Iowa Cubs on the wrong end of a near-perfect game

In three games at Principal Park this season, the Iowa Cubs have struggled at the dish. This has not been more true than on Monday afternoon, when the Chicago Triple-A affiliate found itself on the wrong end of a near-perfect game tossed by Oklahoma City right-hander Scott Baker.

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With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Iowa second baseman Addison Russell lined a single to break up Baker’s bid at perfection – which was the infielder’s first hit at home this season.

Mike Baxter followed with a double, which moved Russell to third with two outs in the frame. However, a Chris Valaika groundout ended the contest, preserving the shutout for the righty, who needed just 77 pitches to finish things out.

Baker, who pitched with the Chicago Cubs in the 2013 season, was lights-out on Monday, leading the Dodgers’ Triple-A club to a third-straight win over Iowa, a team that has failed to score a run in its last 15 innings of play – and just two total tallies since Kris Bryant was promoted last Friday.

The right-hander allowed just the two late hits, striking out four and walking none in the win over Iowa. His earned run average sits just above 1.00 on the season in three starts totaling 17 innings.

It wasn’t just the Iowa offense that struggled in the first game of the twin-bill. Cubs pitching has allowed 15 runs across the three game-series to-date, including a five-run frame to open things on Monday. Veteran outfielder Chris Heisey came through yet-again, hitting his fourth home run of the season – a three-run blast – in the top of the first; and the Oklahoma City offense wasn’t done there.

The Dodgers added two more runs in the frame on a two-run shot by Buck Britton against Carlos Pimentel, who was hit hard, allowing eight runs – seven earned – on four hits and five walks in just four innings of work. His ERA on the year now stands at 14.09.

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An error and an RBI double accounted for the final three runs of the afternoon for Oklahoma City (9-2), which will go for the sweep of the four-game set on Monday afternoon with a second seven-inning contest scheduled to begin at 2:35 p.m. CT.

Michael Wagner, who made his Triple-A debut in relief of Pimentel, tossed three scoreless innings for Iowa – serving as one of the lone bright spots in the Cubs’ third-straight loss at home.

What Stood Out:

The work turned in by Baker was outstanding, and clearly the veteran has figured some things out. Not to take anything away from him, but this lineup looks very different without Bryant and Russell, despite the clutch hit on Monday afternoon, is just 1-for-9 with four strikeouts in the series.

What’s Next:

Iowa (4-6) and Oklahoma City (9-2) will conclude their four-game set with a seven-inning game Monday afternoon as part of the scheduled doubleheader following last weekend’s rain-out.

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