Cubs Minor League Wrap: August 8

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs held the low card against the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks), 5-1 in ten innings.

Starter Ryan Rowland-Smith only made one real mistake today: a solo home run in the third inning. Other than that, he was excellent, allowing only one run on two hits over six innings. Rowland Smith walked three and struck out four. He also singled and scored the only Cubs run.

Jay Jackson took the loss in relief. He faced the minimum for two innings (the one walk was erased with a caught stealing) but the third inning was a problem when he allowed four runs, including a three-run home run. Jackson pitched 2.1 innings and allowed four runs on two hits. He walked one and struck out two.

Second baseman Matt Tolbert went 2 for 2.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies lost to the Huntsville Stars (Brewers), 7-2.

Dallas Beeler had some troubles today and lost his seventh game. He pitched three innings and allowed six runs, five earned, on three hits, including a three-run home run in the top of the first. Beeler walked one and struck out two.

However, Beeler did single and scored in the second inning. That single ended an 0 for 86 hitless streak for Tennessee pitchers.

Shortstop Junior Lake was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI single in the first inning. Center fielder Jae-Hoon Ha returned to the lineup after missing 12 games with a concussion. He was 1 for 4.

Daytona Cubs

Rained out. Double-header tomorrow.

Peoria Chiefs

The Chiefs lost to the Burlington Bees, 9-8 in 14 innings.

It was a second straight impressive start for the Chiefs, as Yao-Lin Wang pitched a season-high six innings and allowed only one run on three hits. The one run was a solo home run. The most impressive part was the ten strikeouts and no walks Wang had. It's the second straight game a Chiefs pitcher struck out at least ten batters.

The game went into extra innings, however, because Luis Liria couldn't throw a strike in the eighth inning. He pitched a scoreless seventh inning, but then Liria walked the first three batters he faced before getting a strikeout. He was then removed from the game for Austin Reed who let all three runners score after an error and two wild pitches. Reed then let another run score in the bottom of the ninth to tie the score and send the game to extra innings.

Sheldon McDonald took over from there and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing only two hits. He didn't walk anyone and he struck out two.

The Chiefs took an 8-6 lead in the top of the fourteenth, but Pete Levitt loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning and took the loss when all three runners scored. He walked in the winning run with two outs. Levitt pitched 1.2 innings and allowed three runs, one earned on three hits. He also made a crucial error himself. Levitt struck out two and walked three. (I should report that Chiefs announcer Nate Baliva insists that the last two balls called on the final walk of the game were right down the middle of the plate. Probably a tired umpire who wanted to go home.)

First baseman Paul Hoilman homered in the second inning, his first home run since June. The solo home run was Hoilman's eighth of the season. He was 2 for 6 with a walk. Hoilman scored twice and had two RBI.

The Chiefs second homer came from shorstop Tim Saunders, who hit his first home run for the Chiefs with two men on in the fourth inning. Saunders was 2 for 5 with two walks and two stolen bases. Saunders scored once and had three runs batted in. However, he also made two errors and probably should have been charged with a third one in the fourteenth inning. He bobbled an easy double-play ball in the 14th that would have made it two out and no one on. Instead, it was two on and no outs and the Bees eventually won.

Second baseman Zeke DeVoss was 3 for 7 with a stolen base. He scored twice. Third baseman Dustin Geiger went 2 for 7 with a double and three runs batted in.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks dried out the Everett Aqua Sox (Mariners), 8-6.

Jose Arias pitched the first five innings and allowed three runs on four hits. Arias walked two and struck out six.

Eddie Orozco pitched the ninth inning and got his third save. In his one scoreless inning, he allowed one hit. He didn't walk anyone and struck out one.

Left fielder Rock Shoulders launched a grand slam home run in the top of the fifth inning out of the ballpark to right. It was his seventh home run this season. Shoulders was 1 for 5.

First baseman Dan Vogelbach also homered in the third inning with a man on. It was Vogelbach's fourth home run for Boise and eleventh of the year. Vogelbach went 1 for 5 and scored twice.

Catcher Willson Contreras was 2 for 4 with a double.

AZL Cubs

Beat the Dodgers, 5-3.

Albert Almora apparently ended the game with a over-the-shoulder catch to deep center and then doubled off the runner at second base. Shawon Dunston Jr. was also raving about it.

The AZL Cubs record is 27-12. That's actually a half game behind the Athletics, but with a five-game lead in the Wild Card race.