Back to the Minors

The mid-May shuffle is now having an impact on all levels of the organization. Unfortunately, it is injuries, and not performance that is causing the shake-up. However, that doesn't mean that some players haven't deserved some consideration. Anthony Rizzo is posting MVP-type numbers, while Matt Szczur and Jae-Hoon Ha are bouncing back from rough stretches at Daytona and Tennessee respectively. And the organization has gotten excellent pitching from PJ Francescon, Frank Del Valle, Travis Wood and Frankie De La Cruz.

To see how this all came about; a trip inside today's Down on the Farm Report will set you straight.

With the return of some players from injuries, the system took a turn for the better, going 8-2 to start the week. Peoria welcomed back Anthony Giansanti, as he played a big part in their three wins. Daytona had an off-day and a rainout, but won on Monday thanks to Austin Kirk. Junior Lake has reached base in all nine of his games since returning from injury, as Tennessee won two of three. And out on the west coast, Iowa received great hitting from Anthony Rizzo, as well as an outstanding pitching performance by Chris Rusin.

As Jack Brickhouse used to say ... for the happy totals come look in today's Down on the Farm Report.

Special Assignment - Peoria Chiefs v. Kane County Cougars

Recently, I had the pleasure of being able to cover the series between the Chiefs and Kane County. It was a pleasant addition to be able to meet some of the executives from the Cubs organization. I'd like to thank Shawn Touney, Director of Public Relations for the Kane County Cougars, as well as Broadcast and Media Manager Nate Baliva of the Peoria Chiefs for their hospitality.

I'd also like to mention reporters Chris Emma of Northsiders Report.com and Mike Knapp of the Beacon News, who were my companions during the series; as well as reporter Larry Peterson of the Fox Valley Labor News, and Woodrow Carroll as they all made me feel welcome in the press box.

The system closed out the week going 6-9 for a total record of 13-14. A rainout in which Daytona was leading 6-0 on Friday may have evened the record. While inconsistencies still plague the system there appears a light at the end of the tunnel. Peoria and Daytona are finally hitting. As Paul Hoilman, Taiwan Easterling, Rubi Silva, and Arismendy Alcantara aided some good pitching by Michael Jensen, PJ Francescon, and Eric Jokisch. Tennessee is still trying to figure things out as they only had Dae-Eun Rhee's outing to hang their hat on. Iowa twice had to deplete the bullpen, but veterans Randy Wells and Travis Wood hung in for two wins.

To see how things shook down, today's Down on the Farm Report will provide the answers.

The beginning of this week experienced a bounce back for the Cubs' system, as their combined 7-5 record was the first winning stretch of the year. Casey Coleman took things into his own hands at Iowa, while Tennessee finally welcomed back shortstop Junior Lake. Daytona appears to be on a roll, as great pitching performances by Austin Kirk and Eric Jokisch were complimented by Matt Szczur and Arismendy Alcantara. The hot-hitting Taiwan Easterling may have to take a back seat to Paul Hoilman in Peoria, as he extended his hitting streak to 22 games Wednesday night.

For the full stories, come inside today's Down on the Farm Report.

Thrills, chills, and spills abound in the roller coaster ride that was the Cubs minor league system this week. Blowouts occurred, but who was on the winning end? The tightrope act that is the Tennessee Smokies kept viewers on the edge of their seats. Paul Hoilman now sports an 18-game hitting streak, while Nelson Perez had a career day. And don't look now, but those objects appearing in your rearview mirror and coming up fast are Taiwan Easterling and Elieser Bonne.

All that and more are in today's Down on the Farm Report ...

As the first month of the season concludes, the organization finds their teams at all levels struggling to reach the .500 mark. Inconsistency seemed to be the recurring theme, as either pitching or hitting has let their respective teams down on a given night. There were fine pitching performances this week by Ben Wells and Austin Kirk, as well as great hitting by Rubi Silva and John Andreoli. Some players, such as Matt Szczur, Zach Cates, Elieser Bonne and Brett Jackson seem to be turning the corner, while Jonathan Mota continues to be a pro's pro in Tennessee.

The Cubs named their Minor League Player and Pitcher for April on Wednesday afternoon. To no surprise, Anthony Rizzo took home the player of the month honors after hitting .374 with a .424 OBP and a .637 SLG (OPS of 1.061) with three doubles, seven home runs and 24 RBI in 23 games. Frank Batista was named the Cubs minor league pitcher of the month after posting five saves in eight appearances with the Smokies and I-Cubs.

With the results to begin a new month, here is today's Down on the Farm Report ...

Wins were hard to come by with inconsistencies in hitting, pitching, fielding, and even managing throughout the system.

Peoria has emerging performers in PJ Francescon, Andrew McKirahan, Pin-Chieh Chen, Wes Darvill, and Paul Hoilman, but still can't find a recipe for winning games. The bats of Matt Szczur, Ronald Torreyes, and Elieser Bonne are starting to come around in Daytona. Like Peoria, the D-Cubs have not been able to translate that to wins. Tennessee ran their losing streak to five games, while Iowa's hitting continues to be "Jekyll and Hyde".

To see where this all leads, check inside today's Down on the Farm Report ...

The beginning of this week had the minors emulating conditions at the big league park, with seven of the 12 games happening in the daylight hours.

Peoria's Oliver Zapata had his hitting streak stopped at eight, but Peoria received great pitching performances from PJ Francescon and Kyler Burke. Daytona continued to scuffle, but pooled their resources on Sunday for a win. Tennessee keeps on battling, and had an unlikely source come through on Monday. Iowa started out well, as Chris Rusin may have had the organization's best start of the season.

To see how it all unfolded, look inside today's Down on the Farm Report.

As Casey Stengel once said "Can anybody here play this game?" Uneven efforts were the norm this week, as one or more elements, pitching-hitting-defense, were lacking throughout the system.

However, there are always silver linings. Peoria's Oliver Zapata has extended his hitting streak to seven, and the offenses of both the Chiefs and Daytona seem to be perking up. Tennessee is now second in the Southern League in pitching and third in fielding. Anthony Rizzo is in the top ten in the Pacific Coast League in batting and RBI, and leads the league with seven home runs.

For more of the somewhat unpleasant details, have a look at today's Down on the Farm Report ...