September 20 Game Notes: Iowa Cubs at Omaha Storm Chasers

September 20, 2022 – International League (IL) – Iowa Cubs News Release

IOWA CUBS (64-77) @ OMAHA STORM CHASERS (69-72)

Tuesday – 6:35 PM – Werner Park – Papillion, NE

RHP Matt Swarmer (3-3, 3.28) vs. RHP Daniel Mengden (7-5, 4.41)

TONIGHT’S GAME: The I-Cubs and Storm Chasers will play game one of their six-game series tonight, with Matt Swarmer taking the ball for Iowa. Swarmer is set to pitch in his 20th game of the year for Iowa and make his 14th start, looking to get over the .500 mark. He enters tonight’s game with a 3-3 record and a 3.28 ERA this year, allowing 27 earned runs on 60 hits and 28 walks over 74.0 innings pitched. In those 74 innings he has struck out 81 batters, allowing his opponents to hit .214 against him. Swarmer has had success against the Storm Chasers this year, going 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA in two starts. In those two starts he has allowed two earned runs on three hits and three walks, striking out 15 batters over 10.2 innings pitched. Omaha is hitting just .086 against Swarmer through the two games. On the other side, Daniel Mengden will toe the rubber for the Storm Chasers, set to make his 19th start of the year in his 24th game with Omaha. The righty is 7-5 with a 4.41 ERA, allowing 50 earned runs on 92 hits and 51 walks, striking out 85 batters along the way. He has allowed 19 home runs over his 102.0 innings, allowing opponents to hit .243 against him. In his lone start against Iowa this year, Mengden allowed just one earned run on four hits and four walks, striking out five over his 5.0 innings.

BACK-END BLUNDERS: In Iowa’s suspended game from Saturday that was completed on Sunday, the I-Cubs lost by a score of 8-4. They were up 1-0 after five innings, but then Memphis’ offense exploded for five runs. They did so against Cam Sanders, who suffered his eighth loss of the year and his first blown save, allowing five earned runs on three hits, three walks and a home run. Before that outing, Sanders had been great, not allowing an earned run over his last five games. Over those 10.1 innings, he had allowed five hits and six walks while striking out 11 batters. His five earned runs were the most he has allowed in a single outing since July 13 against Buffalo when he was still being used as a starting pitcher. Iowa’s offense came back with two more runs to trail 5-3, but the Redbirds struck again, for three more runs against Cayne Ueckert to put the game away. Ueckert allowed three earned runs on five hits and a walk over his two…