NEWSLETTER
Ian Stewart is headed for the disabled list with a sore wrist, and Luis Valbuena is being called up to take his place on the roster.
Not, to the surprise of some fans, Josh Vitters. I think this is the correct move, though. There is no doubt that Vitters is the better prospect or that he is going to get his chance, but this is not the right time. While it is true that he had a good month in May (.284/.333/.550), his line in June is just .245/.298/.434. Although he hasn’t played badly of late, and in fact he has hit safely in seven of his last nine games, it is pretty evident that he has some work to do before he will be ready for the majors. When the Cubs do bring Vitters up, it is likely they will want him to be up to stay.
So instead of Vitters, we will likely get to see more of Adrian Cardenas as well as some Valbuena at third base. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Cubs signed a lot of low risk contracts over the winter, and they need an opportunity to see just what some of these players can do. Joe Mather has gotten a chance. So has Manny Corpas and Shawn Camp. Now, it appears, it is time for Cardenas and Valbuena to show what they’ve got.
AAA – Iowa Cubs. 29 – 38
Former Iowa pitcher Doug Davis was back in town on Wednesday with Omaha. He pitched a decent game and left Iowa with a 5-2 loss.
Rodriqo Lopez had a fairly good start himself. In six innings he gave up three runs on eight hit while striking out six. Even though he was dealt the loss, his season ERA still stands at 3.41.
Mike MacDougal allowed another run on two hits in his inning and a third. Jeff Beliveau recorded two outs without any problems, but Rafael Dolis coughed up another run in the ninth.
Maybe there is something in the soil around the first base bag in Iowa that causes Iowa’s first baseman to suddenly become amazing sluggers. Last season it was Bryan LaHair who put on a power clinic for the Pacific Coast League. This year it is Anthony Rizzo who has been running a one man souvenir distributorship. And with Rizzo out resting a sore knee, Blake Lalli not only got the start at first, he hit his fourth home run of the season. Maybe the Cubs need to get an environmental testing team in there. Or maybe they should send Tony Campana over to play some first base in Iowa.
Geovany Soto and Juan Apodaca split duties behind the plate, and both catchers doubled. Luis Valbuena also doubled as part of his two hit night. For the season, Valbuena has hit .303/.378/.507. He’s only 26, so there is a chance this guy still has something to prove as a backup infielder at the major league level.
AA – Tennesse Smokies. 32 – 34
Tennessee was out hit 12-9, but they won the game anyway with a final score of 6-3.
Dae-Eun Rhee did not pitch all that well, but he did get the win (his fourth). In five innings he gave up three runs on eight hits, including two home runs, and struck out four. Not a great day.
The bullpen, on the other hand, was very good. Casey Harman and Frank Batista both pitched two scoreless innings, and Batista walked away with his ninth save.
Junior Lake was dropped to sixth in the order for this game, and he responded with a two hit night that included his second triple. Justin Bour also had two hits, including a double. Jae-Hoon Ha reached twice on a double and a walk. James Adduci launched a two run homer, his fifth of the season.
High A – Daytona Cubs. 29 – 34
Thanks to some nasty looking weather, the Daytona game was suspended after three innings on Wednesday. The game will be finished today prior to the start of today’s regularly scheduled game. At the time of the suspension, Daytona trailed Brevard County 3-1.
Low A – Peoria Chiefs. 33 – 33
And the Chiefs are back to .500. They scored early and often to easily beat Beloit. The final was 7-1.
Jose Rosario did not strike out a lot of hitters in this game (only two), but he did keep them off the bases. In six and a third innings he allowed just three hits and two walks while amassing a fantastic GO/AO ratio of 13 to 3. Austin Reed collected five outs in scoreless fashion and Hunter Cervenka was perfect in the ninth to secure the win.
Zeke DeVoss, Dustin Geiger, Javier Baez, and Yasiel Balguert all had two hits in this game. Geiger and Baez both hit home runs (that’s three for Baez, two for Geiger), and Baez was promptly drilled on his next at bat.
