Cubs Minor League Daily: AFL Edition |
MESA - If you have noticed one thing about the early stages of the Arizona fall league, the Cubs have a pair of boppers in the lineup who will continue to impress. Anytime you have Moises Ballesteros and Jonathon Long in the middle of your lineup, chances are there will be plenty of runs scored as both of these men had phenomenal seasons.
However, when both of them are out of the lineup, like on Thursday, runs can be tougher to come by. The Mesa Solar Sox took on the Salt River Rafters at Sloan Park in Mesa. Looking to remain unbeaten, it was the Cubs' turn to follow an early-season trend: one organization typically seems its entire pitching staff pitch. Thursday saw the Cubs staff take to the mound for the first time this season as Grant Kipp got the start for Mesa and delivered a fairly strong outing. Across his three innings, Kipp was excellent as he allowed one run on two hits, walking two and striking out four. His lone run came in the first inning when a Robert Hassell RBI single put the Rafters in front 1-0, only to have Mesa answer with a sacrifice fly from former Notre Dame star Niko Kavades to make this a 1-1 game. Following the outing from Kipp, it was time for Sam Thoreson to take his luck on the mound as the young right-hander is coming off a dominating 2024 season in relief. Like Kipp, Thoreson was charged with one run allowed on three hits, but this came in just 1 2/3 innings as the Rafters made him work a bit. His lone run came off a sacrifice fly in the fifth, but with Xavier Isaac hitting a two-run shot in the third and a Denzel Clarke single in the fifth, Thoreson managed to keep his team in front as the Solar Sox held a 4-2 lead after five. Vince Reilly took over for Thoreson later in the game and closed out the fifth inning, as he only pitched 1/3 of this one. While most of the Cubs pitchers pitched extremely well for their first time out, Shane Marshall wasn't one of them. He was charged with three earned runs in one inning of work and took the loss in a 6-4 Rafters win. Marshall entered the game with a 4-3 lead, but with one swing off the bat of Hassell, the Rafters took the lead for good, 5-4, before adding an additional run later in the inning to make this a 6-4 game. Like Reilly, Marshall has taken on a high-leverage relief role this season, and getting these extra reps in the AFL will go a long way for next season. With Ballesteros and Long getting the night off, many fans forget about another Cubs prospect in the lineup as Ben Cowles was back in the lineup for the second time. As was the case during his season debut on Monday, Cowles struggled at the dish, going 0-4, and is now 0-8 to begin the AFL season. Cowles did come very close to winning the game on Monday, but with three groundouts and a flyout in this one, it was a tough night for him to elevate the baseball. Had he not broken his wrist before getting traded to the Cubs, there is a chance he wouldn't be here, but this is the perfect way to get him some additional work heading into the offseason.
