Cubs Minor League News: Bote raking, Caissie hot, McGeary with 3 RBIs, Chavers sizzling
Photo courtesy: Iowa Cubs

Cubs Minor League News: Bote raking, Caissie hot, McGeary with 3 RBIs, Chavers sizzling
by - Senior Writer - Mon Jun 12 12:47:29 GMT-04:00 2023

Sunday was a much lighter day on the diamond as all three Rookie League teams got the day off from play. That puts the focus on the full-season leagues as they inch closer to the end of the first half. With three teams battling for a playoff spot and one team one hot streak away from putting themselves back into the race, things will start heating up in the coming weeks.

Regarding the action on Sunday, four games went down to three games as one was postponed and will not be made up due to scheduling conflicts the rest of the way. Even with that, the Cubs still did their job as a system and posted a 2-1 record to close out the week, which is all you can ask for.

SAINT PAUL SAINTS 8 - IOWA CUBS 5

This was interesting for the Iowa Cubs, who got off to a slow start, rallied to win a few games, and ended the week in a losing manner. This one especially stings as an excellent pitching performance went to waste when the bullpen allowed six runs late.

Chris Clarke set the tone on the mound, giving the Cubs three innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts. You also had Hunter Bigge, Anthony Kay, Codi Heuer, and finally, Keegan Thompson putting together strong showings as they all finished their outings without an earned run. The same can't be said for Rowan Wick and Daniel Palencia, as they were the ones that struggled late.

The lone run against Clarke came in the first inning when Joey Gallo picked up an RBI groundout. Gallo should be in the majors right now, and it would have been a much different series had he been, as he owned the Cubs this week. Still trailing by a run in the fourth, Jake Slaughter took it upon himself to tie things up as his team-leading 11th homer brought things back to even 1-1.

Two innings later, Sergio Alcantara put the Cubs in front as his RBI single gave them a 2-1 lead. Immediately upon grabbing the lead, it was the Saint's turn to pull even as Jair Camargo picked up an RBI double to make things 2-2. Following a Slaughter sacrifice fly in the seventh to give the Cubs the lead again, it was that man Gallo again providing the damage in the bottom of the seventh as his two-run blast put the Saints in front for good, 4-3.

Clinging to a one-run lead in the eighth, the Saint Paul offense busted the game wide open against Palencia to put the game away. Andrew Stevenson picked up an RBI single to push the lead to 5-3 while a bases-loaded hit by pitch brought home the game-winning run. Throw in an Andrew Bechtold single later in the frame, and the Saints scored four times to open things up 8-3.

In desperate need of some late-game offense, David Bote did his part by launching a two-run shot to pull the Cubs within 8-5, but that was as close as they would get falling by that score. Bote led the offense with three hits while also driving in two. Slaughter and Alcantara also picked up two hits and drove in the rest of the runs.

TENNESSEE SMOKIES 7 - ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS 3

It was a relentless offensive attack for the Smokies on Sunday, and that helped pave the way for a good win. Chris Kachmar continues to fill whatever role Michael Ryan needs, and Sunday saw him make a start and toss four scoreless frames.

Following Kachmar was a strong bullpen effort from several arms apart from Danis Correa, who was charged with all three runs in just 1/3 inning. Opposing Kachmar was Zac Kristofak, who gutted it out through five innings and allowed three runs during those frames. All of those runs came in a span of two innings and none until the fourth inning.

Haydn McGeary provided the first of those runs with an RBI single before Nelson Maldonado doubled the lead with a sacrifice fly. The Smokies continued to control the game early on, with Luis Vazquez adding an RBI single in the fifth to stretch the lead to 3-0. They would hold that lead until the seventh, when the Trash Pandas started to rally against a struggling Correa.

Not only did a bases-loaded walk bring home the first run for Rocket City, but a balk brought home an additional run. Livan Soto followed that up with an RBI groundout to tie things up 3-3, and all the momentum shifted toward the Trash Pandas. Baseball is a game of momentum, and with one swing from McGeary in the eighth, the Smokies had the momentum again as his two-run shot provided the Smokies with the winning runs as they took a 5-3 lead into the ninth.

Scott McKeon then took it upon himself to provide some much-needed insurance runs as his RBI triple pushed the lead to 7-3 before the pen finished things off.

Vazquez led the offense with three hits, but McGeary and his three RBIs provided most of the damage. McGeary drove in those three on two hits, with Pete Crow-Armstrong, Owen Caissie, and Caleb Knight grabbing two hits.

LANSING LUGNUTS at SOUTH BEND CUBS (Cancelled due to rain. No makeup date announced)

MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 8 - AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS 3

Ever since the Pelicans had that one series where they found a way to win four straight, it seems to have turned their season around. Here we are three weeks later, and this team has won 13 of their last 15 and is well on their way to a first-half league title if they keep it up.

Looking to make it five of six against Augusta this week, the Pelican's offense took a while to settle in, but a sixth-run ninth inning proved to be the difference for another win. Offensive struggles or not, Brody McCullough was solid once again, allowing one run in just three innings. After a shaky fourth inning, Luis Rugiano gave the Pelicans three scoreless frames, with Angel Gonzalez tossing the final two scoreless innings.

Even with solid pitching once again, things were not looking good as the Pelicans offense was held in check most of the day. Andrew Keck opened the scoring with a solo shot in the fourth for Agusta, while Tyler Collins's fourth-inning single made things 3-0. Those would be the only runs for the Greenjackets, but it looked like enough when you look at how the Pelican's offense performed.

It took five innings for Myrtle Beach to break through, with Parker Chavers picking up a sacrifice fly to make things 3-1. Miguel Pabon added an RBI single in the sixth to pull the Birds within 3-2, but they trailed by that score entering the ninth. That was when things began to open up for the offense as Jefferson Rojas picked the perfect time to hit his first homer and tied things up 3-3.

Chavers followed that up with an RBI single to put the Birds in front for good 5-3 and closed out an impressive week of play. Throw in RBI doubles from Moises Ballesteros and Andy Gariola, and three more runs came across to score as the Pelicans scored six times in that ninth inning to cruise to an 8-3 win.

Gariola, Rojas, and Pabon had two hits on the day with an RBI. However, it was Chavers and his three RBIs leading the way again.

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