Cubs Minor League Daily: Happy Fourth of July, Pitchers’ Duels, and Steele’s Return

Happy Fourth of July, everyone.

Just a reminder that the best place to see fire works is your friendly neighborhood minor league stadium. If you live east of the Mississippi or in the Pacific time zone, odds are good there is at least one minor league ballpark not too far from you. Take a look, see if the local team is home, and enjoy a nice pre-fireworks game of baseball before watching explosions from so close you can feel heat from the blasts.

If you happen to live near Nashville or Jackson, Tennessee, central North Carolina, western Kentucky, or Boise, Idaho, there might even be a Cubs’ team playing near you.

If live near Mesa, Arizona there is definitely a Cubs’ game near you today, but it is a day game. Even I’m not crazy enough to recommend a day game in July in Arizona in a non-domed stadium. I prefer to watch baseball in places where I can’t cook a hamburger just by sitting it on the seat beside me.

Triple A: Iowa Cubs
Memphis 7, Iowa 5
Iowa jumped out to a first inning lead, but it was gone by the bottom of the second.

  • Eddie Butler: 1.1 IP, 4 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 1 K
  • Trevor Clifton: 6.2 IP, 3 R, 7 H, 1 BB, 4 K
  • Brad Markey: 1 IP, 2 K
  • Mark Zagunis: 2 for 3, BB
  • Chesny Young: 1 for 4, 2B
  • Bijan Rademacher: 3 for 4
  • Jason Vosler: 2 for 3
  • Double A: Tennessee Smokies
    Tennessee 5, Chattanooga 3
    The first place (tie) Smokies have won four straight.

  • Thomas Hatch: 6 IP, 3 R, 7 H, 2 BB, 8 K
  • Zach Hedges: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K
  • Zack Short: 3 for 4
  • Yasiel Balaguert: 3 for 4, 2 2B
  • Trent Giambrone: 3 for 4, 2B, SB
  • High A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
    Myrtle Beach 3, Potomac 0
    The Pelicans have also now won four straight.

  • Alex Lange: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K
  • Jose Paulino: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 K
  • Jhon Romero: 1 IP, 2 K
  • Aramis Ademan: 1 for 4, SB
  • P.J. Higgins: 1 for 2, 2 BB
  • Andruw Monasterio: 1 for 2, 3B
  • Low A: South Bend Cubs
    South Bend 6, Bowling Green 3
    Tyler Thomas has his three highest strikeout totals for the season in his last three games.

  • Tyler Thomas: 5 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 8 K
  • Yapson Gomez: 3 IP, 2 H
  • Zach Davis: 2 for 5, SB
  • Jared Young: 2 for 3, 2B
  • Michael Cruz: 2 for 4, 2B
  • Brandon Hughes: 1 for 2, 2 BB, SB
  • Christian Donahue: 2 for 3, 2B, BB
  • Short Season A: Eugene Emeralds
    Everett 1, Eugene 0
    Despite the wind blowing out, this was just an old fashioned pitchers duel.

  • Ryan Williams: 6 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 3 K
  • Dalton Geekie: 3 IP, 2 BB, 3 K
  • Nelson Velazquez: 1 for 2, 2 BB
  • Christopher Morel: 2 for 4
  • Luiz Vazquez: 2 for 3
  • Rookie: AZL Cubs 1
    Cubs One 7, Royals 0
    Three pitchers combined on a three hit shutout.

  • Justin Steele: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 K
  • Yunior Perez: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB
  • Maikel Aguiar: 4 IP, 1 BB, 5 K
  • Yovanny Cuevas: 2 for 4, BB
  • Luke Reynolds: 3 for 5
  • Rafael Mejia: 1 for 4, 2B
  • Jose Gutierrez: 2 for 4, 2B, SB
  • Luis Hidalgo: 1 for 4, 2B
  • Erick Gonzalez: 2 for 3, HR
  • Dalton Hurd: 2 for 4, 2B
  • Rookie: AZL Cubs 2
    Brewers 7, Cubs Two 2
    Cubs’ pitching walked ten Brewers.

  • Blake Whitney: 1.2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 3 K
  • Elias Herrera: 3.1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K
  • Drew Warton: 3 for 3, 2B, BB
  • Richard Nunez: 1 for 3, 2B, BB
  • Miguel Pabon: 1 for 4, 2B
  • Other Notes

  • Victor Caratini is not with Iowa, and as of my typing this no one outside of the Cubs is sure where he is. By all appearances he is where he is supposed to be, we just don’t know where that is.
  • With Caratini away from Iowa, though, the Cubs only have one active catcher in Triple A. Taylor Davis might need a backup, so don’t be surprised if some sort of a roster move is on the way.
  • Zach Davis and Brandon Hughes both have reached 20 stolen bases for South Bend this season.
  • Last August, Justin Steele, then one of the better left handed pitching prospects in the farm system, went down with arm surgery. Yesterday he made his first rehab start for AZL Cubs 1 and it went very well. We don’t have pitch counts, but he stayed in three innings and allowed just two hits and a walk. The Cubs won’t rush him, but it is good to see he’s back in game action less than a year after his injury.
  • written by

    Luke Blaize is the Minor League Editor at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @ltblaize.

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