Iowa Cubs 5 @ Oklahoma City Dodgers 4
With the win last night, the I-Cubs sit a game below .500. Maybe that's why Willson Contreras is still on their roster. I agree with Myles. It's time to question whether or not the Cubs are really fielding their best 25-man roster. That's a pretty cool thing to be questioning when you've got the best record in baseball and the best record the organization has had since 1907.
Contreras did Contreras things. He was 2-3 with a double and a couple runs batted in. Dan Vogelbach was 2-4 with a double, triple and two runs scored. What these two teammates are doing to PCL pitching is impressive. I'm not sure either have much left to prove in the minor leagues. A stronger case can be made that Vogelbach does, but he's also got nowhere to play on the Chicago Cubs. Contreras does.
Albert Almora is not to be ignored. He was 1-3 with 2 RBI. Arismendy Alcantara and Logan Watkins each added a hit for good measure. Alcantara's was a triple.
Jackson Generals 4 @ Tennessee Smokies 3
The Smokies fell to 23-39 in this rain-shortened game. They only completed the mandatory 5 innings. The Smokies had 9 hits in these 5 innings, but only 1 of them was an extra base hit. Mark Zagunis was 3-3 with a HR and he drove in all 3 runs. Chesny Young was 2-3 and Billy McKinney was 1-2.
Duane Underwood has not gotten off to a great start this year. Prior to the start last night, Underwood has struckout 6.2 batters per 9 and walked 4.9. He'd given up quite a few home runs and his ERA was 5.19 while his FIP was 5.69. Both of those are going up after this start.
Underwood threw all 5 innings, so he technically had a complete game. He allowed 7 hits and 4 runs on 2 walks and 7 strikeouts. That's about the best strikeout rate he's had, but he also allowed a home run. He doesn't turn 22 until the end of July so he's very young and hopefully there's still considerable room for improvement. The scouts have liked him despite subpar strikeout and walk rates. To be fair, his walk rate last season in High A was decent (2.95).
Myrtle Beach Pelicans 6, Salem Red Sox 3
Rashad Crawford led off and was 4-5 with a triple and a strikeout. He drove in 2 and scored 2. Gleyber Torres was 1-4 and so was Ian Happ. Happ also took a walk. Yasiel Balaguert doubled in a run and scored a run. He was 1-5. Jason Vosler also drove in a run and scored a run. He was 1-4. Gioskar Amaya got on base 3 times. He was 1-2 with a couple of walks.
Erick Leal got the win and improved to 7-2. he threw 5 innings, allowed 3 hits and a run. He walked 1 and struckout 1. The run was unearned.
Leal is just 21 years old and back in 2013 rookie league, he struckout 9.6 batters per 9 and struckout walked 1.5 per 9. It was only 48.2 innings, but the year before with the rookie league in the Diamondbacks organization he threw 73 innings, struckout 8.8 and walked 1.5. This liked like a promising pitching prospect. Then in 2014 short-season A ball that strikeout rate fell to 4.5 and walk rate increased to 2.6. Last year at South Bend the strikeout rate improved to 6.0 and walk rate also improved to 2.2, but so far this year the strikeout rate is just under 5 and walk rate just over 2. Like Underwood, he's young so hopefully he'll improve. I'm a little tired of saying that though.
Tommy Thorpe threw 3 very good relief innings. He allowed 2 hits, no runs, walked nobody and struckout 3.
South Bend Cubs 2, Fort Wayne TinCaps 6
There were a lot of 0-fers in the the South Bend lineup. P.J. Higgins was 2-4 with a strikeout. Donnie Dewees was also 2-4. He tripled. Eloy Jimenez doubled and was 1-4. Dewees and Jimenez scored the only runs. Ian Rice had the only official RBI. He was 1-4. That's it. Everyone else went hitless. It's difficult to score a lot of runs without home runs and without several players up and down the lineup contributing.
Adbert Alzolay got the loss and dropped to 4-2 on the season. He lasted only 4 innings, allowed 5 hits and 5 runs. He walked 4 and struckout 3. Pedro Araujo threw 3 hitless innings. he walked 1 and struckout 5.
Comments
It could go either way.
JonKneeVQuote Reply
I’d be happy if the Cubs drafted a high strikeout pitcher in the first round this month. That would be fun to write about.
dmick89Quote Reply
2 or 288
JonKneeVQuote Reply
That’ll be tough considering they don’t pick until the 3rd round (dying laughing)
JonKneeVQuote Reply
We dont have a pick in the first few rounds.
MylesQuote Reply
I can’t believe Ian Kennedy got the Padres a compensation pick.
JonKneeVQuote Reply
Myles,
I forgot about that.
dmick89Quote Reply
Should be fun to start picking in the third round with no damn money haha. Thanks CBA!
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Should be fun to start picking in the third round with no damn money. Woo! Thanks CBA!
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Having login issues where it says I’m not logged in when I am. It’s probably just me.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Not just you.
dmick89Quote Reply
Nice. New Shameless season coming in October this year rather than January.
dmick89Quote Reply
It’s probably just me but everytime I comment I get a vision of a terrifying black demon with a crown of blood-covered horns telling me who exactly to kill and how, and I’m having trouble resisting his orders because I’m so very, very afraid of him.
joshQuote Reply
The Cubs don’t either
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
(dying laughing)
dmick89Quote Reply
Mine’s of a terrifying white clown with a blood-covered wig in the shape of horns. Odd. I have found that obeying orders makes him go away faster. Don’t worry, his instruction are pretty good—I haven’t even been suspected yet.
ceruleanQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron
Fowler
Heyward
Bryant
Rizzo
Soler
Russell
Baez
Montero
Hendricks
berseliusQuote Reply
Amusing how ClayDick is still on the active roster.
JonKneeVQuote Reply
cerulean,
Oh good to know.
joshQuote Reply
DVog, a triple? That’s unpossible.
ceruleanQuote Reply
JonKneeV,
It appears that Theo & Jed are still confident in his sinker, even if we are not.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
For the record, DVog is one of the ugliest results of the first-initial/first-syllable-of-last-name naming schemes.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Do they see something he is doing that can be corrected? Because all I see is nibbling and meatballs. I don’t care what his FIP says, he’s been awful.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Vogelbawesome.
joshQuote Reply
DanVo.
joshQuote Reply
cerulean,
He pitches from the 1st base side of the rubber, throws across his body, and nibbles the outside corner to lefties. This results in a lot of balls, and meatballs. In my opinion his style would benefit from nibbling the inside corner to lefties, but he never seems interested in doing that.
TheVanQuote Reply
At this point they would almost produce better results if they brought ClayDick in to intentionally walk a lefty, and then pull him.
TheVanQuote Reply
This relief spot is known as a WOOGY—Walk One On GuY—not to be confused with a woogie.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Jason Heyward’s middle name is Alias.
SKQuote Reply
I figure that if Bosio can’t fix him in the next couple weeks he’s DFA anyway, plus they have extra spots on 40-man to play with.
Too bad they can’t just option him.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Gordo says Rondon threw on field and feels fine.
SKQuote Reply
game thread will auto-post at 12:30
dmick89Quote Reply