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August 14 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs at Omaha Storm Chasers

August 14, 2021 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release


TONIGHT'S GAME: With at least a series split secured after last night's win, the I-Cubs will take on the Storm Chasers tonight with a chance to win the series. Iowa will send Joe Biagini to the mound for game five of the six-game set, trying to keep their momentum rolling after a close game yesterday. Biagini is 2-5 in 13 starts for the I-Cubs this season, including two against Omaha. He hasn't had the best luck against the Storm Chasers in the past, surrendering nine runs (eight earned) in just 4.2 innings of work, but he'll look to turn that around tonight. Opposite Biagini will be Eddie Butler, who is 4-2 for Omaha in 22 games, including ten starts, this season. Butler is no stranger to the I-Cubs, as he's faced them once as a starter and four times out of the bullpen so far this season. The righty has allowed five runs in 9.2 innings against Iowa, but the I-Cubs drove in four of those runs in his only start against them, which lasted 3.1 innings.

MIXED RESULTS: For the second night in a row, Iowa got a quality start from their pitcher. On Thursday night, Mike Hauschild threw six innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits. Last night, Adrian Sampson threw 6.1 innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits and three walks while striking out four. Unfortunately for the I-Cubs, neither starter got the win as they lost Hauschild's start 2-1 and the bullpen gave up Sampson's three-run lead. The last time Iowa received back-to-back quality starts was on June 16 and 17, when Matt Swarmer and Sampson each threw one against St. Paul. Quality starts this season have not necessarily translated into wins, however, as Iowa is now just 6-10 when receiving a quality start from their starter.

NOT WHAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR: Dillon Maples was placed on the 10-day injured list with a blister on July 29 and made his second major league rehab appearance with Iowa last night. In his first rehab assignment on Wednesday, Maples threw a scoreless frame, allowing two hits and striking out a batter. Last night, he did not get the same results, allowing three earned runs through just one third of an inning. The one out he got was by way of the strikeout, but then gave up a two-run shot followed by a solo homer to knot the game at four.

COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH: After allowing Omaha to tie the game with three runs in the eighth inning, Erick Castillo took a six-pitch walk in the top of the ninth inning to give the I-Cubs a base runner. Zach Davis entered the game to run for Castillo and stole second, advancing to third on an errant throw. With Davis on third and one out, Ian Miller delivered an RBI double on the fifth pitch of the at-bat to drive in the go-ahead run. It was Miller's 10th double of the year and his 23rd run driven in.

SHUT THEM DOWN: Tony Cingrani has been a difference-maker for the I-Cubs this series, coming in and ending Omaha's scoring twice. In Wednesday's 12-7 win, Cingrani came in after Dakota Mekkes had given up three runs in the eighth inning, and struck out the side in the ninth to secure the victory. Last night, the lefty entered in a tied game after Dillon Maples had surrendered back-to-back home runs. Cingrani hit a batter, but then induced a double play in the eighth and struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth to earn his first win of the season with Iowa. On the season with the I-Cubs, he is now 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 7.2 innings pitched. He has allowed one unearned run on three hits, while walking two batters, hitting two batters and striking out 10. Opponents are hitting just .125 off the big lefty.

THEY SAY IT'S CONTAGIOUS: For the third time this series, Iowa's offense rattled off double-digit hits last night, totaling 11 as a team. Every player in the starting lineup besides one got a hit for the I-Cubs, while three players each got two hits. Iowa has had 11 hits twice and 13 hits once this series, all three times resulting in a win. The one game they lost, the offense only put together five total hits for one run.

FINDING A WAY: After losing 2-1 on Thursday night, Iowa won their fourth one-run game against the Storm Chasers this season. Five of the 21 games (24%) the two teams have played have been decided by just one run, with Iowa taking four out of those five. With the victory, the I-Cubs moved to 12-11 in one run games this year, with 33% (4-of-12) of those wins coming against Omaha. They improved to 3-8 on the road in one-run games while holding a 9-3 record at Principal Park in those games.

AGAINST OMAHA: The I-Cubs will take the field tonight with a chance to not only win the current series, but also to even the season series. The Storm Chasers have held the edge since June 4, when they defeated the I-Cubs 13-8 at Werner Park. Since then, the teams have met 12 times, with each side winning six contests. While Omaha and Iowa have spent the majority of the season on opposite sides of the Triple-A East Midwest standings, they have been fairly evenly matched in head-to-head action. Omaha holds an eight-run advantage on the season, but it is made up entirely of unearned runs; both lineups have scored 106 earned runs against one another. Iowa's .263 team average against Omaha is just slightly better than Omaha's .258 against them, and Iowa's 5.37 ERA (106ER/177.2IP) against Omaha holds an even narrower edge over Omaha's 5.41 ERA (106ER/176.1IP) against them.

HUGE OUTING: With Iowa's bullpen availability limited, they got 6.1 innings and another quality start from Adrian Sampson last night. It was Sampson's fourth quality start this year, leading the team in that department. He didn't record the win, as Omaha tied the game late, but Sampson lowered his ERA to 4.96 on the year, and 6.57 against the Storm Chasers. It was his best outing of the season against Omaha, allowing just one earned run on five hits.

SHORT HOPS: With the road win last night, Iowa moved to 19-20 on the road; the same amount of wins that they have at home in eight less games...Iowa moved into sole possession of fifth place for the first time since June 5 when they were 10-17, while Omaha fell out of first place in the Triple-A East Midwest division, a spot they have owned or been tied for since May 26 before this series.

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