Results tagged ‘ Hunter Cervenka ’
8/30: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Here is a quick look at the Cubs minor league recap for Thursday, August 30th. When the AZL Cubs playoff game ends we will have a full recap of that game.
Boise scored two in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough as they lost to Everett 4-3. What else is new Stephen Bruno was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. His hit streak now sits at 20. Rock Shoulders hit a pinch-hit two-run home run in the ninth. Albert Almora was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Dan Vogelbach also had a hit in the loss. Justin Amlung started and took the loss going two innings allowing one run on two hits. James Pugliese pitched the next four innings allowing two runs and striking out four. Su-Min Jung and Tyler Bremer combined to throw the last three innings, with Bremer giving up a run and striking out two.
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Cedar Rapids put up four big runs in the 10th inning to beat Peoria 11-7. The Chiefs had a lot of nice nights on the offensively. Pin-Chieh Chen was 3-for-4 with two walks, a triple, three runs scored, and a stolen base. Wes Darvill also had three hits, including a double and an RBI. Jorge Soler was 2-for-6 with an RBI and Sergio Burruel also had two hits including a double and two RBIs. Zeke DeVoss had a hit and an RBI as did Jacob Rogers. Timothy Saunders, Oliver Zapata, and Bijan Rademacher all had a hit in the loss. Joseph Zeller started and pitched 6.2 innings allowing five runs on eight hits. Sheldon McDonald and Larry Suarez pitched the next 2.1 innings, but Luis Liria took the loss giving up the four runs in the 10th.
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Going into the ninth tied Brevard County scored two and Daytona one, so the final ended up 6-5 Brevard County. Kyle Hendricks started and pitched four innings allowing three runs on seven hits. Matthew Spencer and Hunter Cervenka combined to pitch the next 2.1 innings giving up one run and striking out four. Eduardo Figueroa took the loss as he allowed the two runs in the ninth inning. John Andreoli had a nice night going 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Javier Baez was 1-for-4 with a home run and Christian Villanueva had a hit and an RBI. Rebel Ridling was 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored and Elieser Bonne knocked in a run with a hit in the loss.
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Tennessee beat Pensacola on Thursday 4-2. Dallas Beeler started and pitched five innings allowing two runs, one earned on four hits, while walking two and striking out four. After Casey Harman pitched a scoreless sixth, Trey McNutt pitched an outstanding inning as he struck out the side and didn’t allow a base runner. Brian Schlitter notched his six save as he struck out four over two innings. The Cubs offense used the long ball as all four runs accounted for via the home run. Logan Watkins, Justin Bour, and Matt Cerda all connected with Cerda hitting a two-run homer. Jae-Hoon Ha was the only other Smokies player to have a hit in the win.
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Thursday was not a good night for Iowa losing to Nashville 6-1. Yonner Negrin started and took the loss as he pitched five innings allowing three runs, two earned on six hits. Jaye Chapman struck out two in a scoreless inning of work, but Miguel Socolovich gave up three runs in his inning. Rafael Dolis pitched the final frame, not allowing a run and striking one out. Adrian Cardenas was responsible for the only Cubs run as he was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Tony Campana also had one hit and he scored the Cubs lone run, he also stole his 18th base at Iowa. The Cubs had five more hits in the loss, as Thursday was not a very good night.
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
8/22: Around the Cubs Minor League System
The Cubs minor leagues were in full effect on Wednesday with the AZL Cubs and Daytona each playing 7-inning double headers.
The AZL Cubs scored three in the first inning of the first game and that was all Ryan McNeil and company would need beating the Diamondbacks 3-0. McNeil was outstanding pitching four scoreless innings giving up five hits and striking out two. Rafael Dolis continued his rebab pitching the next 1.1 innings and getting the win. Jasvir Rakkar earned his first save of the year, striking out four of the five outs he recorded. Anthony Giansanti also continued his rehab assignment going 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. Justin Marra also had a hit and an RBI in the victory. Shawon Dunston continued his impressive stretch at the plate going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Ben Carhart and Yasiel Balauert also had a hit in the game.
Game two was scoreless until Anthony Giansanti stepped to the plate in the bottom of the seventh. Giansanti delivered hitting a walk off homer as the Cubs swept the double-header against the Diamondbacks. The Cubs used three pitchers in this one as Corbin Hoffner got the start striking out two and allowing three hits in three innings. Some more good news was the return of Ben Wells who began his rebab assignment in style striking out the side in his one inning. Alvido Jimenez ended the scoreless day pitcing the final three innings and getting his second win of the season. Carlos Penalver, David Bote, and Yasiel Balaguert all had a hit in game two of the double-header. The Cubs remain three games behind the A’s for first place, but are leading the wild card by three games over the Giants.
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Boise just keeps rolling as they beat up Vancouver 11-6. The offense was the story in this one as they pounded out 17 hits to go along with those 11 runs. Stephen Bruno is just raking right now as he went 3-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBIs. He is now hitting .344 on the season and .439 in his last 10. Izaac Garsez and Wilson Contreras each had really nice games both having three hits and driving in two runs a piece. Garsez also scored three runs and stole his first base of the season. Carlos Escobar and Darien Martin both had two hits with Escobar knocking in two. Marco Hernandez also had two RBIs and Gioskar Amaya had one of his own. Justin Amlung got the start, but only lasted two innings as he gave up three runs on six hits. Michael Heesch then pitched two scoreless innings and got his second win of the season. James Pugliese struck out six over the next three innings, but did give up three runs before getting the ball to Nathan Dorris. Dorris closed this one out striking out two over the final two innings of the game. Boise remains six games up on the Yakima Bears with their magic number down to four.
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Beloit got off to a great start, but Peoria came roaring back scoring four in the sixth and one in the eighth to tie it up before scoring three in the 13th and beating Beloit 9-6. Timothy Saunders continues to impress at the plate going 4-for-6 with a stolen base, three runs scored and two RBIs. He is now hitting .391 with Peoria in 11 games. Jorge Soler was back at it going 2-for-6 with a stolen base, three runs scored and an RBI. Jacob Rogers and Bijan Rademacher each had a hit and an RBI and Pin-Chieh Chen had two hits. Starling Peralta started, but struggled with his command walking five in five innings. He also gave up five hits and allowed four runs, three earned, and struck out four. After Bryce Shafer gave up an unearned run the rest of the Chiefs staff threw up zeros. First Pete Levitt struck out four in 2.2 innings, then Sheldon McDonald struck out four in his two innings. Luis Liria came on to shut the door in the 13th and recorded his fifth save of the season.
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Game one of Daytona’s double-header was decided early as Clearwater scored two in the first and Daytona scored one in the second. Nothing would change as the Cubs lost game one 2-1. PJ Francescon started and took the loss striking out four and giving up two runs in three innings. Eduardo Figueroa, Matt Spencer, and AJ Morris all did their job not allowing another hit and shutting Clearwater down over the next three innings. The offense just couldn’t get it going, which is to be expected as they haven’t played in several days. Taylor Davis was 2-for-2 and drove in the only Cubs run in this one. Christian Villanueva hit a double and scored the Cubs lone run in the loss. John Andreoli and Elieser Bonne also had hits and Javier Baez was 0-for-3.
Game two didn’t go much better for Daytona as Clearwater jumped out early scoring three in the first and never looked back beating the Cubs 4-2. Frank Del Valle was on the hook for all four runs, only three of which were earned in four innings of work. Ryan Searle and Hunter Cervenka each pitched a scoreless inning a piece. Offensively there were a couple bright spots, one of which was Ronald Torreyes who was 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Vladimir Frias had two hits of his own and Nelson Perez added a hit and an RBI. The offense is obviously having a hard time getting in any kind of rhythm as games have been few and far between.
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Tennessee was embarrassed on Wednesday losing to Chattanooga 11-1. Dae-Eun Rhee started and took the loss giving up three runs on nine hits in 5.2 innings. Things didn’t get any better as Casey Weathers gave up three runs after recording just one out. After Zach Rosscup struck out the side in the seventh, Casey Harman gave up five runs, only one of which was earned in the eighth inning. Dustin Harrington struck out two in the ninth, that’s right Dustin Harrington, the same guy who plays third base. He was 2-for-2 at the plate as well, hitting a double and scoring a run. Matt Szczur was the only other Smokie to have a hit as he had a triple and drove in the lone Cubs run.
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Iowa was winning 3-1 into the eighth, but gave up five over the next two innings and lost 6-3. Horacio Ramirez was great on Wednesday giving up one run on seven hits in seven innings pitched. Blake Parker struggled and took the loss giving up three runs in the eighth and Jairo Asencio allowed two unearned runs in the ninth. Dave Sappelt had a nice day at the plate going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Brian Esposito had a hit and an RBI and Blake Lalli had a hit and scored a run in the loss. Adrian Cardenas finally got to play baseball again and was 1-for-4 with a run scored. It is tough to see Parker give this one up, as his rehab has been going quite well thus far, but I am sure he will come back strong in his next outing.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/15: 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
8/9: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Here’s a look around the Cubs system on Thursday, August 9th. The AZL Cubs and Iowa were both off on Thursday.
Welcome to the Daniel Vogelbach Show as Boise beat Everett in a close one winning 3-2. The aforementioned Vogelbach ended the night 2-for-4 with two home runs, he now has five in his last four games. The Hawks had only two more hits on the evening one belonging to Marco Hernandez and the other a triple off the bat of Izaac Garsez. Garsez would score what would be the winning run when Gioskar Amaya drove him in with a sacrifice fly. Matt Iannazzo got the win in relief pitching two scoreless inning and striking out two. Tayler Scott started giving up two runs on eight hits in five innings pitched. He also struck out six and walked zero. Tyler Bremer recorded his first save pitching two scoreless innings, while striking out three. The Hawks stayed hot on Thursday and are 11-5 in the second half 3.5 games up.
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Peoria scored one in the top of the ninth to beat Burlington 5-4. Although Jorge Soler was promoted to Peoria today, he was not in the lineup, but that didn’t stop the Chiefs. Zeke DeVoss was 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs, and a stolen base. Pin-Chieh Chen only had one hit, but drove in two, including the game winner. Dustin Geiger had two doubles and Bijan Rademacher drove in a run. Joseph Zeller got the start for the Chiefs pitching five innings and allowing four runs, three earned on four hits. Jeffry Antigua pitched well out of relief striking out three in 2.1 scoreless innings. Larry Suarez got his third win of the season striking out one over the final 1.2 innings. It was a good win for Peoria and let the excitement begin as Jorge Soler should be in the lineup tomorrow.
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Daytona got down early in game one, but came storming back winning 5-4 in walk-off fashion. The walk-off wasn’t quite as exciting as some as it ended on a wild pitch. Ronald Torreyes was 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Javier Baez did not have a hit, but drove in his third run in two days and he stole his first base since being promoted. John Andreoli was 1-for-3 with a run scored and two stolen bases. Christian Villanueva had a nice night as well going 1-for-1 with two walks, a hit by pitch, a run scored, and a stolen base. Rubi Silva and Rafael Lopez each had a hit and scored a run. Robert Whitenack started and struggled early, but really settled down. He gave up four runs all in the first in four innings. Ryan Searle and Jeffrey Lorick combined to pitch an excellent four innings striking out five and allowing only one hit. Lorick picked up the win his second of the season.
Not much good came out of game two as Daytona lost 7-1. Kyle Hendricks started for the Cubs pitching three innings allowing one run on two hits, while striking out three. Kyler Burke and Hunter Cervenka pitched the final four innings in relief and really struggled combining to give up six runs. Not much happening for the offense in this one. Taylor Davis had a double and drove in the lone Cubs run. Elieser Bonne was 2-for-3 with a double and scored the only Cubs run of the evening. John Andreoli and Rubi Silva recorded the only other Cubs hits of the contest. As bad as game two was it was nice to get game one and at least get a split in the double-header on Thursday.
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Behind Nicholas Struck Tennessee beat Huntsville 5-3. Lendy Castillo continued his rehab pitching the first inning of this one allowing no runs on two hits. Struck came in relief to get his 13th win. He pitched seven strong innings allowing one run on only two hit and striking out seven. Frank Batista who has been so good recorded two outs, but need help from Brian Schlitter to close out the game. Schlitter recorded the last out and notched his third save of the season. A congratulations goes out to Matt Szczur who hit his first home run since moving to Tennessee. He ended the night 1-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored, and stole his third base. Logan Watkins was 1-for-2 with an RBI and his 23rd stolen base. Justin Bour is now two RBIs away from 100 as he drove in two more bringing his total to 98. Junior lake and Jae-Hoon both had a double, with Ha also walking four times on the evening. It was a nice win for the Smokies on Thursday.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/3: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Minor league recap for August 3, 2012.
The AZL Cubs continued their tear beating the AZL D-Backs for their fifth straight victory. It wasn’t as easy as it should have been however as the D-Backs scored five times in the ninth, but the Cubs hang on to win 7-5. Dillon Maples made his second start on his road to recovery and turned in some solid work going 1.2 innings only allowing one hit while walking two and striking out one. Paul Blackburn, one of two 2012 supplemental draft picks continued his strong season. Blackburn worked 3.1 innings allowing only one hit while walking one and striking out two to earn his second victory of the season and lower his ERA to 1.86. 2012 draft picks Corbin Hoffner and Jasvir Rakkar also worked scoreless innings. It was another night of fireworks from the AZL Cubs offense. Albert Almora, who is on fire right now, went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored. Shawon Dunston, and Ben Carhart each had two hits on the night with Carhart recording his 8th double of the season. Jacob Rogers had a big night at the plate as well going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a walk, and three runs scored.
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The Boise Hawks raced out to a 4-0 lead, and held a 5-2 lead by the 5th inning but couldn’t hang on as Spokane plated three runs in the 8th on their way to a 6-5 win. Jose Arias didn’t get very deep into this one for the Hawks as he tossed 2.2 innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking three and striking out three. Arias left with the lead, but Hayden Simpson couldn’t hang onto it. Simpson worked 4.1 innings giving up three runs on six hits while striking out six. Eduardo Orozco only gave up only one run in his inning of work, but that was the deciding run as Orozco was hung with his first loss of the season. Gioskar Amaya had another solid night at the plate, what else is new? Amaya was 2-for-4 with his ninth triple of the season, an RBI, a walk, and a run scored, he is now hitting .315. Daniel Vogelbach continued to be a doubles machine as he was 1-for-3 at the plate with his 5th double while with Boise. Rock Shoulders had a productive night as well going 1-for-4 with his 6th home run of the season, a two run shot.
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The Chiefs jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead against Quad Cities but couldn’t hang as they fell 4-2. Yao-Lin Wang continued his transition to the starting rotation as he went 5.1 innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking three and striking out six. Wang left with the game tied at two, and unfortunately Jeffry Antigua could keep the River Bandits off the board. Antigua went 1.2 innings giving up two runs on three hits while striking out two earning his first loss of the season. Javier Baez continued his assault on Single-A pitching in the loss as he was 2-for-4 with his 12th home run of the season, he also stole his 20th base. Baez is now hitting .336 on the season, and there are whispers that he is close to earning a promotion. Zeke DeVoss had a solid night at the top of the Chiefs order going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
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The D-Cubs fell behind early, and couldn’t dig out of that hole as they dropped this one to Dunedin 6-2. Kyler Burke started for the D-Cubs, and was responsible for that hole I was talking about. Burke gave up three runs in the first and then settled down after that. He went five innings giving up three runs on four hits while walking two and striking out four. Hunter Cervenka had a rare awful outing as he struggled with his command in two innings of work, walking four and giving up three runs, two earned. Rubi Silva continued his strong 2012 season at the plate going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, he is now hitting .302 on the campaign. Christian Villanueva followed up his stellar Cubs debut by going 1-for-4 with a double and a spectacular catch in the field that I’m hoping to get video of shortly.
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Smokies postponed, again.
Things seem to go from bad to worse for Iowa each night. Tonight was no different as the I-Cubs battled Colorado Springs all game before surrendering three runs in the top of the ninth to lose 4-1. Ryan Rowland-Smith got the start tonight and was outstanding as he went six strong innings giving up one run on two hits while walking three and striking out six. Jaye Chapman, who was acquired from the Braves a couple of days ago took the loss as he was knocked around in the ninth. Chapman worked one inning giving up three runs on three hits while walking one, he fell to 0-1 on the season. The I-Cubs were dreadful with runners in scoring position, and they had plenty of chances too, when it was all said and done they were 0-for-10 in the loss. Josh Vitters had a big night once again for Iowa, he went 3-for-4 with his 32nd double of the season. Vitters is now hitting .304 on the season as he continues to try to force the Cubs hand and give them no choice but to award him the promotion he deserves. Dylan Heuer has some great photo’s from the game, head on over to his website to check them out!
Thanks for reading,
- George
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
7/28: 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
7/19: Around the Cubs Minor League System
All teams back in action on Thursday July 19.
Jorge Soler made his much anticipated debut on Thursday night, but the AZL Cubs fell to the AZL Mariners 4-3 in 12 innings. It was not quite the debut we were looking for from Soler as he went 0-3, grounding out twice and lining into a double play. The Cubs got RBIs from David Bote, Daniel Lockhart, and Justin Marra. Marra also had two hits on the evening. Paul Blackburn got the start on Thursday and pitched three innings allowing one runs on three hits. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino struck out five in four innings out of the pen and Daniel Adrian struck out four in three scoreless innings. Chad Martin took the loss giving up the winning run in the 12th inning. Not the type of game we become accustomed to from the Cubs in Arizona.
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The pitching for Boise did their job on Thursday, but the Hawks still lost to Eugene 2-1. Ian Dickson got the start and took the tough loss. He gave up two runs, one earned in five innings. He also struck out five, his record now stands at 1-3. Hunter Ackerman was outstanding in relief striking out four and allowing only one hit in three innings pitched. All of the Hawks offense came off the bat of Stephen Bruno who had the only two hits for Boise. He also drove in Gioskar Amaya who reached on a walk. This is a tough one to swallow as the pitching did so well, unfortunately the hitting did not.
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Peoria dropped another to West Michigan losing 4-2. Yao-Lin Wang started and took the loss allowing three runs in the second inning, one earned in just 1.2 innings pitched. Josheph Zeller pitched well in relief allowing one unearned run on seven hits in 5.1 innings. He struck out three and lowered his ERA to 1.69. Javier Baez did it again going 2-for-4 hitting his ninth home run of the season and stealing his 17th base. Chadd Krist only was able to muster up one hit tonight as his average dropped to .462. Dustin Geiger added a hit and scored the only other Chiefs run of the day. Peoria will look to get back on track tomorrow.
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It is tough to win when you allow four runs in one inning and then a single run four innings in a row. Daytona didn’t disprove this losing 8-3 to Jupiter. Austin Kirk took the loss allowing five runs in five innings pitched. His ERA stands at an impressive 2.88. Hunter Cervenka, Scott Weismann, and AJ Morris all gave up a run in their inning of work out of the bullpen. The good news came from one of the Cubs top prospects Matt Szczur. He was 3-for-4 with a triple, run scored, RBI and his 33rd stolen base of the year. Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Elliot Soto added two hits driving in one run and Rubi Silva also had an RBI. Not a good loss all the way around for the Cubs.
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After giving up three in the first Tennessee tried to mount a comeback, but it ultimately came up short losing 4-3 to Chattanooga. Eric Jokisch took the loss allowing three runs on six hits in five innings. Kevin Rhoderick hopefully got back on track Thursday striking out all four of the outs he recorded. Marcus Hatley pitched a scoreless inning giving up three hits, but striking out one. Juan Apodaca hit a double and drove in two runs. Jae-Hoon Ha was 2-for-3 with a run scored and Logan Watkins drove stole his 19th base of the season and drove in his 36th run of the season. It was a good comeback attempt, but turned out to be another disappointing loss.
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Casey Coleman got scratched from his start so Ryan Rowland-Smith took his place and struggled giving up five runs, three earned in just four innings pitched. All of those runs came in the second and Iowa could never rebound losing 9-1. Offensively Brett Jackson was 2-for-4 with the Cubs lone RBI. Dave Sappelt and Blake Lalli each had two hits and both had a double. Adrian Cardenas and Welington Castillo had doubles as well. Other than that not much excitement coming from Iowa on Thursday night.
Thanks for reading,
Mark
7/12: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Your daily trip through the minor leagues.
A six run fourth was too much for the AZL Cubs to overcome on Thursday losing 7-2. Even though the Cubs only had two runs on five hits there were a few offensive bright spots. Dan Vogelbach did it again belting a two-run home run, his fifth of the young season. Ben Carhart also had a nice day going 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored. Ethan Elias started and pitched three innings giving up one unearned run. Ryan Hartman struggled and took the loss in relief. Matt Iannazzo struck out six in 3.1 innings pitched. The Cubs have been really good so hope to see them bounce back after this one.
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Boise lost a wild one to Vancouver 12-11. It was a tough loss as it seemed Boise was in complete control of this one, but an eight run seventh for Vancouver was all they would need to hold on. Offensively Boise had 16 hits to go along with those 11 runs so a lot of good came out of that. Three Hawks hit home runs, including Gioskar Amaya, Marco Hernandez, and Rock Shoulders. Amaya and Hernandez each drove in two and Shoulders drove in three on the night. Bijan Rademacher also drove in two runs as he went 3-for-4 with a double at the plate. Stephen Brruno and Jeimer Candelario each had two hits and Trey Martin had three. The good on the mound turned to ugly pretty quickly on Thursday. James Pugliese and Michael Heesch combined to get the Hawks into the sixth with a 10-4 lead. The lead was soon erased as Rafael Diplan struggled giving up five in .1 innings. He was followed by Roderik Pichardo who gave up three more in the seventh and he took the loss. Another tough loss for Boise on Thursday.
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Dayton pounded out 16 hits and scored eight runs to beat Peoria 8-5. There was some good that happened offensively in this one though. Taiwan Easterling was 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. Paul Hoilman and Chadd Krist who was recently promoted from Boise each had two hits. Krist also drove in a run as did Wes Darvill and Pin-Chieh Chen. Jose Rosario was pretty good on the mound giving up one run on seven hits in six innings of work. Justin Berg and the defense let Rosario down giving up five runs, one earned on three hits in .2 innings. Hunter Cervenka struggled as well giving up two runs on six hits in 2.1 innings. After a five run seventh and a two run ninth Peoria just didn’t have enough left to come back.
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Palm Beach scored four times in the lst four innings to beat Daytona 5-4. Matt Loosen got the start pitching 6.2 innings. He gave up four runs, three runs on three hits while walking three and striking out six. Eduardo Figueroa took the loss in relief. He gave up the go ahead run in .2 innings. At the plate Rubi Silva had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a triple and a runs scored. John Andreoli, Rebel Ridling, Rafael Lopez, and Dustin Harrington each had a hit and Ridling drove one in. Matt Szczur and Taylor Davis each had an RBI for the Cubs on Thursday as well. Another game on Thursday where it looked like the Cubs affiliate was in command, but ended up losing.
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Tennessee was postponed on Wednesday so they played two on Thursday. All the scoring for game one came in the first inning when Tennessee scored one, but Birmingham scored four. The score would stand and Tennessee lost 4-1. Staring pitcher Zach Rosscup didn’t last long allowing four runs on four hits and walking two and only recording one out. In relif Ty’Relle Harris and Kevin Rhoderick held the Baron scoreless the rest of the way to give the Smokies a chance. Philip Humber started his rehab assignmnet and held the Smokies to only two hits and one run. Junior Lake led the game off with a double and scored the Smokies lone run when he was driven in by Jae-Hoon Ha. Justin Bour had the other Smokies hit in game one.
Three Tennessee runs in the second inning was plenty for Nicholas Struck as Smokies won game two 3-0. Struck wsa outstanding allowing no runs on only three hits while walking none and striking out seven in six innings. Frank Batista came on to pitch a scoreless seventh to recrord his 17th save. The Smokies RBIs came from the bottom of the order with Nelson Perez driving in two with a triple and Chad Noble then driving him in. Jae-Hoon Ha was the only Smokie player with a multi hit game as he went 2-for-4. After dropping the first one it was nice to see them come back and get game two.
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Iowa wins a crazy one in Omaha on Thursday. Trailing 7-2 after three innings Iowa started there come back with a four run fourth. After adding on in the sixth, they scored five more and eventually won 12-11. They had 15 hits to go along with those 12 runs so there was a lot of good offensively. Adrian Cardenas and Diory Hernandez each had three hits. Hernandez hit a home run, scored two runs, and drove in two. Dave Sappelt was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Welington Castillo also had two hits, including a hom run. He also scored two runs and drove in three. Brett Jackson was back in the lineup delivering a hit and walking three times. He drove in on run, scored two, and stole his 21st base of the season. Josh Vitters had two more hits, including his 26th double, he also scored a run and drove one in. Chris Volstad got the start and was not very good allowing seven runs, five earned in just two innings. The Cubs would use five arms out of the pen to finish this one Alberto Cabrera earning his second win of the season. Jay Jackson pitched a scoreless eighth and Michael Bowden recorded his second save of the season striking out two in a scoreless ninth. It’s nice to come out on top of a crazy one like that.
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What a crazy night throughout the Cubs system.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
