Cubs Minor League Daily: Kyle Schwarber Arrives In Iowa, Has a Very Long Single to Show for It

One thing was made very clear last night. Kyle Schwarber is loved by Cubs’ fans.

Iowa had a large crowd, almost ten thousand strong, to welcome Schwarber last night, and they were happy to see the Cubs’ slumping slugger.

https://twitter.com/IowaCubs/status/879516876266762242

Huge crowd, huge group waiting on Kyle Schwarber to sign autographs and huge ovation as he's introduced. #Cubs #MiLB

— Tommy Birch (@TommyBirch) June 26, 2017

Kyle Schwarber draws a crowd. pic.twitter.com/L2sAnjT9f6

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) June 27, 2017

Schwarber opened with a strikeout. And then another one. And then a third one. And then…

Fourth time up: Schwarber mashes a line drive off the very, very top of the wall in right. Crowd explodes. #Cubs

— Steve Greenberg (@SLGreenberg) June 27, 2017

@BleacherNation We thought it was gone. It was still good to see. pic.twitter.com/fZhGj9EVhM

— Joshua Edwards (@JoshuaEdwards3) June 27, 2017

Schwarber isn’t in Iowa by himself, though. Cubs’ hitting coordinator Andy Haines is also in town, and it sounds like he is there primarily to work with Schwarber. They are talking minor tweaks only, and, given Schwarber’s legendary work ethic, it may not take long for those tweaks to take hold.

In the meantime, I think Iowans are going to enjoy having him around. Whether it’s the extremely loyal Iowa fanbase packing the stands or the kids chasing Schwarber’s hits in the outfield as he takes extended early batting practice, it seems likely that he is going to get to work on his swing in front of a fan base that is ecstatic to have him.

Triple A: Iowa Cubs
Iowa 1, New Orleans 0
Schwarber may have been the headliner, but the Cubs’ pitching stole the show.

• Williams Perez: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 K
• Jack Leathersich: 1 IP, 1 BB, 3 K
• David Rollins: 1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K
• Steve Perakslis: 1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K
• Pierce Johnson: 1 IP, 2 K
• Kyle Schwarber: 1 for 4
• Chris Dominguez: 2 for 4
• Victor Caratini: 1 for 4, 2B
• Stephen Bruno: 0 for 3, SB

Double A: Tennessee Smokies
Tennessee 4, Mobile 2
Two good pitching performances for the Smokies in this one.

• Jen-Ho Tseng: 8 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 8 K
• Dillon Maples: 1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K
• Trey Martin: 1 for 4, 2B, SB
• David Bote: 1 for 4, HR
• Yasiel Balaguert: 1 for 4, HR
• Ian Rice: 1 for 4, 2B

High A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Potomac 4, Myrtle Beach 3
The Pelicans scored all their runs in the bottom of the ninth.

• Justin Steele: 5.2 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K
• Dakota Mekkes: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K
• Eloy Jimenez: 3 for 5
• Eddy Martinez: 2 for 4
• Tyler Alamo: 4 for 4

Low A: South Bend Cubs
Fort Wayne 5, South Bend 1
South Bend managed just one hit in this one, and RBI double.

• Duncan Robinson: 6 IP, 3 R (0 ER), 5 H, 1 BB, 5 K
• Marc Huberman: 1 IP, 2 BB, 1 K
• Kevonte Mitchell: 0 for 2, BB
• Jhonny Pereda: 1 for 3, 2B

Short Season A: Eugene Emeralds
Eugene 2, Hillsboro 1
Eugene hitters managed just three hits, but the pitching made it enough.

• Alonso Garcia: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 K
• Andin Diaz: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K
• Rafael Narea: 1 for 4, 2B
• Jose Gonzalez: 1 for 3, SB

Rookie: AZL Cubs
Cubs 5, Giants 4
A three run seventh put the Cubs ahead for good.

• Jose Albertos: 4 IP, 2 BB, 3 K
• Fauris Guerrero: 1 IP, 2 K
• Yonathan Perlaza: 2 for 4, 3B
• Fidel Mejia: 2 for 3, BB, SB
• Reuben Reyes: 1 for 3, 2B
• Jonathan Sierra: 1 for 4, SB

Other Notes

• The trade with Colorado that sent out Zac Rosscup brought back Matt Carasiti. Carasiti hasn’t gotten a ton of prospect recognition, but his numbers are solid across the board. His strikeout rate historically has been in the ballpark of 9 K/9, and this season that has jumped to 12.76 K/9. His walk rate has remained acceptable at 3.86 BB/9, but the big story this year is when hitters do make contact. His groundball rate in Triple A is up to 51.4%, the highest it has been since 2015, and as a result he has allowed far few homers than usual. His HR/9 of 0.30 is a career low.
• In Carasiti, the Cubs have acquired a middle reliever with a good strikeout rate and some very positive emerging ground ball tendencies. He’ll likely get plenty of work in middle relief, but if that ground ball rate stays elevated when he gets a taste of Wrigley, he could start to get a look in some late inning roles.
• Yesterday marked the season debut for one of the Cubs’ best pitching prospects, Jose Albertos.  He opened his season with four no-hit innings.