NEWSLETTER
Hot dogs? Nachos? Funnel cakes? What exactly is the perfect ballpark food?
It should be something edible with one hand, something that tastes good even when slapped together by an overworked and stressed out employee on a blazing hot afternoon, and yet be something that won’t bum you out if it is knocked out of your hand by that drunk guy sitting next you as he hides from a foul ball that actually lands three sections away.
Pizza? Turkey legs? Boiled peanuts? (I’ve never tried boiled peanuts, personally).
Maybe we can coat some turkey hot dogs in funnel cake batter, fry them up in peanut oil, and douse the resulting blob in nacho cheese and pizza sauce. Coming soon to a ballpark near you!
AAA – Iowa Cubs. 18 – 25
When it rains in Chicago, it pours in Iowa. The I-Cubs are losing in the same fashion as the major league variety: surprisingly lousy pitching and a general lack of runs. They lost this particular game 8-2.
With both Travis Wood and Randy Wells having gone north, Jay Jackson returned to the starting rotation on Monday. It was a complete and utter disaster. In his three innings he allowed six runs, all earned, on nine hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Two of those nine hits were of the home run variety. Considering that Jackson was coming off some encouraging performances in a relief role, this debacle was a quite disappointing.
And then Manny Corpas arrived and gave up a mere one hit in three innings of work. That is easily one of Corpas’s best games of the season. Scott Maine also worked a scoreless inning. Mike MacDougal and Ryan Rowland-Smith each allowed a single run to score in their innings.
Iowa had their chances to score all kinds of runs in this game. They amassed ten hits and ten walks, but thanks to their dismal 2 for 15 totals with runners in scoring position, most of those runners died on the base paths.
Alfredo Amezaga, Blake DeWitt, and Josh Vitters all doubled; those were the only extra base hits Iowa had. Anthony Rizzo was one for four with a walk while Brett Jackson struck out four times in five at bats. Amezaga finished with two hits and two walks. Even Vitters managed to draw a free pass in this game. I suspect that’s more to the discredit of the pitching than the aptitude of the offense, but there it is.
AA – Tennesse Smokies. 20 – 25
Once again the Smokies were sunk by a big inning. This time it resulted in an 8-5 loss.
Dae-Eun Rhee gave up three runs on eight hit in his six innings of work and left in line for a win. Brian Schlitter pitched a scoreless seventh; the wheels completely fell off in the eighth. Schlitter was bailed out by Casey Harmon (who allowed two more hits himself), and before it was all over five runs had crossed the plate.
Justin Bour (with a double) and Rebel Ridling (with a home run) supplied all of Tennessee’s power. Junior Lake and Jae-Hoon Ha also had good games with two hits apiece. Lake added one walk; Ha gathered two.
High A – Daytona Cubs. 17 – 25
Daytona rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth and came away the winners, 4-3.
Matt Loosen pitched a great game. In six innings he gave up one run, on a solo homer, and virtually nothing else as he struck out eight. Unfortunately, Ty’relle Harris was not as good in relief. Harris gave up two runs on two walks and a hit, but the offense was able to make up the difference. Ryan Searle was the beneficiary of the ninth inning surge and gathered his first win of the season.
Matthew Szczur and John Andreoli each reached three times, in both cases thanks to two hits and a walk. Chad Noble and Arismendy Alcantara also had two hits. Andreoli topped off his night by stealing two bases in the game; he now has nine for the season.
Low A – Peoria Chiefs. 20 – 25
Late inning rallies were the hallmark of this game, but Peoria came up just short. They lost 5-4.
Michael Jensen pitched a pretty good game, as did Luis Liria in relief. Larry Suarez, however, had a very rough inning and took his first loss of the season.
Paul Hoilman was once again the star for the Chiefs as he collected two more hits, including a double. Anthony Giansanti also doubled. Oliver Zapata had a busy game, going one for two with three walks and two stolen bases. He also suffered his first error of the year.
