Cubs Minor League News: Rookie League takes center stage |
Coming off an up-and-down first week of competition, the Cubs Rookie League organizations took center stage on Monday, now known as Rookie League Monday. With the teams posting a 2-1 record, things were great, but there were also several promising performances from players who could play significant parts in full-season ball later this season.
It took a little while for the DSL Red squad to get rolling, but now that they have, things are starting to look up. Sparked by a seven-run inning and three more crooked numbers, the Cubs offense was alive and well as they disposed of the Pirates 18-3. Most of the Pirates damage came in the first inning when Richard Ramirez delivered a two-run single to make things 2-0. The Cubs got one of those runs back on a Yidel Diaz sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first before their offense kicked into gear in the second. Sparked by an Angel Cepeda single that tied things up, the Cubs scored four times in the second to take a 5-2 lead. Joan Delgado had the big blow that inning as his two-run shot capped off the scoring. The Cubs offense continued to roll in the second, with Cepada adding a second RBI single along with Ludwing Espinoza to push the lead to 8-2. However, the fourth inning saw the offense go ballistic as they scored seven more times to put the game away completely. A bases-loaded walk led to the first run, while doubles from Andrws Cruz and Delgado provided most of the damage. Espinoza added an RBI triple in that frame as the Cubs led 15-2. DSL Red added three more runs in the fifth inning before the final score ended up 18-3. Cepeda and Delgado paced the offense with three hits and seven RBIs combined. Cruz also added four RBIs from the No.9 spot as their offense was alive and kicking.
Coming off a great opening week, DSL Blue hoped to keep things rolling. Instead, they saw their early lead evaporate in a hurry, as a five-run fifth was the difference in the game. Despite some command issues in his start, Juan Archibold was very good as he allowed two runs, with only being earned. Archibold was backed by some early run support as Derniche Valdez picked up his first career RBI with a first-inning double. The Pirates managed to tie things up with an RBI groundout in the bottom half of the first before an error in the second gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead. Like in the first, the Pirates used an RBI groundout to tie things up in the third, where things stood in the fifth. That was when the game flipped completely upside down as the Pirates offense went on an impressive scoring binge to bust the game wide open. Samuel Escudero put the Pirates in front for good with his RBI single, while Johnathan Rivero brought home the winning run with his single. Throw in an RBI double from Joseph Sequera, an RBI single from Miguel Rodriguez, and a wild pitch; the Cubs were left trailing 7-2 as the Pirates pushed across five runs. Erbin Jaque managed to get one of those runs back with a homer later in the game, but the Cubs were unable to get anything else going and settled for the 7-3 loss. Jaque picked up two of the Cub's three hits, with Valdez grabbing the other.
It is amazing what one win can do for a team as the ACL Cubs have caught fire to climb to .500. All it took was a strong pitching performance on Monday and a seven-run inning to get the job done in what was their most complete showing thus far. 2022 8th-rounder Mason McGwire was making his second start of the season and delivered a solid outing. McGwire gave the Cubs five innings, which is rare in this league, and allowed two runs on three hits. He did walk three compared to one strikeout but limited the damage, which is all that matters. Following McGwire was 2022 12th-rounder Matthew Peters who tossed a scoreless frame while Tomy Sanchez struck out the side in the seventh. Both runs against McGwire came in the first inning, and they came on one swing, with Blaze Alexander connecting for a two-run shot, putting the Diamondbacks up 2-0. That was the only lead of the night for the Diamondbacks, but it was also the only runs they would score as the Cubs offense was set to take off. Trailing 2-0 in the third, Alexis Hernandez got the offense started as his RBI single brought things back to even 2-2. An error on the same play allowed Hernandez to turn that single into a little league homer as the Cubs led 3-2 and never looked back. RBI singles from Jefferson Encarnacion and Jairo Diaz made things 6-2, with Brayan Altuve capping off the seven-run third with a sacrifice fly. The Cubs added a run in the fifth off a wild pitch and went on to win by that 8-2 score. Encarnacion was one of three players to pick up multiple hits joining Cristian More and Miguel Fabrizio. Sighting of some Cubs pitchers working through rehab to get back out on the field - @JackJP3 @TylerSchlaffer @Derek_Casey14 @ad_sampson #Cubs #rehab #gettinghealthy pic.twitter.com/Bkz6MrcBQ5DSL CUBS RED 18 - DSL PIRATES GOLD 3
DSL PIRATES BLACK 7 - DSL CUBS BLUE 3
ACL CUBS 8 - ACL DIAMONDBACKS 2
