Down on the Farm: Iowa, Kane County winners once again

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Mar 7, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop

Chris Valaika

(60) hits an RBI single against the Los Angeles Angels in the seventh inning at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

As we approach the weekend, Chicago Cubs’ minor league affiliates had a full slate of games today – ranging from Class-A Kane County all the way up to Triple-A Iowa, with the clubs going 2-2 on the day, as both the Cougars and Iowa Cubs picked up wins.

As we all know by now, it was a tale of two games at the big league level, as the Cubs’ bullpen allowed five runs in the seventh to fall to Pittsburgh, but never fear. There were some positive notes from Cubs affiliates today.

Here’s the recaps from Thursday’s contests.

Triple-A Iowa Cubs

Similar to the big league club, Iowa played a very different two halves of baseball, if you will. For the majority of the contest, the club trailed Nashville until top prospect Javier Baez launched his second home run of the year, a two-run shot to right-center, to put Iowa on top, 2-1, in the bottom of the sixth.

Chris Valaika then hit an RBI double, plating Josh Vitters, and expanding the Cubs’ lead to 3-1. Valaika added an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth and a Christian Villanueva sac fly in the frame accounted for the final Cubs’ tally of the evening as the club coasted to a 5-1 win.

Valaika joined the likes of Arismendy Alcantara and Matt Szczur with a pair of base hits on the evening, while Vitters added a lone hit, two runs and a pair of walks – raising his batting average to a team-high .364 on the young season.

Iowa starter Kyle Hendricks (1-1, 5.40 ERA) tossed seven superb innings, allowing just one run on five hits, while striking out five and walking just one. This follows his first start of the year in which he allowed six earned runs in four-plus innings of work.

The lone Sounds run came in the top of the fourth against Hendricks when Hunter Morris lined a single to left, scoring Eugenio Velez.

Iowa moves to 4-4 on the year, while Nashville falls to 3-5. The Cubs open a series against the St. Louis Triple-A affiliate, Memphis, on Friday at AutoZone Park.

FINAL: Cubs 5 Sounds 1

Double-A Tennessee Smokies

In a classic pitchers’ duel, Tennessee and Chattanooga played to a 1-0 final, with the Lookouts scoring what turned out to be the game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning against Tony Zych on an RBI single to left field.

The ninth started with Dae-Eun Rhee on the hill for the Smokies and the rally started against him with a one-out single off the bat of Jon Garcia. Casio Grider then entered the game for Lookouts as a pinch-runner, promptly stealing second base to give the guests a runner in scoring position with just one out.

Rhee set down pinch hitter O’Koyea Dickinson on a fly ball to center field, but Grider advanced to third with two outs in the frame. The next batter, Darnell Sweeney, was hit by a pitch, putting runners on the corners with still two outs. It was at this point Zych entered the game, and the first batter he faced, Ozzie Martinez, lined the game-winning single into left to sink the Smokies at home.

The Tennessee offense was sporadic, at best, on Thursday, tallying just four base hits on the night. The club did, however, show patience at the plate, drawing seven walks against Chattanooga pitching, which helped offset the fact that no Smokies player had multiple hits in the game.

Jake Arrieta started the game for the Smokies, tossing 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out four. He was consistently around the zone, locating 40 of his 66 pitches for strikes.

Martinez led the offense for Chattanooga, collected three hits on the night, raising his season average to .240 in the process. Catcher J.C. Boscan also added a pair of base hits, raising his clip on the year to .375.

With the loss, Tennessee falls to 2-5 on the year, while the Lookouts move to 3-4. The Smokies are in action again Friday night against Chattanooga, with first pitch slated for 6:15 p.m. CT.

FINAL: Smokies 0 Lookouts 1

Advanced Class-A Daytona Cubs

The struggles continued on Thursday for the defending Florida State League champions, as the Cubs fell to the Dunedin Blue Jays by a 12-2 final.

Dunedin scored in all but three of the innings Thursday, including the first four frames, putting Daytona in a major hole early on. Cubs starter Tayler Scott (1-1) allowed eight runs – four of which were earned – on 11 hits in just three innings of work. The bullpen combined to allow just four more runs in the final six innings, but the early damage – aided by a pair of Daytona errors, was already done.

After a home run by Derrick Chung pushed the Dunedin lead to 6-0 in the top of the third, Daytona clawed back to within four thanks to an RBI single by Oliver Zapata and Blue Jays’ fielding error in the bottom of the frame.

However, from that point on, it was all Dunedin, as the visitors poured on another half-dozen runs before it was all said and done, sending the announced attendance of 3,835 home with a bitter taste in their mouths.

B.J. Rademacher led the Cubs’ offense with a trio of base hits, and is hitting at a .455 clip through the early part of the season. No other Daytona hitter managed more than one hit on the night.

With the loss, Daytona falls to 1-6, while the Blue Jays improve to a solid 6-1. The Cubs will travel to Tampa on Friday to begin a series against the Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. CT.

FINAL: Daytona 2 Dunedin 12

Class-A Kane County Cougars

The Cougars fought off a four-run sixth inning from the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Thursday night, holding onto what became a 7-5 win in front of the home faithful at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark. Starting pitcher Tyler Skulina (1-0) wasn’t overly impressive, as he allowed five runs in just 5 2/3 innings of work; he did, however, notch six strikeouts, as well.

From the word ‘go’ it appeared the Cougars were in for a good night, as the club’s first two runs crossed the played in the bottom of the first via an error by Fort Wayne shortstop Franchy Cordero. The club added four more runs in the second, but soon after, Kane County’s bats went quiet until they pushed across an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Two Cougars’ hitters tallied a pair of base hits on the evening – Danny Lockhart and Carlos Penalver – but Yasiel Balaguert led the charge in terms of RBIs, with three.

A home run opened the TinCaps’ scoring in the sixth, and soon after, a two RBI doubles and an RBI single changed the entire feel of the ballgame, cutting what had been a 6-0 Kane County lead to a much closer 6-5 ballgame.

Kane County moves to 4-3 on the young season with Thursday’s win, while Fort Wayne falls to 2-5. The Cougars host the Lake County Captains on Friday night at home, with first pitch slated for 6:30 p.m. CT.

FINAL: Kane County 7 Fort Wayne 5

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