A Wonderful 12 Year Old

Nope, this 12 year old isn't playing in the Little League World Series, but this kid is trying to change the world through baseball. Over at BleedCubbieBlue.com, there is an article about a girl named Jenna who is trying to raise money for her favorite charities, starting with auctioning off some of her prized autographed baseballs. As you'll read, she is quite the 12 year old.

Minor League Report for 8/31

Iowa 3 Oklahoma 2 - Eric Patterson went 2-3 with a RBI, a walk, and his 6th stolen base since being promoted to Iowa, while Felix Pie went 1-3 and his 16th stolen base of the season. Pie has now swiped 11 of his last 13 attempts, after starting 5-13. On the mound, Wilton Chavez (6-4) took the win going 6 innings, and giving up 2 ERs while Mac Suzuki, Clay Rapada, and Kerry Ligtenberg locked down the win with 3 innings of shutout relief.

Peoria 8 Wisconsin 7 - Yusuf Carter went 2-5 with a double and 2 RBIs, and added the game winning single in the bottom of the 11th to earn a win for the Peoria Chiefs. Robinson Chirinos went 1-5 with a walk and his 9th HR of the year, a 3 run shot in the 2nd inning. Jesus Valdez went 2-6 while Ryan Norwood went 2-3 and Davy Gregg went 3-5 with a double. Gregg, who had led off for most of the season, hit 8th for Peoria, as his batting average has fallen to .222 on the season. Closer, Matt Avery (4-3), went 3 shutout innings giving up just 1 hit and striking out 5 to earn the win.

Boise 9 Spokane 0 - Jose Ceda (1-0) went 5 shutout innings, giving up just 1 hit, 1 walk, and struck out 6, while Jeremy Papelbon pitched in relief, going 2 shutout innings in relief. At the plate, Tyler Colvin went 1-4 with a grand slam, his 8th HR, in the 5th innings, while Russ Canzler went 1-4 as well with his 16th HR of the year. Matt Matulia went 2-3 with a walk, while Alfred Joseph had 2 hits for the 7th time in his last 9 games, raising his average back up to .313 on the year. Josh Lansford also added 2 hits for the 2nd straight game, going 2-4.

Notes: The AZL Cubs were no-hit again and there are also some notes on 2006 draftee Chris Huseby; The Daytona Cubs and the rest of the Florida State League are having a tough time with weather, and particularly Ernesto.

Minor League Report for 8/30

Oklahoma 5 Iowa 4 - Jeff Deardorff hit a 3 run HR in the top of the 9th, his 9th of the season, but it wasn't enough for the Iowa Cubs. On a night where Felix Pie went 0-4, Eric Patterson went 0-2 with 2 walks, while Randy Wells (4-5) pitched well going 6 innings, giving up 7 hits, 2 ERs, 2 walks, and striking out 5. It was Wells best performance in over a month, only the 2nd in his last 6 starts where he has given up fewer than 4 ERs.

Mobile 3 West Tennessee 1 - JR Mathes (9-8) went 5 innings, giving up 6 hits 2 ERs, 2 walks, and struck out 2, while taking the loss for the D-Jaxx. Miguel Negron went 3-5 with a double, while Tony Richie went 1-3 with a double. Jake Fox pinch hit and struck out and Brandon Sing went 1-3 with 2 walks.

Wisconsin 3 Peoria 0 - Fabian Jimenez Angulo (6-10) took his 10th loss of the season going 5 innings, giving up 9 hits, 3 ERs, 1 walk, and struck out 2. Valerio Heredia led off once again and went 1-4, and had the Peoria Cheifs' only extra base hit, a double.

Boise 9 Spokane 4 - Tyler Colvin went 1-4 with his 7th HR of the season, bringing him to 44 RBIs on the season. Josh Lansford returned to the lineup, going 2-4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs. Russ Canzler went 3-4 with a triple, bringing his line up to 270/327/556, and Alfred Joseph went 0-2, but did walk twice. Bill Muldowney started for Boise, going 5 innings, giving up 6 hits, 3 ERs, 2 walks, and struck out 3. Darin Downs (3-2) took the win going 2 innings, while giving up an earned run, while Alfredo Francisco pitched 2 perfect innings to seal the win for the Hawks.

Notes: Iowa is in the playoff hunt, and just like the Boise Hawks, are batting a number of injuries which are affecting the organization; Sam Fuld is also battling back from an injury and has suffered a setback on his injured hip; Over at InsideTheIvy.com, they sat down with Cubs' rookie, Sean Marshall, for a Question and Answer session.

A Closer Look at Ryan Harvey

Saying Ryan Harvey has had an odd 2006 season, is like saying Sybil is monotonous. Harvey has put has put a schizophrenic spin on his season, posting an OPS of 585 before the all-star break, and an OPS of 873 after the break.

So, who is the real Ryan Harvey? What can we find within the numbers to indicate which output Harvey is most likely to give us?

Remarkably, Harvey's BB/K rates are identical before and after the break, with a 12/60 ratio before the break, and a 11/61 ratio after the break (although in 10 more games), so we can throw out any adjustment factor that Harvey may have had.

Probably the most important statistic is BABIP, or Batting Average on Balls In Play. BABIP typically gives an indication on how fortunate (aka lucky) a player has been when putting the ball in play. The league average for the Florida State League has been around .308 for 2006. Furthermore, for players like Harvey who strike out quite often, the BABIP should always be significantly higher, as strike outs often skew a BA down, while not affecting the BABIP. So, let's look at Harvey's numbers, thanks to MinorLeagueSplits.com:

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	BABIP
April	78	14	1	0	5	6	24	0.179	0.238	0.385	0.623	0.184
May	90	15	4	0	0	6	21	0.167	0.224	0.211	0.436	0.217
June	101	26	6	1	2	1	27	0.257	0.265	0.396	0.661	0.333
July	95	29	5	0	9	2	29	0.305	0.327	0.642	0.969	0.351
August	89	30	7	0	4	7	18	0.337	0.394	0.551	0.945	0.388

As you can see, in April, Harvey's BABIP and batting average, were nearly identical. This means basically, Harvey was not only not hitting the ball much, but when he did he hit into quite poor luck. In May, Harvey's luck didn't improve much, just obtaining hits in 22% of his balls hit in play. In June, July, and August, Harvey's luck began to turn around, and were all above league average for each month.

So, which Harvey should we expect in 2007 and further into the future? Well, as usual the truth often lies in between extremes. Harvey's current line of 253/293/442 is slightly below his career minor league numbers, so most likely numbers like 260/300/490 are what you can expect from Harvey based upon his career. Harvey will still produce power, and his run production has been exceptional (100 RBIs in 117 games in 2005, 84 RBIs in 118 games in 2006), especially despite his low batting average.

Outside the numbers, scouts are saying Harvey is still struggling with the curveball. Typically a batter can get away with this in A Ball, but the AA transition is often the most difficult, so next year will be big for Harvey.

The Best Case Scenario for Harvey is a Chicago debut in late 2008, as a player like Jeff Franceour, who will never have a high OBP, but will produce runs and will play a good right field.

Minor League Report for 8/29

Oklahoma 1 Iowa 0 - Luis Montanez had a double and Augie Ojeda had a single for the only two Iowa Cubs' hits on Monday night. Jae Kuk Ryu (7-8) took the hard luck loss, pitching a complete game, going 8 innings, giving up 5 hits, 1 ER, 2 walks, and striking out 7. The only run of the game came on a homerun from former Pirate, Cub, and Tiger, Randall Simon.

Mobile 4 West Tennessee 2 - Chris Walker went 1-2 with 2 walks, and both of the D-Jaxx' runs, and he also added his 46th stolen base of the season, while Jake Fox went 1-4 with a double. Bobby Brownlie (3-11) continued his poor season, giving up 2 run HR in the bottom of the ninth to take the loss. Scott Moore went 0-3 at the plate, but interestingly enough, played shortstop for the first time this season.

Vero Beach 8 Daytona 1 - Ryan Harvey went 1-3, driving the only run of the game in for the Daytona Cubs, while Jemel Spearman and Matt Craig each went 2-4. Justin Berg (7-7) took the loss going 3 innings, giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, 2 ERs, 2 walks, and struck out 3. Grant Johnson, who is headed to the AFL, pitched an inning in relief, giving up just a hit.

Peoria 3 Wisconsin 1 - Twenty-two year old, Jesse Estrada (6-1) took the win going 7 innings, giving up just 2 hits, 1 ER, no walks, and struck out 4. Jesus Valdez went 2-4 at the plate, while Valerio Heredia made his 2nd appearance at Peoria, going 1-4 and stealing his 1st base, after leading off for the AZL Cubs for most of the season.

Notes: Over at InsideTheIvy.com, there is an article discussing the injuries that the Boise Hawks are enduring, including injuries to Josh Lansford, Deryck Lewis, and Elvin Puello.

Weekend Minor League Report

After a week off theeeyyyy'rreee baaaacccckkkk! Your Monday Morning Bullets...

• Felix Pie went 3-11 with 2 doubles and 2 walks over the weekend. For August, Pie has a line of 333/393/604, while for the season his line is 281/341/445.
  
• Ryan Harvey went 3-9 over the weekend with his 20th HR of the year, which also brought him to 83 RBIs on the year. After a month of July where Harvey boasted an OPS of 1000, Harvey hasn't dropped off to much in August where he has an OPS of 921. On top of that Harvey is having by far his best month with regard to his BB/K rate. In August, Harvey has walked a season high 8 times in a month, while striking out a season low 19 times in a month.
• Scott Moore went 5-10 this weekend, adding his 22nd HR of the year. Moore is having a great August as well, where he has hit 6 HRs and currently has an OPS of 1056.
• Russ Canzler and Tyler Colvin had big Sundays for Boise. Canzler hit his 7th HR of August, a month in which he also has 27 RBIs, while Colvin added his 6th HR of the year. In the same game, Mark Pawelek earned his 3rd win of the season, going 5 innings, giving up 4 hits, 1 ER, 1 walk, and struck out 6.
• Here is an update on the Boise Hawks and their playoff race.
• Mitch Atkins suffered his 4th loss of the season on Sunday, dropping to 12-4. Atkins went 5 innings, giving up 7 hits, 4 ER, 2 walks, and struck out 3. It was the first start Atkins had given up at least 4 ERs since early July.
• Who should start in center next year, Felix Pie or Juan Pierre? Frequent poster, Kyle Johansen answered that question over at CubsHub.com, so check it out!
  

Minor League Report for 8/25

Iowa 5 New Orleans 4 - Felix Pie went 2-3 with 2 walks, a double, and his 13th HR of the year. Pie also added his 15th stolen base of the year, which capped of an ideal night at the leadoff spot. Eric Patterson had his first game where he didn't have multiple hits, although he did go 1-4 with a walk, while 4 other Iowa Cubs added 2 hits each. Kerry Ligtenberg (4-4) took the win in relief, while starter, Randy Wells, took a no decision going 5 innings, giving up 9 hits, 4 ER, 2 walks, and striking out 6.

Huntsville 6 West Tennessee 5 - Jake Fox went 2-3 with a double and a walk, while hitting 3rd, and Scott Moore went 1-2 with a walk and his 21st HR of the year, a 2 run shot in the 6th inning. Richard Lewis went 3-4 at the plate, with a double, and Chris Walker went 1-4 with a double and his 42nd stolen base of the year. JR Mathes started and took a no decision, going 6.1 IP, giving up 6 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned, 2 walks, and striking out 7. AFL bound, Lincoln Holdzkom (2-3), took the loss in relief giving up a run in 0.2 IP.

Daytona 2 St. Lucie 1 - Nathan Price went 2-3 with a double and a triple and drove in each of the Daytona Cubs' runs. Ryan Harvey went 0-1 with a walk and his 7th stolen base of the season. Carlos Perez (5-7) earned the win going 6 shutout innings, giving up 8 hits, no walks, and striking out 5.

Peoria 3 Quad Cities 2 - Kyle Reynolds went 1-2 with his 9th HR of the year, a solo shot in the 5th, while Yusuf Carter went 1-3 with a RBI. Ryan Norwood and Ryne Malone each went 1-3 at the plate. Fabian Jimenez Angulo (6-9) went 5 innings, giving up 9 hits, 2 ER, 2 walks, and struck out 2, while Matt Avery saved his 18th game of the year with a perfect 9th.

Boise 8 Spokane 7 - Jose Ceda made his Boise debut, and pitched well, before giving up 4 runs in the 4th inning. Ceda finished up going 4 IP, giving up 3 hits, 4 ER, 1 walk, and struck out 4. Jason Ruhlman (2-1) earned the win in relief while going 2 shutout innings. At the plate, Tyler Colving went 3-5 with a triple, while Russ Canzler went 1-3 with a walk and his 14th HR of the year. Also, Alfred Joseph added another multi-hit game going 2-5 raising his line to 306/362/440.

Some Evening Notes

• MiLB.com has overhauled their player pages. They still have a long way to go, but its much better than before. Here is an example, Felix Pie's page.
  
• John Sickels had one of his famous AQA (All Questions Answered) sessions, and there are quite a few Cubs' questions, including one where Sickels says that Rich Hill needs to get away from the Cubs.
  
• Ed Campusano of the Peoria Chiefs was named to the postseason all-star team, he was the only Chief to receive the honor.
• Jae Kuk Ryu pitched a couple scoreless innings for the big club today, a good sign for Ryu, although it means he is unlikely to make the start on Sunday. Sean Marshall, Wade Miller, or Jerome Williams could be in line to make the start.
  

Minor League Report for 8/24

Iowa 12 New Orleans 8 - Michael Restovich hit another HR, his 24th of the year, and 2 other Iowa Cubs added HRs as well, Jeff Hoorelbeke (#4) and Casey McGehee (#10). Eric Patterson continues to hit at Iowa, going 3-5 with his 3rd SB in 4 games, and has raised his average at Iowa to .550 (11-20). Felix Pie led off and went 1-4 with a walk and a double, although he did strike out twice. Wade Miller (1-0) went 5 innings, constantly working out of trouble as he gave up 11 hits, 5 ER, 2 walks, and struck out 2. With the I-Cubs run support, Miller managed to still pull out his first win at Iowa. AFL bound, Clay Rapada, pitched a perfect inning (the only Iowa Cub pitcher not to give up a run) in relief.

Huntsville 4 West Tennessee 0 - Chris Walker went 2-4 and Scott Moore, Jake Fox, Brandon Sing, and Miguel Negron all went 1-4, which accounted for all of the D-Jaxx' hits. Defensively, Jake Fox caught once again, and added his 13th passed ball of the year and his 3rd error on a bad throw. Hugo Castellanos (0-1) picked up the hard luck loss going 6 innings, giving up 3 hits, 1 ER, walking 6 and striking out 5.

Jupiter 7 Daytona 4 - Chris Robinson went 1-4 with his 3rd HR of the year, a 3 run shot in the 6th inning, but it wasn't enough for the Daytona Cubs. Mark Holliman (7-11) picked up his 11th loss of the season while going 5 innings, giving up 5 hits, 5 ER, 2 walks, and striking out 5. Grant Johnson pitched well once again in relief, going 2.1 IP, while giving up just 2 hits. Ryan Harvey went 0-2 with a walk, his 21st of the season.

Boise 15 Spokane 1 - Russ Canzler went 4-6 with 3 doubles and 3 RBIs, while Tyler Colvin went 2-6 and added his 12th stolen base of the year. Alfred Joseph went 2-2 with 3 walks and 2 RBIs and Steve Clevenger went 2-5 with a walk. Bill Muldowney (1-2) went 5 shutout innings, giving up 3 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 7. Darin Downs went 3 innings in relief, while giving up 2 hits, 1 ER, 2 walks, and striking out 4.

Notes: As is common here, lets take a look down at Rookie ball and see how some of the Cubs 2006 draftees are doing. Drew Rundle went 2-4 with a walk and a double and 3 RBIs while Cliff Andersen went 2-4 with a triple, both in the AZL Cubs 9-8 loss. Rundle's line is a respectable 245/378/391 in 32 games, while Andersen has a line of 252/356/317; Over at InsideTheIvy.com there are 3 interesting articles, worth a look. First, ITI looks at the AFL position players and pitchers, and also has an article about Brian Dopirak and his second surgery on his foot.

Exciting News about this Site!

I'm pleased to announce that we have added another contributor to this site. Our new writer has posted under the name Romero, over at BleedCubbieBlue.com. Most recently, Romero has written diaries analyzing the Iowa Cubs and the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx. Romero is a skilled writer and a fan of the Cubs and their minor league system, and he will be posting at his convenience here. Here is some of his work over at BCB.

Look forward to Romero's posts coming soon!

Minor League Report for 8/23

Iowa 5 Oklahoma 3 - Eric Patterson continued his hot streak since his promotion to Iowa, going 3-4 with an RBI and a stolen base. Patterson is hitting .533 since being called up to Iowa and has stolen 2 bases. In Iowa's win, Felix Pie went 1-4, while Michael Restovich continued his power streak going 2-4 with his 23rd HR and 3 more RBIs giving him 74 on the year. On the mound Sean Marshall pitched 6 shutout innings, but only receiving a no decision as Andrew Shipman couldn't hold the lead in the 7th. Brandon Emanuel (1-2) earned the win going a scoreless 1.1 IP, while Kerry Ligtenberg picked up his 13th save.

Huntsville 5 West Tennessee 2 - Jake Fox went 1-2 in a game where he didn't start, but came in to catch. No player for the D-Jaxx had more than 1 hit, and only Brandon Sing had an extra base hit, as he went 1-4 with a double. Isaac Pavlik (1-1) went 5 innings, giving up 7 hits, 5 runs, 4 earned, 2 walks, and struck out 5 picking up the loss.

Daytona 4 Jupiter 2 - Nate Spears went 2-3 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored, while Matt Ciaramella went 1-3 with his 2nd HR of the year. Ciaramella hit a 2 run HR in the 2nd inning, and the Daytona Cubs led for the rest of the game. Justin Berg (7-6) went 5 innings, giving up 7 hits, 1 ER, no walks, and struck out 1 to pick up the win. Recently acquired player, Chris Robinson, went 1-4 with a RBI batting third once again.

Spokane 7 Boise 3 - Mark Pawelek (2-5) picked up a hard luck loss once again, pitching well, going 5 innings, and giving up 5 hits, 1 ER, 2 walks, and striking out 3. Despite his 2-5 record, Pawelek has an ERA of 2.47 in 51 innings where he has given up just 43 hits, and struck out 41. In the game, Jeremy Papelbon pitched relief and went 2 innings, and gave up 2 ERs. At the plate for Boise, Matt Matulia went 2-3 with a RBI, while Alfred Joseph went 2-4 raising his average back up to .296.

Notes: Two Cubs' prospects showed up on this week's Prospect Hot Sheet over at Baseball America.

Buck Coats gets the call

With Cesar Izturis heading to the DL, Buck Coats got the call to Chicago today. Coats can swing the stick from the left side and can play anywhere except pitcher and catcher. Coats will be competing with Ryan Theriot and Freddie Bynum as versatile players that will help on the bench next season. If this writer had his way, Ryan Theriot would be penciled in at SS and 2B for the rest of the season, but knowing Dusty Baker's ways Freddie Bynum will share time as well.

Minor League Report for 8/22

Iowa 7 Oklahoma 3 - Michael Restovich went 1-2 with 2 walks and his 22nd HR of the year and Geovanny Soto went 2-3 with a walk and his 6th HR of the year. Soto, who could very well replace Henry Blanco as the backup catcher in 2007, has a respectable line of 277/354/393. On the mound, Jerome Williams (4-6) picked up the win going 6.1 IP, scattering 9 hits, and giving up 3 ER, no walks, and struck out 1. In his third game at AAA, Eric Patterson went 2-3 with a double and a RBI, while prospect, Felix Pie, went 0-5 at the plate.

West Tennessee 4 Huntsville 2 - Chris Shaver (7-8) went 6 innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 ER, 3 walks, and struck out 4 in picking up the win. Scott Moore went 1-3 with a walk while Jake Fox 1-4 with a double and 2 RBIs. Jake Fox played the outfield for only the 2nd time this season, while Tony Richie went 2-3 and caught.

Daytona 7 Jupiter 2 - Donnie Veal (6-2) was the beneficiary of the Daytona run support once again, as he went 5.2 IP, giving up 4 hits, 2 ER, 3 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Chris Robinson, who was acquired from the Tigers on Sunday, made his Daytona debut catching and hitting 3rd in the lineup. Robinson went 3-5 with a double and 3 RBIs, while Alan Rick went 3-5 with his 8th HR of the year. Ryan Harvey 1-5, striking out twice, and defensive specialist, Jonathan Mota added his 1st HR of the year, as he went 1-2 at the plate.

Peoria 6 SW Michigan 0 - Jesus Valdez went 2-4 with a double, as did Ryan Norwood, but Kyle Reynolds added the pop. Reynolds went 1-4 with his 8th HR of the year, a solo shot in the 3rd inning. Joel Santo (9-9) and Justin Rayborn combined to pitch a shutout. Santo went the first 6.2 IP, giving no runs, 5 hits, and walking 3.

Boise 6 Vancouver 5 - Five players had 2 hit games for Boise in a win in which Boise almost gave up. With a 4 run lead going into the bottom of the ninth the Hawks gave up 3 runs, before Michael Cooper shut the door for the win. Leadoff man, Matt Camp, went 2-3 with 2 walks, while Tyler Colvin went 2-4 with a walk. Alfred Joseph, who has struggled quite a bit, since serving an 8 game suspension, went 2-4 with a double.

Notes: The Cubs have announced who will be attending the Arizona Fall League. The seven players, include 4 pitchers, Clay Rapada, Carmen Pignatiello, Grant Johnson, and Lincoln Holdzkom, and 3 position players, Eric Patterson, Jake Fox, and Scott Moore; Over at BleedCubbieBlue.com, Al Yellon posted an interview that he had with Jim Hendry, which touches on the 2006 draft among other things.

Minor League Report for 8/21

Since Saturday was a pretty boring day in the minors, in lieu of the Monday Morning Bullets, here is a report from yesterday.

Iowa 5 Oklahoma 1 - Les Walrond (10-5) pitched 7.2 IP, giving up just 4 hits, 1 ER, no walks, and struck out 5 to earn his 10th win of the year. Brandon Emanuel pitched the final inning and a third without having a baserunner to pick up his 1st save. At the plate, Eric Patterson went 2-4 with his 1st stolen base since being promoted, while Jesse Hoorelbeke added his 3rd HR, a 2 run shot in the 8th inning. Felix Pie went 1-4 at the plate and struck out twice.

West Tennessee 1 Huntsville 0 - Sean Gallagher (7-3) went 7 shutout innings giving up 3 hits, 4 walks, and struck out 5 lowering his ERA to 2.44. Offensively, Scott Moore went 2-4 with 2 doubles, while Jake Fox went 3-4 raising his line to 267/302/447 since being promoted to the Diamond Jaxx. Back to Gallagher for a second, whose numbers are quite similar at AA, as compared to High A Daytona. While Gallagher's ERA (AA 2.44 A 2.30) is similar, Gallagher's H/9 has gone down (AA 7.45 A 8.61) and BB/9 have more than doubled (AA 6.11 A 2.41).

Palm Beach 6 Daytona 1 - Ryan Harvey went 1-4 with a double, while Matt Craig went 2-4 with a double as the Daytona Cubs couldn't muster enough offense against Palm Beach. Indy League transfer, Todd Bicondoa (1-2), took the loss giving up 5 runs, 3 earned, in 5.2 innings.

SW Michigan 6 Peoria 3 - Kyle Reynolds went 2-4 with a triple and Mark Reed went 2-3 with a walk at the plate. Reed's splits show how he has struggled in July and August, where he hasn't posted an OPS above 408, but he is still young, so hopefully he can turn things around. On the mound, Todd Blackford (9-8) took the loss giving up 3 ERs in 5 IPs.

Vancouver 4 Boise 2 - Alex Maestri (4-3) took the loss giving up 2 runs in an inning of work in the bottom of the 8th. At the plate, Tyler Colvin went 1-4 with his 11th stolen base on the year, while Russ Canzler went 1-4 at the plate with 3 strikeouts. Canzler added his 13th HR of the year over the weekend, but had a rough day against Vancouver.

Notes: Yesterday, the Cubs traded overused Neifi Perez, for a catcher in the Detroit Tigers organization. Here is a scouting report on Chris Robinson, who was the top defensive catcher in the Tigers organization last year and has strong leadership skills. A look at his stats show that Robinson hasn't been particularly great, specifically in the power categories, but he is respectable considering his defensive abilities.

Eric Patterson Update

I may have missed this last night, but Eric Patterson is in the Iowa Cubs lineup. Patterson is starting and hitting 8th, while playing 2nd for Iowa. This is a little surprising considering Patterson wasn't exactly lighting it up at AA West Tennessee with a line of 263/330/408.

Quick Saturday Notes

• Felix Pie went 4-5 with a double and raised his average to .282.
• Ryan Harvey was at it again as well, going 2-4 and raising his average to .259. Harvey is now hitting 259/295/450.
  
• Peoria lost 12-0 yesterday, and was held to no hits by Michael Wlodarczyk.
• Tyler Colvin raised his average to .276 as he went 3-4 with a double and 2 RBIs in Boise's 5-1 win.
  
• Bill Muldowney pitched 4 shutout innings in Boise's win. Muldowney now has an ERA of 2.20 at Short Season Boise, and has pitched 28.2 IP, while only giving up 27 hits, 7 walks, and struck out 29.
• Jose Ceda, acquired in the Todd Walker trade, pitched 4 shutout innings for the AZL Cubs, and gave up just 2 hits and struck out 6, although he did walk 4. Ceda has a 3.60 ERA this season, but only a 0.75 ERA since being acquired by the Cubs. On the season, Ceda has pitched 35 innings and given up 26 hits, while striking out 52.
  

Minor League Report for 8/18

Round Rock 6 Iowa 1 - Felix Pie went 2-4 with a double and an RBI and Geovanny Soto went 2-4 with a double as well, but it wasn't enough against Round Rock. Sean Marshall (0-2) made his 2nd rehab start and went 5.2 IP, giving up 4 hits, 6 ER, 4 walks, and struck out 6. Jerome Williams, who was moved back to relief with Marshall and Wade Miller making rehab starts, pitched a perfect one third of an inning in relief.

Mobile 6 West Tennessee 5 - Brandon Sing went 2-3 with a walk and his 7th HR of the year, and raised his average to .218 on the year. Sing has struggled mightily this year, opening up the season at Iowa hitting just .177 in 33 games, but has started to hit a little better lately. Jake Fox was in the cleanup spot, and went 1-4 with a single while Miguel Negron went 2-4 with a triple and 2 RBIs. Thomas Atlee (2-5) blew the save and took the loss going 1 inning and giving up 3 runs.

Sarasota 5 Daytona 4 - Justin Berg made his first start since coming off the DL and went 3 innings, giving up 1 hits, 2 runs, although neither were earned. Ryan Harvey was the offensive star once again, going 2-3 with a walk, a double, and a RBI. Harvey has an OPS around 950 since the beginning of July, a number no player in the Cubs organization has approached in that time frame.

Peoria 7 Wisconsin 2 - Mitch Atkins (12-3) won again, throwing 6 IP, giving up just 4 hits, 1 ER, 2 walks, and struck out 12, while Atkins ERA dropped to 2.36 on the year. The 20 year old right handed pitcher has found some consistency in his secondary pitches this season, and has taken a huge step forward on the prospect charts. At the plate, Ryan Lilly went 2-5 raising his average to .319 while Alberto Garcia went 1-2 with a walk and his 4th HR of the year. Ryan Norwood went 1-2 with 2 walks, a double, and a RBI.

Boise 7 Vancouver 6 - Boise scored in the top of the 12th to win in extra innings has Matt Matulia led the way going 2-5 with a walk and a triple. Tyler Colvin also tripled, his 5th, going 1-5 at the plate with 2 RBIs. Elvin Puello went 3-4 at the plate, while Josh Lansford went 1-5 with 2 RBIs. Mark Pawelek started and received a no decision going 4.2 IP, giving up 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 ER, on 3 walks, and struck out just one. Jeremy Papelbon relieved Pawelek and went 2 innings, giving up 2 hits, 1 ER, walking 2, and striking out 4. Michael Cooper (2-0) pitched 3 scoreless innings in relief to earn the win and lowered his ERA to 0.86.

Ranking the LHPs in the Minors

Baseball Prospectus has a list of the top left-handed pitchers in the minors, as Donald Veal shows up at #4 and Mark Pawelek at #11. While they are very high on Veal, they have less than stellar things to say about Pawelek, frankly saying "I just thought he'd be better than this."

Minor League Report for 8/17

Round Rock 6 Iowa 3 - Felix Pie went 2-5 with a HR and a double and Buck Coats went 2-4 with a double, but it wasn't enough for Iowa. Wade Miller made a rehab start, his first with Iowa, and took a no decision going 6 IP, giving up 7 hits, 3 ER, walking 1, and striking out 7. Freddie Bynum is also rehabbing, and went 0-3, his second straight night without a hit.

West Tennessee 4 Mobile 1 - Chris Shaver (6-8) earned the win going 5 innings, giving up 5 hits, 1 ER, 1 walk, and struck out 3. Richard Lewis went 2-4 with a double, while Brandon Sing went 3-4 with a double (raising his average to .211), and Eric Patterson went 1-4, scoring 2 runs and adding his 38th stolen base of the year. Scott Moore went 1-2 at the plate and drove in 2 RBIs on the year. Moore has a line of 272/353/466 with 18 HRs and 64 RBIs and has had a nice season for the Diamond Jaxx.

Daytona 5 Sarasota 4 - Ryan Harvey hit his 19th HR of the year in the top of the 12th finishing off his 3-5 night at the plate. Harvey also added a walk and now has a line of 254/289/445, which still isn't spectacular, but considering where his numbers have come from, it is downright spectacular. Donald Veal started for Daytona and got a no decision on one of his worst starts since his promotion, going 5.2 IP, giving up 3 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned, walking 3, and striking out 5. Veal's ERA jumped all the way to 1.70 since his promotion. Noteworthy at the plate, Matt Craig went 3-6 while defensive stud, Jonathan Mota went 2-5.

Peoria 9 Wisconsin 5 - Joel Santo (8-9) went 5 innings, scattering 7 hits, giving up 5 ER, 2 walks, and striking out 5 to earn the win. Ryan Lilly went 3-5 with a HR, his 3rd, and his 4th double of the year to lead the way for the Peoria Chiefs at the plate. UVA alum, Matt Avery came in the game to finish it, although not in a save situation. Avery has an ERA of 1.77 with a WHIP just above 1 and 69 K's in 61 IP.

Notes: Ryan Harvey's hot streak in July and August showed up in today's Daily Dish. Also in the Dish, was one of my former players, Jason Neighborgall. Jason has struggled mightily this year and currently has a streak going of 16 consecutive batters without getting an out. You might wonder why Neighborgall is still getting paid to pitch, but with a fastball that can hit triple digits and a sick breaking ball, Neighborgall has the stuff that organizations dream of, unfortunately his control is just a nightmare.

The 2006 John Koronka

This year's John Koronka made his debut today in the form of Ryan O'Malley. O'Malley made a two hour drive from Round Rock early this morning with the Cubs in desperate need of a starting pitcher. O'Malley got a phone call at 6:30 this morning, made the two hour drive, and showed up for the Cubs game which started at 1 CT.

Quite the busy morning, but once the game started, O'Malley was right at home. O'Malley pitched 8 shutout innings spotting a fastball that sat in the mid to upper 80s, mixing in a nice changeup, and also a cutter and curveball. O'Malley got a way with quite a few mistakes though, and left his changeup up in the zone quite a bit. O'Malley ended up throwing 109 pitches, 60 of which were strikes, and ended up walking 6 batters while only striking out 2.

It will be interesting to see if O'Malley will get another shot after earning the win today. Most likely, Wade Miller and Sean Marshall will surface in the next week or so, which will mean the Cubs will have 6 starters fighting for 5 spots. O'Malley may get one more chance to make a start early next week if neither Miller or Marshall, and if the Cubs stick to the decision to use Angel Guzman in relief. If all of those happen, O'Malley will get one more start, but after that he will be either be moved back to relief to help as a lefty specialist (with Scott Eyre on the DL) or sent back to Iowa.

Minor League Report for 8/16

Round Rock 8 Iowa 1 - Felix Pie went 1-4 with a triple, and Freddie Bynum, starting a rehab assignment went 2-4 driving in Iowa's only run, but it wasn't enough to beat Round Rock. Les Walrond (9-5) took the loss going 5.2 IP, giving up 7 hits, 7 ER, 5 walks, and he also struck out 5.

West Tennessee 2 Mobile 1 - Sean Gallagher (6-3) pitched 6 innings, giving up 3 hits, 1 ER, 3 walks, and struck out 10 to earn the win. It was Gallagher's 10th win of the season, marking his second consecutive season with double digit wins. At the plate, Jake Fox went 3-4 with a double, while, Eric Patterson went 1-2 with 2 walks, and Chris Walker went 1-4 and added 2 steals to give him 39 on the year.

Sarasota 11 Daytona 4 - Ryan Harvey went 1-3 at the plate and added his 18th HR of the year, a 2 run shot in the 6th inning. Nate Spears, Jemel Spearman, and Matt Craig all went 2-4 with a double, but it wasn't enough as the Daytona pitchers couldn't hold Sarasota in check.

Sarasota 1 Daytona 0 - Rain shortened the 2nd game of the doubleheader, and Sarasota needed only 1 run to earn the win in 6 innings, and held the D-Cubs to just 2 hits. Ryan Bicondoa (1-1) took the loss going 5 innings, giving up 6 hits, and just 1 earned run.

Wisconsin 5 Peoria 2 - Ryan Norwood went 3-4 at the plate raising his average 5 points, back above .300 to .302 on the season. Jesus Valdez went 1-3 with a walk and his 9th stolen base of the year, but Todd Blackford (9-7) couldn't limit Wisconsin as he pitched just 4 innings, and gave up 8 hits, 5 ER, and struck out 3.

Everett 7 Boise 0 - Tyler Colvin went 1-4 at the plate with the Hawks' only extra base hit, a triple, but Boise couldn't even plate Colvin. Mike Billek (2-3) couldn't get out of the first inning, going just 0.1 IP, and giving up 7 hits and 7 ER. Alfredo Francisco pitched 4.2 shutout innings in relief, but Boise just couldn't get their offense going.

Notes: There could be some minor league shakeup as a result of the Cubs' 18 inning win last night (this morning). With today's starter, Rich Hill throwing 29 pitches just hours ago, it is unlikely he will start today, and most likely will be moved back to Sunday, where the Cubs were undecided who will start anyway. Wade Miller is scheduled to pitch for Iowa tonight, so it is possible Miller may be called up to make the start against his former team, the Astros this afternoon.; Back in the minors, here are some updates on injuries throughout the minor league system, including Brian Dopirak, whose season is done.; It apperas Wade Miller may not be the choice for the Cubs today. It appears that Ryan O'Malley may get the spot start. O'Malley has gone 7-7 with an ERA just above 4 for Iowa this season.

Minor League Report for 8/15

Memphis 5 Iowa 1 - Jae Kuk Ryu (6-7) pitched 5 innings, and gave up 7 hits, 4 ER, 3 walks, and struck out 3, and took the loss for the Iowa Cubs. Ryu didn't get enough run support, as the only run came on an Augie Ojeda HR, his 3rd. Felix Pie went 0-4 with a walk, and struck out twice, while Michael Restovich and Geovanny Soto added 2 hits each. The only extra base hit came from Ryu, who had a double.

Wisconsin 6 Peoria 5 - Jesus Valdez went 4-4 at the plate raising his average 7 points to .312, and Ryan Norwood went 1-3 with a double and 2 RBIs. Scott Taylor (7-8) was the hard luck pitcher, as he pitched 5.1 IP, giving up 8 hits, 5 runs but only 2 earned, 2 walks, and struck out 7.

Boise 7 Everett 6 - Darin Downs (2-2), who is attempting a comeback, pitched his second consecutive scoreless outing, going 2 innings, striking out 2, and giving up just a hit to earn the win. At the plate, Russ Canzler didn't hit a homerun, but did go 2-3 with a walk. Tyler Colvin went 0-4, although he did drive in a run, but also was picked off. Matt Camp led off and went 1-3 with a walk and his 14th stolen base of the year in 23 attempts.

Notes: With the Diamond Jaxx and the AZL Cubs off for the night, the Daytona Cubs rained out, there's not a lot of minor league ball to talk about, so let's discuss the majors briefly. In the Cubs Blog Nation, the discussion lately has centered around Dusty Baker. With this being a minor league blog, you probably already know where my stance lies. Baker has been almost defiant about playing his youth, sometimes in spite of their success. The perfect example is Ryan Theriot who has sat on the bench the last 2 games in lieu of Neifi Perez, despite his early success at the major league level. The fact is, Baker currently has a conflict of interest, in that he is trying to save his job, while Hendry is hoping to look at the talent of "next year". If for no other reason, Hendry should go back on his promise, and show Baker the door. End Rant.; Back to a little Cubs' minor league news, it appears nearly all the teams have a shot at the playoffs.

Minor League Report for 8/14

Here are your Monday Morning Bullets:

• Felix Pie hit his 11th HR of the year on Sunday, but the Iowa Cubs got shelled 11-2, in a game that saw Jerome Williams (3-6) pitch just 3 innings, and give up 10 hits and 6 runs.
  
• At West Tennessee, JR Mathes pitched a 7 inning complete game, giving up just 1 ER and striking out 11 to move to 9-7 on the year. Brian Dopirak is still a no show, in D-Jaxx games which most likely means he is nursing some injury. If you have some info on this, post it in the comments.
• Ryan Lilly, who made the jump from Rookie ball to Peoria, had a 2 homer game yesterday in Peoria's 8-6 loss. Lilly is a 22 year old shortstop, who was signed as an undrafted free agent, from the University of San Diego.
• Russ Canzler hit his 12th HR of the year for Boise in their 6-4 loss. Canzler was featured over at InsideTheIvy.com, and it is definitely worth checking out.
• Alex Maesstri, aka The Italian Stallion, was also featured over the weekend at InsideTheIvy.com as well.
• Mitch Atkins earned his 11th win of the year over the weekend, moving to 11-3 and lowering his ERA to 2.41. Atkins is having a breakout year, and is showing the development that the Cubs hoped he would, when he was drafted out of high school 2 years ago.
• That's all for now, but check back for updates throughout the day, as time permits.
  

Minor League Report for 8/11

Jacksonville 4 West Tennessee 3 - Scott Moore went 3-3 with a walk, and Eric Patterson added 3 hits as well, going 3-4 although getting caught stealing for the 12th time this year, but it wasn't enough for the Diamond Jaxx. Chris Shaver (5-8) took the loss, going 6.1 IP, giving up 8 hits, 3 ER, 1 walk, and struck out 2 raising his ERA to 2.99.

Daytona 8 Tampa 3 - Donald Veal (5-2) was at it again, going 5.1 IP, giving up 3 hits, 2 ER, walking 3, and striking out 3, and actually saw his ERA raise to 1.40. Veal is now 10-5 combined on the year between Daytona and Peoria. At the plate, Nathan Price went 4-4, and the top 3 batters in the order, Nate Spears (2-5), Joe Simokaitis (3-4, HR 3 RBIs), and Jemel Spearman (3-4, 3B) all added multi-hit games. Ryan Harvey went 1-4 with a single and a RBI, without striking out.

Boise 6 Spokane 5 - Matt Matulia went 4-4 and stole his 9th base of the year, and Steven Clevenger went 2-4 and added his 2nd HR of the year. Russ Canzler homered for the 3rd straight game, his 11th of year. Mike Billek started for Boise and took the no decision despite going 5 shutout innings.

AZL Cubs 6 AZL Padres 5 - 2006 draftee, Chris Huseby, made his 2nd appearance as a pro, going 3 shutout innings, giving up 3 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 4. Huseby has now pitched 5 innings without giving up a run in 2 appearances, while striking out 8. Huseby was selected in the 11th round and received a 1.3 million dollar bonus. Darin Downs, who was recently featured as InsideTheIvy.com, pitched after Huseby and threw 2 shutout innings of his own. At the plate, Cliff Andersen went 1-4 with a triple, while Drew Rundle went 2-5 with a double.

Minor League Report for 8/10

Iowa 5 Portland 1 - Felix Pie went 2-4 with a double and a RBI, while Buck Coats hit 2nd behind Pie and also went 2-4 at the plate to energize the Iowa Cubs offense. While the top two batters combined for 3 of the 5 Iowa runs, Casey McGehee added his 8th HR of the year. Les Walrond (9-4) was the beneficiary of the run support, going 7 innings, giving up 5 hits, 1 ER, 1 walk, and struck out 6.

West Tennessee 7 Jacksonville 3 - The D-Jaxx hit 4 homeruns, including one by relief pitcher, Bobby Brownlie. Gary Cates had the important HR, a 3 run in-the-park homerun in the top of the 11th, after which Bobby Brownlie hit his to add some insurance. Brownlie (3-9) earned the win by going 3 shutout innings and giving up just 2 walks. Sean Gallagher started the game and went 6 innings, giving up 3 hits, and striking out 8, although the walks were a problem again, as he issued 5. Eric Patterson and Brandon Sing also hit HRs for the D-Jaxx, Patterson's 8th and Sing's 5th on the year.

Tampa 5 Daytona 1 - Jonathan Mota went 1-3 with a walk and a double and Jemel Spearman went 1-4 with a double and his 20th stolen base on the year. No other player had an extra base hit, and prospect, Ryan Harvey, went 0-4 and struck out twice. Ben Petrick (1-2) hasn't had much success since making the jump to Daytona from Boise, and took the loss going 5.1 IP giving up 5 ER.

Boise 9 Spokane 3 - Russ Canzler was at it again, hitting his 10th HR of the year, going 2-3 at the plate, also adding a double and a walk. Canzler now has a line of 275/328/555. Matt Matulia also hit a homerun, his 2nd of the year, to go along with Canzler as they both hit 3 run homeruns in a 8 run 3rd inning for Boise. Jose Pina (2-5) earned the win going 5 IP, giving up 5 hits, and 1 ER, while Alessandro Maestri went 3 IP, giving up 6 hits, but just 1 ER in relief.

Notes: Poster JoshinLA over at BleedCubbieBlue.com posted a nice recap of Boise's win that is worth checking out.

Minor League Report for 8/9

Portland 10 Iowa 7 - After Jerome Williams threw 6 innings, giving up 7 hits, 3 ER, 1 walk, and struck out 4, the Iowa bullpen gave up 7 runs with Kerry Ligtenberg (3-4) blowing the save in the 9th to take the loss. At the plate, Felix Pie went 1-5 with a double and a RBI, while Buck Coats went 3-4 with 2 RBIs and 2 stolen bases, giving him 16 on the year.

Carolina 5 West Tennessee 0 - JR Mathes (8-7) started and pitched 6 innings giving up 9 hits, 4 ER, 1 walk, and struck out 5, taking the loss against the Carolina Mudcats. The offense couldn't score, and only managed 7 hits with 2 each coming from Richard Lewis and Carlos Rojas. Eric Patterson went 1-5 at the plate, while Scott Moore went 1-3 with a walk.

Daytona 3 Tampa 2 - Ryan Harvey went 2-4 at the plate with a RBI and Matt Craig went 1-2 with 2 walks, while Carlos Perez (4-6) earned the win going 5 innings. Perez gave up 4 hits, 2 runs, both earned, 2 walks and struck out 4 in the win.

Kane County 7 Peoria 1 - Kyle Reynolds went 2-3 with a walk and Robinson Chirinos went 2-4, while Ryan Norwood went 1-3 with a double in the Peoria Chiefs' loss. Todd Blackford (9-6) took the loss as he couldn't get out of the 4th inning giving up 10 hits and 7 earned runs. Matt Avery did pitch in relief going one perfect inning, lowering his ERA to 1.72.

Boise 6 Spokane 0 - Fabian Jimenez Angulo (1-0), who was recently acquired in the Scott Williamson trade, pitched 6 shutout innings, giving up 3 hits, 1 walk, and struck out 2 in earning the win. Jeremy Papelbon went the final 3 innings of the game, giving up just 2 hits, to earn his 3rd save of the year and drop his ERA to 1.17. At the plate, Russ Canzler hit his 9th HR of the year, going 2-4 at the plate, adding a double as well. Tyler Colvin went 2-3 at the plate and stole his 9th base of the year.

Notes: In Rookie league action, Jose Ceda threw 3 shutout innings, giving up 2 hits, no walks, and struck out 4. Drew Rundle went 2-3 with a double and a triple at the plate, while Cliff Andersen went 2-2; Baseball America has recently published their tools edition, and it required subscription, but Al Yellon over at BleedCubbieBlue.com, has published which Cubs showed up on each level.

Minor League Report for 8/8

Iowa 4 Portland 2 - Jae Kuk Ryu pitched 8 innings, earning the win to move to 6-6 on the season. Ryu gave up 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned, walking 1, while striking out 7, and saw his ERA drop to 3.54 on the year. While Felix Pie went 0-4 at the plate, Geovanny Soto went 2-2 with his 4th HR of the year, and ended up driving in 3 runs. Micah Hoffpaiur also went 2-2 while Casey McGehee went 2-4 with a double.

Carolina 1 West Tennessee 0 - Federico Baez (2-1), a member of the Puerto Rico team in the WBC, started and threw 7 innings giving up 1 run, but couldn't get the win as the D-Jaxx couldn't score. The top 4 hitters in the order each had a single, which accounted for all of the D-Jaxx' hits. Chris Walker did add his 37th stolen base of the season, while Eric Patterson was picked off counting for his 11th caught stealing on the year.

Tampa 4 Daytona 3 - Mark Holliman (7-9), continued to struggle although pitching better despite taking the loss. Holliman pitched 7 innings giving up 7 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 walk, and struck out 5. At the plate, Ryan Harvey went 1-4 while Jemel Spearman went 1-2 with a walk, a RBI, and his 19th stolen base on the year.

Kane County 4 Peoria 1 - Jesus Valdez went 2-4 with his 5th HR of the year in the first inning, but the Peoria Chiefs couldn't scratch out any more runs. Robinson Chirinos added his 28th double of the year going 1-3 at the plate. Chirinos is hitting .245 on the year, but walks quite a bit and has a line of 245/356/387 while playing second base spot. If Chirinos can raise his batting average, his line would look very nice.

Eugene 3 Boise 1 - Tyler Colvin finally broke his hitless streak, going 1-4, but did strike out 3 times, while stealing his 8th base of the year. Russ Canzler went 1-3 with a walk, and Elvin Puello went 2-3 with a double while DH'ing. Kitt Kopach (0-1) took the loss going 4.1 IP giving up 1 hit, 3 ER, 3 walks, and striking out 1.

Notes: After mentioning two high school draftees a few weeks ago, Cliff Anderson and Drew Rundle, the two players have started to turn the corner in rookie ball and deserve a mention again. Anderson went 2-4 with a double while Rundle hit 3rd and went 1-4 and has a OBP approaching .400 on the year. Heard of the Arizona Fall League, but don't know what its all about? Check out this article on the AFL posted over at The Cub Reporter, which also makes some guesses on which Cubs organization players will be invited to play.

Cubs on the Hot Sheet

Over on this week's Prospect Hot Sheet, two Cubs get a mention. Italian signee, Alessandro Maestri gets a mention with his nice K/BB rate and Jake Fox's hot streak gets a mention as well.

Weekend Minor League Report

Finally, back home and ready to get back to your regularly scheduled program! As is such, here are your Monday Morning Bullets:

• Felix Pie, Ryan Harvey, and Jake Fox appear to have broken out of their respective slumps. Take a look:
• Felix Pie - Pie has his OPS up to 750 with a line of 274/333/417 and has seen his average gradually increase 25 points over the past month and a half. Pie has stolen 7 of his last 8 stolen bases and is 12/22 on the season.
  
• Jake Fox - Fox hit multiple HRs on the weekend and now has 5 in AA, and 21 on the season. Fox is hitting .252 and has an OPS over .800 at AA, and seems to be getting comfortable. Despite his initial struggles at West Tennessee, reports say the Cubs were never worried about Fox's bat.
  
• Ryan Harvey - Maybe the biggest strides in the Cubs' system have come from Ryan Harvey. After hitting around the Mendoza line for most of the season, Harvey has raised his average to .247 on the year and even took 3 walks this weekend. More than anything, this tells me Harvey is starting to figure things out. Harvey has mentioned lately that he is swinging less with his body and letting his hands do the work.
• Donald Veal continued his High A dominance this weekend earning a win and raising his numbers to 4-2 at Daytona and lowering his ERA to 1.20 in 52.2 IP. Veal has been labeled the next D-Train over at InsideTheIvy.com.
• After Tyler Colvin's 12 game hit streak, Colvin has seen his average drop back to .289 in a recent 0-17 slump.

Notes: Usually showing up in Baseball America's Daily Dish is a good thing, not so much for Eric Patterson, who had a rough night on Friday.

Today's Drive-By

Watch out for the bullets:

• Felix Pie enjoys August it appears, as he went 2-3 with a walk and a double, although he did get picked off.
• Angel Guzman pitched just one inning in his start last night, hopefully this isn't bad news. My hope is that he was removed just in case he is needed in Chicago today, since there will be a double header.
• Jake Fox hit another HR, his 4th in AA, and 20th on the year, and his numbers are now 220/262/390 at AA, but is showing some signs of turning it around.
• Jose Ceda, who was acquired in the Todd Walker deal, pitched 2 shutout innings for the Rookie League team and struck out 4. Ceda is definitely on my watch list after hearing about his stuff.
• Also, since this is a minor league site, the big club has two minor leaguers starting today in Carlos Marmol and Juan Mateo. Joking of course, although Mateo does make his major league debut. Because of the lack of WGN at my hotel, I won't get to see Mateo's debut, but anxiously await word on Mateo's stuff. As I posted at BleedCubbieBlue, who thought Marmol and Mateo would be starting a doubleheader for the Cubs this year?
  

Notes: Well, tomorrow is when I return back home, so posting should return to normal on Monday. Until then, enjoy the bullets!

Over the Hill

There were a million of phrases to describe Rich Hill finally getting over the hump with his 8 inning performance last night against the D-Backs, but with all of the debate on the lefty, it certainly deserved the title of this post. Well, with my travel, the minor league reports will have to wait till I get back home, but for now here are some bullets:

• Felix Pie went 3-4 with a walk, a double, and his 10th HR of the year, continuing his resurgence lately at the plate. Jae Kuk Ryu picked up the win for Iowa to move to 5-6 on the year.
  
• Ryan Harvey continued his hot streak as well going 4-5 at the plate with a double
• Mitch Atkins pitched a respectable 5 innings to move to 10-3 on the season.
• Eric Patterson hit a pinch hit HR, number 7 on the year in West Tennessee's 4-3 win.
• Both Alfred Joseph and Deryck Lewis homered for Boise, as Tyler Colvin's hitting streak ended as he went 0-2, although he did have 3 walks.

August: Top 10 Prospects

Its the 1st of August, so that means its time for the latest and most up to date Cubs Top 10 Prospects, keeping in mind, guys that have made an appearance in the majors are no longer available for this list:

1. Donald Veal LHP
2. Felix Pie CF
3. Sean Gallagher RHP
4. Mark Pawalek LHP
5. Eric Patterson 2B
6. Tyler Colvin OF
7. Scott Moore 3B
8. Randy Wells RHP
9. Brian Dopirak 1B
10. Jeff Samardzija RHP

Honorable Mention: Jake Fox, Mitch Atkins, Ryan Harvey

July's List

Notes: Juan Mateo might have pushed Samardzija out of the 10 spot, if he hadn't been recalled to pitch relief for the big club; Guys that are moving up are Ryan Harvey, Tyler Colvin, and Felix Pie while Sean Gallagher, Jake Fox, and Brian Dopirak are all sliding.

Your Turn: Who is your August Top 10?