Cubs Minor League News: Rookie League action

Jerry Lai - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Tuesday, June 20 2023

As usual, Monday meant the start of another Minor League week with the Rookie Leagues taking the stage. Unlike the full-season leagues, where wins are equally as important as development, rookie leagues aim to develop the players, as the Cubs posted a 1-2 record on Monday.

ACL Rockies 10 - ACL CUBS 5

Another meant another new week of competition for the ACL Cubs as they kicked off the week against the Rockies. While the results weren't great, with the Cubs getting doubled up 10-5, this league is all about the development of their future players, which is all that matters.

Looking to build off a solid start last time out, Mason McGwire was roughed up a bit as he was charged with seven runs (4ER) in 4 1/3 innings. He did manage to strike out seven, but he put his team in an early hole that was too large to climb out of. A large portion of the damage against McGwire came in the second when RBI triples from Felix Tena and Dyan Jorge led to three runs, with an error leading to a fourth to make things 4-0.

The Cubs got a pair of those runs back in the third, with Alexander Canario unloading for his first homer since his return while Jefferson Encarnacion added an RBI double. This was a surreal moment for Canario, as many expected him to miss the entire season this year. Once the fifth and sixth innings rolled around, the Rockies put the game away as they scored six times (three in each inning) to bust things open.

Jorge hit his second homer of the game in the fifth, paired with an RBI single from Fadriel Cruz and a bases-loaded walk. In the sixth, RBI doubles from Willie Maclver and Jason Hinchman closed out the scoring for the Rockies as they held a 10-2 lead. The Cubs made some noise in the ninth, with Leonel Espinoza driving in a pair with an RBI triple and coming home on a Felix Hernandez grounder to make things 10-5 as they would fall by that score.

DSL CUBS RED 3 - DSL TIGERS 2 (F/8)

I know what you are thinking; eight innings must mean weather got in the way, but that is not the case. When it comes to Rookie League ball, many of the games are seven-inning, which was the case again on Monday. Led by a strong pitching performance, the Cubs did what they needed in order to pick up the win.

Emannoel Madeira got the start for the Cubs and struggled with his command as he walked five and struck out three in three innings. He allowed two runs, both being unearned, which goes to show you how hard he battled. Take him out of the mix. You had three innings from Jurel Vizcaino and Wellington Quintero, who delivered five shutout innings on the bump.

Opposing Madeira was Frank Moreno, who pitched into the fifth before allowing two runs. Following a costly error in the second, an RBI forceout put the Tigers in front 1-0 with an error in the third, making things 2-0. That was it for the Tigers offensively, as the Cubs were forced to play from behind again.

That doesn't bother them, with Ludwing Espinoza picking up an RBI single in the fifth to put the Cubs on the board. Later in the inning, it was Angel Cepeda cashing in with the game-tying RBI double as the Cubs battled back to tie things up 2-2. With neither offense being able to get anything else done the rest of the way, it would take extras for this one to be sided.

Fortunately, the Cubs came through in the clutch, with Joan Delgado adding an RBI single in the eighth to provide the winning run in what was a 3-2 win for the Cubs.

DSL TIGERS 8 - DSL CUBS BLUE 3

While the DSL Red squad took care of one of the Tigers teams, DSL Blue wasn't as lucky as they suffered a one-sided loss. Anytime a DSL pitcher gives you six innings, you are in trouble, as Dupue Hebbert was lights out. After pitching for team Nicaragua in the WBC, Hebbert has continued that success in the DSL, going six innings and allowing two runs with six punchouts.

Leading 1-0 in the second, the Tigers busted the game open and eventually pushed across the winning run. An error led to the first run coming across, while a sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout made things 4-0. Throw in another sacrifice fly in the third, and the Tigers opened up a 5-0 lead and had the Cubs searching for answers.

Maintaining that 5-0 lead into the fifth, the Tigers played longball to extend the lead, with Newremberg Rondon going deep to make things 7-0. The Cubs offense was quiet most of the day, but they finally got to Hebbert in the sixth. It was another Derniche Valdez homer that put an end to the shutout and made things 7-2. For Valdez, this was his third homer in as many days after getting off to a slow start.

Each team added a run in the seventh inning, but it was nowhere near enough for the Cubs to win as they fell to the Tigers 8-3. Valdez picked up one of the three hits for the Cubs, joining Derik Alcantara and Omar Ferrera.