Cubs Minor League News: Sanchez raking, Thompson impressive, Cuas struggling, more
Sanchez had three hits and two RBIs for I-Cubs (Photo courtesy: I-Cubs Twitter)

Cubs Minor League News: Sanchez raking, Thompson impressive, Cuas struggling, more
by - Senior Writer - Sat Apr 27 10:00:08 GMT-04:00 2024

Friday saw a slight improvement from the Cubs Minor League system, as they picked up two wins to go 2-2. The good news about their two losses is that the pitching was good enough to win most games, but their hitting just wasn't there.

That does happen sometimes, as many of these young Cubs hitters are very streaky. When they are hot, the teams score runs in bunches, but when they get cold, it's as if the whole team gets cold. That is part of the developmental process and something every organization goes through.

IOWA CUBS 12 - BUFFALO BISONS 3

The best way to get over getting swept in a doubleheader is to come out the next day and send a message. That is what Iowa did on Friday as their relentless offense scored 12 times, including seven runs in the final two innings. Riley Thompson made his third start of the season and pitched very well again.

He gave Iowa four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out four as his ERA sits at 2.70. Richard Lovelady got the win and was charged with one earned run in relief, while Jose Cuas allowed the other two runs. It's hard to believe that this was primarily a pitcher's duel early on, as Chad Dallas held the Cubs to just two runs through 4 2/3.

Both those runs came off a pair of Bryce Windham singles as Iowa led 2-0 through four. Spencer Horwitz got Buffalo on the board with an RBI single in the fifth, but the Cubs offense started to come to life in the sixth as the three-run blast from Jake Slaughter pushed the Cubs lead to 5-1.

Iowa then scored six more times in the top half of the eighth as they opened up an 11-1 lead.

Ali Sanchez opened the scoring with a two-run single with Darius Hill adding a single later in the inning. Bases-loaded walks by Owen Caissie and Windham brought home two more runs, with Brennen Davis also contributing that inning.

If Cuas wants to get back to the MLB, he needs to pitch better, and after allowing a pair of RBI hits to Will Robertson and Leo Jimenez in the eighth, his struggles continue. Caissie closed out the scoring with an RBI double in the ninth as he continued to hit the ball just without the power.

David Peralta was the only player without a hit in the Cubs lineup as they pounded out 15 hits in the win. Hill and Sanchez led the way with three hits and three combined RBIs, with Luis Vazquez, Windham, and Caissie all adding multi-hit games.

ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS 3 - TENNESSEE SMOKIES 1

Sometimes, you just need to tip your cap to your opponent, which was the case in this one. The Trash Pandas' pitching shut down the high-powered Smokies' offense. Richard Gallardo was the starter for Tennessee. He struck out six in 3 2/3 innings and was charged with all three runs. All those runs came in the first two innings before he ended his outing on a positive note.

Unfortunately, the Trash Pandas' pitching was dialed in from the start, with Alan Rangel allowing one run in four innings with five strikeouts, and both teams struck out 11 batters in the game. Rocket City didn't take long to open the scoring as a pair of RBI singles from Eric Wagaman and Sam Brown in the first put them in front 2-0, and they never looked back. Cole Fontenello added a sacrifice fly in the third to stretch the lead to 3-0, but that would be it for their offense.

Tennessee tried to battle back several times, and with James Triantos adding a sacrifice fly in the third, cutting the deficit to 3-1, you had to like the Smokies' chances. Unfortunately, that was the final run of the game, as both bullpens pitched very well. Triantos was responsible for two of the team's three hits with that RBI, as Ezequiel Pagan added the remaining hit.

Michael Arias was one of the three relievers for the Smokies as he struck out four in two scoreless frames to lower his ERA to 0.71.

SOUTH BEND CUBS 7 - QUAD CITIES RIVER BANDITS 4

It's not always about how often you score, but how you get those runs, as teams frequently win games by having one big inning. That was the case for South Bend in this one, as their six-run sixth inning was the difference in another surprising win.

While it took a little bit for their offense to get rolling, you have to credit the Cubs starting staff for keeping things close early on. Drew Gray pitched into the fourth, allowing one run and striking out six as he continues to get comfortable in High-A. He went toe-to-toe with fellow lefty Frank Mozzicato, who struck out five in five scoreless frames.

The lone run Gray allowed came off a wild pitch in the fourth, which gave the River Bandits a 1-0 lead. That was not only their only run until Tyler Santana entered later, but it was also the only run of the game until the Cubs' massive offensive explosion in the sixth. With Mozzicato out of the game, the Cubs' offense settled and pushed across six runs in the sixth to take the lead for good.

Jefferson Rojas started the scoring with an RBI single, while the Yohendrick Pinango double put South Bend in front 3-1. Jonathan Long followed that double with one of his own to make things 4-1, with Parker Chavers closing out the scoring with a two-run blast to give the Cubs a 6-1 lead.

Quad Cities added a run in their half of the seventh, only to have South Bend match them with a Pedro Ramirez single to push the lead to 7-2.

There is a reason why the River Bandits have the best record in the Midwest League: They refuse to go down without a fight. After the Jared Dickey homer made things 7-4, you saw that fight again. That homer was the last of the runs, as Joe Nahas came in to slam the door to earn another big win.

LYNCHBURG HILLCATS 3 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 2

Pitching was the name of the game in Lynchburg on Friday, as a combined five runs were scored. Marino Santy struggled with his command and couldn't get through two innings, which has been an issue for him this season. He was charged with two runs, both coming off the Jose Pastrano single in the second, as Lynchburg took an early 2-0 lead.

It took four innings for the Pelicans to break through, and with one swing from Christopher Paciolla, things were tied up as he delivered a clutch two-run single.

One inning later, it was Juan Benjamin cashing in with an RBI single for Lynchburg to put them back in front as that would go down as the winning run in the Hillcats 3-2 win. Paciolla had three of the five Pelicans hit with both RBIs.

Comment on this story
Print   
Send Feedback to Dustin Riese: Email | Comment
Post your comments!
Read all 0 replies on the Baseball Board - Chat about this in CubsHQ Chat
search
Top Cubs News of the Week