NEWSLETTER
The Iowa Cubs ended their season on Thursday with a loss in Nashville. Rather than relocate the scheduled four game weekend series in New Orleans to Iowa or a neutral site, the decision was made to simply cancel those games outright. It was probably the best decision.
Iowa finishes a disappointing campaign with a record of 53-87, but at least many of those games were close. The Cubs led all of minor league baseball by playing in 54 one run games, and in those contests they finished 22-32. That doubtless made for a long and frustrating season for the players, but it also provided those players with close game experience. Such experience could pay some minor dividends for the Cubs in the future.
I did not expect Iowa’s season to be quite this rough. Many of the players who were in Iowa played on playoff teams for Tennessee over the past few seasons; judging in part from that I expected more from the Triple A franchise. The biggest problem holding the Cubs back this year was their lack of offense. At the plate, the Iowa Cubs were among the worst teams in the league. They actually finished near the middle of the pack in many of the pitching categories, though, with the notable exception of walks allowed (the gave up the second most in the league).
Still, it is only a matter of time before the higher level of talent deeper in the farm system starts to have an impact in Triple A (and, of course, the majors). 2013 should be a better year for Iowa, and 2014 better still.
Scores From Yesterday
Iowa – Once again, despite seven hits, Iowa had trouble scoring. They lost their season finale 6-1.
Tennessee – The Smokies win again. They beat Pensacola by a final of 4-2.
Daytona – Daytona could not take advantage of three errors as they lost 6-5.
Peoria – Peoria lost 11-7 in ten innings.
Boise – The Hawks rallied for two in the ninth, but it was not enough. They lost 4-3.
Arizona – Not much went right for the Cubs in their one game playoff. It ended with a 15-3 blowout loss.
Performances of the Day
Other Minor League Notes
