Cubs Minor League News: Ballesteros blast, Bateman raking, Hernandez leading the way

Photo courtesy: Iowa Cubs

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 3 hours ago

It was more of the same for the Cubs on Saturday as they continue to battle across the farm. Sure, the wins don't always translate from that, but with a 2-2 record on the night, you are starting to see more consistent play, which is all the organization is asking for.

WORCESTER RED SOX 9 - IOWA CUBS 5

This has been a trying week for the Cubs as they have gone out of their comfort zone to play a team they typically don't see. The end result has been an offense putting up good numbers, but a pitching staff getting lit up, which continued on Saturday as the Red Sox took care of the Cubs 9-5.

This is one of those starts that Connor Noland has now and then, as he is good for one rocky outing a month. With six earned runs across 3 1/3 innings, Noland didn't have his best stuff, and from that point on, it was the Cubs who were forced to play catch-up. Normally, that isn't a big deal, but with Payton Tolle holding the Cubs to three hits across five shutout innings, things weren't going to come easy for this offense.

Most of the damage off Noland came in the third and fourth innings as the Red Sox pushed across five runs in those frames. Trailing 1-0 in the third after the Red Sox grabbed the lead in the first, a costly throwing error not only allowed for the second run to score, but opened the door for a three-run third to help the Red Sox take a 4-0 lead. Trayce Thompson was part of that inning with a single, as there was also an RBI groundout mixed in.

It was more of the same in the fourth with Jhostynxon Garcia connecting for his first of two RBI singles as the Red Sox were in complete control, 6-0. Garcia added his second RBI single in the sixth to make this an 8-0 game before the Red Sox took a 9-0 lead later in that inning on a wild pitch.

Although the Cubs' offense was held in check for seven innings, they did manage to make things interesting as all five of their runs came in that inning. All it took to get things rolling was a wild pitch that led to the Cubs' first run, and that alone seemed to awaken the offense. Hayden Cantrelle added a sacrifice fly for the second run while a costly error pulled the Cubs within 9-3.

The big blow in that inning came off the bat of Moises Ballesteros, who connected for a two-run blast to make this a 9-5 game and gave the Cubs new life. Unfortunately, that was all for their offense as the Cubs fell by that 9-5 score. Chase Strumpf led the Cubs' offense as he was responsible for three of their six hits.

KNOXVILLE SMOKIES 5 - ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS 3

Nothing has come easy for the Smokies this week, but a win is a win, and they will take it. Backed by a strong starting performance from Tyler Schlaffer and an offense that got big hits when they needed them, the Smokies managed to win their second straight game against Rocket City, taking them down 5-3.

Schlaffer has been on quite a roll since arriving in AA, as he improved to 4-1 on the season with an ERA of 2.57. Saturday was more of the same as Schlaffer struck out nine across six near-flawless innings as he has emerged as the second-half ace. All it took for Schlaffer to settle in was a first inning leadoff homer from Brett Bateman as the Smokies grabbed an early 1-0 lead and never looked back.

They added to their lead in the second off an Andy Garriola sacrifice fly, only to have Ryan Nicholson pull the Trash Pandas within 2-1 with an RBI single in the third. That score would hold until the sixth when Pablo Aliendo delivered another sacrifice to push the lead to 3-1, setting things up for the offense in the ninth as they tried to pull away.

Leave it to Bateman for that, who not only started the scoring with a homer, but finished the scoring for Knoxville with a two-run single as the Smokies opened up a 5-1 lead late. Credit Rocket City for battling until the final out as they rallied for two runs themselves in the ninth off an error and another Nicholson single as this was a 5-3 game.

That is how things would end as the Smokies picked up another big win and, at the very least, are hoping to finish the season on a high note. Bateman was a man on a mission in this one, leading the Smokies with three hits and three RBIs. Jaylen Palmer also came through with two RBIs as this was a much-needed win.

SOUTH BEND CUBS 5 - BELOIT SKY CARP 3

From here on out, every win is crucial for the Cubs as their playoff hopes hinge on whether or not they can win the second half. Entering Saturday tied for first with Beloit, the Cubs responded from a tough loss on Friday and moved back into first on their own with a 5-3 win.

In what turned out to be more of a bullpen game, Evan Aschenbeck and Koen Moreno set the tone as the two of them combined for 4 1/3 innings of eight-strikeout baseball, although Aschenbeck was touched up for three runs in two innings. Fortunately, it was the Cubs' offense giving him some early support as the Kade Snell single in the first put the Cubs on top 2-0.

It was a short-lived lead for the Cubs as all three of the Sky Carp runs came in the second to give Beloit a 3-2 lead. Wilson Weber got things started with a solo shot, while the Emaarion Boyd double brought home a pair to cap off the scoring for Beloit. Those were the game's final runs until the middle innings when a Cristian Hernandez single not only tied things up in the fifth, but was the start of three consecutive innings with a run for the Cubs.

Drew Bowser followed suit with a game-winning single in the sixth while Edgar Alvarez picked up an insurance run with a solo shot in the seventh to give the Cubs a 5-3 win. South Bend had 11 hits in the win, with Miguel Pabon leading the way with three. Hernandez, Snell, and Alvarez all had two hits and did most of the offensive damage.

COLUMBIA FIREFLIES 4 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 2

Nothing has come easy for the Pelicans this week, as the Fireflies have handed them more losses in a series than anyone in the past month. Still, with a comfortable five-game lead in the Carolina League, things are still looking bright for the Pelicans, who were doubled up by Columbia 4-2.

Taking his first loss of the season was Ethan Flanagan, who wasn't at his best in this one. Sure, Flanagan lasted five innings and struck out six, but with three runs allowed, it was too much for the Birds' offense to overcome. His ERA is still sitting at 1.91 as he continues to deliver on the mound more often than not.

Already in front 1-0 on the Milo Rushford second inning single, the Fireflies kept the pressure on as Stone Russell came through with another RBI single to push the lead to 3-0 in the fourth. That hit went down as the game winner as Darwin Rodriguez held the Pelicans to three hits across four scoreless innings, striking out six.

Still trailing by that score in the sixth, Alexey Lumpuy took it upon himself to make things interesting as he connected for a two-run blast to pull the Pelicans within 3-2. Those were the only runs of the day for Myrtle Beach as Rushford added an RBI triple later in the inning to close out the scoring in a 4-2 Columbia win.