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April 12 Game Notes: Iowa vs. Toledo

April 12, 2022 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release


IOWA CUBS (2-4) vs. TOLEDO MUD HENS (2-4)

Tuesday - 6:38 PM - Principal Park - Des Moines, IA

RHP Robert Gsellman (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Michael Pineda (0-0, 0.00)

TONIGHT'S GAME: The Iowa Cubs are set to open their home season tonight, with Robert Gsellman taking the mound against Michael Pineda for Toledo. Both the I-Cubs and the Mud Hens dropped their first series four games to two, and will look to bounce back this week in Des Moines. Gsellman and Pineda, both long-time big leaguers, are both set to make their second appearances of the season. Gsellman pitched out of Iowa's bullpen on the road, throwing a one-two-three inning on only ten pitches in his Iowa debut. He'll make his first start for the I-Cubs tonight. Pineda made his first start for Toledo on Thursday, allowing just one hit in three innings against Rochester.

MOUND MATCHUP: There will be plenty of experience on display tonight in Des Moines, as both team's starters have spent the last several years in the big leagues. For the I-Cubs, Robert Gsellman has pitched in 176 Major League games, totaling 350.2 innings of experience over six seasons. For the Mud Hens, Michael Pineda has pitched in 170 Major League contests, amounting to 962.0 innings over eight seasons. The two pitchers combined have started 203 Major League games, taken home 82 Major League wins, and racked up 1,220 Major League strikeouts. On the flip side, they've pitched in just 39 combined games at the Triple-A level, totaling 169.1 innings of work at this level.

GOING DEEP, OR NOT GOING AT ALL: Three of Iowa's six hits on Saturday left the yard, while one of their three on Sunday was also a big fly. This year, 43% of Iowa's hits have gone for extra-bases and their home runs have accounted for 35% (6-of-17) of their total runs scored this year. Aside from Iowa's second game of the year in which they scored eight runs on 10 hits, the I-Cubs have combined to score just nine runs on 20 hits over 41 innings.

INFIELD HITS: While the I-Cubs' offense was quiet across the board last week, the infielders showed promise with their bats. As a group, the seven of them hit .221 (21-for-95) - fifty points higher than the overall team average. The infielders have accounted for five of the team's eight doubles and four of their five home runs, putting their slugging percentage at .400, which is over one hundred points higher than the team mark of .294. They also drove in 11 of the team's 17 runs and accounted for five of the team's seven stolen bases. An infielder leads the team in every offensive category besides walks. Those stats compare to an outfield that has hit just .123 (7-for-57) and struck out 28 times, accounting for 49% of their at-bats.

FIELDING BLUNDERS: In Iowa's 2-1 loss on Sunday, the winning run reached second base in the eighth inning due to an error. It was Iowa's ninth error of the season, putting them tied for second in the entire Triple-A with 24 less total chances than any other team they are tied with. The I-Cubs have taken the field to play defense for 46 innings this year, making it nearly one error for every five innings they take the field. The team fielding percentage of .951 is the second worst in all of Triple-A, while also allowing the most stolen bases of any team in the Triple-A with 12 through the first six games. Three of Iowa's 20 runs allowed this season have been unearned.

BACK-TO-BACK: Jared Young accounted for the I-Cubs' only run in Sunday's game with a solo shot in the fifth inning, his second in as many days. The blast gave Young the team lead in homers and tied him with Trent Giambrone for the lead in RBI (3). It was the second time in his five professional seasons that Young has hit home runs in back-to-back games, as he previously accomplished the feat with Single-A South Bend on June 2 and 3, 2018. The lefty went deep nine times last season, including five in his 37 games with Iowa.

INNING EATERS: While Iowa's starters are still stretching out, the majority of the team's innings have been left up to the bullpen. Relievers have accounted for 29.1 of the team's 46.0 frames so far, and they've been up to the task. In the first six games, the bullpen went 2-1 with two saves and a 2.45 ERA (8ER/29.1IP). They gave up just one home run and struck out 34, and nine of the 13 relievers have not yet allowed an earned run. Leading the group are Matt Swarmer, who has pitched 7.2 scoreless innings, Erich Uelmen, who leads the team with eight strikeouts, and Aneuris Rosario, who shut down the Bisons in both of Iowa's wins and secured his first two Triple-A saves.

NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP: With their first series officially in the books, the Iowa Cubs' bats have yet to get the season started. Iowa is hitting just .167 (30-for-180) as a team coming into tonight's game, which puts them dead last in Triple-A baseball. Their average of five hits per game and on-base percentage of .254 also place last in the league. With week one behind them, the I-Cubs rank in the bottom five in every offensive category besides doubles (17th), home runs (15th) and strikeouts (22nd). Except for their ten-hit performance in Wednesday's win, the I-Cubs scored just nine runs on 20 hits in the other five games. While the team has knocked 43 percent (13-of-30) of their hits for extra bases, that hasn't translated to runs just yet; the I-Cubs are 28th in team RBI and have stranded 34 of their 53 baserunners so far this season.

AGAINST TOLEDO: The I-Cubs will match up with the Mud Hens for the second season in a row after the two teams met for the first time in franchise history in 2021. The I-Cubs will hope for a better result this season, as they finished 3-9 against Toledo last summer, including a 1-5 mark at Principal Park. The I-Cubs hit .225 against the Mud Hens compared to Toledo's .247 average against Iowa. The I-Cubs were outscored 68-36 in all twelve games and 48-19 in the six games in Des Moines.

SHORT HOPS: 15 of Iowa's 33 active players will play a home game at Principal Park for the first time today...Toledo's starter for tonight, Michael Pineda, made his MLB debut on April 4, 2011, when I-Cubs outfielder Brennen Davis was just 11 years old...four of Iowa's six games against Buffalo were decided by just one run; the I-Cubs are 1-3 so far in one run games...Iowa hosts their first of 75 home games at Principal Park tonight - in 2021, the I-Cubs were 21-43 at home, good for their worst home winning percentage (.328) of all-time.

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