COLUMBUS – Cubs starter Ben Brown struck out seven hitters over 5 2/3 innings to help the Iowa Cubs beat the Clippers, 2-1, Thursday night at Huntington Park.
Miles Mastrobuoni doubled home Dom Nunez with the winning run in the eighth inning after Zack Collins tied the score for Columbus with an RBI double in the sixth.
The loss spoiled a promising start by left-hander Gavin Williams, who struck out five while only giving up one hit, a solo home run to Jake Slaughter in the fourth inning.
Bailey Horn (1-0) got the win in relief for Iowa while Manuel Rodriguez picked up his fourth save of the season.
Touki Toussaint (1-1) was saddled with the loss for Columbus.
Guardians send Plesac to Columbus
The Cleveland Guardians have optioned struggling starter Zach Plesac to the AAA Clippers.
The team made the move with Plesac one day before his next scheduled start.
Instead, rookie Peyton Battenfield will pitch the opener of a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins on Friday.
Plesac went 1-1 with a 7.59 ERA in five starts before his demotion. The right-hander’s problems extend to last season as he went 3-12 with a 4.31 ERA in 24 starts last year.
In his previous start, the 28-year-old Plesac gave up five runs and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings on April 29.