Game Notes - 8.12.17 at Omaha

Iowa Cubs (56-60) vs. Omaha Storm Chasers (55-63)
RHP Williams Pérez (5-7, 6.39) vs. RHP Andres Machado (0-1. 6.39)
Saturday, August 12 | 6:05 p.m. | Werner Park | Papillion, NE

TONIGHT'S GAME: Iowa and Omaha square off in the second game of the four-game set tonight at Werner Park. The Storm Chasers took the opening game of the series, improving to 25-24 against the I-Cubs in Werner Park (since 2011). Iowa split its last series in Omaha (July 30-Aug. 2, 2016) with its last series loss in Nebraska coming July 8-11, 2015. 
ONE-RUN PHENOMENON: The I-Cubs played in their PCL-leading 41st one-run game of the season on Friday, dropping to 24-17 (.585) in those games. The I-Cubs have played in back-to-back one-run games and in 10 since July 21. 62 of Iowa's games this season have been decided by two or fewer runs. 
TAYLOR MADE: Catcher Taylor Davis went 2-for-5 last night, his 14th multi-hit game in his last 19. Since July 18, Davis is hitting .400 (32-for-80) with 10 runs, 11 doubles, 17 RBI, three walks and 12 strikeouts. His .400 average in this span paces the Cubs farm system. South Bend's Jose Gutierrez is second with a .316 clip (18-for-57). 
CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOUR GLOVE: The I-Cubs have now gone four consecutive games without committing an error. This comes after a rough 12-game stretch from July 26 - August 7 where Iowa's defense made 15 errors including a season-high four on August 3 vs. Fresno. The most games the I-Cubs have gone without an error this season are five games from June 10-14.
THE STRUGGLE IS REAL: Following a scorching-hot month in which he hit .451 through 25 games from June 24 - July 23, Chris Dominguez has been iced down, hitting just .089 (5-for-56) since. He has one hit through his last 11 games, going 1-for-37 with no walks and 15 strikeouts. 
TRIPLE OR NOTHING: John Andreoli recorded his second three-hit game in four days last night, going 3-for-4 with two runs and one strikeout. The outfielder is 8-for-34 (.235) through his last eight games, but all eight hit are parts of three multi-hit games (2H-8/1, 3H-8/8, 3H-8/10), going o-fer in the balance of the games during this stretch. Andreoli has boosted his effort in this span with seven walks, collecting a .357 OBP. 
AGAINST OMAHA: Iowa and Omaha meet tonight for the third of four series and the ninth of 15 games this season. Iowa took the first series between the two in June, going 3-1 in four games and outscoring the Storm Chasers 30-14. In that series, Iowa dominated, hitting .292 compared to Omaha's .259 average over those four games. In the clubs' most recent clash, Iowa took two of three from Omaha from July 7-9, the final series heading into the All-Star break. Chesny Young and Mark Zagunis have led Iowa offensively in the matchup. Young holds a .421 (9-for-19) average, while Zagunis is batting .389 (7-for-18) with a .577 OBP. 
THE BIG INNING: Iowa allowed four second-inning runs last night, ultimately leading to its demise. The big inning has been a struggle for the I-Cubs this season as the team has allowed four or more runs in a single frame in 30 games (31 total innings). In these contests, the I-Cubs are 8-22. When the opposition scores five or more runs in an inning, Iowa carries a 0-9 record. 
LATE ACTION: Mark Zagunis has surged offensively, hitting .307 (35-for-114) since July. This hot streak follows a brief stint in Chicago in which he made his major league debut. August has been even better to the 24-year-old as he's batting .323 (10-for-45) through 10 games. He adds 14 walks, including three last night, for a .533 on-base percentage. This mark paces the PCL, while his 70 walks on the season also sit atop the league. 
POWER PUNCH: Chesny Young swatted his first Triple-A home run in his 99th game with Iowa off Onelki Garcia in the fourth inning last night. It came more than a year after his last homer with Double-A Tennessee on August 2, 2016. Save for Mike Freeman, who was added to Iowa's roster last week, Young was the only Iowa position player without a homer this season. 
SHORT HOPS: Iowa is 14-19 against PCL American North rivals this season...with last night's loss, the I-Cubs dropped to 12-18 in series openers...Brad Markey made his Triple-A debut last night, spinning three innings and allowing one earned run. He became the 11th player, eighth pitcher, to debut at this level with Iowa this season...Iowa holds a 3.57 ERA in August, fifth-best in the league.