Cubs Minor League News |
Dustin Riese
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- 1 day ago
Tuesday marked the official start to another week of Cubs Minor League action, with all seven affiliates taking the field. While the end result was ugly, with the organization going just 1-6, the play of several prospects stood out, which is all you can ask for at this point in the season.
We have been saying this for quite a while now: when Connor Noland is on, he's as tough to hit as anyone, but when he's not, it can be a struggle. This was one of those games where he didn't have his best stuff, as he allowed five earned runs in 5 2/3 to go with four strikeouts in a no-decision effort. Part of the reason he managed to walk away with a no-decision was an offense that did its part to give him as much run support as possible, and that all started with a pair of first-inning homers that gave the Cubs a 4-0 lead. Moises Ballesteros was the first to go deep with a solo shot, but it was the three-run tank from Owen Caissie that broke the game open and gave the Cubs a comfortable lead. It was a lead the Cubs would make hold for most of the night with Jeimer Candelario picking up a pair of RBI groundouts in the third and fifth innings mixed with a Blake Dunn single as the Bats pulled within 4-3 of the Cubs. Louisville continued their comeback effort in the sixth, with Will Banfield tying things up with an RBI single, while a sacrifice fly gave the bats a 5-4 lead. Iowa didn't waste any time responding as a Kevin Alcantara double in the bottom of the sixth brought things back to even as the back-and-forth affair continued. Unfortunately for Iowa, that would be the final run of the game for them as Edwin Rios connected for a game-winning RBI double in the seventh before a pair of RBI hits from Candelario and Jacob Hurtubise put an end to things in the eighth to give the Bats an 8-5 win.
Despite what the final score shows, this was a strange game as all of the runs were scored prior to the fifth inning. That included a six-run second inning by Columbus that broke the game open and helped pave the way for a 7-6 win. Grant Kipp took the loss after allowing five runs in less than two innings, but considering how the offense looked early on, you would've thought the Smokies were in control. With just one swing of the bat, it was the Smokies taking a 3-0 lead in the first as Parker Chavers connected for a bases-loaded double that gave the Smokies the lead. They would add to their lead in the second as a pair of RBI singles from Cory Joyce and BJ Murray Jr broke the game open and had the Smokies on top 5-0. From that point on, it was all Columbus as their offense erupted for seven runs over the next few innings, including a six-run bottom of the second to take a 6-5 lead. A pair of RBI singles from Kevin Kilpatrick and Cal Conely were responsible for three of those RBIs, but it was another bases-loaded double that did the most damage, with Ethan Workinger putting the Clingstones on top 6-5. Columbus tacked on a run in the third on an Adam Zebrowski single. That hit would go down as the game-winning hit. Knoxville managed to pull within 7-6 on a fourth-inning homer from Pedro Ramirez, but that was it for the offense in a 7-6 loss.
The lone team to secure a win on Tuesday was the South Bend Cubs, and it wasn't easy. After falling behind early, the Cubs had to battle back for most of the game and found themselves in a position to strike late. Trailing 9-8 in the ninth, it was the Cubs pushing across three runs to take an 11-9 lead and winning by that score. Brooks Caple continues to take his lumps in the South Bend rotation, as his ERA is approaching 9.00 after allowing five runs in three innings. Two of those runs came in the first two innings, with Braedon Karpathios opening the scoring with an RBI double in the first ahead of a Jack Castello home in the second that put Fort Wayne in front 2-0. South Bend responded with their first big inning in the top of the third and pushed across four runs to grab the lead. Edgar Alvarez started the scoring with an RBI single, but it was the Ariel Armas bases-loaded double that served as the big blow to put the Cubs on top for the first time. Immediately after taking the lead, the Cubs gave it right back as the Tin Caps answered the Cubs' four-run frame with three runs of their own to jump back in front 5-4. Leo De Vries played a part in that with a two-run shot, while a bases-loaded walk led to the other run. Following another RBI single from Alvarez to tie things up in the fourth, both teams exchanged runs, with Carter Trice working a bases-loaded walk in the fifth to tie things back up 6-6. As was the case throughout, Fort Wayne had all the answers for the Cubs and their offense, as they went on to score three more times in the fifth inning off some ugly pitching to open up their biggest lead of the game, 9-6. From that point on, it was all South Bend as they closed out the game with five unanswered runs, two coming on a pair of sixth-inning doubles from Armas and Andy Garriola. Then came the ninth, where the Cubs not only took the lead on a Trice two-run shot but scored three times as Felix Stevens got in on the home run fun with a solo shot to help deliver the Cubs an 11-9 win.
Backed by a pair of three-run innings, the Crawdads' offense proved to be too much for the Pelicans as they took the series opener 9-4. Most of the damage came against the Pelicans' pen as Yenri Rojas allowed three runs in five innings to bring his ERA to 1.95 for the season. All of the runs charged to Rojas came in the first inning with a wild pitch leading the first run, followed by a pair of RBI singles from Yeremy Cabrera and Rafe Perich. Myrtle Beach managed to get some of those runs back on a Cameron Sisneros single in the bottom of the first before tying things up 3-3 in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk from Sisneros. After taking the lead on a sacrifice fly in the sixth, Hickory put the game away late as Antonis Macias delivered the game-winning hit to extend the Crawdads' lead to 6-3. They would tack on three more runs in the ninth to break the game open after Leonel Espinoza pulled the Pelicans within 6-4 with his seventh-inning single. ACL DIAMONDBACKS 10 - ACL CUBS 3 DSL WHITE SOX 7 - DSL CUBS BLUE 6 DSL BRAVES 5 - DSL CUBS RED 4 (F/8)LOUISVILLE BATS 8 - IOWA CUBS 5
COLUMBUS CLINGSTONES 7 - KNOXVILLE SMOKIES 6
SOUTH BEND CUBS 11 - FORT WAYNE TIN CAPS 9
HICKORY CRAWDADS 9 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 4
