May 21 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs vs. Indianapolis Indians

IOWA CUBS (20-25) vs. INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (20-22)

Tuesday, May 21 • 6:38 PM CT • Principal Park • Des Moines, IA

LHP Thomas Pannone (3-3, 3.13) vs. RHP Quinn Priester (1-1, 3.95)

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Iowa Cubs and the Indianapolis Indians play the first of their six-game series tonight at Principal Park...the I-Cubs will send left-hander Thomas Pannone to the mound to make his 10th start of the season for Iowa vs. right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester who has made three starts with Indianapolis this season and five with Pittsburgh.

SUNDAY RECAP: On Sunday, the I-Cubs played the final game of the series at Syracuse and fell by a 5-3 score...Iowa took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning but Syracuse scored four runs in the fourth and another in the third to take a 5-1 lead...in the ninth, the I-Cubs scored two runs but their comeback fell just short...the bullpen combination of Ethan Roberts, Brad Wieck, Zac Leigh and Riley Martin combined for 5.0 scoreless innings.

HOME SWEET HOME: The I-Cubs return to Principal Park tonight after losing five of their six games in Syracuse from May 14-19...Iowa has gone 12-12 at home, including winning three of their last five, and 8-13 on the road...the I-Cubs played their last home series vs. Columbus from May 7-12 in which each club won three games.

BIG GAME BRENNEN: Brennen Davis went 4-for-5 Saturday night with two home runs and a career-high-tying five RBI (last - May 10, 2024 vs. COL), including a grand slam in the first inning, the second by an I-Cub this season ( Alexander Canario)...it marked his third career multi-homer game and his first since Sept. 14, 2021 at Omaha, in addition, it was Brennen’s first four-hit game since June 17, 2021 vs. Chattanooga...in his last nine games since May 10, Davis ranks among International League leaders in RBI (1st, 15), on-base percentage (1st, .622), slugging percentage (1st, 1.308), OPS (1st, 1.930), runs (1st, 15) home runs (T-1st, 7), total bases (2nd, 34), and batting average (3rd, .462)... Brennen extended his run scoring streak to 10 games Sunday, which is the longest active streak in the International League and the second-longest in all of MiLB... marks the longest such streak by an I-Cub since Jared Young scored in 11 straight games from Sept. 5-16, 2023.

VS. INDIANAPOLIS: Iowa and Indianapolis are facing off for their first series of the season and first since Aug. 22-27, 2023 at Indianapolis...the I-Cubs went 14-10 vs. the Indians last season and 9-3 against the club at Principal Park...dating back to June 14, 2023, Iowa has won nine of their last 11 games vs. Indy at home.

START THE STREAK: Cubs’ No. 11 prospect BJ Murray Jr. extended his hit streak to a season-long seven games on Sunday, in which he is batting .435 (10- for-23) with three doubles, three home runs and five RBI...Murray Jr. entered the streak batting .155 on the season and has raised his average to .203 entering play today...Murray Jr.’s hit streak is tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the International League.

TROUBLE OUT EAST: The I-Cubs have played 12 games on the east coast this season, playing at Buffalo in a six-game series from April 23-28 and at Syracuse from May 14-19...Iowa has gone 3-9 vs. teams in the International League East Division and 17-16 vs. the International League West Division.

WALK THIS WAY: Owen Caissie walked twice Friday night which marked his sixth multi-walk game of the season...he has 33 free passes on the season on the season, which ranks tied for fourth-most in the International League and is fifth-most among all minor leaguers aged 21-or- younger, trailing Wichita’s Emmanuel Rodriguez (38)...from April 25-May 2, Owen walked in eight consecutive games, which is the second-longest such streak in the International League this season and the longest by an I-Cub since Chase Strumpf also walked in eight straight games from Aug. 31-Sept 12, 2023.

GOIN’ BACK-TO-BACK: In the second inning of Wednesday’s game at Syracuse, Brennen Davis and BJ Murray Jr. hit back-to-back home runs for Iowa off Syracuse starter Mike Vasil...it marked the second time the I-Cubs have hit back- to-back homers this season, following Patrick Wisdom and Matt Mervis on April 9 at St. Paul.