Down on the Farm: I-Cubs’ offense stagnant in Saturday loss

In a day full of Minor League action, results lacked for Cubs affiliates, with only Class-A Advanced Daytona picking up a win on Saturday behind yet another 11-run outburst offensively. At the Triple-A level, lefty Chris Rusin struggled, dropping to 4-10 on the year, Tennessee managed just one run and Kane County was postponed due to storms in the area.

Here’s the latest recaps from Down on the Farm:

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 4 – Iowa Cubs 0  (F)

Iowa managed just six hits all night and lefty Chris Rusin struggled and was charged with four runs in 6 1/3 innings of work as the Iowa Cubs dropped a Saturday night contest to the Albuquerque Isotopes by a 4-0 final.

The Isotopes struck first, when Alex Liddi grounded a ball to Kris Bryant at third with runners on the corners. Bryant went to second for the force out, but the Cubs couldn’t turn two, allowing Joc Pederson to score the game’s first run and give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Rusin (4-10, 4.14 ERA) settled back in until the sixth, when Albuquerque (35-40) hung a two-spot on the board to push the lead to 3-0. A Clint Robinson sacrifice fly was followed by a Mike Baxter line drive single later in the inning against the Cubs’ southpaw, who made it through the frame, but after allowing another run in the top of the seventh on an RBI single by Delvis Morales, his night was done.

Iowa (37-36) couldn’t muster much of anything offensively, going 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and leaving 12 men on base. Welington Castillo, who is on a big league rehab assignment with the Cubs, accounted for one-third of the team’s hits, going 2-for-3 with a pair of walks in the contest.