Results tagged ‘ Marco Hernandez ’
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.
****
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.
****
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.
****
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
8/7: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Here’s what happened in the Cubs minor league system on Tuesday night.
The AZL Cubs got back on track beating the Angels 6-1. The Cubs used four pitchers, all doing a nice job. Ryan McNeil struggled with his control, but struck out four and allowed no runs in 2.1 innings. Anthony Prieto thew two scoreless innings and Loiger Padron got his fourth win of the season striking out three in three scoreless innings. He is now 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA. Shawon Dunston had only one hit, but drove in an impressive three runs. Jorge Soler went for with an RBI and Albert Almora added a hit of his own. Both top prospects stole two bases and scored a run. Dan Lockhart had a hit and Carlos Penalver knocked in one in the victory. After a couple tough days for the Cubs it was back to business as usual on Tuesday night.
Tuesday didn’t go to plan for Boise as they lost to Everett 6-3. Dan Vogelbach hit his third home run since going to Boise and ended the night 1-for-3. Gioskar Amaya had two more hits, including a triple and an RBI. Izaac Garsez went 2-for-2 with a run scored and Wilson Contreras had a hit and an RBI. Jeimer Candelario and Marco Hernandez each had a hit on Tuesday night as well. James Pugliese pitched four innings allowing one run on six hits, while striking out six in a ND. Michael Heesch allowed three runs in two innings and took the loss. Boise has had a nice run as of late, so they will get back at it tomorrow.
****
Starling Peralta was the story in this one as the Peoria won 5-3. Peralta thew seven innings allowing one run on two hits and struck out 14. Yes you read that right, he struck out 14. Bryce Shafer struggled, but Larry Suarez came in to pitch a scoreless 1.1 innings and record his first save of the season. Offensively had one of his best, if not his best game of his young career. He went 4-for-4 with two doubles, one triple, four runs scored, and a stolen base. Chadd Krist and Wes Darvill each had two hits, and Krist drove in two runs. Pin-Chieh Chen and Yaniel Cabezas each added a hit and an RBI. Peralta really just put the Chiefs on his back in this one and had night to remember.
****
Daytona picked up the win beating Lakeland 6-1. Austin Kirk was good giving up one run on four hits in 5.2 innings. He got the win and improved his record to 7-3. Jeffrey Lorick and AJ Morris combined to pitch the last 3.3 innings allowing no runs. It took a couple of games, but Javier Baez finally had his coming out party in Daytona. He went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Christian Villanueva was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Rubi Silva added an RBI and John Andreoli went 2-for-3 with a run scored and three stolen bases, he now has 47 on the year. Everyone else in the lineup contributed with a hit on Tuesday as it was one of those rare games where everyone ends with a hit.
****
A six run first was way too much to come back from for Tennessee as they lost to Jackson 10-4. In his second start with the Smokies Jacob Brigham really struggled giving up six runs on six hits in just 0.2 innings. The Smokies would use five more pitchers on the evening. Kevin Rhoderick pitched better than he has been pitching 1.1 scoreless ball. Brian Schlitter and Dustin Harrington combined to pitch the last 2.1 innings not allowing a run. Need I say it, Justin Bour was 2-for-3 with yet another RBI and Nelson Perez had two hits of his own. Matt Szczur, Logan Watkins, and Matt Cerda all had triples on Tuesday. Junior Lake, Nate Samson, and Chad Noble all contributed with an RBI a piece. It was definitely a tough start for Brigham, but the Smokies will look to get back on track tomorrow.
****
Iowa put up seven on Tuesday and that was enough as the beat Reno 7-4. Ty’Relle Harris was quite impressive pitching six innings allowing only two runs and striking out five. Jaye Chapman pitched a scoreless 0.2 innings, striking out both outs he recorded. Jairo Asencio earned his first save by striking out one in one inning. Dave Sappelt had a nice night going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. James Adduci hit a double and knocked in three and Alfredo Amezaga added two hits and scored two runs. Matt Tolbert added a double and drove in one run . It is nice to see Iowa get a win, hope they can keep it going.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/5: Around the Minor League System
Here is the minor league recap for August 5, 2012.
In an up and down game the AZL Cubs wound up on the losing end dropping Sunday’s game 8-6. In his first start Duane Underwood struggled big time giving up four runs, three earned in just .1 innings and just like that the Cubs were down 4-0. Over the next three innings the Cubs offense would come to life scoring six runs. Ben Carhart was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Jacob Rogers and David Bote had a hit and each drove two runs as well. Top prospect Albert Almora was 1-for-5 and Carlos Penalver drove a run home. Leading 6-4 the Cubs turned it over the bullpen and after Brian Smith calmed things down, Ethan Elias really struggled giving up four runs over three innings. Steve Perakslis and Chad Martin combined to pitch the last three innings holding the Giants scorelss. After being down early and then taking the lead it is definitely tough to not come out on top of this one.
****
Just when it looked like Boise was going to cruise to an easy win a five run seventh happened to tie the game at nine. Luckily for Boise Daniel Vogelbach wasn’t going to let this one slip away as he connected for a game winning home run in the top of the 11th. Lance Rymel had qutie the night on Sunday going 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs. Trey Martin and Marco Hernandez each had three hits with Martin driving in two runs. Izaac Garsez had his best game yet, going 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Wilson Contreras had two hits and scored three runs and Stephen Bruno added a hit and two RBIs. Ian Dickson started and took a no decision as he gave up three runs on three hits in five innings. Hunter Ackerman and Rafael Diplan did not have there best days combining to giving up six runs, five earned in just two innings. Su-Min Jung recorded his first win of the season and Eduardo Orozco closed it out earning his second save. Wow, was it a crazy game on Sunday, luckily for us the Hawks took the W.
****
Clinton scored two in the eighth to defeat Peoria 3-2. Michael Jensen started and pitched well allowing one run on five hits, while striking out four in five innings pitched. Sheldon McDonald pick up right were he left off striking out three in two scoreless innings. Austin Reed, however was not very good on Sunday giving up two runs in two innings and taking the loss. Not much happening on the offensive side as the Chiefs only had five hits. With the promotion of Javier Baez, Timothy Saunders was sent to Peoria and he ended the game 1-for-4 with a double. Yanel Cabezas had a double as well as an RBI. Wes Darvill, Sergio Burruel, and Oliver Zapata all had one hit a piece in the loss.
****
Daytona dropped another one Dunedin on Sunday losing 4-2. Christian Villanueva was the only Cubs player with a multi-hit game as he went 2-for-4 in the loss. Rubi Silva had a hit and drove in John Andreoli who also had a run scored. Rebel Ridling, Rafael Lopez, and Micah Gibbs all had one hit, with Ridling scoring a run. PJ Francescon started and gave up two runs in two innings, striking out four. Frank Del Valle also gave up two runs, but did strike out five in his four innings of relief. Ryan Searl thew the last two innings not allowing a run and striking one out. Javier Baez struggled again in his second game with Daytona going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. It is not the way wanted to start and it is not the way Daytona wanted things to go this weekend.
****
After being up early, Tennessee tied it in the seventh, only to lose it in the bottom of the ninth 5-4. Jutin Bour had a nice game going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, bringing his season total to 92. Nelson Perez added two hits including his fifth home run of the season and Matt Cerda also had two hits on the evening. Logan Watkins and Nate Samson each had a hit and Watkins scored a run and stole his 21st base of the season. Eric Jokisch started, but did not factor in the decision pitching five innings and giving up three runs, while striking out six. Brian Schlitter took the loss giving up the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.
****
Iowa gave up one in each the eighth and the ninth to lose to Reno 2-1. The bright spot on Sunday was Casey Coleman. He pitched outstanding going six innings allowing no runs on two hits and striking out eight. Jay Jackson pitched a scoreless seventh striking out one batter. Marcus Hatley and Esmailin Caridad each gave up a run and Caridad took the loss. Well it happened to Iowa again on Sunday, this time losing Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters to the big club. Diory Hernandez was 1-for-3 with the Cubs only RBI. Greg Rohan stayed hot going 1-for-4 in the loss. There isn’t much exciting happening in Iowa right now and with the departures of Jackson, Vitters, Welington Castillo, and Adrian Cardenas thing probably will continue to be a struggle.
****
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/2: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Nightly minor league recap for August 2, 2012.
The AZL Cubs let things get interesting in the ninth, but they held on to win 6-5. It was a good night for the highly touted prospects of the Cubs. Albert Almora was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Jorge Soler also had a double and drove in two runs on Thursday. Shawon Dunston and Jacob Rogers each had two hits with Dunston driving one run in. Anthony Prieto started and pitched two scoreless innings. He was relieved by 2012 3rd round pick Ryan McNeil who got his first professional win. McNeil struck out two in two innings of work. Jin-Young Kim came in to close things down recording the final two outs of the game and earning his second save. As much as it got close it was still good to see the Cubs get the win.
****
As good as Boise has been lately Thursday was not there night losing 15-1. In a game like that there just aren’t too many highlights, but we will try to find a couple. Marco Hernandez and Daniel Vogelbach each had two hits, which those four were the only hits the Hawks had all night. Vogelbach drove in his sixth run since being landing in Boise. James Pugliese got the start and took the loss, but all five runs he gave up were unearned in his five innings of work. Michael Heesch, Rafael Diplan, and Lance Rymel all struggled in relief. hopefully the Hawks can forget about this one and get back on track tomorrow.
****
Peoria just didn’t have enough to get the win tonight dropping Thursday’s game to Quad Cities 6-4. Starling Peralta started and took the loss in this one going five innings giving up three runs on three hits, while walking three and striking out six. The game took a turn for the worse when Justin Berg entered and he gave up three runs, unfortunately for him all were unearned in his two innings of work. Sheldon McDonald threw a scoreless ninth striking out one. After an eight RBI two home run performance how could Dustin Geiger do anything close. Well, he went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run staying red-hot. Bijan Rademacher and Pin-Chieh Chen each had two hits, with Chen driving in two. Oliver Zapata had a hit and an RBI and Wes Darvill hit a triple. Javier Baez had a rare rough day going 0-for-4. Peoria will look back to getting on track tomorrow.
****
Daytona stayed hot and won another one Thursday defeating Fort Myers 8-2. The story of the night came from newly acquired Christian Villanueva who came over in the Ryan Dempster deal. In his first two at bats in the Cubs organization he hit two home runs. He ended the night going 2-for-3 with two home runs, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Ronald Torreyes continues to just hit going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. John Andreoli, Rafael Lopez, and Timothy Saunders all had two hits a piece with Lopez driving in one. Robert Whitenack started, but didn’t last long enough to get the win, as he only allowed one run, but struggled with his control walking four. Ryan Searle got the win in relief, his fifth of the season. He struck out five in 3.1 innings allowing only one run on two hits. AJ Morris threw the last two inning allowing no runs and striking out one. Daytona is trying to make a push here as they are really playing well as of late.
****
Not much good came out of this one as Tennessee lost to Pensacola 6-1. Tennessee was only able to muster up two hits, both coming off the bat of Logan Watkins. Watkins ended the game 2-for-4 with a home run. In his first appearance in the Cubs organization Jacob Brigham only lasted three innings allowing three runs, two earned on five hits. He also walked three and struck out two. Zach Rosscup pitched five innings in relief allowing one run and striking out four and Tony Zych struggled in his one inning of relief. Tomorrow is a new day.
****
Iowa lost another losing to Colorodo Springs 7-4 on Thursday. Brooks Raley took the loss giving up six runs on 10 hits in six innings. Marcus Hatley pitched two really nice innings striking out three and not allowing a base runner. Josh Vitters and Dave Sappelt each got back on track as they both went 3-for-5. Greg Rohan followed his big day yesterday with another two hit, two RBI performance tonight. James Adduci had two more hits and drove in one run. Brett Jackson had one hit and stole his 26th base of the season. There isn’t much more that can be said for Iowa that hasn’t been said already.
****
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/31: Around the Cubs Minor League System
After a busy trade deadline here is what the Cubs minor league affiliates did on July 31.
The AZL Cubs got back on track after a day off beating the AZL Royals 8-2. Ben Carhart and Daniel Lockhart each had two, a run scored, and an RBI. Jacob Rogers was 1-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs. Albert Almora was leading off tonight, but left after his first at-bat. He was replaced by Yasiel Balaguert who had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Jorge Soler did not have a hit, but he did drive in his seventh run of the season and he stole his third base. Carl Lang got the start and pitched an impressive four innings allowing no runs on four hits and struck out four. Jasvis Rakkar pitched one scoreless inning striking out one. Ethan Elias got the win, but did not have a great night giving up two runs on five hits in two innings. Daniel Adrian finished the game off striking out two in the last two frames. Obviously we are a bit concerned as to why Almora left the game. When we have an update we will let you know, but it was a nice night for the Cubs.
****
After winning a few 1-0 games the Boise Chiefs held on to win a shootout 10-9. It was a wild game as Boise had a big lead, but gave it up and had to win in walk-off fashion. The Cubs had a few nice nights at the plate highlighted by Daniel Vogelbach‘s first home run at Boise, a three run shot with two outs in the third. Stephen Bruno had three hits and two RBIs, raising his average to .324. Jeimer Candelario was the hero going 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs including a walk-off double. Dong-Yub Kim and Trey Martin each had two hits on the night and Marco Hernandez connected for his third home run of the season. The Hawks pitching struggled most of the night, but the offense did the the job. Eduardo Orozco blew a save, but ended up getting his second win of the season. it is nice to see Boise maybe turning things around.
****
Peoria never got things going against Quad Cities losing 5-1. Michael Jensen got the start and pitched pretty good, although he took the loss. He pitched five innings surrendering two runs on three hits, while striking out six. Jeffry Antigua continued to impress pitching two more scoreless innings. Pete Levitt struggled in his one inning of work. There wasn’t much excitement at the plate for the Chiefs on Tuesday. Javier Baez was one of the few bright spots going 2-for-4 with the Peoria’s lone run scored. Bijan Rademacher also had two hits including his third double of the season. Nothing too exciting happening for Boise tonight.
****
Daytona won a close one on Tuesday beating Fort Myers 5-4. Daytona pounded out 14 hits so there were a lot of nice nights at the plate. It was good to see Timothy Saunders get back on track going 3-for-4 with double, runs scored, and an RBI. Ronald Torreyes continued his hot stretch of late adding two more hits, including his 19th double of the season and two RBIs. Matt Cerda, Rubi Silva, and John Andreoli each had two hits with Andreoli driving one run in. Austin Kirk started and got the win allowing four runs in five innings. Kirk was not as sharp as he has been in the past walking five batters, but he did strike out five. The relief was outstanding on Tuesday. Hunter Cervenka and Jeffrey Lorick combined to pitch three scoreless innings, striking out a batter each. AJ Morris closed the deal striking out two in one scoreless inning, notching his fourth save of the season.
****
Tennessee’s game was suspended because of rain. The Smokies were winning 2-1 in the fourth and will be continued tomorrow as part of a double header.
****
Iowa dropped another to New Orleans losing Tuesday 5-3. Frankie De La Cruz started and took the loss giving up three runs in four innings. Jairo Asencio and Marcus Hatley did a nice job in relief both throwing a scoress inning. Dave Sappelt was the main bright spot for the Cubs offense going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored. Brett Jackson hit his 21st double of the season and drove in his 46th run as well. James Adduci had another hit and is hitting .375 since his promotion to Triple-A. As I have said recently Iowa just can’t seem to get things going in the right direction.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/29: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Sunday, July 29th Cubs minor league report. Tennessee was off on Sunday.
The AZL Cubs lost to the AZL Reds 7-3. Dillon Maples made his much anticipated debut on Sunday, giving up one run in one pitched. He stuggled with his command walking two and throwing a wild pitch, but struck out one and got out of a tough jam with a double play. Paul Blackburn pitched 2.1 innings, giving up two hits, no runs, and striking out two. Chad Martin took the loss, giving up three runs in his one inning of work. Our nightly watch of Albert Almora and Jorge Soler was on again. Almora went 1-for-4 and Soler was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Trevor Gretzky and Carlos Penalver each had two hits with Penalver driving one in. Daniel Lockhart also had an RBI.
****
Boise got one in the third, which proved to be enough beating Tri-City 1-0. Ian Dickson started and pitched weel allowing no runs on three hits in five innings pitched. He also walked two and struck four. Hunter Ackerman was outstanding in relief picking up his first save. He struck out six in just four innings and allowed only one hit. Gioskar Amaya hit his fifth home run of the year and ended the day 2-for-3. Rock Shoulder also had two hits, including a double and after a slow start his average is now up to .271. Jeimer Candelario added a hit and Marco Hernadnez had a double in the game as well. Lets hope the pitching continues down this path as that is two 1-0 wins in a row.
****
Peoria scored nine in the first three innings and held on to beat Beloit 10-6. The offense led the way in this one. Dustin Geiger was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Pin-Chieh Chen was 3-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs. Unbelievably, Javier Baez only had one hit, but he did drive in two and score one. Wes Darvill also had two hits and drove a run in and Chadd Krist also had an RBI. Larry Suarez got the win in relief for Peoria striking out three in 1.2 innings pitched and Bryce Shafer closed out the game pitching a scoreless ninth. Lets see if Peoria can keep playing well going forward.
****
A six run fifth helped Daytona win this shootout 12-7. The Cubs had a lot of nice games at the plate on Sunday. Ronald Torreyes went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Rafael Lopez had two hits, including his second home run of the season. Elieser Bonne was 3-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Leadoff man John Andreoli had two hits, stole three bases (40), and scored three runs. Matt Loosen wasn’t at his on Sunday, but it was good enough for him to improve his record to 10-3. He gave up five runs, four earned on six hits in five innings pitched. AJ Morris recorded his third save pitching a scoreless last 1.2 innings. Good to see Daytona hitting the ball and Matt Loosen get to the 10-win mark.
****
Leading by one in the bottom of the ninth, Iowa gave up one there and then gave up three in the bottom of the 10th to lose 6-3. James Adduci continues to hit the ball going 3-for-5 on Sunday. Welington Castillo was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer on, his sixth of the season. Adrian Cardenas and Josh Vitters each had a hit. Brett Jackson didn’t have any hits, but he did walk and steal a base, his 24th of the season. Rodrigo Lopez actually pitched well going five innings and allowing only two runs, one earned on five hits, while striking out five. After Ryan Rowland-Smith and Esmailin Caridad pitched the next three scoreless innings the rest of the bullpen blew it. Michael Bowden gave up the run in the ninth and Jay Jackson took the loss giving up a three run homer in the tenth. It’s just not going well for Iowa, finding different ways to lose almost every night.
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.
****
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.
****
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.
****
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.
****
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.
****
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
7/26: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Taking you through the Cubs minor leagues on Thursday, July 26.
The AZL Cubs lost a rough one on Thursday to the Ranger 5-4. Leading most of the night, the Cubs gave up two in the eight, one in the ninth, and one in the tenth to blow what appeared to be a win. Those relievers who struggled were Ryan Hartman, Nathan Dorris, and losing pitcher Daniel Adrian. It wasn’t all bad on the mound as Carl Lang and Ethan Elias each pitched three solid innings combing to strike out seven and surrender only one run on four hits. Every night we look forward to seeing how Albert Almora and Jorge Soler and tonight was no different. Almora started strong with hit first double, but ended the night 1-for-5. Soler ended the night 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base. Garrett Schlecht had a night he won’t forget as he hit his first home run of his professional career, a two-run shot in the fourth. Shawon Dunston Jr. stayed hot adding two more hits, raising his average to .296. Carlos Penalver also had two hits and Jacob Rogers added a double. The AZL Cubs havn’t had too many disappointments, but tonight was one of them.
****
Boise lost a low scoring game to Yakima 1-0. Although there was only one run scored there was plenty of excitement in this one as there were ejections and the benches almost cleared. It all started a few nights ago when Wilson Contreras was bowled over twice and then was hit by a pitch in this game. Starting pitcher Jose Arias took exception and retaliated hitting a Bears player in the seventh. Arias and manager Mark Johnson were promtly ejected. Things didn’t end there though. Contreras found his way on and bowled over the Yakima catcher and on his way back to the dugout had words for the Bears dugout. Benches almost cleared and Contreras was ejected from the game. Back to the baseball part of it. Jose Arias pitched quite well taking the tough loss on Thursday. He gave up one run on three hits in six innings, he also walked two and struck out three. Michael Hamann and Eduardo Orozco combined to pitch three innings of scoreless baseball in relief. Offensively there wasn’t much to talk about. The highlights were Marco Hernandez having two hits and Daniel Vogelbach getting another hit.
****
Peoria scored early and it held up as they beat Cedar Rapids 7-2. The Chiefs got two in the first, one in the third, and three more in the fourth to get an early lead. Javier Baez had a nice night once again going 2-for-2 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Zeke DeVoss and Yaniel Cabezas also had twho hits with DeVoss driving a run and scoring two. Chadd Krist continued his great performance at the plate adding another hit, his sixth double and driving in two runs. On the mound Michael Jensen was at it again winning his ninth game of the year. He pitched six solid innings, surrendering two runs on four hits, while striking out six and walking zero. Larry Suarez and Bryce Shafer finished this one off pitched three scoreless innings to end the game.
****
Daytona outlasted Bradenton beating them 9-7 in a high scoring battle. The Cubs offense had a few big innings, scoring three in the second, the fourth, and two in the seventh. Offensively they were led by Rafael Lopez who was 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. Lopez was not the only Cubs player to have a big night as John Andreioli was 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs, four runs scored, and his 36th steal of the year. Matt Szczur added two hits and he also drove in a pair, raising his average to .295. Rubi Silva and Elieser Bonne each had two hits as well and Bonne drove in two on the evening. Austin Kirk started and got the win, his fifth of the year. He allowed four runs on six hits in six innings, walking five and striking out three. Ryan Searle pitched the last three holding on the record his first save of the season.
****
Despite scoring four Tennessee dropped the game to Jacksonville losing 6-4. Dallas Beeler started, but did not factor in the decision allowing four runs, three earned and striking out eight in five innings pitched. Tony Zych took the loss as he allowed two runs in his two innings of work. On the bright side, there were some nice things that happened at the plate. Junior Lake stayed hot going 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Justin Bour and Greg Rohan each connected for a home run on Thursday. Nate Samson added three hits of his own. In an unfortunate accident Jae-Hoon Ha had to leave the game early on a stretcher after he hit his head on a cement wall wall that had no padding. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jae-Hoon and hope to have good news on this soon. We will keep you updated as we know more.
****
How many different ways can Iowa find to lose, because it seems like they find a new one every night. After having a lead most of the night they gave up a single run in the fifth and six to tie the game. After scoring two in the tenth, they gave up three to lose 6-5. Michael Bowden to the loss allowing all three runs in the tenth. Casey Coleman was solid pitching 5.2 innings giving up three runs on seven hits. Jay Jackson pitched well in relief allowing no runs in his two innings of work. The Cubs were led by James Adduci at the plate having his best game in Iowa. He went 4-for-5 with a home run, double, a run scored, and two RBIs. Josh Vitters was the other bright spot from the offense going 3-for-4 with a double, triple, and a run batted in. Nothing is going right for Iowa at this time, hope they can turn it around and end the year on a high note, but only time will tell.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/23: Around the Minor League System
Our nightly trip through the minors on July 23, 2012. Tennessee had the night off and Daytona was postponed.
AZL Cubs got back on track beating AZL Brewers 7-3. First rund draft pick Albert Almora stole the show hitting his first professional home run. A two-run bomb to left. Ben Carhart had another nice night at the dish going 4-for-5 with a run scored. Shawon Dunston Jr. and Trevor Gretzky, who replaced Almora each had two hits. Dunston scored two runs and Gretzky drove one in. Neftali Rosario added a hit and an RBI and Dan Vogelbach hit his 12th double of the season. After the game Vogelbach tweeted that he was headed to Boise, so best of luck to him. Arturo Maltos-Garcia gave up two runs, but got the win in relief. Steve Perakslis recorded his first save, striking out three in 2.2 innings. Jorge Soler was hitless on Monday, going 0-for-5. It was nice to see the Cubs get back on track Monday.
****
Boise won 3-0 behind the arm of Tayler Scott. Scott earned his second win of the season, pitching six scoreless innings. He surrendered only three hits, walked a batter and struck out four, his ERA now stands at 1.95. Hayden Simpson pitched two scoreless innings and Matt Iannazzo pitched a scoreless ninth to record his first save. The offense had a few bright spots. Stephen Bruno was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Gioskar Amaya had a nice night at the plate going 3-for-4 with a run scored, and a run batted in. Marco Hernandez and Trey Martin each scored a run for Boise as well. The Hawks haven’t enough nights like this, but maybe things will be turning around for them.
****
It was a great pitchers dual until Peoria gave up two runs in the eighth, eventually losing to South Bend 2-0. Yao-Lin Wang started and struck out five in only 3.2 innings of work. Jeffry Antigua pitched well again, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings while striking out three. He dropped his ERA to 0.87. Luis Liria took the loss, his fourth on the year. Offensively there wasn’t too much happening as the Chiefs only were able to muster up two hits. Chadd Krist and Yaniel Cabezas each had a double on Monday night. Krist is now hitting .424 since his promotion from the Boise. A nice pitched game, but a tough loss nonetheless.
****
Daytona’s game on Monday was postponed.
****
The Iowa staff pitched pretty good on Monday, but it wasn’t good enough dropping the game to Albuquerque 3-1. Brooks Raley got the start and took the loss. He pitched five innings surrendering three runs, two earned on eight hits. He also had an impressive eight strikeouts to go along with zero walks. Esmailin Caridad and Michael Bowden combined to pitch the last three scoreless innings with Caridad striking out two. At the dish Brian Esposito was the only Cub to have a multi-hit game going 2-for-3 and was the only Cub to drive in a run. Adrian Cardenas and Josh Vitters each added a hit with Vitters hitting his 30th double of the season. Iowa’s record now stands at 41-62.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/17: Around the Cubs Minor League System
July 17, 2012 – Ready, go!
Peoria was off
The AZL Cubs scored three in the top of the ninth to beat the AZL Mariners 6-5. Dan Vogelbach continued crushing the ball going 2-for-5 with a home run, triple and three RBIs. He is now hitting .360 with 7 HR 30RBI, and an OPS of 1.202. The Cubs also got RBIs from Dan Lockhart, Ben Carhart, and Carlos Penalver. Shawon Dunston Jr. had another solid day at the plate going 2-for-4 with a run scored. David Bote and Penalver each had two hits on the day as well. Steve Perakslis gave up two runs on three hits in relief, but managed to get the win. Chad Martin picked up his first save of the season striking out three in a scoreless ninth.
****
Boise made it two in a row on Tuesday defeating Yakima 5-0. The Hawks pitching was the story as James Pugliese, Michael Heesch, and Pet Levitt combined for the three hit shut out. Pugliese got his first win of the season striking out five and allowing only one hit in five innings. Heesch and Levitt each pitched two scoreless innings to close ou the game and secure a Boise win. Lead-off hitter Trey Martin did his job reaching base five times. He was 3-for-3 with two walks including his third home run of the season. Marco Hernandez had a nice night as well going 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Wilson Contreras and Rock Shoulders each had two hits as well. Contreras and Carlos Escobar were responsible for driving in a run a piece for the Hawks. Boise hasn’t won two in a row too often so hope more is to come.
****
Behind a tremendous effort from Matt Loosen the Cubs beat Charlotte 6-1. Loosen started and recorded his eight win of the season. He pitched into the eighth inning allowing only one run on five hits, while striking out six. Jeffrey Lorick came on to record the last five outs and close the game out for Daytona. Matt Szczur was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Ronald Torreyes and Elieser Bonne each had two hits with Torreyes driving in a run. Rubi Silva added a hit and Micah Gibbs and Elliot Soto each had a hit and scored two runs on Tuesday.
****
It was a rough one for Tennessee losing the Jackson 9-2. Nicholas Struck got the start and took the loss giving up six runs in just five innings of work. Casey Harman pitched an inning in relief and was not any better giving up another three runs. The good news from the staff came from Frank Batista and Tony Zych who combined to pitch the last three scorelss innings of the game. Not much happened on the offensive side of things either. Logan Watkins had two hits including a triple. Justin Bour and Greg Rohan were the only Smokies to record RBIs, they also had a hit each. Junior Lake and Jae-Hoon Ha were the only other Smokies to have a hit in the game. Not a very good night for Tennessee on Tuesday.
****
Iowa scored two in the first, but that was all they could push across losing to New Orleans 7-2. Chris Volstad was bad again giving up seven runs, six earned on eight hits in 5.2 innings pitched. Brett Jackson was 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored, he also stole his 22nd base of the season. Josh Vitters also had two hits and drove in his 52nd run of the season. Alfredo Amezaga and Dave Sappelt each had two hits and Sappelt drove in a run.
Thanks for reading,
- Mark
