Cubs minor league recap: 5/2/13
Smokies third baseman Christian Villanueva snapped a four-game hitless run Thursday. (Photo by Stephen Green)
Tennessee and Daytona both captured a win with offensive outbursts Thursday while inclement weather forced Iowa and Kane County to reschedule their matchups. The Cougars will face Bowling Green in a doubleheader this afternoon, but the I-Cubs postponed their make-up for June 8, when they host another series with Round Rock. Here are some highlights from yesterday’s action:
Tennessee Smokies (15-11)
Tennessee recorded its second shutout in three games, blanking host Mississippi 7-0 in the second of a five-game set.
- RHP Dallas Beeler has tossed five-consecutive quality starts and has not allowed a run in his last two (13.2 IP).
- CF Rubi Silva (.318) went 3-for-4 with a walk, a triple (3) and two runs scored. He reached base a season-high four times.
- C Rafael Lopez (.214) hit his first home run of the season in the eighth inning. He went 1-for-3 with two walks, the homer, two runs scored and a RBI (7).
- 3B Christian Villanueva (.211) snapped a four-game, hitless skid, going 2-for-5 with a stolen base (3), a run scored and a RBI (16).
- 2B Ryan Torreyes (.333) recorded his fourth multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-5 with a double (3) and a run scored.
Daytona Cubs (15-12)
Daytona defeated Lakeland 6-2, extending its season-best winning streak to five games. The two teams combined for 20 singles and three extra-base hits.
- 3B Ben Carhart (.309) extended his hitting streak to eight games (.483/14-for-29) with a second-inning RBI single.
- DH Stephen Bruno (.362) went 2-for-4 with a double (8), two runs scored and a RBI (7).
- 2B Anthony Giansanti (.333) recorded his second-consecutive, multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a RBI (4).
- LF John Andreoli (.323) stole a base (9), scored a run and extended his hitting streak to five games (.333/7-for-21).
- RHP David Cales (1.0 IP, H, BB, K) hasn’t been scored upon in 6.0 innings this season (four appearances).
- LHP Austin Kirk earned his fourth victory, tied for the most wins in the Florida State League. He is the only pitcher in the Cubs organization with four wins.
IF Rock Shoulders, LHP Eric Jokisch named minor league player, pitcher of the month
The Chicago Cubs today named Single-A Kane County infielder Rock Shoulders and Double-A Tennessee left-handed pitcher Eric Jokisch the organization’s minor league player and pitcher of the month for April, respectively.
Aside from having the best name in the organization, Shoulders, 21, batted .370 (30-for-81) with 19 runs scored, seven doubles, five home runs and 16 RBI in 22 April contests for the Cougars. He posted a .457 on-base percentage, thanks in part to 13 walks, and had a .642 slugging percentage to give him a 1.099 OPS for the month, the second-highest mark in the Midwest League. The left-handed hitter was tied for third in the league in runs scored, home runs and extra-base hits, ranked fourth in batting average and tied for fourth in hits.
Shoulders, whose real name is Roderick, was originally selected by the Cubs in the 25th round of the 2011 draft. In 94 career minor league games, he has hit .274 (89-for-325) with 24 doubles, 15 home runs, 57 RBI, a .362 on-base percentage and a .486 slugging percentage.
Jokisch, 23, went 3-1 with a 1.84 ERA (6 ER/29.1 IP) in five April starts for the Smokies, striking out 21, while walking just six and limiting opponents to a .240 batting average. In each of his first four starts of the season, he went at least 6.0 innings and allowed one or no runs. He finished the month tied for fifth in the Southern League in victories, tied for eighth in innings pitched and ninth in ERA.
Jokisch, a native of Virginia, Ill., attended Northwestern University and was selected by the Cubs in the 11th round of the 2010 draft. He began the 2011 campaign by going 9-3 with a 2.96 ERA (39 ER/118.2 IP) in 25 games (11 starts) with Single-A Peoria and was later named the team’s Pitcher of the Year. All told, he is 25-13 with a 3.37 ERA (134 ER/358.0 IP) in 75 career minor league games, including 52 starts.
Garza back at Wrigley after making season debut
(Photo by Stephen Green)
A little rain wasn’t going to stop Matt Garza. With elbow and lat issues keeping the the 29-year-old out of action since July and rehab stints getting pushed back by rain and a dead arm, it’s been awhile since he’s taken the mound in a competitive atmosphere.
“I didn’t think there was anything that was going to stop me from going out there,” Garza said of his rainy Wednesday return with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies. “A long delay—I sat on a bike for a long time.”
Poor whether caused the game to be delayed for more than an hour and a half, and it was eventually called in the bottom of the fifth. But Garza had a successful, pain-free outing, going 2.2 innings (42 pitches), with one earned run on one hit and two walks. He was back at Wrigley Field on Thursday to check in with the major league squad before heading out to Iowa for his second rehab start on Monday.
“I was just glad to throw strikes, glad they were swinging. It’s a good sign,” Garza said. “I put the ball in the zone a lot, so that’s all I was looking for.”
The right-hander has been on the DL since July 21 of last season after aggravating his throwing elbow. Then early in the spring, he tweaked his lat, causing him to miss all of Spring Training. Manager Dale Sveum said the club would make some decisions about a potential return to the big league club after Garza’s third rehab start. Even though the ace can finally see the light at the end of a very long tunnel, he said his focus is solely on his Monday start.
“I’m just looking forward to [start] No. 2,” he said. “When I get to three, we’ll make those decisions. But right now, I’m just going to prep my body for No. 2, prep my mind for No. 2—going to go from there.”
Garza was 5-7 with a 3.91 ERA in 103.2 innings for the Cubs in 2012.
Cubs minor league recap: 5/1/13
Second baseman Logan Watkins recorded his fourth multi-hit game in five days with the I-Cubs. (Photo by Stephen Green)
Tennessee and Kane County both secured a win Wednesday while Iowa and Daytona struggled to find power at the plate. Here are some highlights from yesterday’s action:
Iowa Cubs (9-16)
Iowa mustered only four hits in a 1-0 setback vs. visiting Round Rock.
- 2B Logan Watkins (.279) went 3-for-3 with a double and a walk, reaching base all four times. He recorded his fourth multi-hit game in five days (.450/9-for-20).
- DH Ryan Sweeney (.351) went 1-for-4 and has hit safely in 17 of 21 games this season.
- 3B Ian Stewart (.091) went 0-for-4 in the 13th game of his rehabilitation assignment.
- LHP Chris Rusin struck out a season-best five batters in 7.0 innings, tying his longest outing of the season.
Tennessee Smokies (14-11)
Tennessee fell 3-0 in a rain-shortened, 5.0-inning game at Mississippi.
- RHP Matt Garza threw 42 pitches (25 strikes), facing 10 batters in his first rehab start with Tennessee. He collected six groundouts, a flyout, walked two and allowed a single.
- LF Rubi Silva (.298) went 1-for-2 with a single.
- C Rafael Lopez (.208) collected a base hit for the seventh time in eight games.
Daytona Cubs (14-12)
Daytona defeated Palm Beach 3-1, completing a four-game sweep of the Cardinals. The D-Cubs have won six of their last seven games.
- 3B Ben Carhart (.312) registered his third multi-RBI game in four days, going 2-for-3 with a run scored, two doubles (10) and two RBI (15). He extended his hitting streak to seven games (.520/13-for-25).
- 2B Tony Giansanti (.296) went 2-for-3 with a RBI (3) in his first start at second base this season.
- RF Jorge Soler (.275) doubled (5), stole a base (2) and scored a run as part of a 1-for-3 outing.
- RHP Ben Wells pitched a season-best 7.0 innings, allowing only four batters to reach base.
Kane County Cougars (10-13)
Dan Vogelbach hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning, giving Kane County a 5-4 victory over Bowling Green in the opener of a three-game set.
- Vogelbach (.309) extended his hitting streak to five games (.400/8-for-20) with the 10th-inning RBI single (1-for-5, 2 RBI).
- RF Pin-Chieh Chen (.254) recorded his second-consecutive, multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 with a double (3), a stolen base (5) and two runs scored.
- 2B Gioskar Amaya (.244) went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double (4) and a run scored.
- RHP Pierce Johnson pitched into the seventh inning for the first time this season. He has struck out 25 while walking seven in five starts (24.2 IP).
Cubs minor league recap: 4/30/13
Infielder Brent Lillibridge has hit safely in seven of eight games in Iowa. (Photo by Stephen Green)
Iowa, Daytona and Kane County all earned victories while Tennessee had the day off Monday. Here are some highlights from yesterday’s action:
Iowa Cubs (9-15)
Iowa recorded six extra-base hits in a 7-2 victory over visiting Round Rock.
- RHP Guillermo Moscoso (1-0) started and pitched five innings, surrendering one earned run on three hits and striking out six for the win.
- CF Brian Bogusevic (.420) extended his hitting streak to 11 games, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, two doubles (7), a triple (1) and one RBI (10). He’s hitting .475 (19-for-40) during the streak.
- 1B Brad Nelson (.244) reached base four times, going 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs, a homer and two RBI (19).
- LF Brent Lillibridge (.419) went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a home run and one RBI (4). He has hit safely in seven of his first eight games with Iowa.
- 3B Ian Stewart (.100) went 0-for-4 in the 12th game of his rehabilitation assignment.
- RHP Casey Coleman (3.38) and RHP Rafael Dolis (3.52) each tossed a scoreless inning of relief. Dolis is holding left-handed hitters to a .118 batting average (2-for-17).
Daytona Cubs (13-12)
Daytona used a five-run seventh inning to rout visiting Palm Beach, 11-4. The D-Cubs have won three in a row and five of their last six games.
- RHP Zach Cates (3-2) didn’t surrender a hit in six innings, striking out seven and walking three. He has not allowed a run in his last 12.1 innings.
- CF Zeke DeVoss (.244) recorded his fifth multi-hit game of the campaign, going 2-for-3 with a walk, three runs scored, a double (3) and one RBI (13).
- SS Javier Baez (.262), the reigning FSL Player of the Week, extended his hitting streak to a season-high six games, going 1-for-5 with a run scored, a double (7) and two RBI (17).
- 3B Ben Carhart (.300) registered his fifth multi-RBI game of the season, going 2-for-4 with a run scored, a double (8) and two RBI (13).
Kane County Cougars (9-13)
Kane County scored nine runs in the final three innings, defeating Lake County 13-9. The two teams combined for 22 runs, 32 hits and 13 extra-base hits.
- 1B Dan Vogelbach (.315) homered for the third-straight game, going 4-for-6 with the home run (5) and two RBI (14).
- RF Pin-Chieh Chen (.242) went 4-for-6 with a run scored, a double (2) and three RBI (6).
- LF Rock Shoulders (.370) and SS Wes Darvill (.375) each scored three runs while adding two hits apiece.
- C Yaniel Cabezas (.545) recorded his second straight, three-hit game, going 3-for-6 with two RBI (3).
- DH Willson Contreras (.326) went 2-for-4 with a walk, three runs scored, a home run and one RBI (10).
- RHP Justin Amlung (3-0, 4.76) earned the win, tossing 3.0 innings of one-run relief.
Cubs minor league recap: 4/29/13
In eight games, RHP Blake Parker has held right-handed hitters to a .059 average. (Photo by Stephen Green)
Daytona captured a win in a rain-shortened game Monday while Iowa fell short despite an offensive outburst. Tennessee walked away from its doubleheader with a win and a loss, but Kane County struggled to collect a victory in its back-to-back matchup. Here are some highlights from yesterday’s action:
Iowa Cubs (8-15)
Iowa dropped a 10-9 decision to visiting Round Rock even though eight different I-Cubs collected a hit. The two teams combined for 19 runs, 24 hits and four home runs.
- CF Brian Bogusevic (.403) extended his hitting streak to 10 games, going 1-for-5 with a RBI (9). He’s hitting .444 (16-for-36) during that stretch.
- 1B Brad Nelson (.224) went 4-for-5 with two runs scored, two doubles (3) and three RBI (17). The four hits and three RBI marked season highs.
- DH Brett Jackson (.233) homered for the second-consecutive game, going 1-for-4 with a walk, the home run and two RBI (9). Jackson did not homer in his first 16 games prior to April 28′s blast.
- SS Logan Watkins (.263) recorded his third-straight, multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and a RBI (5).
- RF Ryan Sweeney (.377) reached base three times, going 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored. He is hitting .396 (19-for-48) against right-handed pitchers.
- 3B Ian Stewart (.111) went 1-for-4 with a walk in the 11th game of his rehabilitation assignment.
- RHP Blake Parker (2.70) worked a scoreless ninth frame. He’s holding right-handed hitters to a .059 batting average (1-for-17) through eight appearances.
Tennessee Smokies (14-10)
Game 1: Tennessee managed just two hits in a 3-0 loss vs. Pensacola in the first game of a doubleheader.
- CF Matt Szczur (.294) went 1-for-3, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. He’s hitting .324 (12-for-37) with a home run and five RBI during the streak.
- 2B Ronald Torreyes (.333) went 1-for-3 with a stolen base (1).
- RHP Frank Batista (0.90 ERA) and RHP Tony Zych (3.09) each tossed a scoreless inning of relief. Batista is holding right-handed hitters to a .143 batting average (3-for-21) while Zych is limiting righties to a .185 mark (5-for-27).
Game 2: Tennessee’s Jae-Hoon Ha hit a pinch-hit, walk-off, three-run home run to beat Pensacola 3-0 in the nightcap.
- PH Ha (.313) recorded a season-high three RBI (13) with the walk-off blast. The clout snapped a 23-game homerless drought.
- RHP Kyle Hendricks (3.12) received a no-decision despite tossing 6.0-scoreless innings. He owns a 0.69 ERA (1 ER/13.0 IP) in his last two starts.
- RHP Marcus Hatley (1-0, 2.79) fired a scoreless inning of relief while striking out two, earning his first win of the season.
Daytona Cubs (12-12)
Daytona earned a 2-1, rain-shortened victory over visiting Palm Beach. The game was called in the eighth inning due to heavy rain.
- DH Dustin Geiger (.314) extended his hitting streak to five games, going 1-for-2 with a walk, a home run and one RBI (22).
- LF John Andreoli (.322) went 1-for-4 with one RBI (11). He’s reached base safely in 10 straight games.
- 3B Ben Carhart (.291) went 1-for-3 with a double (7). He is hitting .385 (10-for-26) with runners in scoring position.
- RHP Yeiper Castillo (3.86) struck out a season-high eight batters. He’s allowed just three hits and no runs in his last five outings (9.0 IP).
- LHP Hunter Cervenka (1-0, 2.31) earned his first win of the season, allowing one run on one hit while striking out four in two innings of relief.
- SS Javier Baez was named Florida State League Player of the Week for the week of April 22-28. He batted .435 (10-for-23) with two home runs and three doubles while slugging .826.
Kane County Cougars (8-13)
Game 1: Kane County surrendered five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, falling 7-6 to Lake County in the first game of a doubleheader.
- 1B Daniel Vogelbach (.288) clubbed his third homer of the season, going 1-for-4 with the clout and two RBI (11).
- DH Rock Shoulders (.384) blasted his team-leading fifth home run of the campaign. He finished 1-for-3 with the bomb and two RBI (15).
- C Willson Contreras (.310) recorded his fourth multi-hit game of the campaign, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base (2).
Game 2: Lake County completed the doubleheader sweep of the Cougars with a 4-2 victory.
- 1B Daniel Vogelbach (.289) went 1-for-3 with one RBI (12) while hitting his second home run of the day.
- CF Oliver Zapata (.250) went 1-for-1 with a walk and one stolen base (5).
- RHP Steve Perakslis (7.59) hurled a scoreless inning of relief. Lead-off hitters are just 1-for-10 (.100) against him.
Cubs minor league recap: 4/28/13
Brent Lillibridge finished a triple shy of the cycle Sunday with the I-Cubs. (Photo by Stephen Green)
Iowa and Daytona both captured a win Sunday, while rain kept Tennessee and Kane County from taking the field. One of the Smokies’ doubleheader games scheduled for Sunday will now be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader Monday; the other game will not be rescheduled. The Cougars’ game, which marks their eighth postponement this season, will also be played as part of a doubleheader Monday. Here are some highlights from yesterday’s action:
Iowa Cubs (8-14)
Iowa collected 13 hits, including four home runs, beating host Omaha, 10-6.
- CF Brian Bogusevic (.417) extended his hitting streak to nine games, going 3-for-4 with a walk, a home run and three RBI (8). He’s hitting .484 (15-for-31) during the streak.
- DH Brett Jackson (.232) blasted his first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the second inning. He finished 1-for-5 with a walk, the home run and a season-high three RBI (7).
- 1B Brent Lillibridge (.455) finished a triple shy of the cycle, going 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored, a double (2), a home run and one RBI (3).
- 3B Ian Stewart (.094) went 0-for-2 with three walks, two runs scored and one RBI (4) in the 10th game of his rehabilitation assignment.
- RF Ryan Sweeney (.369) belted his team-leading sixth homer, going 1-for-4 with a walk, the home run and two RBI (16).
Daytona Cubs (11-12)
Daytona hitters walked eight times and stole four bases in a 7-4 victory over visiting Palm Beach.
- SS Javier Baez (.263) recorded his team-leading fifth longball of the season, going 2-for-4 with the home run and two RBI (15). He has hit safely in five of his last six contests.
- 3B Ben Carhart (.289) recorded his third three-hit game of the campaign, going 3-for-4 with a season-high three RBI (11). The 2012 draftee is hitting .385 (10-for-26) with runners in scoring position.
- 2B Tim Saunders (.216) registered his third multi-hit game of the year, going 2-for-5 with two runs scored, a RBI (5) and two stolen bases (7).
- RHP P.J. Francescon earned his second win, recording his first quality start of the campaign. The righty has a 2.45 ERA (3 ER/11.0 IP) over his last two starts.
Cubs minor league recap: 4/26 & 4/27
Alberto Cabrera gave up a season-low three hits during the Smokies’ Friday win. (Photo by Stephen Green)
While Iowa lost on Friday and Saturday, Daytona and Kane County split their Friday and Saturday games. Tennessee’s Saturday matchup was rained out after their Friday win solidified back-to-back victories. Here are some highlights from this weekend’s action:
Iowa Cubs (7-14)
The I-Cubs scored two runs in the ninth inning to send Friday’s game to extra innings, but Omaha notched off a walk-off victory in the tenth to win 5-4. On Saturday, Omaha used a six-run first inning to rout Iowa 13-2.
- RF Ryan Sweeney (.404) extended his hitting streak to 12 games (.391/18-for-46) Friday, with a two-run homer in the fourth inning. He went 2-for-5 with a run and two RBI (14).
- 1B Brad Nelson (.194) hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth inning of Friday’s game to tie it up for extra-innings.
- 2B-CF Logan Watkins (.243) recorded two of Iowa’s five hits in their Saturday loss. He went 2-for-4 with a run scored, a triple (2) and one RBI (4).
- CF Brian Bogusevic (.397) extended his hitting streak to eight games Saturday, going 1-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base (5). He’s hitting .444 (12-for-27) during the streak.
Tennessee Smokies (13-9)
Tennessee won its second-consecutive game over visiting Pensacola 5-3 Friday, but was unable to take the field Saturday due to rain. The postponed game was rescheduled for Sunday as part of a day-night doubleheader.
- LF Rubi Silva (.303) went 2-for-4 with a triple (2), homer, a run scored, and three RBI (13).
- RF Jae-Hoon Ha (.312) walked and singled twice in four plate appearances, scoring three runs.
- RHP Alberto Cabrera allowed a season-low three hits in his 6.0 innings of work.
- RHP Trey McNutt (1.1 IP, H, K) recorded his second save of the season.
Daytona Cubs (10-12)
Daytona overcame three errors to defeat Lakeland 7-3 for their second straight victory Friday. Their short string of success ended Saturday in a 5-1 loss in the last matchup of their three-game set.
- 3B Dustin Geiger (.300) went 2-for-4 with three RBI (21) Friday. Geiger leads the team and ranks third in the Southern League in RBI.
- RHP Ben Wells allowed a season-best one hit in 5.2 innings during Friday’s game, but also walked a season-high five batters.
- CF John Andreoli (.329) recorded his seventh multi-hit game of the season Saturday, going 2-for-4 with a RBI (10).
- 1B Ben Carhart (.266) went 2-for-4 with a double (6) in Saturday’s loss. The 2012 draftee is hitting .400 (6-for-15) against left-handed pitchers this season.
- LHP Sheldon McDonald (4.22) and RHP Eduardo Figueroa (2.84) combined to toss 3.0 scoreless innings of relief Saturday. Figueroa is holding left-handed hitters to a .167 batting average (3-for-18).
Kane County Cougars (8-11)
Kane County led 5-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth Friday but surrendered four runs to tie the game, and then lost 6-5 in 10 innings to Fort Wayne. On Saturday, the Cougars scored three runs in the eighth inning to rally and earn a 5-3 win.
- C Yaniel Cabezas (.600) went 3-for-4 with a run scored and RBI (1) in his first start of the season for Kane County on Friday.
- LF Rock Shoulders (.403) walked, singled, and scored a run in four plate appearances. He leads the team in runs scored with 14, and recorded a hit in 16 of 18 games after Friday’s matchup.
- LHP Jeffry Antigua (2.1 IP, 2 H, 3 K) took the field Friday and lowered his ERA to 0.73 (1 ER/21.1 IP) in five games to start the season.
- CF Oliver Zapata (.246) extended his hitting streak to six games Saturday, going 1-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and his team-leading third triple of the season.
- 2B Gioskar Amaya (.250) went 1-for-4 in Saturday’s win with a run scored, a RBI (3) and one stolen base (3). He’s hitting .290 (9-for-31) during his seven-game hitting streak.
- LHP Brian Smith (1-1, 4.09) allowed one run on three hits in a season-high 3.0 innings of relief to pick up his first win of the campaign Saturday. The southpaw is holding opponents to a .190 batting average (4-for-21) with runners in scoring position.
Cubs minor league recap: 4/25/13
Esmailin Caridad tallied his first win in relief for the I-Cubs Thursday. (Photo by Stephen Green)
Iowa, Tennessee and Daytona all secured wins while Kane County couldn’t overcome an early deficit. Here are some highlights from yesterday’s action:
Iowa Cubs (7-12)
Iowa scored six runs in the first inning, defeating Omaha 9-3 in the opener of a four-game set. The nine runs scored mark a season high for the I-Cubs.
- RF Ryan Sweeney (.404) extended his hitting streak to 11 games (.390/16-for-41) with a three-run homer in the first inning. He went 4-for-5 with a walk, a triple (2), two runs and four RBI (12), finishing a double shy of the cycle.
- LF Brent Lillibridge (.462) went 4-for-5 with a walk and two RBI (2).
- 3B Ian Stewart (.111) singled and scored a run as part of a 1-for-3 outing in the eighth game of his rehabilitation assignment.
- DH Darnell McDonald (.204) went 2-for-5 with a double (2), two runs and a RBI (5).
- RHP Esmailin Caridad (2.1 IP, 2 BB, 3 K) earned his first win of the season in relief of starter Barret Loux.
Tennessee Smokies (12-9)
Tennessee defeated Pensacola 2-1 in a pitchers’ duel, moving into a first-place tie in the Southern League North Division.
- 2B Ronald Torreyes (.344) recorded half of the Smokies hits, going 3-for-3 with a double (2), a triple (1) and a run scored.
- CF Jae-Hoon Ha (.297) went 1-for-4, recording his 10th RBI of the season.
- RHP Dallas Beeler tossed 7.0 innings for the second consecutive start, allowing no runs for the first time this season.
- RHP Brian Schlitter (1.0 IP, 1 K) converted his first save of the season. He has made eight appearances (11.1 IP) without allowing an earned run.
Daytona Cubs (9-11)
Daytona jumped to a 4-0 lead after two innings and held on for a 5-3 victory over visiting Lakeland in the opener of a three-game home series.
- SS Javier Baez (.238) blasted his fourth home run of the season in the first inning. He finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI (11).
- C Chad Noble (.295) hit his first home of the year, a solo shot to left in the second inning. He went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a RBI (3).
- RHP David Cales (2.0 IP, 2 BB, 4 K) converted his first save of the year. He has allowed no runs and one hit in two appearances (4.0 IP) to start the season.
Kane County Cougars (7-10)
Kane County allowed five runs in the third inning in a 6-4 setback at Fort Wayne.
- RF Bijan Radenmacher (.314) went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI (6).
- CF Oliver Zapata (.220) hit a two-run double in the eighth inning, finishing 1-for-4.
- RHP Justin Amlung (1.0 IP, 2 K) and RHP Stephen Perakslis (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K) combined for 2.0 scoreless innings of relief.
Cubs minor league recap: 4/24/13
Matt Szczur leads the Southern League in runs scored. (Photo by Stephen Green)
Iowa, Daytona and Kane County were all off Wednesday, while Tennessee’s late-innings comeback was stopped short. Here are the highlights from last night’s Smokies game:
Tennessee Smokies (11-9)
Tennessee scored a run in the bottom of the ninth inning and had the winning run at the plate, but lost 5-4 to visiting Montgomery.
- RHP Matt Loosen (0-0) went 4.2 innings, striking out three and surrendered two earned runs.
- SS Arismendy Alcantara (.288) went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double (2), an RBI (14) and a stolen base (12). He leads the Southern League in stolen bases (12) and has not yet been caught stealing.
- 1B Ty Wright (.222) singled, doubled and knocked in two runs in four at-bats in his second game with Tennessee after starting the season at Iowa.
- RF Matt Szczur (.295) went 1-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored. He has scored a run in 15 of 20 games this season and leads the Southern League with 20 runs.
- C Rafael Lopez (.186) extended his hitting streak to four games (.417/5-for-12) with a fifth-inning double (4). He went 1-for-2 with two walks.
