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May 8 Game Notes: Iowa at St. Paul

May 8, 2022 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release


IOWA CUBS (13-15) @ ST. PAUL SAINTS (15-12)

Sunday - 2:07 - CHS Field - Saint Paul, MN

RHP Caleb Kilian (0-0, 1.83) vs. RHP Cole Sands (0-3, 7.82)

TODAY'S GAME: Taking the mound for the series finale will be Caleb Kilian for Iowa and Cole Sands for St. Paul. Kilian is set to make his sixth start of the year for Iowa, still in search of his first victory. The righty is 0-0 with a 1.83 ERA through five starts this year, allowing four earned runs on 15 hits including one home run. Over his 19.2 innings, the No. 4 ranked prospect in the Chicago Cubs' system has walked eight batters compared to striking out 21. In his last start, he went 4.0 innings against this St. Paul team in game one of the series on Tuesday. Kilian allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits and two walks while striking out two. It was his second consecutive outing throwing four innings. Opposite of Kilian will be Sands making an effort to get the Saints a 4-2 series victory. The right-hander will make his fourth start and sixth outing for St. Paul, coming off of his Major League debut on May 1. Sands is 0-3 with a 7.82 ERA with St. Paul, allowing 11 earned runs in his 12.2 innings pitched. He has walked four batters and struck out 12, while allowing 14 hits including three home runs. Opponents are hitting .286 against Sands coming into today's game.

WELCOME TO TRIPLE-A: Nelson Velazquez made his Triple-A debut yesterday after hitting .288 (23-for-80) in 22 games with Double-A Tennessee to start the year. The No. 16 overall prospect in the Chicago Cubs' system went 2-for-4 yesterday with two doubles. His two doubles are already half of the amount he hit in his 22 games with the Smokies. In those 22 games, he recorded four doubles, a triple and nine home runs, driving in 17 runs.

DOUBLE OR NOTHING: Iowa recorded nine hits yesterday in their 9-2 loss, including five doubles. They got two doubles from Nelson Velazquez, two doubles from Jared Young and a double from Nelson Maldonado. Their five doubles yesterday marked the most they have gotten in single game all season, a mark previously set at four doubles done back on April 6 against Buffalo. 56% (5-of-9) of their hits were doubles, accounting for 14% (5-of-36) of their doubles on the entire season.

SCORELESS FOR STOUT: Eric Stout threw 2.1 scoreless frames yesterday, stranding both of the runners he inherited when he entered in the second inning. The southpaw allowed just one hit and one walk, while striking out three of the nine total batters he faced. His 2.1 scoreless innings brought his ERA down to 2.93 on the year, allowing five earned runs over his 15.1 innings pitched. Entering yesterday's game, Stout had allowed earned runs in each of his last two outings, surrendering two on Saturday against Indianapolis and three on Thursday against the Saints. They were the first runs he had allowed all season, starting the year with 10.2 scoreless frames.

HE'S A HITTER: After hitting .465 (20-for-43) with seven doubles, three home runs and 10 runs batted in in 12 games with Double-A Tennessee this year, Nelson Maldonado got assigned to Triple-A Iowa on April 27. The infielder had a tough start, going 0-for-7 with a walk and three strikeouts in his first two games. Since those two games, Maldonado has really showed off his hitting ability, recording at least one hit in each of his last seven games. With his 1-for-3 game yesterday, the 25-year-old set the longest hitting streak by any Iowa Cubs player this season at seven games. Three of those seven games have been multi-hit efforts, including two three-hit games. He has three doubles this year including one in back-to-back games. Yesterday, his double brought in the only two runs the I-Cubs scored. Maldonado is now hitting .333 (12-for-36) in nine games with Iowa and .414 (12-for-29) in his last seven games.

KEEP THEM ALIVE: Jared Young (5), Ildemaro Vargas (6) and Nelson Maldonado (7) all extended their hitting streaks yesterday, all setting or tying new season long streaks. After a four-hit game on Friday, Young stayed hot yesterday, going 2-for-4 with two doubles. His hitting streak is now at a season-long five games, hitting .455 (10-for-22) with two doubles and two home runs. Over the streak, three of his five games have been multi-hit games, including six hits over his last two games. Vargas went 2-for-5 yesterday, extending his hitting streak to six games. It is his second six-game hitting streak of the season, starting on Sunday against Indianapolis. Over the streak, the switch hitter has alternated each one-hit game with a two-hit game, hitting .375 (9-for-24) with a double and three walks. Maldonado has three multi-hit games this series, including two three-hit games. His seven-game streak is the longest for any I-Cubs hitter this year, passing Vargas' six-game stretch set back from April 19-24 against Louisville.

AGAINST ST. PAUL: Iowa and St. Paul are set to play the series finale today, with St. Paul currently up in the series three games to two. The closest game between the two teams has been a three-run game, with two four-run games and two seven-run losses for the I-Cubs. With their 9-2 loss yesterday, Iowa fell to 14-26 all-time against St. Paul and 11-17 at CHS Field.

SHORT HOPS: Robel Garcia took another walk yesterday, marking his 15th of the season, good for the team lead...with their 9-2 loss yesterday, Iowa is 0-10 when scoring two runs or less this year...after four runs yesterday, Iowa has now allowed 16 runs in the eighth inning, the second most of any inning this year (17 runs in the ninth inning).

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