Results tagged ‘ Matt Szczur ’
Minor Matters – May 20, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate – The Smokies used a huge fourth inning to secure game one, with the game tied at one the Smokies exploded for seven runs in the fourth en route to a 9-2 victory. The Smokies pounded out twelve hits and scored nine times in just seven innings, and were 5-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Matt Szczur was 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .302 on the season. Arismendy Alcantara had a huge game going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. Christian Villanueva was 1-for-4 with his third home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Rafael Lopez, and Rubi Silva each had two hits in the victory, Silva added a double, and an RBI. Jonathan Mota was 1-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base, and two runs scored.
On The Mound – The Smokies only needed Alberto Cabrera in this one as he went the distance for his fourth win of the season. Cabrera went seven innings giving up two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out six. He improved his record to 4-1 and lowered his ERA to 3.69 on the season.
At The Plate – The Smokies used all their bullets in game one as they could only manage five hits in a 1-0 loss to Chattanooga. Ronald Torreyes, Ty Wright, and Eric Jokisch all had one hit a piece; Jokisch had the only extra base hit for the Smokies. Christian Villanueva had a solid game going 2-for-3 in the loss.
On The Mound – Eric Jokisch got the start in game two and was even better than Cabrera in game one; unfortunately he couldn’t get the win. Jokisch worked six scoreless innings giving up three hits while walking one and striking out five. Marcus Hatley took over and also took the loss, he worked two-thirds of an inning giving up one run on one hit while walking two and striking out one.
At The Plate – Daytona couldn’t get much going in this one as they could only manage six hits and one run in a 4-1 loss to Jupiter. The D-Cubs were in it until the end but Jupiter was able to plate three runs in the eighth to break this one open. Zeke DeVoss had another strong game, that’s two in a row for the struggling center fielder; he was 2-for-3 with two singles. Javier Baez seems to be heating up at the plate and making much more contact, he was 2-fo-4 with two doubles, and an RBI, he’s now hitting .262 on the season.
On The Mound – Kyler Burke is probably a name you have known has been missing this year; he has been working at extended spring training and made his 2013 debut tonight. Burke was solid going five innings giving up one run on four hits while walking two and striking out five. Eduardo Figueroa, who seems to pitch every day, was hung with the loss in this one after being roughed up. Figueroa worked 2.1 innings giving up three runs on five hits while walking one and striking out one. Sheldon McDonald was his usual solid self, tossing two-thirds of an inning giving up one hit while striking out one.
At The Plate – Another very tough loss for the Cougars against the best team in the league, the Cougars lost three out of four, all three by one run, quite the fight in these games. Gioskar Amaya went 2-for-4 with a walk, two doubles, and two runs scored. Dan Vogelbach was 2-for-5 with two RBI’s; he’s now hitting .286 on the season, and has twenty-five RBI’s. Jeimer Candelario is heating up, he was 4-for-5 with two RBI’s, shocked he didn’t double, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .267 on the season. Rock Shoulder wasn’t able to register a hit in this one, but he did walk three times, he was 0-for-2 with a run scored.
On The Mound – Tayler Scott got the start for the Cougars, and did his best to hold off the Kernels but they eventually got to him. Scott worked 5.1 innings giving up five runs, four earned, on eight hits while walking two and striking out four. Nathan Dorris was roughed up which is a rare occurrence, he worked 1.2 innings giving up three runs on three hits while walking three and striking out two. Steve Perakslis worked a scoreless inning out of the pen while walking one.
NOTES: Iowa was rained out. On a more serious note, there has been some terrible weather ripping through the midwest, I just want to take this opportunity to say that my thoughts and prayers are with those of Moore, Oklahoma, terribly sad.
Minor Matters – May 18, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate – The losing ways continue for the Iowa Cubs and they can blame themselves as they made four errors in the loss. Logan Watkins was 1-for-4 with his seventh double of the season, and a run scored, he also made his fourth error of the season. Ian Stewart got a rare start and made it count going 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored. Donnie Murphy was 2-for-3 with an RBI in the loss.
On The Mound – Chris Rusin got the start and didn’t help himself as he made on of the errors, but he battled. Rusin went 6.2 innings giving up four runs, three earned, on five hits while walking two and striking out three. Zach Putnam worked out of Rusin’s trouble in the seventh getting the final out on strikeout. Rafael Dolis worked a scoreless inning in relief giving up two hits while striking out one. Blake Parker worked a scoreless inning as well giving up on hit while walking one and striking out one.
At The Plate – The Smokies are on a roll again, with the win they are now three game above .500 for the season. Matt Szczur shows up in every recap, he was 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored, he is now hitting .304 on the season. Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Arismendy Alcantara was all over the scoresheet in this one, he was 3-for-4 with his fifth home run of the season, two doubles, two RBI’s, and a run scored, he also made his fourteenth error of the season. Anthony Giansanti also had a big day, and has been awesome since he was promoted to Tennessee, he was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .353 on the season.
On The Mound – Dallas Beeler got the start and his fourth win of the season as he was solid. Beeler went six innings giving up three runs, two earned, on four hits while walking two and striking out six. Trey McNutt got back on track working one scoreless inning giving up one hit while striking out two. Kevin Rhoderick continues to struggle, he worked one inning giving up one run on two hits while walking one and striking out one. Brian Schlitter worked the ninth for his second save of the season, he went one inning giving up one run, unearned, on two hits while striking out one.
At The Plate – Nice response the last few days from Daytona as the bats have woke up in a big way, fifteen more hits today in the victory. The D-Cubs were only 5-for-20 with runners in scoring position in this one, but having twenty chances is rather impressive. Zeke DeVoss has been struggling but had a solid game going 2-for-5 with two singles, he was picked off as well. Javier Baez had another solid game going 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Jorge Soler picked up right where he left off from yesterday, he was 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. Dustin Geiger also kept things rolling going 2-for-5 with yet another double, and a run scored. Ben Carhart supplied the power in this one going 1-for-5 with his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.
On The Mound - Zach Cates got the start and picked up his fourth win of the season going 5.2 innings giving up three runs on five hits while walking two and striking out one. David Cales was solid out of the pen going 2.1 innings giving up two runs, one earned, on three hits while walking one and striking out four. Hunter Cervenka was solid again working a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the season.
At The Plate – Another solid game between the Cougars and the high-powered Kernels, this time Kane County got the best of them winning 4-0. Dan Vogelbach was 2-for-4 with his seventh double of the season, he’s now hitting .288 for the year. Rock Shoulders has been coming back down to Earth as of late, can’t really blame him, but was solid in this one going 2-for-4 with his ninth home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Oliver Zapata provided some surprising offense out of the nine spot going 3-for-4 with his third home run of the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.
On The Mound – Pierce Johnson was brilliant in this one as he shut down the prospect laden Kernels. Johnson went six scoreless innings giving up six hits while walking one and striking out nine to earn his second win of the season. Justin Amlung was solid out of the pen going two scoreless innings while walking two and striking out three. Jeffry Antigua closed the door in the ninth working a scoreless inning giving up on hit while striking out two.
Minor Matters – May 14, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate – The Cubs had nothing going for them in this one as they could only manage to score once on seven hits while being routed by the Aces 11-1. Brian Bogusevic continues to hit even if the rest of his team doesn’t, he was 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .373 on the season. Brad Nelson has been on fire as of late, he was 2-for-4 with a double, and an RBI, he has his average all the way up to .286 on the season. Ian Stewart got a rare start and had a good day, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, and a double, much better approach.
On The Mound – Yuck. Barret Loux got the start and was torn apart, he went 3.1 innings giving up seven runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out two, his record dropped to 2-2 with the loss. Yoanner Negrin came on in relief and really didn’t help his cause as he made two errors. Negrin worked 2.2 innings giving up three runs, two earned, on seven hits while walking one and striking out three. Hisanori Takahashi came on and stopped the bleeding as he worked a scoreless inning. Casey Coleman was roughed up a bit as he worked an inning giving up one run on three hits while striking out one.
At The Plate – Another thrilling win for the Smokies after it looked like to could be a crushing loss. The Smokies gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game but recaptured the lead in the tenth and hung on to win 3-2. Matt Szczur is rolling right now, and has been solid all year, he was 3-for-5 with three singles, he is now hitting .302 on the season. Arismendy Alcantara was 1-for-5 with two RBI’s, that one hit was a two out drag bunt base hit that scored the winning run in the tenth. Christian Villanueva was 2-for-3 with his second home run of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored, he’s hitting .250 on the season and .303 over his last ten games.
On The Mound – Unfortunately Alberto Cabrera did not factor in the decision as he deserved a win tonight, he was electric. Cabrera went seven innings giving up one run on five hits while walking one and striking out seven. Marcus Hatley worked a scoreless inning out of the pen giving up one hit while striking out one. The usually reliable Zach Rosscup hit a speed bump in this one as he blew the save giving up on run on two hits while walking one in the ninth, but ended up getting the win. Frank Batista was solid in the tenth inning to earn his fourth save of the season he worked a scoreless inning while striking out one.
At The Plate – Once again the D-Cubs couldn’t do anything offensively and suffered another loss to a team that they probably should beat. The D-Cubs could only manage four hits all night, and were 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position, they scored twice. Javier Baez, John Andreoli, Dustin Geiger, and Chad Noble had the hits in this one, all singles except for a Geiger double. Jorge Soler, and Chad Noble recorded the RBI’s in the loss.
On The Mound - Ben Wells rebounded from his last outing with a solid performance going 5.1 innings giving up two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out four. Jeffrey Lorick came on in relief and allowed an inherited runner to score working two-thirds of an inning giving up one hit. Eduardo Figueroa took the loss in this one as he worked one inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking two. Austin Reed did a great job out of the pen going two scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one.
At The Plate – The Cougars grabbed an early lead in this one, but it was all Chiefs from there on out as they easily dispatched Kane County 8-4. Gioskar Amaya was 1-for-2 with two walks, and a run scored, he seems to be in the middle of everything lately. Rock Shoulders, who has struggled a bit as of late, that’s going to happen when you hit .400 for a month, he was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Willson Contreras was 2-for-2 with his fifth home run of the season, stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored. The Cougars didn’t really help their own cause in the field as they made three errors in the loss.
On The Mound - Ian Dickson got the start and didn’t last very long but wasn’t bad at all, he went four innings giving up two runs on five hits while walking one and striking out four. Justin Amlung took over and ended up taking the loss, his first of the season. Amlung worked three innings giving up four runs, three earned, on five hits while walking one and striking out two. Steve Perakslis tossed two innings giving up two runs on two hits while walking one.
Minor Matters – May 13, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate – Nice comeback win for the Cubs as they trailed for most of the game and really couldn’t generate any offense. They only needed one inning to get the job done as they scored six times in the sixth en route to a 6-4 win. One small note, that was big in this game was the Cubs turned five double plays, FIVE, that’s hard to do. Josh Vitters was 1-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored in the victory. Brad Nelson was 1-for-4 with two RBI’s, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .278 on the season. Donnie Murphy had a big game going 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, a double, and a run scored.
On The Mound – The Cubs gave up twelve hits in this one but held the Aces (get it?) to only four runs thanks in large part to those five double plays I mentioned. Nick Struck got the start and battled to earn his first win of the season while not having his best stuff. Struck went six innings giving up four runs on eleven hits while walking one and striking out four. Esmailin Caridad worked two scoreless innings out of the pen giving up one hit while walking one. Zach Putnam was solid as well, he worked a scoreless ninth inning to earn his second save of the season.
At The Plate – What a thrilling win for the Smokies as they trailed 4-2 heading to the ninth where they scored four times to take a 6-4 lead, and get the victory. Matt Szczur came into this year with a lot to prove, and so far he’s proving an awful lot. He was 2-for-5 with a double, his thirteenth stolen base of the year, and an RBI, he’s now hitting .291 on the season. Rafael Lopez has been on fire of late, he was 2-for-4 with his third home run of the season, a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Rubi Silva was 2-for-4 with his seventh home run of the season, a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Tim Torres was 1-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in the victory. Anthony Giansanti who was recently promoted from Daytona was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.
On The Mound – Dallas Beeler got the start and had another solid outing, Beeler went six innings giving up three runs, two earned, on six hits while walking two and striking out three. Tony Zych walked a fine line in his inning of work giving up one run, unearned, on two hits while walking two and striking out one. Trey McNutt struggled a bit with command, but was also overpowering in his inning of work, he walked two and struck out three to earn his second win of the season. Kevin Rhoderick had one of his best outings of the year to nail down his first save; he worked a scoreless ninth while striking out two.
At The Plate – Daytona had nothing going in this one, and really I can’t blame them as they haven’t seen game action for five days. The D-Cubs could only manage five hits in the shutout loss, the Stone Crabs tried to help them as much as possible with three errors but Daytona couldn’t take advantage as they were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Only three guys were able to record hits in this one, Zeke DeVoss went 2-for-4, Ben Carhart went 2-for-4, and Chadd Krist went 1-for-3, all singles.
On The Mound – The Daytona pitching was good enough to win in this one, but had to work around some trouble, they got a lot of help from their defense as the D-Cubs turned four double plays, and ahad two outfield assists. Zach Cates got the start and took his fourth loss of the season, he worked six innings giving up three runs on eleven hits while walking one and striking out three. Frank Del Valle was his usual solid self, tossing a scoreless inning while striking out two. Luis Liria worked a scoreless inning as well, giving up one hit while walking one and striking out two. David Cales worked a scoreless ninth inning to keep Daytona close.
At The Plate – The Cougars couldn’t get anything going all day long, and when they did threaten they couldn’t come through as they were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-4 with his fourth stolen base of the season. Dan Vogelbach continues to hit as he was 2-for-4, he is now hitting .295 on the season. Jeimer Candelario was 1-for-4 with his tenth double of the season in the loss.
On The Mound – Pierce Johnson was solid once again in this one; unfortunately he was hung with the loss which drops his record to 1-3 on the season. Johnson went six innings giving up four runs, three earned, on seven hits while walking one and striking out six. Jeffry Antigua was just about perfect out of the pen as he worked two scoreless innings while striking out five.
The Cubs Venezuelan Summer League opened yesterday, things didn’t go so well. The VSL Cubs lost 22-11 to the VSL Rays, you can view the box score here.
Minor Matters – May 12, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate – Tough one to swallow for the Cubs in this one as they blew a 6-1 lead that they had in the third, and an 8-6 lead in the ninth by giving up three runs in the bottom half to lose 9-8. Brett Jackson seems to be finding a groove ever since coming off the DL, he was 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, and two runs scored. Josh Vitters was 1-for-3 with two walks, and a run scored. Dave Sappelt was 1-for-5 with a triple, three RBI’s, and a run scored in the loss. Brad Nelson was 2-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. Ian Stewart made a rare appearance in this one and it was a productive one, he was 1-for-1 with a triple, and two RBI’s in a pinch-hitting role.
On The Mound – Chris Rusin didn’t have his best stuff in this one, going five innings giving up five runs on nine hits while striking out one. Casey Coleman was outstanding out of the pen going two scoreless innings while striking out one. Hisanori Takahashi worked just one-third of an inning giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out one. Rafael Dolis worked one inning and it wasn’t good, he gave up two runs on one hit while walking one and striking out one. Blake Parker also struggled in a third of an inning, giving up one run on one hit, he was hung with his first loss of the season.
At The Plate – The Smokies had plenty of opportunities in this one, but were only 4-17 with runners in scoring position. Even so, the Smokies scored five times, and that was plenty in this one, winning 5-0. Matt Szczur has been on a roll of late, and today as well, he was 3-for-5 with a double, and two RBI’s, he’s now hitting .287 on the season. Arismendy Alcantara was 2-for-4 with a double, he also made his eleventh error on the season in the victory. Christian Villanueva was 1-for-2 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Tim Torres was 1-for-4 with a double, and two runs scored.
On The Mound - Kyle Hendricks was outstanding once again in this one, going 6.2 scoreless innings giving up four hits while walking one and striking out four to earn his second win of the season. A.J. Morris pitched out of trouble in his inning of work, he worked a scoreless inning giving up two hits while walking one and striking out two. Zach Rosscup worked 1.1 scoreless innings while walking one and striking out three to close this one out.
At The Plate – Kane County seems to find ways to lose games in the worst ways, tonight was one of them as the Cougars led 6-3 in the sixth inning only to fall 7-6. Bijan Rademacher was 0-for-2 with three walks, a run scored, and a caught stealing. Jeimer Candelario was 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. Rock Shoulders was 1-for-5 with a grand slam, his eighth home run of the season, four RBI’s, and a run scored. Carlos Escobar, and Oliver Zapata each had two hits in the loss.
On The Mound – Dillon Maples was promoted from extended spring training to Kane County today as got the start. First things first that is very important as Maples is one of the better pitching prospects in the system, and it’s good to see him back healthy. Maples went five innings giving up three runs on six hits while striking out two. Lendy Castillo took over and ended up taking the loss going 4.1 innings giving up four runs on two hits while walking four and striking out four.
Minor Matters – May 11, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate – The Cubs left some runs out on the bases in this one but they found just enough offense to come away with a win. Brett Jackson was 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI’s, and his fourth stolen base of the season. Dave Sappelt had a good day going 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored. J.C. Boscan was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in the win. I mentioned that Iowa left some runs out there, they were 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and left nine guys on base.
On The Mound – Guillermo Moscoso was brilliant in this one for the Cubs as he improved his record to 2-0 on the season. Moscoso went seven innings giving up one run, unearned, on six hits while walking one and striking out seven. Zach Putnam worked a scoreless inning out of the pen giving up one hit while walking one. Blake Parker was solid again for his fifth save of the season, he worked a scoreless ninth while striking out one.
At The Plate – The Smokies finally found a way to beat the Barons, and almost blew the lead late before hanging on to a 5-4 victory. Matt Szczur was good again at the top of the order going 2-for-4 with two RBI’s, two runs scored, and two stolen bases, he now has twelve stolen bases on the season. Ty Wright was 2-for-3 with a walk, and a double in the win. Christian Villanueva had another solid day going 3-for-4 with two doubles, and an RBI, he’s hitting .294 over his last ten games.
On The Mound – Matt Garza had a solid outing for the Smokies, and more importantly came out of it healthy again. Garza went 3.1 scoreless innings giving up three hits while walking two and striking out two. Matt Loosen struggled with his command out of the pen but managed to get the win. Loosen went four innings giving up three runs on two hits while walking four and striking out six. Marcus Hatley struggled a little bit but earned his first save of the season going 1.2 innings giving up one run on two hits while walking two and striking out one.
At The Plate – After falling behind 3-1 early the Cougars went to work at the plate scoring six times over the final six innings en route to a 7-4 victory. Pin-Chieh Chen was solid at the top of the order going 2-for-5 with a double. Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-4 with a walk, a double, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .292 on the season. Willson Contreras had a huge day going 3-for-5 with a double, his fourth home run of the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. Gioskar Amaya only had one hit in this one (1-for-5) but he had two huge RBI’s.
On The Mound – Michael Heesch flirted with disaster all day long but pitched out of trouble for the most part. Heesch worked six innings giving up four runs on twelve hits while walking one to earn his second win of the season. Brian Smith was outstanding out of the pen, he worked three scoreless inning giving up two hits while striking out three to earn his first save of the season.
NOTES: Daytona had a double-header scheduled, and both games were postponed.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mom’s out there, including mine, the best one there is!
Minor Matters – May 10, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate – Game one of the Cougars/Bees double-header needed three extra innings, but it paid of for the Cougars as they stung the Bees 2-1…stung, because they are Bees! Oliver Zapata was 1-for-4 with an RBI, and a walk, Zapata had the game winning hit in the top of the tenth. Bijan Rademacher continues to hit going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, he’s now hitting .378 on the season. Marco Hernandez was 2-for-4 with an RBI in the victory.
On The Mound – The Cougars got back to dealing in this one as they were brilliant all game long. Tayler Scott got the start and was really good going 5.1 innings giving up one run on four hits while walking three and striking out six. Steve Perakslis worked 1.2 scoreless innings out of the pen while walking one. Nathan Dorris was good per usual as he worked two scoreless inning while striking out two to earn his first win of the season. Ian Dickson worked a scoreless inning to earn his first save of the season, he gave up one hit while striking out one.
At The Plate – Nothing happening for either team in the first five innings, then the Cougars broke out, scoring twice in the sixth and seventh to sweep the double-header 4-1. The Cougars could only manage four hits in game two, but walked four times and were 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Rock Shoulders was 1-for-3 with his seventh home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Bijan Rademacher has been out of his mind, he was 1-for-3 with his first home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. David Bote and Oliver Zapata were each 1-for-2 with a walk, and a run scored.
On The Mound – Felix Pena was brilliant again for the Cougars going six innings giving up one run on two hits while walking five, and striking out six. Eddie Orozco came on to finish things off by tossing a scoreless seventh, he gave up two hits while walking one and striking out one.
At The Plate – Nothing good in this one as Iowa was destroyed by the Sky Sox, they were out of it right from the get go. Logan Watkins was 1-for-2 with a double, a stolen base, and an RBI. Donnie Murphy was 1-for-3 with a stolen base, and a walk in the loss. Darnell McDonald was 1-for-4 with a double, and a run scored. The Cubs were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
On The Mound - Brooks Raley got the start and he was pounded, early and often. Raley went four innings giving up eight runs on eleven hits while walking three and striking out four. Yoanner Negrin settled things down out of the pen going three innings giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one and striking out five. Rafael Dolis struggled in his return to Iowa going one inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking two and striking one.
At The Plate - A back and forth game ended with the Smokies rally falling just short in the bottom of the ninth as the Barons escaped with a 5-4 win. Matt Szczur was 2-for-3 with two walks, his tenth stolen base of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Ronald Torreyes was 1-for-3 with two walks in the loss. Christian Villanueva was 2-for-3 with two singles as he looks to get it going, he’s now hitting .216 on the season. Rubi Silva was 1-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored.
On The Mound – Eric Jokisch hasn’t been good since being named the minor league pitcher of the month in April. Jokisch went 4.1 innings giving up five runs on eight hits while walking four and striking out four. Brian Schlitter was outstanding out of the pen going 2.2 scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out two. Frank Batista was good as well going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out two.
Minor Matters – May 5, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate - The Cubs came awfully close to sweeping this double after two comebacks but in the end had to settle for a split. Logan Watkins was 1-for-4 with a triple, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. Josh Vitters had a solid first game and a big second game going 3-for-5, he might be making the case to move ahead of Stewart on the organizational depth chart. Brian Bogusevic just hits, he was 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI, that raises his average to .418 on the season.
On The Mound – Brooks Raley was really good for Iowa going five innings giving up two runs on six hits while striking out four. Casey Coleman worked a scoreless inning out of the pen giving up one hit while striking out one. Yoanner Negrin was also solid, he went 1.1 scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out three. Hisanori Takahashi went 1.2 innings giving up one run on one hit while striking out one. Cory Wade suffered the loss in this one as he went one inning giving up one run on two hits while walking one and striking out two.
At The Plate - The Cubs were locked in a battle into the fourth inning, that’s when they broke it open with three runs en route to a 5-2 win. Josh Vitters, who just returned to the team a couple of days ago was 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI’s and two runs scored. Brian Bogusevic continues to hit, he was 2-for-2 with two double, a walk, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .414 on the season. J.C. Boscan was 1-for-2 with two RBI’s, and a run scored in the win.
On The Mound - Guillermo Moscoso got the start in game one and was solid, but couldn’t make it to the fifth inning to get a win. Moscoso went four innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking three and striking out three. Esmailin Caridad, Kyuji Fujikawa, and Blake Parker all worked scoreless innings out of the pen. Fujikawa made his first game appearance since being put on the DL with a forearm issue. Blake Parker earned his third save of the year.
At The Plate - For the second straight game the Smokies had no answer for Braves pitching as they were shut out again in a 6-0 loss. The Smokies aren’t just having trouble scoring, they aren’t getting any hits either. The Smokies only had five hits in this one, all singles. Matt Szczur was 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base, his ninth of the season.
On The Mound - Kyle Hendricks didn’t get any help from his defense, as he worked five innings giving up five runs, two earned, on nine hits while striking out five. Marcus Hatley, and Zach Rosscup each worked scoreless innings out of the bullpen, both guys have been outstanding all year long. Trey McNutt worked an inning giving up one runs on three hits.
At The Plate – Pitching at it’s finest in this one as the D-Cubs and Mets remained scoreless into the bottom of the ninth, that’s when the Mets pushed across a run for a 1-0 win. The D-Cubs could only manage three hits all day in this one, they did draw four walks but were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. John Andreoli, Dustin Geiger, and Ben Carhart were the only D-Cubs to record a hit, all singles.
On The Mound – Yeiper Castillo was brilliant once again, but unfortunately didn’t factor into the decision. Castillo went six scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out seven. Hunter Cervenka was just as good out of the pen as he worked two scoreless innings. Luis Liria took the loss in this one, he was very Marmol like, he worked two-thirds of an inning giving up one run on one hit while walking three.
At The Plate - The Cougars are on a roll, today’s win marks the sixth straight victory for Kane County and brought their record back above .500 on the season. Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored in the win. Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-2 with two walks, a double and an RBI. Oliver Zapata was 2-for-3 with an RBI, he’s now hitting .280 on the season. Seven different players had at least one hit for the Cougars, and they were 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
On The Mound – Michael Heesch was outstanding going 7.1 scoreless innings giving up four hits while striking out five to earn his second win of the season. Nathan Dorris has been great all year, and was again today, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit to earn his second save of the season.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Minor Matters – April 29, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate – Wild game in Iowa today that saw a total of twenty-four hits and nineteen runs between the two teams, unfortunately Iowa came up one run short. Logan Watkins was 2-for-4 with a walk, and RBI, and a run scored. Ryan Sweeney just doesn’t stop hitting, he was 2-for-4 with a walk, and two runs scored, he’s hitting .377 on the season. Brad Nelson is a huge man, he had a huge day going 4-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI’s, and two runs scored. Brett Jackson seems to be settling in at the plate, he went 1-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two RBI’s and a run scored.
On The Mound – Rough go of it for the Iowa pitchers in this one. Nick Struck got the start and worked three innings giving up five runs on four hits while walking four, and striking out one. Esmailin Caridad didn’t fare much better out of the pen going three innings giving up four runs on four hits while walking three and striking out five. Cory Wade worked two innings giving up one run on three hits while walking one and striking out one. Blake Parker was the only Iowa pitcher to escape unscathed in this one as he worked as scoreless inning while walking one and striking out two.
At The Plate – Not a lot of offense in this one, but just enough for Daytona as they squeaked by the Cardinals 2-1. Daytona just couldn’t get the big hit in this one to open the game up, they were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Dustin Geiger had a solid game and a huge hit, he was 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk, and a run scored. Javier Baez continues to hit, and make errors, he was 1-for-3 with his eleventh error of the season, it will happen, and he will improve. Chad Noble and Ben Carhart each had a double in the win.
On The Mound – Yeiper Castillo was disgusting good in this one, unfortunately he didn’t factor in the decision. Castillo went four scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out eight. Luis Liria was solid out of the pen going two scoreless innings giving up one hit and striking out one. Hunter Cervenka blew the save, not really his fault, but also got the win. Cervenka went two innings giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one and striking out four.
At The Plate - Game one was as good as it gets when it comes to pitching as the game was scoreless into the last of the seventh. That’s when Jae-Hoon Ha came off the bench and walked off with a three run shot to give the Smokies a 3-0 victory. That was really the only offense for the Smokies in game one as they managed seven hits, with only one extra base hit, the Ha home run. Rubi Silva was 1-for-3 with a stolen base, and a run scored in the win.
On The Mound – Kyle Hendricks was brilliant in this one but did not factor into the decision. Hendricks went six scoreless inning giving up one hit while walking one and striking out eight. Marcus Hatley came on in relief and earned the win after working one scoreless inning, striking out two in the frame.
At The Plate – Game two had the same final score, unfortunately the opposite result as the Smokies could only manage two hits all game in the defeat. Matt Szczur and Ronald Torreyes were each 1-for-3, and that was it.
On The Mound – Eric Jokisch had a rough go of it early, but then settled in to have a decent outing, but took his first loss of the season. Jokisch went five innings giving up three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out one. Frank Batista and Tony Zych kept things close as they both worked a scoreless inning out of the pen, unfortunately the Smokies couldn’t get anything done offensively.
At The Plate – What a crushing loss for the Cougars in game one, I guess the good news is that there is another game right away so they can forget this one. The Cougars led 6-2 heading to the last of the 7th (7th inning is the last inning in DH games) and they gave up five runs to lose 7-6. The Cougars only managed six hits but they were awfully productive in scoring six runs. Daniel Vogelbach blasted his third home run of the season, he ended game one going 1-for-4 with said home run, two RBI’s and a run scored. Rock Shoulders joined the fun as well as he launched his fifth home run of the season, he finished game one 1-for-3 with two RBI’s and a run scored. Willson Contreras was 2-for-3 with a stolen base, and two runs scored.
On The Mound – Felix Pena did everything possible to earn the win as he went six inning giving up two runs on five hits while striking out three. Then things went south, and quickly. Ian Dickson was the first out of the pen, he was only able to get through two-thirds of an inning giving up four runs on two hits while walking two and striking out one. Matt Iannazzo added fuel to the fire in relief of Dickson, as he didn’t retire a hitter and gave up one run on two hits while walking two to get the loss.
At The Plate – Game one’s disaster just zapped any energy that the Cougars might have had, and they still could have won this one. For the second time today the Cougars blew a late inning lead, this one wasn’t as bad as the first game though. The Cougars could only manage two hits in game two, I know, not very exciting. Daniel Vogelbach was 1-for-3 with another home run, an RBI, and a run scored. Oliver Zapata had the only other hit, a single, he also walked.
On The Mound – Michael Heesch pitched well early, then struggled late. Heesch worked five innings giving up four runs on six hits while walking one and striking out seven. Steve Perakslis worked a scoreless inning out of the pen, but it was too little too late.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Minor Matters – April 24, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate – Another tough loss for the Smokies as they gave up a 3-2 lead in the 6th, then gave up two in the top of the ninth with the game tied at three. The Smokies were able to pull within one in the bottom of the ninth but that is as close as they would get. Matt Szczur was 1-for-4 with a walk, his eighth stolen base of the season, and two runs scored. Arismendy Alcantara was 2-for-4 at the plate with a walk, his twelfth stolen base of the season, and a double. Ty Wrightwas 2-for-5 with a double, and two RBI’s in the loss.
On The Mound – Matt Loosen struggled with command but was able to pitch around some trouble. Loosen went 4.2 innings giving up two runs on five hits while walking four and striking out three. Marcus Hatley worked 1.1 innings out of the pen giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out two. Tony Zych got the loss in this one, he went 2.1 innings giving up two runs on two hits while walking two. Frank Batista was good again as he kept the damage to a minimum in the ninth as he worked two-thirds scoreless.
That’s it, only one game today, not weather related either. How stupid is that?
Thanks for reading,
- George
