Last night, we narrowly avoided our worst nightmare in the minor leagues as a bus carrying the Carolina Mudcats flipped over on their way to Myrtle Beach for tonight's game. The good news is that while seven players and a trainer were taken to the hospital, all eight were released after being treated for "non-life-threatening" injuries. The identities of the injured players has not been released. The bus was righted and continued on to Myrtle Beach later this morning.
More details came out later in which the Braves said they thought that only five players went to the hospital, but they weren't sure. It sounds like the pitching staff took the brunt of it, and top prospect Lucas Sims said he was "beat up pretty good" but that he was going to be OK.
Tonight's Myrtle Beach game with the Braves affiliates was postponed. They are scheduled to play tomorrow night. All Mudcats players have made it to Myrtle Beach.
Iowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs were lost in the cacophony of the Nashville Sounds (Athletics), 6-3.
Tyler Ihrig was promoted to Iowa from South Bend to make tonight's start. Ihrig pitched well, but got the loss anyway after allowing two runs on five hits over five innings. Ihrig struck out three and walked two.
Second baseman Javier Baez hit a tremendous solo home run in the sixth inning, his second of the season. Baez was 2 for 4.
In the seventh inning, third baseman Christian Villanueva thought he had ball four, only to see a strike one called. So he lined the next pitch over the wall in left-center field. It was Villanueva's fifth home run this year and third with Iowa. He was 3 for 4.
Tsuyoshi Wada was scheduled to start this game on a rehab start, but a few hours before game time it was announced that he would pitch Thursday instead. That would line him up with Travis Wood's spot in the Cubs rotation.
Tennessee Smokies
The Tennessee Smokies played a rare minor league day/night doubleheader as part of a tribute to Ernie Banks. Both games were nine innings long. The Smokies won game one over the Montgomery Biscuits, 7-6 and were shut out in game two, 14-0.
In game one, Frank Batista pitched the first five innings and he allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits, including a solo home run in the fourth inning. Batista struck out six and walked two.
Carl Edwards Jr. pitched the final two innings and got the win when the Smokies broke a 4-4 tie by scoring three runs in the bottom of the eighth. However, he almost gave it back when he surrendered two runs in the top of the ninth after two were out.
Edwards final line was 2 innings pitched, allowing two runs one one hit and one walk. One of the two runs was unearned because of a catcher's interference call on Willson Contreras. Edwards struck out four.
DH Kyle Schwarber hit his sixth home run of the season with the bases empty in the third inning this morning. Schwarber was 1 for 4 with a walk.
Contreras was 2 for 4 with an RBI triple in the third inning and an RBI ground out in the fifth.
First baseman Daniel Vogelbach was 3 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored. I've never said the man can't hit.
Can we just skip game two? No? OK. Corey Black started game two and wasn't bad. He turned in a "quality start" with two runs on four hits over six innings.
The Smokies bullpen got torched for ten runs in the eighth inning. Starling Peralta faced seven batters and didn't retire any of them. He came on in relief of Gerardo Concepcion and was relieved by Andres Santiago. None of them pitched well, obviously.
The Smokies managed two hits in game two. I guess they really didn't want to play two.
South Bend Cubs
The South Bend Cubs stripped the Lansing Lugnuts (Blue Jays), 7-5.
Starter Jeremy Null continued his fantastic start to the season, allowing just two runs in six innings and improving his record to 4-0. One of the two runs was even unearned. Null did allow nine hits, including three doubles, but once again he walked no one. In 36.2 innings this season, Null has walked one batter. He struck out four today.
Jordan Minch entered the game in the ninth inning with a three-run lead and promptly got into a bases-loaded, no outs jam. But Minch got a 6-4-3 double play that scored one run and a ground out to end the game and get his second save. Minch allowed one hit, walked one and hit one batter to load the bases before escaping the jam.
Second baseman Jason Vosler and first baseman Yasiel Balaguert had identical lines today: 2 for 4 with two doubles, one run scored and one RBI.
Shortstop Gleyber Torres was 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. He scored one run. Center fielder Rashad Crawford was 2 for 4 with a stolen base and a run batted in.