Cubs Minor League Wrap: July 12

The signing deadline is 4pm Central tomorrow. I don't expect many late signings by the Cubs, as they only have $22,000 to spend over slot before they forfeit next year's first round draft pick. That means that the remaining unsigned players can only sign for a maximum of $122,000. I expect that if any of them were willing to sign for that amount they would have already, but you never know. With one exception, all the remaining players are high school or junior college players who would likely be better served going to college than signing for that amount.

Other than in Birmingham with the Smokies-Barons games, there was a lot of sloppy baseball on all sides tonight.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs won their fourth straight one-run game over the Omaha Storm Chasers, 12-11.

Chris Volstad continues to suffer from "one bad inning" syndrome and this one was a doozy tonight. Vostad started the third inning and allowed the first seven batters to reach base, although one did reach by an error, before getting pulled for Frankie De La Cruz. The Storm Chasers ended up scoring six runs in the third. Volstad pitched 2+ innings and allowed seven runs, although two of those runs were unearned. (Then again, one of the unearned runs was a result of his own error in the second inning, so I question how unearned that is.) Volstad allowed six hits. He walked two and struck out one.

De La Cruz kept the Storm Chasers scoreless for three innings, allowing two hits but four walks. He struck out one.

Alberto Cabrera was the winner because he was on the mound the inning before Iowa scored five runs in the seventh inning. Cabrera pitched just the one inning and allowed two runs on three hits. One of the two runs was unearned. He didn't walk anyone and struck out one.

Michael Bowden got his second save with a scoreless ninth. He did allow a two-out single, but no other baserunners. He fanned two.

Catcher Welington Castillo hit a three-run home run in the top of the fifth as part of a four-run inning that got Iowa back into the game. It was Castillo's fourth home run of the season. He was 2 for 5 and scored twice.

In the sixth, first baseman Diory Hernandez hit his first home run of the season to temporarily tie the game. It was a solo home run and Hernandez was 3 for 4. He scored twice and had two RBI.

Third baseman Josh Vitters extended his hitting streak to eleven games as he was 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. He scored once and batted one in.

Right fielder Dave Sappelt was 2 for 4 with a walk and a steal. He scored twice tonight and knocked two in. Sappelt has a ten game hit streak going.

Second baseman Adrian Cardenas was 3 for 6 with a run batted in. Center fielder Brett Jackson went 1 for 2 with three walks and a stolen base. He scored twice and had an RBI.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies split a double-header with the Birmingham Barons (White Sox), losing the first one 4-1 and taking game two 3-0.

In game one, Zac Rosscup made his Double-A debut and couldn't get out of the first inning. He allowed four runs on four hits and two walks, while retiring only one batter. Ty'Relle Harris pitched 3.2 innings and Kevin Rhoderick threw two without allowing a run, but by then the damage had been done.

Game one was all about Philip Humber on a rehab assignment. He allowed a lead-off double to Junior Lake, who scored on a sac fly by Jae-Hoon Ha. After allowing a single to the next batter, Justin Bour, he retired the next 16 batters straight. Barons' closer Ryan Kussmaul also retired the side in order in the seventh inning.

In game two, Nick Struck was just as dominant as Humber was. He threw six shutout innings and allowed only three hits, all singles. He did not walk anyone and struck out seven for his tenth win of the season.

Frank Batista pitched the seventh inning for his 17th save. He allowed a one-out double, but nothing else. Batista struck out one.

Left fielder Nelson Perez had a two-run triple in the second inning and then scored on a sacrifice fly to account for all the scoring. Perez was 1 for 3.

Center fielder Jae-Hoon Ha was 2 for 4.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs turned red against the Palm Beach Cardinals, 5-4.

Matt Loosen was cruising along tonight until he got into trouble in the seventh inning. He put two on with two outs and both runners came around to score after he was relieved by Eduardo Figueroa. The final line on Loosen was 6.2 innings, allowing four runs on three hits. One of those runs was unearned. He walked three and hit the last batter he faced. Loosen struck out six.

Figueroa took the loss as he allowed two inherited runners to score and one charged to him over two-thirds of an inning. Figueroa allowed one hit. He struck out one and did not walk anyone. He also hit a batter, who came around to score the winning run in the eighth after he exited.

Right fielder Rubi Silva was 2 for 4 with a triple and a run scored. He's second in the Florida State League in triples behind Mel Rojas, the son of the former Cubs pitcher.

Peoria Chiefs

The Peoria Chiefs were not the mothers of the Dayton Dragons (Reds), 8-5.

Good start tonight for Jose Rosario, who allowed one run on seven hits over six innings. Rosario walked one and struck out two.

Justin Berg got hammered for Peoria in a rehab assignment, allowed five runs over two-thirds of an inning. Only one of the five runs were earned after Zeke DeVoss's second error of the night. Berg allowed three hits and he hit a batter. He neither walked nor struck anyone out.

Center fielder Taiwan Easterling cranked a two-run home run with two out in the ninth inning to make it close. It was Easterling's third home run on the season. He was 3 for 5 with a double and a stolen base.

Catcher Chadd Krist played in his first game since being promoted from Boise and he went 2 for 4 with a double. He scored once and had an RBI. First baseman Paul Hoilman was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks allowed eight runs in the seventh inning as the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) erased a 10-4 deficit and beat the Hawks, 12-11.

Starter James Pugliese went four innings and allowed four runs on seven hits. Two of the runs were unearned. He did not walk a batter and he struck out five.

Rafael Diplan and Roderik Pichardo combined for that eight-run atrocity. Diplan allowed five runs on two hits and three walks over only a third of an inning. But it was Pichardo who took the loss. Pichardo pitched 1.2 innings allowed three runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out three.

The Hawks hit three home runs in the first two innings. The first was by shortstop Marco Hernandez, who put the Hawks up 2-0 in the bottom of the first. It was his second home run for Boise and fourth overall this year. Hernandez was 1 for 6.

Four batters later, first baseman Rock Shoulders launched a tremendous shot over the trees behind the fence in right field to make it 5-0. It was his fourth home run this year and the third game in a row he homered. Shoulders was 1 for 3 with two walks. He scored twice and had the three runs batted in from the home run.

After the Hawks batted around in the first inning, DH Gioskar Amaya lead off the second inning with his second home run this season. Amaya was 2 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base. He scored three runs and batted two more runners in.

Second baseman Stephen Bruno was 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. He scored two runs. Right fielder Bijan Rademacher went 3 for 4 with a double and a walk. He had two RBI and a run scored.

Left fielder Xavier Batista went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a run batted in. Center fielder Trey Martin was 3 for 5 with a steal.

Third baseman Jeimer Candelario was 2 for 5 with a run batted in and a run scored. He also made two errors in the field.

AZL Cubs

Lost to the Giants 7-2.

Dan Vogelbach hit home run number five tonight.