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April 15 Game Notes: Iowa vs. Toledo

April 15, 2022 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release


IOWA CUBS (4-5) vs. TOLEDO MUD HENS (3-6)

Friday - 7:08 PM - Principal Park - Des Moines, IA

RHP Caleb Kilian (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Beau Brieske (0-1, 9.00)

TONIGHT'S GAME: Trying to get the I-Cubs back in the win column will be their No. 4 overall prospect, Caleb Kilian. Kilian is the top pitching prospect in the Cubs system according to MLB.com, and is set to make his second start of the year. In his first start of the year against Buffalo, Kilian went 2.2 innings, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out six. Getting the nod for Toledo opposite of Kilian will be right-hander Beau Brieske, Detroit's No. 23 ranked prospect. In his first year at Triple-A, Brieske is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA through one start. He allowed five earned runs on seven hits including two home runs, while walking one and striking out four.

PITCH ALL NINE: The I-Cubs lost their first home game of the season last night, surrendering four runs in the final two frames to lose by two. With a one-run lead entering the ninth, Ben Leeper surrendered a solo home run to Ryan Lavarnway, tying the game. It marked the third game in a row the I-Cubs have allowed a home run in the ninth inning, and the beginning of the end for Iowa. A double, walk and four wild pitches allowed the Mud Hens to not only tie the game, but grow their lead to 8-6 and eventually win the game. In three games this series, the Mud Hens have now scored seven of their 15 runs (47%) against Iowa in the ninth inning. Iowa has now allowed a run in the ninth inning in all five games they have pitched a ninth inning, giving up 10 of their 35 (29%) total runs allowed this season in the ninth inning. In their first win of the year against Buffalo they allowed two runs in the ninth, they surrendered one in their second win, and have now given up three runs on Tuesday, one on Wednesday and three again last night. The 10 runs they have allowed in the ninth are three more than any other inning, allowing seven in the fourth inning.

NOT THE FIRSTS YOU WANT: Last night's 8-6 loss for Iowa marked their first home defeat of the season, going 2-0 up to that point. It was also their first loss when scoring four or more runs, a statistic in which the I-Cubs were 11 games over the .500 mark at 41-30 last season. Also looking back on last year, Iowa was 32-8 when leading a game after the seventh inning, and 35-3 when holding the lead after the eighth inning. Last night, the I-Cubs were up by two after seven innings and up by one after eight innings and lost, marking their first loss of the season when leading that late in a game.

GOING YARD: In his fifth game of the year last night, Narciso Crook took Joey Wentz deep, extending Iowa's lead to two at the time. For Crook, it was his first home run of the 2022 season, and his first since September 25 last season. In that game last year, Crook was also playing Toledo, a series in which he hit two home runs in five games.

STILL WARMING UP: Last season, reliever Ben Leeper was assigned to Iowa on June 8 after pitching in 10 games with Double-A Tennessee. For the first 11 games Leeper threw for Iowa, he did not allow a single hit spanning from June 8-July 14. He was named Minor League Pitcher of the Month for June by Chicago, climbing the ranks in bullpen after signing as a non-drafted free agent in 2020. All told, the righty went 3-1 with a 1.31 ERA in 17 games with Iowa, striking out 31 batters compared to just nine walks. Opponents hit just .091 against him in his 20.2 innings at the Triple-A level. This year has been a different story for Leeper, as he has allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits in his first three games of the season. He already has more losses then he did in 2021 with Iowa, holding an 0-2 record with a 9.00 ERA.

BASE BURGLAR: Dixon Machado comes into tonight's game leading all of Triple-A baseball with seven stolen bases this season. He started off yesterday tied for first, but grabbed sole possession of the league lead with three swiped bags in last night's game. With that, Machado became the first I-Cub to steal three bases in a game since John Andreoli did so against Nashville on July 18, 2017. Machado has given himself plenty of opportunities to collect bases so far; he has reached base safely at a team-leading .433 clip in his first seven games. His .292 average and six walks both rank second on the team, and he has taken three walks in a game - the most by an Iowa player - twice so far this season. Excluding the season opener, when he hit eighth, Machado has gone 7-for-21 with a double and five runs scored from the leadoff spot this season.

AGAINST TOLEDO: With their two wins to start the series, Iowa now has more wins at home in 2022 against Toledo than they did in all of 2021. They will once again go for their third win of the series tonight in game four, matching the total number of wins they had all year last year against Toledo. After losing game three of the series last night, Iowa is now 3-6 against the Mud Hens here at Principal Park and 5-10 overall in the last two years. Iowa will face off with Toledo 21 total times this season, tied for second most games against an opponent in 2022.

SHORT HOPS: Iowa's starters have yet to allow an earned run against Toledo this series...the pitching staff tied their season high with 16 strikeouts last night and set a new season high with nine walks... Ben Leeper and James Bourque combined for four wild pitches in the ninth inning last night, nearly doubling the I-Cubs' season total of five to that point...the bullpen has earned the decision in six straight games for the I-Cubs...Iowa stole four bases as a team last night, which ties their season high for a single game from 2021.

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