Cubs Minor League Wrap: August 3

It was a close three-way race between Brooks Raley, Eric Jokisch and Tayler Scott, but you decided that Iowa Cubs left-hander Brooks Raley was your choice for the BCB Minor League Player of the Month! Congratulations to Brooks!

I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I say the Cubs aren't going to win the World Series this year. But that doesn't mean we can't win something. Boise Hawks first baseman Rock Shoulders is in the finals of milb.com's Moniker Madness tournament. He's got a tough opponent in the Texas Rangers' Rougned Odor. But folks, we can win this. We can bring home the gold for Rock and the Cubs. Go vote now like a proud Chicagoan: early and often. If Odor beat Shoulders, that would really stink.

If you need to get fired up about this, the Hawks have put a video up on Facebook. Anyone can watch it and everyone should. Rock seems like a cool guy and he makes a personal appeal for your vote in the video. Has Rougned Odor asked for your vote? No.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs fell to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Rockies), 4-1.

Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched six innings and allowed only one run on two hits. He walked three and struck out six.

New Cub Jaye Chapman's second game for Iowa didn't go as well as his first. Chapman took the loss after allowing three runs on three hits in the top of the ninth, the only inning he pitched. Chapman walked one and he did not have a strikeout.

Third baseman Josh Vitters was 3 for 4 with a double. Left fielder Jeff Frazier was 3 for 3 and scored the lone Iowa run on an error on a Brett Jackson ground ball.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies game at Jackson was postponed because of unplayable field conditions. They'll try to play a double-header tomorrow.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs were blue against the Dunedin Blue Jays, 6-2.

Kyler Burke started and took the loss, although he didn't pitch that badly. He allowed three runs on four hits over five innings. He walked two and struck out four.

Kyle Hendricks pitched an inning in his Cub debut. He allowed two hits but no runs. Hendricks had neither a walk nor a strikeout.

Shortstop Vladimir Frias was 3 for 4 with a double and a run scored. Center fielder Rubi Silva was 2 for 4 with the RBI single that scored Frias in the third inning. He also scored the other Daytona run in the first.

Peoria Chiefs

The Peoria Chiefs were hijacked by the Quad City River Bandits (Cardinals), 4-2.

Yao-Lin Wang had his longest outing of the season, going 5.1 innings and allowing two runs on four hits. Wang walked three and struck out six.

Wang exited in the sixth inning with a man on and a 2-1 lead, but Jeffry Antigua allowed a two-run home run to put the Quad Cities up for good. He allowed another one in the next inning and took the loss after giving up two runs over 1.2 innings. Antigua surrendered three hits. He didn't walk anyone and he struck out two.

Shortstop Javier Baez hit another Baez-bomb with the bases empty in the third inning. Baez was 2 for 4. He now has twelve home runs this year in 56 games. He also stole his 20th base.

Second baseman Zeke DeVoss was 2 for 4 with a double to lead off the game. He scored on a wild pitch.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks ran out of gas against the Spokane Indians (Rangers), 6-5.

Jose Arias started and went 2.2 innings. He gave up two runs on four hits. Arias walked three and struck out three.

His final line doesn't represent it, but Hayden Simpson pitched very well tonight. He relieved Arias with two out and the bases loaded and ended the inning with a strikeout. He stayed in the game until the bottom of the eighth, when he was pulled after allowing a home run and a single. That runner eventually would come around to score. His final line was 4.1 innings (plus two batters in the eighth), allowing three runs on six hits, two of which were solo home runs. Simpson struck out six and walked no one.

Eddie Orozco relieved Simpson and took the loss. He allowed a run on two hits over an inning. Orozco walked no one and struck out one.

First baseman Rock Shoulders hit a two-run home run in the second inning. It was his sixth of the year. Shoulders was 1 for 4.

Left fielder Dong-Yub Kim also homered when he dropped a fly ball just over the wall in right field. The solo home run was his fifth this year. Kim was 1 for 4 and scored twice.

Second baseman Gioskar Amaya was 2 for 4 with a triple and a walk. He scored one run and batted one in.

The Hawks did not have a hit after the fourth inning.

It was a long night last night for the Boise Hawks, as the bus taking them on the seven-hour trip to Spokane broke down near Pendleton, Oregon around 2 am. The Hawks were stranded there until a bus arrived from Boise six hours later. In the meantime, the players tried to sleep on the side of the road. (Some of them goofed around a bit too.) They made it into Spokane around quarter to noon and then they had to take the field at 7 pm.

AZL Cubs

Beat the Diamondbacks, 7-5.

At least someone won.

Dillon Maples started and pitched 1.2 scoreless innings. He was relieved by Paul Blackburn, who was not scored upon over 3.1 innings.