July 4 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs vs. Omaha Storm Chasers

IOWA CUBS (37-47) vs. OMAHA STORM CHASERS (54-28)

Thursday, July 4 • 7:08 PM CT • Principal Park • Des Moines, IA

LHP Thomas Pannone (4-8, 4.71) vs. LHP Daniel Lynch IV (5-0, 4.38)

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Iowa Cubs and the Omaha Storm Chasers play the fourth of a six-game series tonight at Principal Park after playing the first three games of the series at Werner Park...left-hander Thomas Pannone is slated to make his league-leading 18th start with Iowa this season...opposite of Pannone will be left- hander Daniel Lynch who will make his 13th start with the Storm Chasers.

LAST NIGHT IN PAPILLION: Iowa was defeated by a 7-3 score by Omaha last night at Werner Park and lost two of the three games at the Chasers’ ballpark... Chris Clarke made his first start since returning from the injured list and tossed 2.0 innings and allowed one run on four hits... Jake Hager and Luis Vazquez each tallied a multi-hit game in the loss.

THE FOURTH OF JULY: Prior to tonight’s game, the Iowa Cubs will welcome 29 candidates from six continents and 19 countries as new U.S. citizens during a ceremony beginning at 6:35 p.m...it marks the 16th consecutive year Principal Park has hosted the on-field event...the I-Cubs have won two of their last three games of the Fourth of July, with the one loss being a 5-4 decision in 10 innings at Indianapolis in 2022.

ALL THE SMALL THINGS: Iowa’s 4-3 win Monday night improved them to 15-12 in one-run games this season...the I-Cubs 27 one-run games this season are the most such games in the International League, ahead of next closest Omaha (17-9).

STORM CHASIN’: The I-Cubs and Omaha have played 12 games during the 2024 season with Omaha winning nine of the contests, outscoring Iowa 66-42 (-24)...the two clubs faced off 21 times in 2023, with Iowa going 13-8 and outscoring Omaha 160-117 (+43) including a 20-1 win at Werner Park on Aug. 9 in which Iowa outhit Omaha 17-4 and hit seven home runs, four of which came in the first inning...the I-Cubs tallied a seven-game winning streak against the Storm Chasers last year from July 2 (G2)-Aug. 12.

FUTURE STARS: Cubs’ No. 2 prospect Owen Caissie and Cubs’ No. 6 prospect (MLB Pipeline) Moises Ballesteros were selected to participate in the 2024 All-Star Futures Game as announced by Major League Baseball this morning...Caissie is batting .279 (76-for-272) with 17 doubles, eight home runs and 45 RBI in 74 games with Iowa this season and Ballesteros is hitting .367 (18-for-49) and has tallied seven multi-hit efforts over his 12 games with the I-Cubs...the 2024 All-Star Futures Game will be played on Saturday, July 13 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas (home of the Texas Rangers) with the MLB Futures Skill Showcase following the conclusion of the All-Star Futures Game.

BIGGE SMALLS: Reliever Hunter Bigge earned his fifth save of the season Tuesday night, but allowed his first run of the season...Bigge has allowed one run in 10.2 innings of work and has 18 strikeouts since joining the I-Cubs on June 4...since he joined the club, his five saves ranked tied for second-most in the International League.

FOR STARTERS: Over the last four games, Iowa’s starting pitchers have posted a 1.00 ERA (2 ER in 18.0 IP) and the team has gone 2-2 over that span... Kyle McGowin spun 5.0 scoreless innings on June 30 vs. St. Paul and allowed just three hits and Dan Straily worked 5.0 scoreless frames on Tuesday night at Omaha, allowing just one hit and eight strikeouts, which marked his most since he punched out nine on July 27, 2019 at Lehigh Valley with Triple-A Norfolk.

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS: The I-Cubs return home to Principal Park after a quick three-game getaway...Iowa has posted a 21-21 record at the friendly confines opposed to going 16-26 on the road this season...the I-Cubs have won three of their last four home games, all coming against St. Paul, and outscored the Saints 28-19 (+9)...despite being in last place of the International League West Division, Iowa’s 21 wins at home are tied for fifth most among the 10 teams in the division.