IL Iowa Cubs

August 9 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs vs. Louisville Bats

Published on August 9, 2022 under International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release


IOWA CUBS (47-58) vs. LOUISVILLE BATS (43-62)

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

RHP Matt Swarmer (3-1, 2.78) vs. RHP Levi Stoudt (0-0, -.--)

TONIGHT'S GAME: The I-Cubs and Bats will play game one of their six-game set here at Principal Park tonight, with Matt Swarmer taking the ball for Iowa. Tonight will mark the fourth game back with Iowa for Swarmer and his second consecutive start, last pitching on Friday, August 5, against Toledo. He allowed just one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out four over his 2.2 innings, his longest outing since June 21 with Chicago when he threw four innings against Pittsburgh. Opposite of Swarmer will be righty Levi Stoudt set to make his Triple-A debut for Louisville. Stoudt was acquired by Cincinnati on July 30 in a trade with the Seattle Mariners and was assigned to Double-A Chattanooga on August 3. He pitched that day for the Lookouts and spun five innings of two-hit ball, striking out six while walking none. On the year, the 24-year-old is now 7-6 with a 4.99 ERA in 19 starts between Double-A Arkansas and Chattanooga.

START OF THE SWARM: Matt Swarmer will take the ball for Iowa tonight, set to make his seventh start of the season at Triple-A. The righty began the year switching between starter and long reliever, but beginning in May, he worked exclusively as a starter for Iowa and eventually Chicago. After struggling in the Cubs' rotation, he transitioned to bullpen duty there, then was designated for assignment and outrighted to Iowa on July 21. Since returning to Triple-A action, Swarmer has made two relief appearances and one start, never throwing more than three innings. In his last outing, which came on Friday, he lasted 2.2 innings in a start, allowing two runs, only one of which was earned, on two hits and two walks. It was his longest outing since June 21, which was his last start for Chicago, and his longest with the I-Cubs since May 21. With last week's stats in the book, he enters tonight's game with a 2-1 record and a 3.21 ERA (10ER/28.0IP) as a starter with Iowa this year.

EXTRA-BASE HICKS: Catcher John Hicks went 1-for-4 with a double on Saturday night against Toledo, tying him for the team-lead with 15 doubles this year. The 32-year-old played in five games against the Mud Hens last series and hit .333 (6-for-18) with five runs scored. All six of his hits went for extra bases, clubbing three doubles and three home runs. With those six extra-base hits he drove in four runs while walking once and striking out four times.

WELCOME BACK: For the first time in over three months, Esteban Quiroz is set to play for Iowa again tonight. The infielder was acquired by Chicago in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays back on March 25 and began the year on Iowa's roster. He played in 16 games with the I-Cubs from April 5 to May 4, hitting just .163 (8-for-49) with one double, one home run, five runs batted in and nine walks compared to 14 strikeouts. He was placed on the injured list on May 21 and started a rehab assignment with the ACL Cubs on August 1. In four games with the Cubs, he hit .750 (6-for-8) with two doubles and was added back to Iowa's roster on Sunday.

FITTING THE NEW ROLE: Since 2019, Cam Sanders had started 55 out of 57 games for South Bend (2019), Tennessee (2021-22) and Iowa ('22). In his first 12 games with Iowa this year, the righty started 11 of those games and was 1-6 with a 6.65 ERA over that span. He had allowed 33 earned runs on 39 hits over 44.2 innings, while walking 33 batters compared to 41 strikeouts. Three days after his last start against Omaha on July 22, he was placed on the developmental list on July 25 and stayed there for a week, getting activated on July 31. Since he was activated, Sanders has thrown in three games, with all three coming as relief appearances. In those three relief appearances, the 25-year-old has allowed just one earned run on three hits, walking three compared to five strikeouts. He has thrown five innings, limiting his opponents to an average of just .167.

UP FROM HERE: Hayden Wesneski, Chicago's No. 8 ranked prospect, did not have the start he was hoping for in his Iowa debut on Sunday. After joining the organization from the Yankees as part of the Scott Effross trade, Wesneski lasted just 1.2 innings against Toledo in his first start in the Cubs' system. He surrendered eight runs on eight hits, marking season highs in hits and runs for him individually as well as the I-Cubs' team high for runs allowed by a starter. He departed with two outs in the second inning and was eventually credited with the loss, his eighth of the year. The outing marked just the seventh time this year in 20 starts that Wesneski pitched less than five innings. It was also just the third outing all year to see him allow more than three earned runs. Despite the rocky debut, Wesneski still ranks sixth in ERA (4.24), seventh in WHIP (1.24) and seventh in opponent average (.243) among qualified pitchers in the International League.

AGAINST LOUISVILLE: Iowa and Louisville are set to play game one of their six-game series at Principal Park tonight, the first and last time the two teams will meet at Principal Park all season. The two teams have played 12 games at Louisville Slugger Field already this year, splitting them evenly at 6-6. They have split both series 3-3, entering this six-game series with the season series on the line. Iowa is 19-17 against Louisville all-time, going 10-5 against the Bats at home compared to 9-12 on the road. Entering tonight's game, Louisville has a two-game winning streak against the I-Cubs dating back to their last series in June, when the Bats took the games on both the 25 and 26. Despite the season series being tied at 6-6, Iowa has outscored Louisville by 11 so far, at 57-46, with four of their six losses coming by just one run.

SHORT HOPS: With their 10-6 loss on Sunday, Iowa fell to 0-11 this year when their opponent scored 10 or more runs...the Mud Hens out-hit Iowa 12-8 in Sunday's loss, putting the I-Cubs at 3-29 when their opponent has 10 or more hits and just 4-37 when they are out-hit by their opponent this year...four of Iowa's six losses to Louisville this year have come by just one run, with four of their wins coming by four or more runs.

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