I-Cubs Stomped in Third Straight Loss
May 16, 2023 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Iowa Cubs (22-15) dropped their third straight contest as they fell to the Indianapolis Indians (19-20) by a score of 9-1 on Tuesday evening to open the six-game series.
Indianapolis jumped ahead of Iowa and starting pitcher Ben Brown early with a solo home run from Endy Rodriguez, which put the Indians up 1-0 after the first inning. After a scoreless second frame, the Indians were able to get the better of Brown in the third as Nick Gonzales and Canaan Smith went back-to-back with a pair of solo shots to increase the Indians lead to 3-0.
The struggles continued for Brown in the fourth when the Indians plated four more runs to increase their lead to 7-0. Vinny Capra drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, Gonzales followed with a two-RBI double, and Smith-Njigba added to his day at the plate with an RBI bloop single. Brown's day ended after four innings with seven runs allowed on seven hits, three of them home runs, three walks allowed, and just two strikeouts.
Iowa was finally able to end the shutout in the seventh inning. Nelson Velazquez was able to get on base with a walk and advanced to third off an Edwin Ríos single in the following at-bat. Yonathan Perlaza came up next and despite hitting into a double play, Velázquez scurried home to put one on the scoreboard for the I-Cubs.
The Indians put the final stamp on the game in the bottom of the eighth with two more runs. With two outs and the bases loaded after a walk and back-to-back singles, Capra poked a single through the left side which made it a 9-1 ballgame.
POSTGAME NOTES:
Indianapolis starting pitcher Quinn Priester, the No.4 ranked prospect in the Pirates' organization, had it going against the I-Cubs. Along with earning the win, he allowed just one run on five hits, one walk, and struck out nine over seven innings.
With the loss, the I-Cubs are now on their second three-game losing streak of the season. The first three-game skid came on May 6-7 against Columbus.
Relief pitchers Vinny Nittoli and Codi Heuer were bright spots coming out of the bullpen as they did not allow a hit against the Indians and combined for four strikeouts.
Iowa and Indianapolis will lace them up again tomorrow for game two of the scheduled six-game series. First pitch from Victory Field is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. CT. You can listen to all Iowa Cubs games on Hope AM940 and stream them for free on the Bally Live App. For more information and tickets, visit www.iowacubs.com.
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