The Cubs assigned Lopez to Iowa, but I wouldn’t count on him actually ever going there.
Iowa also activated catcher Casey Opitz off the Developmental List.
The Iowa Cubs’ bats went silent against the Louisville Bats (Reds), 1-0.
Jordan Wicks went 2.2 innings in a rehab assignment and gave up no runs. He did allow five hits, all singles, and walked one. Wicks struck out two. He threw 43 pitches, of which 26 were strikes.
Ty Blach pitched the next 5.1 innings and got the loss after giving up an RBI double to Francisco Urbaez in the fifth inning. Blach gave up five hits in addition to the one run. He walked one and struck out one.
Iowa had just three hits today. Second baseman Pedro Ramírez was 1 for 3 with a walk. Right fielder Brett Bateman went 1 for 2 with a walk.
The Knoxville Smokies couldn’t hide from the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 6-4.
Grant Kipp has been on a roll to start the year, but today he got tagged for the loss after giving up five runs on six hits over five innings. Three of those runs came on a three-run home run in the second inning. Kipp struck out seven and walked four.
Frankie Scalzo Jr. tossed two scoreless innings in his season debut. Scalzo allowed two hits and issued two walks while striking out two.
DH Andy Garriola was most of the Smokies offense as he smacked two home runs tonight. The first one came with the bases empty in the third inning and the second one was with a man on in the fifth. Garriola went 2 for 3 with a walk.
The South Bend Cubs slew the Dayton Dragons (Reds), 10-4.
Cole Reynolds started for South Bend and was a little wild. He allowed two runs on just two hits over 3.2 innings, but he walked five and struck out six. He also hit two batters.
The win went to Nate Williams, who relieved Reynolds in the fourth inning and was promptly greeted with a three-run home run. But he settled down after that and allowed just one run (of his own) on one hit over 1.1 innings. He struck out three and walked one.
JP Wheat was also wild in relief. He faced five batters in the fifth inning and retired just one of them, but got out of the inning because of a pitch that got away that ended up throwing out the batter trying to score from third; and then he induced a 4-6-3 double play. Wheat threw two innings and allowed one run on two hits, five walks and two wild pitches. He struck out one. But hey, he was sitting 100 to 101 on the radar gun.
Third baseman Matt Halbach had a triple-double tonight in that he doubled three times. Halbach was 3 for 5 with two RBI and two runs scored.
Right fielder Kade Snell hit his first professional home run in the top of the ninth inning with the bases empty. Snell was 1 for 3 with a walk.
First baseman Cameron Sisneros was 2 for 5 with a double. He also scored twice and drove in two.
Left fielder Reginald Preciado went 2 for 4 with a walk and a double.
Here are back-to-back doubles by Halbach and Sisneros and an RBI single by Drew Bowser.
Middle of the order makes it happen!#SBCubs pic.twitter.com/sRgICOwkX1