April 26 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs at Buffalo Bisons

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Iowa Cubs and the Buffalo Bisons play the fourth of a six-game series tonight at 5:05 p.m. CT at Sahlen Field in Buffalo...Iowa will send RHP Riley Thompson to the mound and he will make his second start of the season...he has pitched to a 3.38 ERA (6 ER in 16.0 IP) in seven appearances...Buffalo will pitch right-hander Chad Dallas, who will make his fifth start of the season...Iowa is tied for first in the International League West Division and Buffalo slots in third place of the International League East Division, 1.0 game behind first place Scranton-Wilkes/Barre.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Iowa was swept by Buffalo in yesterday’s doubleheader by scores of 5-3 and 10-3 and fell to 0-4 this season in twin bills...four of the I-Cubs 10 losses this season have come in doubleheaders, including being swept by Louisville on April 19 by scores of 9-6 and 4-1...the I-Cubs went .500 in doubleheaders last season, going 7-7 in such games...they won both games on two occasions, lost both on two more, and split the pair three other times.

STAY HOT: After hitting just .167 (3-for-18) through his first five games this season, Iowa infielder, and Cubs No. 17 prospect (MLB.com), Luis Vázquez is batting .421 (24-for-57) in his last 17 games dating back to since April 5...his batting average leads the International League during that span, ahead of next closest Indianapolis’ Nick Gonzales (.388)...Vázquez also ranks among International League leaders in hits (T-2nd), on-base percentage (4th, .493) and OPS (5th, 1.125) during that span.

WALK THIS WAY: In game two of the doubleheader, the I-Cubs pitching staff issued 10 walks, which was their most of the season and most since they walked 16 batters in game two of a doubleheader on Aug. 3, 2023 vs. Toledo...Iowa has the third most free passes in the International League this season with 119 but also ranks second with 244 strikeouts and has tallied a 4.30 ERA, which ranks third.

IN THE STANDINGS: Despite the I-Cubs dropping two games to Buffalo yesterday, they are in a tie for first place in the International League West Division with Omaha and Toledo...since dropping the first two games of the season at Omaha, Iowa is 14-8 in their last 21 games, including a four-game win streak from April 6-9 vs. Toledo and at St. Paul.

VS. BUFFALO: Iowa and Buffalo play game four of the six-game series tonight...Buffalo has a 2-1 lead over Iowa during the series but Iowa took the last series played at Sahlen Field, winning four of the six games from April 18-23 in which the I-Cubs outscored the Bisons 33-24.

SLAUGHTER HOUSE: Iowa infielder Jake Slaughter went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run and three RBI in Wednesday night’s win... it marked his first four-hit game since Aug. 12, 2022 in which he went 4-for-6 with two home runs vs. Mississippi with Double-A Tennessee...Slaughter homered in back-to- back games for the eighth time in his career and first since he went deep in three straight games from Aug. 20-23, 2023 with Iowa...in 15 April games, Jake is slashing .327/.388/.533 with six extra-base hits and six RBI.

CAISSIE AT BAT: The No. 43 prospect in all of baseball (MLB.com) Owen Caissie has reached base in 21 of his 22 games this season with an at-bat, despite being only one of five active position players aged 21 or younger in the International League...the outfielder is slashing .268/.388/.415 (22-for- 82) with one home run and 12 RBI...Caissie has shown off his power capabilities in the past as he went deep 22 times a season ago while playing for Double-A Tennessee...Caissie’s 22 homers during the 2023 season were the most hit on the Tennessee Smokies and tied for the fourth most in the Southern League.

THIRD INNING SPECIAL: Iowa took the finale of the series vs. Louisville on Sunday by a score of 11-3...the win was highlighted by an eight-run third inning in which the I-Cubs tallied seven hits...it marked the most runs Iowa has scored in a single frame this season and the most since they also scored eight in the seven inning on Aug. 10, 2023 at Omaha...the I-Cubs also batted around (at least 10 plate appearances) for the first time since Sept. 5, 2023 vs. the Storm Chasers.

PCA TO THE SHOW: Cubs’ No. 1 prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong was recalled by Chicago Tuesday and tallied his first Major League hit and home run in the sixth inning of yesterday’s game vs. Houston off Bryan Abreu...Crow-Armstrong batted .203 (16- for-79) with nine extra-base hits and five steals in 19 games with the I-Cubs...at the time of his promotion, he was one of nine farmhands to have at least nine extra-base hits and five stolen bases.