Cubs Minor League News: Casali raking, Alcantara homers, Devers pitches gem, more
Photo courtesy: Iowa Cubs

Cubs Minor League News: Casali raking, Alcantara homers, Devers pitches gem, more
by - Senior Writer - Sun Apr 21 10:00:08 GMT-04:00 2024

It has been a while since the Cubs system could say they posted a winning record for a night, and that continued on Saturday as their overall results haven't been great. With one game being suspended with the game tied and the other three going final, the Cubs posted a 1-2 record on Saturday while they await the conclusion of the suspended game on Sunday.

IOWA CUBS 4 - LOUISVILLE BATS 1

The lone team to grab a win on Saturday was the Iowa Cubs, which bodes well for the MLB roster should they continue to need players from this roster. After a slow start to the game, all it took was a three-run fifth inning to put the game away, as the pitching took care of the rest.

Riley Thompson took the ball and started things off with four no-hit innings. Daniel Palencia, Cam Sanders, Brad Wieck, and Carl Edwards Jr. all saw action on the mound, with Palenica allowing the lone run and Edwards picking up the save. Ali Sanchez gave the Cubs the lead in the second inning with another RBI double, as he has been on quite a run lately.

That one-run lead held until the fifth when Erik Gonzalez delivered an RBI single up the middle against Palencia to tie things up. Iowa responded at the bottom of the fifth when they scored the game's final three runs. Owen Caissie single-pushed home the winning run to put Iowa in front 2-1. BJ Murray Jr and Curt Casali also added RBI hits in that inning to close out the scoring.

Casali had a great day at the plate, leading the way with three hits and an RBI. Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to struggle as another hitless day drops his average to .203.

MONTGOMERY BISCUITS 7 - TENNESSEE SMOKIES 1

The Smokies have had mixed results this week, and Saturday was another one of those games they want to forget. After holding a 1-0 lead early on, a five-run fifth inning put Montgomery over the top as they cruised to the win. Richard Gallardo took the loss in this one, allowing six runs (4ER) in four innings, while the rest of the Tennessee staff was solid.

That includes Michael Arias, who threw two more scoreless frames to lower his ERA to 1.00. Arias has been a starter the past two seasons but has been moved to the bullpen this season and looks sharp. The lone run for the Smokies came in the third inning when Kevin Alcantara connected for his second homer of the season.

After a 1-31 start to the year, Alcantara is starting to break out of his slump, which is excellent for the Smokies.

Apart from that homer, Ben Peoples was excellent on the mound as he struck out six and walked two in 4 2/3 innings. With the Smokies leading 1-0 in the fourth, a bases-loaded hit by pitch tied things up before the offense went to work in the fifth. Tanner Murray and Heriberto Hernandez drove in three with a pair of RBI singles, and Nick Schnell added an RBI double. Hernandez would add an RBI hit in the sixth to close out the scoring in the 7-1 Montgomery win.

Alcantara led the way with two hits and the RBI, with James Triantos also having two hits. Josh Rivera, Matt Shaw, and Christian Franklin all had hits.

BELOIT SKY CARP 10 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 7

There are some cases when a team wants a series to end, which is one of those cases for the Cubs. Despite this team playing their heart out and refusing to quit, they have dropped the first five games of this series as the Sky Carp remain unbeaten at home. This loss was extra painful as the Cubs had an early lead before the Sky Carp scored 10 runs between the fifth and eighth innings.

Looking to get back to his 2022 form, Luis Devers was on the mound and gave the Cubs a solid start. Devers gave the Cubs four impressive innings, scattering one hit and allowing no runs. He did walk four, but also struck out four. Devers was backed by some instant offense as the Cubs took four walks in the first, including a bases-loaded walk from Parker Chavers to put them in front 1-0.

Chavers had a solid game at the plate, but after a bases-loaded walk and a Torin Montgomery sacrifice fly in the fifth, it was the Sky Carp now in front 2-1. South Bend responded in the top half of the sixth, with Chavers tying things up with an RBI single ahead of the Casey Opitz grounder as the Cubs were back in front 3-2.

The back and forth continued in the bottom of the sixth with a wild pitch tying things up ahead of the Montgomery single to make things 5-3. Not to be outdone, Chavers continued to come through as his single in the top half of the seventh brought things back to even as the Cubs refused to go away. That was as close as things would get as Beloit scored four times in the seventh, three coming on the bases-loaded triple by Yiddi Cappe to make things 9-5.

South Bend did their best to battle back late, with Brennen Davis picking up an RBI double in the eighth and Opitz adding a single in the ninth, but it wasn't enough as the Cubs fell 10-7. Chavers had a great day on the plate with two hits and four RBIs, and he now has five RBIs in the season. Reivaj Garcia also had two hits in the loss.

MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 3 - KANNAPOLIS CANNONBALLERS 3 (Suspended in 12)

Although Sunday may not be a traditional doubleheader, Myrtle Beach and Kannapolis will play two games on Sunday, as their game was tied 3-3 in the 12th. All of the Pelicans' offense came early on before the Cannonballers mounted a late-game comeback.

Andy Gariola cashed in first as his two-run double in the second gave the Birds an early 2-0 lead. It was a lead they would make hold until the fifth when Kannapolis scored all three of their runs to take the lead. Albertson Asigen started the rally with a single while a bases-loaded hit by pitch tied things up. Ryan Galanie added an RBI single later in the inning to cap off the scoring as the Pelicans were down 3-2.

Gariola was the one who started things off, and he was the one who rallied late as his ninth-inning groundout brought things back to even, which is where things will sit on Sunday.

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