Results tagged ‘ Justin Marra ’
8/28: Around the Cubs Minor League System
The Cubs minor league recap for Tuesday, August 28. Daytona was again cancelled because of rain.
The AZL Cubs tried to come back, but ended up losing to the Diamondbacks 6-4. Dillon Maples started and got the loss allowing two unearned runs in one inning. The Cubs used six more pitchers to get through the rest of the game. Some of the good pitching performances were Loiger Padron who struck out three and allowed one hit in two innings. Anthony York struggled giving up three runs in just 0.2 innings. Daniel Adrian, Jin-Young Kim, and Arturo Maltos-Garcia all combined to strike out eight in just three innings. Garrett Schlecht was really good night going 4-for-4 with a double, triple, and three runs scored. Yasiel Balaguert was 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored. Trevor Gretzky and Carlos Penalver each had a hit and an RBI. Justin Marra had a double and Jeff Baez knocked in one run in the loss.
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Boise jumped on Everett early scoring seven runs in the first two innings and ended up winning 7-3. Stephen Bruno has been outstanding and Tuesday was no different going 3-for-5 with a run scored. Jeimer Candelario and Gioskar Amaya each hit a home run with Candelario driving in two and Amaya three. Wilson Contreras and Marco Hernandez had two hits a piece with Contreras having two RBIs. Carlos Escobar and Darien Martin each had a hit in the win. Although he didn’t have a hit it was nice to see Albert Almora get back in the lineup. Pierce Johnson got the start pitching two innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits while striking out three. Jose Arias pitched the next three innings allowing one run on one hit, while walking four and striking out three. Brian Smith pitched the next 2.2 innings and got the win not allowing a run and striking out three. Rafael Diplan notched his first save of the season, striking out two of the four outs he recorded.
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Peoria gave up three runs in the ninth and lost to Wisconsin 4-1. In some really good new Ben Wells got the start in his first game with Peoria since coming back from injury. He pitched two innings allowing no runs on two hits, with one walk. Willengton Cruz did a very nice job in relief pitching five innings allowing one run on three hits, while striking out four. Justin Berg took the loss giving up three runs in the ninth inning. The Chiefs only had four hits on Tuesday. Pin-Chieh Chen and Dustin Geiger each had hits as did Timothy Saunders and Jacob Rogers. Jorge Soler did not have a hit, but walked twice and scored the Chiefs lone run.
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Tennessee gave up one run in the ninth to tie the game, but walked-off in the 10th beating Mobile 6-5. Logan Watkins was the hero hitting the walk off home run in the 10th, he ended the night 2-for-4 with a double and a home run. Michael Brenly had quite a nice night as well going 3-for-4 with a home run, one RBI and two runs scored. Matt Cerda was 2-for-4 with a run scored and Michael Burgess had a pinch hit RBI single. Junior Lake and Rubi Silva each had a hit in the Smokies win. Austin Kirk got the start going seven strong innings. He gave up three runs, two earned on seven hits, while walking one and striking out one. Kevin Rhoderick gave up a run in one inning, but got the ball to Frank Batista with the lead. Batista blew the save, but got the win. Tennessee is playing good ball lately and they are now 33-32, but it appears to be too late as they are five out and are one game away from being eliminated.
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Iowa lost to Nashville 7-3. Horacio Ramirez wasn’t good giving up seven runs on nine hits in 4.2 innings. Miguel Socolovich, Rafael Dolis, and Jairo Asencio combined to pitch 3.1 innings not allowing a run. Alfredo Amezaga was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Tony Campana and Matt Tolbert each had two hits, with Tolbert scoring a run. Greg Rohan, Dave Sappelt, and James Adduci each had a hit in the Cubs loss.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/23: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A look at August 23 minor league recap.
Down 8-2 the AZL Cubs came storming back to not only tie the game in the ninth, but score five in the 10th to win it. Dillon Maples started, but struggled with his control walking four and giving up four runs in just 1.2 innings. After Loiger Padron gave up four runs over 2.1 innings the rest of the pen did a pretty good job only allowing one more run to score. Chad Martin ended up getting the win as he struck out four in just one inning. Justin Marra had a good night at the plate going 3-for-5 with three doubles and two RBIs. David Bote and Trevor Gretzky each had two hits and two RBIs a piece in the win. Shawon Dunston had two hits and an RBI and Yasiel Balaguert drove in two runs of his own. Ben Carhart ended the night 1-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored and Anthony Giansanti scored two and knocked on in as well. This was a great comeback win for the Cubs.
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Boise has been scoring a lot of runs lately and Thursday was no different beating Vancouver 11-5. Boise once again pounded out 17 hits to go along with their 11 runs. Albert Almora was back in the lineup and he went 4-for-5, including two doubles, three runs scored, and two RBIs. Wilson Contreras and Darien Martin each had three hits with Martin knocking in three runs and Contreras scoring three and driving in one as well. Dan Vogelbach and Stephen Bruno each had two hits, both collecting doubles. Rock Shoulders and Izaac Garsez both had a hit and RBI in the Hawks victory. Hayden Simpson started and got the win as he allowed three runs on six hits in five innings, while striking out seven. Brian Smith pitched two nice innings in relief not giving up a run and striking out two. Tyler Bremer finished this one off for the Hawks striking out two over the last 1.1 innings. Boise’s magic number is now at two.
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Behind Michael Jensen Peoria beat Beloit 6-1. Jensen was stellar pitching six innings allowing only one run on two hits, while striking out four. He is now 11-5 with a 3.47 ERA. Justin Berg and Larry Suarez combined to pitch the final three innings, not giving up a run and striking out three. Leadoff hitter Zeke DeVoss had a really nice game going 3-for-4 with a home run. Pin-Chieh Chen continued to impress as he had two hits, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Jorge Soler and Chadd Krist each had a double and Soler had an RBI. Timothy Saunders is human as he didn’t have a hit in this, but he did drive in a run and Jacob Rogers contributed to the win with a hit and a run scored.
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Robert Whitenack gave up three in the first and that was all Clearwater would need beating Daytona 3-0. On a positive note Kyler Burke pitched three scoreless innings in relief striking out three. Matt Iannazzo, Scott Weismann, and Jeff Lorick combined to throw the final two innings of the game. Offensively there really is nothing to report as Daytona only had three hits. John Andreoli, Ronald Torreyes, and Rebel Ridling were the only Cubs to have hits in the shutout loss.
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After scoring five runs over the first two innings Tennessee had to hold on in this one beating Chattanooga 5-4. Austin Kirk started, but got a no decision as he wasn’t able to finish five innings giving up four runs in 4.2 innings. He gave up four hits, walked five, and struck out six. Trey McNutt pitched a perfect innings and recorded his eighth win of the season. Brian Schlitter struck out three in two innings and Frank Batista earned his 24th save of the season as he pitched a scoreless ninth. At the plate Justin Bour was 2-for-4 including his 35th double and an RBIs bringing his season total to 109. Jae-Hoon Ha and Junior Lake each had a double and drove in two runs of their own. Rubi Silva and Michael Brenly each had a hit and a run scored in the Smokies victory.
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A two run second was enough for Oklahoma City as they hung on to beat Iowa 2-1. Ryan Rowland-Smith started and took the loss giving up two runs in five innings. Marcus Hatley, Jeff Beliveau, and Esmailin Caridad combined to pitch the final four innings allowing only one hit and striking out five. Offensively speaking the Cubs had only six hits and one run, but there were a couple of good performances. Dave Sappelt was 2-for-4 including a double and an RBI. James Adduci also had a double in the this one and he stole his sixth base of the season. Tony Campana, Alfredo Amezaga, and Matt Tolbert all had a hit a piece with Amezaga scoring the Cubs only run in the 2-1 loss.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/22: Around the Cubs Minor League System
The Cubs minor leagues were in full effect on Wednesday with the AZL Cubs and Daytona each playing 7-inning double headers.
The AZL Cubs scored three in the first inning of the first game and that was all Ryan McNeil and company would need beating the Diamondbacks 3-0. McNeil was outstanding pitching four scoreless innings giving up five hits and striking out two. Rafael Dolis continued his rebab pitching the next 1.1 innings and getting the win. Jasvir Rakkar earned his first save of the year, striking out four of the five outs he recorded. Anthony Giansanti also continued his rehab assignment going 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. Justin Marra also had a hit and an RBI in the victory. Shawon Dunston continued his impressive stretch at the plate going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Ben Carhart and Yasiel Balauert also had a hit in the game.
Game two was scoreless until Anthony Giansanti stepped to the plate in the bottom of the seventh. Giansanti delivered hitting a walk off homer as the Cubs swept the double-header against the Diamondbacks. The Cubs used three pitchers in this one as Corbin Hoffner got the start striking out two and allowing three hits in three innings. Some more good news was the return of Ben Wells who began his rebab assignment in style striking out the side in his one inning. Alvido Jimenez ended the scoreless day pitcing the final three innings and getting his second win of the season. Carlos Penalver, David Bote, and Yasiel Balaguert all had a hit in game two of the double-header. The Cubs remain three games behind the A’s for first place, but are leading the wild card by three games over the Giants.
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Boise just keeps rolling as they beat up Vancouver 11-6. The offense was the story in this one as they pounded out 17 hits to go along with those 11 runs. Stephen Bruno is just raking right now as he went 3-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBIs. He is now hitting .344 on the season and .439 in his last 10. Izaac Garsez and Wilson Contreras each had really nice games both having three hits and driving in two runs a piece. Garsez also scored three runs and stole his first base of the season. Carlos Escobar and Darien Martin both had two hits with Escobar knocking in two. Marco Hernandez also had two RBIs and Gioskar Amaya had one of his own. Justin Amlung got the start, but only lasted two innings as he gave up three runs on six hits. Michael Heesch then pitched two scoreless innings and got his second win of the season. James Pugliese struck out six over the next three innings, but did give up three runs before getting the ball to Nathan Dorris. Dorris closed this one out striking out two over the final two innings of the game. Boise remains six games up on the Yakima Bears with their magic number down to four.
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Beloit got off to a great start, but Peoria came roaring back scoring four in the sixth and one in the eighth to tie it up before scoring three in the 13th and beating Beloit 9-6. Timothy Saunders continues to impress at the plate going 4-for-6 with a stolen base, three runs scored and two RBIs. He is now hitting .391 with Peoria in 11 games. Jorge Soler was back at it going 2-for-6 with a stolen base, three runs scored and an RBI. Jacob Rogers and Bijan Rademacher each had a hit and an RBI and Pin-Chieh Chen had two hits. Starling Peralta started, but struggled with his command walking five in five innings. He also gave up five hits and allowed four runs, three earned, and struck out four. After Bryce Shafer gave up an unearned run the rest of the Chiefs staff threw up zeros. First Pete Levitt struck out four in 2.2 innings, then Sheldon McDonald struck out four in his two innings. Luis Liria came on to shut the door in the 13th and recorded his fifth save of the season.
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Game one of Daytona’s double-header was decided early as Clearwater scored two in the first and Daytona scored one in the second. Nothing would change as the Cubs lost game one 2-1. PJ Francescon started and took the loss striking out four and giving up two runs in three innings. Eduardo Figueroa, Matt Spencer, and AJ Morris all did their job not allowing another hit and shutting Clearwater down over the next three innings. The offense just couldn’t get it going, which is to be expected as they haven’t played in several days. Taylor Davis was 2-for-2 and drove in the only Cubs run in this one. Christian Villanueva hit a double and scored the Cubs lone run in the loss. John Andreoli and Elieser Bonne also had hits and Javier Baez was 0-for-3.
Game two didn’t go much better for Daytona as Clearwater jumped out early scoring three in the first and never looked back beating the Cubs 4-2. Frank Del Valle was on the hook for all four runs, only three of which were earned in four innings of work. Ryan Searle and Hunter Cervenka each pitched a scoreless inning a piece. Offensively there were a couple bright spots, one of which was Ronald Torreyes who was 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Vladimir Frias had two hits of his own and Nelson Perez added a hit and an RBI. The offense is obviously having a hard time getting in any kind of rhythm as games have been few and far between.
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Tennessee was embarrassed on Wednesday losing to Chattanooga 11-1. Dae-Eun Rhee started and took the loss giving up three runs on nine hits in 5.2 innings. Things didn’t get any better as Casey Weathers gave up three runs after recording just one out. After Zach Rosscup struck out the side in the seventh, Casey Harman gave up five runs, only one of which was earned in the eighth inning. Dustin Harrington struck out two in the ninth, that’s right Dustin Harrington, the same guy who plays third base. He was 2-for-2 at the plate as well, hitting a double and scoring a run. Matt Szczur was the only other Smokie to have a hit as he had a triple and drove in the lone Cubs run.
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Iowa was winning 3-1 into the eighth, but gave up five over the next two innings and lost 6-3. Horacio Ramirez was great on Wednesday giving up one run on seven hits in seven innings pitched. Blake Parker struggled and took the loss giving up three runs in the eighth and Jairo Asencio allowed two unearned runs in the ninth. Dave Sappelt had a nice day at the plate going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Brian Esposito had a hit and an RBI and Blake Lalli had a hit and scored a run in the loss. Adrian Cardenas finally got to play baseball again and was 1-for-4 with a run scored. It is tough to see Parker give this one up, as his rehab has been going quite well thus far, but I am sure he will come back strong in his next outing.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/21: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Tuesday’s minor league report. As you may have guessed Daytona was postponed yet again.
The AZL Cubs lost to the Mariners 4-1 in one of their two games on Tuesday. Duane Underwood got the start and pitched pretty good going three innings and allowing no runs on no hits, while walking one and striking out three. Anthony Prieto pitched the next 2.1 innnings and took the loss giving up four runs. At the plate Justin Marra had himself a nice day going 2-for-2 with a double and a triple. He also scored the Cubs lone run when he was driven in by Trevor Gretzky who also had two hits. Shawon Dunston also had a hit in the loss.
The AZL Cubs scored four times in the seventh to beat the Mariners 7-6. The offense did a nice job in not giving up in this one. Shawon Dunston was 2-for-3 with a two runs scored and an RBI. Anthony Giansanti who is working his way back from injury also had two hits and drove in three. Justin Marra, Ben Carhart, and Garrett Schlecht all had a hit and an RBI in the game. Carlos Penalver and Jeffrey Baez each had a hit in the win. Carl Lang got the start only pitching one inning and allowing no runs. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino continued to struggle as he gave up five runs, four earned on six hits in only three innings. After Steve Perakslis gave up one run in two innings Chad Martin pitched a scoreless seventh and earned his third win of the season.
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After a rough loss on Monday night Boise came out swinging beating Yakima 7-4. Pierce Johnson started, but struggled a bit giving up three runs in two innings. Felix Pena came in relief and pitched five wonderful innings allowing only one unearned run and striking out three. Eduardo Orozco pitched the final two innings notching his sixth save of the season. Offensively Gioskar Amaya had himself a nice night going 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Albert Almora had a hit and an RBI and Marco Hernandez also drove one in. Stephen Bruno and Xavier Batista each had a hit and combined to score three runs. It was good to get back in the win column after last nights debacle.
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Peoria came back strong on Tuesday beating Wisconsin 4-2. Jeff Antigua was good enough to win this one, but got a no decision. He last 5.2 innings allowing two runs, one earned on five hits, while striking out five. Austin Reed threw 2.1 scoreless innings in getting the win. Larry Suarez pitched the ninth and recorded his fourth save. After a couple rough games for Jorge Soler he got back on track going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Sergio Burruel also had a nice night at the plate adding three hits and driving in one run as well. Pin-Chieh Chen contributed with a hit and an RBI. Timothy Saunders, Dustin Geiger, and Wes Darvill all had a hit a piece with Darvill also scoring a run and stealing a base. It was good to see the Chiefs and Soler get back on track in this one.
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Tennessee lost a pitcher’s duel 3-1 in 11 innings. Eric Jokisch started for the Smokies giving up no runs in five innings of work. He left in line for the win and Trey McNutt and Tony Zych got it to the ninth inning scoreless, but Frank Batista gave up a run in the ninth. Kevin Rhoderick took the loss as Casey Harman couldn’t get the final out of the 11th before the two runs scored. Jae-Hoon Ha and Matt Cerda were the only Tennessee players to have multi hit games. Justin Bour had a hit and drove in the only Smokies run. Rubi Silva and Matt Szczur each had a hit in the loss.
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Iowa scored two in the seventh to beat Memphis 2-0 on Tuesday. Seth McClung started for the Cubs and was brilliant pitching seven strong innings allowing no runs on six hits, while walking one and striking out six. Scott Maine pitched a scoreless eighth and turned the ball over to Blake Parker who struck out two in recording his sixth save of the season. The Cubs didn’t do much offensively, but a two-run homer by Jeff Frazier proved to be more than enough. Blake Lalli also had a hit and scored on the Frazier home run. Diory Hernandez and Matt Tolbert each had doubles in the Cubs victory.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/20: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Monday, August 20 Cubs minor league report. After a couple days of being rained out Daytona had a scheduled off day on Monday.
The AZL Cubs dropped Monday night’s game to the Padres 5-1. The good new first, Paul Blackburn started and pitched well. He pitched four innings allowing no runs on two hits and four strike outs. The bad news now, Rafael Dolis gave up three runs, two earned in 1.1 innings in taking the loss. Arturo Maltos-Garcia couldn’t keep the game close allowing two runs in just .2 innings and Daniel Adrian pitched the final two innings on Monday. The Cubs didn’t do much offensively, but there were a few bright spots. Carlos Penalver and Yasiel Balaguert were each 2-for-4 and Penalver scored a run. Danie Lockhart and Justin Marra each had a hit with Marra driving in the only Cubs run in the game. David Bote and Trevor Gretzky each had a hit in the loss. The Cubs will look to get back on track tomorrow.
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Boise got off to a great start on Monday, but gave up six runs in the last three innings to lose 8-7. Ian Dickson started and pitched five innings, giving up two unearned runs on three hits, while striking out four. Hunter Ackerman had a tough night, giving up four runs on three hits in 2.2 innings. Tyler Bremer was the losing pitcher in this one as he gave up two runs. Dan Vogelbach had a nice night at the plate going 3-for-4 with a home run. Marco Hernandez hit a home run hit his fifth home run of the season and drove in two RBIs. Trey Martin also drove in two runs and Xavier Batista had an RBI as well. Stephen Bruno continued his hot stretch at the plate going 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Albert Almora ended the night with one hit and Wilson Contreras had a hit and an RBI. It was not a good loss for the Hawks, but tomorrow is a new day.
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Wisconsin ambushed Joseph Zeller and the Chiefs beating Peoria 8-1. Zeller struggled giving up seven runs, five earned on 10 hits in six innings. Willengton Cruz and Luis Liria pitched the final two innings combining to give up one unearned run. On the offensive side Timothy Saunders continued to rake going 2-for-4 and he is now hitting .371 since going to Peoria. Zeke DeVoss was also had two hits, one being a double. Bijan Rademacher was 1-for-3 driving in the lone Chiefs run of the night. Jacob Rogers and Pin-Chieh Chen each had a hit in the loss on Monday.
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With the game tied at one, Tennessee put up four in the eighth and defeated Chattanooga 5-1. Nicholas Struck got the start and did a real nice job pitching six strong innings. He gave up one run on six hits, walking two, and striking out three. After Trey McNutt pitched a scoreless seventh, Brian Schlitter cam in and got the win, pitching the final two innings of this one. Junior Lake had a nice night offensively going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Michael Brenly also had a double and he drove in two runs of his own. Jae-Hoon Ha and Rubi Silva each had two hits and Ha scored a run. Logan Watkins and Justin Bour each had a hit and scored a run in the win.
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After a nice stretch for Iowa they lost to Memphis on Monday 11-3. Ty’Relle Harris got the start, but didn’t last long giving up three runs, two earned in just four innings. Jay Jackson gave up a run in his two innings of work before giving the ball to Michael Hatley who really struggled. Hatley didn’t record an out, but gave up six runs on three hits and four walks. Esmailin Caridad and Brian Esposito finished off the game for Iowa combining to pitch the last three innings. Offensively the Cubs had a few nice performances. Greg Rohan and James Adduci each had two hits and each had an RBI in the loss. Alfredo Amezaga and Blake Lalli also had two hits a piece and each also scored a run. Tony Campana and Dave Sappelt both had a hit and Matt Tolbert had an RBI in the loss.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/13: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Here is a look at the Cubs minor league affiliates on Monday, August 13. Daytona and Tennessee each had the night off.
The AZL Cubs just exploded pounding out 25 hits and scoring 17 runs beating Reds 17-7. I don’t even know where to start with this one, except make sure to look at the full box score because I won’t be able to mention all the awesome things that happened in this one. Albert Almora led the way going 5-for-6 with a triple, three runs scored, and three RBIs. Garrett Schlect had two doubles and drove in three and Daniel Lockhart hit his first home run and drove in three as well. Carlos Penalver was 4-for-6 with three runs scored and Yasiel Balaguert was the only Cub to not have a multi-hit game, but he did knock in three of his own. Trevor Gretzky, Shawon Dunston, and Justin Marra all had three hits a piece, with Dunston adding two RBIs and Marra driving in one. David Bote also had two hits. There I think I got through all of the offensive numbers. Paul Blackburn started, but did not have his best outing allowing four runs, three earned in two innings. On a positive Dillon Maples was spectacular pitching three scoreless innings allowing only two hits while striking out five. Chad Martin and Ryan Hartman also pitched in this landslide victory.
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A nine run eighth was way too much for Boise to overcome losing 11-4 on Monday night. Jose Arias pitched six innings allowing two runs on six hits, while striking out four. He left in line for the win and after Willengton Cruz pitched a scoreless seventh things were looking good. Good turned to really bad when Hayden Simpson came on in relief. He had a terrible outing giving up eight run, six earned on six hits all the while only recording one out. He obviously took the loss as there was no way the Hawks were going to come back from that. Offensively speaking there were some good things to come out of the Monday nights loss. Jeimer Candelario was 3-for-4, raising his average to .294. Marco Hernandez had two hits of his own, including a triple and an RBI. Stephen Bruno and Wilson Contreras had a hit and an RBI a piece while Gioskar Amaya added two hits from the leadoff spot.
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Peoria tied the game at two in the top of eighth, but gave one up in the bottom half and lost 3-2 to Beloit. Yao-Lin Wang started and pitched pretty good going six innings allowing two runs on three hits, walking one and striking out four. Austin Reed took the loss allowing one unearned run in his two innings of work. Jorge Soler went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Oliver Zapata added a double and an RBI on the evening. Zeke DeVoss, Chadd Krist, and Bijan Rademacher all had one hit a piece in the Chiefs loss on Monday.
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Iowa’s pitchers struggled big time in this one as the Cubs lost 14-7. Ryan Rowland-Smith started and took the loss giving up five runs in four inning. Jaye Chapman, Seth McClung and Brian Esposito all pitched and gave up multiple runs each. Jay Jackson was the only Cubs pitcher to come out unscathed recording two outs. Offensively speaking Tony Campana had a nice night going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two stolen bases. Greg Rohan and Dave Sappelt each had a hit and two RBIs in the loss to Las Vegas on Monday night.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/10: Around the Cubs Minor League System
All teams were back at it on Friday. Here is a quick recap of each game.
The AZL Cubs lost to the Rangers 7-3 on Friday. Duane Underwood got the start not allowing a run, but walking two in his one inning of work. Brian Smith then came in to pitch two scoreless innings. The next three innings decided the game as the Cubs defense let down Ethan Elias and Daniel Adrian who combined to give up all seven runs, but only two earned. Elias took the loss. Alvido Jimenez pitched the last three innings striking out three and not allowing a baserunner. Shawon Dunston had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs. Albert Almora had a hit and drove in one on the evening. Daniel Lockhart, Justin Marra, and David Bote all had a hit a piece, but it wasn’t enough for the Cubs tonight.
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Boise scored a bunch early and held on to win 11-8. Daniel Vogelbach was once again the story in this one hitting two more home runs. He now has seven in the last five games and has hit at least one in those five games. He ended the night 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs. Jeimer Candelario also had a really nice night going 4-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Stephen Bruno and Marco Hernandez each added two hits with Bruno knocking in one and Hernandez two. Ian Dickson started and gave up six runs in only three innings. He also walked four, but struck out five. Hunter Ackerman and Rafael Diplan combined to throw the next four innings allowing one run each. Nathan Dorris closed out the game recording his second save giving Diplan his second win of the season.
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Peoria lost to Burlington in Jorge Soler’s first game with the Chiefs. The story that everyone wants to know is how did Soler do? He went 1-for-4 with two RBIs hitting in fifth spot in the order. Chad Krist had quite a night going 2-for-4, including two doubles and three RBIs. Yaniel Cabezas also had two hits to go along with a run scored. Dustin Geiger, Wes Darvill, and Pin-Chieh Chen each had a hit a piece with Chen scoring two runs. Michael Jensen who has been good most of the year struggled giving up six runs on eight hits in five innings pitched. Justin Berg struggled giving up four runs, one earned in two innings and Bryce Shafer pitched a scoreless ninth. This was not quite the way Peoria planned things to go with Soler in the lineup, but tomorrow is a new day.
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Daytona took a 5-1 lead after three, but saw the lead slip away losing to Dunedin 8-5. Just like with Jensen, Matt Loosen had pitched well most of the season, but did not have his best stuff on Friday allowing five runs on seven hits in just 4.1 innings. Eduardo Figueroa pitched well in 2.2 relief innings, but Scott Weismann took the loss allowing the last three runs in his two innings of work. Micah Gibbs and Rafael Lopez each had two hits, with Gibbs driving in two and Lopez one. Elieser Bonne also drove in two runs for Daytona. John Andreoli had a hit and stole a base, bringing his total on the season to an impressive 50. Javier Baez continues to struggle going 0-for-5 and Christian Villanueva contributed with a hit and scored a run. Really looking to see Baez get going here, he is obviously going to have to adjust and I think he will sooner than later.
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Tied at two going to the ninth Huntsville scored two off of Kevin Rhoderick and held on to beat the Smokies 4-3. Erick Jokisch got the start and pitched well pitching six strong innings allowing one run on five hits and striking out six. Trey McNutt gave up one unearned run in two innings of relief. Matt Szczur is starting to figure things out at the next level going 2-for-4 with a triple, a run scored, and an RBI. Logan Watkins and Nelson Perez each added two hits of their own with Watkins scoring and driving in a run. Jae-Hoon Ha and Justin Bour each contributed with a hit and Matt Cerda drove in a run.
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Greg Rohan delivered a big two run single in the ninth to tie the game, but Jaye Chapman gave up a run in the bottom half as Iowa dropped a tough one to Las Vegas 4-3. Chris Rusin got the start pitching 5.2 innings allowing three runs on eight hits in a no decision. Michael Bowden pitched 1.1 scoreless innings and Chapman took the loss allowing the winning run. Blake Lalli drove in the other Cubs run ending the night 1-for-4 with a double. Tony Campana had two hits, including a double and Matt Tolbert had a hit of his own. Both Campana and Tolbert scored a run as did James Adduci. It was a nice comeback for Iowa, but still took the loss on Friday night in Vegas.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/6: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Looking at the Cubs system on Monday, August 8. Daytona had the day off.
The AZL Cubs were able to tie the game at eight in the bottom of the ninth, but gave up two in the 10th to lose 10-8. Pierce Johnson took the mound for the second time and thew two scoreless innings, striking out two. As good as Carlos Martinez-Pumarino was in his first 29 innings pitched Monday was a real struggle. He gave up seven runs, six earned on seven hits in just 1.1 innings. Jasvir Rakkar struck out two in two scoreless innings. Alvido Jimenez took the loss, his third of the season giving up two runs in the tenth. Justin Marra had really nice night at the plate going 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Garrett Schlecht also had three hits on the night and drove one in. David Bote had two RBIs and Ben Carhart added one. Albert Almora had one hit and Jorge Soler was back in the lineup going 1-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored.
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Wow, Boise did it again beating Everett 11-7. The story in this one was the offense as they pounded out 14 hits to go along with the 11 runs they scored. After a rough game yesterday Gioskar Amaya got back on track, going 3-for-5 with a home run. Rock Shoulders got the start at first tonight and delivered going 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Carlos Escobar had two hits including a home run and two RBIs. Stephen Bruno also hit a homer and ended with two RBIs as well. Trey Martin ended the night with two RBIs and Wilson Contreras added a double and an RBI as well. The staff struggled on Monday. Justin Amlung started, but only lasted two innings giving up two runs. Felix Pena did not pitch well in four innings, but did get his first win of the year. He gave up four runs in four innings, however he did strike out five. Nathan Dorris secured the win notching his first save of the season, striking out three in 1.1 innings. The Hawks continue to roll and look to keep it going.
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Peoria dropped their fifth in a row losing to Clinton 8-6. Leading 4-1 after the first, this was not the outcome Peoria had in mind. The Chiefs did a few good things at the plate on Monday. Bijan Rademacher, Wes Darvill, and Sergio Burruel all had two hits, Darvill and Burruel driving in a run a piece. Timothy Saunders was 1-for-5 with a double, but drove in three runs and scored one. Zeke DeVoss added a hit out of the leadoff spot and also stole his 30th base of the season. Zach Cates got the start, but did not factor in the decision tossing 4.2 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits. Pete Levitt pitched a scoreless 1.1 innings and was in line for the win. Justin Berg struggled and took the loss allowing three runs, two earned in two innings. Jeffry Antigua couldn’t keep it close enough for the Chiefs as he gave up two runs in only one inning. This was another tough loss for Peoria on Monday.
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Tennessee score two in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough as the Smokies lost to Jackson 7-6. Tennessee did have 10 hits and seven runs, so the offense did a pretty nice job. What else can you say about Justin Bour. He hit another home run today, his 15th of the season and ended the day 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Junior Lake continued his solid season going 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs. Matt Szczur, who has been struggling since moving to Tennessee went 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored, and a stolen base. Lendy Castillo started and pitched only two innings allowing one run on one hit and striking out two. Dae-Eun Rhee just didn’t have it tonight, allowing six runs in five innings and taking the loss. The story in this one was Justin Bour who is just tearing it up right now.
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Iowa gave up a run in the top of the ninth losing to Reno 2-1. Frankie De La Cruz pitched five innings allowing only one run, while striking out four and walking three. Blake Parker and Michael Bowden combined to throw three scoreless innings, but Jairo Asencio took the loss allowing one run in the ninth. Greg Rohan had nice night at the dish going 2-for-4 with the Cubs lone RBI. Blake Lalli also added to hits, including a double. Alfredo Amezaga also had a double and Dave Sappelt contributed with a base hit of his own. Unfortunately I have feeling this is how most games are going to go offensively for Iowa the rest of the way. Let’s hope I am wrong and they can do something positive going forward.
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
7/6: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Cubs minor league recaps for Friday July 6.
The AZL Cubs scored two runs in each of the first three innings and they continued to add beating the AZL Giants 10-3. Daniel Vogelbach only had one hit today, but made it count connecting on his third home run of the season. He was also the only Cub to drive in more than one run on the day. Timothy Saunders was 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Carlos Escobar had two doubles and drove in a run. Cubs also got RBI’s from Justin Marra, Carlos Penalver, and Izaac Garsez. Ryan Hartman got his first win of the season in relief. He gave up two runs on five hits in 3.1 innings of work. Matt Ianazzo was outstanding in his two innings of relief as he struck out four in two scoreless innings.
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Boise lost a tough one on Friday night falling to Tri-City 5-4. James Pugliese got the start and gave up three runs, two earned on six hits in five innins. Pete Levitt couldn’t hold the lead giving up a run in the seventh. Michael Heesch then came on to strike out four in two scoreless innings. Bryce Shafer who has been really good for Boise gave up a run in the eleventh which proved to be the game winner. At the plate Jeimer Candelario was 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Chadd Krist was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Bijan Rademacher was 2-for-5 with double and an RBI. Wilson Contreras also had two hits and drove in two. It was a tough loss for the Hawks as they had a lead for most of the game.
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Burlington scored two in an inning four different times to beat Peoria 8-3. Offensively Dustin Geiger stayed hot hitting his fourth home run in three days, he drove in two on the night. Taiwan Easterling had two hits, a run scored, and an RBI and Javier Baez was 2-for-4. Starling Peralta got the start and took the loss, but was let down by his defense giving up six runs, only two earned on four hits in five innings. Sheldon McDonald pitched well in relief striking out four in 2.1 innings of work.
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Daytona had a nice win on Friday beating Dunedin 5-1. Matt Loosen got the start and very impressive improving his record to 7-3. He struck out 10 while only giving up three hits and allowing no runs in seven innings of work. Matt Spencer and Scott Weismann each pitched a scoreless inning in relief to preserve the win. At the plate the Cubs had some really special nights. Arismendy Alcantara was a single a way from the cycle. He ended the night 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI’s. Rubi Silva also was impressive going 4-for-5 with an RBI. Ronald Torreyes and Taylor Davis each drove in a run and John Andreoli had a triple and also scored a run.
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Game one of the double header belonged to Eric Jokisch and the Smokies beating Jacksonville 5-1. Jokisch pitched six inning allowing one run on five hits while striking out two and walking one. Marcus Hatley threw a scoreless seventh to close the game out. Offensively Justin Bour and Michael Burgess each recorded a hit and two RBI’s. Greg Rohan also drove in a run and scored one ending the game 1-for-3 with a double. Nelson Perez and Michael Brenly each had a hit and Brenley scored a run.
Game two was a different story as Jacksonville came out on top beating Tennessee 3-1. Nicholas Struck took the loss, but didn’t pitch that bad as his defense let him down. He struck out six in five innings pitched and gave up three runs, only one earned in five innings. Tony Zych who struck out three and Frank Batista each pitched a scoreless frame. Offensively there wasn’t too much to talk about Logan Watkins, James Adduci, Juan Apodaca, and Nate Samson were the only Smokies to recored hits. Apodaca drove in Adduci for the only Smokies run in game two.
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Alfredo Amezaga played the part of the hero on Friday delilvering a base hit in the 11th inning to give Iowa a 5-4 win. The unsung hero’s in this game were the bullpen. Casey Coleman got the start, but only lasted three innings and gave up three runs. Frankie De La Cruz pitched four solid innings of relief allowing no runs on three hits. Jay Jackson followed suit pitching a scoreless inning. Michael Bowden did blow the save, but was able to pitch a scoreless tenth and eleventh inning in route to his second win. Offensively Dave Sappelt was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Blake Lalli also had two hits including a double. Welington Castillo hit his third home run of the season and had two runs scored and two RBI’s. Josh Vitters kept his average at the .300 mark going 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Adrian Cardenas also added a hit and an RBI on Friday. Brett Jackson missed his second game in row.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
