Results tagged ‘ Matthew Spencer ’
9/2: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Only three games on Sunday as the minor league season comes to a close. Daytona’s season ended on Sunday, while Peoria and Tennessee will play their final game on Monday.
Peoria led most of the way, but lost in extra innings 5-4. Starling Peralta got the start and pitched pretty good, but had one tough inning in which he gave up three runs on three hits, walked three, and struck out eight in 5.1. Sheldon McDonald and Steve Perakslis combined to pitch the next 2.2 innings allowing one run. Austin Reed took the loss as he gave up a run in the 10th inning. Jorge Soler was the story on the offensive side as he was 3-for-5 with a mammoth home run, his third with Peoria. Jacob Rogers and Timothy Saunders each had two hits with Rogers knocking in one run. Zeke DeVoss, Pin-Chieh Chen, and Sergio Burruel each had a hit with Burruel adding an RBI in the loss.
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Daytona ended the season on good note beating Brevard County in walk off fashion 3-2. Also ending the season on a positive note was Javier Baez who was 2-for-3 with two home runs and two RBIs. Taylor Davis was the hero though as he had two hits, including the walk off RBI. Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in the win. Nelson Perez and Micah Gibbs each had a hit. Ryan Searle got the start pitching six inning allowing two runs, one earned on four hits. Matt Spencer and Hunter Cervenka combined to pitch 2.1 innings not allowing a hit and striking out four. Eduardo Figueroa got the win getting the last two outs of the game. It was a nice way for Javier Baez and the Daytona Cubs to end the season.
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Tennessee scored four in the 15th beating Pensacola 7-3. Dae-Eun Rhee got the start pitching six innings allowing one run on five hits. Tony Zych struggled giving up two runs in just 0.2 innings, but Frank Batista and Brian Schlitter did a really nice job pitching the next 4.1 scoreless innings. Casey Harman was outstanding as well pitching four scoreless innings, allowing only one hit, one walk, and one strike out notching his first win of the season. Matt Cerda was 3-for-7 with an RBI and a run scored. Logan Watkins had two hits, including a double and two RBIs. Junior Lake had one hit, but he made it count hitting a three-run homer and ended with four RBIs on the night. Jae-Hoon Ha, Rubi Silva, and Michael Brenly each had two hits in the win.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/30: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Here is a quick look at the Cubs minor league recap for Thursday, August 30th. When the AZL Cubs playoff game ends we will have a full recap of that game.
Boise scored two in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough as they lost to Everett 4-3. What else is new Stephen Bruno was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. His hit streak now sits at 20. Rock Shoulders hit a pinch-hit two-run home run in the ninth. Albert Almora was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Dan Vogelbach also had a hit in the loss. Justin Amlung started and took the loss going two innings allowing one run on two hits. James Pugliese pitched the next four innings allowing two runs and striking out four. Su-Min Jung and Tyler Bremer combined to throw the last three innings, with Bremer giving up a run and striking out two.
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Cedar Rapids put up four big runs in the 10th inning to beat Peoria 11-7. The Chiefs had a lot of nice nights on the offensively. Pin-Chieh Chen was 3-for-4 with two walks, a triple, three runs scored, and a stolen base. Wes Darvill also had three hits, including a double and an RBI. Jorge Soler was 2-for-6 with an RBI and Sergio Burruel also had two hits including a double and two RBIs. Zeke DeVoss had a hit and an RBI as did Jacob Rogers. Timothy Saunders, Oliver Zapata, and Bijan Rademacher all had a hit in the loss. Joseph Zeller started and pitched 6.2 innings allowing five runs on eight hits. Sheldon McDonald and Larry Suarez pitched the next 2.1 innings, but Luis Liria took the loss giving up the four runs in the 10th.
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Going into the ninth tied Brevard County scored two and Daytona one, so the final ended up 6-5 Brevard County. Kyle Hendricks started and pitched four innings allowing three runs on seven hits. Matthew Spencer and Hunter Cervenka combined to pitch the next 2.1 innings giving up one run and striking out four. Eduardo Figueroa took the loss as he allowed the two runs in the ninth inning. John Andreoli had a nice night going 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Javier Baez was 1-for-4 with a home run and Christian Villanueva had a hit and an RBI. Rebel Ridling was 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored and Elieser Bonne knocked in a run with a hit in the loss.
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Tennessee beat Pensacola on Thursday 4-2. Dallas Beeler started and pitched five innings allowing two runs, one earned on four hits, while walking two and striking out four. After Casey Harman pitched a scoreless sixth, Trey McNutt pitched an outstanding inning as he struck out the side and didn’t allow a base runner. Brian Schlitter notched his six save as he struck out four over two innings. The Cubs offense used the long ball as all four runs accounted for via the home run. Logan Watkins, Justin Bour, and Matt Cerda all connected with Cerda hitting a two-run homer. Jae-Hoon Ha was the only other Smokies player to have a hit in the win.
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Thursday was not a good night for Iowa losing to Nashville 6-1. Yonner Negrin started and took the loss as he pitched five innings allowing three runs, two earned on six hits. Jaye Chapman struck out two in a scoreless inning of work, but Miguel Socolovich gave up three runs in his inning. Rafael Dolis pitched the final frame, not allowing a run and striking one out. Adrian Cardenas was responsible for the only Cubs run as he was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Tony Campana also had one hit and he scored the Cubs lone run, he also stole his 18th base at Iowa. The Cubs had five more hits in the loss, as Thursday was not a very good night.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/25: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Saturday’s minor league recap.
It was a game of big innings early, until the ninth when the AZL Cubs walked off with another win, this time 8-7. Paul Blackburn started, but wasn’t at his best giving up three runs on four hits in three innings of work. Rafael Dolis and Jasvir Rakkar each pitched an inning allowing two runs a piece. Ethan Elias did a great job keeping the Giants at seven runs as pitched the next three innings allowing no runs on no hits, while walking two and striking out four. The good luck charm Steve Perakslis improved his record to 4-0 as he got the win after pitching a scoreless ninth. The Cubs had a lot of nice days offensively. Carlos Penalver and Yasiel Balaguert each had two hits and drove in two a piece. Ben Carhart was 2-for-6 with a walk off single and Shawon Dunston had one hit, a double and three RBIs. Trevor Gretzky and David Bote both contributed with two hits and combined two score three runs for the Cubs. Daniel Lockhart and Garrett Schlecht each had a hit and an RBI in the Cubs victory. The victory clinched a spot in the playoffs for the Cubs.
Boise got out to a quick start and held on to beat Vancouver 8-6. After a recent struggle Jeimer Candelario appears to have broken out as he went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three RBIs. Stephen Bruno stayed red-hot going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Dan Vogelbach also had two hits, including a double and an RBI. Wilson Contreras and Gioskar Amaya each had a hit with Contreras knocking in two and Amaya one. Albert Almora left the game early with an apparent injury, but I have no word yet as to what the problem was. Ian Dickson started, but did not factor in the decision as was only able to last 4.1 innings as he allowed four runs on seven hits. Hunter Ackerman did get the victory as he threw the next 2.2 innings giving up one run and striking out five. Eduardo Orozco got the ball to Nathan Dorris and Dorris closed out the win and the second half for Boise. With the victory Boise is the second half winners and are headed to the playoffs.
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A three run fourth was enough for Joseph Zeller and the Cubs bullpen as they beat Wisconsin 3-2. Zeller pitched quite well giving up one run on seven hits in six innings. Sheldon McDonald pitched the next two innings allowing one run, but got the ball to Larry Suarez who notched his fifth save of the season striking out two in a scoreless ninth. Timothy Saunders had another nice night going 2-for-4 with a homer and a double. Chadd Krist also hit a home run, a two run shot in the fourth inning. Oliver Zapata had a hit, two walks, and two stolen bases and Zeke DeVoss also added a hit in the Chiefs win.
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Daytona lost game one to Tampa 3-2. Although they only had three hits, they threatened late, but couldn’t finish. Ronald Torreyes, Elieser Bonne, and Vladimir Frias were the only Cubs to have hits on Saturday. Nelson Perez drove in the two Cubs runs in game one without the benefit of a hit. Eduardo Figueroa started, but took a no decision as didn’t give up a run in four inning, while striking out six. Matt Spencer took the loss as he really struggled with his command walking five and allowing all three of the Yankees runs to score in just 0.2 innings. Matt Iannazzo finished game one out throwing a scoreless 1.1 innings.
Daytona returned the favor in game two as Ryan Searle and staff only allowed three hits in a 4-1 win. Searle started and pitched pretty good going five innings allowing one run on three hits and striking out five. From there Jeff Lorick pitched a scoreless sixth and Scott Weismann notched his fourth save of the season throwing a perfect seventh. John Andreoli and Ronald Torreyes hit one-two in the order and set the table of the Cubs in this one. Torreyes was 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored, and an RBI. John Andreoli was also 2-for-4 with a double, triple, and two runs scored. Rebel Ridling had two hits of his own and drove in one run and Nelson Perez drove in another run, again not having a hit. Javier Baez broke through with a double in the victory.
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Mobile scored one in the ninth to tie it and got one in the 10th to beat Tennessee 4-3. Nicholas Struck was in line for the win pitching seven innings, allowing two runs, one earned on six hits, while striking out six. Zach Rosscup did his job getting the ball to Frank Batista, but Batista couldn’t get the save in this one allowing the ninth inning run. Casey Harman took the loss allowing an unearned run in the 10th. Rubi Silva had a nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Jae-Hoon Ha had three hits and Junior Lake had two hits and a run scored. Logan Watkins was 1-for-5 with a home run for the Smokies in the tough loss on Saturday.
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Things have been better for Iowa as of late and Saturday was no different as they beat Oklahoma City 4-1. Ty’Relle Harris started and got the win pitching six strong innings. He allowed one run on four hits while striking out six. Miguel Socolovich and Jeff Beliveau each pitched a perfect frame to get the ball to Jairo Asencio who struck out two and pitched a scoreless ninth to record his fifth save of the season. The Cubs had a few nice nights offensively on Saturday starting with Diory Hernandez who had a home run and three RBIs. Dave Sappelt was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Matt Tolbert also had two hits with a run scored. Greg Rohan and Jeff Frazier each had two hits a piece with Frazier having two doubles and Rohan having one. It is good to see Iowa finishing the season strong.
It was an exciting night, Congrats to Boise Hawks and the AZL Cubs in clinching a playoff birth.
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
8/16: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A quick recap of the Cubs minor league system on August 16.
The AZL Cubs only gave up three hits on Thursday beating the Reds 9-1. Anthony Prieto started and pitched three quality innings allowing no runs on one hit while striking out three. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino got his fifth win of the year pitching five nice innings in relief. He gave up one run on two hits while striking out seven in five innings. Jin-Young Kim threw a scoreless ninth striking out one. The pitching wasn’t the only highlight of the night as the Cubs scored nine on 11 hits. Shawon Dunston was really good going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Yasiel Balaguert had a nice offensive night as he had two hits, a homer and a double. Trevor Gretzky continued his great run going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Garrett Schlecht, Carlos Penalver, and Alberto Mineo all drove in one run. It was good to see the offense get going again on Thursday night.
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Boise put up five runs through the first four innings of this one and that was more than enough as they beat Tri-City 7-2. We will start with our Albert Almora watch. Almora went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Carlos Escobar had two hits, including a double and three RBIs. Jeimer Candelario was 1-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Dan Vogelbach and Wilson Contreras each drove in a run with Contreras going 3-for-5 with a double. Giosakar Amaya added a triple and walked three times. The other story of the night was Pierce Johnson who was just great striking out five of the six outs he recorded. Felix Pena got the win as he went the next five innings allowing two run on five hits. Nathan Dorris picked up his third save of the year striking out three batters in two innings. Boise had a very nice night all around.
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Peoria only gave up three hits, but couldn’t plate a run as they lost to Burlington 4-0. Willengton Cruz got the start for Chiefs and took the loss giving up two runs in two innings of work. Luis Liria and Sheldon McDonald each gave up an unearned run as they combined to pitch the next five innings. Larry Suarez struck out four and pitched the final to innings for Peoria. Dustin Geiger and Timothy Saunders each had a really nice game at the plate recording two hits a piece. Oliver Zapata, Zeke DeVoss, and Pin-Chieh Chen all had a hit to round out the offense for the Chiefs. Once again the defense was an issue as Peoria committed three errors, and allowed two unearned runs to score.
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It started out as a good night, but turned into a tough one as they gave up four runs in the eighth and two in the ninth to lose 7-6. Javier Baez had his best night since moving to Daytona going 3-for-4 with a home run and a double. He ended the night with three RBIs and two runs scored as well. Rebel Ridling was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Taylor Davis also had a double and drove in two for the Cubs. Christian Villanueva had been quiet for a while, but he added a hit and an RBI of his own. Robert Whitenack pitched the first four innings allowing one run on four hits. Matt Spencer threw two really nice innings in relief and was in line to get the win, but the Cubs bullpen couldn’t hold the lead. First Scott Weismann recorded just two outs and gave up four runs and then after the Cubs took the lead again Jeff Lorick gave up two more runs and took the loss. On a positive it was nice to see Baez have a nice night, hope that is the beginning of a tear.
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Tennessee only go four hits in this one, but made them count beating Birmingham 4-3. What else is there to say about Justin Bour. He hit his 16th home run of the season, a three run shot in the third bringing his RBI total to 105. Jae-Hoon Ha was 1-for-3 with an RBI and Elliot Soto drove in a run. Michael Burgess and Dustin Harrington each had a hit as well, with Burgess having a double. Eric Jokisch started, but only lasted 4.2 innings allowing two runs on six hits. Tony Zych came in in relief and got the win pitching a scoreless two innings. After Kevin Rhoderick allowed an unearned run Frank Batista closed the door pitching the final 1.2 innings in recording his 22nd save.
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Iowa lost to Tucson 7-6. Seth McClung‘s first start with Iowa didn’t go as planned allowing seven runs, four earned on seven hits in 3.1 innings. Ryan Searle threw 2.2 scoreless innings and Jay Jackson pitched two scoreless. After getting down by six early Iowa’s offense got to work, but it just wasn’t enough. Alfredo Amezaga was 4-for-5 witha double, a run scored, and an RBI. Tony Campana had two hits and stole a base. Blake Lalli also had two hits driving in one run and Greg Rohan was 1-for-4 with an RBI. Diory Hernandez and Matt Tolbert each had two hits and Jeff Frazier drove in a run. After two wins in a row it’s back to the “L” column for Iowa.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/13: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Recapping July 13th, 2012 in the Cubs minor league system, enjoy.
The AZL Cubs have a way of punishing their opponents, and more often than not Daniel Vogelbach is leading that charge, tonight was more of the same as the Cubs beat the Rangers 7-3. Vogelbach was a man possessed tonight as he went 3-for-4 with his 6th home run of the season, two doubles, an RBI, a walk, and two runs scored. Vogelbach now has 10 doubles on the season, the man doesn’t now how to hit singles, he’s a slugging machine right now. Ben Carhart and Jacob Rogers made sure Vogelbach had plenty of help as each guy had two hits, Carhart is now hitting .340 while Rogers is now hitting .429 on the season. Timothy Saunders had a shocking 0-for-4 dropping his average all the way down to .475 on the season, please catch that sarcasm, I’m laying it on pretty thick. Anthony Prieto started for the Cubs and only went one inning, he didn’t give up any runs but gave up one hit and issued three walks before departing. Hunter Ackerman came on in relief and earned the win after going three innings giving up one run on two hits, while walking two and striking out two. Nathan Dorris came on in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
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A late inning collapse can be blamed for Boise’s loss as they seemingly had this one wrapped up leading 4-2 heading to the 8th. Vancouver scored four in the 8th and one more time for good measure in the 9th to take beat Boise 7-4. Tayler Scott started for Boise and was his typical solid self going four strong innings allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits while walking two and striking out one. Hayden Simpson chipped in 3.2 innings of relief but was on the mound for Vancouver’s comeback. The defense behind Simpson didn’t help as he allowed three runs on six hits but only one was earned. Gioskar Amaya continued his solid season at the plate going 2-for-5 with his 3rd home run of the season, he his now hitting .298 on the campaign. Dong-Yub Kim also had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a run scored and Rock Shoulders continued showing patience at the plate as he was 0-for-1 with three walks.
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For all the press the Chiefs offense gets, and well deserved, the pitching has shown flashes of brilliance as well, tonight Joseph Zeller dazzled. Zeller was perfect in his six innings of work, that’s right, no hits or walks in six innings while striking out four en route to his first win of the season. The Chiefs couldn’t finish off the perfect game eventually allowing one run on two hits in an 8-1 victory over Dayton. Chadd Krist is becoming a story, the 2012 draft pick has already been promoted to Peoria and he is swinging the bat well. Krist was 2-for-4 again tonight with his first home run as a Chief, he also had a double, two RBI’s and two runs scored. Paul Hoilman and Wes Darvill each chipped in with two RBI’s a piece.
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Losses can’t get much harder to take than this one. The Daytona Cubs were well on their way to a victory behind P.J. Francescon leading 7-0 heading to the 6th inning, then the wheels fell off. Palm Beach blitzed the D-Cubs for seven runs in the sixth inning, and three in the seventh to take a 10-7 lead, eventually winning 11-8. Francescon was brilliant for the D-Cubs, he went five innings allowing no runs on two hits, while striking out three, but had to settle for a no decision. Matthew Spencer, Ryan Searle, Scott Weismann, and Frank Del Valle were really bad, no other way to put it as they tossed a combined four innings giving up 11 runs, all earned, on 11 hits while walking three and striking out three. Rubi Silva had a solid day at the plate going 3-for-6 with a triple, his ninth, yes ninth of the season, and an RBI. Ronald Torreyes and Rebel Ridling each had two hits in the loss, as six different D-Cubs had RBI’s.
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The Smokies never really allowed Birmingham into this one as they jumped all over the Barons with four in the first, then tacked on three in the fifth and sixth to take a 10-0 lead. The Barons tried to save face by pushing across three runs in the final two innings but it didn’t help as the Smokies rolled to a 12-3 victory. Erik Jokisch was nearly perfect going five innings allowing no runs on one hit while walking four and striking out six. Jokisch struggled with his command, see the six walks, but was untouchable otherwise in earning his 5th win of the season against one loss. Trey McNutt made his debut as a reliever, after officially being moved to the pen yesterday. He was solid going two innings in relief giving up no run on one hit and striking out two. Justin Bour had a stellar game at the plate going 2-for-6 with a double, four RBI’s and a run scored. Logan Watkins wasn’t going to let Bour have all the fun as he went 3-for-4 with two RBI’s, two walks, and three runs scored. Junior Lake, Jae-Hoon Ha, and Michael Burgess all had two hits in the blow out win. The Smokies managed to pound out 14 hits and 12 runs and did it all without a home run.
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A late rally from Iowa fell just short as they dropped a close one to Omaha 4-3, the I-Cubs scratched across two runs in the ninth unfortunately it was too little too late. Brooks Raley was really good for the I-Cubs going five innings and allowing two runs on six hits while walking one and striking out four. Unfortunately that wasn’t good enough to avoid a loss as Raley fell to 4-5 on the season with a 3.57 ERA. Adrian Cardenas continued his recent stretch of outstanding play, proving that he is a play every day kind of guy, he won’t reach that max potential by coming off the bench. Cardenas was 2-for-3 with a double, triple, a walk, and a run scored in the loss. Welington Castillo was 3-for-4 with a run scored, but that was the extent of the I-Cubs offense as they were a horrendous 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left eight guys on base.
Thanks for reading,
- George
7/6: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Cubs minor league recaps for Friday July 6.
The AZL Cubs scored two runs in each of the first three innings and they continued to add beating the AZL Giants 10-3. Daniel Vogelbach only had one hit today, but made it count connecting on his third home run of the season. He was also the only Cub to drive in more than one run on the day. Timothy Saunders was 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Carlos Escobar had two doubles and drove in a run. Cubs also got RBI’s from Justin Marra, Carlos Penalver, and Izaac Garsez. Ryan Hartman got his first win of the season in relief. He gave up two runs on five hits in 3.1 innings of work. Matt Ianazzo was outstanding in his two innings of relief as he struck out four in two scoreless innings.
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Boise lost a tough one on Friday night falling to Tri-City 5-4. James Pugliese got the start and gave up three runs, two earned on six hits in five innins. Pete Levitt couldn’t hold the lead giving up a run in the seventh. Michael Heesch then came on to strike out four in two scoreless innings. Bryce Shafer who has been really good for Boise gave up a run in the eleventh which proved to be the game winner. At the plate Jeimer Candelario was 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Chadd Krist was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Bijan Rademacher was 2-for-5 with double and an RBI. Wilson Contreras also had two hits and drove in two. It was a tough loss for the Hawks as they had a lead for most of the game.
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Burlington scored two in an inning four different times to beat Peoria 8-3. Offensively Dustin Geiger stayed hot hitting his fourth home run in three days, he drove in two on the night. Taiwan Easterling had two hits, a run scored, and an RBI and Javier Baez was 2-for-4. Starling Peralta got the start and took the loss, but was let down by his defense giving up six runs, only two earned on four hits in five innings. Sheldon McDonald pitched well in relief striking out four in 2.1 innings of work.
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Daytona had a nice win on Friday beating Dunedin 5-1. Matt Loosen got the start and very impressive improving his record to 7-3. He struck out 10 while only giving up three hits and allowing no runs in seven innings of work. Matt Spencer and Scott Weismann each pitched a scoreless inning in relief to preserve the win. At the plate the Cubs had some really special nights. Arismendy Alcantara was a single a way from the cycle. He ended the night 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI’s. Rubi Silva also was impressive going 4-for-5 with an RBI. Ronald Torreyes and Taylor Davis each drove in a run and John Andreoli had a triple and also scored a run.
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Game one of the double header belonged to Eric Jokisch and the Smokies beating Jacksonville 5-1. Jokisch pitched six inning allowing one run on five hits while striking out two and walking one. Marcus Hatley threw a scoreless seventh to close the game out. Offensively Justin Bour and Michael Burgess each recorded a hit and two RBI’s. Greg Rohan also drove in a run and scored one ending the game 1-for-3 with a double. Nelson Perez and Michael Brenly each had a hit and Brenley scored a run.
Game two was a different story as Jacksonville came out on top beating Tennessee 3-1. Nicholas Struck took the loss, but didn’t pitch that bad as his defense let him down. He struck out six in five innings pitched and gave up three runs, only one earned in five innings. Tony Zych who struck out three and Frank Batista each pitched a scoreless frame. Offensively there wasn’t too much to talk about Logan Watkins, James Adduci, Juan Apodaca, and Nate Samson were the only Smokies to recored hits. Apodaca drove in Adduci for the only Smokies run in game two.
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Alfredo Amezaga played the part of the hero on Friday delilvering a base hit in the 11th inning to give Iowa a 5-4 win. The unsung hero’s in this game were the bullpen. Casey Coleman got the start, but only lasted three innings and gave up three runs. Frankie De La Cruz pitched four solid innings of relief allowing no runs on three hits. Jay Jackson followed suit pitching a scoreless inning. Michael Bowden did blow the save, but was able to pitch a scoreless tenth and eleventh inning in route to his second win. Offensively Dave Sappelt was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Blake Lalli also had two hits including a double. Welington Castillo hit his third home run of the season and had two runs scored and two RBI’s. Josh Vitters kept his average at the .300 mark going 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Adrian Cardenas also added a hit and an RBI on Friday. Brett Jackson missed his second game in row.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
7/3: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Cubs minor league recaps for July 3.
Trailing after the first by four the AZL Cubs came all the way back to tie the game at seven, but gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth to lose 8-7. Isaac Garsez had a great day at the plate going 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBI’s. The Cubs also had two hits a piece from Daniel Lockhart and Jacob Rogers. Lockhart added two RBI’s and Garrett Schlect also drove in one on the day. Not much good came from the pitching staff with Carlos Martinez-Pumarino getting the start, but only lasting .1 innings. Matt Iannazzo took the loss in relief giving up the game winner in the bottom of the ninth. The lone bright spot out of the bullpen on Tuesday was Alvido Jimenez who struck out three and only gave up one hit in 3.2 innings.
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A late rally wasn’t enough on Tuesday as Boise lost to Tri-City 6-4. Jeimer Candelario was 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Rock Shoulders had a double and drove in two runs on the night. Losing pitcher Ian Dickson got the start, but could only last one inning as he gave up three runs, two earned on three hits. Rafael Diplan pitched well in relief throwing three solid innings. He lowered his ERA to .61.
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The offense for Peoria struggled once again on Tuesday losing to Kane County 4-1. Starting pitcher Joseph Zeller took the loss pitching five innings giving up two runs on six hits. Hunter Cervenka was really good out of the bullpen allowing only one hit and striking out four in three innings of work. Dustin Geiger, Wes Darvill, and Yasiel Balaguert were the only Chiefs players who recorded hits on Tuesday.
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Daytona was trailing seven headed to the eighth before putting up six to trail by one, but that was where the comeback stopped as Daytona fell to Lakeland 9-8. A lot of good things happened offensively on Tuesday. Rubi Silva was 3-for-5 including a triple with a run scored and two RBI’s. John Andreoli, Rebel Ridling, and Elieser Bonne all had two hits on the night with Bonne adding two RBI’s and Ridling and Andreoli had one a piece. Austin Kirk got the start and took the loss on Tuesday. He gave up five runs on six hits in four innings of work. The bullpen didn’t fair much better with Matthew Spencer and Scott Weismann each gave up two runs in their relief outings.
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Tennessee gave up four in the seventh and five in the eighth to drop the game 11-6. Michael Burgess had two hits, including a triple. He also drove in four runs and scored one. Junior Lake and Nelson Perez each a hit on the day and drove in a run. Logan Watkins also had two hits including a triple and he also scored a run. The pitching staff didn’t fair too well. Trey McNutt got the start, but didn’t factor in the decision. He gave up two runs on seven hits in four innings of work. Jeffry Antigua, Keven Rhoderick, and Casey Weathers all struggled in their relief appearances, with Rhoderick taking the loss.
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Recently demoted Randy Wells pitched good on Tuesday getting win as Iowa won 3-2. Wells gave up one run on three hits in five innings. He also struck out four and walked two. Ryan Rowland-Smith and Jay Jackson each recorded a hold and Michael Bowden earned his first save of the season. Offensively Josh Vitters was the star once again going 1-for-3 with two RBI’s. Blake DeWitt drove in the other Cubs run on the day. Brett Jackson had one hit, stole his 18th base and scored a run.
Another rough day for the Cubs minor leaguers.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
6/30: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A look at the Cubs minor leagues on Saturday, June 30.
Another game for the AZL Cubs and more runs scored as the Cubs won 12-8. Some of the highlights at the plate were Daniel Vogelbach going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and three runs scored. Carlos Penalver also went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and three RBI’s. Isaac Garesz and Neftali Rosario had two hits a piece. Rosario had two RBI’s as did Garrett Schlect. Justin Berg got the start, but did not factor in the win. David Henrie did get the win pitching four innings giving up three runs, one earned on five hits.
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Boise got the bats going on Saturday beating Spokane 12-6. Stephen Bruno went 2-for-4 with a double, triple, an RBI, and two runs scored. Jeimer Candelario was 3-for-5 with a double, run scored, and two RBI’s. Bijan Rademacher had three hits and Chadd Krist also added two hits of his own. Xavier Batista and Shawon Dunston Jr. each added an RBI on the night. Jose Arias was not real sharp, but got his first win of the year. Pete Levitt recorded his first save of the year and Michael Hamann pitched two scoreless innings in relief.
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Peoria took the loss on Saturday losing to Wisconsin 9-5. Zach Cates struggled only lasting four innings givine up five runs, four earned on six hits, while striking out five. Zachary Rosscup pitched well in relief striking out five and only giving up one hit in two innings. Offensively Oliver Zapata was 3-for-4 with an RBI. The Chiefs also got RBI’s from Pin-Chieh Chen, Dustin Geiger, Paul Hoilman, and Yasiel Balaguert. Javier Baez was 1-for-4 with a run scored as well.
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Kyler Burke took the loss as Daytona fell to Dunedin 5-2. Burke only lasted four innings giving up two runs, one earned on three hits in four innings. He struggled with his control walking four, but he also struck out six. Matthew Spencer and Eduardo Figueroa each pitched two innings and each gave up runs. Brian Schlitter pitched well in his one inning out of the bullpen. There wasn’t much excitement at the plate either as the Cubs could only muster five hits. Two of those hits came off the bat of John Andreoli. Arismendy Alcantara, Rebel Ridling, and Rubi Silva had the other Daytona hits and Elieser Bonne had contributed with an RBI.
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Logan Watkins hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eight which proved to be the game winner as Tennessee won 3-2. Michael Burgess also connected hitting his ninth homer of the year. James Adduci drove in the other Smokies run and Jae-Hoon Ha contributed with two hits including a double. Erik Jokish was pretty good, but did not factor in the decision. He gave up two runs on seven hits and struck out five in seven innings. Kevin Rhoderick who had been struggling of late got the win in relief striking out one in two perfect innings of relief.
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Despite a late rally Iowa fell short losing to Nashville 4-3. Down 4-0 entering the top of the ninth Iowa scored three runs including a solo home run off the bat of Brett Jackson. Jackson added a double earlier ending the night with two hits and a stolen base. Blake Lalli connected on a two-run homer in the ninth, his sixth of the season. Dave Sappelt had two hits and a run scored. Brooks Raley took the loss giving up one run on four hits in five innings. Ryan Rowland-Smith and Mike MacDougal each gave up runs in relief, but Jeff Beliveau pitched well striking out four in 1.2 innings pitched.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
6/26: Around the Cubs Minor Leagues
A look at the minor league system for Tuesday, June 26.
The Cubs lost 9-4 to the Dodgers on Tuesday night. The Offense for the Cubs was pretty good as they had 10 hits and four runs. Left fielder Trey Martin Led off on Tuesday and went 3-for-5 including a double and two runs scored. Dan Vogelbach went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk to raise his average to .412. Bijan Rademacher hit his first home run of the season and Daniel Lockhart had a triple and had an RBI. Alvido Jimenez struggled big time and took the loss on Tuesday. Michael Hamann, Ethan Elias, and Daniel Adrian all pitched well in relief.
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Boise dropped another on Tuesday losing to Spokane 3-1. James Pugliese took the loss allowing two rus on three hits in 4.2 innings. Hayden Simpson had another strong outing allowing one run on two hits while striking out four in 3.1 innings. There was not much good happening from the offense as Boise only had three hits on the day. Jeimer Candelario, Rock Shoulders, and Stephen Bruno had the only hits for the Hawks and Shoulders drove in the only run of the game.
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Peoria was chasing two early, but tied it up in the sixth and then exploded in the tenth to win the game 7-2. Paul Hoilman had a nice night going 2-for-5 with two RBI’s and a run scored. The Chiefs got an RBI a piece from Taiwan Easterling, Dustin Geiger, Yasiel Balaguert, and Pin-Chieh Chen. Chen also had two hits including a triple. Oliver Zapata also had two hits and two runs scored on Tuesday. The Chiefs got a nice start from Starling Peralta who pitched seven solid innings as he only gave up two runs on eight hits while striking out three. Matthew Spencer got the win in relief, striking out three in two perfect innings of work.
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Daytona took a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth, but ended up losing a heartbreaker 4-3 in 12 innings. The Cubs got a nice outing out of P.J. Francescon who gave up two runs on seven hits in six innings. Ryan Searle took the loos out of the bullpen giving up one run in 2.2 innings. The offense had 11 hits, three of which cam off the bat of Elieser Bonne, who also scored a run. John Andreoli and Rebel Ridling each had two hits and Ridling added two RBI’s. The other RBI came off the bat of Arismendy Alcantara.
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The bats came alive for Tennessee beating Birmingham 11-6 on Tuesday. The Smokies pounded out 15 hits and hit four home runs. Michael Burgess hit two of those four homers in a game where he went 3-for-3 with three RBI’s and four runs scored. Michael Brenly also had a very nice night going 3-for-4 with a homer, a double, three runs scored, and two RBI’s. Jae-Hoon Ha had two hits including his third homer of the season, he also had three RBI’s. Logan Watkins, Justin Bour, and James Adduci all had two hits and Watkins added two RBI’s as well. Nicholas Struck got his ninth win of the season. He gave allowed four runs, only one of which was earned in six innings. Frank Batista pitched two innings striking out two batters in route to his 12th save of the season.
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In their first game with Anthony Rizzo in Chicago Iowa lost 3-1. Frankie De La Cruz got the loss as he gave up three runs in five innings of work. Ryan Rowland-Smith and Michael Bowden pitched well out of the bullpen on Tuesday. Offensively there wasn’t much happening for Iowa. Juan Apodaca went 2-for-4 with two doubles raising his average to .330. Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters each added a hit and Blake Lalli had the only Cubs RBI on the day.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
