September 8 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs at Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
September 8, 2022 – International League (IL) – Iowa Cubs News Release
IOWA CUBS (61-70) @ JACKSONVILLE JUMBO SHRIMP (69-61)
Thursday – 6:05 CT – 121 Financial Ballpark – Jacksonville, FL
RHP Matt Swarmer (3-2, 3.00) vs. RHP Jeff Lindgren (3-2, 5.51)
TONIGHT’S GAME: Iowa and Jacksonville are set to meet for game three of their six-game series tonight, with Matt Swarmer taking the ball for the I-Cubs. Swarmer is set to pitch in his 18th game and make his 12th start of the year for Iowa, going 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA over his first 17 games. The righty has allowed 22 earned runs on 49 hits and 25 walks over 66.0 innings, striking out 72 batters over that span. Opponents are hitting just .202 against him this year and he is looking to make his first career start against the Jumbo Shrimp. On the other side, Jacksonville will give the ball to Jeff Lindgren, entering tonight’s contest with a 3-2 record and a 5.51 ERA. Lindgren has started all 10 of his games with the Jumbo Shrimp, allowing 29 earned runs on 46 hits and 20 walks in 47.1 innings pitched, striking out 34 batters over that time. The right-hander started the year with Jacksonville but after four games was sent to Double-A Pensacola where he went 4-1 with a 3.15 ERA in 12 starts prior to getting promoted back to Jacksonville on August 2.
SAVE THE DAY: Despite allowing the only run of the game for Jacksonville in the ninth inning last night, Ben Leeper earned his ninth save of the year in last night’s game. His nine saves are the most on Iowa’s roster and the most of an I-Cubs pitcher in a single season since 2018, when Dillon Maples went 10-for-12 in save opportunities. He is currently tied for 11th in the International League with his nine saves entering tonight’s game, with the IL leader having 23. The run Leeper allowed last night marked the first run a team has scored against him dating back to August 9 when he gave up one run in a save against Louisville. Since then and before last night, he had spun 6.2 scoreless innings in seven games pitched and not allowed a single hit. He has walked two batters compared to nine strikeouts while going 1-0 with three saves. The 25-year-old had just three saves over his first 25 games and since has recorded six over his last 11 games.
DOES NOT TELL THE WHOLE STORY: Matt Swarmer’s line from his last outing showed four earned runs on seven hits in five innings pitched, which does not do the righty justice. Swarmer was dominant through five innings, allowing just three hits and a walk over that span. He was in line for Iowa’s fifth quality start of the season and his fourth win of the year until Columbus tagged him in the sixth. Swarmer did not record a single out in the inning, allowing each of the first four men to reach base. After two doubles and two singles, Swarmer was taken out of the game and the first batter the new pitcher faced hit a grand slam, putting all four earned runs on Swarmer’s line. It marked the first time all season with Iowa that the 28-year-old allowed more than three earned runs in a single outing.
KEEP IT GOING: Esteban Quiroz extended his hitting streak to a season-high seven games last night with a 1-for-4 evening. The streak is now two shy of the infielder’s career high, which he set in 2018 with Double-A Portland. His current streak is the longest of his career at Triple-A and is currently tied for second-longest active streak on the team. It comes at a good time for Quiroz, who got off to a slow start in his return from the injured list last month. After missing three months of playing time, he went 1-for-18 in his first seven games back with Iowa. In the ten games since then, however, Quiroz has hit .300 (9-for-30) with a double, six walks and three runs scored. His hot streak has boosted him to third on the active roster in on-base percentage, at .344.
LEAVE IT TO LEVI: Though he didn’t have a consistent spot in the lineup for much of the last month, Levi Jordan has been a big contributor over the past two weeks. He has hit safely in each of the seven games he’s appeared in through the last three series, tying his season-high hitting streak and coming within two of his career high. Jordan has logged multiple hits in four of the seven games, going 11-for-27 – a .407 average – during that span. He has crushed four doubles and one home run during the streak so far, increasing his OPS to 1.133 over those seven games. He has also scored eight runs and driven in three. Coming into tonight’s game, Jordan’s .421 average and eight hits so far in September both lead Iowa’s active roster, while his three doubles and five runs scored are both tied for second so far this month.
HE’S BACK: Entering last night’s game, Tyler Payne had gone hitless in three straight games with at least one at-bat, his longest streak of the year. In his last two series against St. Paul and Columbus, the catcher played in four games and went 0-for-10 with five strikeouts, getting at-bats in just three of the four games. He broke out of his little slump with a 2-for-4 game last night, registering his 14th multi-hit game of the year in his 39th game with Iowa.
AGAINST JACKSONVILLE: The I-Cubs and Jumbo Shrimp will meet for game three of their six-game series tonight, with Iowa currently holding a 2-0 lead over Jacksonville. With back-to-back wins to start the series, Iowa is now 2-0 this series and all-time against the Jumbo Shrimp, looking to earn at least a series split with a win tonight.
SHORT HOPS: Last night’s 3-1 victory was Iowa’s eighth win this season in a game where they scored less than four runs…after turning two double plays last night, Iowa enters tonight’s game with 99 on the season…Iowa has now won the first two games of a road series for just the second time this season, with the first coming on June 21 and 22 in Louisville.
• Discuss this story on the International League message board…
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
