Cubs Minor League News |
Dustin Riese
· · Sunday, June 01 2025
Saturday was just a preview of what is to come in the coming weeks, as it was the busiest night to date in the Cubs Minor League system. In total, seven games took place across the diamond, and the Cubs posted a 3-4 record.
Sometimes it's not about how many innings you can score, but more so how many runs you can score in those innings. Take this game, for example, as the Mets scored all six of their runs in the first and held on for the 6-4 win. In what was set up to be a bullpen game, Frank Scalzo Jr. was the victim of a massive first inning, as his season ERA took a significant hit. All six of the Mets runs came on the strength of three RBI doubles as Drew Gilbert, Jon Singleton, and Luke Ritter delivered a trio of two-run doubles to give the Mets a 6-0 lead. From that point on, it was the Cubs playing catch-up, and for the most part, they did a great job battling back. Moises Ballesteros and Owen Caissie got in on the double fun as their RBI doubles pulled the Cubs within 6-2. That was all the offense they could muster off Brandon Sproat as he had to battle through some command issues to get through five innings. The Cubs tried to keep things close in the sixth as a pair of solo shots from Kevin Alcantara and Ben Cowles pulled them within 6-4 before falling by that score. Alcantara joined Ballesteros to pick up a pair of hits, but it was Greg Allen leading the way with three.
A significant reason for the abundance of games was the practice of having two teams play in doubleheaders. Knoxville was one of those teams, as pitching dominated both games, with the Smokies taking game one 2-0. Nick Dean couldn't have asked for a better start to begin his AA career, as he gave the Smokies six shutout innings to earn the win. He walked two and struck out six as he is the next in what is hopefully a strong wave of pitching. Knoxville needed Dean to be on the top of his game as Noah Schultz managed to match him pitch for pitch through five innings, allowing two runs with only one of them earned. Sometimes, you only need one player to deliver the goods, as Jaylen Palmer delivered both RBIs with an RBI double in the second and an RBI single in the fifth to grab the win.
Although the Smokies were unable to grab a win, it was still nice to see their pitching set the tone as that was the story of the day for them. This time, it was Antonio Santos delivering the goods as he gave the Smokies five innings of one-run baseball, only to have the Smokies fall in extras. Santos was backed by some early offense, with Corey Joyce delivering a first-inning RBI double to put the Smokies on top 1-0, but with that being their lone run of the game, it was going to come down to their pitching to hold off the Barons. For the most part, they did, as the Barons tied things up in the second on an RBI grounder before going silent the rest of regulation. Once the game got into extras, it was the Barons delivering the game-winning run as William Bergolia connected for the game-winning RBI double in a 2-1 Barons win.
The 2025 season hasn't gone as planned for the Cubs, but they have played one of their best series of the season this week. Facing off against a very good River Bandits club, the Cubs have not only battled them in every game but have also found ways to win multiple games, including a 4-1 win on Saturday. Ryan Gallagher continues to excel on the mound, and some scouts are wondering when his promotion will come. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.92 for the season as he allowed just one run in 6 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out nine. That run came on Diego Guzman's second-inning single as the River Bandits opened up a 1-0 lead. Credit Gallagher and the Cubs pen for holding them right there as Quad Cities went scoreless the rest of the game, while the Cubs used one massive inning to pick up the win. It was in the fifth when the Cubs offense came to life as a wild pitch pulled South Bend even 1-1. The Cubs were just getting started in that inning as the Carter Trice double put the Cubs in front for good 3-1, while a Jefferson Rojas single closed out a four-run inning to give the Cubs a 4-1 win. Trice led the way for the Cubs as he was responsible for two of the team's five hits.
It's no secret that the Pelicans have had a rough week, as Mother Nature has impacted several games. They finally got back to work on Saturday, only to lose game one of a doubleheader 2-0. Kevin Valdez was the tough-luck loser in this one, as he allowed two runs in 3 1/3 innings. Both those runs came in the second inning as John Gil's single proved to be the winning run, while a throwing error made this a 2-0 game. From there, it was all about the pitching as Charlie Hurley took over for Valdez in the fourth and closed things out in what was a tightly contested contest. Angel Cepeda led the Pelicans' offense with three hits, as they had a total of four hits in the game.
The Pelicans had a rough night on the diamond on Saturday as they dropped both ends of a doubleheader. Not only that, but they combined to score two runs in those two games, as the offense was tough to find. Considering the Greenjackets scored three times in the third to take the lead and then three times later in the game, two runs weren't going to be enough in a 6-2 Jackets win. Looking to keep his strong runs of starts going was right-hander Alfredo Romero, as the Pelicans needed him to get some distance. Romero gave the Pelicans the distance they needed with five innings, but he did allow six runs (5 ER) in the loss. Three of those runs came in the third, with an error opening the scoring to put the Greenjackets up 1-0. Isaiah Drake broke the game open later in that inning with a two-run triple as the Pelicans found themselves in an early 3-0 hole. Not to be outdone, the Pelicans started to battle back in the second as an Owen Ayers double put an end to the shutout and the Birds within 3-1. Yahil Melendez added a single later in the inning to make this a 3-2 game, but that was all the offense for the Pelicans as they were unable to solve the Greenjackets' pen. Still holding their 3-2 lead in the fifth, Augusta put an end to the game as they scored three more times to break things open 6-2. Owen Carey and Drake were once again responsible for part of the offense as they connected for a pair of RBI singles to push the lead to 5-2. A double play led to the game's final run as the Pelicans fell by a score of 6-2.
Don't look now, but the ACL Cubs are red hot, having won back-to-back games for the first time this season. In the process, they have doubled their win total and now have four wins on the season. Ronny Lopez made the start for the Cubs, going four innings and allowing two runs as he did his part to keep things close. Those runs came on a Kyle Nevin first-inning single that made things 1-0, while the Abel Lorenzo homer put the Dodgers in front 2-0 in the fourth. That was when things began to flip in an instant as the Cubs not only tied things up in the bottom of the fourth on a Joan Delgado single and an Albert Gutierrez double but managed to score 11 times in the next three innings to break the game open. Seven of those runs crossed home in the fifth as the Cubs took what was a 2-2 game and turned it into a 9-2 lead. Edgardo De Leon started the massive inning with a solo shot that put the Cubs in front for good. The Cubs also benefited from a Cesar Lugo single, another RBI hit from De Leon later in the inning, and a sacrifice fly that produced four of the seven runs. The big blow in the inning came off the bat of Gutierrez as his three-run shot broke the game open. It was his second home run in as many games, as he is starting to get hot at the plate. The relentless Cubs offense wasn't quite done as Lugo added to the lead with another single in the sixth, while an RBI forceout led to the Cubs' final run as they led 11-2 through six before winning 11-4.SYRACUSE METS 6 - IOWA CUBS 4
KNOXVILLE SMOKIES 2 - BIRMINGHAM BARONS 0
BIRMINGHAM BARONS 2 - KNOXVILLE SMOKIES 1 (Game 2)
SOUTH BEND CUBS 4 - QUAD CITIES RIVER BANDITS 1
AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS 2 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 0 (GAME 1)
AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS 6 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 2 (Game 2)
ACL CUBS 11 - ACL DODGERS 4
