Results tagged ‘ Brooks Raley ’
August 12, 2012 – Cubs Lineup vs. Reds
The Cubs look to finish the series with a split today after letting a late lead slip away yesterday. Brooks Raley will make his second Major League start and he has quite the opponent, 14 game winner Johnny Cueto. Here is how the Cubs will line up behind Raley.
DeJesus – RF
Barney -2B
Rizzo – 1B
Soriano – LF
Castro – SS
Valbuena – 3B
Jackson – CF
Clevenger – C
Raley – P
Thanks for reading, go Cubs!!
- George
August 9 – 12, 2012; vs. Reds – Series Preview
Talk about a weird schedule, the Cubs and Reds will play each other a total of 
17 times during the 2012 season. They have played each other only five times this year (one rain out) so far, and haven’t seen each other since May 3rd, a full three months ago. Since then the Reds have taken off and the Cubs have sunk to the bottom of the Central division, which was somewhat expected. The Reds have been rolling as they sit atop the Central division with a 2.5 game lead over the Pirates. July was rather spectacular for the Reds as they had 19 wins, a Major League best (tied with Oakland). They have leveled off here in August going 4-4 so far as they have lost their last four games, but they are doing this without their best player Joey Votto, quite the void to fill. To be fair the Reds have beat up on lesser opponents while Votto has been out, and it continues in Chicago this weekend. I hate saying that but it’s true, the Cubs are 0-for August, no wins in seven games and have lost eight straight. The Cubs offensive woes might get even worse as they face a Reds team that is third in the National League in ERA at 3.38.
SERIES VITALS
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Thursday August 9, 2012
Cincinnati: Mike Leake (4-7, 4.51 ERA)
Chicago: Chris Volstad (0-8, 7.22ERA)
Mike Leake has been beat up a little bit over his last three starts, but has turned in a decent season for the Reds up to this point. Leake has started against the Cubs 8 times in his career and he has been good. In those 8 starts Leake is 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.189 WHIP. Volstad on the other hand has been very bad, for a while. His numbers against the Reds in his career don’t exactly give me a lot of confidence that Volstad will record his first win in over a year. In four career starts against the Reds, Volstad is 1-3 with a 5.32 ERA, and a 1.479 WHIP, at least he has a win.
Friday August 10, 2012
Cincinnati: Homer Bailey (9-7, 3.98 ERA)
Chicago: Justin Germano (1-1, 3.38ERA)
Justin Germano has been a pleasant surprise for the Cubs this season after being acquired mid-season from the Red Sox. Germano has been versatile for the Cubs, pitching out of the pen and the rotation. He is not going to light up the radar gun but he knows how to pitch, and pitchers have a chance against the Reds as opposed to throwers. Likewise, Homer Bailey has also been a nice surprise this season for the Reds as he is starting to fulfill some of that potential that everyone was so excited about. In his career, Bailey has been roughed up by the Cubs. In 8 career starts, Bailey is 3-2 with a 5.60 ERA, and 1.667 WHIP.
Saturday August 11, 2012
Cincinnati: Bronson Arroyo (7-7, 4.05 ERA)
Chicago: Travis Wood (4-8, 4.77 ERA)
Travis Wood should have some extra incentive going into this one as the Reds are the only other team he has pitched for in his career. After struggling a bit in July, Wood has been pretty good the last two times out, however he has no wins to show for it. Bronson Arroyo profiles as a guy the Cubs struggle with, changes speeds, more slow than hard and the Cubs refuse to be patient. The numbers back this up, in 26 games (24 starts) against the Cubs in his career he is 9-9 with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.138 WHIP. If the Cubs want success against Arroyo they need to take pitches and force him to elevate.
Sunday August 12, 2012
Cincinnati: Johnny Cueto (14-6, 2.58 ERA)
Chicago: Brooks Raley (0-1, 15.75ERA)
Talk about being thrown into the fire, Brook Raley will make his second career start against a first place team and a 14 game winner. Raley was the victim of some bad luck in his major league debut where balls were just finding holes. He was unable to work out of jams after those dink and dunk hits and that’s what hurt him. I’m sure nerves will be an issue once again for Raley as he will be making his Wrigley Field debut. Johnny Cueto is having an outstanding season for the Reds, he has been just okay against the Cubs however. In 15 career starts, Cueto is 5-6 with a 3.55 ERA with a 1.320 WHIP.
Season Series: Reds lead 3-2
Prediction: Reds win series, 3-1
Thanks for reading, go Cubs!
- George
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
7/28: Around the Cubs Minor League System
The nightly minor league recaps.
The AZL Cubs were postponed.
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Boise won in a pitchers dual 1-0. Taylor Scott got the start and got the win pitching five innings allowing four hits, three walks, and striking out four. Hayden Simpson threw an impressive three innings and Eduardo Orozco closed out the game earning his first save of the season. Jeimer Candelario was 1-for-3 driving in the only Hawks run of the game. Carlos Escobar had two hits, including a double and a run scored. Boise has won two games in a row and look to keep that going.
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Beloit took care of Peoria quite easily win 10-4. Starling Peralta started and took the loss giving up five runs, four earned in five innings. Jeffry Antigua pitched very good in relief striking out two in two scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 0.73. Offensively there wasn’t much exciting to report. Sergio Burruel was the only Chief player with a multi-hit game going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Paul Hoilman, Bijan Rademacher, and Yaniel Cabezas all had one hit. Hoilman had an RBI as did Pin-Chieh Chen. Peoria looks to get back on track.
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A for run sixth wasn’t enough losing to Bradenton 9-7. Kyler Burke struggled giving up seven runs, five earned on eight hits in five innings. Burke struck out six in the loss. Hunter Cervenka threw two scoreless innings in relief striking out three. Ronald Torreyes had a nice night at the plate going 3-for-5 with home run, a double, and three RBIs. Timothy Saunders added two hits and drove one in. The Cubs got single RBIs from Taylor Davis, Matt Cerda, and Rubi Silva as well. John Andreoli led off and had a hit and a walk and scored two runs. Rebel Ridling and Rafael Lopez each contributed a hit to the effort and Lopez scored two runs.
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Tennessee couldn’t hold Jacksonville down losing 8-5. Nicholas Struck struggled in a losing effort giving up four runs in four innings pitched. In a tough sign for Cub fans, Trey McNutt struggled in relief again and his ERA is now at 4.91. Frank Batista continued his strong season pitching a scoreless eighth and striking out two lowering his ERA to 1.22. Justin Bour had a night to remember at the plate going 2-for-4 with a home run and five RBIs. Matt Szczur led off in his second game with the Smokis, he went 1-for-4 with a run scored. Logan Watkins was 1-for-4 with a run scored as was Chad Noble. Michael Burgess had a double and Dustin Harrington added a hit and a run scored as well.
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Iowa gave up one in the fifth to give them the lead. The 2-1 lead held up and Iowa lost another one run game. Brooks Raley was the hard luck loser pitching six innings allowing tow runs on six hits and striking out eight. Marcus Hatley pitched well in relief striking out four in two innings. The offense didn’t do much, Brett Jackson connected on his 15th home run of the season, ending the game 1-for-3 with a walk. Adrian Cardenas and Josh Vitters each added ahit as did Blake Lalli. After a nice win yesterday, the Cubs weren’t able to keep it going losing a close, low scoring game.
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Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/23: Around the Minor League System
Our nightly trip through the minors on July 23, 2012. Tennessee had the night off and Daytona was postponed.
AZL Cubs got back on track beating AZL Brewers 7-3. First rund draft pick Albert Almora stole the show hitting his first professional home run. A two-run bomb to left. Ben Carhart had another nice night at the dish going 4-for-5 with a run scored. Shawon Dunston Jr. and Trevor Gretzky, who replaced Almora each had two hits. Dunston scored two runs and Gretzky drove one in. Neftali Rosario added a hit and an RBI and Dan Vogelbach hit his 12th double of the season. After the game Vogelbach tweeted that he was headed to Boise, so best of luck to him. Arturo Maltos-Garcia gave up two runs, but got the win in relief. Steve Perakslis recorded his first save, striking out three in 2.2 innings. Jorge Soler was hitless on Monday, going 0-for-5. It was nice to see the Cubs get back on track Monday.
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Boise won 3-0 behind the arm of Tayler Scott. Scott earned his second win of the season, pitching six scoreless innings. He surrendered only three hits, walked a batter and struck out four, his ERA now stands at 1.95. Hayden Simpson pitched two scoreless innings and Matt Iannazzo pitched a scoreless ninth to record his first save. The offense had a few bright spots. Stephen Bruno was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Gioskar Amaya had a nice night at the plate going 3-for-4 with a run scored, and a run batted in. Marco Hernandez and Trey Martin each scored a run for Boise as well. The Hawks haven’t enough nights like this, but maybe things will be turning around for them.
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It was a great pitchers dual until Peoria gave up two runs in the eighth, eventually losing to South Bend 2-0. Yao-Lin Wang started and struck out five in only 3.2 innings of work. Jeffry Antigua pitched well again, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings while striking out three. He dropped his ERA to 0.87. Luis Liria took the loss, his fourth on the year. Offensively there wasn’t too much happening as the Chiefs only were able to muster up two hits. Chadd Krist and Yaniel Cabezas each had a double on Monday night. Krist is now hitting .424 since his promotion from the Boise. A nice pitched game, but a tough loss nonetheless.
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Daytona’s game on Monday was postponed.
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The Iowa staff pitched pretty good on Monday, but it wasn’t good enough dropping the game to Albuquerque 3-1. Brooks Raley got the start and took the loss. He pitched five innings surrendering three runs, two earned on eight hits. He also had an impressive eight strikeouts to go along with zero walks. Esmailin Caridad and Michael Bowden combined to pitch the last three scoreless innings with Caridad striking out two. At the dish Brian Esposito was the only Cub to have a multi-hit game going 2-for-3 and was the only Cub to drive in a run. Adrian Cardenas and Josh Vitters each added a hit with Vitters hitting his 30th double of the season. Iowa’s record now stands at 41-62.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/18: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Minor league recap for July 18th, 2012.
Tennessee Smokies were off.
For most of the year the hitting in Arizona has been the highlight on Wednesday the pitching took center stage defeating the AZL Dodgers 4-0. The Cubs used four pitchers to complete the three hit shutout. Anthony Prieto started and pitched two innings striking out two while not allowing a baserunner. Arutro Maltos-Garcia pitched two scorelss innings and Loiger Padron struck out three in his three innings of work. Padron was awarded the win, his second of the season. Alvido Jimenez pitched the last two innings preserving the shutout for the Cubs. Offensively the Cubs did not do as much as we have come to expect, but there were still some highlights. Ben Carhart was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Daniel Lockhart had a hit and drove in two runs. Neftali Rosario was 2-for-3 and scored two runs on Wednesday night. A great performance by the staff on Wednesday led to this win.
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Boise’s two game winning streak came to an end dropping Wednesday’s game to Yakima 8-4. Tayler Scott got the start giving up four runs in 4.2 innings. He did not factor in the decision though as he left with the game tied. Hayden Simpson took the loss giving up four runs in 2.1 innings. The Cubs offense came off the bats of only a few players. Five different players had two hits, but every other player was hitless. Gioskar Amaya hit his fourth home run of the season and Trey Martin drove in a run with his two hits. Jeimer Candelario had two hits and drove in two runs on Wednesday. Stephen Bruno and Xavier Batista also had two hits a piece and scored a run. Let’s see if the Hawks can get back on track on Thursday.
It was an exciting game between Peoria and West Michigan, but the Chiefs did not come out on top. Losing by two entering the eighth, Peoria tied the game and sent it to extra innings. Peoria scored one in the tenth, but then gave up two in the bottom half to lose 9-8. On the offensive side of things every Chiefs player had a hit. Chadd Krist was 2-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Pin-Chieh Chen and Zeke DeVoss also had two hits and drove in two on the night. Javier Baez continued his hot stretch adding two more hits, bringing his average to .333. Bijan Rademacher and Oliver Zapata each drove in a run for Peoria. The pitching was up and down on Wednesday Jose Rosario and Sheldon McDonald were not very good responsible for the first seven runs West Michigan gave up on Wednesday. Luis Liria and Austin Reed each pitched two scoreless innings to put Peoria in line for the win. Larry Suarez gave up two unearned runs in the tenth to take the loss. This is a tough one to swallow as Peoria came back, took the lead, and then blew it in the end.
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Two first inning runs turned out to be all Charlotte would need beating Daytona 3-1 on Wednesday. PJ Francescon got the start and took the loss allowing three runs on seven hits and walking four in 5.1 innings. The bullpen did all they could to keep the game close as Eduardo Figueroa, Ryan Searle, and Brian Schlitter combined to pitch 3.2 innings allowing no runs on only two hits. The Daytona bats never really got going, only having five hits. Taylor Davis was 1-for-2 including his second home run of the season. The Cubs also got single hits from Matt Szczur, Matt Cerda, John Andreoli, and Elliot Soto.
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Iowa took advantage of a lot of New Orleans mistakes to win 2-1 in 11 innings. The Cubs won when James Adduci scored on a throwing error by New Orleans pitcher Gary Glover. Brooks Raley pitched seven good innings allowing no runs on five hits. he also walked four and struck four out, leaving with a chance to get the win. Jay Jackson, however gave up a run in his one inning of work. Michael Bowden pitched two scoreless innings and Jeff Beliveau struck out the side in his one inning of work earning his fourth win of the season. Dave Sappelt was the only Cubs player to have more than one hit, he had two, including a double. Brett Jackson hit his 20th double of the season and Welington Castillo also had a hit. A nice win for Iowa on Wednesday night.
Thanks for reading,
7/13: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Recapping July 13th, 2012 in the Cubs minor league system, enjoy.
The AZL Cubs have a way of punishing their opponents, and more often than not Daniel Vogelbach is leading that charge, tonight was more of the same as the Cubs beat the Rangers 7-3. Vogelbach was a man possessed tonight as he went 3-for-4 with his 6th home run of the season, two doubles, an RBI, a walk, and two runs scored. Vogelbach now has 10 doubles on the season, the man doesn’t now how to hit singles, he’s a slugging machine right now. Ben Carhart and Jacob Rogers made sure Vogelbach had plenty of help as each guy had two hits, Carhart is now hitting .340 while Rogers is now hitting .429 on the season. Timothy Saunders had a shocking 0-for-4 dropping his average all the way down to .475 on the season, please catch that sarcasm, I’m laying it on pretty thick. Anthony Prieto started for the Cubs and only went one inning, he didn’t give up any runs but gave up one hit and issued three walks before departing. Hunter Ackerman came on in relief and earned the win after going three innings giving up one run on two hits, while walking two and striking out two. Nathan Dorris came on in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
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A late inning collapse can be blamed for Boise’s loss as they seemingly had this one wrapped up leading 4-2 heading to the 8th. Vancouver scored four in the 8th and one more time for good measure in the 9th to take beat Boise 7-4. Tayler Scott started for Boise and was his typical solid self going four strong innings allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits while walking two and striking out one. Hayden Simpson chipped in 3.2 innings of relief but was on the mound for Vancouver’s comeback. The defense behind Simpson didn’t help as he allowed three runs on six hits but only one was earned. Gioskar Amaya continued his solid season at the plate going 2-for-5 with his 3rd home run of the season, he his now hitting .298 on the campaign. Dong-Yub Kim also had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a run scored and Rock Shoulders continued showing patience at the plate as he was 0-for-1 with three walks.
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For all the press the Chiefs offense gets, and well deserved, the pitching has shown flashes of brilliance as well, tonight Joseph Zeller dazzled. Zeller was perfect in his six innings of work, that’s right, no hits or walks in six innings while striking out four en route to his first win of the season. The Chiefs couldn’t finish off the perfect game eventually allowing one run on two hits in an 8-1 victory over Dayton. Chadd Krist is becoming a story, the 2012 draft pick has already been promoted to Peoria and he is swinging the bat well. Krist was 2-for-4 again tonight with his first home run as a Chief, he also had a double, two RBI’s and two runs scored. Paul Hoilman and Wes Darvill each chipped in with two RBI’s a piece.
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Losses can’t get much harder to take than this one. The Daytona Cubs were well on their way to a victory behind P.J. Francescon leading 7-0 heading to the 6th inning, then the wheels fell off. Palm Beach blitzed the D-Cubs for seven runs in the sixth inning, and three in the seventh to take a 10-7 lead, eventually winning 11-8. Francescon was brilliant for the D-Cubs, he went five innings allowing no runs on two hits, while striking out three, but had to settle for a no decision. Matthew Spencer, Ryan Searle, Scott Weismann, and Frank Del Valle were really bad, no other way to put it as they tossed a combined four innings giving up 11 runs, all earned, on 11 hits while walking three and striking out three. Rubi Silva had a solid day at the plate going 3-for-6 with a triple, his ninth, yes ninth of the season, and an RBI. Ronald Torreyes and Rebel Ridling each had two hits in the loss, as six different D-Cubs had RBI’s.
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The Smokies never really allowed Birmingham into this one as they jumped all over the Barons with four in the first, then tacked on three in the fifth and sixth to take a 10-0 lead. The Barons tried to save face by pushing across three runs in the final two innings but it didn’t help as the Smokies rolled to a 12-3 victory. Erik Jokisch was nearly perfect going five innings allowing no runs on one hit while walking four and striking out six. Jokisch struggled with his command, see the six walks, but was untouchable otherwise in earning his 5th win of the season against one loss. Trey McNutt made his debut as a reliever, after officially being moved to the pen yesterday. He was solid going two innings in relief giving up no run on one hit and striking out two. Justin Bour had a stellar game at the plate going 2-for-6 with a double, four RBI’s and a run scored. Logan Watkins wasn’t going to let Bour have all the fun as he went 3-for-4 with two RBI’s, two walks, and three runs scored. Junior Lake, Jae-Hoon Ha, and Michael Burgess all had two hits in the blow out win. The Smokies managed to pound out 14 hits and 12 runs and did it all without a home run.
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A late rally from Iowa fell just short as they dropped a close one to Omaha 4-3, the I-Cubs scratched across two runs in the ninth unfortunately it was too little too late. Brooks Raley was really good for the I-Cubs going five innings and allowing two runs on six hits while walking one and striking out four. Unfortunately that wasn’t good enough to avoid a loss as Raley fell to 4-5 on the season with a 3.57 ERA. Adrian Cardenas continued his recent stretch of outstanding play, proving that he is a play every day kind of guy, he won’t reach that max potential by coming off the bench. Cardenas was 2-for-3 with a double, triple, a walk, and a run scored in the loss. Welington Castillo was 3-for-4 with a run scored, but that was the extent of the I-Cubs offense as they were a horrendous 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left eight guys on base.
Thanks for reading,
- George
7/5: Around the Cubs Minor League System
July 5 Cubs minor league recap.
AZL Cubs played a very entertaining game on Thursday winning 12-11 in ten innings. After giving up ten runs in the first three innings and being down by five the Cubs came storming back to tie the game and eventually win. There were a lot of good things that happened on the offensive side of things. Leading off Timothy Saunders was 5-for-6 with a home run, double, three RBI’s and four runs scored. Rafael Lopez was 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and one batted in. Izaac Garsez also had three hits including a double, a run scored, and one batted in. Garrett Schlecht and Daniel Lockhart each had two hits and Lockhart had two RBI’s and two runs scored. Justin Berg got the start and wasn’t very good pitching only one inning and giving up six runs, three earned on four hits. Nathan Dorris pitched three scoreless innings and Steve Perakslis recorded the win pitching two innings. It was a wild game and it is nice to see the the Cubs come out on top.
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Boise scored two in the ninth to win 7-6. Down by one going to the bottom of the ninth The Hawks were trailing 6-5. After a Dong-Yub Kim and Xavier Batista walk Darien Martin bunted them to second and third. Gioskar Amaya delivered a single to tie the game. After a fielders choice up stepped Stephen Bruno who came through with a single to win the game. Amaya also had three hits and scored two runs and drove in one. Bijan Rademacher was 2-for-3 including his first home run of his professional career. Marco Hernandez and Kim each had two hits and Hernandez had two RBI’s. Bryce Shafer got the win in relief, despite giving up an unearned run in the top of the ninth. Starter Jose Arias pitched quite well, giving up one run on seven hits in 5.2 innings pitched. He was in line to get the win, but Michael Hamann struggled in relief. All in all it was a nice win for Boise on Friday.
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Peoria scored two runs in the second and the pitching staff was able to make it stand winning 2-1. Zach Cates got the start, but did not factor in the decision as he was only able to pitch 4.2 innings. Zachary Rosscup came in relief and pitched three great innings striking out five and only allowing a hit. Luis Lira came in to close the game and recorded his fourth save of the season. Dustin Geiger started off where he left off hitting a solo home run in the second. After the homer, Javier Baez stepped to the plate and delivered a single. He then stole his 12 base of the season and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Wes Darvill drove him in on a ground out. Zeke DeVoss and Pin-Chieh Chen each had a hit and DeVoss stole his 21st base of the year.
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Kyler Burke pitched ok on Thursday, but took the loss nonetheless. He gave up three runs, two earned on seven hits in five innings of work. Offensively John Andreoli had a really nice day. He was 3-for-4 and stole his 29th base of the season. Matt Cerda also reached base three times with a double and two walks. He also drove in two runs and scored one. Arismendy Alcantara led off and was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Brian Schlitter pitched an effective two innings in relief not allowing a run and giving up two hits while striking out one. His ERA is now down to 1.33.
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The Tennessee Smokies game was postponed on Friday. It will be made up as a doubleheader tomorrow. Each game will be seven innings.
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Iowa was shutout on Thursday 3-0. Brooks Raley got the start and took the loss pitching 6.2 innings and allowing three runs, one earned on five hits. Offensively there isn’t much to talk about. Diory Hernandez was the only Cubs player to have a multi-hit game going 2-for-3. Alfredo Amezaga, Dave Sappelt, and Josh Vitters, and Brian Esposito all had one hit a piece on Friday. Alberto Cabrera and Ryan Rowland-Smith each pitched well in relief. Nothing too exciting about this one.
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Thanks for Reading,
Mark
6/30: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A look at the Cubs minor leagues on Saturday, June 30.
Another game for the AZL Cubs and more runs scored as the Cubs won 12-8. Some of the highlights at the plate were Daniel Vogelbach going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and three runs scored. Carlos Penalver also went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and three RBI’s. Isaac Garesz and Neftali Rosario had two hits a piece. Rosario had two RBI’s as did Garrett Schlect. Justin Berg got the start, but did not factor in the win. David Henrie did get the win pitching four innings giving up three runs, one earned on five hits.
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Boise got the bats going on Saturday beating Spokane 12-6. Stephen Bruno went 2-for-4 with a double, triple, an RBI, and two runs scored. Jeimer Candelario was 3-for-5 with a double, run scored, and two RBI’s. Bijan Rademacher had three hits and Chadd Krist also added two hits of his own. Xavier Batista and Shawon Dunston Jr. each added an RBI on the night. Jose Arias was not real sharp, but got his first win of the year. Pete Levitt recorded his first save of the year and Michael Hamann pitched two scoreless innings in relief.
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Peoria took the loss on Saturday losing to Wisconsin 9-5. Zach Cates struggled only lasting four innings givine up five runs, four earned on six hits, while striking out five. Zachary Rosscup pitched well in relief striking out five and only giving up one hit in two innings. Offensively Oliver Zapata was 3-for-4 with an RBI. The Chiefs also got RBI’s from Pin-Chieh Chen, Dustin Geiger, Paul Hoilman, and Yasiel Balaguert. Javier Baez was 1-for-4 with a run scored as well.
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Kyler Burke took the loss as Daytona fell to Dunedin 5-2. Burke only lasted four innings giving up two runs, one earned on three hits in four innings. He struggled with his control walking four, but he also struck out six. Matthew Spencer and Eduardo Figueroa each pitched two innings and each gave up runs. Brian Schlitter pitched well in his one inning out of the bullpen. There wasn’t much excitement at the plate either as the Cubs could only muster five hits. Two of those hits came off the bat of John Andreoli. Arismendy Alcantara, Rebel Ridling, and Rubi Silva had the other Daytona hits and Elieser Bonne had contributed with an RBI.
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Logan Watkins hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eight which proved to be the game winner as Tennessee won 3-2. Michael Burgess also connected hitting his ninth homer of the year. James Adduci drove in the other Smokies run and Jae-Hoon Ha contributed with two hits including a double. Erik Jokish was pretty good, but did not factor in the decision. He gave up two runs on seven hits and struck out five in seven innings. Kevin Rhoderick who had been struggling of late got the win in relief striking out one in two perfect innings of relief.
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Despite a late rally Iowa fell short losing to Nashville 4-3. Down 4-0 entering the top of the ninth Iowa scored three runs including a solo home run off the bat of Brett Jackson. Jackson added a double earlier ending the night with two hits and a stolen base. Blake Lalli connected on a two-run homer in the ninth, his sixth of the season. Dave Sappelt had two hits and a run scored. Brooks Raley took the loss giving up one run on four hits in five innings. Ryan Rowland-Smith and Mike MacDougal each gave up runs in relief, but Jeff Beliveau pitched well striking out four in 1.2 innings pitched.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
6/25: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A closer look at very busy Monday for the Cubs minor leagues.
Down 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh, The AZL Cubs scored four and added another in the eighth to win 6-4. After going 6-for-6 on Saturday Timothy Saunders stayed hot as he had two more hits bringing his average to .526. Trey Martin had two doubles with a run scored and an RBI. Jacob Rogers also went 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI’s. Daniel Vogelbach hit his fourth double on the young season and he also scored a run. Eduardo Orozco got the win in relief striking out two batters and Jin-Young Kim pitched two perfect innings to record his first save of the season.
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Boise just couldn’t get the bats going as they lost 4-1 to Spokane on Monday. On the bright side Gioskar Amaya went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored raising his average to .386. Marco Hernandez had a double and had the only RBI of the night. Jeimer Candelario, Wilson Contreras, and Rock Shoulders all had one hit on the night. Jose Arias pitched well again as he gave up one run on three hits in five innings of work. Amaury Paulino took the loss giving up three runs on two hits in two innings.
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Peoria scored a run in the eighth to win a nail biter 2-1. Anthony Giansanti was the hero delivering the game winning RBI. He entered the game after Javier Baez left with an injury. It sounds like everything will be fine with Baez and he is day-to-day. Wes Darvill had two hits and Yasiel Balaguert had a nice night at the plate going 2-for-3. Dustin Geiger had the other Chiefs RBI in the third inning. Zachary Rosscup got the win in relief pitching 2.1 innings while only giving up a hit and striking out two. Luis Liria recorded his third save as he pitched the last two innings giving up one hit and striking one batter out. Zach Cates got the start and allowed one run on five hits in 4.2 innings.
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Daytona won both games of the double header on Monday. The Cubs won the first game 7-3 highlighted by a five run second. Arismendy Alcantara went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI’s in the winning effort. He also stole his 22nd bag of the year. Micah Gibbs and John Andreoli each had two hits and a run scored. Matt Szczur had a hit and stole his 21st base of the season. Taylor Davis had a double and drove in two runs, Rebel Ridling and Rubi Silva each had RBIs as well. Matt Loosen got his sixth win of the year, giving up three runs on two hits in six innings while striking out seven.
Game two was not so easy, as Daytona tied the game with three runs in the sixth and won it in the 12th. Dustin Harrington was the hero as he drove in Ronald Torreyes, who represented the game winning run. Matt Szczur went 2-for-4 with a double, run, RBI, two walks, and his 22 stolen base. Chad Noble had two doubles and a run scored and Harrington had two hits as well. Alantara and Silva had the other two RBI’s for the Cubs. Kyler Burke, who had been pitching for Peoria got the start for Daytona. In his first outing he pitched five innings, giving up three runs on five hits while walking three and striking out two. The Cubs bullpen was outstanding as they pitched seven scoreless innings. They gave up only one hit and struck out nine. Scott Weismann got the win as he struck out four in three innings of work. Eduardo Figuerora closed the game out recording his first save of the season.
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Tennessee had two games on Monday as well, but they did not go as well as Daytona. The Smokies lost the first game 11-3. This game was lost on the mound as Eric Jokisch really, really struggled as he gave up 10 runs nine earned on nine hits in 5.2 innings. Unbelievably his ERA jumped all the way to 3.38. That is how good he has been so far. Jae-Hoon Ha and Junior Lake each had two hits. Lake had a double and drove in two. Michael Burgess had a double and drove in the other Smokies run in game one.
Game one was bad, but game two was not much better as Jacksonville beat Tennessee 10-3. Dallas Beeler got the start giving up one run in 3.1 innings, but did not factor in the decision. Keven Rhoderick got the loss as he gave up five runs in .2 innings of work. Marcus Hatley and Casey Harman didn’t have much better luck as each gave up two runs. Justin Bour, Nelson Perez, and Nate Samson drove in the three Smokies runs in game two. Junior Lake also had another hit and his average now sits at .315.
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On a day that will be remembered as Anthony Rizzo‘s last game at Iowa, the Cubs played quite a good game winning 2-1. Brooks Raley got the start and pitched beautifully throwing seven great innings. He gave up one run on only five hits as he struck out five and got the win. Jay Jackson pitched another good inning in relief striking out three. Rafael Dolis took another step in the right direction recording his third save since going to Iowa. Offensively Josh Vitters has been on an absolute tear as he was all the offense the Cubs would need. He had an RBI hit in the first inning and hit his 12th home run of the year in the third. It proved to be the game winner and Vitters is now hitting .292.
Thanks for reading,
Mark
Graphics (George)
