July 23 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs at Omaha Storm Chasers

July 23, 2022 – International League (IL) – Iowa Cubs News Release

IOWA CUBS (40-50) @ OMAHA STORM CHASERS (46-44)

Saturday – 5:05 PM – Werner Park – Papillion, NE

RHP Caleb Kilian (2-1, 3.95) vs. RHP Carlos Hernandez (1-4, 4.38)

TONIGHT’S GAME: Caleb Kilian is scheduled to make his team-leading 15th start of the year for Iowa tonight, entering the game with a 2-1 record and a 3.95 ERA. The righty leads the team with 70 strikeouts over his 57.0 innings pitched, walking 25 and allowing 60 hits over that span. He will look to get into the fourth inning tonight for the first time since July 2, throwing just 3.0 innings in each of his last two starts with Iowa. On the other side, Carlos Hernandez will be taking the ball for the Storm Chasers. Hernandez is 1-4 with a 4.38 ERA through eight starts with Omaha this year, allowing 19 earned runs on 30 hits over 39.0 innings pitched. He has walked 18 batters while striking out 36 and opponents are hitting .205 against him. Hernandez started the year with the Royals, making seven starts with Kansas City before getting optioned to Omaha. He pitched four innings of relief for Kansas City in his last outing on July 15 against Toronto.

IN A GROOVE: Right-hander Dakota Mekkes has had an up-and-down year with Iowa, starting the year on the injured list. The 27-year-old was activated on May 12 and pitched in eight games, going 0-2 with a 9.64 ERA over the stretch. In those 9.1 innings, he allowed 10 earned runs on 12 hits, walking nine while striking out six. Opponents hit .324 against him with an on-base percentage of .468. After those eight games, Mekkes was placed on the developmental list on June 14. He spent three weeks working out some kinks in his mechanics and was re-activated on July 6. Since coming back, he has pitched in four games and has yet to allow a single run. After last night’s scoreless 1.1 innings of work, the righty has now allowed just six hits over his 4.1 innings. He has walked one batter and struck out two, throwing 64% of his 83 pitches for strikes.

SECOND-HALF MOVES: Iowa had 129 roster moves in the first half of the season before the All-Star break, and since the second half started yesterday have already had six moves. Right-hander Aneuris Rosario was released to free agency after going 3-3 with a 6.00 ERAA and two saves in 23 games played. The other five transactions have all been additions to the I-Cubs’ roster, adding pitchers Nicholas Padilla, Anderson Espinoza and Mark Leiter Jr. and…