Game Notes for Friday, April 19

TONIGHT'S GAME:  The Iowa Cubs and Nashville Sounds play the final game of a rain-shortened two-game series.  The Sounds are the Pacific Coast League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.  This is the final of six games the Cubs were able to play on their opening homestand of the year.  The Cubs split a four-game series with the Albuquerque Isotopes to open the homestand.

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY:  The Cubs and Sounds have been rained out each of the last two games.  Both games will be made up as parts of double-headers on June 19 and June 21 when the Sounds return to Principal Park.  Both double-headers will start at 5:00 PM and consist of two seven-inning games.

BROOKS BREAKS THE SOUNDS BARRIER:  Lefty Brooks Raley (1-2) pitched six shutout innings and matched a season-high with seven strikeouts to earn his first win of the season in the Cubs' 4-1 victory over the Sounds on Tuesday night.  Raley allowed six hits and no walks.  He hasn't allowed a walk in 13 innings over his last two starts.  In three career starts against the Sounds, Raley is now 2-1 with a 0.50 ERA.  In 18 innings, he has allowed one run, 16 hits, walked four, and struck out 15.

WHO'S THE BOSS?:  C J.C. Boscan laced a two-run double in the fourth inning on Tuesday that opened up the Cubs' lead from 1-0 to 3-0.  It was Iowa's first hit against Sounds' starter (and former I-Cub) Frankie De La Cruz who walked four and also hit a batter.  Boscan has hit safely in three straight games and six of the seven he has played this season.

SWEET SWINGING SWEENEY:  OF Ryan Sweeney was 1-for-3 and a triple, an RBI, and a walk on Tuesday.  Sweeney has hit in six straight games, marking the longest hitting streak by a Cub this season.  During his last six games, Sweeney is batting .348 (8-for-23) with a double, a triple, two home runs, six RBI, and three runs scored.  He leads the team in homers (3), total bases (26), and slugging (.765) and is tied for the team lead with eight RBI.

BOGEY ON PAR AT PLATE:  OF Brian Bogusevic turned in a nice series against the 'Topes.  He had three multi-hit games and a hit in four straight overall.  During this streak, he is batting .538 (7-for-13) with a double, an RBI, three runs scored, and two stolen bases.  Bogusevic leads the team with six multi-hit games already this season.

VS. NASHVILLE:  The Cubs lead this series 1-0.  These teams are scheduled to meet in three more series this year.  The Sounds return to Principal Park, June 18-21 and that series will include two double-headers.  The Cubs will visit historic Greer Stadium in Nashville, May 28-31 and August 30-September 2 to finish the regular season.  Last year, the Sounds won the season series 10-6, but the Cubs won five of the eight games played at Principal Park.  The Cubs have not won the season series over the Sounds since going 12-4 in 2008.  Nashville leads the all-time PCL series 118-90, including a 54-51 advantage in Iowa.

STEWART ON THE MEND:  3B Ian Stewart joined the Cubs on a major league rehab assignment last Sunday.  Stewart is 0-for-7 in his two games and had a scheduled night off on Tuesday.  Stewart opened the year on Chicago's disabled list with a strained quad muscle suffered in spring training.  The Cubs acquired Stewart from the Colorado Rockies in a four-player deal on December 8, 2011.  He hit .201 (36-for-179) with five homers and 17 RBI in 55 games for the Cubs last year, but was limited by a wrist injury.  The Rockies selected Stewart in the first round (10th overall) of the 2003 draft out of La Quinta High School in California.

ON THE BOARD:  The Cubs scored a first-inning run on Tuesday for the first time during this homestand.  The Cubs have been outscored 18-3 in the first inning this year.  The Cubs have scored the first run of the game just three times this season and last night's victory was the team's first in those three games.

SHORT HOPS:  The Cubs tied their season-low with three hits on Tuesday...RH Yoanner Negrin has not allowed a run in 9.2 innings in his first four appearances of the season...Cubs' starting pitchers have allowed more than two runs only once in the last seven games...LH Hisanori Takahashi joins Iowa's bullpen tonight after getting designated for assignment on April 16 and outrighted to Iowa yesterday...RH Casey Coleman has been activated after a week on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation.

INJURY REPORT:  3B Josh Vitters was placed on the disabled list on April 9 due to muscle spasms in his back.  RHP Jaye Chapman was plaed on the DL on April 16 with a left hip sprain.