August 3 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs vs. St. Paul Saints

Sports stats



Iowa Cubs

August 3 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs vs. St. Paul Saints

August 3, 2024 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release


IOWA CUBS (44-62) vs. ST. PAUL SAINTS (53-52)

Saturday, August 3 - 6:08 PM CT - Principal Park - Des Moines, IA

RHP Kyle McGowin (0-2, 5.93) vs. RHP Louie Varland (3-8, 5.35)

TONIGHT'S GAME: The Iowa Cubs and St. Paul Saints are set to take the diamond for the fifth game of their current six-game game series at Principal Park. The I-Cubs find themselves trailing in the current series but came away with a 5-1 victory over the Saints last night to claim their first win of the series versus the Saints. On the bump for Iowa will be right-hander Kyle McGowin. The 32-year-old will be making his 10th start of the season for Iowa and currently owns a record of 0-2 and an ERA of 5.93. Over 44.0 innings of work, McGowin has tallied 36 strikeouts compared to 19 walks and opponents are hitting .295 against him. Tonight will mark the third time this season that McGowin has faced the Saints. He went up against St. Paul twice the last time it was in Des Moines and earned no decisions in both those outings. In his first go around against the Saints on June 25 he allowed five earned runs off seven hits, walked four, and struck out one. McGowin fared better in his second matchup on June 30 when he tossed five scoreless innings with three hits allowed, two walks, and six strikeouts. The Saints will also send a right-hander to the mound in Louie Varland. The 26-year-old, St. Paul native, is slated to make his 15th start of the season and currently holds a record of 3-8 and an ERA of 5.35. Varland has tossed 67.1 innings so far in 2024 and has racked up 76 strikeouts compared to 27 walks. Varland has faced Iowa just one time previously this season in an outing that came in June 29 where he proceeded to throw 5.0 scoreless innings, walked two, struck out seven, and was credited with the win.

CALL ON KILIAN: Last night, right-handed pitcher Caleb Kilian made his first start of the season donning an I-Cub uniform after ending his Major League Rehab assignment and being optioned to Iowa. It marked the first time Kilian appeared in a starting role for Iowa since September 22, 2023. The 27-year-old looked sharp in his outing as he tossed 4.0 scoreless, hitless innings against the Saints while also striking out five and walking one. Kilian earned a no decision for his efforts. Prior to last night, Kilian had made five appearances with Iowa out of the bullpen as part of his rehab assignment making his way back from right shoulder strain which he suffered during spring training. Over the course of his five rehab appearances with Iowa he went 0-0 and tallied an ERA of 6.75. Kilian threw 8.0 innings over that span and totaled three strikeouts and five walks with opponents hitting at a clip of .235 against him.

STRUMPF GETS IT STARTED: In last night's victory, Iowa raced out to an early lead as it scored five runs in the first inning against St. Paul and never looked back. The five runs scored in the first proved to be all that the I-Cubs needed as they went on to win the game by a final score of 5-1. Four of the five runs scored in the bottom half of the frame came off one swing of the bat by infielder Chase Strumpf as he sent slider thrown by Zebby Matthews on top of the roof of the left field suites for a grand slam. Strumpf's big fly marked his eighth home run of the season, and the first grand slam hit by an I-Cub since Moises Ballesteros did so on July 28 versus the Indianapolis Indians. Strumpf is no stranger to hitting big homers either as he also has the only walk-off home run hit by an I-Cub this season, which came on July 5 versus the Omaha Storm Chasers.

STREAK SNAPPED: Iowa was finally able to put an end to its nine-game losing streak last night as it defeated the St. Paul Saints by a score of 5-1. Prior to last night, Iowa had lost nine straight games after being swept by Indianapolis last week and dropping the first three games of the current series vs. St. Paul. It marked the first time Iowa had lost nine consecutive games since May 22-June 1, 2021and is tied for the third-longest losing streak in the International League this year. Iowa was able to avoid reaching double-digits for its losing streak and has not lost 10 straight contests since data was made available (2004). The franchise record for most consecutive losses is 12 from April 12-23, 2000.

MASTRO IN CENTER: The Iowa Cubs had to make some quick adjustments to their lineup early on in last night's contest against the St. Paul Saints after outfielder Gilberto Celestino was taken out of the game after being hit by a pitch in the first inning. In his place, Miles Mastrobuoni, who was just added to Iowa's active roster earlier in the day after being optioned by Chicago, came into the game as a pinch runner. Mastrobuoni proceeded to stay in the game and took over for Celestino defensively in center field. It marked the first time that Mastrobuoni had played center field at any level since July 6, 2023, when he did so as member of the Iowa Cubs versus the St. Paul Saints. Mastrobuoni went a perfect 4-for-4 in chances in last night's contest recording four putouts in center field. Despite Mastrobuoni typically playing in the infield, he is no stranger to manning an outfield position every now and then. Prior to last night, Mastrobuoni had made 43 appearances in center field over the span of his career.

AGAINST ST. PAUL: The Iowa Cubs and the St. Paul Saints are currently in the midst of a sixgame series at Principal Park and will play the penultimate contest tonight. The current series between the I-Cubs and the Saints sees St. Paul leading, 3-1, but Iowa took its first victory last night by a final score of 5-1. Coming into tonight's game, the I-Cubs and Saints have squared of 16 times during the 2024 season and the two ballclubs are tied with each side taking eight games. In the 10 games that have been played at Principal Park this year, Iowa trails St. Paul four games to six. In terms of the all-time series, St. Paul leads 54-45 and in the all-time contests that have been played at Principal Park, St. Paul also leads 25-21.

Check out the Iowa Cubs Statistics

• Discuss this story on the International League message board...

International League Stories from August 3, 2024


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