Game Notes for Monday, July 5
RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY: The Cubs and Isotopes play a double-header tonight after getting rained out last night. The Cubs also have a double-header scheduled for Friday against New Orleans after a rainout at Zephyr Field on June 28th. The Cubs have been rained out four times at home and once on the road. This is the team's fourth double-header of the season. The first three have been against Round Rock with the Cubs sweeping twin bills at home on April 27th and June 15th and splitting a double-header at Round Rock on June 3rd. In addition to Friday's double-header, the Cubs also have a double-header scheduled for July 20th against Oklahoma City.
CUBS LOSE HOME RUN DERBY IN OMAHA: The Cubs lost 6-5 in Omaha on Saturday night on a walk-off homer by Rick Ankiel off Marco Carrillo. Carrillo was making his Triple-A debut after coming up from high-A Daytona where he hadn't allowed a run in 13.1 innings. It was the third walk-off homer allowed by the Cubs this year. The Cubs lost back-to-back games on walk-off homers at Nashville on May 28-29. The teams combined to hit seven home runs on Saturday with the Cubs connecting on a season-high four homers. Bryan LaHair, Bobby Scales, Sam Fuld, and Brad Snyder all went deep. The Cubs had back-to-back three homer games June 25th against Omaha and June 26th at New Orleans for the previous high this season. Saturday night's four home runs were the most in a game for the Cubs since hitting five last year on May 14th at Colorado Springs.
BULLPEN MAKEOVER: The Chicago Cubs recalled RH Justin Berg today. He is the fourth relief pitcher called up to Chicago in the last nine days. Brian Schlitter, Jeff Stevens, and James Russell have also gotten the call recently. Since the changes started, the bullpen has allowed 15 runs in 15.1 innings over the last six games. Iowa's bullpen has lost their last three decisions and have been charged with 12 blown saves in 30 opportunities this year. Cubs' starters have won their last three decisions.
VS. ALBUQUERQUE: The season series is tied 2-2 after the Cubs and 'Topes split a four-game series at Principal Park, June 18-21. This is the final series between these two teams at Principal Park. The Cubs will travel to Albuquerque for a four-game series on July 27 - 30 and again August 30 - September 2. Last year, the Isotopes won the season series 9-7 and the teams split the eight games at Principal Park. Since joining the PCL, the all-time series is tied 80-80 and the Cubs hold a 46-38 advantage in Des Moines.
BACK ON TRACK: 1B Micah Hoffpauir has both hit safely and recorded an RBI in seven of his last nine games. During the last nine games, Hoffpauir is batting .412 (14-for-34) with six doubles, three home runs, six runs scored, and 14 RBI. Hoffpauir ended the month of May batting .196. Since June 1st, he is batting .337 (33-for-98) with 12 doubles, a triple, five home runs, 16 runs scored, and 23 RBI in 28 games.
HIT MACHINE: SS Darwin Barney has hit safely in six of his last seven games. Barney is tied for fourth in the league with 94 hits. Matt Miller of Colorado Springs leads the league with 97. Jamie Hoffman of Albuquerque and Irving Falu of Omaha are tied for second with 95. Barney hasn't gone hitless in consecutive games since June 6-7 and has hit safely in 18 of 22 games since then. In the last 22 games, Barney is batting .309 (29-for-94) with eight doubles, five RBI, and 12 runs scored.
MAKE IT A DOUBLE: 2B Bobby Scales finished with two hits and scored two runs on Saturday. It was his second multi-hit game since May 23rd. Scales has hit safely in four straight games and five of his last six. He has also scored a run in five of his last six games. During this stretch, he is batting .300 (6-for-20) with two doubles, a home run, three RBI, and seven runs scored. He has also walked six times in the last six games and leads the team with 38 walks.
CHEN JOINS I-CUBS: The I-Cubs have added RH Hung-Wen Chen to the roster from double-A Tennessee today. Chen was 8-6 with a 2.96 ERA in 16 starts with the Smokies and is currently tied for third in the Southern League in wins and innings pitched (97.1) and was recently named a SL All-Star. He was 4-0 with a 2.53 ERA in June and was named the SL Pitcher of the Week for June 14-20. The Cubs signed Chen as a non-drafted free agent on April 12, 2007. He hails from Keelung City, Taiwan and pitched for Taiwan in the 2005 Baseball World Cup.
UPCOMING PROBABLES (times CT)
| Monday, July 5 gm. 2 | 7:05 p.m. | vs. Albuquerque | RH Jesus Castillo (0-1, 10.80) vs. RH Thomas Diamond (5-2, 2.53) |
| Tuesday, July 6 | 7:05 p.m. | vs. Albuquerque | RH James McDonald (4-1, 4.65) vs. LH J.R. Mathes (6-5, 4.55) |
| Wednesday, July 7 | 7:05 p.m. | vs. Albuquerque | RH Claudio Vargas (1-2, 4.70) vs. RH Casey Coleman (7-7, 4.29) |
| Thursday, July 8 | 7:05 p.m. | vs New Orleans | TBA vs RH Mitch Atkins (5-2, 3.60) |