IL Iowa Cubs

April 13 Game Notes: Iowa vs. Toledo

April 13, 2022 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release


IOWA CUBS (3-4) vs. TOLEDO MUD HENS (2-5)

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

RHP Adrian Sampson (0-1, 18.00) vs. RHP Chase Anderson (0-0, 10.13)

TONIGHT'S GAME: After taking home the win in the series opener last night, the I-Cubs will try to keep it rolling tonight in game two. They'll send out Adrian Sampson to face the Mud Hens for the sixth time in his career. Sampson struggled in his first start this season, giving up four runs in two innings against Buffalo last Friday. He'll try to get back on track against Chase Anderson, who gets the nod for Toledo. Anderson also faltered in his first start of the season, and he gave up three runs in 2.2 innings against Rochester in his own start on Friday. He is 1-0 in one career start against Iowa.

TAKE YOUR BASE: While Brennen Davis hasn't gotten off to the hot start he did last season with Iowa, he has still given the I-Cubs several productive plate appearances. Davis is hitting just .158 (3-for-19) this season, but he's taken seven walks in his first 26 plate appearances this season. That's good for not only the team lead, but a tie for the most walks taken by any qualified player in Triple-A baseball. The free passes have helped Davis to a .385 on-base percentage, which is second on the team behind only Trent Giambrone (.389), and put him on pace to double his walk total from last season. In 2021, Davis walked 50 times in 100 games, which is his career high through three seasons of professional ball.

A SECOND CHANCE: Righty Adrian Sampson gets the nod tonight for Iowa, making his second start of the young season for the I-Cubs. In his first start, the 30-year-old tossed just two innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits. Two of the six hits left the yard, while also allowing one walk and striking out two. In 2021, Sampson was 4-5 with a 4.96 ERA in 16 games (14 starts) for Iowa. He allowed four or more earned runs just five times last year, and only once in back-to-back games.

BREAKING OUT: Coming into last night's game, Iowa was hitting just .167 with 30 total hits through their first six games. Last night, however, the I-Cubs turned their offense around and collected 12 hits - 40% of the hit total from their entire series in Buffalo. The hits translated to eight runs, which equals 47% of their total from Buffalo. The 12-hit night bumped the team average up 30 points to .196 and moved the I-Cubs out of last place in the International League in that category. They also moved up from 19th to 14th in runs scored, but remained at 19th in hits.

SLUMP BUSTERS: Iowa's hitters were productive up and down the lineup last night, with seven of the nine recording at least one hit, but they received an extra boost from Greg Deichmann and P.J. Higgins, who both recorded three-hit games in the opener. Their performances mark the first three-hit games by an I-Cub this season and the first multi-hit game for either hitter in 2022. In the first series of the season, Deichmann and Higgins combined to go 1-for-31 with 15 strikeouts. Last night, the two of them went 6-for-7 with two doubles, a walk, two runs scored, two RBI and no strikeouts. The two of them alone accounted for half of the I-Cubs' hits in game one of the series.

OUT WITH A BANG: Donnie Dewees made his first home run of 2022 count last night, launching a grand slam in the fourth inning to put the I-Cubs up for good. For Dewees, the blast was the second grand slam of his career. The first came on June 1, 2017, when he was playing for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. For the I-Cubs, it was their sixth home run of the season, but only their second with men on base. Despite that, the long ball has been responsible for a good portion of the I-Cubs' scoring in the first weeks of the season. After last night's game, ten of the team's 25 runs, or 40%, have come via the long ball.

AGAINST TOLEDO: The I-Cubs took game one of the six-game set last night, marking the first time they've won a series opener against Toledo. The I-Cubs also halted a three-game losing streak against the Mud Hens and started to balance the all-time series, which now stands at 4-9. Iowa will face off with Toledo 21 total times this season, tied for second most games against an opponent in 2022.

LOOKIN' GOOD: With 176 Major League games and 114 Minor League games under his belt already, Robert Gsellman took the ball for Iowa in his first start of the 2022 season. The righty was dialed in, tossing three perfect innings before being relieved. Gsellman did not allow a single base runner his first and only time through Toledo's lineup, striking out 33% (3-of-9) of the batters he faced.

SHORT HOPS: Greg Deichmann, P.J. Higgins and Donnie Dewees combined for eight of Iowa's 12 hits, driving in six of Iowa's eight runs...the last time Iowa won the first home game of a season was back in 2012, when they beat the Round Rock Express on Opening Day by a score of 5-3.

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