Cubs Minor League Wrap: May 3

No surprises here, but congratulations to Tennessee Smokies pitcher Robert Whitenack, who easily won the Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Month award for April.

When Memorial Day rolls around, start nominating players for May.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were run over by the Round Rock Express (Rangers), 9-3.

Starter J.R. Mathes got rocked early and didn't make it out of the first inning. Mathes was charged with allowing seven runs on six hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning. Hey, at least the two outs he did record were strikeouts.

Austin Bibens-Dirkx relieved Mathes and while he did allow an inherited runner, afterwards he pitched 4.1 innings without allowing a run. He gave up four hits and no walks while striking out two.

Center fielder Tony Campana was 2 for 5. He scored once. First baseman Bryan LaHair went 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored once and batted one man in.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies got mauled by the Mobile Bay Bears (Diamondbacks) 8-6.

Starter Alberto Cabrera got the loss, going five innings and allowing five runs on nine hits. One of the five runs was unearned. He walked one and struck out three.

Matt Spencer hit a pinch-hit two-run home run in the sixth inning. It was his fourth homer this year. Spencer stayed in the game and went 1 for 3.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs trounced the Tampa Yankees, 8-3.

Starter Brett Wallach was dealing tonight with what was probably his best start in the Cub organization. Wallach went six plus innings and allowed only one run on four hits. Most importantly for Wallach, he only walked two and struck out nine.

The D-Cubs cranked out 20 hits tonight. Only one of them left the yard, and that was a solo home run in the fifth inning by right fielder Nelson Perez. Perez was 2 for 5.

First baseman Justin Bour hit a double in a 3 for 6 game. He had one RBI and scored once.

Center fielder Evan Crawford went 4 for 5. Third baseman Matt Cerda went 3 for 6.

Shortstop Junior Lake went 2 for 6 with a stolen base. He also scored once and had an RBI. Left fielder David Macias was also 2 for 6 with one run scored. Catcher Michael Brenly was 2 for 4 with one run scored and two RBI.

Peoria Chiefs

The Peoria Chiefs got swarmed by the Burlington Bees, 3-2 in ten innings.

Su-Ming Jung made his season debut today and was pretty good, despite some control problems. Jung pitched four shutout innings and allowed only two hits. He walked three and hit a batter, however. He did not have a strikeout.

The Cubs were held scoreless in this game until first baseman Richard Jones homered in the top of the ninth and then took the lead on a Matt Szczur RBI single in the tenth. But Marcus Hatley blew the save and the game. He allowed two runs on three hits and a hit batsman. He only retired one batter.

Jones was 2 for 4 overall. The homer was Jones fourth this season. Catcher Micah Gibbs was 2 for 4.