April 25 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs @ Buffalo Bisons

TODAY’S GAMES: The Iowa Cubs and the Buffalo Bisons will play a doubleheader today with the first game beginning at 3:35 PM CT...Iowa will send RHP Julio Teheran to the mound in game one and RHP Daniel Palencia in game two...Buffalo will pitch right-hander Paolo Espino in game one and right-hander Paxton Schultz in game two.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Iowa opened up the series at Buffalo last night with a 8-2 win...the I-Cubs tallied a season-high 15 hits in the contest, four of which came from Jake Slaughter...Chris Clarke made the start and tossed 4.0 innings and allowed two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts in a no decision...Sam McWilliams earned his first win in relief as he struck out five across 3.0 scoreless frames.

BIG NIGHT FOR SLAUGHTER: Iowa infielder Jake Slaughter went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run and three RBI in last night’s win...it marked his first four-hit game since Aug. 12, 2022 in which he went 4-for-6 with two home runs vs. Mississippi with Double-A Tennessee...Slaughter has homered in back-to-back games for the eighth time in his career and first since he went deep in three straight games from Aug. 20-23, 2023 with Iowa...in 13 April games, Jake is slashing .370/.442/.587 with six extra-base hits and six RBI.

CAISSIE AT BAT: The No. 43 prospect in all of baseball (MLB.com) Owen Caissie has reached base in 19 of his 20 games this season with an at-bat, despite being only one of five active position players aged 21 or younger in the International League...the outfielder is slashing .273/.385/.429 (21-for-77) with one home run and 12 RBI...Caissie has shown off his power capabilities in the past as he went deep 22 times a season ago while playing for Double-A Tennessee...Caissie’s 22 homers during the 2023 season were the most hit on the Tennessee Smokies and tied for the fourth most in the Southern League.

THIRD INNING SPECIAL: Iowa took the finale of the series vs. Louisville on Sunday by a score of 11-3...the win was highlighted by an eight-run third inning in which the I-Cubs tallied seven hits...it marked the most runs Iowa has scored in a single frame this season and the most since they also scored eight in the seven inning on Aug. 10, 2023 at Omaha...the I-Cubs also batted around (at least 10 plate appearances) for the first time since Sept. 5, 2023 vs. the Storm Chasers.

IN THE STANDINGS: With the I-Cubs taking the series opener last night at Buffalo, Iowa remains in first place in the International League West Division, 0.5 game ahead of Toledo...since dropping the first two games of the season at Omaha, Iowa is 14-6 in their last 19 games, including a four-game win streak from April 6-9 vs. Toledo and at St. Paul.

VS. BUFFALO: Iowa and Buffalo match up for a doubleheader today after Iowa won the series opener last night...they played a six-game series last season from April 18-23 at Buffalo in which Iowa took four of the six games, outscoring the Bisons 33-24.

PCA TO THE SHOW: Cubs’ No. 1 prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong was recalled by Chicago yesterday...Crow-Armstrong batted .203 (16-for-79) with nine extra-base hits and five steals in 19 games with the I-Cubs.

DOUBLE DIP: Iowa will play their second doubleheader of the season following April 19, in which they were swept by the Louisville Bats by scores of 9-6 and 4-1...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.

STAY HOT: Iowa infielder Luis Vázquez is batting .404 (21-for-52) since April 5...he ranks among International League leaders in batting average (2nd), on-base percentage (6th, .475) and hits (T-7th) during that span.

SERIES RECAP: Iowa won four of the six games vs. Louisville from April 16-21 at Principal Park, outscoring the bats 34-27 to give them their third straight series win...Louisville swept Iowa in a doubleheader on April 19, but the I-Cubs came out on top in the remainder of the games.

CARL IS CLOSING: MLB veteran and two- time world series champion Carl Edwards Jr., including 2016 with the Cubs, was signed by the Cubs for the third time of his career in early April and has pitched in five games in relief so far this season...his last two have come as save opportunities, and he has converted both times...on April 17 against Louisville, Edwards Jr. needed just 26 pitches for the six-out save, allowing one hit and striking out three... Saturday’s outing was a little more eventful as he allowed a hit and a walk in his 1.0 inning of work...Edwards Jr. brought the tying-run to the plate with 0 outs, but retired the next three batters in order to preserve the 4-1 victory.