Results tagged ‘ Kevin Rhoderick ’
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
8/21: 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
8/16: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A quick recap of the Cubs minor league system on August 16.
The AZL Cubs only gave up three hits on Thursday beating the Reds 9-1. Anthony Prieto started and pitched three quality innings allowing no runs on one hit while striking out three. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino got his fifth win of the year pitching five nice innings in relief. He gave up one run on two hits while striking out seven in five innings. Jin-Young Kim threw a scoreless ninth striking out one. The pitching wasn’t the only highlight of the night as the Cubs scored nine on 11 hits. Shawon Dunston was really good going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Yasiel Balaguert had a nice offensive night as he had two hits, a homer and a double. Trevor Gretzky continued his great run going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Garrett Schlecht, Carlos Penalver, and Alberto Mineo all drove in one run. It was good to see the offense get going again on Thursday night.
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Boise put up five runs through the first four innings of this one and that was more than enough as they beat Tri-City 7-2. We will start with our Albert Almora watch. Almora went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Carlos Escobar had two hits, including a double and three RBIs. Jeimer Candelario was 1-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Dan Vogelbach and Wilson Contreras each drove in a run with Contreras going 3-for-5 with a double. Giosakar Amaya added a triple and walked three times. The other story of the night was Pierce Johnson who was just great striking out five of the six outs he recorded. Felix Pena got the win as he went the next five innings allowing two run on five hits. Nathan Dorris picked up his third save of the year striking out three batters in two innings. Boise had a very nice night all around.
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Peoria only gave up three hits, but couldn’t plate a run as they lost to Burlington 4-0. Willengton Cruz got the start for Chiefs and took the loss giving up two runs in two innings of work. Luis Liria and Sheldon McDonald each gave up an unearned run as they combined to pitch the next five innings. Larry Suarez struck out four and pitched the final to innings for Peoria. Dustin Geiger and Timothy Saunders each had a really nice game at the plate recording two hits a piece. Oliver Zapata, Zeke DeVoss, and Pin-Chieh Chen all had a hit to round out the offense for the Chiefs. Once again the defense was an issue as Peoria committed three errors, and allowed two unearned runs to score.
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It started out as a good night, but turned into a tough one as they gave up four runs in the eighth and two in the ninth to lose 7-6. Javier Baez had his best night since moving to Daytona going 3-for-4 with a home run and a double. He ended the night with three RBIs and two runs scored as well. Rebel Ridling was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Taylor Davis also had a double and drove in two for the Cubs. Christian Villanueva had been quiet for a while, but he added a hit and an RBI of his own. Robert Whitenack pitched the first four innings allowing one run on four hits. Matt Spencer threw two really nice innings in relief and was in line to get the win, but the Cubs bullpen couldn’t hold the lead. First Scott Weismann recorded just two outs and gave up four runs and then after the Cubs took the lead again Jeff Lorick gave up two more runs and took the loss. On a positive it was nice to see Baez have a nice night, hope that is the beginning of a tear.
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Tennessee only go four hits in this one, but made them count beating Birmingham 4-3. What else is there to say about Justin Bour. He hit his 16th home run of the season, a three run shot in the third bringing his RBI total to 105. Jae-Hoon Ha was 1-for-3 with an RBI and Elliot Soto drove in a run. Michael Burgess and Dustin Harrington each had a hit as well, with Burgess having a double. Eric Jokisch started, but only lasted 4.2 innings allowing two runs on six hits. Tony Zych came in in relief and got the win pitching a scoreless two innings. After Kevin Rhoderick allowed an unearned run Frank Batista closed the door pitching the final 1.2 innings in recording his 22nd save.
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Iowa lost to Tucson 7-6. Seth McClung‘s first start with Iowa didn’t go as planned allowing seven runs, four earned on seven hits in 3.1 innings. Ryan Searle threw 2.2 scoreless innings and Jay Jackson pitched two scoreless. After getting down by six early Iowa’s offense got to work, but it just wasn’t enough. Alfredo Amezaga was 4-for-5 witha double, a run scored, and an RBI. Tony Campana had two hits and stole a base. Blake Lalli also had two hits driving in one run and Greg Rohan was 1-for-4 with an RBI. Diory Hernandez and Matt Tolbert each had two hits and Jeff Frazier drove in a run. After two wins in a row it’s back to the “L” column for Iowa.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/14: Around the Cubs Minor League System
It was not a very busy day for the minor leagues on Tuesday as the AZL Cubs and Peoria were both off and Daytona was cancelled once again.
Boise got a great outing from Tayler Scott and the rest of the staff as they defeated Salem-Keizer 5-0. Scott was great once again pitching five scoreless innings giving up four hits and striking out one. He got the win and is now 5-1 on the season with a 1.88 ERA. Tyler Bremer and Eduardo Orozco completed the shutout combing to not allow a run over the final four innings. Jeimer Candelario was 1-for-4 with two RBIs and Xavier Batista hit his fourth home run of the season. Daniel Vogelbach got back on track knocking in his 22nd run since going to Boise. Trey Martin and Gioskar Amaya each had two hits, with Martin driving one run in. After a couple of losses it was nice to see Boise get back in the win column.
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In a scoreless game until the sixth, Tennessee’s offense came to life beating Birmingham 8-2. Jae-Hoon Ha hit his fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot in the sixth to get the scoring started. Junior Lake went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Logan Watkins had two hits and an RBI as did Rubi Silva who played his first game since being promoted from Daytona. Matt Szczur had another hit, this one a double and Elliot Soto knocked in a run of his own. The Smokies used five pitchers to get this win. Dallas Beeler started, but only lasted three innings. Austin Kirk threw one scoreless inning and Casey Harman gave up two runs in 2.2 innings. Trey McNutt got the win and Kevin Rhoderick closed things out tossing the ninth.
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Iowa exploded for 12 runs on Tuesday defeating Tucson 12-7. This game was all about the offense as every starting position player had at least one hit, including the first six who had two a piece. Greg Rohan had two more hits and two more RBIs, he is now hitting .346 with 17 RBIs while in Iowa. Blake Lalli, James Adduci, and Dave Sappelt all had two hits and drove in one run. Tony Campana led things off and went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Juan Apodaca had an RBI and Nate Samson went 3-for-5 with an RBI of his own. Marcus Hatley got the win in relief pitching two scoreless innings. Scott Maine and Jairo Asencio combined to toss the last three scoreless innings. Ty’Relle Harris started and struggled giving up seven runs on nine hits in four innings. Iowa hasn’t had one like this in a while, it was nice to see the offense come around.
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
8/7: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Here’s what happened in the Cubs minor league system on Tuesday night.
The AZL Cubs got back on track beating the Angels 6-1. The Cubs used four pitchers, all doing a nice job. Ryan McNeil struggled with his control, but struck out four and allowed no runs in 2.1 innings. Anthony Prieto thew two scoreless innings and Loiger Padron got his fourth win of the season striking out three in three scoreless innings. He is now 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA. Shawon Dunston had only one hit, but drove in an impressive three runs. Jorge Soler went for with an RBI and Albert Almora added a hit of his own. Both top prospects stole two bases and scored a run. Dan Lockhart had a hit and Carlos Penalver knocked in one in the victory. After a couple tough days for the Cubs it was back to business as usual on Tuesday night.
Tuesday didn’t go to plan for Boise as they lost to Everett 6-3. Dan Vogelbach hit his third home run since going to Boise and ended the night 1-for-3. Gioskar Amaya had two more hits, including a triple and an RBI. Izaac Garsez went 2-for-2 with a run scored and Wilson Contreras had a hit and an RBI. Jeimer Candelario and Marco Hernandez each had a hit on Tuesday night as well. James Pugliese pitched four innings allowing one run on six hits, while striking out six in a ND. Michael Heesch allowed three runs in two innings and took the loss. Boise has had a nice run as of late, so they will get back at it tomorrow.
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Starling Peralta was the story in this one as the Peoria won 5-3. Peralta thew seven innings allowing one run on two hits and struck out 14. Yes you read that right, he struck out 14. Bryce Shafer struggled, but Larry Suarez came in to pitch a scoreless 1.1 innings and record his first save of the season. Offensively had one of his best, if not his best game of his young career. He went 4-for-4 with two doubles, one triple, four runs scored, and a stolen base. Chadd Krist and Wes Darvill each had two hits, and Krist drove in two runs. Pin-Chieh Chen and Yaniel Cabezas each added a hit and an RBI. Peralta really just put the Chiefs on his back in this one and had night to remember.
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Daytona picked up the win beating Lakeland 6-1. Austin Kirk was good giving up one run on four hits in 5.2 innings. He got the win and improved his record to 7-3. Jeffrey Lorick and AJ Morris combined to pitch the last 3.3 innings allowing no runs. It took a couple of games, but Javier Baez finally had his coming out party in Daytona. He went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Christian Villanueva was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Rubi Silva added an RBI and John Andreoli went 2-for-3 with a run scored and three stolen bases, he now has 47 on the year. Everyone else in the lineup contributed with a hit on Tuesday as it was one of those rare games where everyone ends with a hit.
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A six run first was way too much to come back from for Tennessee as they lost to Jackson 10-4. In his second start with the Smokies Jacob Brigham really struggled giving up six runs on six hits in just 0.2 innings. The Smokies would use five more pitchers on the evening. Kevin Rhoderick pitched better than he has been pitching 1.1 scoreless ball. Brian Schlitter and Dustin Harrington combined to pitch the last 2.1 innings not allowing a run. Need I say it, Justin Bour was 2-for-3 with yet another RBI and Nelson Perez had two hits of his own. Matt Szczur, Logan Watkins, and Matt Cerda all had triples on Tuesday. Junior Lake, Nate Samson, and Chad Noble all contributed with an RBI a piece. It was definitely a tough start for Brigham, but the Smokies will look to get back on track tomorrow.
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Iowa put up seven on Tuesday and that was enough as the beat Reno 7-4. Ty’Relle Harris was quite impressive pitching six innings allowing only two runs and striking out five. Jaye Chapman pitched a scoreless 0.2 innings, striking out both outs he recorded. Jairo Asencio earned his first save by striking out one in one inning. Dave Sappelt had a nice night going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. James Adduci hit a double and knocked in three and Alfredo Amezaga added two hits and scored two runs. Matt Tolbert added a double and drove in one run . It is nice to see Iowa get a win, hope they can keep it going.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/4: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Here’s a look at the Cubs minor league affiliates on Saturday, August 4. The AZL Cubs were off tonight.
After a couple of losses Boise got back on track beating Spokane 6-2 of Saturday. Tayler Scott got his fourth win of the season allowing two runs, one earned in 5.1 innings pitched. Matt Iannazzo and Nathan Dorris were able to finish the game off, not allowing a run in the last 3.2 innings. Daniel Vogelbach had a great game going 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Stephen Bruno also had two hits and scored three runs. Jeimer Candelario had a double and also drove in a run. It was nice to see Boise bounce back and hopefully will have continue to have a good second half.
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Peoria’s first game in a long time without Javier Baez didn’t turn out too good losing to Clinton 8-1. Joseph Zeller started and struggled taking the loss. He gave up six runs, five earned on eight hits in just 3.2 innings. Just like that the Chiefs were down 6-1 and they never recovered. Chadd Krist had a really nice game at the plate going 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. Pin-Chieh Chen was the only other Chief to record a hit on Saturday. Larry Suarez and Bryce Shafer both pitched well, while Luis Liria got roughed up a bit. That’s now three losses in a row for Peoria, let’s see if they can end that skid tomorrow.
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A six run second was way too much for Daytona losing to Dunedin 12-5. Matt Loosen started and took the loss, giving up seven runs, four earned in two innings. He wasn’t the only Cubs pitcher who struggled as Scott Weismann and Eduardo Figueroa didn’t have their best stuff either combining to give up five runs over five innings. The Cubs did have some good things happen at the plate as they scored five runs on nine hits. Rebel Ridling was 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. Rubi Silva and Elieser Bonne each had two hits, with a run scored and an RBI. John Andreoli and Ronald Torreyes each had an RBI in the defeat. In his first game in Daytona Javier Baez went hitless. Daytona’s trying to make a push at the playoffs so they need to get back on track tomorrow.
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Tennessee took the first game of Saturday’s double-header beating Jackson 6-5. The middle of the Smokies order was the key to game one’s victory as Junior Lake, Justin Bour, and Michael Burgess all had two hits and two RBIs. They combined to go 6-for-11 with six RBIs and Justin Bour hit his 13th homer of the season. The two guys at the top Matt Szczur and Logan Watkins each had a hit and a run scored as well. Nicholas Struck got the win, his 12th of the season pitching five innings allowing three runs on six hits. Frank Batista struggled a bit, but picked up his 20th save of the season.
A late rally wasn’t enough for Tennessee to pull out game 2 of the double-header. The Smokies scored four in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough losing 8-7. Casey Harman started, but only gave up one run, but lasted only three innings. Casey Weather took the loss, giving up three runs in one inning. Kevin Rhoderick continued his struggles giving up another four runs in only 1.2 innings. Justin Bour hit his second home run of the night ending game two 2-for-2 with a homer and three RBIs, he now has 91 on the season. Michael Brenly and Nelson Perez each added two RBIs and Brenly had two hits. Logan Watkins had one hit, walked twice, and scored three runs. All in all Tennessee ended up splitting.
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Tied at one going to the bottom of the eighth, Josh Vitters and the Cubs decided they had enough of the losing. After taking the lead by 2-1, Vitters stepped to the plate and put the game out of reach launching his 17th home run of the season. Jairo Asencio would close it out as Iowa beat Colorodo Springs 5-1. Chris Rusin started and pitched well giving up only one run in on four hits in seven innings. He also struck out eight in a no decision. Michael Bowden got the win pitching a scoreless eighth. There wasn’t a ton of offense outside of Vitter home run, but there was a little bit. James Adduci went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Brett Jackson and Dave Sappelt each had a hit and a run scored.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/1: Around the Cubs Minor League System
August 1, nightly recap of the minor leagues.
The AZL Cubs had a double header on Wednesday, with each game being seven innings a piece. The pitching did a great job in the first one winning 4-0. The 43rd overall pick in this past years draft Pierce Johnson made his first appearance of the season. He started and pitched one scoreless inning. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino improved to 4-0 pitching four scoreless innings in relief. He gave up three hits, one walk, and struck out three, his ERA on the season is 0.93. Steve Perakslis secured the shutout by striking out five in two scoreless innings. Albert Almora was back in the lineup and leading off on Wednesday. He delivered going 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Jorge Soler was 2-for-4 with a run scored and three stolen bases. Ben Carhart had a double and an RBI.
The AZL Cubs had a good time of it in game two as well defeating the AZL Indians 7-2. Ben Carhart was 2-for-4 with twor runs scored and Yasiel Balaguert also had two runs with a run scored. Trevor Gretzky had one hit and an RBI and Neftali Rosario collected two RBIs without getting a basehit. Albert Almora didn’t have a hit, but collected his sixth RBI of the season and Jorge Soler was 0-2, but walked twice and scored two runs. Brian Smith started for the Cubs and thew two perfect innings while striking out two. Loiger Padron improved his record to 3-0 with his win in relief. he gave up two runs, but struck out six in three innings of work. Alvido Jimenez closed out the game striking out three in two scoreless innings.
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Boise was back at it and won again on Wednesday. After getting a big lead early, they gave up nine runs in the last four innings, but held on to win 14-10. There were a lot of good things happening offensively in this one. Xavier Batista was 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, and three RBIs. Jeimer Candelario and Dong-Yub Kim each had two hits and drove in three as well. Stephen Bruno hit his first home run of the season, a two run shot in the third inning. Daniel Vogelbach and Trey Martin each two hits with Martin scoring three runs. Lance Rymel had quite a nice night going 3-for-4 with an RBI. It was a tale of two games on the mound. Su-Min Jung started and pitched well allowing one run on three hits in three innings, while striking out three. Nathan Dorris got his first win of the season as he pitched the next two scoreless innings. Unfortunately Tyler Bremer and Willengton Cruz both struggled, but a win is a win.
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Peoria won a crazy one on Wednesday scoring three in the top of the ninth to win 11-10. The day belonged to Dustin Geiger. Geiger was 3-for-5 with a double, two home runs and eight RBIs, yes eight RBIs. He stole the show early and finished it late with a two run bomb that turned out to be the game winner. Javier Baez had two more hits, including a double. He also scored two runs and drove one in. Zeke DeVoss and Pin-Chieh Chen each had two hits, with Chen scoring three. Zach Cates started and didn’t have his best stuff, but came away with a no decision. Bryce Shafer got the win striking out four of the five outs he recorded. Austin Reed picked up his first save of the season pitching a scoreless ninth. Congrats to Geiger on just an ubelievable game.
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Daytona scored one in the fifth and one in the seventh to win a pitchers dual 2-1. Lendy Castillo continued his comeback throwing four innings, giving up three hits and allowing an unearned run. He had four strikeouts in the start. Eduardo Figueroa got the win, his third of the season pitching three scoreless innings. Scott Weismann and Jeffrey Lorick combined to pitch the last two innings, with Lorick earning his second save of the season. Rubi Silva was 1-for-4, but drove in the two Cubs runs on Wednesday. Ronald Torreyes continued hitting the ball going 2-for-3. John Andreoli and Taylor Davis each had two hits in the contest. It was a good win for Daytona.
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Because of rain Tennessee had another double header on Wednesday. The first one was a continuation of the night before. The Smokies got two in the fifth, winning 4-2. There were a couple bright spots on the mound. Dae-Eun Rhee started and took a no-decision pitching four solid innings only allowing one run on three hits. Trey McNutt got the win in relief pitching three innings allowing one run on two hits and Kevin Rhoderick recorded his eighth save of the season striking out three in two scoreless innings. Justin Bour was 1-for-4 with another RBI. Greg Rohan went 1-for-2 with an RBI and Nate Samson was 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs.
One was all Tennessee needed as Justin Bour was the hero hitting a walk off home run in the bottom of the seventh. He now has 12 home runs and 86 RBIs on the season. Dallas Beeler started and was tremendous allowing only one hit in five scoreless innings of work. Brian Schlitter picked up his second win in relief pitching the final two frames. Junior Lake, Nelson Perez, and Matt Cerda all had one hit a piece in the victory. Two wins to start the month is the right way to start it.
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Iowa was able to score six, but an eight run inning was way too much to come back from losing 11-6. We’ll start with the offense in this one. Brett Jackson was 3-for-5 with a double, triple, and a run scored. Josh Vitters hit his 16th home run of the season and had two RBIs. Greg Rohan, who was just promoted from AA was 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs. James Adduci collected two more hits including a triple and an RBI. Ty’Relle Harris got the start and took the loss as he was not very sharp. Michael Bowden did a very nice job striking out six in three innings and recently acquired Jaye Chapman threw a scoreless inning in relief.
All around it was a nice night for the Cubs minor leaguers with the only loss coming in Iowa.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/27: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A quick look at the Cubs minor leaguers on Friday, July 27.
The AZL Cubs dropped a low scoring game to the AZL Athletics 3-1. Lendy Castillo got the start as he continues to work his way back allowing one run on two hits in four innings. He struck out six and took a no decision in this one. Tyler Bremer gave up two runs and took the loss. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino and Jin-Young Kim combined to pitch 3.2 scoreless innings, but the Cubs offense couldn’t come back. The Cubs got their run in the first when Albert Almora hit a two-run double and then scored on a Jorge Soler RBI single. Soler would add another hit on the night and stole a base. Carlos Penalver was the only other Cubs player to record a hit on Friday. This is not what we have come to expect from the Cubs, but they will get back on track soon.
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Boise exploded to beat Tri-City 8-3. The Hawks had five players with multi-hit games. Daniel Vogelbach was one of those going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Gioskar Amaya and Marco Hernandez each had two hits, wtih Amaya driving in two. Trey Martin and Xavier Batista also added two hits a piece. Wilson Contreras connected on his second home run of the season, a three run shot in the second inning. Willengton Cruz got his second win of the season out of the bullpen. He pitched two strong innings striking out four. James Pugliese started and gave up three runs in four innings of work. Michael Heesch and Su-Min Jung each pitched well in relief. After a tough 1-0 loss last night, it was nice to see Boise come back strong tonight.
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Javier Baez gave Peoria a lead with a two-run shot in the eighth and the Chiefs held beating Cedar Rapids 3-2. Baez’s 11th homer of the season turned out to be one of his biggest of his young career. He finished the game 2-for-3 and is now hit a robust .341. Wes Darvill also had two hits, including a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Austin Reed recorded the win in relief, his fourth of the season. Zach Cates got the start, pitching 5.1 innings allowing two runs on three hits, while striking out seven. Sheldon McDonald pitched two scoress inning in relief dropping his ERA to 1.91 on the season. It has been exciting following Baez this year and he continues to impress.
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Robert Whitenack and the staff were outstanding for the Daytona Cubs beating Bradenton 2-0. Robert Whitenack got his first win since coming back from Tommy-John surgery. He pitched five innings allowing no runs on two hits, while striking out four. Eduardo Figuerora struck out four in three scoreless innings in relief. AJ Morris closed the game out recording his second save of the season. The offense lost Matt Szczur who was promoted to Tennessee was able to get enough to win. Rebel Ridling hit his second home run of the season and had two hits. Timothy Saunders also had two hits including a double and a run scored. A big congrats to Robert and here’s to many more in the near future.
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Jacksonville was able to score two runs in three different innings defeating Tennessee 6-4. Junior Lake continued his hot stretch in this one going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Greg Rohan had two hits and connected on his fourth home run with the Smokies. Juan Apodaca also had two hits and an RBI. In his first game with Tennessee Matt Szczur went 0-for-4 with two strike outs. Ty’relle Harris started and took the loss going 2.2 innings allowing four runs on six hits. Zach Rosscup gave up two runs in 3.2 innings, but struck out an impressive six batters. Casey Harman and Kevin Rhoderick also pitched in the loss.
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Iowa wins, Iowa wins, Iowa wins. It has been a rough go as of late so to beat Okalahoma City 5-0 is great to see. Chris Volstad had his best start pitching eight scorelss innings. He only surrendered four hits, walking three, and striking out five. Alberto Cabrerea finished the game off throwing a scoreless ninth striking out two. Alfredo Amezaga led off going 3-for-5 and scored a run. Adrian Cardenas and Brian Esposito each had two hits with Cardenas hitting a double and scoring a run. Dave Sappelt had a triple and drove in two on Friday. Josh Vitters and Brett Jackson each recorded one hit and scored a run, Jackson also drove one in. Hope this is signs to come for Chris Volstad and the Cubs.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/24: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Tuesday July 24 minor league recap.
Peoria was off.
The AZL Cubs were at it again on Tuesday beating the AZL Indians 9-2. Jorge Soler did it again, hitting his second home run in four games. This one off the scoreboard in left. Soler would add another hit ending the night 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Ben Carhart continued his hot hitting going 2-for-4 with a double and a home run. He also drove in three and scored a run. Speaking of hot, Shawon Dunston Jr. had two more hits, a double and a triple plus he scored three runs from the lead off spot. Albert Alomora did not have a hit, but did drive two runs in and scored two. 2012 Comp. pick Paul Blackburn recorded his first win of the season, pitching two scoreless innings in relief. Another good win for the Cubs in the AZL.
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Boise got another great pitching peformance out of their staff on Tuesday beating the Yakima Bears 2-1. Ian Dickson was tremendous thowing six no-hit innings before being removed in the seventh. Dickson struck out four en route to his second win of the season. Hunter Ackerman gave up a run, but struck out three in 2.1 innings and Michael Hamann closed it out recording his first save of the season. Jeimer Candelario had a nice night at the dish going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. In his first game as a Hawk, Dan Vogelbach was 2-for-4 with a double. Gioskar Amaya, Stephen Bruno, and Trey Martin each added a hit and Bruno scored a run. It is nice to see the Hawks pitching have a nice couple days here.
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Daytona held on to beat Brevard County 4-3 on Tuesday night. Matt Loosen started and got the win pitching six innings while allowing two runs on only three hits. He also walked three and struck out eight, lowering his ERA to 2.81. Ryan Searle struck out two in the seventh and AJ Morris pitched the last two recording his first save of the season. Rubi Silva went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Ronald Torreyes, Matt Szczur, Rebel Ridling, and Micah Gibbs all had a hit. Daytona will play two on Wednesday.
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Tennessee was back in action Tuesday pounding Jacksonville 9-2. The Smokies showed some power hitting three home runs on the evening. Junior Lake was 2-for-5 with a double, a homer, and two RBIs. Greg Rohan added two hits of his own including a home run and Michael Brenly connected on his fifth homer of the year. Nelson Perez had his best day since going to Double-A as he went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Michael Burgess also added two hits and scored two runs. Eric Jokisch got the start and the win for the Smokies giving up one run on four hits in five innings pitched while striking out eight. Brian Schlitter, Kevin Rhoderick, and Casey Weathers combined to pitch the last four innings allowing one run and striking out five. This is the way to come back after a day off.
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Another day another bad loss for Iowa, losing 15-9 on Tuesday. Offensively Iowa couldn’t have done much more on Tuesday scoring nine runs on twelve hits. Welington Castillo was 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Brett Jackson hit his 14th home run of the season and drove in two. Josh Vitters had one hit and also drove in two as did Alfredo Amezaga. Dave Sappelt and Diory Hernandez each had two hits as well. The pitching was terrible yet again on Tuesday. Rogrio Lopez got the start and promtly gave up eight runs in 3.2 innings pitched. Ryan Rowland-Smith took the loss as he gave up three more runs in just 1.2 innings. Iowa continues to struggle.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
