Game Notes - 5.27.17 at Memphis

Iowa Cubs (21-26) at Memphis Redbirds (30-19)
RHP Casey Kelly (1-0, 6.75) vs. RHP John Gant (0-0, 1.23)
6:35 p.m. | AutoZone Park | Des Moines

TONIGHT'S GAME: Iowa and Memphis meet for the second time this season and the first at AutoZone Park. Iowa dropped its last series 3-1 to Reno and went 3-5 over the homestand. Memphis leads the American Southern Division with a 30-19 record and is 8-2 over its last 10 games. 
NOT QUITE ENOUGH: Iowa fell to Reno 7-6 last night, its fifth one-run loss in 16 games. The I-Cubs have scored six or more runs 19 times this season and are 12-7 in those contests. The team is 4-16 when giving up seven or more runs and 1-8 when allowing 10 or more runs. 
HIT 'EM OUT: Iowa hit at least one home run in five of eight games during the last homestand with nine total coming off the bats of Chris Dominguez (2), Jeimer Candelario (3), Ali Soli, Stephen Bruno, Mark Zagunis and Victor Caratini. Iowa sits in the middle of the PCL with 43 homers on the season and has gotten homers from 12 different players. Mark Zagunis and Jeimer Candelario pace the current Cubs roster with seven homers each. 
MAKING AN IMPACT: Jeimer Candelario was held to a .194 clip (6-for-31) over Iowa's eight-game homestand, but he made the most of them with all six hits falling for extra bases. Candelario drilled three home runs on consecutive days (5/20-22) and claimed seven RBI, the most for an I-Cub in the series. 25 of Candelario's 29 hits on the season have been extra-base knocks. He boasts a .633 slugging mark and a 1.031 OPS. 
JUICED: Jeimer Candelario came through with a bases-loaded double last night to clear the bags. After hitting .154 (22-for-143) with full bags in 2016, the I-Cubs have stepped it up and are 19-for-51 (.373) in the same situation. Iowa has hit a league-leading five grand slams this season off the bats of Victor Caratini, Ian Happ, Taylor Davis, Mark Zagunis and Candelario. 
A LATE RESCUE:Bijan Rademacher came in as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning last night and drilled a double in his only at bat. Rademacher is 3-for-12 (.250) when entering the game as a pinch-hitter or defensive replacement and has one double, two triples and five RBI. 
AGAINST MEMPHIS: Iowa dropped the first series of the season 3-1 to Memphis at Principal Park May 6-9. The Redbirds outscored Iowa 31-15, working I-Cubs pitchers up to a 7.50 ERA. Victor Caratini was on fire during the series, going 10-for-16 (.625) with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI. He recorded back-to-back four-hit games on May 8 and 9. Iowa hasn't posted a winning record in Memphis since 2012 (5-3), going 10-21 over the last four seasons. 
MY ONE AND ONLY: Iowa completed another one-run contest last night, marking its 11th in 16 games. The I-Cubs are 6-5 in one-run contests over this span and 11-9 overall. Their 11 wins pace the league. 
ROAD WARRIORS: Iowa is 12-13 on the road this season, compared to 9-13 in home games. The I-Cubs split their last road trip against Salt Lake and Las Vegas 4-4. John Andreoli has found the most success away from Des Moines, hitting .323 (20-for-62) with 10 extra-base hits and eight RBI in 15 games. He has reached base in every road game this season and 21 straight dating back to August 18, 2016 (27-for-85, .318, 7 2B, 3B, 3HR, 11 RBI). In 17 home games, Andreoli is batting .159 (11-for-69) with four extra-base knocks and three RBI. 
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE: Taylor Davis collected a pair of walks last night for the third time in five games. Davis now has more walks (14) than strikeouts (17) this season. Among PCL players with 100+ at-bats, Davis is one of only four to claim this achievement. The others in the group are Salt Lake's Shane Robinson (20BB, 16K), Oklahoma City's Alex Verdugo (21K, 19BB) and Memphis' Breyvic Valera (14BB, 13K). 
SHORT HOPS: Victor Caratini paces the I-Cubs with a .342 batting average and ranks eighth in the PCL. He also leads the league in grounded into double plays with 10...The 9,765 fans at Principal Park last night marked the biggest crowd of the season...Iowa is 4-8 in series openers this season...Manager Marty Pevey is on leave this series to attend his daughter's high school graduation. Chicago Cubs Minor League Hitting Coordinator, Andy Haines, will serve as his substitute.