May 3 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs vs. Omaha Storm Chasers

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Iowa Cubs and the Omaha Storm Chasers play game four of their six game series tonight at Principal Park...Omaha has won two of the first three games...left-hander Thomas Thomas Pannone is scheduled to make his seventh start for Iowa, he ranks among International League leaders in wins (T-3rd) and ERA (5th)...the Storm Chasers are scheduled to pitch right-hander Luis Cessa, who will make his fifth start.

TO RECAP: The I-Cubs dropped yesterday’s game to Omaha by a score of 9-6...it marked Iowa’s second straight loss as they look to avoid losing three consecutive games for the first time this season tonight... Miles Mastrobuoni led the I-Cubs offensively as he went 3-for-5 with a double and hit his first home run of the season...it marked his first three-hit game since Sept. 26, 2023 at Atlanta with Chicago and his first four-RBI game since Aug. 18, 2022 at Norfolk with Durham.

THE BIG O: Owen Caissie extended his on-base streak to 15 games and his hit streak to six games after he went 1-for-3 yesterday... marks his longest such streak since he hit safely in eight consecutive games from July 25-Aug. 4, 2023 with Double-A Tennessee, batting .484 (15-for-31)...his on-base streak is tied for the second longest active such streak in the International League and is the longest such streak by an I-Cub in 2024...his .508 on-base percentage and his 14 walks lead the IL during that span and also ranks among league leaders in batting average (7th, .354) and OPS (10th, 1.091).

DOUBLE TROUBLE: The I-Cubs and Storm Chasers split Wednesday’s doubleheader with Iowa taking game one by a score of 6-5 in eight innings and Omaha winning game two, 5-1...five of the I-Cubs 14 losses this season have come in doubleheaders, including being swept by Louisville on April 19 and at Buffalo on April 25 and yesterday’s split...the I-Cubs went .500 in doubleheaders last season, going 7-7 in such games...they won both games on two occasions, lost both on two more, and split the pair three other times.

HOME SWEET HOME: Iowa returned to Principal Park Wednesday for a 12-game homestand, hosting Omaha from May 1-5 and Columbus from May 7-12...the I-Cubs have an 9-6 record at home this season, vs. a 7-8 record on the road.

IN THE STANDINGS: Iowa sits in fourth place in the International League West Division standings, 1.5 games game behind tonight’s opponent, Omaha...from April 18-26, the I-Cubs held at least a share of first place in the International League West Division.

WORKING DOWNHILL: Iowa outfielder Darius Hill extended his hit streak to eight games yesterday, going 1-for-3 with a double and two walks...Hill is batting .433 (13-for-30) during the streak with four runs scored, three doubles and four RBI, it marks the longest streak by an I-Cub in 2024 and tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the International League.

STORM CHASIN’: The I-Cubs and Omaha opened up their seasons facing each other in a three-game series at Werner Park in which the Storm Chasers won two of the three games, with the run differential being even at 12-12...the two clubs faced off 21 times in 2023, with Iowa going 13-8 and outscoring Omaha 160-117 (+43) including a 20-1 win at Werner Park on Aug. 9 in which Iowa outhit Omaha 17-4 and hit seven home runs, four of which came in the first inning... the I-Cubs tallied a seven-game winning streak against the Storm Chasers last year from July 2 (G2)-Aug. 12.

STAY HOT: After hitting just .167 (3-for-18) through his first five games this season, Iowa infielder, and Cubs No. 16 prospect (MLB. com), Luis Vazquez is batting .373 (28-for-75) in his last 21 games dating back to since April 5...his batting average leads the International League during that span...Vázquez also ranks among International League leaders in hits (T-7th) and on-base percentage (8th, .442)... he went 0-for-4 on April 27 which snapped his hit streak at six games.

McWILLIAMS IN RELIEF: Right-hander Sam McWilliams tossed 3.0 scoreless innings in game two Wednesday and added five strikeouts...McWilliams has made eight appearances (three starts) for Iowa this season and has posted a 12.96 ERA (12 ER in 8.1 IP) as a starter and a 2.03 ERA (3 ER in 13.1 IP) in a relief role...his 32 strikeouts on the year rank tied for seventh-most in the International League and are the most in the IL among players with at least eight appearances...McWilliams has also posted a 0.84 ERA (1 ER in 10.2 IP) in four outings (one start) at Principal Park this season.