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April 7 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs at St. Paul Saints

April 7, 2023 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release


TONIGHT'S GAME: Iowa and St. Paul will play game two of their weather-shortened five-game series tonight, with Riley Thompson set to take the ball for Iowa. Thompson will be making his Triple-A debut after going 2-5 with a 4.42 ERA in 19 starts with Double-A Tennessee last year. Opposite of the 26-year-old will be Louie Varland, set to make his first start of the year for the Saints. Varland made one start against Iowa last year and shut their offense down. In that outing, he spun six scoreless frames, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out nine.

DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK: Iowa scored first for the first time all year yesterday with two early runs in the first inning, but immediately lost the lead as St. Paul scored three runs of their own. As they showed in their first three games against Columbus at home, Iowa fought back and earned their fourth comeback win of the season. They have now been down in all four of their games, allowing their opponent to get on the board in the first inning in three of their first four games played. The I-Cubs have come back and won all three games, accounting for 15% of wins when their opponent scored first in 2022, when they were 26-55 in those games. They also have 11.4% (4-of-35) of the comeback victories they had in 2022. Iowa's last two wins have come by a score of 12-11, moving them to 2-0 when allowing 10 or more runs, a category in which they were just 1-16 in last year with their only win coming against Omaha on Sept. 20, also a 12-11 victory.

START EARLY: In each of Iowa's last two games, both 12-11 victories, their starter has allowed three home runs in the first inning. On Sunday at home against Columbus, Caleb Kilian surrendered two, two-run blasts and a solo shot. Yesterday, Roenis Elías was given an early two-run lead by his offense, but quickly allowed three solo shots in the bottom of the first to fall behind the Saints 3-2. Their nine runs allowed in the first inning is the most runs given up in any single inning so far this year for the I-Cubs.

STAY HOT: Nelson Velazquez enters tonight's contest hitting a scorching .444 after his 2-for-5 game yesterday. With two hits again yesterday, he now has two or more hits in three of his first four games. The outfielder crushed a two-run blast in the series finale on Sunday against Columbus and another in yesterday's game against the Saints, becoming the first player for Iowa to hit home runs in back-to-back games all year. The last I-Cubs player to hit a home run in back-to-back games was Matt Mervis when he did so on Sept. 10-11 at Jacksonville last year. Through four games, Velázquez is among International League leaders in batting average (.444, 7th), slugging percentage (.889, 7th) and OPS (1.389, 4th). He leads the team in hits (8) and is tied for the lead in doubles (2) and home runs (2).

HIGHLY RANKED FOR A REASON: Top prospects Brennen Davis (No. 3) and Matt Mervis (No. 7) both went deep in yesterday's game for Iowa, showing why they are so highly touted. Davis was breaking out of an 0-for-7 start to the year, while Mervis hit .300 with a double, home run and three runs driven in in Iowa's first series. Davis' deep ball was his first since Iowa's final game last year and was part of a three-hit day, as the outfielder went 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Mervis' grand slam was his only hit of the day, but propelled him to a tie for the team-lead in home runs with two and runs batted in with seven.

TOO HOT TO HANDLE: With 12 more runs in yesterday's win over St. Paul, Iowa's offense is now averaging just under 10 runs a game, at 9.75. They scored 11 runs in their season opener on Friday against Columbus followed by four on Saturday and now have back-to-back 12-run performances. Despite missing two games on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, the I-Cubs still rank first in the International League in team batting average (.324), fourth in runs scored (39) and are tied for eighth in hits (48). Their starting nine yesterday featured five players hitting over .300, including two hitting over .400 early on this year.

A SHOT AT HISTORY: After taking yesterday's game with four runs in the ninth inning to move to 4-0, Iowa now has a chance at franchise history. The I-Cubs secured their first 4-0 start since 1998, but tonight have a chance to do something no Iowa team has ever done: start a season 5-0. Their 4-0 start has put them at the top of the International League West Division and they remain the only unbeaten team in all of Triple-A.

AGAINST ST. PAUL: With Iowa currently up in the series 1-0 after yesterday's win, the I-Cubs and Saints will play game two of their current five-game series and the second of 24 total games between the two teams this season. Iowa cut into St. Paul's all-time lead in the record books, as the I-Cubs are now 24-36 against the Saints all-time while going 15-21 here at CHS Field over the past three seasons.

SHORT HOPS: Iowa's starting pitchers have now allowed eight home runs compared to zero from the bullpen; their starters have covered 13.1 innings while relievers have spun 23.2...Matt Mervis' grand slam yesterday was Iowa's first grand slam since Jackson Frazier clubbed a grand slam on July 9, 2022, at Indianapolis...Iowa's bullpen allowed seven earned runs yesterday, three more than they combined to allow through their first three games of the season.

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