May 31 Games Notes: Iowa Cubs at Louisville Bats
May 31, 2024 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release
IOWA CUBS (24-30) at LOUISVILLE BATS (31-22)
Friday, May 31 - 6:15 PM CT - Louisville Slugger Field - Louisville, KY
RHP Julio Teheran (0-4, 9.11) vs. RHP Lyon Richardson (1-0, 3.98)
TONIGHT'S GAME: The Iowa Cubs and the Louisville Bats play the fourth of their six-game series tonight at Louisville Slugger Field...Iowa is scheduled to start right-hander Julio Teheran...opposite of Teheran, Louisville is slated to pitch right-hander Lyon Richardson.
LAST NIGHT'S NEWS: Iowa committed four errors in route to a 10-5 loss last night to the Louisville Bats...Alexander Canario went 2-for-4 with two home runs and Owen Caissie went 3-for-4 to lead the Iowa offense...the bullpen combination of Zac Leigh, Sam McWilliams, Daniel Palencia and Riley Martin combined for 4.0 scoreless innings.
BIG NIGHT FOR CANARIO: I-Cubs outfielder Alexander Canario tallied his second multi-homer game of the season last night (last - May 23 vs. Indianapolis) and the 12th of his career...Canario's second homer traveled 466 feet, which marked the longest dinger of the season for Iowa and longest since Edwin Rios hit a 480-foot shot on July 4, 2023 vs. St. Paul.
VS. LOUISVILLE: Iowa and Louisville are facing off for the second time this season and for the first time at Louisville Slugger Field...the two clubs faced off in a six-game series at Principal Park from April 16-21 with the I-Cubs winning four of the six games and outscoring the Bats 34-27...last season, Iowa went 3-3 at Louisville Slugger Field.
MASH MERVIS: Iowa infielder Matt Mervis accounted for two of Iowa's three hits (one home run) and drove in three of their four runs in Wednesday night's win at Louisville...Mervis' 11 home runs on the season rank tied for eighth in the International League, despite playing in just 36 of a possible 54 games with Iowa, and his 33 home runs since the beginning of 2023 also rank tied for eighth in the IL...Mervis homered in back-to-back games for the third time this season on May 28- 29, following April 12-13 at St. Paul and May 11-12 vs. Columbus...since Matt was optioned on May 4, he is slashing .243/.337/.514 (17-for-70) with 11 runs scored, six home runs and 19 RBI in 18 games.
ON-BASE OWEN: Cubs' No. 2 prospect Owen Caissie matched a season high with three hits in last night's loss, it marked his first three-hit game since March 30 at Omaha...Caissie has reached base safely in nine straight games and in 18 of his 21 games in May...he ranks among International League leaders in on-base percentage (7th, .426) and walks (T-9th, 35)...among minor leaguers aged 21-or-younger, Caissie ranks tied for eighth in walks.
PROSPECTING: Right-handed pitcher, and Cubs' No. 9 prospect (MLB.com), Michael Arias joined Iowa's active roster Wednesday from Double-A Tennessee... this marks Arias' first stint in Triple-A as he went 3-0 with a 3.75 ERA (10 ER in 24.0 IP) and 26 strikeouts in 16 outings with Tennessee...he is one of five players on the Cubs' Top 30 prospect list on Iowa's active roster, including Cade Horton (No. 1), Owen Caissie (No. 2), BJ Murray Jr. (No. 11) and Brennen Davis (No. 22).
STRIKEOUT KING: Iowa Cubs pitcher Sam McWilliams has racked up 54 strikeouts in just 33.1 innings across 15 appearances (three starts)...despite being a primary reliever, McWilliams ranks seventh in the International League in strikeouts and among pitchers who have thrown at least 20.0 innings, his 14.58 K/9 is third-best in the IL, trailing leader Paul Skenes (14.82 K/9).
A ONE-OFF: Wednesday night's extra-innings win improved Iowa's record in one-run games to 9-10 (.474) this season in one-run games...Iowa has played the second-most one-run games in the International League this season, trailing Omaha who has posted a 14-6 record in such games this season...last year, the I-Cubs recorded a 25-13 record in one-run contests.
SERIES RECAP: Iowa and Indianapolis faced off for the first time of the season from May 21-26...the two clubs split the six-game series but Indianapolis outscored Iowa 46-41...the I-Cubs went 14-10 vs. the Indians during the 2023 season and 9-3 against the club at Principal Park.
International League Stories from May 31, 2024
- RailRiders Downed Mud Hens, 1-0 - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
- Durham Downs Jacksonville, 6-4 - Durham Bulls
- Home Run Sink Bats in 6-4 Loss - Louisville Bats
- Francisco Mejía Hits Home Runs as Sounds Even Series in Memphis - Nashville Sounds
- Knights Fall to WooSox 13-4 on Friday - Charlotte Knights
- Gorski Continues Hot Streak as Indians Drop Fourth Game of Homestand - Indianapolis Indians
- Omaha Wins Sixth Straight Series with 4-1 Victory over Indy - Omaha Storm Chasers
- Hot Bats Power Red Wings over Saints on Friday - Rochester Red Wings
- Syracuse Defeats Buffalo, 4-2, on Friday Evening at NBT Bank Stadium - Syracuse Mets
- Miscues Cost Jacksonville in 6-4 Loss to Durham - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Late Inning Offensive Explosion Powers WooSox to Third Straight - Worcester Red Sox
- Redbirds Close out May with Friday Night Loss to Sounds - Memphis Redbirds
- Home Runs Lift I-Cubs Over Louisville - Iowa Cubs
- Home Run Sink Bats in 6-4 Loss - Louisville Bats
- Weston Wilson Goes Yard as Clippers Slip by 'Pigs - Lehigh Valley IronPigs
- Mud Hens Secure 1-0 Win in Thrilling Showdown - Toledo Mud Hens
- May 31 Games Notes: Iowa Cubs at Louisville Bats - Iowa Cubs
- Bisons Payton Henry Alert, Responsive After Scary Incident - Buffalo Bisons
- Knights Announce Five Roster Moves Friday - Charlotte Knights
- Stripers See Six-Run Lead Slip Away in Norfolk - Gwinnett Stripers
- Saints Stuck in a Rut in Loss to Red Wings - St. Paul Saints
- Tides Complete Six-Run Comeback In Win - Norfolk Tides
- SWB Game Notes - May 31 - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
- Clippers and IronPigs Split Doubleheader - Columbus Clippers
- Rochester Red Wings Game Notes - May 31 vs. St. Paul - Rochester Red Wings
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