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.
Double A: Tennessee Smokies
Tennessee 4, Mobile 2
Two good pitching performances for the Smokies in this one.
High A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Potomac 4, Myrtle Beach 3
The Pelicans scored all their runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Low A: South Bend Cubs
Fort Wayne 5, South Bend 1
South Bend managed just one hit in this one, and RBI double.
Short Season A: Eugene Emeralds
Eugene 2, Hillsboro 1
Eugene hitters managed just three hits, but the pitching made it enough.
Rookie: AZL Cubs
Cubs 5, Giants 4
A three run seventh put the Cubs ahead for good.
Other Notes