Iowa wins in Soler's swansong. The Smokies and Daytona both lose, but stay in first place. Kane County is nearing a franchise record.
So yes, Jorge Soler is heading to Chicago. Or Cincinnati, technically.
Also, three Iowa Cubs were named to the All-PCL Team: second baseman Arismendy Alcantara, left-handed starter Tsuyoshi Wada and reliever Blake Parker. This is the first time ever that Iowa has ever had three players receive this honor.
If you want the full list, it's here. As you can see, the I-Cubs had three of the twelve players so honored, more than any other team.
Iowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs summitted the Tacoma Raniers (Mariners), 8-0.
Starter Eric Jokisch only lasted 2.1 innings before exiting with what has been reported to be a blister. He gave up just one hit. He struck out two and walked no one.
Alberto Cabrera then pitched the next 4.2 innings and got the win. He allowed three hits but no walks. (In fact, the Raniers did not get a single walk off the Iowa pitchers tonight.) Cabrera struck out two.
Before he exited the game, Soler hit a three-run home run off of Mariners top prospect Taijuan Walker. It was his eighth of the season and he was 1 for 2.
Soler was replaced in the lineup by Jonathan Mota, who hit a solo home run of his own in the seventh inning. It was his third home run of the year and second for Iowa. Mota went 2 for 3.
DH Junior Lake was 3 for 5 with a double. He scored one run and knocked two in.
Catcher Rafael Lopez was 2 for 4 and scored once. Shortstop Elliot Soto was 2 for 2 with a double. He scored two runs and had one RBI.
Tennessee Smokies
The Tennessee Smokies lost their fifth straight game, 2-1 to the Jacksonville Suns (Marlins).
It was a really strong start for C.J. Edwards. Edwards went five innings and allowed only one run on one hit. He struck out eight and walked three. He threw 86 pitches, 48 of which were strikes. So those numbers could be a little better.
Andrew McKirahan got the loss after he allowed one run on two hits over two innings. He struck out two and walked nobody.
Pin-Chieh Chen entered the game after Stephen Bruno exited the game after grounding out in the first inning. Chen went 2 for 3.
The only good news is that Chattanooga lost again, so the Smokies keep their one-game lead in the division.
Daytona Cubs
The Daytona Cubs were blue after losing to the Dunedin Blue Jays, 8-7.
Yao-Lin Wang started for Daytona for the first time since July 11 and took the loss. Wang allowed five runs on seven hits in only four innings. Wang struck out three and walked one.
Kyle Schwarber's home run streak may have come to an end (he went 1 for 4) but second baseman Gioskar Amaya hit his fourth home run of the season with the bases empty in the fourth inning. Amaya also tripled and walked n a 2 for 3 game. Amaya scored two runs and had two RBI.
In the ninth inning, left fielder Bijan Rademacher led off the inning with a solo home run to cut Dunedin's lead to 8-6. Rademacher was 2 for 4 with two RBI. It was his ninth home run of the season.
The D-Cubs would get another run in the inning on a Schwarber sacrifice fly, but with the bases loaded and two out, Willson Contrerasstruck out to end the game.
Tampa had an off-day, so Daytona's lead in the division fell to two games.
Kane County Cougars
The Kane County Cougars took the honey from the Burlington Bees (Angels), 8-3.
Paul Blackburn started and allowed two runs on four hits over five innings. Blackburn walked two and struck out two.
James Pugliese came off the disabled list and gave up an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth to tie the score at 3-3. But he got the win when Kane County retook the lead in the top of the seventh. Pugliese pitched just the one inning and allowed two hits and one walk. He did not strike anyone out.
Kane County retook the lead in the seventh on a solo home run by DH Yasiel Balaguert, his seventh of the season. Balaguert also doubled in a 2 for 4 game. He scored twice and had two RBI.
Going back-to-back with Balaguert was right fielder Jeffrey Baez with his sixth home run of the season for Kane County and 13th overall. Baez was 1 for 4.
Third baseman Jeimer Candelario was 3 for 5 with a run scored. First baseman Jacob Rogers went 2 for 4 with a double and two RBI. He also scored one run.
The win improved Kane County's record for the season to 87-46. The franchise record for wins in a season is 88 in 2001. That team had Miguel Cabrera, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Willingham on it. The Cougars will have to win two of their final seven games to break that record.
Boise Hawks
The Boise Hawks shut out the Everett AquaSox (Mariners), 3-0.
Starter Trevor Clifton went seven innings for the first time in his career. He gave up only six hits as he won his fourth game. Clifton struck out three and walked no one.
Corbin Hoffner pitched the final 1.1 innings for his second save. He surrendered one hit and one walk while striking out two.
Third baseman Jesse Hodges had an RBI double and also scored in the fourth inning. He was 2 for 4.
AZL Cubs
Off day.