Cubs Minor League Wrap: June 4

The Cubs named Kris Bryant and Paul Blackburn as their minor league player and pitcher of the month for May. You agreed with the Bryant selection, but chose Chris Rusin over Blackburn.

Iowa Cubs

Off-day. Will Manny join the team this weekend? Stay tuned.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies toppled the Birmingham Barons (White Sox), 4-1.

Joe Gardner got his first win in the Cubs organization. He pitched the first 6.2 innings and allowed just one run on three hits. He struck out five and didn't walk anyone.

Arodys Vizcaino got his first Tennessee save and second overall after he threw a perfect ninth inning, retiring the side with three ground outs.

Ho hum. Another day, another home run for  . . .Dustin Geiger. What? Did you think I meant someone else? Geiger hit his seventh home run of the year with a man on in the fourth inning. Geiger was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Left fielder John Andreoli went 1 for 3 with two stolen bases. That gives Andreoli 28 steals in 56 games and he's only been caught twice.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs nailed the Jupiter Hammerheads (Marlins), 4-2.

The story of this game was really Hammerheads pitcher Brad Hand, who retired the first 17 batters he faced until Marco Hernandez reached on an error with two outs in the sixth. Hand retired the next batter and then exited the game, having struck out eight D-Cubs.

Blake Logan would then replace Hand, and he retired the side in order in the seventh, leaving the no-hitter intact. But when Logan came out to pitch the eighth, leadoff hitter Willson Contreras singled to right field to break up the no-hitter. After Wes Darvill walked, Logan left for Reid Redman.

Jeimer Candelario reached on a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Gioskar Amaya would reach on a fielder's choice, driving in a run to make it 2-1. Then Hernandez doubled in two runs to give Daytona a 3-2 lead. After a Zeke DeVoss sac fly made it 4-2, Redman would retire the next two batters to end the inning.

And I've just described every baserunner the Cubs had in the game. The Cubs scored four runs on three hits and a walk.

Rob Zastryzny bounced back from an awful start last time out to go five innings and allow two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out four.

Jose Rosario got his third win after tossing three scoreless innings. Rosario allowed two hits. He didn't walk anyone, but he did hit two batters. Rosario struck out five.

Andrew McKirahan pitched the ninth inning and got his fifth save. He gave up a one-out double, but stranded the runner on second. McKirahan struck out two.

Kane County Cougars

The Kane County Cougars cut down the Clinton LumberKings (Mariners), 5-4 in ten innings. With the win, the Cougars reduced their magic number to clinch a playoff spot down to three.

On the day the Cubs named him minor league pitcher of the month, Paul Blackburn couldn't get out of the first inning today. Blackburn allowed two runs on one hit and three walks over two-thirds of an inning. He did not have a strike out. Cougars manager Mark Johnson said that Blackburn exited because the organization does not permit a pitcher to throw more than 35 pitches in the first inning.

Blackburn was relieved by James Pugliese, who pitched 3.1 innings and allowed two runs on five hits, including a solo home run. But he did strike out six  and not walk anyone.

Corbin Hoffner was fantastic in relief, retiring all nine batters he faced, six by a strikeout.

Tyler Bremer pitched the final three innings improved his record to 5-0 after the Cougars scored in the bottom of the tenth. Bremer allowed just one hit. He walked one and struck out two.

Jacob Hannemann led off the bottom of the tenth inning with a double and went to third on a Danny Lockhart bunt single. After a ground out and an intentional walk loaded the bases with one out, Yasiel Balaguert drove him Hannemann with a fielder's choice to end the game.

Hannemann was 2 for 5 with two doubles and two runs scored. Lockhart was 2 for 5 with a double and a run scored. Balaguert was 0 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

First baseman Jacob Rogers went 2 for 4 and scored once.