Cubs Minor League News: Young homers in I-Cubs win, Smokies toss no-hitter, more |
With a new week, comes new opportunities, and there are seven opportunities to see a win. There was a no-hitter, three teams being doubled up, and an overall excellent showing, with the Cubs organization posting a 5-2 record.
The Iowa Cubs couldn't have asked for a better start to their homestand, downing Columbus 7-2. Although he hasn't been great this season, Matt Dermody picked up his third win, allowing two runs in five innings. He handed things off to Brandon Liebrandt, who finished the final four innings. Down 1-0 in the bottom of the first, not only did Iowa respond, but they did so in a massive way. Darius Hill continued his impressive season with AAA by tying things up with an RBI triple. Narcisco Crook followed that up with the go-ahead single before Jared Young delivered the game-winning blow with a two-run homer to make things 4-1. Jared Young is your @EMCInsurance Player of the Game. pic.twitter.com/u1ltmQLH9E After picking up an RBI triple in the first, Nolan James was at it again, adding an RBI double in the third to make things 4-2. That would be as close as Columbus would get as a Levi Jordan two-run double, and an error led to the final three runs in the Cubs 7-2 win. Young led the way with three hits, while Jordan, Tyler Payne, and Greg Deichmann added two. Fly the series-opening W! pic.twitter.com/xau9UUPDNy
It is hard enough to toss one no-hitter as a team, but two, and it puts you in elite company. That is precisely what the Smokies did last night, and it couldn't have come against a better team as they no-hit the Trash Pandas 2-0. This was their second no-hitter of the season as Tennessee is starting to play well. Anderson Espinoza started the no-hitter, picking up his first win of the season by striking out seven in five innings. Samuel Reyes, Bryan King, and Nicholas Padilla all had work out of the pen, with Padilla locking down his second save to cap off the no-no. The final out and call by @BroadcasterMick! Are you proud of us, dad? @Cubs pic.twitter.com/Rb0bRhu4yl Although Braden Olthoff was on the short end of the stick, he pitched phenomenally, allowing just two runs in seven innings. Both runs came in the first two innings, with Jake Slaughter homering in the first inning and Bryce Ball picking up an RBI single in the second. Jake Slaughter continues his hot streak with a solo shot in the bottom of the first! Smokies lead 1-0. pic.twitter.com/eJ5ILAJeoR Those were two of the Smokies three hits, with Alexander Canario grabbing the other. Back-to-back hits from Canario and Ball lead to another Smokies run! 2-0 in the bottom of the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/iKQZXSzSeP IT'S ANOTHER NO HITTER! Like it, share, LOVE IT!#Cubs #SmokiesBaseball #WeKeepReceipts pic.twitter.com/yVldAZdmaG
Led by their three-run first inning, the Cubs managed to double up the Sky Carp for the win. Daniel Palencia had a tough break in this one as he didn't allow a run but didn't qualify for the win. That went to Adam Laskey, who earned his first High-A of his career with Hunter Bigge locking down the save. If you are a fan of fast starts, then South Bend had to make you happy on Tuesday with Yeison Santana getting the Cubs on the board with an RBI ground out and then coming home on the Jake Washer homer to make things 3-0. Santana would then add an RBI single in the fifth to put the Cubs up 4-0, as that proved to be the winning run. In the sixth, the Sky Carp started to make things interesting as the two-run single from Davis Bradshaw put Beloit on the board before a wild pitch made things 4-3. Fortunately, the Cubs responded as the Yohendrick Pinango single in the eighth mixed with an error led to the 6-3 win. Pinango was one of four players with multiple hits joining Luis Verdugo, Santan, and Pete Crow-Armstrong, who had the rare two triple game. That's a series opener W! ?? pic.twitter.com/FvR6YxHYHH
After fending off the Riverdogs to claim the first half DIvision title, things have gotten off to a rocky start to open the second half. Following a 5-4 loss on Tuesday, the Pelicans fell to 1-3 to open the second half, but are on their first three-game losing streak of the season. Porter Hodge pitched well and allowed just two runs, but he only went four innings before the call to the pen was made. That decision didn't work in the birds favor as Frank Scalzo Jr was lit up for three runs as he took the loss. Both runs off Hodge came in the first inning when Willy Vasquez put Charleston up 2-0. That lead didn't last long, with Ezequiel Pagan tying things up with a single in the bottom of the first before the Felix Stevens homer in the second made things 3-2 Myrtle Beach. Still leading by that score in the sixth, Charleston pulled even on the Nathan Perry single and then took the lead in the seventh on a Carson Williams triple and Nick Schnell single. The Pelicans pulled to within 5-4 on the Stevens double, but would strand the tying run at third in the ninth to fall by that score. Felix Stevens hits an RBI double to bring the Birds within one. Stevens and Pagan had two hits with two RBIs, with Josue Huma grabbing two more hits. Final from the series opener.#MBPelicans pic.twitter.com/UXQq3eYAgY
Of all the Rookie league teams, the ACL Cubs seem to have the hardest time finding consistency. That is what happens when you receive limited offense with lackluster pitching. One player who may not be in the ACL much longer is Moises Ballesteros, who gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead with a double in the first. That score held until the Mateo Gil homer in the third, as that was part of a three-run frame that saw the Rockies lead 3-1. Ballesteros single-handedly kept the Cubs in the game early, adding an RBI single in the third to make things 3-2. Unfortunately, that was as close as they would get as the Eddy Diaz homer in the fifth was the beginning of seven unanswered runs in the 10-2 win.
Although the Cubs scored in just three innings, two brought in seven runs as they doubled up the Dodgers. Diego Duarte did his part on the mound tossing four shutout frames in his start. Abel Moya finished things and earned his first win despite allowing four runs. From an offensive side, the Cubs wasted no time as Geuri Lubo brought home the game's first run on a first-inning fielder's choice. A few pitches later saw Josefrailin Alcantara connect for his second homer to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead. After Edward Vargas extended the lead to 4-0 in the third, the Cubs put the game away with a massive fourth inning. Four runs came across to score that inning, with Sandy Sanchez, Jefferson Rojas, and Lubo picking up RBI hits to make things 8-0. The Dodgers scored all their runs in the final inning, with Miguel Dominguez ending the shutout with a single before the bases-loaded double from Jorge Puerta capped off the scoring.
Doubling up teams was the theme on Tuesday, with DSL Red adding to that line. Kevin Valdez did his thing on the mound through four innings, but it was the Luis Reyes story on this day. Not only did Reyes allow just one unearned run in three innings, but he punched out seven hitters. Patience was the key for the Cubs in the second as bases-loaded walks to Alexis Hernandez and Darlyn De Leon put the Cubs up 2-0. Add in the Jose Escobar sacrifice fly, and the Cubs were in front 3-0. The Mets pulled within 3-2 in the third as Simon Juan picked up an RBI single ahead of the Dangelo Sarmiento force out. Looking to pull away in the middle innings, Adan Sanchez put the game out of reach as his two-run triple in the fifth made things 5-2. The Cubs would add another run on a wild pitch before winning 6-3. IOWA CUBS 7 - COLUMBUS CLIPPERS 2
TENNESSEE SMOKIES 2 - ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS 0
SOUTH BEND CUBS 6 - BELOIT SKY CARP 3
CHARLESTON RIVERDOGS 5 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 4
RiverDogs 5, Pelicans 4 entering the ninth. pic.twitter.com/sjDyqkeuGb
ACL ROCKIES 10 - ACL CUBS 2
DSL CUBS BLUE 8 - DSL DODGERS 4
DSL CUBS RED 6 - DSL METS 3
