May 9 Game Notes: Iowa vs. Indianapolis
May 9, 2021 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release
IOWA CUBS (2-2) VS. INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (2-2)
Sunday - 1:08 PM - Principal Park - Des Moines, IA
RHP Shelby Miller (0-0, -.--) vs. RHP Miguel Yajure (0-0, -.--)
TODAY'S GAME: After last night's game was postponed due to inclement weather, Iowa will go for the series win in game five today. The I-Cubs have outscored Indianapolis 16-14 through four games, holding the Indians to three runs in three of the four.
JEWELL FOR THE WIN: Reliever Jake Jewell has been the pitcher of record in both Iowa Cubs victories so far this year. The 6-2 righty has spun three innings, allowing one earned run on three hits while also striking out three. His one blemish was a solo home run off the bat of outfielder Dustin Fowler in the top of the eighth inning in Wednesday's game. Jewell blew the save opportunity, but recorded the win as Iowa went on to score five runs in the bottom of the frame. He and Columbus Clippers' righty Siri Dalbert are tied for first in the Triple-A East with two wins each.
DAZZLING DEBUT: Former first round draft pick Kohl Stewart showed everybody at Principal Park Friday night why he was selected fourth overall by Minnesota in the 2013 draft. In his Iowa Cubs debut, the righty dominated the Indians, allowing just one run on one hit through five innings. Stewart tied a career high, striking out nine batters through his five innings of work. The last time he punched out nine was June 10, 2018 against the Montgomery Biscuits. His other six outs were all recorded via the ground ball.
BUH-BYE: Rafael Ortega stayed hot Friday night, hitting his third home run in the first four games of the season. Ortega gave Iowa an early two run lead in the first inning Friday when he tallied his third and fourth runs batted in this series. The I-Cubs outfielder is hitting .375 (6-for-16) and is slugging 1.000 with an OPS of 1.412. Despite last night's postponed game, Ortega is still tied for third in the Triple-A East with his three home runs.
TRIPLE-A DEBUT: Righty Miguel Yajure is set to make his Triple-A debut Sunday against Iowa. Yajure played in just two games for Double-A Trenton in 2019, before making his major league debut August 31 in 2020 with the New York Yankees. The Pirates' No. 12 prospect, as ranked by MLB.com, also pitched in one game for Pittsburgh this year. He was acquired by Pittsburgh along with three other players for RHP Jameson Taillon on January 24 of this year. Today will mark his first Triple-A appearance, and just his 62nd career minor league game.
SIT 'EM DOWN: Iowa pitching combined to strike out 16 batters Friday night, tying a season high from 2019. In 2019, the I-Cubs staff struck out 16 twice, most recently on August 28 against Oklahoma City. Iowa's staff is getting the job done so far in 2021, with the third lowest team ERA (3.16) in the Triple-A East. The offense, on the other hand has struck out 49 times through four games, second behind just St. Paul (50) for teams with four games. With 12 more strikeouts on Friday night, they have now had double-digit strikeouts in all four games of the 2021 campaign.
AGAINST INDIANAPOLIS: With a victory on Friday night, Iowa moves to 40-43 against Indianapolis since 1988 at home. The I-Cubs could take the series and move to just two games under .500 against Indy at home with a victory today. Their overall record is now 67-93 against the Indians.
MORGAN MAKING IT HAPPEN: Adam Morgan has not yet given up a run in his 2.1 innings of relief for Iowa this season. The southpaw has surrendered just one hit and has struck out three. Morgan has played in parts of six seasons in the majors, all with Philadelphia. Over that span, he holds a 13-27 record with a 4.84 ERA in 199 games.
FIRST INNING TELLS ALL: In all four games of the series, the team that has scored first, has won. The scoring has occurred in the first inning in each game as well, Indy scoring in the top of the first on Tuesday and Thursday, and Iowa scored in the home first on both Wednesday and Friday night.
SHORT HOPS: Iowa was 2-5 in extra inning games in 2019, and did not win an extra-innings game at Principal Park that season. The last extra innings game the I-Cubs won at home dates back to May 27, 2018 when they beat New Orleans 5-4 in 10 innings...Cameron Maybin recorded his first hit of the 2021 campaign for Iowa in the bottom of the eighth inning, hitting a solo home run to tie the game. Maybin was 0-15 with eight strikeouts prior to that at bat...With a victory today, Iowa could go over the .500 mark for the first time this season.
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