Hak-Ju Lee and Jose Valdez were named to the Northwest League Post-season All-Star Team.
I think everybody needs some good news tonight and I'm glad to say I've got some tonight. So we're going to lead off with it.
Peoria Chiefs (37-22)
The Peoria Chiefs clinched a playoff spot tonight with a 2-1 victory over the Quad City River Bandits.
Starter Aaron Shafer got the win tonight with six shutout innings. He allowed four hits. He walked one and struck out two.
Kevin Kreier got his third save of the year with two shutout innings. Kreier allowed one hit, issued one walk and struck out three.
Center fielder David Macias went 2 for 4 and scored both runs. Third baseman Ryan Flaherty was 2 for 3 with a walk.
Because the first and second place teams in each half make the playoffs in the Midwest League, the Chiefs clinched a spot tonight. Their magic number to win the second half division title is three.
Iowa Cubs (68-65)
The Iowa Cubs kept their playoff hopes alive by taking a double-header from the Oklahoma City RedHawks by identical 2-1 scores.
In the first game, James Russell started and pitched five shutout innings. Russell allowed four hits, walked one and struck out seven.
David Patton got the win with an inning of relief. Patton didn't allow any runs or hits, but he did walk two. He did not record a strikeout.
Blake Parker allowed an unearned run in the ninth inning, but recorded his 19th save anyway. Parker didn't allow a hit. He walked one and struck out two.
The Cubs only had two hits in the first game, but one of them was a two-run home run in the sixth inning by shortstop Andres Blanco. It was Blanco's sixth home run this season for Iowa. Blanco was 1 for 3.
In the second game the Cubs scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh, including a game-winning RBI single by Andres Blanco again. Blanco went 2 for 4 with a double in the second game. Catcher Steve Clevenger was 2 for 3 with a run scored.
Esmailin Caridad started the second game and allowed one unearned run over three innings. He allowed two hits, walked no one and struck out five.
John Gaub got the win in relief. He walked two and struck out two in the one scoreless inning of relief he pitched.
Tennessee Smokies
Had the day off.
Daytona Cubs (26-32)
The Daytona Cubs tamed the Lakeland Flying Tigers, 8-5.
James Leverton started and picked up his ninth win. He went 5.1 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits, including a pair of two run homers. Leverton walked one and struck out five.
Henry Williamson was perfect in 2.2 innings of relief. He struck out five.
Right fielder Brandon Guyer did what we've been waiting for him to do for quite a while: he homered. The three-run home run was his first home run for Daytona (he had hit one for Tennessee) and he went 1 for 4.
Left fielder Jonathan Wyatt was 2 for 4 with two runs scored. First baseman Jake Opitz had a triple (but didn't score) in a 2 for 4 game. Shortstop Nate Samson went 1 for 2 with two walks. He scored twice and had two RBI.
Boise Hawks (30-36)
The Boise Hawks lost to the Spokane Indians, 4-2.
Yohan Gonzalez was very good in relief in this game, tossing three perfect innings from the fourth through the sixth. Gonzalez struck out three.
Left fielder Robert Wagner provided all the Hawks runs with a two-run homer. It was his fourth on the season. Wagner also doubled in a 2 for 4 game.
AZL Cubs