Iowa Cubs Game Notes - July 20 vs. Salt Lake

TONIGHT'S GAMES: Iowa and Salt Lake meet for game two and three of the only four-game set of the season between the two ball clubs. Iowa is coming off a 3-1 series loss to Las Vegas and is 5-16 in its last 21 contests. The I-Cubs have fallen 11.5 games behind first-place Oklahoma City in the American North Division. Iowa is 12 games under .500, the lowest the team has been since 2013. The Salt Lake Bees have had a little more success, going 6-4 in their last 10 games after coming off a series split with Omaha. They also sit in third in the Pacific Southern Division, 9.5 games behind leader El Paso. 

ABOUT MONDAY: Iowa dropped the series opener to Salt Lake 12-7, Iowa's eighth consecutive loss against the Bees at Principal Park. Trevor Cahill made his first rehab start for Iowa and was knocked for three runs on three hits and three walks over 2.2 innings. Iowa was outhit 14-13 to fall to 22-15 on the season when tallying double-digit hits. Iowa also dropped to 0-10 when allowing 10 runs to its opponent. Daniel Vogelbach went 4-for-5 for his fifth four-hit game of his career and first since April 24, 2014. Kristopher Negrón tabbed his 19th multi-hit game of the season, tying Vogelbach for the team lead. 

GETTING HEALTHY: Iowa has been a stopping place for several big leaguers this season including Monday's starter Trevor Cahill. Outfielders Dexter Fowler and Jorge Soler are scheduled to start for Iowa tonight as part of a rehab assignment for hamstring strains. This is Fowler's first appearance in Triple-A ball since a rehab assignment with Oklahoma City in 2014. Soler is a little more familiar with the I-Cubs, rehabbing with them in 2015 in addition to 32 games played in 2014. During his career with Iowa, Soler holds a .268 average with 11 doubles, eight homers and 30 RBI. 

VOGY'S BACK: Daniel Vogelbach tied his single-game career high with his four hit contest Monday against Salt Lake. He has tallied four hits on four previous occasions, the last coming in 2014 while with Advanced-A Daytona. In his last 10 games, Vogelbach is batting .516 (16-for-31) with seven RBI and six walks. He has snuck into the top ten in batting in the PCL with a .318 average on the season and holds top honors for on-base percentage with a .425.

SNAPPED: Iowa dropped Monday's contest, but managed to break several negative streaks individually. Kristopher went 2-for-4 to snap an 0-for-9 skid. Similarly, Taylor Davis battled back from an 0-for-10 slump to go 2-for-4 with his first triple of the season. Daniel Vogelbach crushed a ninth-inning homer, ending a 16-game drought without a long ball for the I-Cubs home runs leader. 

HITTING MACHINE: The I-Cubs have recorded 33 games this season with 10 or more hits including Monday's 13 hit contest. In seven of the 16 games in July has Iowa knocked at least 10 hits. When hitting in double digits, the I-Cubs typically come out on top, holding a 22-15 record with 10 or more hits. 

AGAINST SALT LAKE: Salt Lake holds the close 55-50 advantage over Iowa all time. The two teams meet for the first and only time of 2016 this series. The I-Cubs are coming off a 3-1 series victory in 2015 where they outscored the Bees 32-17. Iowa tallied seven home runs during the series including two by Mike Olt. The series win last season snapped a streak of 11 consecutive losses to the Bees dating back to May 18, 2012. It was Iowa's longest losing streak against any team in its' PCL history.  

OLD FOES: Salt Lake starter Tyler Skaggs faced Iowa once prior in his career, on May 11, 2013 while with Reno. The lefty allowed just two runs over 6.1 innings and struck out seven, but was tagged with the loss as Iowa went on to win 4-1. Logan Watkins was the leadoff hitter in that game and went 1-for-4. Brett Jackson went 2-for-5 with two RBI, as Dave Sappelt and J.C. Boscan each went 2-for-4. 

AS PER USUAL: It wouldn't be a typical Iowa Cubs game without a stolen base and the gents recorded two in Monday's defeat. John Andreoli recorded his team-leading 23rd of the year while Munenori Kawasaki snagged his 13th. Andreoli sits in fifth in the PCL for stolen bases this season. Iowa as a team also leads the league in swiped bags with a remarkable 122. The record for most stolen bases in a season for the ball club was set in 1986 when the team recorded 205 stolen bases.

FAMILIAR FACES: Iowa Cubs' hitting coach Brian Harper is no stranger to Salt Lake as he managed the Bees from 2006-07. In 2007, Harper led the Bees to a first place finish in the Pacific North Division with a 74-69 record. Salt Lake ultimately fell to the Sacramento River Cats in the Pacific Conference Championships, 3-2. Harper then moved on to work in the Giants' organization before finding a home with the Cubs as the manager of Double-A Tennessee in 2010. He was named the hitting coach for Iowa in 2013. Quintin Berry has also seen time with both clubs, suiting up for the I-Cubs in five games late in 2015 before getting called up to Chicago in September. 

NO "I" IN TEAM: All nine position players reached base safely in Wednesday's contest with seven of the nine recording a hit. Mark Zagunis and Munenori Kawasaki both walked to reach base while four other I-Cubs recorded multi-hit games. The team tallied 13 hits for its 37th game with 10 or more hits this season but ultimately fell as the Salt Lake bats came loaded with hits as well.

SHORT HOPS: Armando Rivero ranks second in the PCL for the lowest batting average to opposing batters with a .181 mark and fourth for the highest SO/9IP ratio with a 12.56 ... Felix Pena ranks fourth for the fewest baserunners/9IP ratio with a 9.89 ... Iowa currently ranks second in the PCL in triples with 42 ... John Andreoli paces the league in both walks (60) and strikeouts (121) ... Daniel Vogelbach sits in second in walks (55) and fifth in total bases (167).