was brilliant going six scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out six, he threw 75 pitches, 53 for strikes. Brooks Raley took it from there as he worked three scoreless inning out of the pen for his first save of the year, he gave up two hits while walking one and striking out three.
At The Plate – The Smokies broke through with two runs in the sixth inning to break a 4-4 tie, and eventually win 6-4, the win pushes them one game over .500 on the season. Arismendy Alcantara was 2-for-4 with a double and a runs scored in the win. Ty Wright had a huge night for the Smokies going 2-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI’s, and two runs scored, Wright came into this one with no home runs on the season. Jonathan Mota was 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Rafael Lopez was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
On The Mound – Matt Loosen never really found his command in this one as he worked four innings giving up four runs on three hits while walking six(!), and striking out five. Then the bullpen took over for the Smokies and won the game. A.J. Morris was perfect going three scoreless innings while striking out three to get his second win of the season. Marcus Hatley worked a scoreless eighth inning giving up one hit. Frank Batista worked a scoreless ninth to earn his fifth save of the season while striking out one.
At The Plate – The Daytona bats finally woke up, unfortunately that wasn’t enough to win tonight as they drop another disappointing one to Charlotte. Daytona scored seven times but left a lot out there as they were only 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Dustin Geiger is putting together a solid season and had another good night going 3-for-5 with his fourth home run of the season, a double, an RBI, and two runs scored, he is now hitting .298 on the season. Ben Carhart was 1-for-4 with a walk, and two runs scored in the loss. Huge night for Chadd Krist, he went 3-for-3 with a walk, two doubles, and five RBI’s, not bad for his second game with Daytona.
On The Mound – Probably the worst outing you will ever see P.J. Francescon have, he had nothing. Francescon went five innings giving up ten runs, eight earned, on nine hits while walking five and striking out three, his record fell to 3-3 on the season. Jeffrey Lorick was decent out of the pen going 1.2 innings giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one and striking out one. David Cales was okay out of the pen going 1.1 innings giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out one. Hunter Cervenka worked a scoreless inning giving up one hit, he has a sparkling 1.62 ERA on the season.
At The Plate – Game one was all Cougars, they didn’t break it open until late but they only needed one as they beat the Chiefs in game one 5-0. Pin-Chieh Chen was 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored from the lead-off spot. Gioskar Amaya had a big game going 3-for-4 with a double, three RBI’s, and a run scored. Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-4 with a double, and an RBI in the win. Willson Contreras is locked in right now, he was 2-for-3 with a walk, he is now hitting .307 on the season. Marco Hernandez was perfect in game one going 3-for-3 with a double, and two runs scored.
On The Mound - Brian Smith was awesome for the Cougars, in fact he was almost perfect. Smith worked four scoreless, and hit-less innings while walking two and striking out two. Eddie Orozco took over and was very good, he worked two scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out one to earn his second win of the season. Jeffry Antigua came on to close this one out, he worked a scoreless inning while striking out one.
At The Plate – The Chiefs got payback in game two as they routed the Cougars 8-2, the Cougars could only manage three hits in this one. What’s worse is they committed six errors in seven innings, that usually doesn’t end well. Jeimer Candelario was one of the few Cougars who had a strong game two at the plate, he was 2-for-3 with two doubles, he also committed three errors. Marco Hernandez proved to be the only offense for the Cougars going 1-for-3 with his first home run of the season, two RBI’s, a run scored, and you guessed it, an error.
On The Mound – As you could imagine the Cougars pitching didn’t get a lot of help from their defense. Michael Heesch got the start and took the loss, he worked three innings giving up six runs, two earned, on four hits while walking two. Steve Perakslis was solid out of the pen working three scoreless innings giving up three hits while striking out two. Bijan Rademacher, the Cougars starting right fielder, worked one inning giving up two runs, unearned, on two hits while walking one.
Minor Matters – May 10, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate – Game one of the Cougars/Bees double-header needed three extra innings, but it paid of for the Cougars as they stung the Bees 2-1…stung, because they are Bees! Oliver Zapata was 1-for-4 with an RBI, and a walk, Zapata had the game winning hit in the top of the tenth. Bijan Rademacher continues to hit going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, he’s now hitting .378 on the season. Marco Hernandez was 2-for-4 with an RBI in the victory.
On The Mound – The Cougars got back to dealing in this one as they were brilliant all game long. Tayler Scott got the start and was really good going 5.1 innings giving up one run on four hits while walking three and striking out six. Steve Perakslis worked 1.2 scoreless innings out of the pen while walking one. Nathan Dorris was good per usual as he worked two scoreless inning while striking out two to earn his first win of the season. Ian Dickson worked a scoreless inning to earn his first save of the season, he gave up one hit while striking out one.
At The Plate – Nothing happening for either team in the first five innings, then the Cougars broke out, scoring twice in the sixth and seventh to sweep the double-header 4-1. The Cougars could only manage four hits in game two, but walked four times and were 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Rock Shoulders was 1-for-3 with his seventh home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Bijan Rademacher has been out of his mind, he was 1-for-3 with his first home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. David Bote and Oliver Zapata were each 1-for-2 with a walk, and a run scored.
On The Mound – Felix Pena was brilliant again for the Cougars going six innings giving up one run on two hits while walking five, and striking out six. Eddie Orozco came on to finish things off by tossing a scoreless seventh, he gave up two hits while walking one and striking out one.
At The Plate – Nothing good in this one as Iowa was destroyed by the Sky Sox, they were out of it right from the get go. Logan Watkins was 1-for-2 with a double, a stolen base, and an RBI. Donnie Murphy was 1-for-3 with a stolen base, and a walk in the loss. Darnell McDonald was 1-for-4 with a double, and a run scored. The Cubs were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
On The Mound - Brooks Raley got the start and he was pounded, early and often. Raley went four innings giving up eight runs on eleven hits while walking three and striking out four. Yoanner Negrin settled things down out of the pen going three innings giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one and striking out five. Rafael Dolis struggled in his return to Iowa going one inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking two and striking one.
At The Plate - A back and forth game ended with the Smokies rally falling just short in the bottom of the ninth as the Barons escaped with a 5-4 win. Matt Szczur was 2-for-3 with two walks, his tenth stolen base of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Ronald Torreyes was 1-for-3 with two walks in the loss. Christian Villanueva was 2-for-3 with two singles as he looks to get it going, he’s now hitting .216 on the season. Rubi Silva was 1-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored.
On The Mound – Eric Jokisch hasn’t been good since being named the minor league pitcher of the month in April. Jokisch went 4.1 innings giving up five runs on eight hits while walking four and striking out four. Brian Schlitter was outstanding out of the pen going 2.2 scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out two. Frank Batista was good as well going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out two.
Minor Matters – May 5, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate - The Cubs came awfully close to sweeping this double after two comebacks but in the end had to settle for a split. Logan Watkins was 1-for-4 with a triple, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. Josh Vitters had a solid first game and a big second game going 3-for-5, he might be making the case to move ahead of Stewart on the organizational depth chart. Brian Bogusevic just hits, he was 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI, that raises his average to .418 on the season.
On The Mound – Brooks Raley was really good for Iowa going five innings giving up two runs on six hits while striking out four. Casey Coleman worked a scoreless inning out of the pen giving up one hit while striking out one. Yoanner Negrin was also solid, he went 1.1 scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out three. Hisanori Takahashi went 1.2 innings giving up one run on one hit while striking out one. Cory Wade suffered the loss in this one as he went one inning giving up one run on two hits while walking one and striking out two.
At The Plate - The Cubs were locked in a battle into the fourth inning, that’s when they broke it open with three runs en route to a 5-2 win. Josh Vitters, who just returned to the team a couple of days ago was 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI’s and two runs scored. Brian Bogusevic continues to hit, he was 2-for-2 with two double, a walk, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .414 on the season. J.C. Boscan was 1-for-2 with two RBI’s, and a run scored in the win.
On The Mound - Guillermo Moscoso got the start in game one and was solid, but couldn’t make it to the fifth inning to get a win. Moscoso went four innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking three and striking out three. Esmailin Caridad, Kyuji Fujikawa, and Blake Parker all worked scoreless innings out of the pen. Fujikawa made his first game appearance since being put on the DL with a forearm issue. Blake Parker earned his third save of the year.
At The Plate - For the second straight game the Smokies had no answer for Braves pitching as they were shut out again in a 6-0 loss. The Smokies aren’t just having trouble scoring, they aren’t getting any hits either. The Smokies only had five hits in this one, all singles. Matt Szczur was 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base, his ninth of the season.
On The Mound - Kyle Hendricks didn’t get any help from his defense, as he worked five innings giving up five runs, two earned, on nine hits while striking out five. Marcus Hatley, and Zach Rosscup each worked scoreless innings out of the bullpen, both guys have been outstanding all year long. Trey McNutt worked an inning giving up one runs on three hits.
At The Plate – Pitching at it’s finest in this one as the D-Cubs and Mets remained scoreless into the bottom of the ninth, that’s when the Mets pushed across a run for a 1-0 win. The D-Cubs could only manage three hits all day in this one, they did draw four walks but were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. John Andreoli, Dustin Geiger, and Ben Carhart were the only D-Cubs to record a hit, all singles.
On The Mound – Yeiper Castillo was brilliant once again, but unfortunately didn’t factor into the decision. Castillo went six scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out seven. Hunter Cervenka was just as good out of the pen as he worked two scoreless innings. Luis Liria took the loss in this one, he was very Marmol like, he worked two-thirds of an inning giving up one run on one hit while walking three.
At The Plate - The Cougars are on a roll, today’s win marks the sixth straight victory for Kane County and brought their record back above .500 on the season. Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored in the win. Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-2 with two walks, a double and an RBI. Oliver Zapata was 2-for-3 with an RBI, he’s now hitting .280 on the season. Seven different players had at least one hit for the Cougars, and they were 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
On The Mound – Michael Heesch was outstanding going 7.1 scoreless innings giving up four hits while striking out five to earn his second win of the season. Nathan Dorris has been great all year, and was again today, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit to earn his second save of the season.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Minor Matters – April 28, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate – Offensive explosion from the Cubs in this one as they pounded out thirteen hits, four of those being home runs, and scored ten runs in defeating Omaha 10-6. Logan Watkins was 2-for-6 with a triple, a stolen base, and a run scored. Brett Jackson was 1-for-3 but blasted his first home run of the season, he also walked, had three RBI’s and a run scored. Brent Lillibridge continues to be king of AAA, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. Brian Bogusevic was just as good as he went 3-for-4 with a walk, a home run, three RBI’s, and a run scored. Ryan Sweeney hit his sixth home run of the season, he ended the day 1-for-4 with a walk, two RBI’s and a run scored.
On The Mound – Some good, some okay from the Cubs on this day, but they didn’t need much with that kind of offense backing them. Brooks Raley got the start and his third win of the season going six innings giving up four runs on six hits while walking three and striking out one. Hisanori Takahashi, and Zach Putnam each worked a scoreless inning in relief. Rafael Dolis worked one inning giving up two runs on two hits while striking out one.
At The Plate – Plenty of offense to go around in this one for Daytona as they scored seven times on eleven hits to down the Cardinals 7-4. Timothy Saunders was 2-for-5 with an RBI, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. Javier Baez is locked in right now, he went 2-for-4 with a home runs, two RBI’s and a run scored, he’s now hitting .263 on the season. Dustin Geiger had a rather patient day at the plate going 1-for-1 with three walks. Ben Carhart has been on fire of late, he went 3-for-4 with three RBI’s in the victory.
On The Mound – P.J. Francescon had a solid outing on Sunday and earned his second win of the season. Francescon worked six innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking two and striking out five. Austin Reed finally had a scoreless outing, he working one inning giving up on hit while walking one and striking out two. Frank Del Valle was finally touched up a bit, he worked two innings giving up two runs on three hits while walking one and striking out three, his ERA now sits at 2.53 on the season.
NOTES: The weather continues to suck, both Kane County and Tennessee were postponed due to inclement weather. On the bright side that means there are SIX games scheduled today, hopefully they all get in.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Minor Matters – April 22, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate – Iowa had several solid performances in this one and it led to a solid victory over a good Redbirds team. Logan Watkins went 1-for-3 with two walks, a double, a stolen base, and a run scored. Ian Stewart finally showed some life as he went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Brian Bogusevic was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .389 on the season. Brad Nelson was 2-for-4 with a home rune, two RBI’s, and a run scored in the victory.
On The Mound – Brooks Raley had another solid outing, and was rewarded with his second win of the season. Raley went 5.1 innings giving up two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out three. Zach Putnam, Rafael Dolis, and Blake Parker combined to shut the Redbirds down over the final 3.2 innings to preserve the win. Putnam went 1.2 scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out three. Dolis and Parker also worked scoreless innings with Parker walking a tightrope to earn his second save, he didn’t give up a hit while walking two and striking out two in the ninth.
At The Plate – The Smokies wasted no time in getting back into the win column as they destroyed the Biscuits…Biscuits! Arismendy Alcantara was in the middle of everything once again for the Smokies, he was 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI’s, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. Eight of the nine hitters had at least one hit for the Smokies, Alcantara was the only one to have a multi-hit game. Jae-Hoon Ha was 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, and two runs scored. Jonathan Mota was 1-for-4 with two RBI’s in the victory.
On The Mound – Eric Jokisch continued his tremendous start to the season tonight, he went 6.1 innings giving up three runs, one earned, on eight hits while walking two and striking out three to move his record to 3-0. Brian Schlitter, who has been just as good, if not better, did the rest out of the pen. He went 2.2 scoreless innings giving up two hits and striking out one, he has yet to give up an earned run this season.
At The Plate – After yesterday’s poor offensive effort the D-Cubs got back at it tonight as they pounded out ten hits and seven runs. Javier Baez, who is really turning it on of late, was 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Dustin Geiger also had a big night going 3-for-5 with three RBI’s, he now has 18 already on the season. Jorge Soler was finally shut down, he was 0-for-5, but did have an RBI, and scored a run.
On The Mound - Austin Kirk had some trouble navigating through five innings, but he was able to do so and improve his record to 3-0 on the season. He gave up four runs on four hits while walking two and striking out eight over those five innings of work. The bullpen was stout for the D-Cubs, and it was just two guys doing the work. Zach Cates worked 1.1 scoreless, and hit-less innings while walking one, and Hunter Cervenka worked 2.2 scoreless, and hit-less innings while walking one and striking out two.
At The Plate – Tough one to take for the Cougars as they built an early 5-1 lead only to watch it slip away an end up in a 9-6 loss. Pin-Chieh Chen was 2-for-4 with a walk, a caught stealing, and a run scored. Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-5 with a run scored, but also made an error. Daniel Vogelbach had a productive night at the plate going 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Marco Hernandez was 2-for-4 with two doubles, and two RBI’s in the loss. Rock Shoulders was finally held without a hit, but did walk three times, and scored a run.
On The Mound – Michael Heesch was solid in his start today, unfortunately the bullpen and the Cougars defense kept him from getting the win. Heesch went six innings giving up two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out five. Brian Smith took the loss out of the pen, while he didn’t pitch well, he didn’t get much help either. Smith went two-thirds of an innings giving up five runs, only one earned, on three hits while walking two and striking out one. Matt Iannazzo was beat up as well, he went 2.1 innings giving up two runs on five hits while walking three.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Minor Matters – April 16, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate – You wouldn’t know it by the hit totals, but the I-Cubs won this one rather handily 4-3. Iowa only had three hits, and gave up ten, but that’s not what decides games. Ty Wright was 1-for-4 with a run scored. Ryan Sweeney had one of the other hits and it was a big one, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, a triple, and an RBI. J.C. Boscan had the biggest hit of the day as he was 1-for-3 with a double, and two RBI’s, definitely an odd game at the plate, but drawing four walks definitely helped.
On The Mound – Plenty of hits given up by the Cubs staff, but they didn’t walk anyone, and that was a huge reason they pulled this one out. Brooks Raley had a tremendous outing getting his first win of the season going six scoreless innings giving up six hits, and striking out seven. Yoanner Negrin continues to be untouchable out of the pen, he worked two scoreless innings only giving up two hits. Cory Wade worked the ninth and gave up one run on two hits while striking out two.
At The Plate – A back and forth game in Huntsville ended with the Smokies hanging on to win 4-3 over the Stars. Matt Szczur continues to be productive out of the lead-off spot, he went 2-for-3 with a home run, a stolen base, a caught stealing, an RBI, and a run scored. Justin Bour also joined in on the fun going 2-for-4 with a home run, an RBI, and a run scored. Rubi Silva has been scorching hot all year and it was no different last night, he was 2-for-4 with a home run, an RBI, and two runs scored, he’s hitting .405 on the season now.
On The Mound – Alberto Cabrera got the start and his second win of the season as he went six innings giving up two runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out five. A.J. Morris was solid out of the pen going two scoreless, and hitless innings while striking out three. Frank Batista worked the ninth for his second save, although he made it exciting, he worked one inning giving up one run on one hit while walking one.
At The Plate – All sorts of offense from Daytona but it wasn’t nearly enough in this one. Seven out of the nine players in the lineup had at least one hit. John Andreoli was 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, two stolen bases, and one run scored. Javy Baez connected on his second homer of the season, he finished the day 1-for-5 with an RBI, a stolen base, and two runs scored. Stephen Bruno was 2-for-2 with two walks with a double, and a run scored. Dustin Geiger continues to stay hot going 2-for-3 with an RBI, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .310 on the season.
On The Mound – I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen anything like this in just nine innings. The D-Cubs staff gave up fifteen runs, that was low in my opinion seeing that they gave up twenty-seven hits, twenty-seven! Ryan Searle has been great this year, not last night, he went 4.2 innings giving up seven runs on fifteen(!) hits while striking out five, his ERA sits at 4.85 right now, a small miracle given how many runs he gave up. Hunter Cervenka and Luis Liria gave up a combined seven runs in 2.1 innings. Taylor Davis, a catcher, worked one inning giving up one run on four hits.
At The Plate - The Cougars had a thrilling comeback win in game one as they scored twice in the last two innings to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3. Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Daniel Vogelbach was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored, with that two hit game his average climbed to .302 on the season. Jeimer Candelario was 1-for-3 with a big two run double to help the Cougars come all the way back.
On The Mound – Errors got the best of the Cougars early on and it showed in the pitching staff”s numbers. Jose Arias got the start and went four innings giving up three runs, all unearned, on four hits while walking three and striking out three. Jeffry Antigua was great out of the pen and was rewarded with his first win of the season. Antigue went three scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out three.
At The Plate – No such comeback luck in this one from the Cougars as they were done in by a seven run second inning. Marco Hernandez was 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base, an error, and two runs scored. Wes Darvill was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Bijan Rademacher was 2-for-2 with a walk. The top three guys in the Cougars order went 0-for-10 in game two, and the Cougars went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
On The Mound – Michael Heesch got the start and didn’t get much help from his defense. Heesch went 1.2 innings giving up six runs, two earned, on five hits while walking one and striking out two. Brian Smith got beat up a little bit as he went 2.1 innins giving up two runs on three hits while walking two and striking out two. Steve Perakslis and Nathan Dorris each tossed a scoreless inning in the loss.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Minor Matters – April 11, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate – The I-Cubs were shut down tonight as they could only manage three hits in the 2-0 loss. Brett Jackson was 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base. Ryan Sweeney (1-for-4), and Ty Wright (1-for-3) were the only Cubs to get hits. The Cubs did walk three times, but struck out nine times and were 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position.
On The Mound – Brooks Raley was outstanding, unfortunately the result was his second loss of the season. Raley went seven strong innings giving up two runs on eight hits, he didn’t walk anyone and struck out seven. Jensen Lewis tossed a scoreless frame out of the bullpen surrendering only one hit.
At The Plate - Not much offense at all for the Smokies as they could only manage three runs on five hits, and only had two runners in scoring position all night. Arismendy Alcantara was 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored. Christian Villanueva was 1-for-4 with a double, and RBI, and a run scored. Jair Fernandez was 2-for-4 with an RBI, both hits were singles.
On The Mound – Alberto Cabrera got the start for the Smokies and got touched up a bit. He worked six innings giving up four runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out five and was hung with the loss. Marcus Hatley struggled out of the pen as he went two innings giving up two run on three hits while walking one and striking out three. Brian Schlitter worked a scoreless inning giving up one hit and striking out one.
At The Plate – The D-Cubs were able to pound out nine hits in this one, unfortunately they could only push across two runs and were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Taiwan Easterling continued his hot start going 2-for-4 with a double, he’s now hitting .333 on the season. Stephen Bruno is also on fire, he went 2-for-4 as well with a double, a stolen base, and a run scored, he’s hitting .370 on the season. Dustin Geiger has been on fire the last three games, he went 2-for-4 tonight with a double and an RBI.
On The Mound – Not a lot of good for the D-Cubs tonight, but they only used two pitchers. Starling Peralta got the start and got knocked around, but he didn’t walk anyone, so there’s that. Peralta went six innings giving up six runs on eight hits with seven strike outs, he did however give up four home runs, ouch. Yeiper Castillo followed Peralta and had the same success, or lack thereof. Castillo worked three innings giving up six runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out one.
NOTES: Kane County was rained out, and Jorge Soler served game one of his five game suspension tonight.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Minor Matters – April 6, 2013
At The Plate – The Iowa Cubs scattered nine hits in the loss, and were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position in suffering their third straight loss. Newly acquired Ryan Sweeney got things going right away as he was 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, a walk, and a run scored. Brad Nelson was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored.
On The Mound – Brooks Raley got the start and was rough up in four innings of work. He gave up four runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out three, he was tagged with the loss. Yoanner Negrin was solid out of the pen going two scoreless innings giving up no hits while walking one and striking out three. Zach Putnam and Rafael Dolis were both touched up as they gave up a combined four runs over the last two innings.
At The Plate - You wouldn’t know it by the score, this was a pitchers duel up until the top of the 12th when the Smokies scored 8 times to win this one. Matt Szczur was terrific from the lead-off spot again going 2-for-7 with three RBI’s, and a run scored. Jae-Hoon Ha continued his hot start going 3-for-5 with two RBI’s, a stolen base, and a run scored.
On The Mound – The Smokies had to use five pitchers to get through this one and all were effective as they totaled 15 strikeouts in twelve innings. Eric Jokisch got the start and was solid going six innings giving up one run on three hits while walking two and striking out seven. Kevin Rhoderick, Marcus Hatley, Frank Batista, and Brian Schlitter all had scoreless appearances with Batista getting the win.
At The Plate – It was the Jorge Soler show in this one as he went 2-for-3 with a home run, an RBI, and two runs scored. Timothy Saunders also had a solid night going 3-for-4. Stephen Bruno was 2-for-3 with a run scored, Javier Baez had a rough night going 0-for-4 with an error.
On The Mound - The trio of Austin Kirk, Yao-Lin Wang, and Frank Del Valle shut down the Manatees. Kirk got the start and went three innings giving up two runs, one earned, on four hits while walking two and striking out two. Yao-Lin Wang was awesome going three innings only giving up a single, while walking one and striking out four. Frank Del Valle was even better going three innings only allowing one hit while walking one and striking out six to earn the save.
At The Plate – Fireworks everywhere as the Cougars trailed 7-0 and 8-1 before tying it at ten in the ninth before falling 13-10 in eleven innings. The Cougars pounded out 19 hits with seven guys having multi-hit nights. Daniel Vogelbach was 3-for-6 with a double and an RBI. Rock Shoulders had a huge game going 4-for-6 with two RBI’s and a run scored. Oliver Zapata was outstanding going 3-for-6 with a triple, a home run, five RBI’s, and a run scored.
On The Mound – Obviously not much good here. Cougars pitchers gave up 17 hits in the loss. Jose Arias got the start and got the brunt of the River Bandits attack. Arias only went 1.2 innings giving up seven runs, six earned, on seven hits while walking none and struck out two. Nathan Dorris was the most effective Cougar going 2.1 innings giving up one run on three hits while walking two and striking out three. Ian Dickson was solid but had no command, he went five innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking three and striking out four.
Thanks for reading,
- George
We Are Ready For Minor League Opening Day, Are You?
April 1st marks the beginning of the Major League season, that’s wonderful and great, but for me April 4th is just as exciting as the minor league teams open their campaigns. If you followed us last year you know what we are all about, we bring you a lot of information pertaining to prospects, and the lower level teams, that includes recaps. We recap every game from the minor league system every night, so please follow along as it is shaping up to be a very exciting season in the Cubs system. Here is the schedule for tomorrow.
AAA
It hasn’t officially been announced by I would expect Chris Rusin to get the start, if not then it will be Brooks Raley.
AA
Dallas Beeler gets the start for the Smokies.
High – A
Ben Wells gets the start for the Daytona Cubs
A
Pierce Johnson gets the start for the Cougars
Check back tomorrow for recaps of all of these games, thanks for reading!
- George
Cubs Make Second Round of Cuts; McNutt Included
As we inch towards opening day we will be seeing more of these reports, these are both good and bad, good meaning we are finally getting an idea of what the roster might look like, bad because, well, being cut isn’t a bad thing, it’s a developmental step, yeah that’s it. Today the Cubs announced they have sent six players back to various levels of their system, five pitchers and one position player. We will start with the position player, Logan Watkins, a guy I really like, and I think the Cubs do as well as he is versatile in that he can play a number of infield spots. It looks as though he will start the 2013 campaign in Iowa as the starting second baseman, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him at Wrigley at some point this year.
Now let’s discuss the pitchers that were sent packing. Brooks Raley, who started a few games for the Cubs at the end of last year will be headed to Iowa, and most likely be in the rotation there. Raley had 
an opportunity to crack the roster coming out of camp but had a less than memorable Spring up to this point. Alberto Cabrera, who the Cubs are trying to morph back into a starter will also take up residence in Iowa, like Raley, there was an outside shot of Cabrera making the team as he saw time with the Cubs last year, but a bad Spring forced the Cubs hand. The 2012 Minor League Pitcher of the Year in the Cubs organization, Nick Struck, was also sent home from camp today. Struck had a decent Spring and will look to build off an impressive 2012 this year, most likely in Iowa, yes that staff is pretty full already. Robert Whitenack, who spent much of 2012 coming back from Tommy John surgery, was another one of the cuts. Whitenack is intriguing, as many people in the organization like his arm, and ability, it’s now a matter of regaining confidence post surgery and I think that is what is holding him back. Whitenack is someone to pay attention to as he is already on the Cubs 40-man roster, my guess is he starts a AA Tennessee, that might be a little advanced for him, but he has to show the Cubs organization that he belongs.
The final cut is probably the most notable, Trey McNutt, and his beard. McNutt 
was a pitching prospect for the Cubs before they restocked with other pitching prospects, if that makes sense. McNutt, originally a starter has become seemingly more valuable out of the bullpen, that made it realistic for him to break camp with the Cubs and be another solid arm in the pen. With him being cut from camp I would think the Cubs would like to see what he can do strictly as a reliever at AAA Iowa, I think that McNutt has a future with the Cubs, and I think it’s out of the pen, but time and performance will tell. The Cubs roster now stands at 53, as I said, inching closer to that magical 25 number for April 1st.
Thanks for reading,
- George
