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May 5 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs at Columbus Clippers

May 5, 2023 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release


IOWA CUBS (17-9) @ COLUMBUS CLIPPERS (13-15)

Friday - 6:05 PM CT - Huntington Park - Columbus, OH

RHP Caleb Kilian (1-0, 7.15) vs. RHP Hunter Gaddis (0-0, 4.15)

TONIGHT'S GAME: The I-Cubs and Clippers face off for game three of their six-game series tonight. Caleb Kilian will make his fourth start of the year for Iowa. He enters tonight with a 1-0 record and a 7.15 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 11.1 innings pitched. The righty searches for his first victory since returning from a brief stint with Chicago. Columbus sends righty Hunter Gaddis to the mound. Gaddis started the season on Cleveland's roster where he made four starts in five appearances. He went 0-1 with a 6.86 ERA, 13 strikeouts and six walks. The Georgia native was optioned to Columbus on April 23 and made his first start for the Clippers on April 29. Gaddis struck out 10, allowing two runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings. The game resulted in a no-decision, so Gaddis is still on the hunt for his first Triple-A win this year.

MANNY'S THE MAN: I-Cubs closer Manuel Rodriguez has locked down the back end of the bullpen this year. He struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth last night to secure the win for Iowa and earn his fourth save of the year. Rodríguez leads the team in saves and is tied for second most in the International League. The righty is 4-for-5 in save opportunities and holds an overall record of 1-1. He's accumulated a 4.63 ERA in his 11.2 innings pitched this year. After his three punch outs last night, Rodríguez is tied for sixth on the team with 15 strikeouts.

MASTRO IS A MASTER: Miles Mastrobuoni came out of last night's win as the hero with his go-ahead RBI double in the top of the eighth. He's been a great addition to the I-Cubs' stacked offense this year. Mastrobuoni started the year with Chicago where he hit .200 in eight games. The infielder was optioned to Iowa on April 14 and has been a force at Triple-A since. He is slashing .349/.500/.512 with 14 runs, five doubles, a triple, six RBI and 13 walks. After his 1-for-3 performance last night, he took the team lead with a .349 average. Since joining the team, the I-Cubs are 9-4 in games where Mastrobuoni starts. In that stretch, the lefty has four multi-hit games including back-to-back three-hit games on April 27 and 29.

KILIAN RETURNS FROM THE BIGS: Tonight marks Caleb Kilian's first start since being optioned to Iowa from Chicago. He made one start for the Cubs on April 29 against Miami where he allowed seven runs on 10 hits, two hit batters and two walks in 3.1 innings. The start was his fourth at the Major League level, after making three in 2022. He was called up to Chicago and optioned back to Iowa twice last season. In Triple-A games following an MLB appearance, Kilian was 0-0 with an 8.10 ERA. He allowed six runs in 6.2 innings in those starts, striking out 13 and walking two. His opponents had 11 hits including three home runs. Kilian will look to improve those marks in his return to Iowa tonight.

EIGHT GAMES SLAUGHTERING: Jake Slaughter extended his hitting streak to eight games with his home run in the top of the fourth last night. The slugger has been a huge part of the I-Cubs' impressive offense this season and has played his best in this eight-game stretch. He is slashing .429/.541/.857 with nine runs, 12 hits, three doubles, three home runs, 13 RBI and six walks. In that stretch, he has had four multi-hit games and four multi-RBI games. Slaughter has been impressive on the base paths going 4-4 stealing bases and in the field with his 0.959 fielding percentage. The Louisiana native's eight-game hitting streak matches the second longest of the season for an I-Cub. Nelson Velázquez previously did it from March 31 to April 9. Christopher Morel still holds the title for longest streak this year with his 11-game streak from April 8-22. Slaughter is just three games away from matching Morel's mark.

ROOKIES LOOKING LIKE VETS: Ben Brown made his Triple-A debut with the I-Cubs last night. His start was nothing short of impressive, tossing 5.2 scoreless innings to start the game. In that stretch, he allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out seven. The righty allowed the first two batters he faced to reach with a single, but then retired 17 of the next 18 batters he faced including 13 straight. With two outs in the sixth inning, he allowed one runner on with a walk. The following hitter doubled and knocked in a run. Those two hitters were the only thing between Brown and a 6.0 inning shutout and a quality start. Brown exited the game, thus ending his day in a no-decision. His replacement, another Triple-A rookie in Bailey Horn, closed out the inning and tossed a total of 1.1 innings of scoreless, hitless baseball. Horn's work gave him his first Triple-A victory and first win as an I-Cub. Last night marked his second appearance on the year. The southpaw has not allowed a hit or a run in 2.1 innings.

AGAINST COLUMBUS: With their 2-1 win last night, Iowa tied the series at one. They extended their season series lead to 4-1. The I-Cubs and Clippers will play game three of the series and game six of the season tonight. Iowa trails the all-time series 14-11. In games in Columbus, the I-Cubs and Clippers are even at 7-7. Iowa previously had a three-game win streak versus the Clippers after Opening Weekend. They look to continue a new streak tonight.

SHORT HOPS: Iowa enters tonight's game with an 0-2 record on the road and 1-4 overall in Friday games, searching for their first road victory on a Friday...last night was the first game all year Iowa has been tied with their opponent after seven innings, moving to 1-0 when tied after seven...after scoring 50 runs in a four-game stretch to end their last homestand, Iowa has scored just four runs on seven hits through the first two games against Columbus.

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