Iowa Cubs drop rain-shortened game to Oklahoma City

71. Final. 0. 9. 4

I-Cubs drop second straight game at home

DES MOINES, IA –Right-hander Barret Loux pitched well, but left the game due to a high pitch count, and the offense was ice-cold once again as the Iowa Cubs fell to the Oklahoma City Dodgers on Sunday afternoon in a rain-shortened contest by a 4-0 final.

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Loux (0-1) allowed just one earned run on three hits across five innings of work in which he struck out five and walked three. After finishing the fifth, he was at 83 pitches, which led to him being pulled in favor of left-hander Hunter Cervenka with Iowa trailing 1-0.

Oklahoma City (8-2), already leading 1-0 thanks to a first-inning RBI single by Kyle Jensen, poured it on in the top of the sixth inning against Cervenka and right-hander Armando Rivero, eventually extending their lead to 4-0 before the rain came down.

Jensen led off the inning with a single against Cervenka, who then issued a walk to Chris Heisey. After a sacrifice fly allowed Jensen and Heisey both to advance one base, a walk to Buck Britton loaded the bases with just one out.

Cervenka, who struggled mightily with his location in his Triple-A debut, looked like he might skate out of trouble after he retired Scott Schebler on a pop-out to third baseman Christian Villanueva, but things unraveled from there.

After Matt Carson, an offensive hero from Friday’s game, was announced as a pinch-hitter, Cervenka was lifted for Rivero, who promptly delivered the team’s second wild pitch of the inning, allowing Jensen to score and make it 2-0 Dodgers.

Carson then unloaded with a two-run double that pushed the Oklahoma City lead to 4-0. Before the rains forced the groundscrew to pull the tarp on the field, the Dodgers had already reloaded the bases – and further damage was only avoided by the game being called due to poor field conditions.

Iowa (4-5) managed just two hits on the day, with star shortstop Addison Russell going 0-for-2 with a pair of groundouts. In the two games played at home this season, Russell is 0-for-6 with three strikeouts.

What Stood Out:

There was plenty that stood out from Iowa’s second home game, but the glove work of shortstop Chris Valaika was top-notch. He made several impressive plays and his defensive versatility is definitely an underrated facet of his game.

Other than that, the team’s offense struggled yet-again. The Cubs had just three at-bats with men in scoring position, and failed to execute in any of them. Iowa struck out five times as a team and did not draw a single walk.

Other Notes:

Before the game, the team issued a statement regarding a pair of roster moves. Right-hander Blake Parker, the all-time Iowa saves leader, was placed on the seven-day DL with an undisclosed injury while Cervenka and Taylor Teagarden were added to the I-Cubs roster for the game.

Parker’s injury is believed to be related to his elbow, but no further details were released.

Right-hander Gonzalez Germen had his contract purchased by the big league club and outfielder Matt Szczur was optioned back to Triple-A Iowa, where he’ll likely play in Monday’s doubleheader against Oklahoma City.

What’s Next:

Iowa (4-5) continues its homestand with a twin-bill against Oklahoma City (8-2) on Monday. The first game is set for 12:05 p.m. CT with the second contest to follow afterward.

Right-hander Carlos Pimentel (0-1, 12.27) is set to start the opener against right-hander Scott Baker (0-1, 1.80). For the night cap, the Cubs will send right-hander Yoanner Negrin (0-0, 3.00) against OKC left-hander Rudy Owens (0-1, 1.80).

Next: Chicago Cubs make a roster move on Sunday morning

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