Cubs Minor League Wrap: April 5

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were tarred and feathered by the Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals), 11-1.

Kyle Hendricks made his first start of the season and it was not a good one. Hendricks gave up seven runs, six earned, on seven hits over 4.2 innings. Hendricks did strike out five and he walked two. Both numbers are unusually high for Hendricks, who relies on control and normally doesn't strike out more than a batter an inning.

Neil Ramirez also got hit hard in the one inning he pitched. He allowed four runs on a grand slam by Audry Perez.

Javier Baez struck out both times he came to the plate. The second time he was called out looking, after which he threw his hands up in the air and was promptly ejected for arguing balls and strikes.

Center fielder Matt Szczur scored the only Iowa run. He went 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Right fielder Chris Coghlan went 2 for 4 with a double.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies were extinguished by the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Reds), 5-0 in a game that ended after six and a half innings because of rain.

Jake Arrieta was good in his rehab start, tossing three innings without allowing a hit. He did allow a run in the third inning after Devin Lohman reached on a two-out error. Arrieta then made a bad pickoff throw that sent the runner all the way to third and then Lohman scored on a wild pitch.

Lendy Castillo replaced Arrieta and allowed two runs on two hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning. Corey Black also allowed two runs on a two-run home run.

The Smokies had two hits, a double by Charles Cutler and a single by Rubi Silva.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs harpooned the Brevard County Manatees (Brewers), 13-2.

It was an easy win for starter Tayler Scott. Scott pitched eight shutout innings, allowing only two hits, both singles in the seventh inning. Two Manatees reached base before the seventh, one by a walk and one by an error, but Scott erased both of them with double playS. Scott only walked the one and he struck out two.

Austin Kirk would allow two runs in the ninth.

It was a big game for center fielder Albert Almora, who had five hits, all singles, in six at-bats. Almora scored twice and batted three runs in.

Third baseman Jeimer Candelario hit Daytona's first home run of the season, a solo home run in the fourth inning. Candelario was 1 for 4 with a walk.

Right fielder Pin-Chieh Chen continued his hot start to the season with three doubles in a 3 for 5 effort. Chen scored two runs and batted three in.

Shortstop Tim Saunders also had three hits, including one double, in five at-bats. Saunders also scored two runs with three RBI. Saunders also stole a base.

Second baseman Gioskar Amaya was 3 for 5 with two runs scored. Catcher Willson Contreras went 2 for 5 with two RBI. Left fielder Oliver Zapata was 2 for 5 and scored twice.

Kane County Cougars

The Kane County Cougars split a doubleheader with the Quad Cities River Bandits (Astros), losing game one 2-1 and taking the second one 5-4 in ten innings.

In the first game, starter Tyler Skulina dominated the Quad Cities for six shutout innings, giving up only two hits. He walked one and he struck out two.

But Zack Godley couldn't nail down the save, and he took the loss. He was charged with two runs on one hit and two walks in a third of an inning. The hit was a ball that was called a home run originally but reversed to a double without the benefit of instant replay. Godley struck out one before giving way to Tyler Bremer, who allowed the game-ending single.

Second baseman Danny Lockhart scored the only Cougars run in this game on a Jacob Rogers single. That was one of only two hits the Cougars managed in this game.

Game two went better for Kane County, although playing extra innings is exactly what you don't want to do in game two of a doubleheader. The nightcap was started by Daury Torrez, who allowed only one run on five hits over five innings. Torrez walked three and struck out four.

Torrez exited with a 4-1 lead, but Gerardo Concepcion remedied that in a hurry. Concepcion coughed up three runs on two hits, two walks and a balk before getting pulled with two outs in the sixth. One of the two outs Concepcion got was a strikeout.

When the game went into extra innings, Justin Amlung threw all three innings without allowing a run and got the win. Amlung allowed three hits, including two doubles, in those three innings, so you can tell he was walking a tightrope most of the time. Amlung walked two and struck out two.

The winning run scored in the top of the tenth when center fielder Jacob Hannemann reached on a dropped third strike and eventually came around to score on a two-out single by first baseman Jacob Rogers. Rogers was 2 for 5.

Hannemann made some noise earlier in the game, as he hit his second professional home run to lead off the game. Hannemann was 2 for 5.

DH Daniel Canela also hit his first home run, a solo home run in the second inning. Canela went 1 for 4.