We're now 24 hours from the deadline to sign this season's draft picks.  This isn't a big concern for the Cubs who pretty much signed everyone they expected to sign early--and got fined $500,000 for it.  But a lot of teams are going down to the wire with several high draft picks.

I liked the way this appeared on the front page yesterday.  I hadn't been using an intro paragraph because it didn't make any difference in the fanposts.  But when it gets frontpaged, I like the way splitting it up keeps it from taking up a ton of space on the front page.  So I'm going to keep breaking up the scores after the second team's box score link, and you'll have to click on "keep reading" to see the whole thing.  That way my reports don't dominate the page.

Iowa Cubs

The magic number is now 13 for the I-Cubs to clinch as they doubled up on the New Orleans Zephyrs, 6-3.

Mitch Atkins improved his record in AAA to 7-0 by allowing two runs over six innings.  Atkins gave up six hits.  He walked four and struck out three Zephyrs.  One of the runs he allowed was unearned.

Kevin Hart got the save pitching a scoreless ninth.  One baserunner reached against Hart on a Bobby Scales error, but he was promptly erased by a double play to end the game.  It was Hart's second save for Iowa.

Micah Hoffpauir is starting to get a little monotonous.  Tonight he hit his 21st home run in a 2 for 4 performance.  Hoffpauir scored twice and was hit by a pitch.

Second baseman Bobby Scales hit his twelfth home run as well.  Scales was 3 for 4 with two runs scored and two RBI.

Third baseman Casey McGehee was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies lost to the Birmingham Barons, 7-5.

Starter Grant Johnson allowed three runs on six hits and two walks over 5.1 innings.  He struck out two.

Matt Avery got the loss in relief.  Avery got knocked around for four runs in 1.2 innings.  He also allowed two of the runners he inherited from Johnson to score.

Rocky Roquet is on a roll.  Roquet struck out five of the six batters he faced, and the other one hit a ground ball back to the pitcher.  Roquet has now pitched 14 straight scoreless innings of relief.

Left fielder Tyler Colvin was 2 for 5 with an RBI.  Right fielder Doug Deeds was 2 for 4 with a run scored, two RBI and a HBP.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs won the game against the St. Lucie Mets that was suspended yesterday 4-1 and then dropped the regularly-scheduled game by the same 4-1 score.

In the first game, Jay Jackson allowed only one unearned run on one hit over four innings.  The bad news was that he walked four.  Jackson also struck out four.

Jayson Ruhlman picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief tonight.  Ruhlman didn't allow a hit, walked one and struck out one.

Brian Schlitter, who was acquired in the Scott Eyre trade in case you didn't know, got his first save for his new organization with a perfect ninth inning.  It was his seventh save in the FSL this season.

In the second game, starter Hung-Wen Chen took the loss.  Chen allowed four runs on four hits and a walk over 4.1 innings.  One of the runs was unearned.  Chen struck out two.

First baseman Russ Canzler hit his tenth home run in a 1 for 3 performance.

Peoria Chiefs

The Chiefs were beaten by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 7-5.

Audy Santana allowed three runs during his four-inning start.  Santana gave up five hits, walked two and struck out one.

Peoria closer Steve Vento took the loss when he gave up a two-run home run in the ninth inning.  Vento pitched one inning and allowed two hits.  He struck out one.

DH Dylan Johnston returned from the disabled list, where he had been since late June, and hit his tenth home run tonight.  Johnston was 2 for 4.  Third baseman Jovan Rosa was 2 for 4 with two RBI.

Boise Hawks

The Hawks had a long bus ride to Vancouver, BC today.  I'll use this opportunity to remind you that you can see any Hawks home game for free at Boisehawks.com. They're on the road for a while, but the old games are archived for viewing anytime.  So Bob Brenly can sit in his pajamas and watch his kid play at 3am, just like when he was a baby.

AZL Cubs

Did not play.