July 10 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs at Nashville Sounds
July 10, 2024 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release
IOWA CUBS (40-48) at NASHVILLE SOUNDS (45-43)
Wednesday, July 10 - 6:35 PM CT - First Horizon Park - Nashville, TN
RHP Brandon Birdsell (Triple-A debut) vs. RHP Joe Ross (2-4, 4.50 W/Milwaukee)
TONIGHT'S GAME: The Iowa Cubs and Nashville Sounds are set to play the second of a six-game series tonight...marks the first time the clubs have met since May 23-28, 2023...right-hander Brandon Birdsell is set to make first start as an I-Cub and 15th of the season...the Sounds are scheduled to start Joe Ross on Major League rehab assignment.
DOWN ON MUSIC ROW: Iowa mustered just one run in a 3-1 loss to Nashville last night...the start of the game was delayed by an hour and 13 minutes due to inclement weather...the I-Cubs one run came in the third inning as Hayden Cantrelle singled to drive in Alexander Canario...Iowa starter Dan Straily allowed three runs on three hits (two home runs) across 4.1 innings and suffered the loss...Sam McWilliams, Julian Merryweather (on Major League rehab assignment) and Daniel Palencia combined for 3.2 scoreless innings in relief with four strikeouts.
COUNTRY ROADS: Iowa heads back on the road for the six-game series at Nashville following a split series with Omaha in which the club played three games on the road and three at home...the I-Cubs have gone just 16-27 on the road this season vs. 24-21 at Principal Park...Iowa has lost five of their last seven games away from the friendly confines.
SERIES RECAP: Iowa and Omaha played a six-game series from July 1-6 in which they played three games at Werner Park in Omaha and three in Des Moines at Principal Park...Iowa won four of the six games, but were outscored by the Storm Chasers 29-27 (-2)...it marked the first series victory for Iowa since April 16-21 vs. Louisville.
ALL THE SMALL THINGS: Iowa's 6-5 win on Saturday night marked their second consecutive one-run victory and improved them to 18-12 in such games this season...Iowa has played 30 one-run games this season which is the most in the International League ahead of the Omaha Storm Chasers who are 17-12 in such games.
BIRDSELL'S TRIPLE-A DEBUT: Cubs' No. 20 prospect (MLB.com) Brandon Birdsell is scheduled to make his first Triple-A start tonight at Nashville...Birdsell had gone 4-4 with a 3.63 ERA (30 ER in 74.1 IP) and 65 strikeouts prior to his promotion to Iowa yesterday...he has not walked a batter in six consecutive starts which is tied for the longest such streak among starting pitchers in the minor leagues...Brandon was selected in the fifth round (143rd overall) of the 2022 First Year Player Draft and went 4-8 with a 2.77 ERA (33 ER in 107.1 IP) in 24 starts between Advanced-A South Bend and Double-A Tennessee.
McWILLIAMS IN RELIEF: Iowa Cubs relief pitcher Sam McWilliams tossed 1.2 scoreless frames last night and struck out two at Nashville...despite primarily being a reliever, McWilliams ranks tied for 11th in the International League with 76 strikeouts and among pitchers who have tossed at least 40.0 innings, his 13.96 K/9 leads the league.
VS. NASHVILLE: Iowa dropped the first game of the series last night by a 3-1 score...the I-Cubs and Nashville are playing their first series since May 23-28, 2023 at Nashville in which Iowa took four of the six games and outscored the Sounds 41-36 (+5)...all-time vs. Nashville, Iowa has gone 167-193 against the Sounds and are 77-106 at First Horizon Park.
WALK-OFF WINNER: For the first time this season, the I-Cubs got to celebrate a walk-off home run as Chase Strumpf secured a 6-5 victory over the Storm Chasers Saturday night with a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth...it only took one pitch for the infielder to end the game as he sent a slider 331-feet of former I-Cub Tyler Duffey over the left field wall. Last night's walk-off winner marked the seventh such victory for Iowa this season and it was the first walk-off homer hit by an I-Cubs since Pete Crow-Armstrong turned the trick on August 16, 2023, versus Louisville...for his late game heroics, Strumpf earned Player of the Game honors and ended his night going 2-for-3 at the dish with two runs scored, a double, the walk-off home run, and three RBI.
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