Minor League Discussion & Boxes 6-11-2007

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Box Scores:

 

Iowa wins 8-2, box:

 

2B E. Patterson 1/5, R, HR (8), RBI, K

SS R. Cedeño 3/5, R, RBI, SB (1) - 82 AB: .329/.444/.500/.944, 12 K : 16 BB

LF M. Kinkade 2/5, 2 R, 2 HR (7), 4 RBI

1B M. Hoffpauir 1/5, 2B (19), K, E (5, fielding)

RF B. Coats 2/4, 2B (10)

DH G. Soto 1/3, R, HR (6), RBI, BB, K

SP JR Mathes 9 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, 5 K/0 BB, HR, 107 pitches (59 strikes)

 

Tennessee lost 11-9, box:

 

CF S. Fuld 1/5, R, 2 RBI

2B G. Cates 1/5, RBI, SB (11)

RF J. Kroeger 2/5, R, RBI, 2 K, SB (7)

3B M. Craig 2/5, R, 2B (15), K

1B I. Salas 2/4, R, HR (2), 2 RBI

SS C. Rojas 1/2, R, 2 BB, K

PH J. Spearman 1/1, R, 3B (3), RBI

SP P. Schappert 4.1 IP, 7 ER, 11 H, 2 K/2 BB, HBP, 2 HR, WP, 4 GO-7 FO; Batting: 1/2, K

RP M. Avery 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 K/0 BB, 0 GO-3 FO

 

Daytona lost 8-7, box:

 

CF T. Colvin 0/4 - 232 AB: .306/.336/.491/.827, 46 K : 9 BB

LF J. Valdez 2/4, 2 R, 2B (10), RBI

1B A. Rick 2/4, 2 R, RBI

DH B. Dopirak 1/4, R, RBI, 2 K

SS R. Chirinos 1/3, R, HR (2), 3 RBI, BB, K, CS (3)

2B N. Spears 1/4, SB (3)

SP J. Santo 5 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 4 K/3 BB, HR, 2 WP, 3 GO-8 FO

RP J. Samardzija 1.1 IP, 2 ER, 1 H, 0 K/2 BB, 1 GO-3 FO - runners scored after he left the game

 

Peoria lost 6-5, box:

 

CF M. Camp 1/5, R, 2B (6)

2B R. Malone 2/4, RBI - 64 AB: .344/.427/.563/.990, 10 K : 11 BB

3B J. Lansford 1/4, 2B (10), BB, K

C W. Castillo 2/3, BB, K, SB (1), PO

SS D. Johnston 1/3, R, HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 K, E (17, fielding)

SP M. Cuevas 3+ IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 5 K/2 BB, HR, WP, 2 GO-2 FO

RP D. Walters 3+ IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 K/2 BB, WP, 1 GO-5 FO

RP A. Maestri 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 3 K/1 BB, 1 GO-2 FO

 

Overall: 1-3

Edited June 12, 2007 by CaliforniaRaisin

[Guest]

Probable Starters:

 

Iowa: LHP JR Mathes (5-3, 5.46 ERA, 57.2 IP)

Tennessee: LHP Paul Schappert (Tenn: 2-1, 5.70 ERA, 36.1 IP; Overall: 2-1, 5.18 ERA, 41.2 IP)

Daytona: RHP Joel Santo (4-3, 5.51 ERA, 49 IP)

Peoria: RHP Miguel Cuevas (0-0, 2.70 ERA, 6.2 IP)

 

Mathes: 57.2 IP, 35 K/18 BB, .332 BAA

Schappert (Tenn): 36.1 IP, 18 K/14 BB, ,270 BAA

Schappert (Iowa & Tenn): 41.2 IP, 21 K/17 BB, .275 BAA

Santo: 49 IP, 27 K/26 BB, .317 BAA

Cuevas: 6.2 IP, 9 K/6 BB, .217 BAA

 

Daytona News-Journal story on Mitch Atkins:

 

"You climb the minor leagues by competing in and beating the league you're in, and not far from now Mitch may need another challenge," Chicago Cubs farm director Oneri Fleita told me last week.

 

Notes about Robert Hernandez and Miguel Cuevas. It's strange that Rosario says Hernandez is 17 since he's listed as an 18-year old.

[Marco4]

Its Cubs/Mets for me tonight. After the first half-hour or so of Loons/Whitecaps.

[Guest]

MARCO!!! They read your e-mail on the Daytona broadcast!

[Marco4]

:lol:

 

I heard. I noticed the walks, and it just struck me I don't hear it often. Seems they were told to look for walks today. I'm all for that policy. Best of all is that I'm lying in bed and have sent both that e-mail and this post on my phone.

[Marco4]

Cubs lead 7-2 in the top of the third, by the way.

[Guest]

Cubs lead 7-2 in the top of the third, by the way.

 

Chirinos is on fire.

 

------

 

And Tennessee put up a 5-spot in the top of the second (including a Salas 2-run HR) to lead it 5-0 in the second.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Cubs lead 7-2 in the top of the third, by the way.

 

Chirinos is on fire.

 

------

 

And Tennessee put up a 5-spot in the top of the second (including a Salas 2-run HR) to lead it 5-0 in the second.

It's good to give Schappert a big lead, because he'll likely need it.

[Guest]

Iowa up 2-0 in the third, Mathes racking up the Ks and limiting the hits.

 

Tennessee now only up 5-4 after 4.

 

Daytona up 7-3 in the 6th. Jeff Samardzija just came in form the pen.

 

Peoria is up 4-0 in the second. Dylan Johnston with a 3-run HR.

[Guest]

Ugh. The radar gun, which was working earlier in the game is now broken. Sounds like Samardzija is easily hitting upper 90s.

 

4.1 scoreless and hitless innings now from the pen for Jeff (but he threw a walk this inning). Samardzija threw all fastballs except for one breaking pitch. Daytona up 7-3.

[Guest]

Ugh, Samardzija had the leadoff hitter down 1-2 and gave up about 5 foul balls before giving up an IF single on a 3-2 pitch. Just could not finish him off.

 

Samardzija done at 1.1 IP. He leaves 2 on (IF single, walk) and Darin Downs is coming in. I counted about 4-5 breaking pitches and the rest FBs...not the way to develop his offspeed pitches. Meh.

 

And Downs gives up a 3-run HR, letting both of Samardzija's guys score. Daytona now only up 7-6. Jeff's final line: 1.1 IP, 2 ER, 1 H, 0 K/2 BB.

[Guest]

Iowa now up 5-0. Kinkade and Soto with HRs. Soto's OPS is once again above .900.

[Guest]

Daytona gives up 2 in the bottom of the 9th and lose 8-7.

[Guest]

Iowa won as JR Mathes got the first Cubs minor league complete game of the year. Tennessee lost. Peoria is losing 6-4 as they had to the 9th.

[Guest]

Chiefs lose. They scored one in the 9th and had the bases loaded but Adduci and Lansford struck out to end the game.

[E.J.]

Good to see Epatt back at 2nd base the past couple of games.

[Marco4]

Daytona gives up 2 in the bottom of the 9th and lose 8-7.

What's your favourite way for the Cubs to lose a game?

 

Go up big early, then watch the opposition eat away at the lead. Very Cub-like.

[sporrer17]

If Cedeno keeps hitting in AAA is he going to get another chance at being the everyday SS and sticking in the 7/8 spot in the order?? He's got talent, and he's taking walks in AAA.

 

Cedeno's AAA line: .329/.444/.500 with 3 HR, 16 BB/12 K

His line in June: .440/.563/.720/1.283 with 2 HR, 6 BB/1 K in 25 AB.

 

Theriot has been struggling since the move to SS. He's been hitting around .260 since the beginning of May. I like him a lot as a super sub or maybe even our every day 2b, but if he's going to struggle at the plate, it could be time for Ronny to get another shot.

[TruffleShuffle]

If Cedeno keeps hitting in AAA is he going to get another chance at being the everyday SS and sticking in the 7/8 spot in the order?? He's got talent, and he's taking walks in AAA.

 

Yikes... really, maybe he has figured something out, but I'm afraid he's just AAAA material. Rich Hill had less than a half-season cumulative to show that he belonged with the big club before they finally gave him an extended shot during the second half of last year. Cedeno had a whole year to prove that he could play, and he sucked butt. I've got no confidence in him... maybe if the Cubs fall farther out of it, I'd give him a shot, but for right now I don't want him on this team.

 

 

In other news, Soto continues to rake, making the Blanco resigning look even more mind-bogglingly stupid.

[jjgman21]

If Cedeno keeps hitting in AAA is he going to get another chance at being the everyday SS and sticking in the 7/8 spot in the order?? He's got talent, and he's taking walks in AAA.

 

Yikes... really, maybe he has figured something out, but I'm afraid he's just AAAA material. Rich Hill had less than a half-season cumulative to show that he belonged with the big club before they finally gave him an extended shot during the second half of last year. Cedeno had a whole year to prove that he could play, and he sucked butt. I've got no confidence in him... maybe if the Cubs fall farther out of it, I'd give him a shot, but for right now I don't want him on this team.

 

 

In other news, Soto continues to rake, making the Blanco resigning look even more mind-bogglingly stupid.

 

Ronnie should be given some slack considering his guidance was Dr. Aggressive and Captain Hack-a-lot. he held his own the first couple of times around the league, but once it came time for the first adjustment, he was given bad advice. this year, he really wasn't given a shot with only six or seven starts before being sent down.

 

the way he's walking may indicate a maturity in his game, and he's certainly dominating the PCL. maybe he is AAAA, but if Izzy and Theriot continue at their recent pace, why the hell not find out now instead of waiting until they fall farther out?

[sporrer17]

The comparison to Hill is a little unfair.

 

Hill had absolutely no success in '05 (10 games, 4 started), and it took until pretty much August for him to have any success in his 2nd season-'06. Now he's showing the talent that he has flashed for so long pretty much every time out.

 

Cedeno came up in '05, did very well for a young player. He started off pretty decent in '06, but really struggled down the stretch, but kinda came around again towards the end of the year. This season he did not get regular ABs, but of his 3 hits (in 31 ABs, yikes) he had 2 HRs.

 

He's still young, only 24, and has over a full season's worth of games under his belt. He's one of those energetic types of players in my opinion. Even if he hits .250/.300 he'll be as good as Izturis, only with more pop. Hopefully he gets another shot this year, I like him a lot at SS.

[Balsa]

If only we just just lift the dead weight of Izturis, I'd be willing to give Ronny another shot.

 

Didn't think I'd be saying that, be he's really been tearing up AAA pitching.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

If only we just just lift the dead weight of Izturis, I'd be willing to give Ronny another shot.

 

Didn't think I'd be saying that, be he's really been tearing up AAA pitching.

 

Yeah. I don't think we can afford to have both Izturis and Cedeno on the roster at the same time.

[sporrer17]

Yeah. I don't think we can afford to have both Izturis and Cedeno on the roster at the same time.

 

Lee, DeRosa, Cedeno, Ramirez

Theriot, Fontenot

 

Soriano, Pie, Jones

Floyd, Pagan, Ward

 

Izturis traded/DFA, Murton to AAA.

 

Or get rid of Jones, play DeRosa in RF and keep Izturis around as well.

[Guest]

All boxes posted!

 

IowaCubs.com[/url]"]Mathes Turns Royals to Paupers

Iowa slugs four home runs

By Jeff Lantz / http://www.iowacubs.com

 

The Iowa Cubs launched four home runs en route to an 8-2 win over the Omaha Royals Monday night at Principal Park.

Iowa starter J.R. Mathes threw a complete game for the victory and improved to 6-3 on the year. The last time an Iowa pitcher threw a complete game was Jae-Kuk Ryu on August 28, 2006 against Oklahoma.

 

Mike Kinkade hit a pair of home runs and drove in four runs to lead the Cubs offense. Eric Patterson and Geovany Soto added solo blasts, while Ronny Cedeno added three hits to help snap the Cubs' three-game losing streak.

 

MiLB.com[/url]"]Mudcats outslug Smokies

 

Chase Lambin went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs as Carolina held off visiting Tennessee, 11-9, on Monday.

Lambin smacked his sixth homer, a solo blast, in the third, then went deep again in the seventh with two men on to cap the scoring for the Mudcats (24-41).

 

Ryan Bear, who had three hits for Carolina, belted his fourth home run, a solo shot in the fifth. Jai Miller also collected three hits and Grant Psomas drove in three runs.

 

Carlos Martinez (1-0) pitched a perfect sixth to pick up the win and Blake McGinley worked around one hit in a scoreless ninth to record his first save.

 

Carolina starter Jesus Delgado was tagged for seven runs in 4 2/3 frames.

 

Tennessee's Issmael Salas cracked his fifth home run, a two-run shot, off Delgado in the second. Sam Fuld went 1-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 12 games.

 

Adalberto Mendez (1-3) suffered the loss after allowing one run on two hits with one strikeout in 1 2/3 innings. Starter Paul Schappert surrendered seven runs in 4 1/3 frames for the Smokies (33-30). --Alan Friedman/MLB.com

 

DaytonaCubs.com[/url]"]Cubs Can't Hold Lead, Lose 8-7

Daytona's Road Struggles Continue

 

By: Dan Watson

 

[PORT ST. LUCIE, FL] - The Daytona Cubs' bats were shut down late for the second straight night, and the St. Lucie Mets came back from an early 7-2 deficit to top Daytona, 8-7. Nick Evans homered twice for the Mets, and Dan Murphy's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth was the game-winner.

 

The Mets entered the ninth inning trailing, 7-6. Sean Henry started the rally with a single up the middle and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Dustin Martin dribbled another single up the middle, scoring Henry to tie the game. Daytona reliever Tim Layden retired Nick Evans for the second out, but Dan Murphy followed with a single to left field to plate the game-winning run. The Cubs are 1-12 at Tradition Field over the last two seasons.

 

While the Mets' offense enjoyed their comeback, St. Lucie relievers Jeramy Simmons and Brandon Nall combined to shut out the Cubs for the final six innings. Nall picked up the victory to move to 3-2.

 

Both starting pitchers were hurt by putting the leadoff man on base early in the game. Chris Amador was hit by a Tobi Stoner pitch to lead off the game. Three batters later, Jesus Valdez roped a double down the left-field line to plate Amador. Alan Rick followed with a double down the left-field line to score Valdez. On the same play, the Mets' catcher tried to catch Rick straying too far off first base, but the throw went into the right-field corner. Rick raced all the way around to score on the three-base error to push the Cubs' lead to 3-0.

 

St. Lucie sliced into the lead in the bottom of the inning. Joel Santo walked Sean Henry to open the frame. Santo retired the next two batters in order, but Nick Evans belted the first pitch he saw out of the park to left-center. The two-run shot cut the Daytona edge to 3-2.

 

Daytona struck again in the top of the third. Valdez, Rick and Dopirak hit back-to-back-to-back singles with one out. Valdez scored on Dopirak's base hit to push the lead to 4-2. The next batter, Robinson Chirinos, capped the inning in a big way. The Daytona shortstop hammered a 2-0 pitch over the wall in left-center, and the Cubs' advantage ballooned to 7-2.

 

The Mets got back on the board in the next half-inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Santo appeared to be in trouble. Dan Murphy hit a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 7-3, but Santo induced an inning-ending groundout to minimize the damage.

 

St. Lucie whittled the lead down even more in the seventh inning. Daytona reliever Jeff Samardzija was lifted after allowing a single and a walk, and lefty Darin Downs was called upon. Downs struck out the first batter he faced, but Evans followed by ripping a three-run homer to shave the lead to 7-6.

 

With the loss, the Cubs' road record fell to 11-21. Daytona's overall mark sits at 30-33. Layden took the loss to drop to 1-1 on the season.

 

PeoriaChiefs.com[/url]"]Chiefs Fall 6-5 to Bees Monday

 

Burlington, IA – The Peoria Chiefs scored four early and one late but lost 6-5 Monday night at Burlington to fall to 30-33 on the half. The Chiefs lost for the first time at Community Field in almost two full years.

 

Peoria continued their good play in Burlington in the early innings. Matt Camp led off the game with a double and Ryne Malone singled off Bees starter Ed Cigarra. Jim Adduci’s groundout scored Camp for a 1-0 lead before Cigarra got out of trouble.

 

Blake Lalli started the Chiefs second with a single and Yusuf Carter drove one through the infield as well. After a strikeout, Dylan Johnson delivered a three-run homer over the left field wall for a 4-0 Chiefs lead. The homer is the third of the season for Johnston.

 

Miguel Cuevas momentarily lost his command to start the bottom of the second. After striking out the side in the first, Cuevas walked the first two Bees he faced in the second. All-Star Michael Thompson made him pay with a two-run double to the gap in left-center. But Cuevas rebounded to get a groundout and back to back strikeouts to get out of the inning.

 

Burlington continued to hit the ball hard off Cuevas in the third. Chris McConnell connected for a leadoff single before Brady Everett tied the game with a one-out homer to left. Jeff Howell led off the fourth with a single against Cuevas and OD Gonzalez followed with a double to left-center. Donnie Walters relieved Cuevas and gave up a RBI double to Derrick Robinson as Burlington took a 5-4 lead. After walking McConnell to load the bases, Walters retired three straight Bees to get out of the inning.

 

After the Chiefs left the tying run at second in the seventh, Burlington added to their lead in the bottom of the inning. Kurt Mertins led off with a single and Alex Maestri relieved Walters. Mertins stole second and third and then came home on an error by Johnston at shortstop for a 6-4 Bees lead.

 

Peoria rallied in the ninth. Wellington Castillo led off with a walk and was lifted for pinch runner Jonathon Mota. Pinch hitter Ryan Norwood singled into left and all runners were safe on an error by pitcher Aaron Hartsock. Malone got the Chiefs to within one with a sac fly to center as Mota scored. He

 

In his second start of the season, Cuevas threw over 70 pitches and faced two batters in the fourth inning. He allowed seven hits and five runs in three innings with two walks and five strikeouts. Walters allowed one run on four hits over three innings of work while striking out three. Maestri tossed two shutout innings and struck out one while walking one.

 

Gorman’s Pub Player of the Game: Ryne Malone (2b) – Malone singled in the first and second to extend his hit streak to 12 games. He also delivered a sac fly and finished 2-for-4 with a RBI.

 

Notes… Malone now has a 12-game hit streak in which he is 17-for-36 (.472) with four doubles and three homers…The Chiefs had won eight straight at Community Field with their last loss coming on July 15, 2005…Norwood’s ninth inning single was the Chiefs first successful pinch hit in eig