Cubs Minor League Daily: The Joys of Traveling

iowa cubs logoI spent fourteen hours on the road yesterday, something I do four or five times every year when my wife and I travel back to the Midwest to visit family. Even though the entire trip is on Interstates, there are still several pockets in which cell phone service, particularly data service, drops to near zero. Oddly, those pockets don’t seem to be getting any smaller over the past few years. It is a highly subjective measure, but it seemed to me that I lost data service more on this trip than I did on any trips over the past two years. That could just be an oddity, but I would think by now I would be seeing some coverage expansion, if only along the Interstates.

Scores From The Weekend

Iowa
Friday – Iowa briefly tied this one, but they wound up with a 5-1 loss.
Saturday – Surrendering four in the seventh cost the Cubs in this 7-6 loss.
Sunday – A four run rally capped by a three run homer carried Iowa to the 9-8 win.

Tennessee
Friday – The mighty Smokies offense was shut out 2-0.
Saturday – Three in the sixth were all they scored as Tennessee fell 8-3.
Sunday – Another relatively weak offensive showing led to a 4-2 loss.

Daytona
Friday – Daytona won a low scoring affair 2-1.
Saturday – And then they won a slugfest 11-9.
Sunday – The offense dried up in this one, though, as the Cubs took a 10-1 loss.

Kane County
Friday – Good pitching and quality hitting produced a 4-2 win.
Saturday – Great pitching lifted the Cougars to a win via the no hitter, 3-0.
Sunday – Kane County stumbled in this one, though, and lost 10-3.

Performances of Note

  • [Iowa] After enduring a very lengthy stretch of mostly hitless games, Javier Baez has now collected 4 hits and a walk in his last 3 games (including his fourth home run). In that span he has struck out just twice.
  • [Iowa] Arismendy Alcantara has also gotten hot lately. He has 5 hit and 4 walks in his last 4 games, including 2 doubles, a triple, and his third homer (Sunday’s game winner). In those four games he has struck out twice.
  • [Iowa] Christian Villanueva is putting up similar numbers. In his last four game he has 6 hits, including 2 doubles and a homer.
  • [Iowa] Blake Parker appeared in his 10th Iowa game of the season this weekend, and he has yet to allow a Triple A earned run to score. So far he has also failed to walk anyone.
  • [Tennessee] Kris Bryant hit safely in every game this weekend (and in his last 5 overall), but he collected just 3 singles and a walk to balance 5 strikeouts. For him, and I say this in all seriousness, that almost qualifies as a slump. Almost.
  • [Tennessee] With 2 more steals and a caught stealing, John Andreoli finished the weekend 22 and 2 on the basepaths. His OBP remains over .400 at an excellent .413.
  • [Tennessee] Corey Black struck out 6 in 5.1 innings while allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks on Friday. Arodys Vizcaino struck out 2 in a scoreless frame of relief.
  • [Daytona] Felix Pena, Zach Cates, and Andrew McKirahan combined to hold Fort Meyers to one run on Friday.
  • [Daytona] Albert Almora has 5 consecutive multiple-hit games. Four of those hits have been for extra bases, but none since his homer on May 14.
  • [Daytona] Dan Vogelbach and Jeimer Candelario are both mired in some deep slumps right now, but both had 2 hit games on Saturday. Hopefully that is the start of great things for those two.
  • [Kane County] Tyler Skulina (7.1 IP, 2 BB, 5 K) and Nathan Dorris (1.2 IP, 1 K) combined for the no-hitter on Saturday.
  • [Kane County] Paul Blackburn (6 IP, 1 R, 2H, 1 BB, 8 K), James Pugliese (2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 3 K) and Tyler Bremer (1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K) pitched a very nice game on Friday.
  • [Kane County] Ben Carhart finished with 6 hits over the three weekend games, including a game at catcher. He joins Will Remillard and Cael Brockmeyer as part of a very productive group of catchers for Kane County.
  • Other News

  • With so many Iowa Cubs heating up lately, I was curious who and where they are playing. They have been at home, which no doubt helps to some degree, and their last few games have been against Round Rock. The Express are not a great pitching team, but they aren’t awful either. The individual pitchers the Cubs have faced appear to have a fairly normal range of stat lines as well (including some excellent and some far from excellent). In short, I don’t see anything on the schedule to make me overly suspicious. While sample sizes are small, it looks to me like a couple of hitters are just starting to hit quite well at about the same time. That could continue for another few weeks, or it could dry up this afternoon. That’s the beauty of baseball.
  • Sunday’s Kane County game was in fact delayed by 16 minutes due to a flight of bees occupying the field. There is a nest of jokes that could come from honeypot of a story like this, and I have no doubt that our swarm of commenters will fly above the more common droning to produce some real stingers.
  • After this weekend trip I’ve decided that I am in the market for a laptop (or similar device) to use while writing on the road. Right now I still pack an original Chromebook, one of the ones that Google sent out to beta testers back in 2011, and it is showing some age. I only need to use this as my primary system a few weeks out of the year, so nothing in the desktop replacement category is really necessary.  If the machine has any added capacities that would make it a nice supplemental system at home, however, that would be good. Right now I’m considering a newer Chromebook or one of the 10 inch varieties of the Asus Transformer line. I know there are some road warriors who read Bleacher Nation, though, so I thought I’d ask all of you for any suggestions or advice. Feel free to add your input to the comments or to hit me up on Twitter.
  • written by

    Luke Blaize is the Minor League Editor at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @ltblaize.

    more cubs news

    Justin Steele Injury Update: New Classification, MRI Tomorrow, IL Stint Coming? Steele and Counsell Speak

    A significant update on Justin Steele came from Craig Counsell tonight after the Cubs extra innings loss in Texas. In short: Yes, a stint on the Injured List is likely for Justin Steele. But we still don't know how severe...

    Enhanced Box Score: Rangers 4, Cubs 3 – March 28, 2024

    It took exactly one day for the Cubs' ace to sustain what may be a significant injury, for their closer to blow a save, for the umpires to significantly impact the outcome of a critical play (this time in the...

    OMG: Michael Busch Scored the 9th Inning, GO-AHEAD Run, Because He Just Never Stopped Running

    That was absolutely incredible. To all the little kids out there, when your coach tells you to never stop running, this is why. Rookie Cubs 1B Michael Busch (the guy the Cubs got from the Dodgers this offseason to be...

    Pre-Gamin’: Cubs at Rangers – Lineups, Pitching Matchup, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

    *SHORT COURTS: It's Time To Bring The Home Court, Home! Looking for a unique way to celebrate your athlete or team before you peruse the FIRST CHICAGO CUBS LINEUP of the Year? Don't miss out! For just one more week...

    The Cubs Are Among the Most Returning-y Teams

    I am still mostly incapacitated at the moment, so apologies for the short shrift on such an otherwise blessed day. In between pokes and prods, I wanted to share a chart I saw that was pretty interesting, even if unsurprising:...

    Maybe the Cubs Are the Favorites in the NL Central, After All?

    ESPN was the first to throw some love the Cubs way this week, with an overwhelming majority of their writers, analysts, and editors picking the Chicago Cubs to win the NL Central in 2024. But the love doesn't end there....

    The Season Begins, Love for Morel, Counsell’s Value, and Other Cubs Bullets

    You know where you want to spend your Opening Day morning? The hospital! Suffice to say, this is not how I imagined getting HYPED for the Cubs' opener. I guess I'll just have to think about all the possible lineup...

    Cubs vs Rangers: The First Series of the Year!

    Cubs vs Rangers — THE REGULAR SEASON IS HERE! Wake up and rejoice. Later tonight, the Cubs will begin their march toward October Baseball against the (reigning World Series champion) Texas Rangers in Arlington. Justin Steele is getting the nod...

    The 2024 Chicago Cubs for Dummies

    Boom. We made it. The offseason is over, and the Cubs regular season - and those elevated expectations - begins tomorrow. But in case you slept through the winter, I'm here to catch you up on everything you need to...

    I’m Expecting More This Year, Cubs — It’s Time to Start Winning

    There's no way around it: The Chicago Cubs did *not* have the offseason we hoped they might after making Craig Counsell the highest paid manager in MLB history. Not that they did poorly, mind you. Cody Bellinger, Shota Imanaga, and...

    Latest News

    Diamondbacks vs. Rockies: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    In their season opener on Friday, Corbin Carroll and the Arizona Diamondbacks take on Nolan Jones and the Colorado Rockies, with first pitch scheduled for 9:40 PM ET at Chase Field.Keep reading to find out how to watch the Arizona-Colorado...

    Guardians vs. Athletics: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    Logan Allen will take the mound for the Cleveland Guardians when they square off against starter Ross Stripling and the Oakland Athletics in their season opener on Friday, with first pitch at 9:40 PM ET.Find out how to watch the...

    How to Watch Mariners vs. Red Sox: Live Stream or on TV

    In their season opener on Friday, Julio Rodriguez and the Seattle Mariners play Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox, with first pitch scheduled for 9:40 PM ET at T-Mobile Park.Keep reading to see how to watch the Seattle-Boston matchup...

    How to Watch Padres vs. Giants: Live Stream or on TV

    Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres (2-1) host Jorge Soler and the San Francisco Giants (0-1) on Friday, with first pitch at 9:40 PM ET.The article below will provide you with everything you need to know to watch...

    Dodgers vs. Cardinals: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    The St. Louis Cardinals (0-1), led by Paul Goldschmidt, visit Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2-1) at 10:10 PM ET on Friday.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on how to watch Los Angeles play St. Louis...

    OMG: Michael Busch Scored the 9th Inning, GO-AHEAD Run, Because He Just Never Stopped Running

    That was absolutely incredible. To all the little kids out there, when your coach tells you to never stop running, this is why. Rookie Cubs 1B Michael Busch (the guy the Cubs got from the Dodgers this offseason to be...

    Astros vs. Yankees: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

    The Houston Astros (0-1), with Cristian Javier on the mound, will host the New York Yankees (1-0), who will send out Carlos Rodon, at 8:10 PM ET on Friday.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and...

    Rays vs. Blue Jays: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

    The Toronto Blue Jays (1-0), led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., visit Yandy Diaz and the Tampa Bay Rays (0-1) at 6:50 PM ET on Friday.Find out how to watch the Tampa Bay-Toronto matchup below.When is Rays vs. Blue Jays and...

    Enhanced Box Score: Rangers 4, Cubs 3 – March 28, 2024

    It took exactly one day for the Cubs' ace to sustain what may be a significant injury, for their closer to blow a save, for the umpires to significantly impact the outcome of a critical play (this time in the...

    Justin Steele Injury Update: New Classification, MRI Tomorrow, IL Stint Coming? Steele and Counsell Speak

    A significant update on Justin Steele came from Craig Counsell tonight after the Cubs extra innings loss in Texas. In short: Yes, a stint on the Injured List is likely for Justin Steele. But we still don't know how severe...

    more cubs news