Minor League Discussion & Boxes 5-23-2007

[Guest]

D-Cubs still down 1-0 after 3. Taylor's line is now: 3ip 3H 1ER 3/0 K/BB. The D-Cubs are really acting like the big league club, they're already struck out 6 times in 3 innings against a pitcher with a 6.35ERA entering tonight's game.

[otis89]

Another good outing for me. 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 BB. My ERA's down to 5.29.

[Flames24Rulz]

Another good outing for me. 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 BB. My ERA's down to 5.29.

 

Good outing for Taylor, but another poor game on offense for the D-Cubs as they fall 6-0. Dope was 0/4 with 3 K's.

 

Peoria down 6-2 in the 7th. Renshaw's final line: 5.1 IP, 5 hits, 6 runs, 5 K's/2 BB's, 2 HR's allowed. Lansford is 1/3 with both of the RBI's for the Chiefs.

 

Tennessee is blowing out Jacksonville, 14-2 in the 5th. Salas is just a triple away from the cycle as he is 4/4 with a HR and 5 RBI's. McGehee also has a HR and 5 RBI's. Every position player for the Smokies has a hit except Kroeger. Jake Fox is 2/3 with a walk.

 

Iowa down 2-1 in the 5th. Good outing for Cotts: 3 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 2 K's/0 BB's. Fontenot and Hoffpauir are each 1/2. Randy Wells has the RBI for the I-Cubs on an RBI single in the 5th.

[Guest]

I wonder what's up with Wells this year? I know that his stuff is rather limited, but he's been really scuffling this year.

[TruffleShuffle]

grand slam for chicago cubs' backup catcher geo soto! oh wait he's still with iowa because simple jim signed blanco to a ridiculous two-year deal. Oh well, at least it's good for the I-Cobs.

[Guest]

I wonder what's up with Wells this year? I know that his stuff is rather limited, but he's been really scuffling this year.

 

He's been pretty solid out of the pen until today (19.2 IP, 1.83 ERA, .194 BAA, 20 K/9 BB). Horrendous as a starter, though.

[Flames24Rulz]

Peoria lost 8-2.

 

Iowa is up 7-2 in the 9th. Fontenot is 3/5 and Hoffpauir is 3/4. Felix is 1/5 and Cedeno is 1/3 with a BB. EPatt is 0/4 with an RBI. As mentioned, Soto has a GS.

 

Tennessee up 16-10 in the 9th.

[Flames24Rulz]

Iowa wins 7-2 and Tennessee wins 16-11.

[Guest]

Iowa wins 7-2 and Tennessee wins 16-11.

 

Tenn was up 14-2 at one point. Schappert got scorched for 5 runs in 1+IP.

[NCCubFan]

Eyewitness report from Tennessee:

 

The Smokies scored at least one run in every inning from the 1st through the 6th (including 5 in the 3rd and 7 in the 4th, batting around both innings). They led 14-0 at one point. Salas, McGehee, and Kroeger all went deep. Salas was the hitting star, going 4 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 5 RBI. Rojas also did very well, going 3 for 5 (plus a walk) and scoring a run. Fox, McGehee, Robinson, and Spearman (who didn't even start) all had 2 hits. Pitching-wise, Berg shut the Suns out for the first 4 innings, but gave up 2 runs each in the 5th and 6th. He pitched 6 innings and gave up 4 hits, 4 runs (3 earned, 1 HR) and had 4 walks and 2 strikeouts. He lowered his ERA to 5.72. Schappert really stunk it up, pitching 1 inning and giving up 5 runs. Mendez pitched 1 inning and gave up 1 run of his own (in addition to allowing all 3 inherited runners to score). Petrick pitched the 9th and gave up 1 run (a HR). Basically, a full game of good hitting and about a half game of good pitching by the Smokies.

 

One thing I thought was funny. The Suns had a pinch-hitter up in the 8th who was hitting .000 for the year with 0 HR and 0 RBI (he was only 0-for-4 in 1 game, so he must have just joined the team). A couple of rowdy Smokies fans were heckling him for the batting average and calling him a home run hitter, so he promptly proved them right by hitting a 3-run bomb. I was able to laugh at that since they were still comfortably ahead.

 

As things currently stand I plan to attend tomorrow night's game as well, which is the last night I'll be vacationing in the Smokies.

[Guest]

Hrm, Petrick gave up another HR. Meh.

[Guest]

All boxes posted!

 

IowaCubs.com[/url]"]Soto, Cubs slam Express

 

Geovany Soto belted a grand slam during a six-run sixth inning that powered visiting Iowa to a 7-2 victory over Round Rock on Wednesday.

After Mike Fontenot and Micah Hoffpauir hit back-to-back singles and Round Rock starter Jared Gothreaux hit Buck Coats to load the bases, Soto belted his second homer in three games to give the Cubs (26-20) a 5-2 lead.

 

Eric Patterson and Mike Fontenot also drove in runs for Iowa, which improved to 4-3 on an eight-game road trip.

 

Eric Munson and Eric Bruntlett delivered RBI singles in the fourth for the Express (22-25), but pitcher Randy Wells hit a run-scoring single in the fifth to halve the Cubs' deficit.

 

Wells (2-3) earned the win after yielding two runs on three hits and a walk with one strikeout over three innings.

 

Gothreaux (3-2) surrendered seven runs on 11 hits over seven innings with two strikeouts and a pair of walks. Paul Estrada pitched two innings of perfect relief, but Round Rock lost for the fourth time in five games. --Marissa Rega/MLB.com

 

SmokiesBaseball.com[/url]"]Smokies blaze past Suns 16-11

 

Sevierville, TN – The Tennessee Smokies gave the Jacksonville Suns a very harsh welcome to Smokies Park tonight by pounding out18 hits and pounding the Suns by a score of 16-11. The Smokies extended their winning streak to four games with the win, and took over sole possession of first place in the North Division.

 

Issmael Salas continued his recent hot hitting by going 4-4 tonight, including a home run in the 1st inning to give the Smokies an early 1-0 lead. Salas was just a triple away from hitting for the cycle for the first time at Smokies Park since 1999.

 

The Smokies did their major damage in the home half of the third inning, plating 7 runs to put the game essentially out of reach. Casey McGehee hit a two-run homer to give Tennessee a 4-0 lead, and Jorge Cortes later doubled in two more runs. After nine Smokies came to the plate, Tennessee had staked itself to a 7-0 lead.

 

Tennessee kept pouring it on the Suns by plating another seven runs in the 4th. Salas added a two-run single, and McGehee crushed a bases loaded double into right field to clear the bases. After it was all said and done in the 4th inning, the Smokies had a commanding 14-0 lead.

 

They would need all the runs they could get, as the visiting Jacksonville Suns stormed back late in the game. After a six run eighth inning, the Suns had cut the Smokies lead to 16-10. Jacksonville added one more run in the ninth off a McDougall home run, but Billy Petrick settled in and retired the final two batters to end the game.

 

Justin Berg (2-2) got the win for the Smokies, going six strong innings. Justin Orendorff (0-1) took the loss for the Suns. The Smokies improved to 24-20 on the season, while Jacksonville dropped to 25-21.

 

DaytonaCubs.com[/url]"]Cubs Swept in Sarasota

Daytona Blanked, 6-0

 

By; Matt Martinez

 

[sARASOTA, FL] Despite another solid start out of Cub's righthander Scott Taylor, Daytona (21-24) fell for the fourth straight time to Sarasota (32-14) at Ed Smith Stadium on Wednesday, 6-0.

 

Red's starting pitcher Travis Wood was lights out. In his five innings of work he scattered just two base hits, walked none and struck out an unbelievable nine as he picked up his second win of the season. The Reds bullpen continued to impress as they collectively threw four scoreless innings, allowing just four base hits and walking only one.

 

Taylor recorded another quality start for the Cubs. In six innings, Taylor allowed just one earned run on four base hits while fanning five (two of which by Red's slugger Jay Bruce). Unfortunately for Taylor and Cubs fans alike, Taylor exited the game with a 1-0 deficit and earned his fifth loss of the season.

 

The Cubs threatened to score in the top of the sixth as Jake Muyco, Chris Amador and Matt Matulia hit consecutive base hits. But a bizarre flair off the bat of Matulia landed just behind the shortstop to prevent Muyco from scoring from third. Jesus Valdez, who went two-for-four on the evening, promptly hit into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play to kill the scoring threat.

 

The Reds sent 10 batters to the plate in the seventh as they scored five runs on four hits and walked three times (once with the bases loaded) to balloon the lead to an unfathomable six runs.

 

PeoriaChiefs.com[/url]"]Chiefs Fall to Lansing 8-2

 

Peoria, IL- The Peoria Chiefs allowed three home runs and fell 8-2 to the visiting Lansing Lugnuts on Wednesday night. The loss drops the Chiefs back to two games below .500 at 21-23 and 8.5 games back of first place Beloit.

 

Peoria fell behind for the 12th consecutive game when Sean Shoffit banged a two out triple off the wall in left field that scored Scott Campbell and Yuber Rodriguez to give Lansing a 2-0 lead. Joey Metropoulos followed with an RBI double to the gap in left center field off Chiefs starter Jake Renshaw to drive in Shoffitt.

 

The Chiefs answered the Lugnuts scoring for the third straight night in the next half inning when Ryne Malone walked and came around to score on an RBI single by Josh Lansford to make the deficit 3-1. Alfred Joseph followed with a single to right but the Chiefs stranded runners at second and third to end the inning.

 

Rodriguez continued to swing a hot bat for the Lugnuts this series when in the fifth inning he connected on his second home run of the series, a solo shot off Renshaw to extend the Lansing lead to 4-1.

 

The Chiefs again responded in the bottom of the fifth after Camp walked for the second time and Jonathon Mota smashed an infield single as Camp scored. Lansford then reached on a fielder’s choice to cut the lead in half at 4-2.

 

The long ball hurt the Chiefs again in the sixth inning when Matt Liuzza hit a two-run shot off Renshaw to put Lansing out in front 6-2 and end Renshaw’s night. . In the next inning, Sean Shoffit hit a 0-2 Chuckie Platt pitch over the left center field to make it 8-2.

 

Renshaw worked 5 1/3 innings allowing six runs on five hits while striking out five and walking two. Jake has now lost back-to-back starts at home for the first time this season and is 1-2 at O’Brien Field. Lugnuts starter Nate Starner worked six innings to pick up the win while allowing two runs on three hits and recording eight strikeouts. Edward Rodriguez worked three innings of relief to pick up his second save.

 

Gorman’s Pub Player of the Game- Josh Lansford (3B)- Josh went 1-for-4 with two RBI in the game to give him 19 on the season. He ha also hit safely in six of the last 7 games and has 15 RBI in the month of May.

 

Notes… The Lugnuts have now hit seven home runs in the first three games of the series…The Chiefs pitching staff has allowed 31 home runs this season…The Chiefs have dropped 6.5 games in the standings since last Wednesday…Peoria is 3-9 in the last 12 games…The Chiefs 2-3-4 hitters went 4-12 with all four hits in the game…Matt Camp and Jim Adduci both had 4-game hitting streaks snapped…Thursday night will mark the 5th Anniversary of the opening of O’Brien Field…The first 1500 fans will receive a replica stadium model of O’Brien Field courtesy of Methodist…There will also be another spectacular post-game fireworks show…