IL Iowa Cubs

August 10 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs vs. Louisville Bats

August 10, 2022 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release


IOWA CUBS (48-58) vs. LOUISVILLE BATS (43-63)

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

LHP Wade Miley (0-0, 4.26) vs. RHP Randy Wynne (4-10, 4.86)

TONIGHT'S GAME: The I-Cubs and Bats will play game two of their six-game set here at Principal Park tonight, with Major League rehabber Wade Miley expected to take the ball for Iowa. In two starts with Iowa, Miley is 0-0 with a 4.26 ERA, allowing three runs on seven hits over 6.1 innings pitched. Most of that damage came in his last start against Toledo on Wednesday, when he allowed three earned runs on five hits including a home run over just 2.1 innings. He walked two batters and struck out two batters in the outing. Opposite of Miley will be right-hander Randy Wynne toeing the rubber for the Bats. Wynne is just 4-10 with a 4.86 ERA this year for Louisville, allowing 56 earned runs on 122 hits in 103.2 innings pitched. He leads the Bats in innings by nearly 50, making seven more starts than any other pitcher on Louisville's active roster. Tonight will mark his fourth start of the year against Iowa.

SLUMP-BUSTER: Jared Young went 2-for-4 last night, marking his first multi-hit game in almost a month. The infielder went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI on July 17, but between that game and last night, he collected just four hits total. Since returning from the All-Star break, Young had hit just .087 (4-for-46) with one extra-base hit - a double - and one RBI. During that span, which lasted 13 games, he walked seven times but struck out 11 times, resulting in an on-base percentage of .208. His average had dropped from .254 at the end of the first half to .230 heading into last night's game. He'll hope that last night's multi-hit effort, his 21st of the season, put the worst of the slump behind him.

DOUBLE DOWN: The I-Cubs doubled their way to victory last night, hitting six two-baggers as a team to tie their season high for doubles in a game. Four of the six came in the third inning and provided all the run support, as all four of the I-Cubs' runs were driven in via a double. Five separate players hit at least one double, with Alfonso Rivas knocking two to round out the group. With just the opener in the books, the I-Cubs have now hit as many doubles this series as they did in the entire six-game set against Louisville from April 19 to 24.

SAVE THE DAY: Ben Leeper earned his team-leading fifth save of the year last night, allowing one earned run on one hit and one walk while striking out one in the ninth last night. The save marked his second in the month of August after not earning a save in the entire month of July. Including last night, the 25-year-old has allowed just three earned runs on six hits in 11.2 innings. Over that time, he has gone 2-0 with two saves and a 2.31 ERA, allowing six walks compared to 20 strikeouts. He has held opponents to an average of just .154 in 39 at-bats, throwing 61% of his pitches for strikes.

COMING IN CLUTCH: Brendon Little played a big part in Iowa's victory last night, earning a hold with his scoreless eighth inning. The southpaw entered the game with a runner on third and nobody out in a three-run game. He struck out the first two batters he faced and induced a ground ball for the third out, stranding the runner he inherited at third base to keep Iowa's lead intact. It marked the fifth straight game in which he has not allowed a run, surrendering just five hits and one walk while striking out six over his 6.1 innings pitched dating back to July 26. Going back to July 4, Little has allowed just one earned run over 12.0 innings, striking out 11 compare to just one walk.

SWARMER'S START: In his second start of the month for Iowa, Matt Swarmer seemed back to his early-season dominance. He pitched four innings, making it his longest outing since his last start for Chicago on June 21, and held the Bats off the board. It was his first scoreless outing since July 12, when he threw one inning against Baltimore, and his first scoreless start since May 15 against Omaha. He also struck out six batters, which is his most since May 30, when he collected six K's against Milwaukee. The outing lowered his Triple-A ERA on the season to 2.55, which leads Iowa pitchers with at least ten innings and would rank second in the International League if he qualified. The four solid innings laid the foundation for an I-Cubs victory, giving the team a 6-1 record in games Swarmer has started this season.

JUST ANOTHER DAY: Darius Hill registered another multi-hit game last night, going 2-for-3 with a run scored, a double and two runs batted in out of the leadoff spot last night. He got on base for a third time in the game drawing a walk, his 10th of the year with Iowa. The multi-hit game gave him 22 on the year, good for the lead among active players on the I-Cubs' roster. It also gave him 121 hits on the year between Tennessee and Iowa, putting his average on the season at .324 (121-for-373) in 93 games over the two levels. In those 93 games, he has recorded 25 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, driving in 38 runs while taking 23 walks compared to 52 strikeouts. The outfielder has now played 49 games with Iowa and has more multi-hit performances (22) than he does no-hit games (11). His .340 average with Iowa is second on the active roster among players with 50 or more at-bats.

START IT BACK UP: After his season-high five-game hitting streak was snapped with a pinch-hit strikeout on Sunday against Toledo, Alfonso Rivas began a new streak last night. The 25-year-old went 3-for-4 with a run scored, two doubles and an RBI last night, his third multi-hit game since re-joining Iowa back on August 2. Including his time with Chicago, it marked just his third game this year with three or more hits. His first was a four-hit game against these Louisville Bats back on April 21 and his second was a three-hit game with Chicago on April 23 against Pittsburgh.

AGAINST LOUISVILLE: Iowa and Louisville are set to play game two of their six-game series at Principal Park tonight, the first and last series between the two teams at Principal Park all season. The two teams split their first 12 games against each other at Louisville Slugger Field and with Iowa's victory in game one last night, they now currently lead the season series 7-6 entering tonight's contest. The I-Cubs moved to 20-17 all-time against Louisville, going 11-5 against the Bats here at Principal Park compared to just 9-12 on the road. With their two-run victory last night, Iowa is now outscoring Louisville by 13 runs so far this season, at 61-48.

SHORT HOPS: Luis Vazquez went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a double last night in his first game of the year with Iowa... Matt Swarmer spun the first scoreless start for Iowa since back on July 26 against St. Paul; the righty spun four innings of two-hit ball while striking out six along the way...after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts last night, David Bote snapped a six-game hitting streak with Iowa dating back to June 17.

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