Cubs Minor League News: Owen Ayers stays red-hot despite Solar Sox loss |
Dustin Riese
· · 3 hours ago
SCOTTSDALE - All good things must come to an end, and when it came to the Mesa Solar Sox and their offense, things cooled off in a big way on Sunday as they closed out the week on the road against the Scottsdale Scorpions. Entering the game riding an offensive wave that had carried them through most of the week, you knew at some point that offense would be held in check.
When that would happen was the real question, with the next being whether the pitching could pick the offense up when things went south. Neither of those rang true on Sunday as the Solar Sox closed out another week of Fall League competition with a 7-4 loss to the Scorprions. Despite the final score, this was a much closer game than it appears, as both teams landed their best punches throughout, only to have the other team answer. In fact, things were all tied up 4-4 entering the bottom of the eighth only to have Scottsdale break through for three runs in that inning, which was the difference in their 7-4 win. Three of the four offensive prospects were in the lineup, including their studs, Owen Ayers and Cole Mathis, as these two have been a joy to watch all season. While Mathis may have started to cool off, going just 1-4 with a walk to see his average fall to .345, Ayers continues to rake and is quite possibly the most polished hitter in the entire league right now, which is saying something based on his regular-season performance. Not only did Ayers take a walk, but he also went a perfect 4-4 at the plate to reach base five times and is now hitting .405 for the season. He also came away with his 10th RBI of the season, which came on a sixth-inning RBI single that kept the Solar Sox in the game for the time being. While most people will continue to talk about his offense, his defense has been equally impressive, as he leads the AFL in runners caught stealing and is quickly becoming a dual-threat player. The final Cubs prospect to see time at the plate was the struggling Ed Howard, who continues to see less and less time on the diamond. That was to be expected when you look at his overall struggles at the plate this Fall, but with one hit in three tries to push his average to .174. Howard is slowly starting to show signs of life; better late than never. Even if the focus of the game came from the Cubs hitters, there are several other players to keep tabs on from the Cubs organization, including right-hander Luis Martinez-Gomez, who was back on the mound for another relief appearance. Of all the pitchers the Cubs pegged to participate in the AFL, Martinez-Gomez has by far had the most success, indicated by his impressive 2.08 ERA thus far. He continued to throw the ball well on Sunday, giving Mesa another hitless inning with a strikeout, needing just nine pitches to get through his inning of work. Martinez-Gomez has ranked near the top of the league in ERA all season and could be on the verge of a breakout 2026 should this continue.
