Results tagged ‘ Michael Bowden ’
Cubs Pitching, Castro, Beat Up Against Dodgers
Now THAT is an early Spring Training game if I’ve ever seen one, and I didn’t even see this one. It was a long, messy game that ended with the Cubs on the losing end of an 11-7 final, and holding their breath about a potential injury to their franchise shortstop, more on that later. It was a tale of two games for both teams really as seventeen of the eighteen runs scored in the game crossed the plate in the first five innings. 
Cubs pitching finally had a rough day, and it started with Brooks Raley. Raley was really knocked around, he was able to go one plus inning giving up four runs on five hits while walking one and striking out one. Thanks to an early surge by the Cubs offense Raley wasn’t on the hook for the loss, that honor went to Trey McNutt. McNutt didn’t pitch terribly in his outing, but he was hung with the loss as he couldn’t bail out Raley after he left and allowed an earned run of his own in an inning of work on two hits. Jaye Chapman, and Alberto Cabrera were also beat up pretty bad today as they combined to give up five runs, four earned, on six hits over three innings. Chapman was particularly bad as he only lasted a third of an inning giving up three runs, two earned, on two hits while walking two. The foursome of Michael Bowden, Hisanori Takahashi, Shawn Camp, and James Russell stopped the bleeding but it was too little too late.
As I mentioned the Cubs bats were alive and well early this afternoon as they held a 4-1 lead and pushed across seven runs in the first four innings. Both Nate Schierholtz and Darwin Barney had two hits, and they were productive as Schierholtz knocked in one with Barney driving in two. Javier Baez drew some oohs and aahs with a screaming line drive base hit that almost decapitated the Dodgers shortstop, the hit had twitter abuzz, and drew comparisons to Gary Sheffield after the game from Dale Sveum. Back to the Cubs holding their breath, Starlin Castro was 1-for-3 on the day, but had to leave the game after pulling up lame crossing first base after grounding out. Castro said after the game that he was worried when he first felt it, but he is confident it’s more tightness then a pull, he’s feelings were echoed by Sveum as well after the game, fingers crossed.
Thanks for reading,
- George
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
8/6: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Looking at the Cubs system on Monday, August 8. Daytona had the day off.
The AZL Cubs were able to tie the game at eight in the bottom of the ninth, but gave up two in the 10th to lose 10-8. Pierce Johnson took the mound for the second time and thew two scoreless innings, striking out two. As good as Carlos Martinez-Pumarino was in his first 29 innings pitched Monday was a real struggle. He gave up seven runs, six earned on seven hits in just 1.1 innings. Jasvir Rakkar struck out two in two scoreless innings. Alvido Jimenez took the loss, his third of the season giving up two runs in the tenth. Justin Marra had really nice night at the plate going 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Garrett Schlecht also had three hits on the night and drove one in. David Bote had two RBIs and Ben Carhart added one. Albert Almora had one hit and Jorge Soler was back in the lineup going 1-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored.
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Wow, Boise did it again beating Everett 11-7. The story in this one was the offense as they pounded out 14 hits to go along with the 11 runs they scored. After a rough game yesterday Gioskar Amaya got back on track, going 3-for-5 with a home run. Rock Shoulders got the start at first tonight and delivered going 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Carlos Escobar had two hits including a home run and two RBIs. Stephen Bruno also hit a homer and ended with two RBIs as well. Trey Martin ended the night with two RBIs and Wilson Contreras added a double and an RBI as well. The staff struggled on Monday. Justin Amlung started, but only lasted two innings giving up two runs. Felix Pena did not pitch well in four innings, but did get his first win of the year. He gave up four runs in four innings, however he did strike out five. Nathan Dorris secured the win notching his first save of the season, striking out three in 1.1 innings. The Hawks continue to roll and look to keep it going.
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Peoria dropped their fifth in a row losing to Clinton 8-6. Leading 4-1 after the first, this was not the outcome Peoria had in mind. The Chiefs did a few good things at the plate on Monday. Bijan Rademacher, Wes Darvill, and Sergio Burruel all had two hits, Darvill and Burruel driving in a run a piece. Timothy Saunders was 1-for-5 with a double, but drove in three runs and scored one. Zeke DeVoss added a hit out of the leadoff spot and also stole his 30th base of the season. Zach Cates got the start, but did not factor in the decision tossing 4.2 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits. Pete Levitt pitched a scoreless 1.1 innings and was in line for the win. Justin Berg struggled and took the loss allowing three runs, two earned in two innings. Jeffry Antigua couldn’t keep it close enough for the Chiefs as he gave up two runs in only one inning. This was another tough loss for Peoria on Monday.
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Tennessee score two in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough as the Smokies lost to Jackson 7-6. Tennessee did have 10 hits and seven runs, so the offense did a pretty nice job. What else can you say about Justin Bour. He hit another home run today, his 15th of the season and ended the day 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Junior Lake continued his solid season going 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs. Matt Szczur, who has been struggling since moving to Tennessee went 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored, and a stolen base. Lendy Castillo started and pitched only two innings allowing one run on one hit and striking out two. Dae-Eun Rhee just didn’t have it tonight, allowing six runs in five innings and taking the loss. The story in this one was Justin Bour who is just tearing it up right now.
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Iowa gave up a run in the top of the ninth losing to Reno 2-1. Frankie De La Cruz pitched five innings allowing only one run, while striking out four and walking three. Blake Parker and Michael Bowden combined to throw three scoreless innings, but Jairo Asencio took the loss allowing one run in the ninth. Greg Rohan had nice night at the dish going 2-for-4 with the Cubs lone RBI. Blake Lalli also added to hits, including a double. Alfredo Amezaga also had a double and Dave Sappelt contributed with a base hit of his own. Unfortunately I have feeling this is how most games are going to go offensively for Iowa the rest of the way. Let’s hope I am wrong and they can do something positive going forward.
8/4: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Here’s a look at the Cubs minor league affiliates on Saturday, August 4. The AZL Cubs were off tonight.
After a couple of losses Boise got back on track beating Spokane 6-2 of Saturday. Tayler Scott got his fourth win of the season allowing two runs, one earned in 5.1 innings pitched. Matt Iannazzo and Nathan Dorris were able to finish the game off, not allowing a run in the last 3.2 innings. Daniel Vogelbach had a great game going 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Stephen Bruno also had two hits and scored three runs. Jeimer Candelario had a double and also drove in a run. It was nice to see Boise bounce back and hopefully will have continue to have a good second half.
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Peoria’s first game in a long time without Javier Baez didn’t turn out too good losing to Clinton 8-1. Joseph Zeller started and struggled taking the loss. He gave up six runs, five earned on eight hits in just 3.2 innings. Just like that the Chiefs were down 6-1 and they never recovered. Chadd Krist had a really nice game at the plate going 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. Pin-Chieh Chen was the only other Chief to record a hit on Saturday. Larry Suarez and Bryce Shafer both pitched well, while Luis Liria got roughed up a bit. That’s now three losses in a row for Peoria, let’s see if they can end that skid tomorrow.
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A six run second was way too much for Daytona losing to Dunedin 12-5. Matt Loosen started and took the loss, giving up seven runs, four earned in two innings. He wasn’t the only Cubs pitcher who struggled as Scott Weismann and Eduardo Figueroa didn’t have their best stuff either combining to give up five runs over five innings. The Cubs did have some good things happen at the plate as they scored five runs on nine hits. Rebel Ridling was 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. Rubi Silva and Elieser Bonne each had two hits, with a run scored and an RBI. John Andreoli and Ronald Torreyes each had an RBI in the defeat. In his first game in Daytona Javier Baez went hitless. Daytona’s trying to make a push at the playoffs so they need to get back on track tomorrow.
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Tennessee took the first game of Saturday’s double-header beating Jackson 6-5. The middle of the Smokies order was the key to game one’s victory as Junior Lake, Justin Bour, and Michael Burgess all had two hits and two RBIs. They combined to go 6-for-11 with six RBIs and Justin Bour hit his 13th homer of the season. The two guys at the top Matt Szczur and Logan Watkins each had a hit and a run scored as well. Nicholas Struck got the win, his 12th of the season pitching five innings allowing three runs on six hits. Frank Batista struggled a bit, but picked up his 20th save of the season.
A late rally wasn’t enough for Tennessee to pull out game 2 of the double-header. The Smokies scored four in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough losing 8-7. Casey Harman started, but only gave up one run, but lasted only three innings. Casey Weather took the loss, giving up three runs in one inning. Kevin Rhoderick continued his struggles giving up another four runs in only 1.2 innings. Justin Bour hit his second home run of the night ending game two 2-for-2 with a homer and three RBIs, he now has 91 on the season. Michael Brenly and Nelson Perez each added two RBIs and Brenly had two hits. Logan Watkins had one hit, walked twice, and scored three runs. All in all Tennessee ended up splitting.
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Tied at one going to the bottom of the eighth, Josh Vitters and the Cubs decided they had enough of the losing. After taking the lead by 2-1, Vitters stepped to the plate and put the game out of reach launching his 17th home run of the season. Jairo Asencio would close it out as Iowa beat Colorodo Springs 5-1. Chris Rusin started and pitched well giving up only one run in on four hits in seven innings. He also struck out eight in a no decision. Michael Bowden got the win pitching a scoreless eighth. There wasn’t a ton of offense outside of Vitter home run, but there was a little bit. James Adduci went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Brett Jackson and Dave Sappelt each had a hit and a run scored.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/1: Around the Cubs Minor League System
August 1, nightly recap of the minor leagues.
The AZL Cubs had a double header on Wednesday, with each game being seven innings a piece. The pitching did a great job in the first one winning 4-0. The 43rd overall pick in this past years draft Pierce Johnson made his first appearance of the season. He started and pitched one scoreless inning. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino improved to 4-0 pitching four scoreless innings in relief. He gave up three hits, one walk, and struck out three, his ERA on the season is 0.93. Steve Perakslis secured the shutout by striking out five in two scoreless innings. Albert Almora was back in the lineup and leading off on Wednesday. He delivered going 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Jorge Soler was 2-for-4 with a run scored and three stolen bases. Ben Carhart had a double and an RBI.
The AZL Cubs had a good time of it in game two as well defeating the AZL Indians 7-2. Ben Carhart was 2-for-4 with twor runs scored and Yasiel Balaguert also had two runs with a run scored. Trevor Gretzky had one hit and an RBI and Neftali Rosario collected two RBIs without getting a basehit. Albert Almora didn’t have a hit, but collected his sixth RBI of the season and Jorge Soler was 0-2, but walked twice and scored two runs. Brian Smith started for the Cubs and thew two perfect innings while striking out two. Loiger Padron improved his record to 3-0 with his win in relief. he gave up two runs, but struck out six in three innings of work. Alvido Jimenez closed out the game striking out three in two scoreless innings.
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Boise was back at it and won again on Wednesday. After getting a big lead early, they gave up nine runs in the last four innings, but held on to win 14-10. There were a lot of good things happening offensively in this one. Xavier Batista was 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, and three RBIs. Jeimer Candelario and Dong-Yub Kim each had two hits and drove in three as well. Stephen Bruno hit his first home run of the season, a two run shot in the third inning. Daniel Vogelbach and Trey Martin each two hits with Martin scoring three runs. Lance Rymel had quite a nice night going 3-for-4 with an RBI. It was a tale of two games on the mound. Su-Min Jung started and pitched well allowing one run on three hits in three innings, while striking out three. Nathan Dorris got his first win of the season as he pitched the next two scoreless innings. Unfortunately Tyler Bremer and Willengton Cruz both struggled, but a win is a win.
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Peoria won a crazy one on Wednesday scoring three in the top of the ninth to win 11-10. The day belonged to Dustin Geiger. Geiger was 3-for-5 with a double, two home runs and eight RBIs, yes eight RBIs. He stole the show early and finished it late with a two run bomb that turned out to be the game winner. Javier Baez had two more hits, including a double. He also scored two runs and drove one in. Zeke DeVoss and Pin-Chieh Chen each had two hits, with Chen scoring three. Zach Cates started and didn’t have his best stuff, but came away with a no decision. Bryce Shafer got the win striking out four of the five outs he recorded. Austin Reed picked up his first save of the season pitching a scoreless ninth. Congrats to Geiger on just an ubelievable game.
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Daytona scored one in the fifth and one in the seventh to win a pitchers dual 2-1. Lendy Castillo continued his comeback throwing four innings, giving up three hits and allowing an unearned run. He had four strikeouts in the start. Eduardo Figueroa got the win, his third of the season pitching three scoreless innings. Scott Weismann and Jeffrey Lorick combined to pitch the last two innings, with Lorick earning his second save of the season. Rubi Silva was 1-for-4, but drove in the two Cubs runs on Wednesday. Ronald Torreyes continued hitting the ball going 2-for-3. John Andreoli and Taylor Davis each had two hits in the contest. It was a good win for Daytona.
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Because of rain Tennessee had another double header on Wednesday. The first one was a continuation of the night before. The Smokies got two in the fifth, winning 4-2. There were a couple bright spots on the mound. Dae-Eun Rhee started and took a no-decision pitching four solid innings only allowing one run on three hits. Trey McNutt got the win in relief pitching three innings allowing one run on two hits and Kevin Rhoderick recorded his eighth save of the season striking out three in two scoreless innings. Justin Bour was 1-for-4 with another RBI. Greg Rohan went 1-for-2 with an RBI and Nate Samson was 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs.
One was all Tennessee needed as Justin Bour was the hero hitting a walk off home run in the bottom of the seventh. He now has 12 home runs and 86 RBIs on the season. Dallas Beeler started and was tremendous allowing only one hit in five scoreless innings of work. Brian Schlitter picked up his second win in relief pitching the final two frames. Junior Lake, Nelson Perez, and Matt Cerda all had one hit a piece in the victory. Two wins to start the month is the right way to start it.
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Iowa was able to score six, but an eight run inning was way too much to come back from losing 11-6. We’ll start with the offense in this one. Brett Jackson was 3-for-5 with a double, triple, and a run scored. Josh Vitters hit his 16th home run of the season and had two RBIs. Greg Rohan, who was just promoted from AA was 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs. James Adduci collected two more hits including a triple and an RBI. Ty’Relle Harris got the start and took the loss as he was not very sharp. Michael Bowden did a very nice job striking out six in three innings and recently acquired Jaye Chapman threw a scoreless inning in relief.
All around it was a nice night for the Cubs minor leaguers with the only loss coming in Iowa.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/29: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Sunday, July 29th Cubs minor league report. Tennessee was off on Sunday.
The AZL Cubs lost to the AZL Reds 7-3. Dillon Maples made his much anticipated debut on Sunday, giving up one run in one pitched. He stuggled with his command walking two and throwing a wild pitch, but struck out one and got out of a tough jam with a double play. Paul Blackburn pitched 2.1 innings, giving up two hits, no runs, and striking out two. Chad Martin took the loss, giving up three runs in his one inning of work. Our nightly watch of Albert Almora and Jorge Soler was on again. Almora went 1-for-4 and Soler was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Trevor Gretzky and Carlos Penalver each had two hits with Penalver driving one in. Daniel Lockhart also had an RBI.
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Boise got one in the third, which proved to be enough beating Tri-City 1-0. Ian Dickson started and pitched weel allowing no runs on three hits in five innings pitched. He also walked two and struck four. Hunter Ackerman was outstanding in relief picking up his first save. He struck out six in just four innings and allowed only one hit. Gioskar Amaya hit his fifth home run of the year and ended the day 2-for-3. Rock Shoulder also had two hits, including a double and after a slow start his average is now up to .271. Jeimer Candelario added a hit and Marco Hernadnez had a double in the game as well. Lets hope the pitching continues down this path as that is two 1-0 wins in a row.
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Peoria scored nine in the first three innings and held on to beat Beloit 10-6. The offense led the way in this one. Dustin Geiger was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Pin-Chieh Chen was 3-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs. Unbelievably, Javier Baez only had one hit, but he did drive in two and score one. Wes Darvill also had two hits and drove a run in and Chadd Krist also had an RBI. Larry Suarez got the win in relief for Peoria striking out three in 1.2 innings pitched and Bryce Shafer closed out the game pitching a scoreless ninth. Lets see if Peoria can keep playing well going forward.
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A six run fifth helped Daytona win this shootout 12-7. The Cubs had a lot of nice games at the plate on Sunday. Ronald Torreyes went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Rafael Lopez had two hits, including his second home run of the season. Elieser Bonne was 3-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Leadoff man John Andreoli had two hits, stole three bases (40), and scored three runs. Matt Loosen wasn’t at his on Sunday, but it was good enough for him to improve his record to 10-3. He gave up five runs, four earned on six hits in five innings pitched. AJ Morris recorded his third save pitching a scoreless last 1.2 innings. Good to see Daytona hitting the ball and Matt Loosen get to the 10-win mark.
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Leading by one in the bottom of the ninth, Iowa gave up one there and then gave up three in the bottom of the 10th to lose 6-3. James Adduci continues to hit the ball going 3-for-5 on Sunday. Welington Castillo was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer on, his sixth of the season. Adrian Cardenas and Josh Vitters each had a hit. Brett Jackson didn’t have any hits, but he did walk and steal a base, his 24th of the season. Rodrigo Lopez actually pitched well going five innings and allowing only two runs, one earned on five hits, while striking out five. After Ryan Rowland-Smith and Esmailin Caridad pitched the next three scoreless innings the rest of the bullpen blew it. Michael Bowden gave up the run in the ninth and Jay Jackson took the loss giving up a three run homer in the tenth. It’s just not going well for Iowa, finding different ways to lose almost every night.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/26: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Taking you through the Cubs minor leagues on Thursday, July 26.
The AZL Cubs lost a rough one on Thursday to the Ranger 5-4. Leading most of the night, the Cubs gave up two in the eight, one in the ninth, and one in the tenth to blow what appeared to be a win. Those relievers who struggled were Ryan Hartman, Nathan Dorris, and losing pitcher Daniel Adrian. It wasn’t all bad on the mound as Carl Lang and Ethan Elias each pitched three solid innings combing to strike out seven and surrender only one run on four hits. Every night we look forward to seeing how Albert Almora and Jorge Soler and tonight was no different. Almora started strong with hit first double, but ended the night 1-for-5. Soler ended the night 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base. Garrett Schlecht had a night he won’t forget as he hit his first home run of his professional career, a two-run shot in the fourth. Shawon Dunston Jr. stayed hot adding two more hits, raising his average to .296. Carlos Penalver also had two hits and Jacob Rogers added a double. The AZL Cubs havn’t had too many disappointments, but tonight was one of them.
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Boise lost a low scoring game to Yakima 1-0. Although there was only one run scored there was plenty of excitement in this one as there were ejections and the benches almost cleared. It all started a few nights ago when Wilson Contreras was bowled over twice and then was hit by a pitch in this game. Starting pitcher Jose Arias took exception and retaliated hitting a Bears player in the seventh. Arias and manager Mark Johnson were promtly ejected. Things didn’t end there though. Contreras found his way on and bowled over the Yakima catcher and on his way back to the dugout had words for the Bears dugout. Benches almost cleared and Contreras was ejected from the game. Back to the baseball part of it. Jose Arias pitched quite well taking the tough loss on Thursday. He gave up one run on three hits in six innings, he also walked two and struck out three. Michael Hamann and Eduardo Orozco combined to pitch three innings of scoreless baseball in relief. Offensively there wasn’t much to talk about. The highlights were Marco Hernandez having two hits and Daniel Vogelbach getting another hit.
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Peoria scored early and it held up as they beat Cedar Rapids 7-2. The Chiefs got two in the first, one in the third, and three more in the fourth to get an early lead. Javier Baez had a nice night once again going 2-for-2 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Zeke DeVoss and Yaniel Cabezas also had twho hits with DeVoss driving a run and scoring two. Chadd Krist continued his great performance at the plate adding another hit, his sixth double and driving in two runs. On the mound Michael Jensen was at it again winning his ninth game of the year. He pitched six solid innings, surrendering two runs on four hits, while striking out six and walking zero. Larry Suarez and Bryce Shafer finished this one off pitched three scoreless innings to end the game.
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Daytona outlasted Bradenton beating them 9-7 in a high scoring battle. The Cubs offense had a few big innings, scoring three in the second, the fourth, and two in the seventh. Offensively they were led by Rafael Lopez who was 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. Lopez was not the only Cubs player to have a big night as John Andreioli was 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs, four runs scored, and his 36th steal of the year. Matt Szczur added two hits and he also drove in a pair, raising his average to .295. Rubi Silva and Elieser Bonne each had two hits as well and Bonne drove in two on the evening. Austin Kirk started and got the win, his fifth of the year. He allowed four runs on six hits in six innings, walking five and striking out three. Ryan Searle pitched the last three holding on the record his first save of the season.
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Despite scoring four Tennessee dropped the game to Jacksonville losing 6-4. Dallas Beeler started, but did not factor in the decision allowing four runs, three earned and striking out eight in five innings pitched. Tony Zych took the loss as he allowed two runs in his two innings of work. On the bright side, there were some nice things that happened at the plate. Junior Lake stayed hot going 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Justin Bour and Greg Rohan each connected for a home run on Thursday. Nate Samson added three hits of his own. In an unfortunate accident Jae-Hoon Ha had to leave the game early on a stretcher after he hit his head on a cement wall wall that had no padding. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jae-Hoon and hope to have good news on this soon. We will keep you updated as we know more.
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How many different ways can Iowa find to lose, because it seems like they find a new one every night. After having a lead most of the night they gave up a single run in the fifth and six to tie the game. After scoring two in the tenth, they gave up three to lose 6-5. Michael Bowden to the loss allowing all three runs in the tenth. Casey Coleman was solid pitching 5.2 innings giving up three runs on seven hits. Jay Jackson pitched well in relief allowing no runs in his two innings of work. The Cubs were led by James Adduci at the plate having his best game in Iowa. He went 4-for-5 with a home run, double, a run scored, and two RBIs. Josh Vitters was the other bright spot from the offense going 3-for-4 with a double, triple, and a run batted in. Nothing is going right for Iowa at this time, hope they can turn it around and end the year on a high note, but only time will tell.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/23: Around the Minor League System
Our nightly trip through the minors on July 23, 2012. Tennessee had the night off and Daytona was postponed.
AZL Cubs got back on track beating AZL Brewers 7-3. First rund draft pick Albert Almora stole the show hitting his first professional home run. A two-run bomb to left. Ben Carhart had another nice night at the dish going 4-for-5 with a run scored. Shawon Dunston Jr. and Trevor Gretzky, who replaced Almora each had two hits. Dunston scored two runs and Gretzky drove one in. Neftali Rosario added a hit and an RBI and Dan Vogelbach hit his 12th double of the season. After the game Vogelbach tweeted that he was headed to Boise, so best of luck to him. Arturo Maltos-Garcia gave up two runs, but got the win in relief. Steve Perakslis recorded his first save, striking out three in 2.2 innings. Jorge Soler was hitless on Monday, going 0-for-5. It was nice to see the Cubs get back on track Monday.
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Boise won 3-0 behind the arm of Tayler Scott. Scott earned his second win of the season, pitching six scoreless innings. He surrendered only three hits, walked a batter and struck out four, his ERA now stands at 1.95. Hayden Simpson pitched two scoreless innings and Matt Iannazzo pitched a scoreless ninth to record his first save. The offense had a few bright spots. Stephen Bruno was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Gioskar Amaya had a nice night at the plate going 3-for-4 with a run scored, and a run batted in. Marco Hernandez and Trey Martin each scored a run for Boise as well. The Hawks haven’t enough nights like this, but maybe things will be turning around for them.
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It was a great pitchers dual until Peoria gave up two runs in the eighth, eventually losing to South Bend 2-0. Yao-Lin Wang started and struck out five in only 3.2 innings of work. Jeffry Antigua pitched well again, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings while striking out three. He dropped his ERA to 0.87. Luis Liria took the loss, his fourth on the year. Offensively there wasn’t too much happening as the Chiefs only were able to muster up two hits. Chadd Krist and Yaniel Cabezas each had a double on Monday night. Krist is now hitting .424 since his promotion from the Boise. A nice pitched game, but a tough loss nonetheless.
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Daytona’s game on Monday was postponed.
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The Iowa staff pitched pretty good on Monday, but it wasn’t good enough dropping the game to Albuquerque 3-1. Brooks Raley got the start and took the loss. He pitched five innings surrendering three runs, two earned on eight hits. He also had an impressive eight strikeouts to go along with zero walks. Esmailin Caridad and Michael Bowden combined to pitch the last three scoreless innings with Caridad striking out two. At the dish Brian Esposito was the only Cub to have a multi-hit game going 2-for-3 and was the only Cub to drive in a run. Adrian Cardenas and Josh Vitters each added a hit with Vitters hitting his 30th double of the season. Iowa’s record now stands at 41-62.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/20: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Our nightly trip through the minor leagues.
Boise dropped another losing 7-2 to Eugene. Rock Shoulders was outstanding at the plate on Friday going 4-for-4 with a double, home run and two RBIs. Besides Shoulders the Hawks only had two other hits, one coming off the bat of Gioskar Amaya and another off the bat of Jeimer Candelario. Felix Pena started and pitched four innings surrendering two runs, he did not factor in the decision. After Michael Hamann pitched two scorelss innings, Rafael Diplan came in and struggled. He gave up three runs, one earned in one inning and took his second loss of the season. Another rough night for Boise as there record now stands at 12-23.
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After tying the game in the eighth Peoria scored four in the eleventh to beat West Michigan 9-6. There were some nice highlights from Chiefs. Pin-Chieh Chen was 3-for-6 with a double, a run scored, and two RBIs. Taiwan Easterling and Dustin Geiger each had two hits and hit a home run on Friday night. Bijan Rademacher and Yaniel Cabezas also had two hits a piece and Cabezas had two RBIs. Javier Baez extended his hitting streak going 1-for-6. Jeffry Antigua struck out three in 1.2 innings and recorded his first win of the season. His ERA now sits at 1.13. Michael Jensen got the start and pitched pretty good going six innings allowing two runs, one earned, while striking out five. Pete Levitt closed out the game striking out two in his one inning of work.
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Robert Whitenack really struggled not recording an out and giving up six runs. The six run first proved to be too much losing 12-8 to Jupiter. Now to some of the highlights. Rubi Silva was 4-for-5 with a triple, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Elieser Bonne had three hits and also drove in three. Ronald Torreyes and Rebel Ridling each had two hits, with Torreyes driving in one along with Matt Szczur. Timothy Saunders got his first hit in seven ABs since being promoted to Daytona. Frank Del Valle pitched four scoreless innings in relief and Brian Schlitter also pitched a scoreless frame bring his ERA down to 1.73. Daytona has given up way too many runs to be successful lately and Friday was no different.
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Tennessee fell to Chattanooga 4-1 in eight innings. Dae-Eun Rhee started and took the loss allowing three runs, two earned on two hits in six innings. Trey McNutt gave up one in 1.1 innings of relief. Justin Bour had two hits and drove in Logan Watkins, the lone Cubs run. Junior Lake, Jae-Hoon Ha, and Michael Brenly all had a hit on Friday. The Smokies have been really struggling as of late and that continued on Friday.
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Iowa and Alburquerque were tied going into the ninth, but Michael Bowden gave up a three run walk off homer to the Isotopes. The offense got going early for Iowa scoring six runs in the first three innings. Brett Jackson led the game off with his 13th home run of the season. He ended the day with two hits and two RBIs. Adrian Cardenas continued his hot hitting going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored. Josh Vitters also had two hits, one of which was his 29th double. He also scored a run and drove in his 53 run of the year. Brian Esposito had a nice night going 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Blake Lalli also drove in two and had two hits. Chris Rusin got the start, but didn’t pitched too well, allowing six runs on eight hits in five innings of work. Yet another bad loss for Iowa on Friday.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
7/18: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Minor league recap for July 18th, 2012.
Tennessee Smokies were off.
For most of the year the hitting in Arizona has been the highlight on Wednesday the pitching took center stage defeating the AZL Dodgers 4-0. The Cubs used four pitchers to complete the three hit shutout. Anthony Prieto started and pitched two innings striking out two while not allowing a baserunner. Arutro Maltos-Garcia pitched two scorelss innings and Loiger Padron struck out three in his three innings of work. Padron was awarded the win, his second of the season. Alvido Jimenez pitched the last two innings preserving the shutout for the Cubs. Offensively the Cubs did not do as much as we have come to expect, but there were still some highlights. Ben Carhart was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Daniel Lockhart had a hit and drove in two runs. Neftali Rosario was 2-for-3 and scored two runs on Wednesday night. A great performance by the staff on Wednesday led to this win.
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Boise’s two game winning streak came to an end dropping Wednesday’s game to Yakima 8-4. Tayler Scott got the start giving up four runs in 4.2 innings. He did not factor in the decision though as he left with the game tied. Hayden Simpson took the loss giving up four runs in 2.1 innings. The Cubs offense came off the bats of only a few players. Five different players had two hits, but every other player was hitless. Gioskar Amaya hit his fourth home run of the season and Trey Martin drove in a run with his two hits. Jeimer Candelario had two hits and drove in two runs on Wednesday. Stephen Bruno and Xavier Batista also had two hits a piece and scored a run. Let’s see if the Hawks can get back on track on Thursday.
It was an exciting game between Peoria and West Michigan, but the Chiefs did not come out on top. Losing by two entering the eighth, Peoria tied the game and sent it to extra innings. Peoria scored one in the tenth, but then gave up two in the bottom half to lose 9-8. On the offensive side of things every Chiefs player had a hit. Chadd Krist was 2-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Pin-Chieh Chen and Zeke DeVoss also had two hits and drove in two on the night. Javier Baez continued his hot stretch adding two more hits, bringing his average to .333. Bijan Rademacher and Oliver Zapata each drove in a run for Peoria. The pitching was up and down on Wednesday Jose Rosario and Sheldon McDonald were not very good responsible for the first seven runs West Michigan gave up on Wednesday. Luis Liria and Austin Reed each pitched two scoreless innings to put Peoria in line for the win. Larry Suarez gave up two unearned runs in the tenth to take the loss. This is a tough one to swallow as Peoria came back, took the lead, and then blew it in the end.
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Two first inning runs turned out to be all Charlotte would need beating Daytona 3-1 on Wednesday. PJ Francescon got the start and took the loss allowing three runs on seven hits and walking four in 5.1 innings. The bullpen did all they could to keep the game close as Eduardo Figueroa, Ryan Searle, and Brian Schlitter combined to pitch 3.2 innings allowing no runs on only two hits. The Daytona bats never really got going, only having five hits. Taylor Davis was 1-for-2 including his second home run of the season. The Cubs also got single hits from Matt Szczur, Matt Cerda, John Andreoli, and Elliot Soto.
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Iowa took advantage of a lot of New Orleans mistakes to win 2-1 in 11 innings. The Cubs won when James Adduci scored on a throwing error by New Orleans pitcher Gary Glover. Brooks Raley pitched seven good innings allowing no runs on five hits. he also walked four and struck four out, leaving with a chance to get the win. Jay Jackson, however gave up a run in his one inning of work. Michael Bowden pitched two scoreless innings and Jeff Beliveau struck out the side in his one inning of work earning his fourth win of the season. Dave Sappelt was the only Cubs player to have more than one hit, he had two, including a double. Brett Jackson hit his 20th double of the season and Welington Castillo also had a hit. A nice win for Iowa on Wednesday night.
Thanks for reading,
