Results tagged ‘ Michael Burgess ’
Rule 5 Draft Notes: Cubs Select Rondon; Lose Peralta Among Others
There was some speculation that the Cubs were looking to deal their 2nd overall pick in the Rule 5 draft today, but as Carrie Muskat reported they intended to pick and keep the player they picked. Today the Cubs selected 25 
year old RHP Hector Rondon from the Indians. The guy I wanted the Cubs to take was Josh Fields, they couldn’t as he went #1 overall to the Astros. Rondon was 2009 minor league pitcher of the year for the Indians and like many guys the Cubs take a chance on he had Tommy John Surgery in 2010. Rondon hasn’t pitched that much in the last couple of years, but the Cubs must think that he is just about all the way back as Rondon will have to crack the 25 man roster as he was selected in “major league” portion of the Rule 5 draft.
Some unfortunate news, the D-Backs selected Starlin Peralta, and intriguing arm that pitched in the Cubs system last year, but never above A ball. The news doesn’t really get any better as the Cubs lost Michael Burgess to the Astros, and Matt Cerda to the Cardinals. Both guys are not considered “top prospects” and might not make it to the big leagues, but it isn’t a lot of fun to see guys you covered all year disappear from the organization. News coming in that the Jays just selected RHP Alvido Jimenez from the Cubs as well, they are getting poached! Don’t worry, none of these guys are considered major league level talent, except for Peralta maybe.
Thanks for reading,
- George
8/28: Around the Cubs Minor League System
The Cubs minor league recap for Tuesday, August 28. Daytona was again cancelled because of rain.
The AZL Cubs tried to come back, but ended up losing to the Diamondbacks 6-4. Dillon Maples started and got the loss allowing two unearned runs in one inning. The Cubs used six more pitchers to get through the rest of the game. Some of the good pitching performances were Loiger Padron who struck out three and allowed one hit in two innings. Anthony York struggled giving up three runs in just 0.2 innings. Daniel Adrian, Jin-Young Kim, and Arturo Maltos-Garcia all combined to strike out eight in just three innings. Garrett Schlecht was really good night going 4-for-4 with a double, triple, and three runs scored. Yasiel Balaguert was 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored. Trevor Gretzky and Carlos Penalver each had a hit and an RBI. Justin Marra had a double and Jeff Baez knocked in one run in the loss.
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Boise jumped on Everett early scoring seven runs in the first two innings and ended up winning 7-3. Stephen Bruno has been outstanding and Tuesday was no different going 3-for-5 with a run scored. Jeimer Candelario and Gioskar Amaya each hit a home run with Candelario driving in two and Amaya three. Wilson Contreras and Marco Hernandez had two hits a piece with Contreras having two RBIs. Carlos Escobar and Darien Martin each had a hit in the win. Although he didn’t have a hit it was nice to see Albert Almora get back in the lineup. Pierce Johnson got the start pitching two innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits while striking out three. Jose Arias pitched the next three innings allowing one run on one hit, while walking four and striking out three. Brian Smith pitched the next 2.2 innings and got the win not allowing a run and striking out three. Rafael Diplan notched his first save of the season, striking out two of the four outs he recorded.
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Peoria gave up three runs in the ninth and lost to Wisconsin 4-1. In some really good new Ben Wells got the start in his first game with Peoria since coming back from injury. He pitched two innings allowing no runs on two hits, with one walk. Willengton Cruz did a very nice job in relief pitching five innings allowing one run on three hits, while striking out four. Justin Berg took the loss giving up three runs in the ninth inning. The Chiefs only had four hits on Tuesday. Pin-Chieh Chen and Dustin Geiger each had hits as did Timothy Saunders and Jacob Rogers. Jorge Soler did not have a hit, but walked twice and scored the Chiefs lone run.
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Tennessee gave up one run in the ninth to tie the game, but walked-off in the 10th beating Mobile 6-5. Logan Watkins was the hero hitting the walk off home run in the 10th, he ended the night 2-for-4 with a double and a home run. Michael Brenly had quite a nice night as well going 3-for-4 with a home run, one RBI and two runs scored. Matt Cerda was 2-for-4 with a run scored and Michael Burgess had a pinch hit RBI single. Junior Lake and Rubi Silva each had a hit in the Smokies win. Austin Kirk got the start going seven strong innings. He gave up three runs, two earned on seven hits, while walking one and striking out one. Kevin Rhoderick gave up a run in one inning, but got the ball to Frank Batista with the lead. Batista blew the save, but got the win. Tennessee is playing good ball lately and they are now 33-32, but it appears to be too late as they are five out and are one game away from being eliminated.
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Iowa lost to Nashville 7-3. Horacio Ramirez wasn’t good giving up seven runs on nine hits in 4.2 innings. Miguel Socolovich, Rafael Dolis, and Jairo Asencio combined to pitch 3.1 innings not allowing a run. Alfredo Amezaga was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Tony Campana and Matt Tolbert each had two hits, with Tolbert scoring a run. Greg Rohan, Dave Sappelt, and James Adduci each had a hit in the Cubs loss.
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
8/16: 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
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
8/4: 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
7/30: Around the Cubs Minor League System
July 30th Cubs minor league report.
The AZL Cubs and the Boise Hawks were off on Monday.
Beloit scored three in the eighth and held on to beat Peoria 5-3. Pin-Chieh Chen had a great game going 4-for-5 with an RBI. Zeke DeVoss led the game off in style with a home run, he added another hit and ended the game with two runs scored, two RBIs, and his 29th stolen base. Javier Baez and Dustin Geiger each added a double and Bijan Rademacher had a triple on the night. Chadd Krist also had a hit and he is now hitting .340. Joseph Zeller got the start, but did not factor in the decision giving up two runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings. Sheldon McDonald got the loss and Austin Reed pitched two scoreless innings in relief. The Chiefs record now stands at 50-55.
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Daytona got a little scare in the ninth, but still won pretty easily 8-4. The Cubs pounded out 14 hits including three from Rubi Silva. Ronald Torreyes continued his hot hitting, going 2-for-5 with a triple, two runs scored, and two RBIs. John Andreoli also had two hits and reached base four times from the leadoff spot. he also scored a run and stole his 41st base of the season. Rafael Lopez, Elieser Bonne, and Matt Cerda all had two hits and an RBI. PJ Francescon got his second win of the season pitching six shutout innings. He only gave up three hits and struck out six. Frank Del Valle was very good in relief striking out four in just two innings.
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Tennessee got off to a good start in game one scoring five runs and holding on to win 6-3. Matt Szczur had his best game since moving to Double-A going 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Junior Lake stayed hot at the plate going 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Logan Watkins and Michael Burgess each had two hits and Justin Bour drove one in. Greg Rohan connected on his fifth home run, a three run shot in the first inning. Eric Jokisch pitched all seven innings gving up three runs on five hits and striking out two.
Tennessee won the second game of the double header beating Pensacola 3-2. Nate Samson was the only Smokies player to have a multi-hit game going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Juan Apodaca and Michael Burgess each had a hit as did Dustin Harrington and Nelson Perez. Matt Szczur drove in a run in game two. Casey Harman got the start and pitched well allowing no runs on four hits in four innings pitched. Casey Weathers got the win pitching a scoreless fifth innings striking out two. Frank Batista recored his 19th save of the season as he closed out game two on Monday.
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The Iowa Cubs lost another one on Monday losing to New Orleans 5-3. James Adduci had another great game, going 2-for-5 with a home run, double, run scored, and three RBIs. Dave Sappelt also had two hits and scored a run. Chris Rusin took the loss pitching 5.2 innings surrendering five runs, only one earned and struck out six. Alberto Cabrera had a nice night in relief striking out four in 2.1 innings. Iowa just can’t seem to get it together.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/24: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Tuesday July 24 minor league recap.
Peoria was off.
The AZL Cubs were at it again on Tuesday beating the AZL Indians 9-2. Jorge Soler did it again, hitting his second home run in four games. This one off the scoreboard in left. Soler would add another hit ending the night 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Ben Carhart continued his hot hitting going 2-for-4 with a double and a home run. He also drove in three and scored a run. Speaking of hot, Shawon Dunston Jr. had two more hits, a double and a triple plus he scored three runs from the lead off spot. Albert Alomora did not have a hit, but did drive two runs in and scored two. 2012 Comp. pick Paul Blackburn recorded his first win of the season, pitching two scoreless innings in relief. Another good win for the Cubs in the AZL.
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Boise got another great pitching peformance out of their staff on Tuesday beating the Yakima Bears 2-1. Ian Dickson was tremendous thowing six no-hit innings before being removed in the seventh. Dickson struck out four en route to his second win of the season. Hunter Ackerman gave up a run, but struck out three in 2.1 innings and Michael Hamann closed it out recording his first save of the season. Jeimer Candelario had a nice night at the dish going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. In his first game as a Hawk, Dan Vogelbach was 2-for-4 with a double. Gioskar Amaya, Stephen Bruno, and Trey Martin each added a hit and Bruno scored a run. It is nice to see the Hawks pitching have a nice couple days here.
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Daytona held on to beat Brevard County 4-3 on Tuesday night. Matt Loosen started and got the win pitching six innings while allowing two runs on only three hits. He also walked three and struck out eight, lowering his ERA to 2.81. Ryan Searle struck out two in the seventh and AJ Morris pitched the last two recording his first save of the season. Rubi Silva went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Ronald Torreyes, Matt Szczur, Rebel Ridling, and Micah Gibbs all had a hit. Daytona will play two on Wednesday.
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Tennessee was back in action Tuesday pounding Jacksonville 9-2. The Smokies showed some power hitting three home runs on the evening. Junior Lake was 2-for-5 with a double, a homer, and two RBIs. Greg Rohan added two hits of his own including a home run and Michael Brenly connected on his fifth homer of the year. Nelson Perez had his best day since going to Double-A as he went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Michael Burgess also added two hits and scored two runs. Eric Jokisch got the start and the win for the Smokies giving up one run on four hits in five innings pitched while striking out eight. Brian Schlitter, Kevin Rhoderick, and Casey Weathers combined to pitch the last four innings allowing one run and striking out five. This is the way to come back after a day off.
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Another day another bad loss for Iowa, losing 15-9 on Tuesday. Offensively Iowa couldn’t have done much more on Tuesday scoring nine runs on twelve hits. Welington Castillo was 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Brett Jackson hit his 14th home run of the season and drove in two. Josh Vitters had one hit and also drove in two as did Alfredo Amezaga. Dave Sappelt and Diory Hernandez each had two hits as well. The pitching was terrible yet again on Tuesday. Rogrio Lopez got the start and promtly gave up eight runs in 3.2 innings pitched. Ryan Rowland-Smith took the loss as he gave up three more runs in just 1.2 innings. Iowa continues to struggle.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
7/22: Around the Minor League System
A Sunday down in the minors.
We didn’t have to wait long as Jorge Soler launched a two-run homer in the fourth, he would add another hit and scored two runs. Despite this excitement the AZL Cubs lost 6-4. Shawon Dunston Jr. had another good game going 3-for-4 and scoring a run. Ben Carhart added two hits, including a double and Dan Vogelbach drove in his 31st run of the season. Lendy Castillo continued his rehab assignment pitching four scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and struck out five. David Henrie took the loss, allowing four runs, three earned in two innings of work. It was more than exciting to see Soler hit his first home run. We have been anticipated it for quite a while and to do so in only his second game was great to see.
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There is not much good that came out of Sunday’s game against Eugene, as Boise lost 8-1. James Pugliese gave up seven runs on eight hits in four innings and took the loss. The bullpen did a pretty nice job the next four innings. Michael Heesch pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three as well. Eduardo Orozco gave up one run, but struck out three in his two innings of work. Offensively not much happened at all. All but one player recoreded a hit for Boise, with the only extra base hit coming off the bat of Xavier Batista, who hit a double. Wilson Contreras scored the only Hawks run of the game. It was a not very fun game for Boise dropping another in a bad loss.
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Peoria couldn’t pull off the win, losing to South Bend 3-2. All good things must come to an end and that was the case with Javier Baez’s hitting streak as he went 0-for-4 on Sunday. Dustin Geiger connected on his 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fourth. Sergio Burruel had two hits and Chadd Krist just keeps on hitting as he had another hit on Sunday. Pin-Chieh Chen and Oliver Zapata each recorded a hit and Chen scored a run as he was on base when Geiger hit his homer. Starling Peralta pitched well, but took the loss. He threw six innings giving up three runs, two earned on six hits. Sheldon McDonald relieved him and pitched two perfect innings, striking out three. Looking forward to Baez starting another streak and the Chiefs winning a few more games.
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Daytona was postponed on Sunday.
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Tennessee finished Saturday nights game and lost a tough one in 11 innings. Twice in extra’s the Smokies took the lead, but couldn’t hold it in either, ultimately losing 12-11. There was a lot of offense, here are some of the highlights. Justin Bour was 2-for-6 with a homer, two RBIs, and three runs scored. Junior Lake, Jae-Hoon Ha, and Greg Rohan all contributed with two hits with Rohan adding an RBI. Logan Watkins went 3-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored. Michael Burgess and Chad Noble each had RBIs and Nelson Perez connected on his third home run since being at Tennessee. The pitching was not very good at all. Dallas Beeler got the start, but obviously didn’t factor in the decision. Casey Harman took the loss giving up the two runs in the 11th. Frank Batista was the lone bright spot out of the bullpen, pitching two scoreless innings, bringing his ERA down to 1.06. It was a very tough loss, because of all the leads the Smokies had.
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Game two was a little different, as a six run sixth led Tennessee to a 8-4 win. Nicholas Struck got his 11th win of the season pitching five innings, giving up only one run on four hits. Zach Rosscup did a great job in relief, striking out five in three scoreless innings of work. Junior Lake, Logan Watkins, Jae-Hoon Ha, and Dustin Harrington all had two hits, scored a run, and all but Ha drove one in. Nelson Perez and Michael Burgess drove in two runs and Chad Noble added an RBI as well. It was a nice bounce back in game two ending the week with a win.
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A late rally fell short, as Iowa lost to Aburquerque 9-5. Chris Volstad was bad yet again giving up six runs, five earned on nine hits in five innings. He took the loss, he is now 2-5 with 5.83 ERA. Ty’Relle Harris did a fine job in relief striking out three in two scoreless innings. Offensively there were only a couple of highlights. Josh Vitters and Welington Castillo each hit a homer. For Vitters it was a three-run shot and Castillo was a solo. Brett Jackson, Adrian Cardenas, and Dave Sappelt all had a hit a piece as well.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
7/14: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A look at the Cubs minor leaguers on Saturday.
The AZL Cubs did it again on Saturday beating the AZL Padres 13-3. After a couple rough nights, Timothy Saunders got back on track going 4-for-6 with a double, home run, three runs scored, and five RBIs. He raised his average back up to .493. Equally as impressive has been Dan Vogelbach, and he didn’t disappoint on Saturday. He had two hits, including a double and drove in four. The Cubs got three hits out of Daniel Lockhart and Jacob Rogers and they combined to score five runs on the night. Shawon Dunston Jr. and Garrett Schlect each added two hits a piece and Carlos Penalver hit a triple and drove in two. One of this year’s supplemental picks Paul Blackburn got his first start of the year. He pitched one inning and allowed a run, but it was good to see him pitch. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino recorded his third win of the season striking out four and allowing only one hit in three innings. The Cubs have been really impressive so far.
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Two four run innings was plenty for Boise beating Vancouver 9-3. The Hawks were led offensively by Trey Martin and Marco Hernandez. Martin was 2-for-4 with a triple and a home run. He also scored two runs and knocked in four. Hernandez also had two, including two doubles and driving in three. Lead-off hitter Gioskar Amaya did his job well on Saturday going 2-for-3 with a walk. One of his hits was a triple and he scored three runs. Hawks got an RBI a piece from Stephen Bruno and Bijan Rademacher. Ian Dickson got the start, but did not factor in the decision as he only pitched 4.1 innings. Pete Levitt picked up his first win in relief pitching 1.2 scoreless innings. Michael Hamann and Rafael Diplan combined to pitch the last three innings of the game securing the Boise win.
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In a back and forth game Peoria was able to come out on top 9-8 in ten innings. Chadd Krist played the role of hero winning the game with a walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth. He ended the night 3-for-6 with two runs scored and an RBI. Javier Baez had his best night as a professional going 3-for-5 with a home run and a triple. He also scored a run, drove in four and stole his 16th base. He now has a ten game hitting streak and his batting average now stands at .319. Taiwan Easterling and Paul Hoilman each had two hits and Easterling drove in two. Michael Jensen got the start giving up six runs in 5.1 innings of work. Yao-Lin Wang got the win pitching a scoreless tenth inning.
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Daytona watched a six two lead slip away late when Palm Beach scored seven times in the last two innings to win 9-6. Despite walking five and allowing six hits starter Austin Kirk was in line for the win, but was let down by his bullpen. Kirk left only allowing two run, one earned in six inning of work lowering his ERA to 2.59. After a dominate one inning of work by Eduardo Figueroa, Jeffrey Lorick and Brian Schlitter really struggled combining to give up seven runs, five earned over the next 1.1 innings. There were a few bright spots from the offense on Saturday for the Cubs. Ronald Torreyes was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. John Andreoli, Rafael Lopez, and Elieser Bonne all had two hits with Bonne driving one in. Matt Szczur and Rebel Ridling each had an RBI a piece and Taylor Davis drove in two. Another tough loss for Daytona on Saturday.
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Michael Burgess and Juan Apodaca‘s power was on display Saturday leading Tennessee to a 4-2 win on Saturday. Apodaca hit a three-run homer and Michael Burgess hit a solo shot, his tenth of the season. That was all the offense the Smokies would need as Dae-Eun Rhee and the bullpen would do all the rest. Rhee gave up two runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out six in route to his sixth win of the year. Tony Zych pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three and Marcus Hatley came in to shut it down. That he did striking out three in two innings of work recording his fourth save of the season. It is nice to see Tennessee come out on top of a well-played game from both teams.
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A seven run second from Omaha was all they needed beating Iowa 7-1. Randy Wells got the start and was terrible allowing seven runs on six hits in just 1.2 innings pitched. As bad as Randy Wells was the offense couldn’t get much going either. James Adduci had two hits and scored a run, the only Cubs player with a multi-hit game. Dave Sappelt drove in the Cubs lone run. Josh Vitters had his 27th double of the season and Brett Jackson also added a hit. Other than that there wasn’t much to the game at the plate. Casey Coleman pitched 5.1 good innings in relief not allowing a run and striking out three. Alberto Cabrera had another nice outing out of the pen striking out one in one inning of work.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
