Down on the Farm: Iowa Cubs’ offense shut down, Blue Jays tee off of Daytona pitching

After the Major League team continued their solid play Tuesday night by beating Pittsburgh, their minor league affiliates didn`t enjoy the same luck, with both Iowa and Daytona taking tough losses. Two of the Cubs` affiliates didn`t even get to play Tuesday night, as Kris Bryant and the Smokies took a day-off and the Kane County Cougars game was postponed, with a doubleheader to be played today.

Triple-A Final: Fresno Grizzlies (Giants) 3, Iowa Cubs 2

The Iowa Cubs couldn’t replicate the 17-run, 17-hit offensive outburst from Monday night, with Fresno pitching shutting them down to the tune of just two runs and seven hits. The Grizzlies` starter, Mike Kickham, did a wonderful job against this hot Iowa offense, allowing just two runs, one earned, over six innings while punching out eight men. The bullpen picked up where Kickham left, finishing the game with three scoreless frames. However, the Iowa Cubs didn`t even get blasted on the mound, as Kyle Hendricks had himself a nice night in Fresno, earning a quality start after pitching seven innings on just three earned runs and five hits, while striking out six. Javier Baez suffered from the tough offensive night for Iowa, finishing 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and five men left on base.

Advanced Class-A Final: Dunedin Blue Jays 11, Daytona Cubs 4

The Daytona Cubs have had a rough go of it lately, dropping three tough losses in a row entering Tuesday night, then proceeded to get lit up by the Blue Jays, extending the skid to a modest four straight. Daytona Cubs` starter, 6’2″ right-hander Felix Pena, let his boys down in a serious manner, serving up an incredible nine runs on 10 hits while walking two in just four innings. Even after surrendering nine earned runs, Pena`s ERA still lies at 2.59 which demonstrates the wonderful year he`s been having. The Blue Jays lit Pena up pretty well, of course, with a big thanks to first-baseman K.C. Hobson, who notched three hits, five RBIs and drilled two home runs to help seal the fairly easy victory.