Results tagged ‘ Lendy Castillo ’
61-101; The 2012 Cubs Season is Over; a Recap, Kinda
Seems like just yesterday we here at Born on Third were getting ready to cover Opening Day, and just like that it’s over. Crazy how time flies, and I didn’t expect it to go so fast given how bad the Cubs were this year. I was expecting just the opposite, for it to drag on and on, and I guess it did towards the end there but the reality of no Cubs baseball for four months is starting to sink in. Let’s take a look back at some of the surprises and disappointments that we all barely lived through, this season.
Let’s start with the disappointments, there were plenty of them, I mean the team lost 101 games, you know how hard it was to write about 101 losses!? 
Sure the record was disappointing, but one could argue that it was expected, maybe 101 losses wasn’t expected, but the Cubs were going to be one of the worst teams in the league, we knew that. Let’s dig a little deeper into that futility, we should probably put on a Haz-Mat suit before doing so. The one thing we heard all offseason was this new “Cubs Way” – well that was thrown out there to mean a lot of things, one being patience, no not by the fans (we do need that though), but by the Cubs as a whole at the plate. So how did that go, you ask? Not very good, the Cubs drew 447 walks this season, that comes out to less than three a game, and was good for the fourth fewest in all of baseball. You could probably guess that the Cubs OBP was terrible as well, it was, the Cubs as a team had a .302 OBP this year, 2nd worst in baseball. This is something that has to change, and it will on Theo’s watch, I believe that it will. It’s hard to see that vision come to fruition however when the team on the field in “year one” was so terribly bad at it, or just refused to do it.
Let’s take a look at some poor individual performances…
Chris Volstad
Volstad, acquired in the Carlos Zambrano trade was a disaster, I can’t even say 
that he showed flashes of brilliance, maybe a flash, but not flashes. Volstad finished the season 3-12 with a 6.31 ERA, I can’t even spin that into anything positive. Volstad had a huge opportunity this year and took a step back, but all is not lost on the gigantic right hander. He will have every opportunity to pitch for this team next year, that is squarely on his shoulders, his huge shoulders, seriously, look at a picture of the guy pitching, it’s cartoonish.
Rafael Dolis
For the first month or so of the season it looked as if Dolis’ name was going to end up on the surprise portion of the year-end recap, then things went bad. Dolis lost the strike zone, in doing so his confidence disappeared and his ERA sky rocketed. Dolis went from being the closer of the Cubs after taking over for Carlos Marmol to pitching and struggling at Triple-A. Dolis was called back up to finish off the season but the numbers were not good. He finished the year 2-4 with a 6.39 ERA and four saves. He does have one thing the Cubs need in the pen, a power arm, so he will have a shot to pitch for this team next year at 25 years old. If he wants to do so he has to clean up the walks, as he issued 23 in just 38 innings at the big league level this year.
Ian Stewart
I debated singling him out here, only because he was clearly hurt since last year in Colorado so I’m not sure how much we can really take from his season. 
But a lot more was expected from Ian Stewart, on the plus side he did play above average defense at third base. His season was shortened by much-needed wrist surgery, he finished the year hitting 5 home runs and 17 RBI’s. He did show the ability to work the count and take a walk, but at third base he was and will be expected to be a source of production. It remains to be seen if the Cubs will keep Stewart in their plans moving forward, I would like to see what a healthy Ian Stewart could do.
Other guys that I would say had disappointing years would be Darwin Barney’s bat, a sub .300 OBP from him is not acceptable. Lendy Castillo had a 7+ ERA, but Castillo is so young and could be a huge part of this teams bullpen when they are contending. Steve Clevenger took a nose dive after a very strong start, Starlin Castro’s mental lapses and subsequent errors. I think Castro improved greatly defensively, I think the errors were a result of focus or lack thereof. Should I mention the 12 game losing streak? I just did.
Now onto the positives, sure there were some.
Anthony Rizzo
He lived up to the hype, and there was plenty of it heading into the season and that hype only grew as he tore the cover off the ball in Iowa. He finally was called up to the Cubs on 6/26/2012, he had two hits in that game and never really looked back. Rizzo finished the campaign hitting .285 with 15 home runs, and 48 RBI’s in 87 games, so just over half a Major League season. The biggest thing here is that Rizzo showed the ability to adjust to major league pitchers. I’m not just talking about rebounding from last years dud with the Padres, this year he had a few skids but came out of those before they became too overwhelming. He is the Cubs 2013 starting first baseman, and will be for many years to come.
Alfonso Soriano
Wow. There really is no other word to describe his 2012 season, I guess shocked would apply to me. I was just that, shocked at what Soriano was able to accomplish not only with the bat, but with the glove. Soriano made one
error all season, think about that for a second. This is the same guy that made 11 in 2009, 7 in 2010, and 7 in 2011, he worked his butt off and showed real improvement. Offensively he set a career high in RBI’s with 108, folks the Cubs only scored 613 runs as a team this season. Soriano also found the long ball again hitting 32 home runs, the most in one season since he hit 33 in 2007. There’s no telling he has earned the right to be back here next year, and that is somewhat up to him, but we will see how the Cubs deal with him in the coming months.
Starlin Castro
I really don’t care what other people think of him, but Starlin Castro had a fantastic year, and a couple of mental lapses got in the way of making it something really special. Castro became the first Cubs shortstop to play in all 162 games, ever. That shows me that he wants to be out there, mental errors can come with that kind of workload, he probably needed a day off here or there to avoid some of that but he just kept going out there. Castro hit .283 with 14 home runs (a career high), and 78 RBI’s (a career high), he also had 29 doubles and 12 triples for good measure. Castro inked a 7 year extension during the season, he will be a Cub for a long time, and that is a good thing.
There are a number of other guys that deserve to be mentioned as bright spots this year. Darwin Barney’s glove, Barney tied a major league record for consecutive error-less games at 141, and got to everything on the infield it seemed. Carlos Marmol’s second half, after a terrible first half Marmol finished the season strong and looked to be back to his un-hittable self late in the year. Travis Wood stepped into the rotation and did an adequate job for this team, if he can replicate those numbers or even improve upon them he can be a serviceable back of the rotation guy for the Cubs. Bryan LaHair’s first half was fun while it lasted, and earned him a trip to the all-star game, no reason to ignore that. Welington Castillo played his way into the 2013 starting lineup behind the plate as
It was a trying year for many, Dale Sveum included, and as I said around the all-star break I think Dale Sveum gets an incomplete for this season. There was 
not enough talent on this team to win baseball games, not matter how he managed them. What I did like seeing was the compete level of this team on most nights, sure over the course of a 162 game season there are going to be lackluster efforts. For the most part this team really never gave up, I will be interested to see how Sveum does when he starts getting pieces he can use to compete in games on a consistent basis, that’s when he can accurately be judged as a manager. I could have written about so much more but I think that sums up enough of what happened this season without going on forever, I’m really excited about the direction of this team, most of that excitement stems from the minor league system which we will continue to profile all offseason. Patience is still something fans will have to have as the Cubs are not going to have a team ready to be a contender next year. Sure, they should improve, and that’s what we need to look for, and it’s important we see that, one step at a time, thankfully for all of us I think the worst part just ended.
Thanks for reading all season long, we don’t take breaks so we will have great Cubs coverage all offseason for you. Go Cubs!
- George
Cubs No Match For Harrell
I don’t think I should predict anymore victories, especially when Chris Volstad is pitching. So much for trying to be positive, Chris Volstad is just lost out there, and I was foolish to think he had a chance tonight. Furthermore, if I knew Lendy Castillo would make an 
appearance I would have definitely kept my mouth shut. Volstad was roughed up again tonight, as he recorded his ninth loss of the season, he’s only made twelve starts. Sure, four runs doesn’t seem like a lot, but Volstad was hit hard in every inning. Speaking of innings, Volstad only lasted five, giving up four runs on eight hits while striking out three. Lendy Castillo, or as I like to call him, kerosene, made things much worse in his 0.2 innings of work, he gave up five runs, three earned on five hits while striking out two. This was another one of those “going through the motions” games as the Cubs seemed to want to do anything but play baseball tonight. They only managed six hits, and one run on their way to a 10-1 defeat thanks in large part to Lucas Harrell, who, to be fair, was outstanding tonight. Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro, and Brett Jackson each had one hit in the loss, so that’s exciting, I guess. The Cubs will look to win the series tomorrow as they send Justin Germano to the bump.
Game Highlights:
Great Throw from Welington Castillo
Barney Snags a Liner
Thanks for reading,
- George
8/9: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Here’s a look around the Cubs system on Thursday, August 9th. The AZL Cubs and Iowa were both off on Thursday.
Welcome to the Daniel Vogelbach Show as Boise beat Everett in a close one winning 3-2. The aforementioned Vogelbach ended the night 2-for-4 with two home runs, he now has five in his last four games. The Hawks had only two more hits on the evening one belonging to Marco Hernandez and the other a triple off the bat of Izaac Garsez. Garsez would score what would be the winning run when Gioskar Amaya drove him in with a sacrifice fly. Matt Iannazzo got the win in relief pitching two scoreless inning and striking out two. Tayler Scott started giving up two runs on eight hits in five innings pitched. He also struck out six and walked zero. Tyler Bremer recorded his first save pitching two scoreless innings, while striking out three. The Hawks stayed hot on Thursday and are 11-5 in the second half 3.5 games up.
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Peoria scored one in the top of the ninth to beat Burlington 5-4. Although Jorge Soler was promoted to Peoria today, he was not in the lineup, but that didn’t stop the Chiefs. Zeke DeVoss was 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs, and a stolen base. Pin-Chieh Chen only had one hit, but drove in two, including the game winner. Dustin Geiger had two doubles and Bijan Rademacher drove in a run. Joseph Zeller got the start for the Chiefs pitching five innings and allowing four runs, three earned on four hits. Jeffry Antigua pitched well out of relief striking out three in 2.1 scoreless innings. Larry Suarez got his third win of the season striking out one over the final 1.2 innings. It was a good win for Peoria and let the excitement begin as Jorge Soler should be in the lineup tomorrow.
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Daytona got down early in game one, but came storming back winning 5-4 in walk-off fashion. The walk-off wasn’t quite as exciting as some as it ended on a wild pitch. Ronald Torreyes was 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Javier Baez did not have a hit, but drove in his third run in two days and he stole his first base since being promoted. John Andreoli was 1-for-3 with a run scored and two stolen bases. Christian Villanueva had a nice night as well going 1-for-1 with two walks, a hit by pitch, a run scored, and a stolen base. Rubi Silva and Rafael Lopez each had a hit and scored a run. Robert Whitenack started and struggled early, but really settled down. He gave up four runs all in the first in four innings. Ryan Searle and Jeffrey Lorick combined to pitch an excellent four innings striking out five and allowing only one hit. Lorick picked up the win his second of the season.
Not much good came out of game two as Daytona lost 7-1. Kyle Hendricks started for the Cubs pitching three innings allowing one run on two hits, while striking out three. Kyler Burke and Hunter Cervenka pitched the final four innings in relief and really struggled combining to give up six runs. Not much happening for the offense in this one. Taylor Davis had a double and drove in the lone Cubs run. Elieser Bonne was 2-for-3 with a double and scored the only Cubs run of the evening. John Andreoli and Rubi Silva recorded the only other Cubs hits of the contest. As bad as game two was it was nice to get game one and at least get a split in the double-header on Thursday.
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Behind Nicholas Struck Tennessee beat Huntsville 5-3. Lendy Castillo continued his rehab pitching the first inning of this one allowing no runs on two hits. Struck came in relief to get his 13th win. He pitched seven strong innings allowing one run on only two hit and striking out seven. Frank Batista who has been so good recorded two outs, but need help from Brian Schlitter to close out the game. Schlitter recorded the last out and notched his third save of the season. A congratulations goes out to Matt Szczur who hit his first home run since moving to Tennessee. He ended the night 1-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored, and stole his third base. Logan Watkins was 1-for-2 with an RBI and his 23rd stolen base. Justin Bour is now two RBIs away from 100 as he drove in two more bringing his total to 98. Junior lake and Jae-Hoon both had a double, with Ha also walking four times on the evening. It was a nice win for the Smokies on Thursday.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/6: 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.
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
7/22: Around the Minor League System
A Sunday down in the minors.
We didn’t have to wait long as Jorge Soler launched a two-run homer in the fourth, he would add another hit and scored two runs. Despite this excitement the AZL Cubs lost 6-4. Shawon Dunston Jr. had another good game going 3-for-4 and scoring a run. Ben Carhart added two hits, including a double and Dan Vogelbach drove in his 31st run of the season. Lendy Castillo continued his rehab assignment pitching four scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and struck out five. David Henrie took the loss, allowing four runs, three earned in two innings of work. It was more than exciting to see Soler hit his first home run. We have been anticipated it for quite a while and to do so in only his second game was great to see.
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There is not much good that came out of Sunday’s game against Eugene, as Boise lost 8-1. James Pugliese gave up seven runs on eight hits in four innings and took the loss. The bullpen did a pretty nice job the next four innings. Michael Heesch pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three as well. Eduardo Orozco gave up one run, but struck out three in his two innings of work. Offensively not much happened at all. All but one player recoreded a hit for Boise, with the only extra base hit coming off the bat of Xavier Batista, who hit a double. Wilson Contreras scored the only Hawks run of the game. It was a not very fun game for Boise dropping another in a bad loss.
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Peoria couldn’t pull off the win, losing to South Bend 3-2. All good things must come to an end and that was the case with Javier Baez’s hitting streak as he went 0-for-4 on Sunday. Dustin Geiger connected on his 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fourth. Sergio Burruel had two hits and Chadd Krist just keeps on hitting as he had another hit on Sunday. Pin-Chieh Chen and Oliver Zapata each recorded a hit and Chen scored a run as he was on base when Geiger hit his homer. Starling Peralta pitched well, but took the loss. He threw six innings giving up three runs, two earned on six hits. Sheldon McDonald relieved him and pitched two perfect innings, striking out three. Looking forward to Baez starting another streak and the Chiefs winning a few more games.
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Daytona was postponed on Sunday.
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Tennessee finished Saturday nights game and lost a tough one in 11 innings. Twice in extra’s the Smokies took the lead, but couldn’t hold it in either, ultimately losing 12-11. There was a lot of offense, here are some of the highlights. Justin Bour was 2-for-6 with a homer, two RBIs, and three runs scored. Junior Lake, Jae-Hoon Ha, and Greg Rohan all contributed with two hits with Rohan adding an RBI. Logan Watkins went 3-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored. Michael Burgess and Chad Noble each had RBIs and Nelson Perez connected on his third home run since being at Tennessee. The pitching was not very good at all. Dallas Beeler got the start, but obviously didn’t factor in the decision. Casey Harman took the loss giving up the two runs in the 11th. Frank Batista was the lone bright spot out of the bullpen, pitching two scoreless innings, bringing his ERA down to 1.06. It was a very tough loss, because of all the leads the Smokies had.
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Game two was a little different, as a six run sixth led Tennessee to a 8-4 win. Nicholas Struck got his 11th win of the season pitching five innings, giving up only one run on four hits. Zach Rosscup did a great job in relief, striking out five in three scoreless innings of work. Junior Lake, Logan Watkins, Jae-Hoon Ha, and Dustin Harrington all had two hits, scored a run, and all but Ha drove one in. Nelson Perez and Michael Burgess drove in two runs and Chad Noble added an RBI as well. It was a nice bounce back in game two ending the week with a win.
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A late rally fell short, as Iowa lost to Aburquerque 9-5. Chris Volstad was bad yet again giving up six runs, five earned on nine hits in five innings. He took the loss, he is now 2-5 with 5.83 ERA. Ty’Relle Harris did a fine job in relief striking out three in two scoreless innings. Offensively there were only a couple of highlights. Josh Vitters and Welington Castillo each hit a homer. For Vitters it was a three-run shot and Castillo was a solo. Brett Jackson, Adrian Cardenas, and Dave Sappelt all had a hit a piece as well.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
7/16: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A trip through the Cubs minor league system.
Wow AZL just continue to score this time beating the AZL Athletics 11-8. The Cubs had some new heroes on Monday. Shawon Dunston Jr. had two hits, hit a his first home run and knocked in four. Daniel Lockhart, Timothy Saunders, and Jacob Rogers all had two hits and Rogers added to RBIs. Ben Carhart also had two RBIs and Dan Vogelbach drove in his 27th run of the season. Lendy Castillo continued his rehab assignment pitching three innings allowing no runs on only two hits. He also struck out four. The rest of the pitchers on Monday struggled, but David Henrie was able to pick up his fourth win of the season.
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Tied at five in the bottom of the ninth, up stepped Jeimer Candelario. He promptly ended the game hitting a walk-off home run giving Boise the win 6-5. Bijan Rademacher and Stephen Bruno each had three hits in the win, with Rademacher scoring three runs. Marco Hernandez added two hits including a triple and drove in one. Rock Shoulders and Carlos Escobar each contributed with an RBI each and Xavier Batista had two RBIs. Eduardo Orozco pitched well again pitching two scoreless innings and getting the win. He has not allowed a run in eight innings pitched this season in Boise. Starting pitcher Jose Arias pitched five innings allowing three runs, two earned on four hits and striking out four.
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Peoria scored seven times in from the fifth inning on and beat Bowling Green 8-3. Paul Hoilman was outstanding at the plate going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three RBIs. Pin-Chieh Chen also collected three hits. He also scored three and drove in one. Chadd Krist continued his impressive streak adding two hits and driving one in. Javier Baez had yet another hit and had two RBIs. Starling Peralta earned his third win of the season pitching five scoreless innings. He struck out five, walked three, gave up five hits. His ERA now stands at 2.81. It was a good win for Peoria on Monday and will look to build on that.
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Four early runs proved to be all Charlotte would need beating Daytona 5-3. Kyler Burke struggled early, but settled down allowing four runs on nine hits in six innings. He took the loss on Monday and his record at Daytona stands at 1-3. Offensively, Matt Szczur and Rebel Ridling each had two hits. They both scored a run and they each had a double. Szczur stole two bases bring his total to 32 and Ridling added an RBI. Elieser Bonne had a double and an RBI and Matthew Cerda drove in a run as well.
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Tennessee was able to score eight runs, but it was not enough losing to Jackson 10-8. The 2-3-4 hitters for the Smokies did an unbelievable job as each of those hitters had three hits. Jae-Hoon Ha was 3-for-5 with triple, home run, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Logan Watkins and Justin Bour each had three hits, with Bour driving one in. Greg Rohan and Nate Samson had two hits a piece, with Rohan adding an RBI. Junior Lake and Michael Brenly only had one hit, but each drove in two and Brenly hit his fourth home run of the season. The pitching was not so good on Monday. Starter Ty’relle Harris only was able to last 2.2 innings as he gave up six runs. Zach Rosscup and Trey McNutt each surrendered two runs in their two innings of work. McNutt took the loss, his eighth of the season. It’s always tough to lose, but when you score eight and lose it is really tough.
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Iowa had one of the those games again where they aren’t good in any aspect. They were outhit 16-4, made two errors, and lost 6-1 where it really counts. I guess I will start with the offense on this one. Brett Jackson hit his league leading 11th triple and scored the Cubs lone run when he was driven in by Adrian Cardenas. Josh Vitters had another hit, as did Blake Lalli and James Adduci. Rodrigo Lopez took the loss in this one allowing 12 hits and four runs in just five innings. After Ryan Rowland-Smith gave up two more, Alberto Cabrera and Michael Bowden didn’t allow another run in the last 1.1 innings. Not a good one for Iowa on Monday.
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Thanks for Reading,
Mark
7/11: Around the Cubs Minor League System
After every level getting the day off on Tuesday, here is a look at Wednesday’s minor league games.
The AZL Cubs were back to playing on Wednesday after a few day off. They started right were they left off beating the AZL Padres 4-2. Offensively Dan Vogelbach was 2-for-4 with a home run, double, and three RBIs. Dan Lockhart was 3-for-3 with a double and a runs scored. Ben Carhart and Garrett Schlecht each had a hit and Carhart scored a run. Izaac Garsez drove in the other run for Cubs on the night. David Henrie recorded his third win of the season pitching four perfect innings in relief while striking out three. Lendy Castillo started his rehab assignment pitching two scoreless innings.
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Tied at one after four innings, Boise was able to score two in the fifth and two in the sixth. They would hold on to win the game beating Vancouver 5-1. Jose Arias pitched good in getting his second win of the season. He gave up one run on six hits in five innings. Eduardo Orozco, Pete Levitt, and Bryce Shafer all pitched well in relief not allowing a run. Offensively there were some good things that came out of Wednesday night as well. Trey Martin was 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs. Wilson Contreras was also 2-for-3 including a triple, a runs scored, and an RBI. Rock Shoulders also hit a home run, his third of the season. Stephen Bruno and Marco Hernandez each added a hit and a runs scored. It was a nice win for Boise after a day off.
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Javier Baez and the pitching staff was all Peoria needed on Wednesday. Javier Baez connected on his seventh home run of the season in the second inning. It proved to be the game winner as Peoria beat the Dragons 1-0. Starting pitcher Starling Peralta pitched seven innings striking out four and only giving up two hits. Larry Suarez struck out two in a scoreless inning of work and Yao-Lin Wang pitched a scoreless ninth to recored his 12th save of the season. Oliver Zapata, Sergio Burruel, and Pin-Chieh Chen accounted for the other Chiefs hits, with Zapata hitting a double and Chen stole his 19th base on the season. It was a great pitching performance by the Peoria pitching staff on Wednesday.
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Daytona scored seven runs from the fourth inning as they went on to beat Palm Beach 7-2. Kyler Burke got his first win since being promoted to Daytona. He pitched six innings giving up two runs on six hits while striking out four and not walking anyone. Jeffrey Lorick came in relief and pitched an unbelievable 1.2 innings not allowing a hit and striking out five. Brian Schlitter was able to close the game out recording his second save of the season. Matt Sczcur, who had been struggling was 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and an RBI. He also stole his 29th base of the season. Ronald Torreyes was also 2-for-4 including a triple, a run scored, and an RBI. Elieser Bonne had a hit and drove in two runs. John Andreoli and Matt Cerda each had a hit and drove in a run, Andreoli also stole his 31st base of the season. It was nice to see Burke get his first win since moving to Daytona and it was also nice to see Sczcur hopefully get back on track.
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Wednesday’s game between Tennessee and Birmingham was postponed due to rain. It will be made up as a double header on Thursday.
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Thanks for Reading,
Mark
Cubs Finalize 25 Man Roster, Bullpen
The Cubs have decided to start the 2012 season with 14 position players, and 11 bullpen guys. Sveum and company feel that with early season day offs that they will be fine carrying 11 pitchers. The Cubs claimed infielder Luis Valbuena off of waivers, so he will be the 14th position player on the active roster.
