August 25 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs @ Toledo Mud Hens

IOWA CUBS (54-71) at TOLEDO MUD HENS (59-65)

Sunday, August 25 • 1:05 PM CT • Fifth Third Field • Toledo, OH

LHP Jordan Wicks (0-4, 7.16) vs. RHP Austin Schulfer (1-1, 5.09)

TODAY’S GAME: The Iowa Cubs and Toledo Mud Hens play the finale of a six- game series today... left-hander Jordan Wicks, a major league rehabber, is expected to make his fourth outing on his current Major League Rehab Assignment coming off a right oblique strain. Wicks already completed one rehab assignment earlier this season with Iowa from May 24-June 7 after dealing with a left forearm strain. Over the course of his two rehab stints with Iowa this season, the 24-year-old has made six starts and compiled a record of 0-4 with a 7.16 ERA, although his last start on August 20, a 4.0 inning shutout outing against Toledo where he allowed just one hit, was his best outing of the year and lowered his Triple-A ERA by more than 2.5 runs. When Wicks has been up in the big leagues with Chicago this season, he has made seven appearances (six starts) with a record of 1-2 and an ERA of 4.18 to go along with 32 strikeouts and 10 walks in 28.0 innings. Opposite of Wicks will be right-hander Austin Schulfer who is slated for his first start since 2022, when he was a member of the St. Paul Saints. The longest Schulfer has gone in any of his 26 Triple-A relief appearances this season, 15 with Toledo and 11 earlier this season with St. Paul has been three innings. In those outings, he has a 5.09 ERA, with identical 5.09 ERAs with each team. He also made two scoreless appearances with Single-A Lakeland in late June. He threw a scoreless inning against Iowa on August 22.

TOLEDO HOLDS ON: The Mud Hens won last night’s game by a 5-3 score... Iowa starting pitcher Adrian Houser worked 5.0, allowed five hits, four earned runs,and three walks, while striking out five on his way to the loss. Trey Supak gave up one earned run in two innings of relief, and Eduarniel Nunez worked a scoreless ninth... Trayce Thompson picked up two hits for Iowa and Jake Hager had Iowa’s only two RBI of the night with a double in the fifth. Iowa had runners in scoring positions with less than two outs in each of the last two innings but couldn’t capitalize.

VS. TOLEDO: Iowa and Toledo are playing their third series of the season and first at Fifth Third Field...with last night’s loss the I-Cubs have won 10 of the 17 games played between the two clubs...in terms of the all-time series between the I-Cubs and the Mud Hens, Toledo leads with a mark of 39-29 and Toledo also leads in games that have been played at Fifth Third Field with a mark of 15-8.

UPHILL: After recording the longest losing streak of the season from July 23-Aug. 1 (nine games), Iowa has gone 11-9 in their last 19 games dating back to Aug. 2...the I-Cubs last two series have been six-game splits with First Half Champions Omaha (Kansas City) and Columbus (Cleveland)

FIFTH THIRD: Saturday’s contest was the third straight game that ended in a 5-3 final at Fifth Third Field. The I-Cubs won Thursday’s game in 11 innings and Friday’s matchup, while Toledo took the victory yesterday.

IT’S GETTING WILD: Saturday’s contest featured four wild pitches, three by Toledo and one by Iowa. Runs scored on two of those occasions. In the series, each team has thrown six wild pitches and a total of four runs have been scored on those plays.