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Bleed Cubbie Blue

Minor League Wrap -- June 23

The Cubs bats were quieter than a laryngitic librarian tonight.

Iowa Cubs

Rained out at home against New Orleans.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies were shut out by the Montgomery Biscuits, 1-0.

Marcos Mateo was the hard-luck loser tonight.  Mateo was charged with one run on two hits over six plus innings. Mateo struck out five and walked three, including the first two batters of the seventh inning, one of which came around to score the only run of the game.

First baseman Doug Deeds was 2 for 4.

Daytona Cubs

The D-Cubs scored a run in the first, but then went silent as their bats were afterwards silenced by the Lakeland Flying Tigers, 2-1.

Andrew Cashner still isn't going deep in games, but when he's out there, he's very impressive. Tonight Cashner threw four shutout innings, allowing only a lone single. That runner was thrown out trying to steal, so Cashner faced the minimum twelve batters. He struck out four.

Shortstop Starlin Castro ws 3 for 4 with a stolen base and the only Cub run. However, he did make the error that allowed the eventual winning run to score in the eighth inning.

Peoria Chiefs

The East All-Stars beat the West All-Stars, 6-3.

Peoria is in the West, but the Chief All-Stars played for the East, one assumes to balance out the number of teams on each side, since there are eight teams in the West and six in the East. This problem should be solved next year when two teams from the South Atlantic League join the Midwest League.

Boise Hawks

The Hawks are still winless as they were sacrificed to the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes 6-1.

Hawk starter Jeffry Antigua got the loss, as a second-inning two-run home run was more than the Hawks could overcome. Antigua pitched four innings and allowed two runs on two hits and two walks. He struck out four.

First basema Sean Hoorelbeke went 2 for 4 and sored the one Hawk run.

AZL Cubs

Lost to the Giants, 7-3.

0 recs  |  13 comments

Comments

So the Smokies

were handed their lunch by the Montgomery Biscuits, then?

Missed that one

I’ll use it later. :-)

That Cashner statement

Tells me that he should be back to being a closer.

I've always thought that

And still do.

Who's moving from the Sally to the Midwest League?
Lake County and Bowling Green
Cashner

He would have gone longer today if not for the hour-plus rain delay – he was still under his pitch count through 4.

His pitch count is just now gradually being increased past 65 (it was stuck at 65 because of the spring training oblique injury and a blister he had in May). It sounds like the Cubs have yet to determine pen or starter.

But 65 pitches

is still not a lot. Yeah, I know they’re stretching him out slowly, but he’s going to pitch differently if he knows in his mind that he’s only going 65.

He’s been devastatingly good in these short appearances.

True

But it sounds like the plan now is to finally start stretching him out to where the rest of his teammates are at (~85).

From what I understand, the Cubs have some of the lowest pitch count totals in all of baseball for their guys at Boise, Peoria and Daytona.

I wonder if that's because they're focussed on trade

value instead of current value to the organization?

Nah

Starters are always more valuable than relievers and the Cubs believe any starter can relieve if necessary but relievers can’t start.

Their thinking is try him as a starter and you can always move him back to the bullpen later.

I meant the low pitch counts...

Why are they the lowest for the Cubs?

historical arm woes

i would guess

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