Iowa Cubs (14-27) at Round Rock Express (18-26)Monday, May 21 • 7:05 p.m. CT • Dell Diamond • Round Rock, TXRHP Alec Mills (1-4, 4.35) vs. LHP Yohander Méndez (0-3, 5.65)TONIGHT'S GAME: Iowa travels to Round Rock for the second time this month. RHP Alec Mills takes the mound tonight
Iowa Cubs (14-27) at Round Rock Express (18-26)
Monday, May 21 • 7:05 p.m. CT • Dell Diamond • Round Rock, TX
RHP Alec Mills (1-4, 4.35) vs. LHP Yohander Méndez (0-3, 5.65)
TONIGHT'S GAME: Iowa travels to Round Rock for the second time this month. RHP Alec Mills takes the mound tonight in his eighth start of this season. Mills leads the I-Cubs staff with three quality starts this season.
FREEMAN'S ON FIRE:Mike Freeman added another 2-for-5 performance yesterday with three-RBI and capped the effort with a walk off RBI single. Freeman holds a season-best seven-game hitting streak in which he is 11-for-29 (.379) with eight RBI. Freeman leads the I-Cubs with five doubles and 11 runs in May, and is second to Efren Navarro (16) with 13 RBI in the month.
FLASHING THE LEATHER: The I-Cubs are currently riding a seven-game errorless streak, which is their longest of the season. The team is starting to climb out of the bottom of the PCL in defensive statistics, ranking 11th in the league in fielding percentage (.979).
CLOSE THE GAP: Iowa improved to 4-7 in one-run games with a 3-2 win over Omaha yesterday. Of Iowa's 41 games this season, 30 have been decided by two or fewer runs with the I-Cubs coming out on the winning end nine times in close games.
TURNING A NEW LEAF: The Iowa Cubs have moved to 1-18 when opposing teams score first on the year, winning their first game in this situation yesterday. The team improved to 2-22 when trailing after six innings and is 3-3 when tied after seven.
ROSTER ROTATION: Iowa added outfielder Lane Adams to the roster today. Adams began the season with Atlanta, batting .235 (4-for-17) through 15 games. He was DFA'd and elected free agency on April 27 in leu of going to Triple-A Gwinnett. Adams, 28, logged a brief stint with Iowa in 2016, batting .231 (6-for-26) in seven games. Adams fills the active spot of Wynton Bernard, who was place on the disabled list.
AGAINST ROUND ROCK: Last time Iowa visited Texas, the I-Cubs took three of four from the Express. David Bote has not been kind to Round Rock pitching, going 10-for-18 with two home runs and three RBI. He adds a pair of walks for a .600 on-base percentage. On the flip side, Taylor Davis has struggled against the Express and is just 1-for-12 with a walk.
IN THE ZONE: Cory Mazzoni gave Iowa another 2.0 perfect innings yesterday. The righty has not allowed an earned run through 11.0 innings and six games in May. He has been flawless through his last four outings, allowing just one baserunner via intentional walk through 7.0 innings. Mazzoni leads PCL relievers, averaging just one walk per 18.2 innings
IN A PINCH:Bijan Rademacher pinch-hit for Iowa with bases loaded in the seventh inning yesterday and came up short with a strikeout. Iowa is just 3-for-20 in pinch-hit situations this season with Jacob Hannemann claiming two hits and Rademacher capturing one. The team has walked three times and whiffed 14 times.
WALK IT OUT: Mark Zagunis has drawn a walk in four-straight games (5 total), bring his season total to 22 and his on-base percentage to a team-leading .409 mark -- 14th-highest in the league. He is one of 15 PCL players with more than 20 walks this season.
MAY FLOWERS: Jacob Hannemann has done a 180 offensively, bouncing back from batting .149 in April (7-for-47) to hit .320 (16-for-50) in May. His on-base percentage month-by-month went from .200 to .393 and his OPS jumps from .413 to .753.
SHORT HOPS:Jen-Ho Tseng's nine Ks yester day were the most for a single Iowa pitcher this season. It was also a Triple-A career-high for the 23-year-old.
