Cubs Minor League News |
Dustin Riese
· · 5 hours ago
Overall, it was an excellent week for the Cubs Minor League system, as there was plenty of winning to go around. Even if the week didn't end on a positive note, the Cubs still found a way to remain competitive throughout and came two runs away from a 4-0 night, closing out the week with a 2-2 record.
In what was a scheduled bullpen day for the Cubs, it was the offense doing the heavy lifting as a pair of three-run innings did most of the damage in a 7-3 victory. Michael Fulmer got the start, allowing two runs in 2 2/3 innings, but it was the work of Nate Pearson and Jack Neely that stood out as they combined for four shutout innings. It only took one inning for the Cubs to give the pitching a comfortable lead as Owen Caissie came out swinging with a two-run shot that put Iowa in front for good, 2-0. The scorching hot Carlos Perez added a solo shot later in the inning as it was all Iowa early, 3-0. The long ball continued to play a role in the bottom of the third, with Cam Devanney leaving the yard to pull the Storm Chasers within 3-2. That was as close as they would get as the Cubs scored four unanswered runs, including a three-run seventh that saw a Hayden Cantrelle sacrifice bunt leading to one run and an error pushing across two more runs. Cantrelle capped off the scoring for the Cubs with an RBI single as Iowa led 7-2 in the eighth before picking up a 7-3 win. Iowa had nine hits in the win, with Christian Franklin and Darius Hill picking up two.
What looked to be a promising day for the Smokies turned sour quickly as the Smokies fell to the Lookouts in extras 3-2. That took away from a strong pitching performance that saw the Smokies blank the Lookouts through seven innings before the bullpen let things get away late. Jaxon Wiggins continues to steal the show among the organizational pitchers, making a significant impression on this team. With five more shutout innings and eight strikeouts, Wiggins has lowered his AA ERA to 2.22 and is almost guaranteed to reach AAA at some point in 2025. Wiggins was backed by a second-inning fielder's choice that put the Smokies in front, while an Eriandys Ramon homer doubled the Knoxville lead to 2-0 in the fifth. Those were the only runs the Smokies offense would get against Ryan Cardona, as he allowed just two runs on four hits through five innings. Still holding a 2-0 lead late, it was the long ball that came back into play, with Austin Hendrick taking Cayne Ueckert deep to make this a 2-2 game. Those were the final runs of regulation, as it was going to take extras for someone to come out on top. Unfortunately for the Smokies, it was the Lookouts getting the last laugh as they picked up a game-winning sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th and secured a 3-2 win. Jaylen Palmer paced the Smokies with two hits as they had six hits as a team.
Had the Cubs not gotten off to the poor start they got off to, they would be right in the middle of a first-half title. Instead, they are simply doing what they need to do to gain confidence as they play their best ball of the season. Sunday was a prime example of that as the Cubs delivered a complete game effort across the board to deliver an 11-2 win. It's amazing what a little offense can do for a pitcher, as Kenten Egbert is starting to win some games. After starting the season 0-5 on the mound, Egbert has now won two of his last three starts, including his start on Sunday, as he went 5 2/3 shutout innings to earn the win. He walked one and struck out three as he is starting to settle in on the mound. Anytime your offense can back you with six runs of support early, pitching becomes much easier, as the Cubs opened up a 3-0 lead in the first and never looked back. None of those runs came off a hit, as an RBI fielder's choice, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly led to the opening runs. The Cubs continued to manufacture runs the next two innings as another sacrifice fly and a pair of bases-loaded walks led to three more runs in the next two frames to give the Cubs a 6-0 lead. It was more of the same for the Cubs in the fifth as an RBI forceout mixed with a wild pitch led to more runs as the Cubs continued to extend their lead to 8-0. Andy Garriola finally delivered an RBI hit in the sixth as he connected for his eighth homer of the season to put the Cubs in front 9-0. Great Lakes responded with their first run in the seventh as former Cubs farmhand Zyhir Hope delivered another RBI hit to make this a 9-1 game. South Bend capped off their scoring in the eighth with Ariel Armas delivering an RBI single to make this a 10-1 game, while another bases-loaded walk pushed the lead to 11-1. Great Lakes picked a ninth-inning run on their own bases-loaded walk, but it wasn't enough to top the Cubs as they fell to South Bend 11-2. South Bend had just seven hits in the game as Cristian Hernandez and Garriola led the way with two RBIs.
If the Knoxville loss in extras wasn't a tough enough pill to swallow, this one might top that as the Cannonballers rallied from a late deficit to walk off the Birds 5-4. Hayden Frank had an enjoyable outing on the mound as he gave Myrtle Beach five strong innings, allowing just two runs. He walked four and didn't strike out a man as he had to battle through some command issues. Frank was backed by some instant offense in the first as Leonel Espinoza opened up the scoring with an RBI double to put the Birds in front 1-0. He would end up coming home to score on the Cameron Sisneros single, as this was a 2-0 Pelicans lead. The Pelicans would hold that lead until a bases-loaded walk in the fourth made this a one-run game. That was followed by a fifth-inning Javier Mogollon homer, and just like that, this was a 2-2 game. Not to be outdone, Jose Escobar put Myrtle Beach back in front with an RBI single before a costly wild pitch doubled their lead once again to give the Pelicans a 4-2 lead. Holding a 4-3 lead late after TJ McCants delivered a sixth-inning single, it was the Cannonballers that had the last laugh as Ronny Hernandez tied things up in the ninth on an RBI single before walking off the Birds on a wild pitch. Sisneros and Angel Cepeda paced the Pelicans offense as they combined to for six of the Pelicans' 11 hits.IOWA CUBS 7 - OMAHA STORM CHASERS 3
CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS 3 - KNOXVILLE SMOKIES 2 (F/10)
SOUTH BEND CUBS 11 - GREAT LAKES LOONS 2
KANNAPOLIS CANNONBALLERS 5 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 4
