NEWSLETTER
Coming into the season, we knew one key for Carl Edwards, Jr., who was briefly up with the Cubs yesterday for the big league doubleheader, was going to be limiting the walks. He gave up too many free passes in Tennessee (6.46 BB/9), Iowa (6.82 BB/9), and during a brief stint in Chicago (5.79 BB/9) a year ago. His stuff is undeniably good, but if it isn’t in the strike zone few batters will swing at it. To reach something near his full potential, he had to cut back on the walks.
Through 11.1 innings in Iowa, that mission hasn’t exactly been accomplished. The sample size is on the small side, but he is currently sitting on a BB/9 of 5.56. That is an improvement, but I was really hoping to see something closer to the 3.94 BB/9 he showed in 48 innings in Tennessee in 2014.
On the other hand, he hasn’t walked anyone in his last four games, so maybe this that rate is a good example of why early season numbers can be dangerous to look at.
[adinserter block=”1″]So let’s look at another one: strikeout rate. Right now his 2016 K/9 sits at a career high 14.29. Add those strikeouts to the fact that he has only given up eight hits this season and we have a guy with an ERA of 2.38 and a FIP of 2.35. Those are both solid numbers. It is easy to see why the Cubs brought him to Chicago as extra bullpen depth for the doubleheader.
Going forward we’ll need to keep an eye on the walk rate, but there is every reason to be optimistic on Edwards despite that. Should the Cubs need another reliever later on in the year (and they almost certainly will), Edwards should be a solid candidate.
Triple A: Iowa Cubs
Iowa 4, Nashville 2
Almora put together another pretty good day.
Double A: Tennessee Smokies
Montgomery 8, Tennessee 1
This was the first sort of rough game Blackburn has had this season.
High A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Winston-Salem 5, Myrtle Beach 1
Like the parent club, the Pelicans lost a home game to a team they should have beaten.
Low A: South Bend Cubs
South Bend 2, Dayton 0
Four pitchers combined on this shutout.
Other Notes
