Game Notes - 8.5.17 vs. Fresno

Iowa Cubs (51-58) vs. Fresno Grizzlies (66-46)
RHP Seth Frankoff (1-6, 4.20) vs. RHP Rogelio Armenteros (5-0, 2.86)
Saturday, August 5 | 7:08 p.m. | Principal Park | Des Moines

TONIGHT'S GAME: Iowa and Fresno meet in game three of a four-game series tonight at Principal Park. The I-Cubs defeated the Grizzlies 5-4 last night, overcoming a three-run deficit with a four-run bottom of the fifth inning. Iowa came back from a three-run deficit to win for the first time since June 24 at Round Rock. In that game, the I-Cubs trailed 5-2 heading into the sixth before winning 10-5. 
ROARING BACK: The I-Cubs trailed 4-1 before rallying with a four-run fifth to take a 5-4 lead. Iowa started the inning with five straight baserunners, three consecutive singles followed by a walk and another single. Chesny Young, Bijan Rademacher and Elliot Soto singled, followed by a Tommy La Stella RBI walk. Rademacher came in to score on a Jemile Weeks single to bring the Cubs within one, followed by Elliot Soto scoring the tying run on a Mark Zagunis fielder's choice. Tommy La Stella scored the eventual game-winning run on a Taylor Davis sacrifice fly.
ANOTHER ONE RUN: Iowa played in its 37th one-run game of the season on Friday night, improving to 21-16 (.568) in one-run contests. The I-Cubs have now surpassed their 2016 win total in one-run games, when they went 20-21 (.488). Iowa's 37 one-run games are most in the PCL, and seven of the team's last 10 games have been decided by one run. The I-Cubs have not led the league in one-run games since 2012, when they played in 54 one-run games and went 22-32 (.407).
TOP FIVE: Each of the first five batters in Iowa's starting lineup last night recorded an RBI: Tommy La Stella, Jemile Weeks, Mark Zagunis, Taylor Davis and Victor Caratini. It was the first time all season that the top five in Iowa's order all recorded an RBI, and the first time since August 31, 2016 at Nashville. In that game, the first six batters (Andreoli, Rademacher, Almora, Candelario, Murton, Watkins) in Iowa's lineup all recorded at least one RBI in a 10-1 I-Cubs win.
JACK AND DILLON: Relievers Jack Leathersich and Dillon Maples combined for three scoreless innings last night, with Leathersich registering his eighth hold and Maples his second save for Iowa this season. Leathersich has now tossed eight straight scoreless appearances, spanning 8.1 innings. Maples tosses two innings, the longest outing of his Triple-A career. The six-out save was the fifth for Iowa as a team this year.
AGAINST FRESNO: The I-Cubs and Grizzlies meet for a four-game series, the only time the two teams will meet this season. They met in a four-game set last season from August 12-15 at Chukchansi Park, with Iowa taking three out of four from Fresno. The I-Cubs dropped the opener in that series before rattling off three straight victories. Historically, Iowa has had Fresno's number, going 56-37 against Fresno and 32-14 in Des Moines. Since 2010, the I-Cubs own an impressive 6-1 series record against the Grizzlies.
WEEKS AT A TIME: Jemile Weeks has reached base in 34 of his 35 starts with Iowa this season. The only time he failed to reach base as a starter came on July 20 when he went 0-for-4. The only other times he has not reached base came on July 16 and July 29, both pinch-hit appearances. Since the start of July, Weeks' .874 OPS is second to only John Andreoli (1.019) on the I-Cubs, and his 12 doubles in that span lead the team.
CARAT CRUSH: Victor Caratini hasn't missed a beat since being optioned from Chicago on July 31. In his two games back with Iowa, Caratini has notched three hits and one walk in seven plate appearances. Two of his three hits have been for extra bases, including his ninth home run of the year last night. Caratini is also fourth in Chicago's system in RBI with 55, a remarkable feat considering he has played in 29 and 31 fewer games than the top three players in the system.
ZAGUNIS STREAK SNAPPED: After failing to reach base last night, Mark Zagunis snapped an on-base and hitting streak as a starter that dated back to July 25. In eight games as a starter since that time, Zagunis was 12-for-33 (.364) with four runs scored, two doubles, a home run, seven RBI, six walks and 10 strikeouts. Zagunis did fail to reach base as a pinch hitter on July 30, making it the only blemish on his line through that span.
SHORT HOPS: Iowa registered its 500th RBI as a team last night…Aaron Brooks owns the best BB/9 ratio in the PCL (1.72)…Neither bullpen gave up a run in an I-Cubs game for the first time since July 25 at El Paso...Tommy La Stella had his first multi-walk game with Iowa since May 5 at New Orleans...Mark Zagunis stole his 40th base in his professional career...Victor Caratini is .415 (39-for-94) with four homers and 29 RBI as a first baseman and .301 (46-for-153) with four homers and 25 RBI as a catcher for Iowa this season.