Results tagged ‘ Matt Szczur ’
8/24: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Our nightly trip through the Cubs minor leagues. The AZL Cubs were off on Friday night.
Things were looking good for Boise after a six run second, but Vancouver quickly scored four in the bottom half and ended up beating the Hawks 7-6. With Tayler Scott staked to a four run lead, it was easy to assume this one was over, but Scott was not at his best today, but left with a chance to win as he left with the lead. He pitched five innings allowing five runs on seven hits, while walking four and striking out three. Rafael Diplan pitched the final three innings and took the loss as he gave up two runs, one of which was unearned. At the plate Marco Hernandez had a good night going 3-for-4 with a run scored. Albert Almora and Jeimer Candelario also had good nights as each had two hits with Almora scoring a run. Lance Rymel had one hit on the evening and also drove in two runs. Darien Martin and Stephen Bruno each had a hit and an RBI in the loss. Not a good loss for Boise, but they have come back strong all second half, I expect much of the same.
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Beloit took an early lead and never looked back beating Peoria 8-2 on Friday night. Yao-Lin Wang started and took the loss pitching 4.1 innings and allowing six runs, four earned on 10 hits. Willengton Cruz pitched two innings allowing two runs and Austin Reed pitched a scoreless frame. There were only a couple bright spots on the offensive side of things for the Chiefs in this one. Dustin Geiger was 2-for-3 with a home run, his 17th of the season and two RBIs. Chadd Krist also had two hits and Zeke DeVoss added a hit and scored a run as well. Jorge Soler got the night off for Peoria.
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Daytona won the first game of a double-header on Friday 4-3. Kyle Hendricks started and got his first win with the Cubs as he went five innings allowing two runs on three hits, while striking out three. AJ Morris recorded his fifth save of the season as he pitched the final two innings of game one. Down 2-0 Elieser Bonne quickly gave the Cubs the lead connecting on a three run homer, his third of the season. In the sixth inning Christian Villanueva gave Daytona a two run lead as he hit his third home run since coming to the Cubs. John Andreoli had two hits in the win.
Game two didn’t go as well as Daytona lost to Tampa 11-5. Matt Loosen had a really rough outing as he gave up eight runs on five hits to go along with six walks and seven strikeouts. Hunter Cervenka proved to not be much better allowing three more runs over the next 2.2 innings. Offensively speaking Christian Villanueva started right where he left off going 2-for-3 witha double and two runs scored. Elieser Bonne also had two hits including a double and John Andreoli had a hit and two RBIs. Rebel Ridling and Nelson Perez each had a hit and an RBI a piece. Javier Baez was held hitless in game one, but added a hit and an RBI in the game two loss.
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A seven run third inning helped Tennessee beat Mobile 11-5. Dallas Beeler was the beneficiary of all those runs as he got the win despite giving up five runs in five innings. Kevin Rhoderick and Tony Zych pitched two scoreless innings a piece to close out the game. The Smokies a had few really nice nights at the plate starting with Matt Sczcur who was 2-for-4 with a home run and three runs scored. Logan Watkins was 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI. Jae-Hoon Ha and Rubi Silva each had two hits with Ha having two doubles and driving in three. Silva hit his first home run and drove in two. Junior Lake had a home run of his own and knocked in three. Justin Bour had a double and walked three times, but unbelievably didn’t have an RBI in the Smokies 11 run win.
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Iowa scored two in the seventh and one in the eighth to defeat Oklahoma City 5-3. Yoanner Negrin started, but did not factor in the decision as he gave up three runs on eight hits in six innings pitched. Jay Jackson got the win in relief as he pitched a scoreless seventh inning. After Scott Maine threw a scoreless eighth Jairo Asencio struck out two in the ninth and picked up his fourth save. Tony Campana had a nice night at the top of the order going 2-for-4 with a triple, a run scored, and an RBI. Jeff Frazier and Diory Hernandez each had two hits with Hernandez driving in one run. Adrian Cardenas had only one hit, but it was a home run as he knocked in two in the Cubs win.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/22: Around the Cubs Minor League System
The Cubs minor leagues were in full effect on Wednesday with the AZL Cubs and Daytona each playing 7-inning double headers.
The AZL Cubs scored three in the first inning of the first game and that was all Ryan McNeil and company would need beating the Diamondbacks 3-0. McNeil was outstanding pitching four scoreless innings giving up five hits and striking out two. Rafael Dolis continued his rebab pitching the next 1.1 innings and getting the win. Jasvir Rakkar earned his first save of the year, striking out four of the five outs he recorded. Anthony Giansanti also continued his rehab assignment going 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. Justin Marra also had a hit and an RBI in the victory. Shawon Dunston continued his impressive stretch at the plate going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Ben Carhart and Yasiel Balauert also had a hit in the game.
Game two was scoreless until Anthony Giansanti stepped to the plate in the bottom of the seventh. Giansanti delivered hitting a walk off homer as the Cubs swept the double-header against the Diamondbacks. The Cubs used three pitchers in this one as Corbin Hoffner got the start striking out two and allowing three hits in three innings. Some more good news was the return of Ben Wells who began his rebab assignment in style striking out the side in his one inning. Alvido Jimenez ended the scoreless day pitcing the final three innings and getting his second win of the season. Carlos Penalver, David Bote, and Yasiel Balaguert all had a hit in game two of the double-header. The Cubs remain three games behind the A’s for first place, but are leading the wild card by three games over the Giants.
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Boise just keeps rolling as they beat up Vancouver 11-6. The offense was the story in this one as they pounded out 17 hits to go along with those 11 runs. Stephen Bruno is just raking right now as he went 3-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBIs. He is now hitting .344 on the season and .439 in his last 10. Izaac Garsez and Wilson Contreras each had really nice games both having three hits and driving in two runs a piece. Garsez also scored three runs and stole his first base of the season. Carlos Escobar and Darien Martin both had two hits with Escobar knocking in two. Marco Hernandez also had two RBIs and Gioskar Amaya had one of his own. Justin Amlung got the start, but only lasted two innings as he gave up three runs on six hits. Michael Heesch then pitched two scoreless innings and got his second win of the season. James Pugliese struck out six over the next three innings, but did give up three runs before getting the ball to Nathan Dorris. Dorris closed this one out striking out two over the final two innings of the game. Boise remains six games up on the Yakima Bears with their magic number down to four.
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Beloit got off to a great start, but Peoria came roaring back scoring four in the sixth and one in the eighth to tie it up before scoring three in the 13th and beating Beloit 9-6. Timothy Saunders continues to impress at the plate going 4-for-6 with a stolen base, three runs scored and two RBIs. He is now hitting .391 with Peoria in 11 games. Jorge Soler was back at it going 2-for-6 with a stolen base, three runs scored and an RBI. Jacob Rogers and Bijan Rademacher each had a hit and an RBI and Pin-Chieh Chen had two hits. Starling Peralta started, but struggled with his command walking five in five innings. He also gave up five hits and allowed four runs, three earned, and struck out four. After Bryce Shafer gave up an unearned run the rest of the Chiefs staff threw up zeros. First Pete Levitt struck out four in 2.2 innings, then Sheldon McDonald struck out four in his two innings. Luis Liria came on to shut the door in the 13th and recorded his fifth save of the season.
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Game one of Daytona’s double-header was decided early as Clearwater scored two in the first and Daytona scored one in the second. Nothing would change as the Cubs lost game one 2-1. PJ Francescon started and took the loss striking out four and giving up two runs in three innings. Eduardo Figueroa, Matt Spencer, and AJ Morris all did their job not allowing another hit and shutting Clearwater down over the next three innings. The offense just couldn’t get it going, which is to be expected as they haven’t played in several days. Taylor Davis was 2-for-2 and drove in the only Cubs run in this one. Christian Villanueva hit a double and scored the Cubs lone run in the loss. John Andreoli and Elieser Bonne also had hits and Javier Baez was 0-for-3.
Game two didn’t go much better for Daytona as Clearwater jumped out early scoring three in the first and never looked back beating the Cubs 4-2. Frank Del Valle was on the hook for all four runs, only three of which were earned in four innings of work. Ryan Searle and Hunter Cervenka each pitched a scoreless inning a piece. Offensively there were a couple bright spots, one of which was Ronald Torreyes who was 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Vladimir Frias had two hits of his own and Nelson Perez added a hit and an RBI. The offense is obviously having a hard time getting in any kind of rhythm as games have been few and far between.
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Tennessee was embarrassed on Wednesday losing to Chattanooga 11-1. Dae-Eun Rhee started and took the loss giving up three runs on nine hits in 5.2 innings. Things didn’t get any better as Casey Weathers gave up three runs after recording just one out. After Zach Rosscup struck out the side in the seventh, Casey Harman gave up five runs, only one of which was earned in the eighth inning. Dustin Harrington struck out two in the ninth, that’s right Dustin Harrington, the same guy who plays third base. He was 2-for-2 at the plate as well, hitting a double and scoring a run. Matt Szczur was the only other Smokie to have a hit as he had a triple and drove in the lone Cubs run.
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Iowa was winning 3-1 into the eighth, but gave up five over the next two innings and lost 6-3. Horacio Ramirez was great on Wednesday giving up one run on seven hits in seven innings pitched. Blake Parker struggled and took the loss giving up three runs in the eighth and Jairo Asencio allowed two unearned runs in the ninth. Dave Sappelt had a nice day at the plate going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Brian Esposito had a hit and an RBI and Blake Lalli had a hit and scored a run in the loss. Adrian Cardenas finally got to play baseball again and was 1-for-4 with a run scored. It is tough to see Parker give this one up, as his rehab has been going quite well thus far, but I am sure he will come back strong in his next outing.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/21: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Tuesday’s minor league report. As you may have guessed Daytona was postponed yet again.
The AZL Cubs lost to the Mariners 4-1 in one of their two games on Tuesday. Duane Underwood got the start and pitched pretty good going three innings and allowing no runs on no hits, while walking one and striking out three. Anthony Prieto pitched the next 2.1 innnings and took the loss giving up four runs. At the plate Justin Marra had himself a nice day going 2-for-2 with a double and a triple. He also scored the Cubs lone run when he was driven in by Trevor Gretzky who also had two hits. Shawon Dunston also had a hit in the loss.
The AZL Cubs scored four times in the seventh to beat the Mariners 7-6. The offense did a nice job in not giving up in this one. Shawon Dunston was 2-for-3 with a two runs scored and an RBI. Anthony Giansanti who is working his way back from injury also had two hits and drove in three. Justin Marra, Ben Carhart, and Garrett Schlecht all had a hit and an RBI in the game. Carlos Penalver and Jeffrey Baez each had a hit in the win. Carl Lang got the start only pitching one inning and allowing no runs. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino continued to struggle as he gave up five runs, four earned on six hits in only three innings. After Steve Perakslis gave up one run in two innings Chad Martin pitched a scoreless seventh and earned his third win of the season.
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After a rough loss on Monday night Boise came out swinging beating Yakima 7-4. Pierce Johnson started, but struggled a bit giving up three runs in two innings. Felix Pena came in relief and pitched five wonderful innings allowing only one unearned run and striking out three. Eduardo Orozco pitched the final two innings notching his sixth save of the season. Offensively Gioskar Amaya had himself a nice night going 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Albert Almora had a hit and an RBI and Marco Hernandez also drove one in. Stephen Bruno and Xavier Batista each had a hit and combined to score three runs. It was good to get back in the win column after last nights debacle.
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Peoria came back strong on Tuesday beating Wisconsin 4-2. Jeff Antigua was good enough to win this one, but got a no decision. He last 5.2 innings allowing two runs, one earned on five hits, while striking out five. Austin Reed threw 2.1 scoreless innings in getting the win. Larry Suarez pitched the ninth and recorded his fourth save. After a couple rough games for Jorge Soler he got back on track going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Sergio Burruel also had a nice night at the plate adding three hits and driving in one run as well. Pin-Chieh Chen contributed with a hit and an RBI. Timothy Saunders, Dustin Geiger, and Wes Darvill all had a hit a piece with Darvill also scoring a run and stealing a base. It was good to see the Chiefs and Soler get back on track in this one.
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Tennessee lost a pitcher’s duel 3-1 in 11 innings. Eric Jokisch started for the Smokies giving up no runs in five innings of work. He left in line for the win and Trey McNutt and Tony Zych got it to the ninth inning scoreless, but Frank Batista gave up a run in the ninth. Kevin Rhoderick took the loss as Casey Harman couldn’t get the final out of the 11th before the two runs scored. Jae-Hoon Ha and Matt Cerda were the only Tennessee players to have multi hit games. Justin Bour had a hit and drove in the only Smokies run. Rubi Silva and Matt Szczur each had a hit in the loss.
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Iowa scored two in the seventh to beat Memphis 2-0 on Tuesday. Seth McClung started for the Cubs and was brilliant pitching seven strong innings allowing no runs on six hits, while walking one and striking out six. Scott Maine pitched a scoreless eighth and turned the ball over to Blake Parker who struck out two in recording his sixth save of the season. The Cubs didn’t do much offensively, but a two-run homer by Jeff Frazier proved to be more than enough. Blake Lalli also had a hit and scored on the Frazier home run. Diory Hernandez and Matt Tolbert each had doubles in the Cubs victory.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/18: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Saturday’s trip through the minors. The AZL Cubs and Daytona were both postponed on Saturday, August 18.
It was a nice night all around for Boise as they beat Tri-City 8-2. Boise’s pitchers only gave up two hits and one earned in the win. Jose Arias got the start and was brilliant pitching five strong innings not giving up a run and allowing only one hit. He also struck out five and walked one in getting the win. Hayden Simpson had been struggling, but pitched better tonight giving up two runs, one earned on one hit in four innings. He also struck out five on the night and got the save. Not only did the pitchers do their job, but the offense did as well. Stephen Bruno was great once again ending the night 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. He is now hitting .332 with Boise this year. Rock Shoulders had only one hit, but it was a big one, a grand slam in the third inning. Marco Hernandez was 2-for-4 with a run and Gioskar Amaya had one hit, two walks, and scored three runs. Dan Vogelbach only had one hit in this one, but did have an RBI. Albert Almora was 0-for-5 in this one, hitting into some tough luck. Boise continues to roll and this team is getting more fun by the day.
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Peoria got back on track Saturday beating Wisconsin 9-2. The offense pounded out 14 hits to go along with those nine runs to back Michael Jensen. Jensen pitched well going five innings allowing two runs, one earned one three hits, while striking out seven. Pete Levitt pitched well in relief pitching three shutout innings before giving the ball to Sheldon McDonald who recorded the last three outs of the game. Jorge Soler was outstanding in this one going 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, and two RBIs. Timothy Saunders and Jacob Rogers also had good games as each went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Yaniel Cabezas had a nice game of his own going 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Zeke DeVoss didn’t have a hit, but he walked four times, scored a run, drove one in, and stole his 35th base of the season. It was good to see the Chiefs come back after a rough stretch.
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Tennessee won 2-1 in a rain shortened game. Austin Kirk pitched a five inning complete game giving up one run on three hits. In his first start with Tennessee he got his first win. The offense did just enough for the win in this one led by Junior Lake. Lake was 2-for-3 at the dish with two doubles and a run scored. Michael Burgess and Justin Bour each had a hit and drove in a run a piece. Matt Szczur also contributed to the victory with a double and a run scored. A win is a win anyway you can get it, even if it only lasts five innings.
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Iowa made it two in a row beating Memphis 3-2 on Saturday. Ryan Rowland-Smith got the start and the win giving up one run on five hits in five innings. Blake Parker continued his rehab assignment pitching 1.2 innings and allowing one run. After a scoreless 1.1 innings Marcus Hatley turned things over to Jairo Asencio who notched his third save of the year. After a big day yesterday, Dave Sappelt did it again as went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Alfredo Amezaga, Jeff Frazier, and Brian Esposito all had two hits a piece. Tony Campana also had a hit and scored a run in the Cubs win.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/15: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A look at Wednesday’s Cubs minor leagues.
The AZL Cubs dropped Wednesday’s game to the Angels 3-1. The Cubs got some good pitching, but it wasn’t good enough. Duane Underwood started, but took the loss giving up two runs in two innings striking out two batters. Rafael Dolis and Ethan Elias combined to throw four innings of no-hit scoreless baseball. Brian Smith gave a run in his one inning of work. The Cubs offense struggled as they only recorded two hits. Shawon Dunston and Garrett Schlecht each had a hit a piece. Daniel Lockhart drove in Schlecht for the Cubs lone run in this one. It was a good pitchers duel that went in the favor of the Angels in this one.
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Boise gave up a bunch of runs losing to Salem Keizer 13-5. Everyone was looking forward to the debut of Albert Almora and he didn’t disappoint. In his second at bat Almora hit a solo home run, he ended the evening 2-for-5. Rock Shoulders also hit a home run, a three run shot in the third innings as well. Marco Hernandez had a hit and an RBI and Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-4. Dan Vogelbach and Jeimer Candelario each had a hit in the loss. All the Hawks pitchers struggled in this one all giving up multiple runs. Ian Dickson started giving up four runs on six hits in five innings, but left in line for the win. Hunter Ackerman took the loss giving up six runs in 2.2 innings and Rafael Diplan gave up three in his 1.1 innings.
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Peoria gave up four runs in the third and could never recover losing to Burlington 5-1. Jeffry Antigua took the loss on Wednesday, but didn’t get much help from his defense as he gave up all five runs, none earned. The Chiefs bullpen pitched really well as Justin Berg, Bryce Shafer, and Pete Levitt went the rest of the way striking out nine and only giving up three hits. Bijan Rademacher was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Wes Darvill had a double of his own and Zeke DeVoss had a triple. You might be asking why we haven’t heard Jorge Soler‘s name? Well, he sat this one out tonight, but the Peoria is hoping he will be back in the lineup tomorrow.
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Believe it or not Daytona actually played on Wednesday, a double-header against Lakeland. PJ Francescon started, but lasted only three innings allowing two runs on three hits. Hunter Cervenka followed and pitched two scoreless innings, striking out two batters. AJ Morris got the win pitching the final two innings. Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-4, including a double and an RBI. Elieser Bonne and Taylor Davis each drove in a run in this one. Nelson Perez had a double in the win. Javier Baez continued to struggle going 0-for-4 in game one.
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Daytona only gave up two hits over nine innings in game two, but lost 1-0. Frank Del Valle started and went six strong innings giving up only one hit, while walking three and striking out four. Eduardo Figueroa pitched well in relief, but took the loss giving up a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth. There wasn’t much happening offensively as the Cubs only had five hits in this one. On a positive Javier Baez had one of those hits as did Christian Villanueva. John Andreoli, Elieser Bonne, and Vladimir Frias each had as well in the game two loss.
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Winning 2-0 going to the seventh, Tennessee gave up one in the bottom half and then three in the eighth as they lost 4-2. Nicholas Struck started and pitched really well going six inning allowing one unearned run on five hits while striking out six. Brian Schlitter struggled taking the loss as he gave up all the runs in the eighth. Matt Szczur continued making adjustments as he was 1-for-4 with a double. Justin Bour and Chad Noble each had a hit and drove in the Smokies two runs. Jae-Hoon Ha and Michael Burgess each had doubles of their own and Matt Cerda also got in the hit column. Wednesday’s started off pretty good, but didn’t end the way the Smokies had hoped.
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Iowa got a great start from Chris Rusin as the Cubs won 4-0. In getting his eighth win Rusin pitched six strong innings giving up only four hits and struck out four. Blake Parker continues to impress in his rehab striking out three in two innings and Esmailin Caridad pitched a scoreless ninth. Jeff Frazier had a nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 with a double. Nate Samson and Alfredo Amezaga each had a hit and drove a run in. Chris Rusin not only pitched well, but he also contributed offensively going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Two wins in a row hasn’t happened much lately for Iowa, it would be nice to see if they can have a good run here to end the season.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/14: Around the Cubs Minor League System
It was not a very busy day for the minor leagues on Tuesday as the AZL Cubs and Peoria were both off and Daytona was cancelled once again.
Boise got a great outing from Tayler Scott and the rest of the staff as they defeated Salem-Keizer 5-0. Scott was great once again pitching five scoreless innings giving up four hits and striking out one. He got the win and is now 5-1 on the season with a 1.88 ERA. Tyler Bremer and Eduardo Orozco completed the shutout combing to not allow a run over the final four innings. Jeimer Candelario was 1-for-4 with two RBIs and Xavier Batista hit his fourth home run of the season. Daniel Vogelbach got back on track knocking in his 22nd run since going to Boise. Trey Martin and Gioskar Amaya each had two hits, with Martin driving one run in. After a couple of losses it was nice to see Boise get back in the win column.
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In a scoreless game until the sixth, Tennessee’s offense came to life beating Birmingham 8-2. Jae-Hoon Ha hit his fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot in the sixth to get the scoring started. Junior Lake went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Logan Watkins had two hits and an RBI as did Rubi Silva who played his first game since being promoted from Daytona. Matt Szczur had another hit, this one a double and Elliot Soto knocked in a run of his own. The Smokies used five pitchers to get this win. Dallas Beeler started, but only lasted three innings. Austin Kirk threw one scoreless inning and Casey Harman gave up two runs in 2.2 innings. Trey McNutt got the win and Kevin Rhoderick closed things out tossing the ninth.
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Iowa exploded for 12 runs on Tuesday defeating Tucson 12-7. This game was all about the offense as every starting position player had at least one hit, including the first six who had two a piece. Greg Rohan had two more hits and two more RBIs, he is now hitting .346 with 17 RBIs while in Iowa. Blake Lalli, James Adduci, and Dave Sappelt all had two hits and drove in one run. Tony Campana led things off and went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Juan Apodaca had an RBI and Nate Samson went 3-for-5 with an RBI of his own. Marcus Hatley got the win in relief pitching two scoreless innings. Scott Maine and Jairo Asencio combined to toss the last three scoreless innings. Ty’Relle Harris started and struggled giving up seven runs on nine hits in four innings. Iowa hasn’t had one like this in a while, it was nice to see the offense come around.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/12: Around the Cubs Minor League System
The Cubs minor’s report for Sunday, August 12.
The AZL Cubs took a 6-1 lead early, but lost a heartbreaker 10-8, giving up five in the seventh. Albert Almora continued to impress going 2-for-3 with a double, one RBIs, and two runs scored. Carlos Penalver and Alberto Mineo each had two hits with Penalver hitting a double and driving a run in. Garrett Schlect and Trevor Gretzky each had a hit with Schlect knocking one in. Jacob Rogers and Yasiel Balaguert also drove in a run. Ryan McNeil started, giving up one run on two hits, while striking out two in two innings. Jin-Young Kim struck out two and gave up two unearned runs. After Arturo Maltos-Garcia gave up a run in his one inning the game really took a turn. Corbin Hoffner took the loss, but didn’t get any help giving up six unearned runs on seven hits in 1.2 innings. Jasvir Rakkar recorded the last four outs not allowing a baserunner and striking one out. The Cubs need to be better defensively as they gave up eight unearned runs on Sunday.
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Salem Keizer scored five in the seventh and held on to beat Boise 10-9. Justin Amlung started for the Hawks pitching the first two innings allowing one run on three hits and striking out one. Michael Heesch gave up two runs in his two innings of work. James Pugliese was not very good on Sunday giving up seven runs, five earned on eight hits in just 2.2 innings. Matt Iannazzo gave the Hawks a chance getting the final seven outs not allowing a run and striking out two. Boise had a few nice nights at the plate on Sunday. Xavier Batista was 2-for-4 with a two home runs and five RBIs. Wilson Contreras also got into the fun going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Marco Hernandez also had two hits and Stephen Bruno went 3-for-5. We have come to expect great things from Dan Vogelbach, but tonight was not his night as he went 0-for-5. Boise will look to get back on track in their next one.
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After beating Beloit yesterday Peoria dropped one today losing 6-5. Zeke DeVoss was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a run scored, and a stolen base, his 34th of the season. Wes Darvill had his second nice game in a row going 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Pin-Chieh Chen and Dustin Geiger each had a hit and drove in a run a piece. Our nightly Jorge Soler watch was back in effect as he went 1-for-3 with a walk. After his outstanding outing earlier in the week Starling Peralta was back on the mound on Sunday. He pitched six innings allowing six runs, three earned on five hits and five walks. Pete Levitt pitched the final two innings, striking out two and not allowing a run. Soler and the Chiefs will be back in action against the Snappers tomorrow.
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Daytona was cancelled once again on Sunday.
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The Tennessee Smokies pitching staff was the story in this one beating Huntsville 4-0. In his first start Yoannis Negrin pitched great throwing five innings giving up no runs on one hit and striking out four. Zach Rosscup and Casey Weathers combined to pitch the next 2.2 innings and Frank Batista recorded his 21st save striking out two in 1.1 innings. A big congrats to Justin Bour as he drove in two runs on one hit bring his RBI total to 100. Junior Lake went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Logan Watkins had a nice night going 1-for-2 with three walks, three runs scored, and two stolen bases. Matt Szczur and Jae-Hoon Ha each had a hit of their own. We’ll see if the Smokies can keep it going.
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In a continuation from Saturday Iowa hung on to beat Las Vegas 10-8 in game one. Greg Rohan was 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Dave Sappelt added three hits of his own, including two doubles and a triple. He also scored two runs and drove two in. Blake Lalli has been getting some more playing time and has been doing quite well as he added two hits of his own, including a home run and two RBIs. Jeff Frazier and Brian Esposito each had two hits with Frazier knocking in three. The Cubs had to use a lot of pitchers in this one as Casey Coleman had to leave early and the game was called when winning pitcher Esmailin Caridad was on the mound when the game was called Saturday. Blake Parker, Marcus Hatley and Jay Jackson combined to pitch the next 3.2 innings before giving the ball to Jairo Asencio. Asencio closed out game one recording his second save.
Iowa dropped game two to Las Vegas losing 3-2 in a seven inning game. Frankie De La Cruz started and took the loss giving up all three runs on five hits in five innings. He also struck out seven and walked four. In his return to Iowa Scott Maine pitched the final inning of this one. Alfredo Amezaga was 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Blake Lalli and Diory Hernandez each had two hits of their own in game two. Greg Rohan added a hit and knocked in a run, his 13th since being in Iowa. It’s good to see Iowa get the split in this one.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/11: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Our nightly trip through the Cubs system. Daytona was postponed and Iowa suspended in the top of the fifth.
The AZL Cubs got things going early taking a 6-1 lead after three innings and they never looked back winning 8-3. Albert Almora had one of his best games as a Cubs going 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Dan Lockhart, Alberto Mineo, and Trevor Gretzky all had two hits of their own. Gretzy drove in two and scored a run on the night as well. Garrett Schlect and Shawon Dunston each had a hit and an RBI and Schlect stole three bags. The Cubs used three pitchers to get this win with Anthony Prieo pitching the first three, striking out three and allowing one run. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino threw the next three allowing two runs and striking out four. Finally Steve Perakslis pitched the last three striking out two allowing no runs on one hit in getting his third win of the season.
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Boise stayed hot beating Salem-Keizer 4-1. The first question on everyone’s mind will be, did Dan Vogelbach hit another home run? No he did not, but he did go 1-for-4 with an RBI. Izaac Garsez did hit a home run and drove in two runs. Trey Martin went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Wilson Contreras had three hits of his own, scoring two runs as well. Pierce Johnson got his first start in Boise pitching two innings allowing one run on four hits, while striking out two. Felix Pena pitched great out of the bullpen in getting his second win of the season. He gave up no runs on two hits, striking out four in five innings. Eduardo Orozco earned his fourth save pitching the final two innings allowing one hit and striking one out. If Boise can keep this up it looks like they will be well on their way to a winning the second half.
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Powered by a Jorge Soler grandslam Peoria beat Beloit 5-3. We were at the game so will do a more in depth recap with a bunch of pictures and stuff Sunday.
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Daytona was postponed and will play a double header tomorrow.
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Dae-Eun Rhee pitched great leading Tennessee to a 2-0 win. Rhee pitched six strong innings allowing no runs on six hits, while striking out three. Tony Zych pitched the next two scoreless innings striking out three batters and Brian Schlitter recorded his fourth save pitching a scoreless ninth. Matt Szczur continued his strong week going 2-for-3 with a walk and an outfield assist. Jae-Hoon Ha, Matt Cerda, and Michael Brenly each had a hit, with Brenly and Ha driving in the lone Smokies runs.
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Iowa scored five in the first, but gave up two in the third before the rain came. The game will be continued tomorrow with Iowa leading 5-2 in the top of the fifth.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/10: Around the Cubs Minor League System
All teams were back at it on Friday. Here is a quick recap of each game.
The AZL Cubs lost to the Rangers 7-3 on Friday. Duane Underwood got the start not allowing a run, but walking two in his one inning of work. Brian Smith then came in to pitch two scoreless innings. The next three innings decided the game as the Cubs defense let down Ethan Elias and Daniel Adrian who combined to give up all seven runs, but only two earned. Elias took the loss. Alvido Jimenez pitched the last three innings striking out three and not allowing a baserunner. Shawon Dunston had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs. Albert Almora had a hit and drove in one on the evening. Daniel Lockhart, Justin Marra, and David Bote all had a hit a piece, but it wasn’t enough for the Cubs tonight.
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Boise scored a bunch early and held on to win 11-8. Daniel Vogelbach was once again the story in this one hitting two more home runs. He now has seven in the last five games and has hit at least one in those five games. He ended the night 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs. Jeimer Candelario also had a really nice night going 4-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Stephen Bruno and Marco Hernandez each added two hits with Bruno knocking in one and Hernandez two. Ian Dickson started and gave up six runs in only three innings. He also walked four, but struck out five. Hunter Ackerman and Rafael Diplan combined to throw the next four innings allowing one run each. Nathan Dorris closed out the game recording his second save giving Diplan his second win of the season.
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Peoria lost to Burlington in Jorge Soler’s first game with the Chiefs. The story that everyone wants to know is how did Soler do? He went 1-for-4 with two RBIs hitting in fifth spot in the order. Chad Krist had quite a night going 2-for-4, including two doubles and three RBIs. Yaniel Cabezas also had two hits to go along with a run scored. Dustin Geiger, Wes Darvill, and Pin-Chieh Chen each had a hit a piece with Chen scoring two runs. Michael Jensen who has been good most of the year struggled giving up six runs on eight hits in five innings pitched. Justin Berg struggled giving up four runs, one earned in two innings and Bryce Shafer pitched a scoreless ninth. This was not quite the way Peoria planned things to go with Soler in the lineup, but tomorrow is a new day.
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Daytona took a 5-1 lead after three, but saw the lead slip away losing to Dunedin 8-5. Just like with Jensen, Matt Loosen had pitched well most of the season, but did not have his best stuff on Friday allowing five runs on seven hits in just 4.1 innings. Eduardo Figueroa pitched well in 2.2 relief innings, but Scott Weismann took the loss allowing the last three runs in his two innings of work. Micah Gibbs and Rafael Lopez each had two hits, with Gibbs driving in two and Lopez one. Elieser Bonne also drove in two runs for Daytona. John Andreoli had a hit and stole a base, bringing his total on the season to an impressive 50. Javier Baez continues to struggle going 0-for-5 and Christian Villanueva contributed with a hit and scored a run. Really looking to see Baez get going here, he is obviously going to have to adjust and I think he will sooner than later.
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Tied at two going to the ninth Huntsville scored two off of Kevin Rhoderick and held on to beat the Smokies 4-3. Erick Jokisch got the start and pitched well pitching six strong innings allowing one run on five hits and striking out six. Trey McNutt gave up one unearned run in two innings of relief. Matt Szczur is starting to figure things out at the next level going 2-for-4 with a triple, a run scored, and an RBI. Logan Watkins and Nelson Perez each added two hits of their own with Watkins scoring and driving in a run. Jae-Hoon Ha and Justin Bour each contributed with a hit and Matt Cerda drove in a run.
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Greg Rohan delivered a big two run single in the ninth to tie the game, but Jaye Chapman gave up a run in the bottom half as Iowa dropped a tough one to Las Vegas 4-3. Chris Rusin got the start pitching 5.2 innings allowing three runs on eight hits in a no decision. Michael Bowden pitched 1.1 scoreless innings and Chapman took the loss allowing the winning run. Blake Lalli drove in the other Cubs run ending the night 1-for-4 with a double. Tony Campana had two hits, including a double and Matt Tolbert had a hit of his own. Both Campana and Tolbert scored a run as did James Adduci. It was a nice comeback for Iowa, but still took the loss on Friday night in Vegas.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/9: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Here’s a look around the Cubs system on Thursday, August 9th. The AZL Cubs and Iowa were both off on Thursday.
Welcome to the Daniel Vogelbach Show as Boise beat Everett in a close one winning 3-2. The aforementioned Vogelbach ended the night 2-for-4 with two home runs, he now has five in his last four games. The Hawks had only two more hits on the evening one belonging to Marco Hernandez and the other a triple off the bat of Izaac Garsez. Garsez would score what would be the winning run when Gioskar Amaya drove him in with a sacrifice fly. Matt Iannazzo got the win in relief pitching two scoreless inning and striking out two. Tayler Scott started giving up two runs on eight hits in five innings pitched. He also struck out six and walked zero. Tyler Bremer recorded his first save pitching two scoreless innings, while striking out three. The Hawks stayed hot on Thursday and are 11-5 in the second half 3.5 games up.
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Peoria scored one in the top of the ninth to beat Burlington 5-4. Although Jorge Soler was promoted to Peoria today, he was not in the lineup, but that didn’t stop the Chiefs. Zeke DeVoss was 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs, and a stolen base. Pin-Chieh Chen only had one hit, but drove in two, including the game winner. Dustin Geiger had two doubles and Bijan Rademacher drove in a run. Joseph Zeller got the start for the Chiefs pitching five innings and allowing four runs, three earned on four hits. Jeffry Antigua pitched well out of relief striking out three in 2.1 scoreless innings. Larry Suarez got his third win of the season striking out one over the final 1.2 innings. It was a good win for Peoria and let the excitement begin as Jorge Soler should be in the lineup tomorrow.
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Daytona got down early in game one, but came storming back winning 5-4 in walk-off fashion. The walk-off wasn’t quite as exciting as some as it ended on a wild pitch. Ronald Torreyes was 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Javier Baez did not have a hit, but drove in his third run in two days and he stole his first base since being promoted. John Andreoli was 1-for-3 with a run scored and two stolen bases. Christian Villanueva had a nice night as well going 1-for-1 with two walks, a hit by pitch, a run scored, and a stolen base. Rubi Silva and Rafael Lopez each had a hit and scored a run. Robert Whitenack started and struggled early, but really settled down. He gave up four runs all in the first in four innings. Ryan Searle and Jeffrey Lorick combined to pitch an excellent four innings striking out five and allowing only one hit. Lorick picked up the win his second of the season.
Not much good came out of game two as Daytona lost 7-1. Kyle Hendricks started for the Cubs pitching three innings allowing one run on two hits, while striking out three. Kyler Burke and Hunter Cervenka pitched the final four innings in relief and really struggled combining to give up six runs. Not much happening for the offense in this one. Taylor Davis had a double and drove in the lone Cubs run. Elieser Bonne was 2-for-3 with a double and scored the only Cubs run of the evening. John Andreoli and Rubi Silva recorded the only other Cubs hits of the contest. As bad as game two was it was nice to get game one and at least get a split in the double-header on Thursday.
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Behind Nicholas Struck Tennessee beat Huntsville 5-3. Lendy Castillo continued his rehab pitching the first inning of this one allowing no runs on two hits. Struck came in relief to get his 13th win. He pitched seven strong innings allowing one run on only two hit and striking out seven. Frank Batista who has been so good recorded two outs, but need help from Brian Schlitter to close out the game. Schlitter recorded the last out and notched his third save of the season. A congratulations goes out to Matt Szczur who hit his first home run since moving to Tennessee. He ended the night 1-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored, and stole his third base. Logan Watkins was 1-for-2 with an RBI and his 23rd stolen base. Justin Bour is now two RBIs away from 100 as he drove in two more bringing his total to 98. Junior lake and Jae-Hoon both had a double, with Ha also walking four times on the evening. It was a nice win for the Smokies on Thursday.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
