Sports stats

IL Iowa Cubs

April 28 Game Notes: Iowa vs. Indianapolis

April 28, 2022 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release


IOWA CUBS (10-9) vs. INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (10-9)

Thursday - 6:38 - Principal Park - Des Moines, IA

RHP Matt Swarmer (2-0, 1.08) vs. RHP Max Kranick (0-1, 10.80)

TONIGHT'S GAME: With the series tied at one game apiece, Matt Swarmer will face off against Max Kranick. Swarmer is tied for the team lead in wins with two, and through four games this year, holds a 1.08 ERA. He is set to make his second start of the year tonight, looking to push Iowa two games above .500 for the second time all year and first time since April 19. Opposite of Swarmer will be Kranick, also making his second start of the year for the Indians. In his first game, the righty allowed two earned runs on three hits and was taken out of the game after just 1.2 innings. He did strike out two batters, but through his first start, opponents are hitting .333 against him.

NEVER JUST ONE: Erich Uelmen made his sixth appearance of the season in yesterday's game, throwing the seventh and eighth innings. It marked the fourth time this year already that he has thrown 2.0 innings, tossing 1.1 in his other two appearances. Uelmen did allow his first run of the season yesterday, but it was not earned as a passed ball allowed the runner to cross the plate. Iowa would score in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead right back, earning Uelmen his second win of the season tying him for the team lead. For the first time all season, the right-hander did not record a strikeout, while walking one and giving up one hit.

DOING IT ALL: Yesterday John Hicks made his fifth start of the year behind the plate and made an impact on the game from both sides of the ball. Hicks went 1-for-3 at the plate, reaching on a bunt single to lead off the seventh inning. From there, he advanced to second and third on ground outs and eventually scored on a wild pitch as the go-ahead run for Iowa. His speed wasn't the only thing that affected the game, however; Hicks also threw out Jared Oliva at second base, preventing what was then the go-ahead run for Indianapolis from reaching scoring position. Oliva was the fourth runner that Hicks has thrown out on nine attempts this season, bringing him to .444 in preventing stolen bases. That percentage is by far the best of the three catchers on Iowa's roster, as each of the other two have thrown out just one runner in 10+ attempts. In-between it all, Hicks has been effective at calling games, too. The pitching staff has an ERA of just 2.09 (10ER/43.0IP) when Hicks is catching - also the best of the three backstops. Overall, the I-Cubs are 6-5 when Hicks is in the lineup, including 4-1 when he starts at catcher.

TRIPLE-A DOUBLE DEBUT: The I-Cubs have added two new members to their active roster this series in left-handed pitcher Brandon Hughes and infielder Nelson Maldonado. Hughes, who was drafted by the Cubs in 2017, pitched 6.1 scoreless innings over five outings for Double-A Tennessee before his promotion to Iowa this week. He made his Triple-A debut in yesterday's game, throwing two hitless, scoreless innings against Indianapolis. Hughes allowed only one walk and struck out two. He is joined on the roster by Maldonado, who was drafted in 2019 and also began this year in Tennessee. Maldonado hit .465 (20-for-43) with seven doubles and three home runs in 12 games with the Smokies before his own promotion. He led the Double-A roster in average and doubles while ranking second in RBI with ten, and will look to make his Triple-A debut later this series.

GOIN' YARD: Esteban Quiroz delivered in a big way yesterday, clubbing a two-run blast to give Iowa the lead in the fifth inning. It marked his first home run of the year, brought his average to .128 and extended his hitting streak to two games. With the streak, Quiroz is now the only active player on Iowa's roster to hold a hitting streak of more than one game.

ON AVERAGE: After coming one single shy of being no-hit in Tuesday's opener, Iowa registered only five hits in yesterday's game. The six total hits they've collected against Indianapolis are the least they've gotten through the first two games of a series this season, leading to a team batting average of just .107 this week. Additionally, of the six hits, just one has been an extra-base hit. That has resulted in a team slugging percentage of .161 against the Indians, and - though the I-Cubs have taken nine walks - an OPS of just .391. While Iowa's pitchers have also been stingy, holding Indianapolis to a team average of just .188, seven of the Indians' 12 hits so far have gone for extra bases, giving them a .344 slugging percentage and a .641 OPS this series.

TAKE IT BACK: After Erich Erich Uelmen got the victory for Iowa yesterday, he is now tied for the team lead with two wins. He is tied with tonight's starter, Matt Swarmer. Swarmer was the first starter to earn a win this year, getting it in his last outing against Louisville on Friday. The righty spun five innings allowing two runs on five hits, while striking out six compared to zero walks. He struck out 30% (6-of-20) of the batters he faced, a season high mark. He did allow his first run of the season, ending his 14.1 scoreless innings streak to start the year, but still holds some top spots in the International League rankings. Entering tonight, the Mohnton, PA, native ranks third in the IL in ERA (1.08) and eighth (.180) in opponents' batting average against him. With four or more innings tonight, he would crack back into the top-10 in innings pitched as well, entering tonight with 16.2. Swarmer started the year as a long-reliever, but has gone four or more innings in three of his four appearances this year, and will now be making his second start of the year. Against Indianapolis last year, Swarmer pitched to the tune of a 6.35 ERA, allowing eight earned runs on 13 hits including two home runs over 11.1 innings pitched. He walked eight batters compared to striking out 11 while facing the Indians.

WHICH ONE IS IT: In game one of the series on Tuesday, Iowa tied a season high, taking nine walks as a team. Three players took multiple free passes in the game. It was their second game of the year with nine walks, with just those two games accounting for 29% (18-of-63) of the team's walks all year. In their victory yesterday, just one day after taking nine free passes, the I-Cubs took zero walks as a team. They got into three-ball counts just four times all game, over the course of 29 total plate appearances. With their 63 walks this year, Iowa ranks 27th out of 30 Triple-A teams and 18th overall in the International League in free passes.

AGAINST INDIANAPOLIS: Iowa and Indianapolis will match up for game three of their six-game series today, with the series tied at one game apiece. In the four years (1995-97, 2021) Iowa and Indy have played, last year marked the first year that the I-Cubs were above .500 in the matchup, at 13-11. They went 6-6 at home last year and with yesterday's win, moved to 1-1 this year when they two teams meet at Principal Park. Iowa is 16 games under .500 all-time against Indianapolis at 32-48.

SHORT HOPS: Iowa has alternated winning and losing every other game since April 21, when they lost to Louisville; since then, they have been an even .500 or one game above it every day...with the win yesterday, the I-Cubs moved to 2-4 when facing a left-handed pitcher to start the game...Iowa is now 4-6 in one-run games, with 53% (10-of-19) of their games this year being decided by one run...the I-Cubs won their third game of the season yesterday when scoring less than four runs, making them 3-7 in that situation this year.

Check out the Iowa Cubs Statistics



International League Stories from April 28, 2022


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Iowa Cubs Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central