May 23 Game Notes: Iowa vs. Omaha
May 23, 2021 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release
IOWA CUBS (9-6) vs OMAHA STORM CHASERS (9-7)
Sunday - 1:08 PM - Principal Park - Des Moines, IA
RHP Alec Mills (0-0, -.--) vs. RHP Carlos Hernández (0-1, 5.79)
TODAY'S GAME: Today's game marks the series finale of a five-game set. Iowa has already won the series, taking the first three games. Righty Alec Mills will look to get the I-Cubs back on track after losing last night's game. Mills, on major league rehab, will face off against Omaha's Carlos Hernández.
QUITE THE OUTING: Jackson Kowar earned his fourth win of the year last night for Omaha, shutting down Iowa's lineup through six innings. Kowar lowered his ERA to 1.25 after allowing just one run on four hits over six innings of work. He walked one and struck out 10 I-Cubs. After last night's outing, Kowar ranks in the tops of the Triple-A East in many pitching categories. He ranks seventh in ERA (1.25), first in wins (4) and strikeouts (32) and third in innings pitched (21.2). The 24-year old righty is ranked as the No. 4 overall Royals prospect by MLB.com.
GET TO FOUR: The I-Cubs' offense managed just one run last night, falling to 0-3 when they score just one run. Four is the key number for Iowa to get to offensively. When the I-Cubs score four or more runs, they have an overall record of 8-1. When they score three or less, their record plummets to 1-5.
GOOD TO BE BACK: Tyson Miller, who started 11 games for Iowa in 2019, made his first appearance of 2021 last night. Miller started the season on the injured list, and was optioned to Iowa on May 5. In his first outing of the season, he spun a perfect inning, needing just nine pitches to get three outs. Miller struck out two of the three batters he faced, tossing eight of his nine pitches for strikes. In 11 games with the I-Cubs in 2019, Miller held a 3-5 record with a 7.58 ERA over that span. He allowed 41 earned runs including 13 home runs, while walking 25 and striking out 43. Opponents hit .304 against him in his time here. The righty made his major league debut in 2020 with Chicago, throwing in two games for the Cubs last season.
MORE MORGAN: Iowa reliever Adam Morgan threw another scoreless inning last night against Omaha. Morgan surrendered one walk and struck out a batter, throwing 14 pitches to get out of the seventh inning. The lefty has now tossed six scoreless innings for the I-Cubs this season. In five outings, he has allowed just one hit, hit two batters, walked two batters and has tallied eight strikeouts. Opponents are hitting just .056 against him on the year.
MAKE SOME CONTACT: Iowa's offense struck out for a season-high 16 times last night. Each player in the starting lineup struck out at least one time for Iowa, including five people who struck out twice, and one player who struck out three times. Omaha's starter Jackson Kowar struck out 10 batters over his six innings of work. The bullpen tallied the next six strikeouts over the last three innings, shutting down Iowa's offense. The I-Cubs registered two hits in the first inning, but only got two more the rest of the game.
A DOUBLE?: Patrick Wisdom drove in the lone run of the game for Iowa last night in the first inning with a two-out double. It was his first hit in an Iowa uniform that did not clear the wall. His first three hits were all home runs, including a grand slam in Friday night's game. He joined elite company in the Iowa Cubs record books, registering three home runs for his first three hits with the team. The last player to do that was Kris Bryant, who accomplished the feat for his first five hits with Iowa. Although the streak of home runs ended last night, Wisdom stayed hot. This series he has registered 11 runs batted in with all four of his hits going for extra bases.
AGAINST OMAHA: Iowa and Omaha will face off today for the fifth and final game of the series. After losing last night, Iowa leads the series 3-1. The two teams won't get much of a break from each other, as they face off in just over a week. The series will head to Omaha as the two teams will begin a six-game set on June 1 at Werner Park.
SHORT HOPS: With the loss last night, Iowa's win streak ended at a season-long four games...The I-Cubs are 4-0 on day games this year, including two wins over Omaha this series...Iowa stayed in second place in the Triple-A East Midwest division, but fell to 1.5 games back of Indianapolis with their loss last night.
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