Down on the Farm: Kyle Schwarber homers twice before promotion to Kane County

Even with a couple Minor League affiliates out of action Tuesday night, there was plenty of farm action for the Cubs on a tough night for the Major League squad. Kyle Schwarber tallied three hits, a walk, a double and two bombs, raising his five-game triple-slash to a ridiculous .600/.625/1.350, proving he’s more than ready for the Single-A promotion earned after the game. (Jordan Bernfield). Rob Zastryzny continued his recent dominance with another fantastic outing, the Boise Hawks blasted five homers and Javier Baez crushed a three-run homer for Iowa.

Triple-A: El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres) – 8 Iowa Cubs 5

Despite Javier Baez demolishing a baseball to bring home three in the eighth for Iowa, the Cubs couldn’t climb back from a poor night for the pitching staff in an 8-5 loss. I-Cubs’ southpaw Eric Jokish had a pretty strange line Tuesday night, punching out 10 Chihuahuas but surrendering five earned runs on seven hits in six-plus innings.

The Chihuahuas’ second baseman, Jonathan Galvez, handed Jokish three more runs to add to the line with a three-run dinger in the fourth inning, while former rookie phenomenon Jeff Francoeur collected three hits and an RBI on the night.

El Paso didn’t just hit – their starting pitching was fantastic – with their 21-year-old right-hander Matt Wisler firing seven very strong innings, allowing just two earned runs on three hits while punching out five. Baez wasn’t the only Iowa Cub to have a nice game, with utilityman Chris Valaika tallying two hits and a homer.

Double-A: All-Star Break. Next game: Thursday, June 19, Smokies vs. Chattanooga Lookouts  

Advanced Class-A Final: Tampa Yankees, Daytona Cubs 0

Tuesday night in Daytona was the definition of a pitcher’s duel, with Cubs’ 2013 second-rounder Rob Zastryzny and the Yankees’ Miguel Sulbaran both dealing in a 1-0 Daytona loss. As evident by the final line score, both starters did a wonderful job in this one, but Yankees’ southpaw Sulbaran out-pitched Zastryzny by a bit, tossing six shutout frames on just four hits, a couple walks, but struck out just one Cub.

The other left-hander, Zastryzny, was also terrific, firing six-and-two-third one-run innings for Daytona, allowing just four runners to reach base while striking out six. The only run of the game came in the very first inning, with Yankees’ third baseman Dante Bichette Jr. doubling home Jake Cave for the eventual winning run.

Class-A: All-Star Break. Next game: Thursday, June 19, Cougars vs. Cedar Rapids Kernels

Class-A Short Season Final: Boise Hawks 12, Tri-City Dust Devils (Rockies) 3

Even as the Boise Hawks pounded out 13 hits and 12 runs in their fifth game of the year, all focus centered on Kyle Schwarber during and after the game. Schwarber finished 3-for-4 on the afternoon, drawing a walk, doubling drilling two homers (one long ball may have reached 440 ft, according to the Hawks’ radio crew), and was rewarded with a promotion to Single-A Kane County after the game (more on that later today).

However, as it is when a team scored 12, it wasn`t just one big game from one hitter, with Justin Marra collecting three hits, a homer and 4 RBIs, Daniel Canela notching two hits and a homer, and Jeffrey Baez homering and driving in two.

The picthing was great too for Boise, with the starter Trevor Graham allowing just one run on four hits in five innings, but did have a thorn in his side throughout, with second-baseman Cesar Galvez driving in three with two hits. The Dust Devils didn’t get the same solid performance on the hill, with Blake Shouse not even getting through the first inning after serving up four earned runs and two walks. With five homers on the afternoon, the Boise Hawks powered their way to their fourth win in five games to start their season.