Cubs Score Early, Often To Derail Express
Des Moines, IA - The Iowa Cubs (10-9) pounded out a season-high 10 runs and 12 hits while Eric Jokisch recorded his first triple-A win in beating the Round Rock Express (10-9) 10-3 on a sunny Wednesday afternoon before 4,505 fans at Principal Park.
The Cubs scored five times in the first three innings to knock Express starter Michael Kirkman out of the game. Arismendy Alcantara got the Cubs attack rolling for the second straight game, hammering an opposite field home run over the right field fence. The switch-hitting second baseman is the first Cub to homer in back-to-back games this season after blasting one from the left side of the plate last night. Iowa added four more runs off Kirkman in the third. Luis Flores drew his 10th walk of the season to start and after another walk to Chris Coghlan, Alcantara drove in Flores with his team-leading seventh double of the season. Cubs' top prospect Javy Baez got into the act by ripping a triple down into the left field corner to plate a pair. It was Baez's first triple of the season and the 11th of his professional career. A Chris Valaika RBI double was the final tally of the inning. Valaika finished the contest 3-for-3 with a walk. It was his team-leading sixth multi-hit game of the season. The four-run frame tied a season-high for most runs scored in an inning -- last doing so in the second inning on April 15 versus New Orleans.
Iowa added its final five runs in the two innings Scott Richmond was on the mound. They scored twice on three hits and a walk in the fourth. Logan Watkins extended his team-high hitting streak to nine games by doubling to start things off. Flores and Baez picked up RBI singles. The Cubs carried the momentum into the fifth inning, plating their final three runs on the afternoon. Flores ripped his second RBI single of the game up the middle and Coghlan proceeded to hit a two-run double to right. For Flores, it was his first time since July 4, 2013 that he had multiple RBI in a game.
The offensive outburst for the Cubs is due in large part to the top three hitters in the lineup -- Coghlan, Alcantara, Baez. Coghlan walked four times to go with his run-scoring double. The last Cubs to walk four times in a game was Watkins on April 25, 2013 at Omaha. Alcantara racked up two hits and two RBI and has hit safely in 14 of his 17 starts on the year. Baez recorded his second multi-hit game of the season and had a triple-A high three RBI. All told, those three hitters went 5-for-11 with seven RBI, four walks and four runs scored.
The offense gave Jokisch plenty of support. He tied a season-high working seven innings and scattered seven hits while allowing three earned runs. The southpaw didn't walk a batter and struck out eight. He's walked just three hitters compared to 18 strikeouts in 24.2 innings on the season. Jokisch led the entire Cubs farm system, and was second in the Southern League, with a career-best 137 strikeouts with the Tennessee Smokies last season. He's allowed three earned runs in 19.2 innings (1.41 ERA) in three starts at Principal Park on the year.
Marcus Hatley and Marcos Mateo struck out three in the final two innings and Cub pitchers finished with 11 punchouts on the afternoon. It was the ninth game this season the pitched staff has racked up double-digit strikeout totals in a game. They have 175 on the season and came into the day only trailing New Orleans for the league lead in that category.
Seven different players had a hit for Round Rock but former I-Cub Brad Snyder had the loudest -- and longest. His tape measure solo homer in the sixth was his fifth of the year, moving him into a tie with Jared Hoying and Bryan Petersen for the team lead. The Express have hit a PCL-best 27 home runs on the season.
The Cubs have their first off day of the season tomorrow before hitting the road for a brief four-game series against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. First pitch on Thursday night from Security Service Field is scheduled for 7:35 Central time. LH Tsuyoshi Wada (2-1, 0.84) takes the bump for the Cubs against LH Pedro Hernandez (1-0, 9.42). The game will be broadcast live on AM 940 and streamed live at iowacubs.com with the On-Deck Circle Pre-Game Show starting at 7:15. The Cubs return to Principal Park on Monday evening to begin a four-game series with the Omaha Storm Chasers.