Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage photos
Addison Russell made an appearance for the Cubs, but not the team from the Windy City.
Russell, 25, donned an Iowa Cubs jersey for the second time this season. He went 2-for-4 with one RBI in the Reno Aces’ 13-7 victory over the Cubs Tuesday night at Greater Nevada Field. He was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on July 24.
The 2016 All-Star shortstop has spent his last five seasons with the Cubs. He was a key part of Chicago’s illustrious journey to their first World Series championship since 1908.
Russell’s promising start to his career took a turn for the worse. He served a 40-game suspension in 2018 for violating the MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.
Since the suspension, Russell hasn’t returned to his All-Star form. He’s batting just .247 with six home runs and 16 RBIs in 55 games with the Cubs. Defensively, he moved to second base to make room for Javier Baez at shortstop.
Russell found his groove in his first-ever appearance at Greater Nevada Field. He laced a pair of hard-hit singles off Aces’ starting pitcher Jon Duplantier.
Russell is hitting .255 with three homers and 13 RBIs in 13 games with Iowa, and a return to Chicago may happen in the near future.
The Aces tallied 13 hits and four homers in the win. Juniel Querecuto launched a pair of two-run blasts from either side of the plate. His first homer was from the left side that landed in the Cubs’ bullpen in right field. His second was from the right side that nearly hit the left field foul pole.
Andy Young went 2-for-5 with a two-run blast in the second inning. He has 10 round-trippers in 37 games with the Aces. John Ryan Murphy cranked another two-run homer in the fifth.
Reno extended its win streak to seven games, the longest of the season. The Aces swept a pair of three-game series from the Tacoma Rainiers and Fresno Grizzlies.
Duplantier — who was optioned to Triple-A Reno on July 19 — surrendered five earned runs on seven hits in five innings. The right-hander helped his own cause with an RBI single in the fourth inning. He batted eighth in Tuesday’s lineup while Querecuto batted ninth in the order.
Back in an Aces jersey, No. 13 this time, Ildemaro Vargas picked up right where he left off. The versatile do-it-all infielder went 3-for-4. On Sunday, he recorded the third five-hit game of the season for Reno with a 5-for-6 performance against the Fresno Grizzlies.
Nicknamed “El Tigre,” Vargas is the Aces’ all-time hits leader with 415 in 299 career games.
Iowa held a 5-3 lead after three innings. Reno plated four runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth. The Cubs plated one run in the seventh. The Aces responded with two more in the bottom frame, making the score 11-6. Reno scored two more runs in the eighth. Iowa scored its last run in the ninth.
Matt Koch struck out eight batters in five innings of relief to earn the win.
Tomás returns to Arizona: Yasmany Tomás made his first big-league start with the Dbacks since 2017. The Havana, Cuba native went 0-for-3 as a designated hitter in a 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees. Arizona selected Tomás’ contract on July 26. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Luke Weaver was placed on the 60-day injured list.
Notes: The Aces are 29-27 at home this season. … Reno is averaging 9.5 runs over the last six games. … Travis Snider launched his fifth home run on the season on Sunday against Fresno. Afterward, he was placed on Arizona’s injured list.
On Deck: Reno, 49,59 faces Iowa for the second game of the three-game series at 7:05 p.m. at Greater Nevada Field. Taylor Widener is expected to take the hill for the Aces. Matt Swarmer is the probable starting pitcher for the Cubs.
-Isaiah Burrows
