Results tagged ‘ Kevin Rhoderick ’
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
7/15: Around the Cubs Minor League System
The Cubs minor league report on Sunday July, 15.
Boise gave up one run in the sixth and one in the seventh losing 5-4 to Vancouver. Felix Pena left after the fifth in line for the win, but took a no decision. He gave up three runs on seven hits and struck out five. Willengton Cruz lost his fourth game of the season giving up a run in both the sixth and seventh inning. The Hawks got a hit and an RBI a piece from Jeimer Candelario, Bijan Rademacher, and Rock Shoulders. Stephen Bruno collected two hits and scored a run. The 202 draft pick is now hitting .318 on the season. The loss dropped the Hawks record to a 10-20.
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Peoria had nine hits, but could only plate two runs losing to Bowling Green 4-2. Top prospect Javier Baez was at it again going 3-for-4 with a double and a triple. The ninth overall pick in the 2011 draft is now hitting .331 with an OPS of .980. Wes Darvill and Pin-Chieh Chen each drove in a run and Oliver Zapata scored a run and added two hits. Losing pitcher Zach Cates was only able to last 4.2 innings allowing two runs on four hits while walking four. Jeffry Antigua who had been very good, struggled a bit giving up two runs, one earned in 2.1 innings. He also walked three, his ERA is now at 1.42 on the season. Larry Suarez struck out two in two perfect innings. The Chiefs record now stands at 44-48.
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After giving up the tying run in the ninth, the top of Peoria’s order took care of business walking off with a 4-3 win. John Andreoli led the ninth off with a walk and later moved to third on a Ronald Torreyes double. Rubi Silva then ended the game with a sacrifice fly. Scott Weismann who blew the save ended up getting his second win of the season. Elieser Bonne and Micah Gibbs each were 2-for-4 and Gibbs drove in a run. The Cubs also had an RBI a piece from Andreoli and Torreyes. Andreoli stole his league leading 33rd base of the season. The Cubs started Robert Whitenack on the hill. He pitched 4.2 innings giving up two runs on three hits and walking three. Ryan Searle and AJ Morris did a tremendous job in relief combining to pitch a scoreless 3.1 innings. The win brings Dayton’s record to 41-51.
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Tied at one into the seventh, Tennessee gave up five runs in the last three innings losing 6-1 to Jackson. Kevein Rhoderick struck out four, but took the loss in relief giving up two runs in two innings. Casey Harman wasn’t any better as he gave up three runs in his innings of work. Starter Dallas Beeler pitched well surrendering only one run on six hits in six innings pitched. Offensively, the Smokies had nine hits, but were only able to push one across the plate. Michael Brenly and Logan Watkins each went 2-for-4 on Sunday. Justin Bour drove in the lone Smokies run, he now has 70 on the season. With the loss Tennessee’s record is evened up at 47-47.
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Iowa scored four in the third and five in the fourth in route to a 9-1 win. Adrian Cardenas had a great day at the dish going 4-for-5 with a double. He also scored a run and drove three. Alfredo Amezaga had two his and also drove in three. Welington Castillo and James Adduci each had two hits with Aducci driving one in. Josh Vitters hit his 28th double and drove in one run. Blake Lalli scored collected three hits and scored two runs. Chris Rusin started and earned his seventh win of the season. He pitched five innings allowing only one run on two hits. Esmailin Caridaid, Jeff Beliveau, and Jay Jackson combined to pitch a scoreless last four innings on Sunday. With the win the Cubs record is now 40-55.
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
7/3: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Cubs minor league recaps for July 3.
Trailing after the first by four the AZL Cubs came all the way back to tie the game at seven, but gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth to lose 8-7. Isaac Garsez had a great day at the plate going 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBI’s. The Cubs also had two hits a piece from Daniel Lockhart and Jacob Rogers. Lockhart added two RBI’s and Garrett Schlect also drove in one on the day. Not much good came from the pitching staff with Carlos Martinez-Pumarino getting the start, but only lasting .1 innings. Matt Iannazzo took the loss in relief giving up the game winner in the bottom of the ninth. The lone bright spot out of the bullpen on Tuesday was Alvido Jimenez who struck out three and only gave up one hit in 3.2 innings.
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A late rally wasn’t enough on Tuesday as Boise lost to Tri-City 6-4. Jeimer Candelario was 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Rock Shoulders had a double and drove in two runs on the night. Losing pitcher Ian Dickson got the start, but could only last one inning as he gave up three runs, two earned on three hits. Rafael Diplan pitched well in relief throwing three solid innings. He lowered his ERA to .61.
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The offense for Peoria struggled once again on Tuesday losing to Kane County 4-1. Starting pitcher Joseph Zeller took the loss pitching five innings giving up two runs on six hits. Hunter Cervenka was really good out of the bullpen allowing only one hit and striking out four in three innings of work. Dustin Geiger, Wes Darvill, and Yasiel Balaguert were the only Chiefs players who recorded hits on Tuesday.
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Daytona was trailing seven headed to the eighth before putting up six to trail by one, but that was where the comeback stopped as Daytona fell to Lakeland 9-8. A lot of good things happened offensively on Tuesday. Rubi Silva was 3-for-5 including a triple with a run scored and two RBI’s. John Andreoli, Rebel Ridling, and Elieser Bonne all had two hits on the night with Bonne adding two RBI’s and Ridling and Andreoli had one a piece. Austin Kirk got the start and took the loss on Tuesday. He gave up five runs on six hits in four innings of work. The bullpen didn’t fair much better with Matthew Spencer and Scott Weismann each gave up two runs in their relief outings.
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Tennessee gave up four in the seventh and five in the eighth to drop the game 11-6. Michael Burgess had two hits, including a triple. He also drove in four runs and scored one. Junior Lake and Nelson Perez each a hit on the day and drove in a run. Logan Watkins also had two hits including a triple and he also scored a run. The pitching staff didn’t fair too well. Trey McNutt got the start, but didn’t factor in the decision. He gave up two runs on seven hits in four innings of work. Jeffry Antigua, Keven Rhoderick, and Casey Weathers all struggled in their relief appearances, with Rhoderick taking the loss.
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Recently demoted Randy Wells pitched good on Tuesday getting win as Iowa won 3-2. Wells gave up one run on three hits in five innings. He also struck out four and walked two. Ryan Rowland-Smith and Jay Jackson each recorded a hold and Michael Bowden earned his first save of the season. Offensively Josh Vitters was the star once again going 1-for-3 with two RBI’s. Blake DeWitt drove in the other Cubs run on the day. Brett Jackson had one hit, stole his 18th base and scored a run.
Another rough day for the Cubs minor leaguers.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
6/30: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A look at the Cubs minor leagues on Saturday, June 30.
Another game for the AZL Cubs and more runs scored as the Cubs won 12-8. Some of the highlights at the plate were Daniel Vogelbach going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and three runs scored. Carlos Penalver also went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and three RBI’s. Isaac Garesz and Neftali Rosario had two hits a piece. Rosario had two RBI’s as did Garrett Schlect. Justin Berg got the start, but did not factor in the win. David Henrie did get the win pitching four innings giving up three runs, one earned on five hits.
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Boise got the bats going on Saturday beating Spokane 12-6. Stephen Bruno went 2-for-4 with a double, triple, an RBI, and two runs scored. Jeimer Candelario was 3-for-5 with a double, run scored, and two RBI’s. Bijan Rademacher had three hits and Chadd Krist also added two hits of his own. Xavier Batista and Shawon Dunston Jr. each added an RBI on the night. Jose Arias was not real sharp, but got his first win of the year. Pete Levitt recorded his first save of the year and Michael Hamann pitched two scoreless innings in relief.
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Peoria took the loss on Saturday losing to Wisconsin 9-5. Zach Cates struggled only lasting four innings givine up five runs, four earned on six hits, while striking out five. Zachary Rosscup pitched well in relief striking out five and only giving up one hit in two innings. Offensively Oliver Zapata was 3-for-4 with an RBI. The Chiefs also got RBI’s from Pin-Chieh Chen, Dustin Geiger, Paul Hoilman, and Yasiel Balaguert. Javier Baez was 1-for-4 with a run scored as well.
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Kyler Burke took the loss as Daytona fell to Dunedin 5-2. Burke only lasted four innings giving up two runs, one earned on three hits in four innings. He struggled with his control walking four, but he also struck out six. Matthew Spencer and Eduardo Figueroa each pitched two innings and each gave up runs. Brian Schlitter pitched well in his one inning out of the bullpen. There wasn’t much excitement at the plate either as the Cubs could only muster five hits. Two of those hits came off the bat of John Andreoli. Arismendy Alcantara, Rebel Ridling, and Rubi Silva had the other Daytona hits and Elieser Bonne had contributed with an RBI.
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Logan Watkins hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eight which proved to be the game winner as Tennessee won 3-2. Michael Burgess also connected hitting his ninth homer of the year. James Adduci drove in the other Smokies run and Jae-Hoon Ha contributed with two hits including a double. Erik Jokish was pretty good, but did not factor in the decision. He gave up two runs on seven hits and struck out five in seven innings. Kevin Rhoderick who had been struggling of late got the win in relief striking out one in two perfect innings of relief.
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Despite a late rally Iowa fell short losing to Nashville 4-3. Down 4-0 entering the top of the ninth Iowa scored three runs including a solo home run off the bat of Brett Jackson. Jackson added a double earlier ending the night with two hits and a stolen base. Blake Lalli connected on a two-run homer in the ninth, his sixth of the season. Dave Sappelt had two hits and a run scored. Brooks Raley took the loss giving up one run on four hits in five innings. Ryan Rowland-Smith and Mike MacDougal each gave up runs in relief, but Jeff Beliveau pitched well striking out four in 1.2 innings pitched.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
6/23: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A look at the Cubs minor league system on Saturday, June 23.
Down 3-0 Boise got four runs in the fifth to take the lead, but surrendered it to lose 5-4 on Saturday night. Ian Dickson got the start for the Hawks and gave up three runs on four hits in just 3.2 innings. Roderik Pichardo got the loss in relief as he gave up two runs in 3.1 innings of work. Joseph Zeller pitched two innings giving up only one hit. Gioskar Amaya went 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, Marco Hernandez had a double and two RBI’s, and Chadd Krist had the other RBI for Boise. Jeimer Candelario, Rock Shoulders, Eduardo Gonzalez, and Shawon Dunston Jr. all had one hit on the night.
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Gerardo Concepcion took the loss as he could only get through 4.1 innings giving up three runs on five hits dropping his record to 2-5. In the 4-2 Peoria loss Zeke DeVoss had two hits and a run scored. Paul Hoilman had a nice night at the plate as well as he went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Dustin Geiger, Yasiel Balaguert, and Oliver Zapata all had contributed with a hit a piece on Saturday. Sheldon McDonald pitched beautifully throwing 2.2 perfect innings in relief, he also struck out two. Austin Reed gave up a run in relief, but also struck out three batters in his two innings of work.
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Everything looked great for Daytona until they gave up seven runs in the bottom of the eighth as they took the Clearwater won the game 7-2. Robert Whitenack was brilliant in five innings as he gave up no runs on only three hits while striking out three. Brian Schlitter continued to impress as he pitched two perfect innings in relief striking out one batter. As good as Whitenack and Schlitter were A.J. Morris and Jeffrey Lorick were not very good at all. Morris was tagged with the loss as he gave up four runs while not recording an out and Lorick gave up three more in an inning of work. The offense had nine hits including two from catcher Chad Noble who had a double and a run scored. Everyone else in the Cubs starting lineup had one hit except John Andreoli. Greg Rohan drove in his 61st run of the year and Matt Szczur scored a run and stole his 20th base of the season.
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Tennessee scored six in the third, but had to hold on as they won 7-6 on Saturday. Jeffry Antigua got the start, but did not factor in the decision as he only was able to pitch three innings. Casey Weathers got the win pitching two good innings in relief giving up one hit and wallking one while striking out four. Frank Batista recorded one out to pick up his 11th save of the season. Logan Watkins had a nice night out of the leadoff spot going 2-for-4 with a double and triple. He also walked once and scored two runs. Jae-Hoon Ha had two hits and two RBI’s and Justin Bour added two hits of his own as he drove in a run as well. Nelson Perez hit his first home run in Double-A and Michael Burgess also hit a homer, each driving in two runs. Kevin Rhoderick struggled giving up three runs in 1.2 innings, he did however strike out three.
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A three run fourth was too much for Chris Volstand and the Cubs to recover from. Volstad gave up four runs, three of which were earned on six hits in six innings of work. Brett Jackson led things for Iowa with his 10th home run of the season. He added another hit later in the game bringing his average to .259. Ty Wright had two doubles and Juan Apodaca had went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. The hot hitting Josh Vitters only had one hit today and Anthony Rizzo is human as he went 0-for-4. Rafael Dolis pitched two good innings in reflief giving up only hit and striking a batter out.
Thanks for reading,
Mark
Tennessee Smokies First Half Recap
The only team that might be hotter than the Peoria Chiefs is the Tennessee Smokies. The Smokies won 10 of their last 11 leading up to the all-star break. The torrid stretch was good enough to bring the Smokies all the way back to .500 after a very slow start to the season. Let’s take a look at how the first half played out.
First Half Standings:
First Half Stats:
Much like the Chiefs, the Smokies took off once they got a highly touted prospect back in the lineup. Junior Lake‘s return sparked the Smokies and it’s easy to see why. The all world talent hit .301 in 35 games for the Smokies adding four home runs and 10 RBI’s. Lake might have re-energized the Smokies ballclub but James Aducci kept them above water before Lake could get back. Aducci was outstanding, he hit .314 in the first half for the Smokies with five home runs and 25 RBI’s. Aducci puts the bat on the ball, and has a good eye at the plate, he only struck out 38 times while walking 27 times. Jonathan Mota, Nate Samson, and Justin Bour all had a productive first half with the bat.
The Smokies pitching staff has really kicked it into high gear lately. Eric Jokisch is leading the way as he finished the first half 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA in five starts. Kevin Rhoderick has been out of this world good out of the bullpen for the Smokies. Rhoderick, who we featured here, finished the first half with a 1-2 record and a 1.35 ERA with seven saves. Frank Batista, TyRelle Harris, Alberto Cabrera, and Marcus Hatley were all outstanding on the mound for the Smokies in the first half. The numbers might not be eye-popping but Dallas Beeler and Trey McNutt, two excellent Cubs pitching prospects, had steady first half performances. I expect both these guys to turn it up a notch in the second half.
2012 All-Stars!
OF – James Aducci (2-for-2, 2B, RBI)
DH – Justin Bour (1-for-3, BB)
RHP – Frank Batista (0.2 IP, scoreless)
RHP - Kevin Rhoderick ((1.0 IP, scoreless)
Not a bad showing from the Smokies all-stars at all.
Thanks for reading, go Smokies!
- George
6/14: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A look at the minor leagues on Thursday, June 14.
After falling behind early Peoria came back in the fourth to tie the game at three. The bullpen, however couldn’t hold the lead as Lui Liria took the loss giving up two runs in the eighth. Kyler Burke got the start and was pretty good once again. He gave up three runs in the first, but didn’t give up much more after that, notching another quality start. Javier Baez hit his fourth homerun of the year, a two-run shot in the fourth inning. Wes Darvill had a hit and an RBI on the day. Dustin Geiger and Yasiel Balaguert each had a hit for the Chiefs.
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Daytona was trailing 3-1 when action resumed again on Thursday. After five innings Daytona had tied the game, but the bullpen and defense let the Cubs down as they allowed four runs, only one of which was earned in the next two innings. Rubi Silva and Richard Jones had an RBI each for the Cubs. Nelson Perez raised his average to .302 as he went 1-for-2 with two walks.
Daytona had a 1-0 lead into the sixth, but they gave up two runs, one in the sixth and one in the eighth. P.J. Francescon started and pitched well giving up two hits in 5 innings, however he did not factor in the decision. Micah Gibbs accounted for the Cubs lone run as he hit his fourth home run of the year. He also had a double in the game. Ronald Torreyes also had a double for Daytona.
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Birmingham fought back, but Tennessee was able to hold on winning the game 3-2. Nicholas Stuck got his seventh win of the year giving up no runs on four hits in 5.2 innings. Alberto Cabrera had two good innings of work and Jeffry Antigua earned his first save of the season. Kevin Rhoderick also pitched, but struggled giving up two runs, he did manage to get his seventh hold of the season as he got through his inning of work with the lead. Justin Bour had two more RBI’s, which brings his total to 52 on the season. He along with Logan Watkins had two hits on Thursday. Matthew Cerda collected three hits on the day, including his second home run of the season. The win brought the Smokies one win away from the .500 mark. There record now stands 33-34.
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Iowa scored a lot of runs, but gave up even more losing 10-8 on Thursday. Brooks Raley didn’t have his good stuff giving up eight runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings. Esmalin Caridad and Scott Maine each gave up a run in relief. The good news came on the offensive side of things on Thursday. Brett Jackson went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI’s. He also scored two runs and stole his 13th base of the season. Blake Lalli went 2-for-4 with a home run and a double and also drove in three on the day. Ty Wright also drove in two runs on Thursday. Anthony Rizzo sat out his second straight game and remains day-to-day.
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Not a very good day for the Cubs minor league system as they went 1-4 on Thursday.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
Kevin Rhoderick is Dealing, Who is He?
It is our goal here at Born on Third to educate Cubs fans on the talent that sits at the minor league level. With the way that Theo Epstein has molded this franchise it’s clear that the goal is to have as much talent as possible come from the draft and the farm system. Wouldn’t you hate to be that one person that has no idea who just got called up to the Cubs? It makes you look stupid, so don’t look stupid, and learn about the future of the Chicago Cubs here. Today we feature Kevin Rhoderick.
Kevin Rhoderick , or “K-Rod” is a 23-year-old right-handed pitcher from Scottsdale, Arizona. Rhoderick was originally drafted by the Detroit Tigers 
in the 18th round of the 2007 MLB June Amateur Draft from Horizon HS (Scottsdale, AZ). Rhoderick was a stand out at Horizon High for head coach Eric Kisler as he was a three-time all region member and earned all-state honors twice. Kevin’s senior year was a special one as he was named an All-American as he led his Horizon team to the State Championship where they won it all. Instead of signing with the Tigers Rhoderick decided to go play baseball for Oregon State University.
K-Rod made an immediate impact as a Beaver as he was named to the NCBWA Freshman All-American first team, the Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American team, the Baseball America Freshman All-American Second team, and received All-Pac-10 honorable mention, not bad for a Freshman. Rhoderick didn’t have the same success he had as a Freshman during his Sophomore season, although he did have strong conference numbers. Kevin recaptured the magic during his junior year as he once again received All-Pac-1o honorable mention while going 2-2 with a
3.13 ERA with four saves. After his Junior year the Cubs selected Kevin in the 9th round of the 2010 MLB June Amateur draft.
On April 8, 2011 Rhoderick made his Chicago Cubs professional debut out of the bullpen for the Daytona Cubs. Rhoderick was stellar out of the pen for the D-Cubs as he tossed 14.1 innings giving up only two earned runs on seven hits. He was missing bats as well as he registered 19 strike outs over those 14.1 innings. The Cubs were also impressed with his performance as they promoted Rhoderick to the Double-A Tennessee Smokies at the beginning of May. The Smokies got much of the same results from Rhoderick as the D-Cubs were enjoying, although Kevin struggled just a bit. This was to be expected as he was only one month into his professional career and already pitching at Double-A. Rhoderick’s biggest issue was command, as he walked 37 guys in 57 innings of work. That was the only issue for K-Rod as he finished the season at Tennessee with a 7-0 record and a 3.47 ERA. I’m not sure Kevin knows what it feels like to get hit hard, as he only allowed 38 hits in those 57 innings of work. The final numbers for K-Rod for 2011 were a record of 9-0 with a 3.03 ERA, with 77 strikeouts in 77.1 innings, and he only allowed a total of 45 hits. After the season baseball america awarded Rhoderick with the “Best Slider” in the system award.
Kevin started this year in Tennessee, and is still currently pitching for Tennessee in Double-A, but if he continues pitching the way he has he might 
have a spot in the Iowa Cubs bullpen or even the Chicago Cubs bullpen by September. Un-hittable might be an understatement when describing Rhoderick’s 2012 season so far. In 25.2 innings he has only given up two earned runs on 13 hits, he has a 0.70 ERA, and has seven saves. Beyond impressive right now, what’s more impressive is he seems to be cutting down on the walks as he has only walked 12 guys so far this year compared to 24 strike outs. In those 25.2 innings he has only given up one home run, in fact over his entire professional career to date (97 innings) he has only given up four home runs, four! That is a valuable stat for a late inning guy, when he comes in you don’t have to worry about the long ball.
I’m really excited to see Kevin’s progress this year as I think he has a great shot to help this organization and very soon too. One of the Cubs biggest weaknesses is organizational pitching depth, and the bullpen has struggled this year as well. This could be the perfect opportunity for Rhoderick to really get noticed by Cubs brass if he hasn’t already.
Thanks for reading,
- George
6/6: Around the Minor League System
A look at the minor leagues on June 6.
The Chiefs got a good performance out of Gerardo Concpecion as well as the rest of the staff as they blanked Cedar Rapids 4-0. Concepcion recorded his second win of the season as he went 5.2 innings only giving up two hits and striking out four. Starling Peralta, Austin Reed each pitched 1.1 scoreless innings and Yao-Lin Wang notched his sixth save of the season. Taiwan Easterling had three hits including his second home run of the season and two RBI’s. Javier Baez continued his hot hitting as he also had three hits including a triple raising his average to .343. Zeke DeVoss and Paul Hoilman each had a double and DeVoss scored two runs.
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Matt Loosen recorded his fourth win of the season going 5.2 innings while striking out six and giving up only three hits. Eduardo Figueroa and Scott Weismann also pitched well as the Cubs blanked the Bradenton Marauders on Wednesday. John Andreoli had three hits including a triple and also drove a run in. Taylor Davis, Micah Gibbs, and Chad Noble all added an RBI a piece.
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Tennessee scored a run in both the second and the third inning and added one in the seventh. Montgomery’s comeback came up short as Tennessee won 3-2. Trey McNutt had a strong outing winning his fourth game of the season. He lowered his ERA to 2.35 as he went 5.2 innings giving up three hits and allowing no runs and striking out three. Kevin Rhoderick threw another scoreless inning lowering his ERA to 0.76. Frank Batista closed the game out recording his eighth save of the season. Offensively Justin Bour went 2-for-3 and had a double. He also drove in two runs bringing his season total to 45. Luis Flores also added an RBI.
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Pitching was the story throughout the Cubs system on Wednesday as they only gave up two runs in the three games combined. It would be nice to see that become the trend as the season continues.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
