June 5 Game Notes: Iowa @ Omaha

IOWA CUBS (10-16) @ OMAHA STORM CHASERS (19-8)

Saturday, June 5, 2021 • 7:05 PM • Werner Park • Papillion, NE

RHP Scott Effross (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Scott Blewett (0-1, 7.11)

TONIGHT’S GAME: Iowa will try to get back on track against their I-80 rivals with Scott Effross taking the hill for just the fourth start of his minor league career. In just the second Triple-A appearance, Effross will make his first start since June 19, 2019, with Double-A Tennessee. He spun five scoreless innings that game, allowing just four hits. Opposite of Effross, Scott Blewett will start for Omaha, whose only loss this year came against Iowa. In two games against the I-Cubs, the righty has allowed 11 runs (seven earned) on 10 hits over 7.1 total innings pitched.

GOING THE WRONG DIRECTION: Early in the season, Iowa’s biggest strength was their pitching. They ranked among the top of the Triple-A East in nearly every major pitching category, and were dominating their opponents, not allowing more than six runs in their first 13 games. For the month of May, the pitching staff owned an ERA of 4.13. Although June has seen just four games so far, the I-Cubs pitching staff has an ERA of 6.95 and has allowed eight or more runs in consecutive games for the first time this season.

O’HEARN IS MASHING: Ryan O'Hearn has absolutely torched Iowa pitching this series, hitting .313 (5-for-16) against Iowa. All four of his home runs at the Triple-A level this year have come in the last four games against Iowa, as have nine of his 10 runs batted in on the year. He hit a home run in the first game of the series, one in the third game of the series, and two in last night’s game. The lefty is slugging 1.063 this series, with nearly as many home runs (4) as strikeouts (5).

LEAVING A LOT OUT THERE: Through four games in this series, Iowa has scored 18 runs, good for an average of 4.5 runs per game, up from 3.2 runs they averaged in their last series against St. Paul. Although that is over one run game improved, the I-Cubs are leaving a lot of runs out on the bases this series against Omaha. So far against the Storm Chasers, Iowa is 7-for-39 with runners in scoring position and have left 29 men on base. A big moment in last night’s game came in the sixth inning, when Iowa loaded the bases with nobody out and couldn’t score a run. In the bottom half of the inning, Omaha turned around and added to their lead with two runs of their own.

A GAME OF SEASON HIGHS: Last night, Omaha exploded for 13 runs on 16 hits to beat the I-Cubs 13-8. Iowa’s pitching staff also walked nine Storm Chasers’ batters, marking a season high. Their previous season high of walks was seven, surrendered on May 25 against St. Paul. Each pitcher for Iowa last night walked at least one batter, topping out at three free passes handed out by Trevor Megill. They also tied a previous season-high five home runs allowed, last done also against Omaha on May 21. Another season high allowed by I-Cubs’ pitching was the 16 hits allowed. Every starter in the Storm Chasers’ lineup had at least one hit, aside from their leadoff man, Edward Olivares. All but three hitters in their lineup had two or more hits, including two with three-hit nights. The sixth inning, in which Omaha batted around and did the majority of their damage scoring six runs, started off with two strikeouts, both looking. All of the damage came in that inning with two outs and nobody on base.

KEEP IT GOING: Dee Gordon played in his sixth game with Iowa last night and extended his hitting streak to five games. Strange-Gordon registered an RBI-single in the eighth inning to keep the streak alive.

SWARMER STRUGGLED: In his first Triple-A start of the year with Iowa, Matt Swarmer couldn’t get out of the third inning last night against Omaha. The righty tossed 2.2 innings, allowing seven earned runs on nine hits while walking one an striking out four. In 2019, Swarmer set the Iowa franchise record with 36 home runs allowed in a single season. There was more of that damage done in last night’s start, as Swarmer surrendered three long balls over his 2.2 innings of work.

AGAINST OMAHA: With the loss last night, Iowa fell in the season series to a record of 4-5. At Werner Park, Iowa has a record of just 1-3 this year, and 86-94 overall. So far this series, Omaha is outscoring the I-Cubs 26-18 despite being shutout in one of the games.

BOTTOM OF THE ORDER: Iowa got nearly all of their eight runs and 12 hits from the bottom half of their order last night. The five-through-nine hitters in the I-Cubs’ lineup last night went a combined 10-for-20, with seven runs scored, a double, two home runs and seven runs batted in. They walked three times compared to just four strikeouts. Four of the five hitters registered multi-hit games, including both Andrew Romine and Tony Wolters who each registered three hits.

QUITE THE FINISH: Andrew Romine ended last night’s game in a pretty unique way. Romine, the starting shortstop for Iowa last night, was having a great night at the plate, having gone 2-for-3 with a walk. His night improved when he came in to pitch for the 10th time in his career. He spun a scoreless bottom of the eighth inning, walking two batters. Not only did he keep his minor league ERA at 0.00 in three outings with the scoreless inning, he was the only pitcher on Iowa’s staff not to allow a run in last night’s game. Due up third in the top of the ninth and the last chance for Iowa, Romine came up to the plate and clubbed a solo home run on a 2-0 count. It was his first home run since August 16, 2019, against Indianapolis.

SHORT HOPS: Last night marked the first game Iowa has lost this year when scoring seven or more runs, they were previously 6-0 in those games...Saturday is the only day Iowa hasn’t won a game this year, they are currently 0-3 on Saturday’s...last night’s game was the longest game of the season at three hours and 31 minutes.