Results tagged ‘ Rafael Lopez ’
Minor Matters – June 10, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate – Runs came early and often in this one as Iowa held a 6-5 lead after five innings, they added an insurance run, which they would need en route to a 7-6 victory of Oklahoma City. Solid offensive day for Iowa as eight of the nine guys in the starting lineup had at least one hit and the Cubs were 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Logan Watkins was solid out of the leadoff spot going 2-for-5 with a double, and two RBI’s. Brad Nelson had a huge day going 2-for-4 with two home runs, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. All Junior Lake has done since coming back from injury is hit, he was 1-for-5 with his fifth double of the season, and two runs scored. Ian Stewart has found some magic at the plate as of late, he was 1-for-3 in this one with a double, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored.
On The Mound – Yoanner Negrin is still getting stretched out as he makes his transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation; he made his third start of the season last night. Negrin worked five innings giving up five runs on ten hits while walking two and striking out eight, he earned his first win of the season. Casey Coleman continued his brilliance of the pen as he worked three scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out two. Brian Schlitter worked a rocky ninth as he gave up one run on two hits while striking out one to earn his second save of the season.
At The Plate – Tough loss for Tennessee as they let a 3-0 lead get away in the sixth inning, and wound up losing 4-3 in walk off fashion in the ninth. Arismendy Alcantara continued his stellar 2013 as he went 2-for-4 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .290 on the season. Christian Villanueva also was 2-for-4 with a run scored, unfortunately the Smokies could do nothing with runners in scoring position going 1-for-8. Rafael Lopez had a solid game going 2-for-4 with two doubles, that gives him fourteen on the season, he also had a run scored in the loss.
On The Mound – A.J. Morris got the start for the Smokies and was outstanding going 5.1 innings giving up one run on two hits while striking out four. Zach Rosscup is usually reliable, he was knocked around however as he worked one inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking one and striking out one. Trey McNutt is starting to turn things around, he was solid going 1.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit and striking out two. Kevin Rhoderick continued to struggle and got the loss, he worked two-thirds of an inning giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out one.
At The Plate – Javier Baez, that’s all you need to know. These types of games don’t come around too often, in fact what Baez did was only the second time that it has been done in the 94 year history of the Florida State League. Baez was 4-for-4 with FOUR home runs (FOUR!), seven RBI’s (SEVEN), and four runs scored, have a day, kid. The huge night makes Baez’s numbers for the season look that much better, he’s hitting .291 with thirteen homers, and forty-four RBI’s, in a pitchers league. Wow.
On The Mound – Rough go of it for Zach Cates, but he did give Daytona some innings, and picked up his sixth win of the season. Cates worked six innings giving up four runs, three earned, on seven hits while striking out six. Luis Liria was knocked around out of the pen as he worked one inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking three (Not Good), and striking out two. Larry Suarez was tremendous out of the pen going 1.1 scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one. Frank Del Valle worked the final two-thirds of an inning to pick up his fourth save of the year, he walked one and struck out two in the process.
At The Plate - Nothing going right for Kane County lately, and last night was no exception as they fell to Cedar Rapids 6-2. The Cougars could only manage two runs on six hits, but did walk four times, unfortunately they were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Albert Almora was 1-for-4 in the loss with his seventh double of the season, he is now hitting .423 for the year. Rock Shoulders found some hits last night, he was 2-for-4 with his twelfth double of the season, and a run scored. Oliver Zapata was 2-for-3 with a run scored, he now has his average up to .270 on the season.
On The Mound - Pierce Johnson got the start and had one of his worst outings of 2013 as he suffered his fifth loss of the season. Johnson worked 4.2 innings giving up five runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out four. Lendy Castillo took over and did a solid job of keeping the Cougars in it, he worked 3.1 innings giving up one run on three hits while striking out four.
Minor Matters – May 23, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate – The Cubs jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning and that’s all they would need in this one, they tacked on two more to take a 4-0 and that’s how it ended. Logan Watkins had a good day from the leadoff spot going 2-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season, two RBI’s, and one run scored. Dave Sappelt was 2-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI, he also had a caught stealing, he’s now hitting .308 since his demotion to Iowa. Josh Vitters had a solid day as it was good to see him back in the lineup, he was 2-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored.
On The Mound – Chris Rusin was outstanding in this one to earn his third win of the season against four losses, despite a solid 3.88 ERA. Rusin went six scoreless innings giving up six hits while walking two and striking out four. Yoanner Negrin was solid per usual going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out two. Eduardo Sanchez made his organizational debut and was good going one scoreless inning while walking one and striking out two.
At The Plate – The Smokies couldn’t get much going offensively but they didn’t need to in order to get the win, they only managed four hits and two runs in the 2-0 victory. Arismendy Alcantara was 1-for-2 with two walks (Cubs Way!), sixth home run, an RBI, and a run scored. Rafael Lopez, Tim Torres, and Jonathan Mota were the other Smokies to record hits and with Torres’ being an RBI double.
On The Mound – Kyle Hendricks was outstanding, and really has been all year, quite an impressive start. Hendricks worked seven scoreless innings giving up three hits while walking one and striking out seven to earn his fourth win of the season and lower his ERA to 2.44, wow. Brian Schlitter doesn’t give up runs, ever, or at least it seems that way. Schlitter worked a scoreless inning in relief giving up two hits; his ERA is now 0.90 on the season. Marcus Hatley worked a scoreless ninth inning for his second save of the season giving up one hit while walking one and striking out one.
At The Plate – Daytona pounded out twelve hits but could only manage to score four times as they lost 8-4 to Jupiter, the Cubs were 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Wes Darvill was 1-for-3 with two walks, a double, and a run scored, he’s having a rough go of it, only hitting .167 on the season. John Andreoli continues to have a solid season, he was 3-for-5 with his sixth (!) triple of the season, and two runs scored. Jorge Soler was 1-for-3 with a walk, his tenth double of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Dustin Geiger is making a case for a promotion with his play, he was 2-for-3 with an RBI, his 40th of the season, he’s played in 44 games. Tim Saunders was 2-for-4 with his thirteenth stolen base of the season in the loss.
On The Mound – Zach Cates didn’t have his best stuff in this one, he worked five innings giving up four runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out four. Jeffrey Lorick, who very rarely gives up anything, worked one inning giving up one run on one hit while walking three. Sheldon McDonald was also touched up; he worked two innings giving up three runs, one earned, on two hits while walking one.
At The Plate – Long, odd night in Peoria that resulted in the Cougars losing 9-8 in fourteen innings. Here’s the odd part, the score was 8-8 after four, the Cougars couldn’t score over the next ten innings and the Chiefs only scored once for the win. Pin-Chieh Chen had a solid night at the top of the lineup going 1-for-5 with two walks, two RBI’s, and three runs scored. Albert Almora has returned to Kane County swinging the bat, he was 4-for-7 in this one with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored, he’s 7-for-11 since returning from injury. Jeimer Candelario had a productive night going 2-for-7 with his sixteenth double of the season, and four RBI’s, he’s got his average on the rise, it’s now at .267 on the season and he is hitting .333 over his last ten games. Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-6 with a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored in the loss.
On The Mound – Rough start for Dillon Maples, his worst one since returning to the Kane County rotation, his offense bailed him out so he did not factor in the decision. Maples worked 3.2 innings giving up eight runs, five earned, on six hits while walking three and striking out four. Lendy Castillo was about as good as you could be, he worked 5.1 scoreless innings out of the pen giving up five hits while walking two and striking out nine. Jeffry Antigua was also solid out of the pen going two scoreless innings while striking out four. Justin Amlung did everything he could to keep this one going but ended up suffering his second loss of the season. Amlung worked 2.1 innings giving up one run on one hit while striking out three.
Minor Matters – May 20, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate – The Smokies used a huge fourth inning to secure game one, with the game tied at one the Smokies exploded for seven runs in the fourth en route to a 9-2 victory. The Smokies pounded out twelve hits and scored nine times in just seven innings, and were 5-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Matt Szczur was 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .302 on the season. Arismendy Alcantara had a huge game going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. Christian Villanueva was 1-for-4 with his third home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Rafael Lopez, and Rubi Silva each had two hits in the victory, Silva added a double, and an RBI. Jonathan Mota was 1-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base, and two runs scored.
On The Mound – The Smokies only needed Alberto Cabrera in this one as he went the distance for his fourth win of the season. Cabrera went seven innings giving up two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out six. He improved his record to 4-1 and lowered his ERA to 3.69 on the season.
At The Plate – The Smokies used all their bullets in game one as they could only manage five hits in a 1-0 loss to Chattanooga. Ronald Torreyes, Ty Wright, and Eric Jokisch all had one hit a piece; Jokisch had the only extra base hit for the Smokies. Christian Villanueva had a solid game going 2-for-3 in the loss.
On The Mound – Eric Jokisch got the start in game two and was even better than Cabrera in game one; unfortunately he couldn’t get the win. Jokisch worked six scoreless innings giving up three hits while walking one and striking out five. Marcus Hatley took over and also took the loss, he worked two-thirds of an inning giving up one run on one hit while walking two and striking out one.
At The Plate – Daytona couldn’t get much going in this one as they could only manage six hits and one run in a 4-1 loss to Jupiter. The D-Cubs were in it until the end but Jupiter was able to plate three runs in the eighth to break this one open. Zeke DeVoss had another strong game, that’s two in a row for the struggling center fielder; he was 2-for-3 with two singles. Javier Baez seems to be heating up at the plate and making much more contact, he was 2-fo-4 with two doubles, and an RBI, he’s now hitting .262 on the season.
On The Mound – Kyler Burke is probably a name you have known has been missing this year; he has been working at extended spring training and made his 2013 debut tonight. Burke was solid going five innings giving up one run on four hits while walking two and striking out five. Eduardo Figueroa, who seems to pitch every day, was hung with the loss in this one after being roughed up. Figueroa worked 2.1 innings giving up three runs on five hits while walking one and striking out one. Sheldon McDonald was his usual solid self, tossing two-thirds of an inning giving up one hit while striking out one.
At The Plate – Another very tough loss for the Cougars against the best team in the league, the Cougars lost three out of four, all three by one run, quite the fight in these games. Gioskar Amaya went 2-for-4 with a walk, two doubles, and two runs scored. Dan Vogelbach was 2-for-5 with two RBI’s; he’s now hitting .286 on the season, and has twenty-five RBI’s. Jeimer Candelario is heating up, he was 4-for-5 with two RBI’s, shocked he didn’t double, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .267 on the season. Rock Shoulder wasn’t able to register a hit in this one, but he did walk three times, he was 0-for-2 with a run scored.
On The Mound – Tayler Scott got the start for the Cougars, and did his best to hold off the Kernels but they eventually got to him. Scott worked 5.1 innings giving up five runs, four earned, on eight hits while walking two and striking out four. Nathan Dorris was roughed up which is a rare occurrence, he worked 1.2 innings giving up three runs on three hits while walking three and striking out two. Steve Perakslis worked a scoreless inning out of the pen while walking one.
NOTES: Iowa was rained out. On a more serious note, there has been some terrible weather ripping through the midwest, I just want to take this opportunity to say that my thoughts and prayers are with those of Moore, Oklahoma, terribly sad.
Minor Matters – May 16, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate - Iowa didn’t really have a lot going offensively, but they didn’t need it as the one run they scored in the second inning was enough for the win. Brent Lillibridge was 1-for-3 with a walk in the win. Dave Sappelt, Brian Bogusevic, and Josh Vitters all had base hits in this one. Donnie Muphy had the biggest one, a run scoring single in the second, he finished the night 1-for-2 with said RBI.
On The Mound – Matt Garza is just about ready to return to the Cubs and he showed it tonight. Garza was brilliant going six scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out six, he threw 75 pitches, 53 for strikes. Brooks Raley took it from there as he worked three scoreless inning out of the pen for his first save of the year, he gave up two hits while walking one and striking out three.
At The Plate – The Smokies broke through with two runs in the sixth inning to break a 4-4 tie, and eventually win 6-4, the win pushes them one game over .500 on the season. Arismendy Alcantara was 2-for-4 with a double and a runs scored in the win. Ty Wright had a huge night for the Smokies going 2-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI’s, and two runs scored, Wright came into this one with no home runs on the season. Jonathan Mota was 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Rafael Lopez was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
On The Mound – Matt Loosen never really found his command in this one as he worked four innings giving up four runs on three hits while walking six(!), and striking out five. Then the bullpen took over for the Smokies and won the game. A.J. Morris was perfect going three scoreless innings while striking out three to get his second win of the season. Marcus Hatley worked a scoreless eighth inning giving up one hit. Frank Batista worked a scoreless ninth to earn his fifth save of the season while striking out one.
At The Plate – The Daytona bats finally woke up, unfortunately that wasn’t enough to win tonight as they drop another disappointing one to Charlotte. Daytona scored seven times but left a lot out there as they were only 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Dustin Geiger is putting together a solid season and had another good night going 3-for-5 with his fourth home run of the season, a double, an RBI, and two runs scored, he is now hitting .298 on the season. Ben Carhart was 1-for-4 with a walk, and two runs scored in the loss. Huge night for Chadd Krist, he went 3-for-3 with a walk, two doubles, and five RBI’s, not bad for his second game with Daytona.
On The Mound – Probably the worst outing you will ever see P.J. Francescon have, he had nothing. Francescon went five innings giving up ten runs, eight earned, on nine hits while walking five and striking out three, his record fell to 3-3 on the season. Jeffrey Lorick was decent out of the pen going 1.2 innings giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one and striking out one. David Cales was okay out of the pen going 1.1 innings giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out one. Hunter Cervenka worked a scoreless inning giving up one hit, he has a sparkling 1.62 ERA on the season.
At The Plate – Game one was all Cougars, they didn’t break it open until late but they only needed one as they beat the Chiefs in game one 5-0. Pin-Chieh Chen was 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored from the lead-off spot. Gioskar Amaya had a big game going 3-for-4 with a double, three RBI’s, and a run scored. Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-4 with a double, and an RBI in the win. Willson Contreras is locked in right now, he was 2-for-3 with a walk, he is now hitting .307 on the season. Marco Hernandez was perfect in game one going 3-for-3 with a double, and two runs scored.
On The Mound - Brian Smith was awesome for the Cougars, in fact he was almost perfect. Smith worked four scoreless, and hit-less innings while walking two and striking out two. Eddie Orozco took over and was very good, he worked two scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out one to earn his second win of the season. Jeffry Antigua came on to close this one out, he worked a scoreless inning while striking out one.
At The Plate – The Chiefs got payback in game two as they routed the Cougars 8-2, the Cougars could only manage three hits in this one. What’s worse is they committed six errors in seven innings, that usually doesn’t end well. Jeimer Candelario was one of the few Cougars who had a strong game two at the plate, he was 2-for-3 with two doubles, he also committed three errors. Marco Hernandez proved to be the only offense for the Cougars going 1-for-3 with his first home run of the season, two RBI’s, a run scored, and you guessed it, an error.
On The Mound – As you could imagine the Cougars pitching didn’t get a lot of help from their defense. Michael Heesch got the start and took the loss, he worked three innings giving up six runs, two earned, on four hits while walking two. Steve Perakslis was solid out of the pen working three scoreless innings giving up three hits while striking out two. Bijan Rademacher, the Cougars starting right fielder, worked one inning giving up two runs, unearned, on two hits while walking one.
Minor Matters – May 13, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate – Nice comeback win for the Cubs as they trailed for most of the game and really couldn’t generate any offense. They only needed one inning to get the job done as they scored six times in the sixth en route to a 6-4 win. One small note, that was big in this game was the Cubs turned five double plays, FIVE, that’s hard to do. Josh Vitters was 1-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored in the victory. Brad Nelson was 1-for-4 with two RBI’s, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .278 on the season. Donnie Murphy had a big game going 2-for-4 with his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, a double, and a run scored.
On The Mound – The Cubs gave up twelve hits in this one but held the Aces (get it?) to only four runs thanks in large part to those five double plays I mentioned. Nick Struck got the start and battled to earn his first win of the season while not having his best stuff. Struck went six innings giving up four runs on eleven hits while walking one and striking out four. Esmailin Caridad worked two scoreless innings out of the pen giving up one hit while walking one. Zach Putnam was solid as well, he worked a scoreless ninth inning to earn his second save of the season.
At The Plate – What a thrilling win for the Smokies as they trailed 4-2 heading to the ninth where they scored four times to take a 6-4 lead, and get the victory. Matt Szczur came into this year with a lot to prove, and so far he’s proving an awful lot. He was 2-for-5 with a double, his thirteenth stolen base of the year, and an RBI, he’s now hitting .291 on the season. Rafael Lopez has been on fire of late, he was 2-for-4 with his third home run of the season, a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Rubi Silva was 2-for-4 with his seventh home run of the season, a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Tim Torres was 1-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in the victory. Anthony Giansanti who was recently promoted from Daytona was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.
On The Mound – Dallas Beeler got the start and had another solid outing, Beeler went six innings giving up three runs, two earned, on six hits while walking two and striking out three. Tony Zych walked a fine line in his inning of work giving up one run, unearned, on two hits while walking two and striking out one. Trey McNutt struggled a bit with command, but was also overpowering in his inning of work, he walked two and struck out three to earn his second win of the season. Kevin Rhoderick had one of his best outings of the year to nail down his first save; he worked a scoreless ninth while striking out two.
At The Plate – Daytona had nothing going in this one, and really I can’t blame them as they haven’t seen game action for five days. The D-Cubs could only manage five hits in the shutout loss, the Stone Crabs tried to help them as much as possible with three errors but Daytona couldn’t take advantage as they were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Only three guys were able to record hits in this one, Zeke DeVoss went 2-for-4, Ben Carhart went 2-for-4, and Chadd Krist went 1-for-3, all singles.
On The Mound – The Daytona pitching was good enough to win in this one, but had to work around some trouble, they got a lot of help from their defense as the D-Cubs turned four double plays, and ahad two outfield assists. Zach Cates got the start and took his fourth loss of the season, he worked six innings giving up three runs on eleven hits while walking one and striking out three. Frank Del Valle was his usual solid self, tossing a scoreless inning while striking out two. Luis Liria worked a scoreless inning as well, giving up one hit while walking one and striking out two. David Cales worked a scoreless ninth inning to keep Daytona close.
At The Plate – The Cougars couldn’t get anything going all day long, and when they did threaten they couldn’t come through as they were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-4 with his fourth stolen base of the season. Dan Vogelbach continues to hit as he was 2-for-4, he is now hitting .295 on the season. Jeimer Candelario was 1-for-4 with his tenth double of the season in the loss.
On The Mound – Pierce Johnson was solid once again in this one; unfortunately he was hung with the loss which drops his record to 1-3 on the season. Johnson went six innings giving up four runs, three earned, on seven hits while walking one and striking out six. Jeffry Antigua was just about perfect out of the pen as he worked two scoreless innings while striking out five.
The Cubs Venezuelan Summer League opened yesterday, things didn’t go so well. The VSL Cubs lost 22-11 to the VSL Rays, you can view the box score here.
Minor Matters – May 9, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate - Not a lot went right for Iowa in this one as they only managed one run on seven hits en route to a 5-1 loss. Brett Jackson had a successful return to the lineup going 2-for-4 with two singles. Brad Nelson was 2-for-4 with a double, he’s now hitting .270 on the season. Alberto Gonzalez had a his second solid game in a row going 2-for-3 with a walk. The Cubs were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base, and they lost to Chris Volstad, so there’s that too.
On The Mound - Drew Carpenter got the start and was decent going five innings giving up three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out six. Casey Coleman wasn’t much better out of the bullpen working one inning giving up two runs on three hits while walking two and striking out two. Zach Putnam was solid going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out one.
At The Plate – The Smokies did plenty offensively but could hold down the Barons in a wild 9-7 loss. The Smokies entered the ninth tied at seven and the Barons managed to push two runs across the plate to take the lead and get the win. The Smokies missed a bunch of opportunities as they were 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Rubi Silva was 1-for-5 with a triple, an RBI, two stolen bases, and a run scored. Rafael Lopez was 1-for-4 with a walk, his second home run of the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. Jonathan Mota was 1-for-3 with a walk, his second home run of the season, and a run scored. Tim Torres had his second straight solid game going 3-for-4 with a double, and two runs scored.
On The Mound - Alberto Cabrera was roughed up, that usually doesn’t happen, especially like this. Cabrera worked 4.1 innings giving up six runs on thirteen(!) hits while walking three and striking out five. Kevin Rhoderick was decent out of the pen but struggled with his command again, he worked three innings giving up one run on one hit while walking two and striking out two. Trey McNutt took the loss, working 1.2 inning giving up two runs, one earned, on one hit while walking two and striking out one.
At The Plate – Solid win for Daytona against a very good opponent. Daytona pounded out ten hits in the victory, after letting a 3-1 lead get away the D-Cubs jumped back on top for good in the sixth inning. Javier Baez padded his slugging stats in this one going 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, a stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored, he also made his fourteenth error of the season. Jorge Soler was 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored, he is now hitting .290 on the season after struggling and seeing his average drop into the .260′s. John Andreoli continues to hit, he was 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .333 on the season. Dustin Geiger had another solid game going 2-for-3 with an RBI in the victory.
On The Mound – P.J. Francescon was pretty good in this one going five innings giving up three runs, two earned, on eight hits while striking out four. Jeffrey Lorick worked a scoreless out of the pen to earn the victory. Austin Reed, and Hunter Cervenka each had scoreless appearances out of the pen to close this one out. Cervenka worked two innings giving up one hit while striking out one to earn his third save of the season.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Minor Matters – May 8, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate – A roller coaster game for the Cubs in this one as they held a 4-0 lead only to lose it, then an 8-4 lead only to see the Sky Sox get within two, luckily Iowa hung on for the victory. Alberto Gonzalez had a huge day at the plate going 4-for-5 with a walk, a double, and an RBI. Brian Bogusevic was 2-for-5 with a walk, his second home run of the season, one RBI, and two runs scored. Brad Nelson was 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI, and two runs scored. Darnell McDonald was 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI’s, a stolen base, and a run scored. J.C. Boscan is having a great season so far, he was 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored, he’s now hitting .344 on the year. Iowa probably could have scored more than eight runs as they pounded out sixteen hits but were 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position.
On The Mound – A mixed bag for the Iowa pitching on this night, but they did just enough. Barret Loux got the start and didn’t have it as he went four innings giving up four runs on eight hits while walking three and striking out four. Esmailin Caridad was really good out of the pen and earned the win, he went two scoreless innings while walking one and striking out one. Hisanori Takahashi was roughed up, he went 1.2 innings giving up two runs on three hits while striking out three. Blake Parker was solid again as he earned his fourth save, he went 1.1 scoreless innings while walking one and striking out one.
At The Plate – Another wild one in Tennessee as the Smokies trailed 6-0 after one inning, then 9-6 heading to the bottom of the ninth. The Smokies tied it in the ninth with three runs, then they trailed 11-9 heading to the bottom of the tenth, they tied it again with two in the tenth. Unfortunately they couldn’t come back to tie it a fourth time and lost 12-11 in fourteen innings. The Smokies pounded out fifteen hits in this one, drew seven walks, and made four costly errors. Arismendy Alcantara was 2-for-5 with two walks, a double, one RBI, and two runs scored. Ty Wright was 1-for-3 with two walks, a double, and three RBI’s. Rubi Silva was 2-for-7 with his fifth home run of the season, three RBI’s and a run scored. Rafael Lopez was 3-for-5 with two walks, a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Tim Torres was 2-for-7 with his first home run of the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.
On The Mound – I wouldn’t say that the Smokies pitchers were bad, they just didn’t get a lot of help from their defense. Dallas Beeler got the start and struggled a bit with his command. Beeler went 4.2 innings giving up seven runs, four earned, on four hits while walking three and striking out four. Brian Schlitter was first out of the pen and worked 1.1 innings giving up one run, unearned, on two hits. Kyuji Fujikawa was excellent in what was probably his last rehab outing, he went two scoreless innings giving up a single base hit. Frank Batista was touched up, which is rare, he worked two innings giving up three runs on four hits while walking two and striking out one. Zach Rosscup was brilliant late in this one, he tossed three scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out three. Marcus Hatley took the loss in this one, he worked one inning giving up one run on two hits while walking one and striking out one.
At The Plate - Daytona put up plenty of fight in this one, they just can’t figure out a way to beat St. Lucie. The D-Cubs trailed 5-3 in the eight and managed to tie things up with two in the eighth only to lose 6-5 in the ten innings. Tim Saunders was 2-for-5 with a triple, and two runs scored. Jorge Soler has responded from his benching in a big way, he was 3-for-4 with two doubles, his fifth home run of the season, a walk, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. Dustin Geiger was 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and two RBI’s in the loss.
On The Mound - Austin Kirk has struggled his last couple times out, he worked five innings giving up nine hits while walking one and striking out four. Eduardo Figueroa worked two scoreless innings out of the pen while striking out three. Luis Liria took the loss as he went 2.2 innings giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out three.
At The Plate – The Cougars couldn’t get anything going at the plate in this one, and they were undone by one bad inning as Burlington scored four times in the fourth en route to a 4-0 victory. Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-4 with a double, he’s now hitting .297 on the season. Bijan Rademacher has been red-hot and it continued in this one as he was 2-for-2 with a walk, he’s now hitting .371 on the season and .412 in his last ten games.
On The Mound – Pierce Johnson only had one bad inning but it was enough for his second loss of the season. Johnson worked four innings giving up four runs on five hits while walking three and striking out five. Justin Amlung was really good out of the pen going two scoreless innings while walking one and striking out two. Matt Iannazzo was solid as well going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Minor Matters – May 7, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Reports)
At The Plate – The Cubs really had nothing going all night against the Sky Sox as they were blanked 5-0. The Cubs could only manage four hits in the loss, and were o-for-1 with runners in scoring position, a rather uninspiring effort. Dave Sappelt owns triple A (tiny bit of sarcasm here), he was 1-for-3 in his debut with Iowa tonight. Luis Flores, Nick Struck, and Edwin Maysonet had the other hits for the Cubs, all singles, and Struck was the starting pitcher, like I said, not a good night.
On The Mound - 2012 minor league pitcher of the year Nick Struck, is finding 2013 not as comfortable as last year. Struck worked 5.2 innings giving up five runs on eight hits while walking three and striking out six, his record fell to 0-3 with the loss. Yoanner Negrin was solid out of the pen going 1.1 scoreless innings while walking one and striking out two. Zach Putnam also had a scoreless appearance, he worked an inning and struck out one.
At The Plate – No that is not a typo, yes that was the final score, and yes they only played five innings. The official reason was wet grounds for the shortened game, but I think it might have also been a slaughter rule. I’m going to go out on a limb and say this was and will be the worst game by the Smokies all year. The Smokies couldn’t push across a single run, what’s worse is they only had four hits and made three errors, yikes. Ty Wright, Christian Villanueva, Rafael Lopez, and Elliot Soto were all 1-for-2 with a single in the shellacking.
On The Mound – Look away, or just avoid this part if you are squeamish. Matt Loosen got the start, and you guessed it, the loss as well, his first of the season. Loosen went 2.1 innings giving up seven runs on four hits while walking three and striking out two. A.J. Morris was beat up out of the pen, sort of, Morris went 1.1 innings giving up six runs, all unearned, on three hits while walking two and striking out one. Tony Zych wasn’t much better, he worked 1.1 innings giving up three runs on four hits while walking one and striking out two. New game tomorrow, forget about this one.
At The Plate – Just an awful night all around the minor league system tonight as Daytona was crushed as well, at least they managed to score three times. Daytona could only manage six hits, and three runs in the loss, they also made two errors, seemed to be a theme for every team tonight. Javier Baez was 1-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Jorge Soler was 1-for-4, as was Ben Carhart, Carhart scored a run as well. Taiwan Easterling was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI’s in the loss. Javier Baez and Jorge Soler each made an error in this one, Baez his twelfth, and Soler his first.
On The Mound – Just a rough night from the D-Cubs pitching, Ben Wells got the start and saw his record fall to 3-2 with the loss. Wells went five innings giving up five runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out two, what’s more disturbing is that Wells gave up three home runs, he’s now given up four all year. Sheldon McDonald was the lone bright spot for the D-Cubs as he worked a scoreless inning out of the pen. Starling Peralta continues to get hammered, he worked one-third of an inning giving up five runs on two hits while walking two. David Cales was also roughed up, that is a rarity for sure, he worked 1.2 innings giving up three runs, two earned, on three hits while striking out two.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Minor Matters – May 4, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate - Oops, the Smokies probably want a do over after this one as they were manhandled all night. The Smokies only managed four hits all night in the 8-0 loss. Arismendy Alcantara, Rafael Lopez, Joanthan Mota, and Eric Jokisch were the only Smokies to record hits in this one, all singles. Blah.
On The Mound – Not much better on the mound for the Smokies in this one. Minor league pitcher of the month Eric Jokisch struggled for really the first time all year. Jokisch went three innings giving up six runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out three, his record falls to 3-2 on the season. Tony Zych was solid out of the pen goin two innings giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out two. Kevin Rhoderick struggled with command but fought through it as he worked two innings giving up one run on three hits while walking three and striking out two. Brian Schlitter did some mop up work in this one going one scoreless inning giving up one hit while walking one.
At The Plate – Daytona came to hit tonight, one night after they were postponed, maybe that day off did them some good. John Andreoli was a force from the lead-off spot going 3-for-4 with two triples, a walk, an RBI, and three runs scored, he’s now hitting .340 on the season. Zeke DeVoss and Javier Baez were both 0-for-3, but both guys scored and run and had two RBI’s. Jorge Soler was 1-for-3 with his third home run of the season, two RBI’s, two walks, and one run scored. Ben Carhart continues to rake, he was 2-for-5 in this one with a stolen base, he’s now hitting .314 on the season.
On The Mound - P.J. Francescon got the start, and the win as he had one of his best outings of the season. Francescon went six scoreless innings giving up three hits while walking one and striking out five. Starling Peralta really struggled out of the pen going 1.2 innings giving up five runs on six hits while striking out two. Sheldon McDonald was solid to close things out as he worked 1.1 scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out one.
At The Plate – The Cougars were locked in a battle with the Dragons until the seventh inning when the Cougars struck for four runs en route to a 6-1 win, their fifth straight victory. Gioskar Amaya was 1-for-3 with a walk, and a double in the win. Rock Shoulders continues to hit, he was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run, of course a 1-for-3 night actually drops his average. Willson Contreras was 1-for-4 with a double and a huge three RBI’s in this one. Bijan Rademacher was 3-for-4 with two doubles, and an RBI, he is now hitting .322 on the season.
On The Mound – Felix Pena was outstanding for the Cougars tonight, and really has been all year long. Pena went seven innings giving up one run on four hits while walking one and striking out seven to earn his first win of the year. Justin Amlung shut the door the rest of the way as he worked two scoreless innings giving up three hits while walking one and striking out one.
NOTES: Iowa was postponed….again.
Thanks for reading,
- George
Minor Matters – May 2, 2013 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)
At The Plate - The Smokies swarmed the Braves in this one as the pounded out fourteen hits and scored seven runs to beat the Braves 7-0. Ronald Torreyes went 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored, and en error. Christian Villanueva had a solid game going 2-for-5 with an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored. Rubi Silva continued his superb 2013 going 3-for-4 with a walk, a triple, and two runs scored, he’s now hitting .318 on the season. Rafael Lopez was 1-for-3 with his first home run of the season, he also walked twice, had an RBI, and scored two runs. Jonathan Mota was 2-for-3 with a walk, and two RBI’s in the victory.
On The Mound - Dallas Beeler was outstanding once again for the Smokies. Beeler went 6.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking three and striking out five to earn his third win of the season. Zach Rosscup earned his sixth hold of the season as he worked 1.1 scoreless innings out of the pen while walking one and striking out two. Brian Schlitter worked a scoreless ninth, giving up two hits and walking one.
At The Plate - After falling behind 2-0 in the first inning the D-Cubs offense went tow work scoring six times over the next four innings to put this one away. John Andreoli was 2-for-5 with a run scored, and his ninth stolen base of the season. Stephen Bruno was 2-for-4 with a double, and RBI, and two runs scored, he’s now hitting .362 on the season. Dustin Geiger also had a solid night going 2-for-4 with a run scored in the win.
On The Mound – Austin Kirk had a weird night, but because he didn’t walk anyone he was able to survive giving up ten hits. Kirk went six innings giving up two runs on ten hits while striking out four to improve his record to 4-1 on the season. Austin Reed had was great out of the bullpen, and finally might be finding some confidence, he worked two scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one. David Cales took care of the rest as he worked a scoreless ninth innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out one.
NOTES: Kane County and Iowa were both rained out because the weather hates us all.
Thanks for reading,
- George
