NEWSLETTER
Yesterday, Iowa played in a hitters’ paradise. There were hits. And there were more hits. And there were yet more hits. And then, believe it or not, they hit some more. When they weren’t getting hits, they benefited from errors. Tacoma finished the game with seven miscues, in fact, leading to a whole bunch of unearned runs.
It was the kind of game that players dream about, a game in which a batter can almost do no wrong. It was the kind of day that stops nasty slumps dead in their tracks and can turn cold hitters blisteringly hot in an instant.
And it all took place on Brett Jackson‘s day off. Some guys just can’t catch a break.
AAA – Iowa Cubs. 19 – 25
The final score in Iowa’s Game of Awesomeness was 18-8. It wasn’t that close. It wasn’t nearly that close.
Chris Volstad pitched six innings and enjoyed the kind of run support the Chicago Cubs never provided. At the end of the fifth inning he had a 16-1 lead. He did have his patented bad innings and allowed three runs to score in the sixth, for whatever that’s worth. His numbers were only decent (4R, 7H, 2BB, 6K), but the bigger story is that he finally got a win. Not just a win, but he got the sort of epic and stress-free blowout win that can frighten away a lot of monkeys that may have climbed on his back during his long win-less streak.
The bullpen finished the game by allowing another four runs to score over the final three innings.
Six Cubs had multi-hit games, nine Cubs crossed the plate, and only two Cubs struck out. Anthony Rizzo somewhat stole the show by scoring five runs on three hits, including a home run (his fifteenth). Luis Valbuena also homered in the game.
In a game full of standout performances, the only other one I want to call attention to is Josh Vitters. He has now hit safely in six straight. In that span he has four doubles, a home run, two walks (!!!) and seven strikeouts.
AA – Tennesse Smokies. 20 – 26
The Smokies had an old and familiar formula at work in this game. They had some good pitching and rallied late, but they also had some hiccups in the bullpen and an offense that just could not quite manage to score enough runs. They lost 4-3.
Jeffry Antigua started the game and covered four innings on 66 pitches. He was not great (6H, 2R, 3K), but it wasn’t a bad start for a guy who has been working out of the bullpen this season. It was, however, enough for him to take the loss.
Casey Weathers pitched another scoreless inning. Alberto Cabrera and Marcus Hatley accounted for the remaining two BayBear runs.
Junior Lake had three hits in the game, including his second home run of the season. Justin Bour also enjoyed a three hit game, raising his OPS for the month of May to .899. Logan Watkins stole his seventh base of the season.
High A – Daytona Cubs. 18 – 25
It took ten innings and a lot of late rallies, but Daytona pulled out a 6-5 win.
Patrick Francescon started his Daytona career off with a no decision. He pitched six good innings (3H, 2R, 1ER, 1BB, 5K) and left with a lead, but Hayden Simpson gave up three runs in the seventh. Scott Weismann pitched well in the eighth and A.J. Morris tossed the final two frames for his first win of the season.
Matthew Szczur scored twice on two hits (including a double) and a walk. One of those runs was the winning tally in the tenth inning. Nelson Perez and John Andreoli also had two hits. Perez and Greg Rohan both homered in the game. Andreoli stole his tenth base of the season.
Low A – Peoria Chiefs. 20 – 25
Peoria had the day off.
