Chicago Cubs Minor League Wrap: August 8

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs caught the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), 4-1.

Starter Felipe Paulino held the Storm Chasers in check for seven innings, allowing just two hits and no runs. Paulino struck out six and walked one as he won his third game of the season.

Christian Villanueva turned a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the seventh into a 4-0 lead with his 15th Iowa home run of the season. He also hit two with Tennessee. Villanueva was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Left fielder John Andreoli went 2 for 3.

Javier Baez was 0 for 2, but he walked twice and didn't strike out, so I'm guessing many of you will be pretty happy with that even without a hit. Baez had an RBI on a ground ball and scored on the Villanueva home run.

Chris Valaika was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning and had to be removed from the game.

Like their major league namesakes, the I-Cubs have won nine of their last ten games. They've climbed into second place and are now just four games behind Oklahoma City.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies burned down the Jackson Generals (Mariners), 14-1.

Pierce Johnson improved to 6-0 this season after allowing just one run on one three hits over seven innings. Really, the only run came on a fourth-inning solo home run by Aderlin Rodriguez. Johnson struck out seven and walked only one.

The Smokies scored ten runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. The first nine batters in that inning all reached. Every batter in the lineup had at least one hit tonight.

Left fielder Jacob Hannemann was 3 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Center fielder Albert Almora was 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. Almora scored once and had two RBI.

DH Bijan Rademacher was 3 for 4 with a walk. He scored two runs and had two runs batted in. Right fielder Billy McKinney was 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. McKinney had three RBI and scored twice.

Shortstop Jonathan Mota went 2 for 5 with a double and three RBI. Mota scored once.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans couldn't find the Frederick Keys (Orioles), 2-1.

Paul Blackburn pitched well but got the loss after the Keys scored two uneared runs in the fourth inning after catcher Victor Caratini missed a catch on a play at the plate. The final line on Blackburn was six innings pitched and allowing two runs, both unearned, on four hits. He struck out three and walked only one.

Left fielder Pin-Chieh Chen was 2 for 4 with a double. Caratini was 2 for 4 at the plate.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs chopped the Clinton LumberKings (Mariners) down to size, 5-1.

Jake Stinnett pitched the first seven innings and allowed just one run on three hits. He struck out six and walked only two.

Center fielder Rashad Crawford connected for his third home run of the season in the fourth inning with a man on. Crawford was 2 for 3 and scored twice.

Eugene Emeralds

The Eugene Emeralds capped the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Giants), 1-0. The win snapped a four-game losing streak.

Starter Oscar De La Cruz was impressive, allowing just four hits. He struck out seven and walked no one to claim his fourth win.

Pedro Araujo pitched the ninth inning and gave the Ems faithful a scare, putting runners on first and third with only one out after two singles and a wild pitch. But a foul out to the catcher and a ground out to second ended the threat and the game and gave Araujo his first save of the season.

The only run of the game scored when Alberto Mineo led off the second inning with a triple and third baseman Adonis Paula singled him home. Mineo was 1 for 3 and Paula was 2 for 3.

AZL Cubs

Beat the Athletics, 6-0.

Eric Jokisch threw five scoreless innings in this game in a rehab assignment.