Cubs Minor League Wrap--June 8

by Josh Timmers on Jun 8, 2009 11:19 PM CDT in Minor Leagues

Tomorrow is your last chance to see the Chiefs in Geneva. Actually, they'll be back on June 30, but I've got to believe Josh Vitters will be gone by then.

Iowa Cubs

Rich Harden was solid in his rehab start as the Iowa Cubs derailed the Round Rock Express, 10-3.

Harden threw seventy pitches tonight, forty-four for strikes. That got him through 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits. One of the runs was unearned. Harden walked two and struck out six in his start.

James Russell got the win because Harden didn't go five innings. Russell allowed a run on four hits over 1.1 innings of work. He didn't have a strikeout or a walk.

Don't look now, but Neal Cotts is pitching well. Cotts allowed only one hit over two innings of relief. He struck out three. Of the 35 pitches Cotts threw, 26 were for strikes.

Right fielder So Taguchi was 2 for 3 tonight with two walks. Taguchi also had a double, scored twice and knocked three in.

Center fielder Sam Fuld went 2 for 5 with a triple and a stolen base. Fuld scored once. Left fielder Jason Dubois had a double and a run scored in a 2 for 4 effort.

Shortstop Anderson Machado and second baseman Matt Camp were both 2 for 4 with two runs scored. Machado added in a stolen base and Camp had two RBI.

Tennessee Smokies

Whoa yes they call them The Streaks. The Smokies have followed up their 12 game losing streak with their fourth win in row by running past the Chattanooga (lookattat lookathat) Lookouts, 3-2 in ten innings.

Starter Jeremy Papelbon allowed two runs, one of which was unearned, on seven hits. He didn't walk anyone and struck out four.

Alex Maestri hit a batter, but other than that was perfect in three innings of relief. He struck out two.

Jake Muyco pitched the tenth and got the win. He allowed a walk and a hit. He didn't strike out a Lookout.

Center fielder James Adduci went 3 for 5. Third baseman Jonathan Mota was 2 for 2 with a walk, a double and an RBI.

Tony Thomas led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, stole second base, was bunted over to third and scored the winning run on Blake Lalli's sacrifice fly.

Daytona Cubs

The D-Cubs split a double header with the Jupiter Hammerheads by identical 3-1 scores, losing the first and winning the second game.

Starter James Leverton had some control problems as he walked five Hammerheads in 4.1 innings while only striking out one. Leverton also gave up five hits and was very lucky to walk away with only two runs allowed.

The D-Cubs only had four hits in the first game.

In the second game, the Cubs went with the four relievers strategy. Normally a reliever, Craig Muschko started and threw three shutout innings, allowing only one hit. Muschko fanned two.

Dustin Sasser got the win with two innings of relief. He allowed an unearned run, but gave up no hits and no walks. Sasser struck out three.

David Cales recorded his sixth save for Daytona by getting two ground outs on the only two batters he faced in the bottom of the seventh.

In the second game, Jovan Rosa went 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI. Nate Samson was 2 for 3.

Peoria Chiefs

The Chiefs were beaten by the Kane County Cougars, 5-4.

Marcus Hatley got banged around for four runs in four plus innings. Hatley allowed six hits, walked two and struck out two. Hately's record dropped to 4-4.

Chris Siegfried was impressive in relief. He issued one intentional walk, but was otherwise perfect in two innings of relief, striking out five of the six batters he pitched to, not counting the intentional walk.

DH Josh Harrison was 2 for 4 with a triple and two runs scored. Center fielder David Macias was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

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Comments

Thanks for the really bad musical flashback visual reference in the Tennessee Smokies section

now I can’t get that song out of my head. Quick – somebody rickroll me…

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Jun 8, 2009 11:22 PM CDT reply actions

or you could just google it yourself

"That's what you live for. You live for the opportunity and when that day comes, you better be ready," Soto said. "I tried to make sure that whenever they gave me a chance, I was ready and I knew I had to take advantage of the opportunity."

by Madison Cub Fan on Jun 9, 2009 2:55 AM CDT up reply actions

A self-inflicted Rickroll?

I've committed to tweeting about the Cubs for the rest of the season. (Does that sound as ridiculous as I think it does?) Anyway, if you're on Twitter, you can follow me here.

by daver on Jun 9, 2009 9:50 AM CDT up reply actions

And here

I was all ready to congratulate Josh on the well played Ray Stevens reference. Nice to see not everyone has forgotten.

Time is an illusion--lunch time doubly so.

by snowyman28 on Jun 9, 2009 3:13 PM CDT up reply actions

Neal Cotts is pitching well?

Blegh…

Unluckily for him so is the Cubs bullpen now.

by cubsfaninatl on Jun 9, 2009 8:14 AM CDT reply actions

Harden looked good last night...

He seemed to be going right after hitters last night, mixing up his breaking stuff and throwing his offspeed stuff for strikes. I never saw him touch more than 90 on the stadium radar gun, but I’ve never trusted the accuracy of that thing anyway. Someone said that he hit 95 in a Tweet I got last night, so that might have been when I was away chasing my 2 year old.

He did get himself in a bit of a jam in the third inning, but truthfully, that was of little fault of his own. There were two relatively easy putouts that should have been made by the I-Cubs defense that were recorded as hits — one liner that was misplayed by Jason Dubois — and another very good defensive play by Anderson Machado on a grounder that was dropped and should have been caught by first baseman Luis Rivas, so call Harden unlucky. His line should really read 1 hit, 1 BB and 0 ER.

So Taguchi also made one HELL of a throw home on a potential sac fly that stopped an Express batter in his tracks that inning. I wonder if there’s going to be room for Taguchi for defensive purposes in Chicago.

Another thing about Taguchi… I can see why he was so popular in St. Louis. He stayed around much longer than any of the other Iowa Cubs players to sign autographs for kids. .. Miles did this, too. Harden waived the kids off and was all business. I can understand this sort of… he was focused on his start, though it made him look sort of douchey.

Proud recipient of a hot dog shot from the Iowa Cubs hot dog gun.

by IowaCubs- on Jun 9, 2009 8:53 AM CDT reply actions

A question for Josh

Josh, you have strong apparent knowledge of the Cub system. Therefore I ask you to opine on the following question. Who besides Josh Vitters is a legitimate strong major league projectable positional prospect in the Cub system right now? Because I have to tell you that once you get past Vitters it is exceptionally hard to identify anyone who truly looks intriguing as a future major league player. And hence why I am significantly souring on Tim Wilken.

You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it's me, I'm a little messed up maybe, but I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I'm here to amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?

by BLou on Jun 9, 2009 10:09 AM CDT reply actions

Vitters

is the only blue-chipper in the system who projects out to be star among position players, although there are a few pitchers who look like potential blue-chippers in Andrew Cashner, Dae-Eun Rhee and Jay Jackson. (And you’ve got to give Wilken credit for grabbing Jay Jackson in the ninth round. If last year’s draft were reheld today, Jackson would go in the first round.)

But there are several position players who project out to being solid everyday players such as Tony Thomas, Starlin Castro, Ryan Flaherty and Darwin Barney. Maybe Kyler Burke, but the Cubs traded for him. Hak-Ju Lee might end up being a blue chipper, but I guess I’d like to see him actually play a game stateside first. He will in ten days or so.

by Josh Timmers on Jun 9, 2009 11:31 AM CDT up reply actions

Unfortunately, none of the positional players outside of Vitters are anything to write home about at this point

An argument might be able to be made for Ryan Flaherty. But other than that this system remains disturbingly bereft of projectable position players.

by BLou on Jun 9, 2009 1:55 PM CDT up reply actions

Tony Thomas?

Steve Clevenger?

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al Yellon on Jun 9, 2009 2:11 PM CDT up reply actions

Flaherty isn't even impressing anyone right now.

He’s batting .243 in A ball.

"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)

Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
.

by SackMan on Jun 9, 2009 2:55 PM CDT up reply actions

His patience and power are still good though

by Raisin on Jun 9, 2009 3:05 PM CDT up reply actions

Exactly

Don’t look at batting average. Look at Flaherty’s plate discipline and power numbers. Both are very good. The average should go up.

by Josh Timmers on Jun 9, 2009 3:13 PM CDT up reply actions

How many systems

have three or four potential superstar position players?

The Rays did a few years ago as a result of picking first or second in the draft for about a dozen years in a row. Other than that, I’m stumped. Texas maybe—a combination of drafting early and trading away Mark Teixeira for half the Braves system.

Your expectations of the Cubs system are way too high.

by Josh Timmers on Jun 9, 2009 3:17 PM CDT up reply actions

Sounds to me like the players Josh mentioned...

…are, indeed, “projectable.” They may not project as future All-Stars, but they all appear projectable as players who could contribute to a major league roster at some point. I also believe the Cubs system has a veritable cornucopia of midlevel pitching prospects, any of whom could “pop” into a solid addition to the pen or even rotation – y’know, like Randy Wells.

I've committed to tweeting about the Cubs for the rest of the season. (Does that sound as ridiculous as I think it does?) Anyway, if you're on Twitter, you can follow me here.

by daver on Jun 9, 2009 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions