September 7 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs at Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
September 7, 2022 – International League (IL) – Iowa Cubs News Release
IOWA CUBS (60-70) @ JACKSONVILLE JUMBO SHRIMP (69-60)
Wednesday – 6:05 CT – 121 Financial Ballpark – Jacksonville, FL
RHP Anderson Espinoza (0-3, 15.58) vs. LHP Braxton Garrett (2-1, 3.12)
TONIGHT’S GAME: Iowa and Jacksonville are set to meet for game two of their six-game set tonight, with Anderson Espinoza taking the ball for the I-Cubs. Espinoza has had a rocky start to his Triple-A career, going 0-3 with a 15.58 ERA in four games (two starts) entering tonight’s contest. The righty has had difficulty with control, walking 10 batters over 8.2 innings pitched, walking two or more batters in three of his four games. Over those 8.2 innings, Espinoza has allowed 15 earned runs on 13 hits including two home runs, striking out six batters while allowing his opponents to hit .371 against him. On the other side, Braxton Garrett is scheduled to make a start on Major League rehab for Jacksonville tonight. Garrett was placed on the 15-day injured list back on August 20 with a right oblique strain and is set to make his first start since August 14 with Miami. The southpaw started the year with the Jumbo Shrimp, where he went 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA in five starts. His last start for Jacksonville came back on May 29 at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre where he threw five scoreless, one-hit innings. In all, Garrett has allowed nine earned runs on 19 hits and seven walks in 26.0 innings pitched with the Jumbo Shrimp, striking out 21 over that span.
LEAVE IT TO LEVI: Though he hasn’t had a consistent spot in the lineup over the last month, Levi Jordan has been a big contributor over the past two weeks. In the six games he’s appeared in through the last three series, Jordan has gone 10-for-23 – good for a .435 average during that span. He crushed three doubles between St. Paul and Columbus and launched a home run last night in Jacksonville, increasing his OPS to 1.196 over the last two weeks. He’s scored seven runs and driven in three and taken three walks compared to five strikeouts in 26 plate appearances. His .467 average so far in September leads Iowa’s active roster while his seven hits and two doubles are both tied for second so far this month.
SITTING IN THIRD: Three different players on Iowa’s active roster are going for the top-spot among all Minor League players in 2022. Starting with Alexander Canario, whose 31 home runs this year have him tied for third among all Minor League players. Canario hasn’t hit a home run with Iowa yet, but hit seven with High-A South Bend and 24 with Double-A Tennessee prior to his promotion. Moving to runs batted in, Matt Mervis also sits in third place among all Minor League players this year, with 107. As Canario did, Mervis also started the year with the South Bend Cubs, where he drove in 29 in 27 games. He then went up to the Smokies and brought in 51 runs in 53 games and in 38 games with Iowa has 27 RBI. The first baseman’s 107 RBI are the most for a Cubs minor leaguer since Kris Bryant had 110 with Tennessee and Iowa in 2014. Lastly, Darius Hill is tied for third with his 145 total hits this year. Hill started the year with the Smokies where he recorded 57 hits in 44 games and after one more last night he now has 88 hits in 70 games with Iowa. The 24-year-old is hitting .322 (145-for-451) on the year, giving him the 13th-best batting average among all minor leaguers this year. Both Canario and Mervis are in the latest prospect rankings for the Chicago Cubs, with Canario coming in as the No. 9 ranked prospect and Mervis at the No. 21 ranked prospect in the system according to MLB.com.
SHUT THEM DOWN EARLY: With Jacksonville’s run in the first inning last night, Iowa has now allowed their opponent to get on the board in the first inning in each of their last three games dating back to their doubleheader on Sunday. Dating back to August 25, they have allowed at least one run in the first inning in six games while allowing a run in the first two innings in eight of those 11 games. Despite allowing early runs to score, they do have a winning record over that span, going 6-5 in their last 11 games. They have also mounted five comeback wins in their last 11 games, accounting for 17% of their 30 total comeback wins this year.
MAKING AN IMPACT: A change of scenery didn’t bother Esteban Quiroz, who continued his hot streak last night with an RBI single to tie the game early. The hit extended his hitting streak to a season-high six games, three shy of his career high. After missing three months on the injured list, Quiroz got off to a slow start in his return last month, going 1-for-18 in the first seven games he played. Since then, however, he has started heating up. In his last nine games played, Quiroz has hit .308 (8-for-26) with a double, six walks and three runs scored. His current hitting streak is his longest of the season with Iowa and – combined with the walks – it has boosted him to third on the active roster in on-base percentage, at .347. Despite ranking 10th among position players on the active roster in games played, Quiroz ranks fifth in walks taken, with 21.
A (W)ELCOME SIGHT: Blake Whitney earned the win for Iowa last night, throwing two scoreless innings of relief. It marked his first win since August 9 against Louisville ending his streak of two straight losses on August 19 and 21 against Indianapolis. Whitney has struggled over the last month, having allowed at least one earned run in each of his last six outings prior to last night. Over that span from August 9-31, the righty allowed eight earned runs on nine hits and six walks, surrendering two home runs while striking out three. He was 1-2 with a 12.71 ERA as opponents hit .346 against him in his 5.2 innings pitched. He turned it around last night, however, spinning two perfect innings while striking out a batter last night.
AGAINST JACKSONVILLE: The I-Cubs and Jumbo Shrimp will meet for game two of their six-game series tonight, with Iowa currently holding a 1-0 lead over Jacksonville. It put Iowa’s all-time record against the Jumbo Shrimp at 1-0 as it was the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
SHORT HOPS: Iowa’s pitching staff faced 19 Jacksonville batters without allowing a single hit last night from the second inning to the eighth, walking three along the way…the I-Cubs are 60-70 through their first 130 games, the total amount of games that were scheduled last season, when Iowa was 51-78 with one canceled game…all three of Iowa’s relievers spun two innings last night, allowing just one earned run on one hit and four combined walks while striking out four…Iowa moved to 14-9 in their first game of a series and 18-25 against National League affiliates with their win last night.
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