Results tagged ‘ Rafael Lopez ’
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
7/29: 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
7/25: Around the Minor League System
The July 25th Chicago Cubs Minor League recap.
The most exciting team in the history of the Universe was off tonight, that’s right no Almora or Soler tonight.

The Boise Hawks and Yakima Bears went toe-to-toe with each other and Yakima was the last one standing. The Boise Hawks were in comeback mode all night as they trailed 6-3, and 8-6 before tying the game each time. The Hawks scored twice in the bottom of the 8th to tie the game at eight but gave both runs right back in the top of the ninth and fell to Yakima 10-8. Felix Pena got the start for Boise and struggled. He gave up six runs, four earned on seven hits while walking none and striking out two in four innings of work. The loss however went to Matt Iannazzo who gave up four runs on seven hits in 1.1 innings of work. Daniel Vogelbach is at a new, higher level in the Cubs system but continues to pound the baseball. Vogelbach was 3-for-5 in the loss with a double and an RBI. Rock Shoulders, Dong-Yub Kim, and Gioskar Amaya all had two hits for Boise in the loss, Kim hit is fourth home run of the season.
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Another game and another outstanding effort from Peoria Chiefs starter Joseph Zeller as he weathered a rough first inning to earn his second win of the season as the Chiefs hung on to beat Cedar Rapids 8-6. The Chiefs used an enormous seven run third inning to break this one open, but had to fight to hang on as Cedar Rapids scored twice in the 8th and 9th to make it close. Zeller went six strong innings giving up two runs, both unearned on seven hits while walking one and striking out two. He lowered his ERA to 1.32 on the season. Javier Baez was the only Chiefs player with multiple hits as he was 2-for-5 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. Pin-Chieh Chen had the only extra base hit for the Chiefs as he was 1-for-3 on the night with a triple (8), two walks, an RBI, and a run scored.
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Busy day for the Daytona Cubs as they had a double-header against the Brevard County Manatees, and game one didn’t get the day off to a great start. P.J. Francescon had a rough outing, and has been shaky since his promotion to Daytona which is to be expected. It’s not like Francescon has been terrible, but today he just didn’t have it as he gave up six runs on seven hits over 3.2 innings while walking four without a strikeout. The Daytona offense couldn’t keep up as Brevard County took game one 6-4. It was the Elieser Bonne show in game one for Daytona as the right fielder was 4-for-4 at the plate with two doubles (8,9), unfortunately no one was on base for him. Rafael Lopez had a solid game going 1-for-2 with a home run (1), two walks and two RBI’s in the losing effort.
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Game two was a pitching duel right from the get go, unfortunately for Daytona the result was the same, as Brevard County won the second half of the double-header 3-0. Frank Del Valle got the start for Daytona and was outstanding going five scoreless innings giving up only one hit while walking three and striking out four, but had to settle for a no decision. Jeffrey Lorick pitched a scoreless inning of relief before Scott Weismann got lit up in the 7th to take the loss. Matt Szczur had a solid game at the plate going 2-for-3 to raise his average to .292 on the season, he also stole his 38th base of the season. That was it as Daytona couldn’t push across any runs and only managed three hits as this was a lost day all around.
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The Smokies came out swinging against the Suns in a wild one and broke through late to register a 7-5 victory. Dae-Eun Rhee who has not been very good (understatement) all year, pitched well enough in this one to earn his seventh victory of the season against five losses. Rhee was the beneficiary of an offensive explosion that was led by Junior Lake. Lake was 2-for-5 with two home runs (6,7), a walk, and four RBI’s. Lake wasn’t alone in the destruction of Suns pitching as Nelson Perez went 2-for-5 as well with his fourth home run of the season, and two RBI’s. Justin Bour continued his solid 2012 season going 3-for-4 with a double (29!) and an RBI, Bour is now hitting .297 on the campaign. Trey McNutt has had a down year, that includes his recent performances out of the pen, but he was excellent tonight going two strong innings giving up nothing and striking out three.
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The Iowa Cubs jumped out to an early 3-0 lead against Oklahoma City, but if we have learned anything we know that there is no lead too big for Iowa to blow. It happened again tonight as OKC scored in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th to take a 7-4 lead on their way to a 10-8 victory. The I-Cubs made things somewhat interesting in the ninth inning by scoring four times but it was way too late. Chris Rusin got roughed up again as he gave up seven runs on ten hits in five innings of work to record his 7th loss of the season. James Adduci, Dave Sappelt, and Adrian Cardenas all had two hits in the loss. Adduci had a great game at the top of the order going 2-for-4 with a double (3), an RBI, a walk, and three runs scored.
Thanks for reading,
- George
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
7/12: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Your daily trip through the minor leagues.
A six run fourth was too much for the AZL Cubs to overcome on Thursday losing 7-2. Even though the Cubs only had two runs on five hits there were a few offensive bright spots. Dan Vogelbach did it again belting a two-run home run, his fifth of the young season. Ben Carhart also had a nice day going 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored. Ethan Elias started and pitched three innings giving up one unearned run. Ryan Hartman struggled and took the loss in relief. Matt Iannazzo struck out six in 3.1 innings pitched. The Cubs have been really good so hope to see them bounce back after this one.
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Boise lost a wild one to Vancouver 12-11. It was a tough loss as it seemed Boise was in complete control of this one, but an eight run seventh for Vancouver was all they would need to hold on. Offensively Boise had 16 hits to go along with those 11 runs so a lot of good came out of that. Three Hawks hit home runs, including Gioskar Amaya, Marco Hernandez, and Rock Shoulders. Amaya and Hernandez each drove in two and Shoulders drove in three on the night. Bijan Rademacher also drove in two runs as he went 3-for-4 with a double at the plate. Stephen Brruno and Jeimer Candelario each had two hits and Trey Martin had three. The good on the mound turned to ugly pretty quickly on Thursday. James Pugliese and Michael Heesch combined to get the Hawks into the sixth with a 10-4 lead. The lead was soon erased as Rafael Diplan struggled giving up five in .1 innings. He was followed by Roderik Pichardo who gave up three more in the seventh and he took the loss. Another tough loss for Boise on Thursday.
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Dayton pounded out 16 hits and scored eight runs to beat Peoria 8-5. There was some good that happened offensively in this one though. Taiwan Easterling was 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. Paul Hoilman and Chadd Krist who was recently promoted from Boise each had two hits. Krist also drove in a run as did Wes Darvill and Pin-Chieh Chen. Jose Rosario was pretty good on the mound giving up one run on seven hits in six innings of work. Justin Berg and the defense let Rosario down giving up five runs, one earned on three hits in .2 innings. Hunter Cervenka struggled as well giving up two runs on six hits in 2.1 innings. After a five run seventh and a two run ninth Peoria just didn’t have enough left to come back.
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Palm Beach scored four times in the lst four innings to beat Daytona 5-4. Matt Loosen got the start pitching 6.2 innings. He gave up four runs, three runs on three hits while walking three and striking out six. Eduardo Figueroa took the loss in relief. He gave up the go ahead run in .2 innings. At the plate Rubi Silva had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a triple and a runs scored. John Andreoli, Rebel Ridling, Rafael Lopez, and Dustin Harrington each had a hit and Ridling drove one in. Matt Szczur and Taylor Davis each had an RBI for the Cubs on Thursday as well. Another game on Thursday where it looked like the Cubs affiliate was in command, but ended up losing.
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Tennessee was postponed on Wednesday so they played two on Thursday. All the scoring for game one came in the first inning when Tennessee scored one, but Birmingham scored four. The score would stand and Tennessee lost 4-1. Staring pitcher Zach Rosscup didn’t last long allowing four runs on four hits and walking two and only recording one out. In relif Ty’Relle Harris and Kevin Rhoderick held the Baron scoreless the rest of the way to give the Smokies a chance. Philip Humber started his rehab assignmnet and held the Smokies to only two hits and one run. Junior Lake led the game off with a double and scored the Smokies lone run when he was driven in by Jae-Hoon Ha. Justin Bour had the other Smokies hit in game one.
Three Tennessee runs in the second inning was plenty for Nicholas Struck as Smokies won game two 3-0. Struck wsa outstanding allowing no runs on only three hits while walking none and striking out seven in six innings. Frank Batista came on to pitch a scoreless seventh to recrord his 17th save. The Smokies RBIs came from the bottom of the order with Nelson Perez driving in two with a triple and Chad Noble then driving him in. Jae-Hoon Ha was the only Smokie player with a multi hit game as he went 2-for-4. After dropping the first one it was nice to see them come back and get game two.
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Iowa wins a crazy one in Omaha on Thursday. Trailing 7-2 after three innings Iowa started there come back with a four run fourth. After adding on in the sixth, they scored five more and eventually won 12-11. They had 15 hits to go along with those 12 runs so there was a lot of good offensively. Adrian Cardenas and Diory Hernandez each had three hits. Hernandez hit a home run, scored two runs, and drove in two. Dave Sappelt was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Welington Castillo also had two hits, including a hom run. He also scored two runs and drove in three. Brett Jackson was back in the lineup delivering a hit and walking three times. He drove in on run, scored two, and stole his 21st base of the season. Josh Vitters had two more hits, including his 26th double, he also scored a run and drove one in. Chris Volstad got the start and was not very good allowing seven runs, five earned in just two innings. The Cubs would use five arms out of the pen to finish this one Alberto Cabrera earning his second win of the season. Jay Jackson pitched a scoreless eighth and Michael Bowden recorded his second save of the season striking out two in a scoreless ninth. It’s nice to come out on top of a crazy one like that.
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What a crazy night throughout the Cubs system.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
7/8: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A trip through the minors on July 8, 2012.
The AZL Brewers jumped on the AZL Cubs and took a commanding 4-0 lead. The Cubs scored one run in ninth to tie it and then another in the 11th to win. Offensively Timothy Saunders did it again, this time going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Daniel Lockhart and David Bote each added two hits with Lockhart scoring two and driving in one. Ben Carhart, Daniel Vogelbach, and Rafael Lopez each drove in a run with the winner coming off the bat of Lockhart. Alvido Jimenez got the win in relief striking out four in 3.1 innings and giving up two hits and zero runs. Carlos Martinez-Pumarino also pitched well in relief striking out four and only giving up one hit in 3.2 innings of work. It was a nice win for the Cubs and their record now stands at 12-4.
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Starting pitcher Ian Dickson struggled giving up seven runs on seven hits in just 2.2 innings. He took the loss as Boise dropped the game to Yakima 10-1 in only five and a half innings played. At the plate the Hawks got two hits from Xavier Batista including a double. Wilson Contreras and Stephen Bruno each had one hit and Bruno scored a run. Chadd Krist did not record a hit, but drove in the lone run for Boise. It was really tough loss for the Hawks in shortened game.
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After hitting four home runs yesterday Peoria did not score a run today losing to 3-0 to Cedar Rapids. Joseph Zeller got the start and took the loss giving up three runs, one earned on five hits in five innings pitched. Jeffry Antigua was really good striking out three in three perfect innings of relief. His ERA remains at 0.00. Nothing to exciting happened on the offensive side of things. Zeke DeVoss and Wes Darvill each had one hit, that being a double. Javier Baez, Pin-Chieh Chen, Yasiel Balaguert, and Sergio Burruel all had a hit as well. Baez stole his 14th base of the season. Peoria will look to get back on track tomorrow.
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Lakeland had a two run lead into the eighth, but Daytona scored four in top half and would one in the ninth to win 5-2. Austin Kirk got the start, but did not factor in the decision. He threw six innings and gave up two runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out two. AJ Morris got the win in relief giving up no runs on one hit and striking out two in two innings. Brian Schlitter picked up his first save of the season pitching a perfect ninth. Rebel Ridling was 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Ronald Torreyes and Elieser Bonne each added hits, Bonne’s being a double. Chad Noble was 2-for-3 with a runs scored and an RBI. Arismendy Alcantara and Rubi Silva each drove in a run, and Alcantara scored a run and stole his 25th base of the season. Matt Szczur did not have a hit, but walked three times, scored a run, and stole his 27th and 28th bag of the season. A nice comeback win for Daytona on Sunday.
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Trey McNutt got his fifth win of the year as Tennessee beat Chattanooga 5-3. McNutt pitched five innings giving up two runs, one earned on four hits while walking two and striking out two. Ty’relle Harris and Casey Weathers each recorded holds with Harris pitching a scoreless 1.2 innings and striking out two. Frank Batista pitched another scoreless ninth to record his 15th save of the season. Justin Bour was 1-for-2 with a homer, his eighth, and two walks. Greg Rohan was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Junior Lake and Logan Watkins each had a hit and drove in a run for the Cubs. Michael Brenly, Nate Samson, and Micahel Burgess all added a hit with Samson hitting his 11th double of the year. Daytona will look to make it two in a row on Monday.
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Adrian Cardenas played the role of the hero on Sunday, delivering a game-winning RBI single to win the game 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth. Alfredo Amezaga was 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI. Dave Sappelt and Josh Vitters each stayed hot as they delivered two hits a piece. They each scored a run and drove one in, with Vitters connecting on his 25th double of the season. James Adduci was 1-for-3 in his second game with, he also scored a run. Welington Castillo and Matt Tolbert each had hit with Castillo driving one in. Randy Wells got the start, but did not factor in the decision. He gave up five runs, four earned on seven hits in 6.1 innings. Alberto Cabrera got the win in relief pitching the final 2.2 innings. He allowed no runs on two hits and struck out four, lowering his ERA to 1.86. This was a nice way for Iowa to go into the All Star Break. Iowa ended the first half 38-53.
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All in all it was a good day for the Cubs minor leaguers with a lot of thrilling victories.
Thanks for Reading,
Mark
7/7: Around the Cubs Minor League System
A look at the Cubs minor leagues on Saturday, July 7.
Another day and another nice day for the AZL Cubs beating AZL Giants 11-1. Timothy Saunders was at again going 3-for-4 with a home run, double, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Rafael Lopez also had three hits including a double and a triple. He also drove in two runs and scored two as well. Jacob Rogers drove in two runs as well and added two doubles. Dan Vogelbach only was 1-for-5, but he also drove in two. Daniel Lockhart had two hits and scored two runs. All in all the Cubs pounded out 13 hits, eight of which were extra base hits. The pitching was just as impressive as the hitting allowing only one run on two hits. Hunter Ackerman started and pitched three innings not allowing a hit and striking out four. Loiger Padron struck out three in two scoreless innings to record his first win. Jin-Young Kim closed the game out also throwing two scoreless innings.
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Behind Tayler Scott and Hayden Simpson Boise shut out Yakima winning 4-0. Scott got the start and pitched six beautiful innings allowing only three hits and striking out four in route to his first win of the season. Hayden Simpson allowed baserunners giving up three hits and walking two in three innings. He also struck out three and recorded his first save of the season. Boise also had a few nice nights at the plate. Jeimer Candelario was 3-for-5 with a double, a runs scored, and an RBI. Gioskar Amaya, Stephen Bruno, and Wilson Contreras all had two hits including a double and a runs scored. Contreras also added two RBIs on the evening. Xavier Batista had a double and drove in the other Cubs run.
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Peoria scored three in the eighth to take a 5-2 lead. Cedar Rapids got one in the ninth, but that was all as Peoria won 5-3. Top prospect Javier Baez had a great night at the plate going 3-for-4 with a solo home run. Dustin Geiger did it again hitting his eighth home run of the season. The big blow, however came off the bat of Yasiel Balaguert who connected on three-run homer in the eighth which proved to be the game winner. The pitching did a nice job with starter Jose Rosario giving up two runs on four hits in 5.2 innings. Hunter Cervenka entered the game and shut down Cedar Rapids pitching two perfect innings of relief and striking out three. His ERA now stands at 1.46. Yao-Lin Wang gave up a run, but was able to close out the game recording his 11th save of the season.
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Daytona scored two in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough losing to Lakeland 6-5. Offensively Arismendy Alcantara hit a solo home run in the third, his seventh of the year. Cubs also got RBIs from Matt Cerda and John Andreoli. Taylor Davis also connected on his first home run of the year, a two-run shot in the top of the ninth. Rubi Silva scored a run and was the only Cub to record two hits on the night. Starter PJ Francescon took the loss allowing five runs, four earned on nine hits in five innings. Eduardo Figueroa threw a scoreless 1.1 innings and Jeffrey Lorick gave up a run in his 1.2 innings pitched.
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Chattanooga scored three in the top of the ninth to beat Tennessee 6-3. At the plate the Smokies had some nice performances. Juan Apodaca was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Logan Watkins was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Junior Lake and Michael Burgess each had two hits on Saturday as well. Elliot Soto drove in the other Smokies run. Dae-Eun Rhee got the start and pitched six solid innings allowing only two runs and striking out four. He was in line for the win, but Kevin Rhoderick gave up a run in his two innings of work. Casey Harman took the loss giving up three runs in the ninth. It was a rough one to lose as Tennessee had the lead late, but gave up four in the last three innings.
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Iowa scored two in the eighth and held on to beat Omaha 5-4. Alfredo Amezaga had a really nice night going 3-for-5 with two double, two runs scored, and an RBI. Dave Sappelt continues to stay hot adding two hits and driving in a pair. Josh Vitters added an RBI and hit his 24th double of the season. In his first game with Iowa James Adduci was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Esmailin Caridad got the start and gave up one run, none earned in three innings. Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched four solid innings in relief only giving up one run and striking out three. Jeff Beliveau blew a save opportunity giving up a run in the eighth, but he ended up getting his third win of the season. Brett Jackson missed his third game in a row on Saturday.
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Thanks for Reading
Mark
7/5: Around the Cubs Minor League System
July 5 Cubs minor league recap.
AZL Cubs played a very entertaining game on Thursday winning 12-11 in ten innings. After giving up ten runs in the first three innings and being down by five the Cubs came storming back to tie the game and eventually win. There were a lot of good things that happened on the offensive side of things. Leading off Timothy Saunders was 5-for-6 with a home run, double, three RBI’s and four runs scored. Rafael Lopez was 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and one batted in. Izaac Garsez also had three hits including a double, a run scored, and one batted in. Garrett Schlecht and Daniel Lockhart each had two hits and Lockhart had two RBI’s and two runs scored. Justin Berg got the start and wasn’t very good pitching only one inning and giving up six runs, three earned on four hits. Nathan Dorris pitched three scoreless innings and Steve Perakslis recorded the win pitching two innings. It was a wild game and it is nice to see the the Cubs come out on top.
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Boise scored two in the ninth to win 7-6. Down by one going to the bottom of the ninth The Hawks were trailing 6-5. After a Dong-Yub Kim and Xavier Batista walk Darien Martin bunted them to second and third. Gioskar Amaya delivered a single to tie the game. After a fielders choice up stepped Stephen Bruno who came through with a single to win the game. Amaya also had three hits and scored two runs and drove in one. Bijan Rademacher was 2-for-3 including his first home run of his professional career. Marco Hernandez and Kim each had two hits and Hernandez had two RBI’s. Bryce Shafer got the win in relief, despite giving up an unearned run in the top of the ninth. Starter Jose Arias pitched quite well, giving up one run on seven hits in 5.2 innings pitched. He was in line to get the win, but Michael Hamann struggled in relief. All in all it was a nice win for Boise on Friday.
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Peoria scored two runs in the second and the pitching staff was able to make it stand winning 2-1. Zach Cates got the start, but did not factor in the decision as he was only able to pitch 4.2 innings. Zachary Rosscup came in relief and pitched three great innings striking out five and only allowing a hit. Luis Lira came in to close the game and recorded his fourth save of the season. Dustin Geiger started off where he left off hitting a solo home run in the second. After the homer, Javier Baez stepped to the plate and delivered a single. He then stole his 12 base of the season and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Wes Darvill drove him in on a ground out. Zeke DeVoss and Pin-Chieh Chen each had a hit and DeVoss stole his 21st base of the year.
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Kyler Burke pitched ok on Thursday, but took the loss nonetheless. He gave up three runs, two earned on seven hits in five innings of work. Offensively John Andreoli had a really nice day. He was 3-for-4 and stole his 29th base of the season. Matt Cerda also reached base three times with a double and two walks. He also drove in two runs and scored one. Arismendy Alcantara led off and was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Brian Schlitter pitched an effective two innings in relief not allowing a run and giving up two hits while striking out one. His ERA is now down to 1.33.
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The Tennessee Smokies game was postponed on Friday. It will be made up as a doubleheader tomorrow. Each game will be seven innings.
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Iowa was shutout on Thursday 3-0. Brooks Raley got the start and took the loss pitching 6.2 innings and allowing three runs, one earned on five hits. Offensively there isn’t much to talk about. Diory Hernandez was the only Cubs player to have a multi-hit game going 2-for-3. Alfredo Amezaga, Dave Sappelt, and Josh Vitters, and Brian Esposito all had one hit a piece on Friday. Alberto Cabrera and Ryan Rowland-Smith each pitched well in relief. Nothing too exciting about this one.
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Thanks for Reading,
Mark




















































