Through nine innings, Iowa and Oklahoma were scoreless. Then, in the tenth, the awful new rules required that each team start with a runner on second. Result? Eleven runs scored in the tenth and eleventh. Eleven. In a game that had been scoreless up until then and was being played on a cold night with the wind blowing in.
Each team used three pitchers in the two extra frames. With all that scoring, it is no surprise those three relievers for the Cubs needed 59 pitches to get through those innings. If the intent of the awful rule really was to shorten games and take stress off young arms, I think it is safe to say it is not working as intended.
Prior to the ridiculous nonsense that the awful rule forced on us in extra innings, this was a really well pitched game. Add in the equally well pitched game in South Bend, and Saturday was a good day for the arms.
Triple A: Iowa Cubs
Oklahoma City 6, Iowa 5
The game was scoreless after nine innings.
Luke Farrell: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K
Cory Mazzoni: 1.1 IP, 1 K
Dillon Maples: 1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K
Ryan Court: 1 for 5, 2B
Bijan Rademacher: 2 for 5
Taylor Davis: 2 for 5
Double A: Tennessee Smokies
Tennessee 7, Mississippi 2
Mississippi 7, Tennessee 5
Giambrone had a particularly good day.
Duncan Robinson: 2 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 2 K
Zach Hedges: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 K
Zack Short: 1 for 4, 2B, BB
Trent Giambrone: 2 for 3, 2B, BB
Duncan Robinson: 1 for 1
Game Two
Thomas Hatch: 4 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 K
James Norwood: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K
Trent Giambrone: 1 for 3, 2B, BB, SB
Trey Martin: 1 for 3, 2B
High A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
The Pelicans were rained out.
Low A: South Bend Cubs
South Bend 1, West Michigan 0
Excellent pitching in this one is an encouraging sign for the farm system this year.
Javier Assad: 5 IP, 3 H, 5 K
Rollie Lacy: 3 IP, 1 H, 7 K
Manuel Rodriguez: 1 IP, 1 H
Chris Singleton: 2 for 4, 2 2B
Miguel Amaya: 1 for 3, 2B
Rafael Narea: 2 for 3
Other Notes
Rollie Lacy is not a pitcher we have talked much about, but given that he got seven of his nine outs by strikeout he probably warrants an introduction. Lacy is a product of the 2017 draft, 11th round to be exact, and was drafted out of Creighton. He’s a 6’4″ right hander who gets plenty of ground balls, plenty of strike outs, avoids walks, and is stingy with the homers. Given the way the bonus pools work through the first 10 rounds, you often see very good players taken in the 11th round. That’s about all I know, except that I’ll be keeping a close eye on him from now on.
Plenty of good pitching prospects on tap for today. Tennessee sends Oscar Da La Cruz to the mound, Myrtle Beach in the first game of a doubleheader starts Bryan Hudson, and South Bend will have Erich Uelmen. Any of those prospects are well worth watching, so take your pick. All three should be available on MiLB.tv.