May 11 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs vs. Toledo Mud Hens

IOWA CUBS (20-12) vs. TOLEDO MUD HENS (18-16)

Thursday, May 11, 2023 • 12:08 PM CT • Principal Park • Des Moines, IA

RHP Caleb Kilian (2-0, 4.96) vs. LHP Zach Logue (1-2, 3.97)

TODAY’S GAME: Iowa and Toledo will play game three of their six-game series today, with Iowa currently leading the series two games to none. So far, both starters for Iowa have thrown five scoreless innings through the first two games. Looking to continue that trend will be right-hander Caleb Kilian. Kilian is 2-0 with a 4.96 ERA in four starts with Iowa this year, allowing nine earned runs on 18 hits and six walks through 16.1 innings pitched. He has struck out 11 batters, nine of those coming in his last two starts. He will look to build off his last start against Columbus in which he allowed just one unearned run on two hits and two walks while striking out five over 5.0 innings pitched. Zach Logue will get the nod for the Mud Hens, pitching in his seventh game of the year, making his sixth start for Toledo. Through his first six games, Logue is 1-2 with a 3.97 ERA, allowing 10 earned runs on 27 hits and 16 walks. He has struck out 23 batters in his 22.2 innings pitched, allowing opponents to hit .300 against him.

BROWNIE POINTS: Yesterday’s starting pitcher Ben Brown had himself quite an outing in his Principal Park debut as he earned his first-career win at the Triple-A level. The No. 7 ranked prospect in the Cubs’ organization spun five scoreless innings and allowed just two hits to go along with 10 strikeouts and three walks allowed. Brown’s 10 strikeouts on the day also set a new season high from an I-Cubs pitcher. The 23-year-old has been impressive in his two starts with Iowa after making his Triple-A debut on the road last week against Columbus where he tossed 5.2 scoreless innings and allowed only two hits again to pair up with seven strikeouts. With him earning the win yesterday, Brown continues his undefeated streak dating all the way back to last year. Brown has not suffered a loss over the course of his past 17 outings and the last time he was credited with a loss came on June 25, 2022, when he was a member of the Jersey Shore BlueClaws.

HILL HITTING LEADOFF: When last year’s minor league hit leader, Darius Hill, hits out of the leadoff spot for the I-Cubs good things happen. Iowa improved to a perfect 4-0 on the season when Hill is the first batter to the plate after holding on for the win yesterday. It’s easy to see why the I-Cubs have been winning with Hill in the leadoff spot too. Through the first two games versus the Mud Hens, Hill is hitting at a clip of three-for-eight (.375) with two doubles, one RBI, one walk, and has yet to strikeout.

YOUNG FILLING IN: With Matt Mervis being called up to Chicago, the I-Cubs had a hole to fill at first base. Jared Young has been the next man up in that spot and has been a top producer for Iowa through the first two games of the series versus Toledo. In Tuesday’s series opener, Young came through with a two-out, two-run single to help propel Iowa to a 6-1 win over the Mud Hens. The Prince George, British Columbia native then followed up that performance with a two-hit day and driving in another run, which helped the I-Cubs secure a 3-2 victory over Toledo. In this series versus Toledo, Young is three-for-seven at the dish with three RBI’s and has improved his overall batting average by 25 points going from .214 to .239.

LESS RUNS, NO PROBLEM: Coming into the series with Toledo the I-Cubs were scoring at a ridiculously high rate when they played at Principal Park scoring nearly 10 runs a game. That hasn’t necessarily been the case after the first two games versus the Mud Hens. On Tuesday night, Iowa managed to score six runs and on Wednesday it plated just three runs for a total of nine and an average of four and a half. Despite the offensive numbers being slightly down just two games into the series, the I-Cubs have come away with two wins as the pitching has held Toledo to just three total runs through two games.

AGAINST TOLEDO: The I-Cubs and Mud Hens will play game three of their six-game series today, with Iowa up 2-0 through the first two games. Their two wins moves their all-time record to 14-21 against Toledo, including going 11-12 in games here at Principal Park since 2021. A win today would give them an even .500 record all-time at Principal Park and earn a series split with three games left to play. Iowa and Toledo are scheduled to play a total of 18 games this year, with 12 coming at Principal Park and six on the road at Fifth Third Field.

SHORT HOPS: Manuel Rodríguez earned his fifth save of the season yesterday, he leads the team and is tied for first in the International League ... Iowa is now 6-1 at home when they score first ... When playing a day game at Principal Park, the I-Cubs are 7-1 which is their best mark of any game time and ballpark ... Wednesday’s crowd of 5,634 was the largest on that day of the week in Iowa this season