Results tagged ‘ Luis Lira ’
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
7/5: Around the Cubs Minor League System
July 5 Cubs minor league recap.
AZL Cubs played a very entertaining game on Thursday winning 12-11 in ten innings. After giving up ten runs in the first three innings and being down by five the Cubs came storming back to tie the game and eventually win. There were a lot of good things that happened on the offensive side of things. Leading off Timothy Saunders was 5-for-6 with a home run, double, three RBI’s and four runs scored. Rafael Lopez was 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and one batted in. Izaac Garsez also had three hits including a double, a run scored, and one batted in. Garrett Schlecht and Daniel Lockhart each had two hits and Lockhart had two RBI’s and two runs scored. Justin Berg got the start and wasn’t very good pitching only one inning and giving up six runs, three earned on four hits. Nathan Dorris pitched three scoreless innings and Steve Perakslis recorded the win pitching two innings. It was a wild game and it is nice to see the the Cubs come out on top.
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Boise scored two in the ninth to win 7-6. Down by one going to the bottom of the ninth The Hawks were trailing 6-5. After a Dong-Yub Kim and Xavier Batista walk Darien Martin bunted them to second and third. Gioskar Amaya delivered a single to tie the game. After a fielders choice up stepped Stephen Bruno who came through with a single to win the game. Amaya also had three hits and scored two runs and drove in one. Bijan Rademacher was 2-for-3 including his first home run of his professional career. Marco Hernandez and Kim each had two hits and Hernandez had two RBI’s. Bryce Shafer got the win in relief, despite giving up an unearned run in the top of the ninth. Starter Jose Arias pitched quite well, giving up one run on seven hits in 5.2 innings pitched. He was in line to get the win, but Michael Hamann struggled in relief. All in all it was a nice win for Boise on Friday.
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Peoria scored two runs in the second and the pitching staff was able to make it stand winning 2-1. Zach Cates got the start, but did not factor in the decision as he was only able to pitch 4.2 innings. Zachary Rosscup came in relief and pitched three great innings striking out five and only allowing a hit. Luis Lira came in to close the game and recorded his fourth save of the season. Dustin Geiger started off where he left off hitting a solo home run in the second. After the homer, Javier Baez stepped to the plate and delivered a single. He then stole his 12 base of the season and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Wes Darvill drove him in on a ground out. Zeke DeVoss and Pin-Chieh Chen each had a hit and DeVoss stole his 21st base of the year.
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Kyler Burke pitched ok on Thursday, but took the loss nonetheless. He gave up three runs, two earned on seven hits in five innings of work. Offensively John Andreoli had a really nice day. He was 3-for-4 and stole his 29th base of the season. Matt Cerda also reached base three times with a double and two walks. He also drove in two runs and scored one. Arismendy Alcantara led off and was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Brian Schlitter pitched an effective two innings in relief not allowing a run and giving up two hits while striking out one. His ERA is now down to 1.33.
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The Tennessee Smokies game was postponed on Friday. It will be made up as a doubleheader tomorrow. Each game will be seven innings.
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Iowa was shutout on Thursday 3-0. Brooks Raley got the start and took the loss pitching 6.2 innings and allowing three runs, one earned on five hits. Offensively there isn’t much to talk about. Diory Hernandez was the only Cubs player to have a multi-hit game going 2-for-3. Alfredo Amezaga, Dave Sappelt, and Josh Vitters, and Brian Esposito all had one hit a piece on Friday. Alberto Cabrera and Ryan Rowland-Smith each pitched well in relief. Nothing too exciting about this one.
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Thanks for Reading,
Mark
6/25: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A closer look at very busy Monday for the Cubs minor leagues.
Down 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh, The AZL Cubs scored four and added another in the eighth to win 6-4. After going 6-for-6 on Saturday Timothy Saunders stayed hot as he had two more hits bringing his average to .526. Trey Martin had two doubles with a run scored and an RBI. Jacob Rogers also went 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI’s. Daniel Vogelbach hit his fourth double on the young season and he also scored a run. Eduardo Orozco got the win in relief striking out two batters and Jin-Young Kim pitched two perfect innings to record his first save of the season.
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Boise just couldn’t get the bats going as they lost 4-1 to Spokane on Monday. On the bright side Gioskar Amaya went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored raising his average to .386. Marco Hernandez had a double and had the only RBI of the night. Jeimer Candelario, Wilson Contreras, and Rock Shoulders all had one hit on the night. Jose Arias pitched well again as he gave up one run on three hits in five innings of work. Amaury Paulino took the loss giving up three runs on two hits in two innings.
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Peoria scored a run in the eighth to win a nail biter 2-1. Anthony Giansanti was the hero delivering the game winning RBI. He entered the game after Javier Baez left with an injury. It sounds like everything will be fine with Baez and he is day-to-day. Wes Darvill had two hits and Yasiel Balaguert had a nice night at the plate going 2-for-3. Dustin Geiger had the other Chiefs RBI in the third inning. Zachary Rosscup got the win in relief pitching 2.1 innings while only giving up a hit and striking out two. Luis Liria recorded his third save as he pitched the last two innings giving up one hit and striking one batter out. Zach Cates got the start and allowed one run on five hits in 4.2 innings.
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Daytona won both games of the double header on Monday. The Cubs won the first game 7-3 highlighted by a five run second. Arismendy Alcantara went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI’s in the winning effort. He also stole his 22nd bag of the year. Micah Gibbs and John Andreoli each had two hits and a run scored. Matt Szczur had a hit and stole his 21st base of the season. Taylor Davis had a double and drove in two runs, Rebel Ridling and Rubi Silva each had RBIs as well. Matt Loosen got his sixth win of the year, giving up three runs on two hits in six innings while striking out seven.
Game two was not so easy, as Daytona tied the game with three runs in the sixth and won it in the 12th. Dustin Harrington was the hero as he drove in Ronald Torreyes, who represented the game winning run. Matt Szczur went 2-for-4 with a double, run, RBI, two walks, and his 22 stolen base. Chad Noble had two doubles and a run scored and Harrington had two hits as well. Alantara and Silva had the other two RBI’s for the Cubs. Kyler Burke, who had been pitching for Peoria got the start for Daytona. In his first outing he pitched five innings, giving up three runs on five hits while walking three and striking out two. The Cubs bullpen was outstanding as they pitched seven scoreless innings. They gave up only one hit and struck out nine. Scott Weismann got the win as he struck out four in three innings of work. Eduardo Figuerora closed the game out recording his first save of the season.
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Tennessee had two games on Monday as well, but they did not go as well as Daytona. The Smokies lost the first game 11-3. This game was lost on the mound as Eric Jokisch really, really struggled as he gave up 10 runs nine earned on nine hits in 5.2 innings. Unbelievably his ERA jumped all the way to 3.38. That is how good he has been so far. Jae-Hoon Ha and Junior Lake each had two hits. Lake had a double and drove in two. Michael Burgess had a double and drove in the other Smokies run in game one.
Game one was bad, but game two was not much better as Jacksonville beat Tennessee 10-3. Dallas Beeler got the start giving up one run in 3.1 innings, but did not factor in the decision. Keven Rhoderick got the loss as he gave up five runs in .2 innings of work. Marcus Hatley and Casey Harman didn’t have much better luck as each gave up two runs. Justin Bour, Nelson Perez, and Nate Samson drove in the three Smokies runs in game two. Junior Lake also had another hit and his average now sits at .315.
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On a day that will be remembered as Anthony Rizzo‘s last game at Iowa, the Cubs played quite a good game winning 2-1. Brooks Raley got the start and pitched beautifully throwing seven great innings. He gave up one run on only five hits as he struck out five and got the win. Jay Jackson pitched another good inning in relief striking out three. Rafael Dolis took another step in the right direction recording his third save since going to Iowa. Offensively Josh Vitters has been on an absolute tear as he was all the offense the Cubs would need. He had an RBI hit in the first inning and hit his 12th home run of the year in the third. It proved to be the game winner and Vitters is now hitting .292.
Thanks for reading,
Mark
Graphics (George)
6/4: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Yes there were actual games played yesterday, not just the draft. Here is the Minor League recap from June 4th.
The Chiefs got an outstanding performance by almost their entire pitching staff on Monday Night en route to a 2-0 win over Kane County in the rubber game of the series. Five Peoria pitchers combined to throw the shutout with Ben Wells, Luis Lira, Larry Suarez, Sheldon McDonald all pitching two scoreless innings. Yao-Lin Wang pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 5th save of the season. The Chiefs only managed to scratch out two runs on five hits but it was good enough for the win. Javier Baez was 1-for-3 at the plate with a double, a walk, and a stolen base. Pin-Chieh Chen was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored out of the ninth spot in the order.
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The D-Cubs had plenty of hits saved up a night after being one hits and they put them to good use. Daytona pounded out 8 runs on 15 hits on their way to a 8-3 victory over Fort Myers. Frank Del Valle was really good for Daytona as he tossed six strong innings only giving up one run on four hits to earn his fourth victory of the season. The top of the D-Cubs order has hit all year and last night was no different. The top 6 in the D-Cubs lineup went 13-for-28 with three doubles, a triple, and six RBI’s. Arismendy Alcantara and Greg Rohan were each 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI’s in the win.
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The Smokies got back in the win column thanks to a huge 7th inning where they scored six runs en route to a 7-4 victory over Montgomery. Dallas Beeler started and pitched well as gave up two runs on seven hits in five and one-third of an inning. Justin Bour was 2-for-5 at the plate with a double and three RBI’s in the win. James Adduci also had a big night at the plate as he was 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. Marcus Hately pitched an inning and two-thirds of scoreless baseball out of the pen to get his second win of the season.
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The I-Cubs just can’t snap out of it as they dropped yet another game to Oklahoma City Monday night. Iowa was leading 5-3 in the 6th inning, but OKC rallied for two in the 6th and one in the 7th to take the lead and eventually win 6-5. Chris Rusin didn’t have his best stuff but he battled through five innings allowing five runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out three. The long ball did him in as two of the eight hits left the yard. Anthony Rizzo continues to assault triple-A pitching going 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI in the loss, he is now hitting .363 on the season. Ty Wright also had a big day at the plate going 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, and RBI, and two runs scored.
Thanks for reading,
- George
