IL Iowa Cubs

May 11 Game Notes: Iowa at St. Paul

Published on May 11, 2021 under International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release


IOWA CUBS (3-2) @ ST. PAUL SAINTS (2-4)

Tuesday - 7:05 PM - CHS Field - Saint Paul, MN

RHP Joe Biagini (0-1, 3.00) vs. RHP Randy Dobnak (0-0, 0.00)

TONIGHT'S GAME: Iowa heads on the road for the first time this season, clashing with new Triple-A East foe, the St. Paul Saints. Iowa comes into the six-game set riding momentum from a no-hitter their last time out. Joe Biagini is set to make his second start of the season, hoping to earn his first win of 2021 against the Saints.

CAN'T TOUCH THIS: Iowa's pitching staff completed a combined no-hitter Sunday afternoon at Principal Park. Pitchers Shelby Miller (3.0), Tommy Nance (3.0), Brad Wieck (2.0) and Ryan Meisinger (1.0) were just three walks from perfection against Indianapolis. This marked the first no-hitter in the minor leagues in 621 days, since August 27 of 2019 when Jose Soriano, Parker Joe Robinson , Hector Yan and Chad Sykes combined to no-hit Beloit. For Iowa, it was their first no-no since May 7, 2014 when Chris Rusin no-hit New Orleans. The last no-hitter for the I-Cubs at home was August 21, 1984, when Reggie Patterson no-hit Omaha. This was also Iowa's second no-hitter against against Indianapolis. The first came on the road on August 25, 1974 in a 7-0 victory behind starter Homer Stinson.

NANCE FOR THE WIN: Right-hander Tommy Nance recorded his first win of 2021 on Sunday against Indianapolis. In his second appearance of the year, Nance spun three scoreless innings of relief in part of the I-Cubs no-hitter. He entered in the fourth inning and surrendered just one walk while striking out five, adding to his superb start to the season. It was Nance's first win since June 13 of 2019, when he tossed 2.1 scoreless innings against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Nance also provided Iowa with their first run of the ballgame Sunday, hitting a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth inning in Iowa's 2-0 win over Indy.

GRAB SOME PINE: Both offenses in tonight's matchup have not started the season the way they had hoped. They each struck out 15 times on Tuesday, May 4 in their season-openers. It hasn't gotten much better as St. Paul has registered 68 total strikeouts in their six games, including 19 times on Thursday night against Omaha. On the other side, the I-Cubs have had double-digit strikeouts in all five games of the season, totaling 59. Last year, the highest number of games in a row the I-Cubs registered double-digit strikeouts was four. They did it April 7-11 against Nashville and New Orleans. Over that span, the I-Cubs totaled 46 strikeouts.

HOT START: After going 0-for-3 in the season-opener on Tuesday, infielder Abiatal Avelino has been a bright spot for the I-Cubs offense. In his last four games, Avelino is hitting .438 (7-for-16) with three runs scored, a home run, five total RBI and a walk. His home run, a grand slam, provided insurance for Iowa in their first win of the season, capping off a four home run night for the I-Cubs.

JUST SCORE EARLY: In all five games of Iowa's season, the team that has scored first has come out victorious. The winning team pushed a run across the plate in the first inning in four of those five games against Indianapolis.

AGAINST ST. PAUL: Tonight's game will mark the first meeting between Iowa and St. Paul. The St. Paul Saints were part of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball from 2006-2020. In the Independent League, there is no affiliation with Major League Baseball. When the realignment of minor league baseball happened in 2021, the Saints became the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. Iowa and St. Paul, both being a part of the Triple-A East Midwest Division this season, are set to face-off for five series in the 2021 campaign, making up a total of 30 games. Of those five series, three will be held at CHS Field and two will be at Principal Park, home of the Iowa Cubs. The series will head to Principal Park for the first time later this month, starting on May 25.

PITCHING ON FIRE: Through five games, Iowa pitchers look locked in on the mound. They rank near the top in many major pitching categories amongst Triple-A teams. Heading into tonight's matchup against St. Paul, they are behind only Buffalo with a 2.54 ERA. They also lead the Triple-A East and are second between the West and East with just 25 hits allowed. I-Cubs pitchers have allowed just 14 runs, tied for first amongst all Triple-A staffs with the Round Rock Express and Sugar Land Skeeters. After tying a 2019 season-high 16 strikeouts on Friday night, the four pitchers who combined to no-hit Indianapolis on Sunday tallied 15 more strikeouts.

CHECK THE STANDINGS: After winning two in a row, Iowa is 3-2 and just one game back of the top-ranked Columbus Clippers. St. Paul dropped four out of their six-game set against Omaha and is 2.5 games out of that top spot.

SHORT HOPS: Iowa did not commit an error in Sunday's game, marking their first error-free game this season.

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