Down on the Farm: Chris Rusin shines in Iowa Cubs 9-2 win

Mar 21, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher

(18) pitches against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch. The Cubs won 7-0. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

What’s going on Cubs fans? Welcome to another (late late night edition) of Down on the Farm, right here on Cubbies Crib. Now with the big league club still struggling to hold runs, there have been a couple arms down on the farm who are looking very very promising. You have Tsuyoshi Wada who is currently 3-1 with an ERA of 0.68 in four starts. This man seems determined to get the attention of the guys in the front-office. I’m calling it right now, this guy will be the man who will replace Edwin Jackson in the starting rotation.

Then you have relief pitcher P.J. Francescon down with the Tennessee Smokies. Francescon has worked through 12 and one-third relief innings, carries a 2-0 record and solid 0.73 ERA. He’s struck out 16 batters in six games. This young arm won’t be with the Smokies for very long. Starting pitcher Ivan Pineyro doesn’t have a win just yet, but his ERA still stands at a decent 1.74 ERA. The 23 year old righty has made four starts so far this season and has worked through 20 and two-third innings.

Sure he gives up a lot of hits (15), but he’s keeping the earned runs on the low side with only four. He’s only given up one home run and may have walked nine, but he’s struck out 17. Now let’s talk about the arms that the Kane County Cougars have with them. You have pitchers Duane Underwood, Jen-Ho Tseng, and Daury Torrez who are absolutely tearing it up right now.

Underwood is carrying a 1.13 ERA in two starts but has been limited to only eight innings of work. He’s only been charged with one earned run while striking out nine batters. Tseng is a lefty who is currently 1-0 with an ERA of 2.93. He’s another pitcher who has given up a bunch of hits (21) but has only surrendered five runs through three starts. Tseng is another young pitcher who can either strikeout a batter looking or blow a pitch right by them.

He’s currently got 14 strikeouts with only one walk under his belt. Torrez has made it through 24 and two-third innings while giving up 20 hits, nine of those tagging him with nine earned runs but has struck out 17 batters. Now that we pointed out some of the young promising arms in the farm system, let’s get down to business and recap these games.

Let’s start with the Iowa Cubs taking on the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Colorado Rockies) and were looking to completely shut them out for the second game in a row. Iowa blanked the Sky Sox on Thursday by the score of 9-0, improving to 11-9 on the season.

Now the Iowa Cubs took a two run lead during the top of the first inning and were able to keep it the entire game. Colorado Springs would try to answer back during the bottom of the second and eighth innings but Iowa hitters continued to make solid contact. The Cubs were able to add four runs to their score during the bottom of the seventh inning on a fielding error, singles by Lars Anderson and Matt Szczur and Javier Baez grounding into a double play.

Anderson would strike with an RBI double during the bottom of the next frame after Arismendy Alcantara plated a run off a triple to left field. This would now make it 9-1 Iowa.

Starting pitcher Chris Rusin absolutely shined in his outing today against Colorado Springs. Rusin pitched through seven innings, gave up seven hits but was only charged with one earned run which came in the second inning. Rusin walked only one butter and struck out six before he was pulled and replaced by Marcos Mateo. Mateo made it through one inning and was charged with an earned run during the bottom of the eighth.

Winning pitcher tonight is Chris Rusin (1-3, 4.76 ERA), losing pitcher is Yohan Flande (0-, 5.82 ERA).

Final Score: Cubs 9, Sky Sox 2.

Iowa Cubs improve to 12-9 on the year.

The Kane County Cougars took on the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Milwaukee Brewers) in their first meeting of the 2014 season. Kane County picked up a 10-8 victory over the Beloit Snappers yesterday to improve to 14-6 on the season.

Now Kane County jumped all over the Timber Rattlers right off the bat, taking a 7-0 lead through the bottom of the seventh inning. Danny Canela got things started off with a single to left field which made it 2-0 until Will Remillard busted things wide open with an RBI double to make it 5-0. Timber Rattlers would begin to fight back during the later innings, especially during the top of the seventh. Clint Coulter got Wisconsin on the board with a RBI triple to center field.

This made it 7-1 until both David Denson and Angel Ortega picked up RBI singles to cut the lead down to just four. Michael Ratterree would end up making it a 7-4 ball game with a solo home run to left field during the top of the eighth inning. Carlos Penalver would later make it 8-4 with a triple to right field.

Starting pitcher Daury Torrez pitched through six and one-third innings tonight. Torrez gave up three earned runs off six hits while striking out seven before he was replaced by Juan Paniagua. Each of them gave up a run, but were able to hold off Wisconsin to pick up the victory.

Winning pitcher is Daury Torrez (3-0, 3.28 ERA), losing pitcher is Zach Quintana (0-1, 6.00 ERA) with the save being picked up by Juan Paniagua (1).

Final Score: Cougars 8, Timber Rattlers 4.

Kane County Cougars improve to 15-6.

The final game played tonight was between the Daytona Cubs and the Brevard County Manatees. Daytona was looking to make it two wins in a row over Brevard County after picking up a 7-3 victory on Thursday which put them at 6-14 on the young season.

The Cubs trailed 2-0 early on after the Manatees were able to get a run during the bottom of the first and second innings. The Cubs would then tie it during the top of the fourth thanks to Chadd Krist who singled to left field, which was followed up by a bases loaded walk which tied it at two a piece. Daytona would lose the lead and trail by one after the bottom of the fifth inning but would reclaim the lead during the top of the seventh.

Pin-Chieh Chen would double to right field to tie it up at three a piece until Dan Vogelbach picked up an RBI on a single to center field to make it 4-3 Cubs. Daytona would kick it into second gear during the top of the ninth as Bijan Rademacher launched his second home run of the season to right field. It was his second of the year, good enough to make it 5-3 Daytona. Rock Shoulders would then reach on a fielder error which allowed a run to come across to score to make it 6-3.

Starting pitcher Felix Pena would only make it through three innings after allowing five hits, walking four and giving up a home run. He would be replaced by righty Starling Peralta who would pitch through four innings of work but was also charged with an earned run. Peralta managed to give up two less hits than Pena and was able to strike out three before he was replaced by Zach Cates.

Cates was able to come in with two innings left in the game and close the door on the Manatees.

Winning pitcher is Starling Peralta (1-0, 4.05 ERA), losing pitcher is Martin Viramontes (0-1, 2.84 ERA) with Zach Cates picking up the save (1).

Final Score: Cubs 6, Manatees 3.

Daytona improves to 7-14.