Games Notes for Friday, May 8, 2015

TONIGHT'S GAME: The Iowa Cubs and Colorado Springs Sky Sox, Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, play game one of a four-game series tonight at Principal Park. This is the fifth game of the season between the two teams. Iowa is in third in the American Northern Division, 7.0 games behind the OKC Dodgers. Colorado Springs is fourth in the division, 11.0 games back.

LAST NIGHT: Iowa snapped a 18.2-inning scoreless streak with a four-run seventh inning last night as the Cubs edged the Nashville Sounds 4-1 to win the series 3-1. Nashville struck first against lefty Tsuyoshi Wada with a run in the first inning, but were held in check from there. Wada and three Iowa relievers, Gonzalez Germen, Blake Cooper and Brian Schlitter, combined to shut the Sounds down offensively over the final 8.0 frames. Trailing 1-0 in the seventh, Jonathan Mota and Taylor Davis hit RBI-singles and Arismendy Alcantara smacked a two-run home run to cap the big inning and the comeback.

ALMOST EVEN STEVENS: Iowa is looking to pull to .500 with a win tonight against the Sky Sox. Iowa is currently 13-14. The last time the I-Cubs were at the .500 mark was April 21 when they were 6-6. Iowa fell to as low as four games below .500 on May 2 when they were 9-13, but have won three of four since then.

BACK TO FUNDAMENTALS: Iowa is currently on a four-game errorless streak. It is the longest error-free streak of the season. Iowa has committed 23 errors, the sixth most the PCL. The I-Cubs have a .977 fielding percentage, tied for 11th in the league.

REHAB REPORT: Iowa has had three major league rehab assignments so far in 2015, already half as many as last season. Right-hander Justin Grimm was with the team for two days from May 4 & 5 and spun one scoreless inning before being activated on May 6. Right-hander Dallas Beeler has made three starts for Iowa and is 0-2, with a 9.53 ERA (12ER/11.1IP) since joining the team April 25 from Extended Spring Training where he was dealing with right shoulder inflammation. Left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada has made five rehab starts with Iowa this season. Wada joined Iowa April 17 from XST where he was nursing a left groin strain. He is 0-3 with a 3.25 ERA (10ER/27.2IP) and 23 strikeouts. 

VS. COLORADO SPRINGS: Tonight is the first game of a four-game series, and the fifth of 16 scheduled games between the Cubs and Sky Sox this season. Colorado Springs comes back to Principal Park June 11-14. Iowa goes to Security Service Field for the second time August 1-4. Last season, Iowa won the season series 11-5, taking five of eight at home. The teams split their first series of the season from April 25-28. Iowa leads the all-time PCL series 89-78. 

SAVE AND A BEAUTY: Right-hander Brian Schlitter nailed down his first save of the season for Iowa last night with a scoreless ninth inning. It was Schlitter's first save of the season, and his 37th as an Iowa Cub. Schlitter is second on the I-Cubs' all-time saves list, 29 behind Blake Parker's 66. Iowa has converted six of nine save opportunities this season. Lefty James Russell notched three in three tries before his promotion to Chicago on Tuesday.

FIRST STRIKE: Iowa has allowed 25 runs in the first inning this season, the most of any inning. Conversely, Iowa has only scored eight first-inning runs themselves. The Cubs are 4-11 when the opponent scores first, and 9-3 when they draw first blood.

COME WHAT MAY: The Iowa Cubs pitching staff scuffled to a 4.18 ERA in April with a 16:11 strikeout to walk ratio. Things have gotten better so far in the month of May. Through seven games, Iowa has a 2.32 team ERA with 51 strikeouts and just 19 walks.

ENCORE, ENCORE: The I-Cubs and Sky Sox are playing their second series in a span of two weeks. Two Iowa hitters should be happy to see Colorado Springs again so soon. Arismendy Alcantara and Christian Villanueva had their best offensive series of the season against the Sky Sox. Alcantara went 4-for-15 with two home runs, a triple, a double, three RBI and three runs scored during the four-game set. Villanueva went 5-for-12 with a home run, a triple, a double, five RBI and three walks in the series. 

TRANSACTION: Outfielder Junior Lake rejoins Iowa today after being optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday. Lake is hitting .289 (13-for-45) with eight RBI in 13 games for Iowa this season. He hit .286 (4-for-14) with one double and one RBI in four games with Chicago.