Cubs Minor League News: Cubs sweep on a rainy day |
Dustin Riese
· · 4 hours ago
You couldn't have asked for a much better day on the diamond for the Cubs. Despite Mother Nature getting in the way to delay one game and to suspend another, the overall results were as good as they could've been as the Cubs took care of business with a clean sweep on the diamond, 3-0.
For the second time in as many days, it was the Cubs getting the best of the Storm Chasers as they try to finish the season on a high. Things weren't as easy this time compared to Tuesday, as a late run by the Cubs sealed the deal in a 4-3 victory. Making his first start since returning to Iowa was left-hander Jordan Wicks, as he looked to build on the strong role he has been in. This was a weird outing for Wicks, who only lasted 2 1/3 innings before giving way to Connor Noland, who proceeded to throw the next 3 2/3. Short outing or not, it was the Cubs who opened the scoring in the bottom of the first as Carlos Perez dropped in a perfectly placed blooper to right to put the Cubs in front 1-0 early. Wicks struggled with his command right from the start, resulting in a solo shot by Isan Diaz in the second that made this a 1-1 game before the Omaha bats cooled off. As they have done so often before, the Cubs not only bounced back with a Nicky Lopez single that put them on top 2-1 in the third, but used an Owen Caissie sacrifice fly in the fourth to extend their lead to 3-1. With Noland now on to pitch for Wicks, it was Omaha chipping away at the lead as the Bobby Dalbec single pulled the Storm Chasers to within 3-2. That score would hold until the eighth, when Diego Castillo delivered a huge RBI single, and just like that, this was a 3-3 game. This was one of those games where Iowa wouldn't be denied, as they had the last laugh with James Triantos delivering a game-winning single in the bottom of the eighth to secure the 4-3 win.
After a lengthy rain delay caused the game to start two hours late, both sides agreed to play a seven-inning game. Even at that, there was some free baseball to come as the Smokies rallied late to tie the game before walking things off in the eighth. In what was a pitchers' duel most of the game, Walker Powell got the start for Knoxville, going four innings and striking out five. He allowed one run, which came on a David Mershon second-inning double, as the Trash Pandas took an early 1-0 lead. That lead would hold all the way until the seventh as the Smokies were going on 16 consecutive innings without a run, only to have Brett Bateman put an end to that with a single that tied things up and the game into extras. Looking to get back on track, it was the Rocket City offense that came out strong to begin the eighth as Mitchell Tyranski didn't have close to his best stuff on the mound. Tyranski walked three and struck out one in his inning, allowing a go-ahead RBI triple to Oscar Colas to put Rocket City back in front 3-1, while the Matt Coutney sacrifice fly made this a 4-1 game. Down to their final three outs and trailing by three, the Smokies didn't waste any time getting rolling as they loaded the bases in their half of the eighth and were threatening to make things interesting. That all started after a Corey Joyce single made this a 4-2 game while the Jefferson Rojas sacrifice fly pulled the Smokies within a run. The key at bat in the inning came from BJ Murray Jr, who wound up taking several close pitches to work the walk, pushing home the tying run in the process. Knoxville would go on to finish Rocket City off from there as Ethan Hearn delivered an RBI single shortly after to give the Smokies a massive 5-4 walk-off win.
Despite the Cubs picking the worst time to go on a seven-game skid, they still aren't out of the playoff picture. However, to even have a chance, they need to win out and get some help, as this could be the end of the Cubs' season. With Kevin Valdez on the mound, it was the Timber Rattlers striking for a pair of first-inning runs as the right-hander struggled with his command through four innings. Marco Dinges opened the scoring with an RBI single, only to have Luiyin Alastre tack on an additional single to make this a 2-0 game. South Bend plated their only run up to this point in the bottom of the second off a Kade Snell sacrifice fly, which is where things will resume on Thursday.
In desperate need of a bounce-back game, the Pelicans delivered as they sent a message to the Fireflies with a 9-1 win. Taking the ball for the Pelicans was right-hander Kevin Camacho, who continues to impress since his Low-A promotion. Despite not lasting long enough to get the win, Camacho still struck out four across four strong innings as his ERA fell to 1.76. He allowed just one run which came on the first inning Ramon Ramirez sacrifice fly as that was the only run of the day for Columbia. For the most part, the Pelicans' offense was held in check, but it was two massive innings that set the tone, including their five-run third, that broke things open 5-1. Christian Olivo got the party started with an RBI triple before racing home on a Ty Southisene infield single that put the Pelicans on top for good. Alexey Lumpuy continued to keep the pressure on with an RBI double to push the lead to 3-1, with Jose Escobar capping off the massive inning with a two-run single that had the Pelicans in front 5-1. After adding a run in the sixth off a wild pitch, the Pelicans' offense used one more massive inning to close out the scoring and made sure the Fireflies had no chance to come back. Matt Halbach ended a lengthy RBI-less streak with an RBI double that brought home two, only to have Eli Lovich tack on a single to give the Pelicans a 9-1 victory. Despite being the only player in the lineup without a hit, Kane Kepley still did his part, taking two walks in the contest. Escobar led the Pelicans with three hits as they continue to dominate Carolina League competition.IOWA CUBS 4 - OMAHA STORM CHASERS 3
KNOXVILLE SMOKIES 5 - ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS 4 (F/8)
WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS 2 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 1 (Suspended in the fourth)
MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 9 - COLUMBIA FIREFLIES 1
