Garcia's Bat, Castro's Arm Lift Redbirds Past Cubs

Matt Szczur picked up Iowa's lone hits in the loss

By Matt Grilli

April 4, 2014

Des Moines, IA - Memphis Redbirds (2-0) second basemen Greg Garcia hit two home runs, including a sixth-inning grand slam, drove in six and pitcher Angel Castro stymied the Cubs (0-2) offense over five shutout innings to lift the Redbirds past the Cubs 9-0 on chilly Friday night at Principal Park.

Castro and Cubs' starter Carlos Pimentel were locked in a pitcher's duel through three innings before Oscar Tavares hit a line drive home run to right field in the fourth inning to break the scoreless tie.

Memphis added to its lead by putting up a crooked number in the fourth inning. The rally started when catcher Ed Easley hit a towering double high off the wall in left field. Castro helped his own cause by picking up his second career hit, a sharp line drive to center field to drive in Easley. Six pitches later, Greg Garcia lifted a home run to right field to extend the Redbird lead to 4-0.

Pimentel, making his first start with Iowa after spending the first seven years of his career in the Rangers organization, exited after five innings, holding the Redbirds to four runs on eight hits with no walks and six strikeouts.

Jonathan Sanchez, making his I-Cubs debut, gave up all five runs I-Cubs relievers allowed. The lefty allowed three walks and hitting a batter before Garcia cleared the bases with a long home run to right field. Marcos Mateo, Blake Parker and Zac Rosscup limited the Redbirds to one walk over the final 3.1 innings.

Matt Szczur provided the Cubs with their only two hits of the game -- his first-inning double was his first triple-A hit. Szczur showcased his defensive skills by making a fantastic diving catch to rob Stephen Piscotty of a hit in the ninth inning. Catcher Luis Flores was the only other Cub to reach base twice as he drew two walks in three plate appearances.

Iowa will look for its first win of the season Saturday night when the 2013 Chicago Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Kyle Hendricks, squares off against the Redbirds lefty Tim Cooney. First pitch at Principal Park is set for 7:05. The game will be broadcast live on iowacubs.com with the pre-game show starting at 6:45.