April 8 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs vs. Omaha Storm Chasers

IOWA CUBS (6-4) vs. OMAHA STORM CHASERS (5-5)

April 8 • 12:08 PM CT • Principal Park • Des Moines, IA

RHP Charlie Barnes (2-0, 1.42) vs. RHP Ethan Bosacker (0-0, 6.75)

TODAY’S GAME: The Iowa Cubs and the Omaha Storm Chasers are set to play the second of a six-game series at Principal Park today...right-hander Charlie Barnes is slated to make his third appearance (first start) of the season for Iowa...right-hander Ethan Bosacker is scheduled to pitch for Omaha.

SOMETIMES GOOD THINGS END: The Iowa Cubs fell in the series opener to Omaha last night by a 8-1 score and snapped their five-game winning streak...the I-Cubs lone run came in the second inning as Kevin Alcántara hit a solo home run...Jonathon Long
**had two hits for Iowa...Ryan Jensen** made his first outing for the I-Cubs this season and worked 1.2 scoreless innings with a strikeout.

SNAPPED: Iowa had their five-game winning streak snapped last night...the five-game streak marked their longest winning streak since the club won 10 straight from Aug. 29-Sept. 9, 2025.

BIG WILLIE STYLE: Friday night’s starter Will Sanders earned his first win as he pitched 6.0 innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts...he is the first I-Cubs pitcher this year to toss at least 6.0 innings and first since Walker Powell on Sept. 19, 2025 vs. Toledo...also marked the first seven strikeout game by a starter since Austin Gomber on Sept. 12, 2025 at Indianapolis.

HOMER HAPPY: The I-Cubs have homered in nine straight games, which is the longest such streak in the International League this season, along with Louisville...marks the club’s longest such streak since they homered in 12 straight on June 25-July 8, 2025...Iowa leads all of Triple-A with 21 home runs, ahead of next closest Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (17).

CONGRATS, RILEY: Cubs left-handed Riley Martin made his Major League debut Monday at Tampa Bay, throwing a scoreless frame...Riley made 105 appearances with Iowa over the course of four seasons...he was added to the 40-man roster this offseason after he went 6-2 with a 2.69 ERA (19 ER in 63.2 IP) and 80 strikeouts.

TRI: Cubs No. 10 prospect James Triantos went hitless last night but hit in eight straight games from March 27-April 5 which is his longest such streak since Aug. 23-Sept. 3, 2025...during that span, James batted .412 (14-for-34) with nine runs scored, two home runs, eight RBI and two walks...Triantos ranks among International League leaders in hits (T-2nd, 14) and runs scored (T-5th, 9)...he tallied his first four-hit game as an I-Cub Thursday night...it marked his first four-hit game since June 8, 2024 vs. Birmingham and the first four-hit game by an I-Cub since Forrest
Wall on Aug. 31, 2025.

THE JAGUAR: Cubs No. 4 prospect (MLB.com) Kevin Alcántara has homered in back-to-back-to-back games for the first time in his professional career...he is one of two players in the International League to do so this season along with teammate Chas McCormick...Kevin ranks among International League leaders in home runs (T-1st, 5), extra-base hits (T-1st, 7), on-base percentage (3rd, .552), walks (T-3rd, 11), slugging percentage (4th, .781) and total bases (4th, 25)...seven of Alcántara’s eight hits have one for extra bases and he has reached base in 13 of his 37 plate appearances.

HERE’S JONNY: Cubs No. 7 prospect Jonathon Long batted .235 (4-for-17) after four games in March is since batting .375 (13-for-41) in six April games, including four straight multi-hit games...it marks his longest such streak since he also had four straight multi-hit games from June 29 (G2)-July 3, 2024 with Double-A Knoxville and the longest by an I-Cub since Owen Caissie (five games) from July 3-July 8, 2025.

ISN’T IT GRAND?: Along with Jonathon Long’s grand slam in the second inning last Wednesday at Louisville, Reds prospect Rece Hinds hit one in the first inning...it marked the first time each team had hit a grand slam in an I-Cubs game since Aug. 10, 2009 vs. Las Vegas in which Matt Craig (I-Cubs) and Angel Sanchez each did so.