Cubs Minor League News |
How do you respond after going just 1-3 on Thursday by going 4-0 on Friday?
The Chicago Cubs got back to their winning ways and posted their first perfect night on the diamond in over a month. They have come close in recent days, but the bottom line is that all four of the Cubs affiliates have been playing better over the past three weeks, and the wins are starting to translate.
Thursday was a very ugly night for the Cubs as they not only lost 18-2 but did so in six innings. Whenever a game like that happens, you tend to throw out the film and move on which is what the Cubs did on Friday as a three-run eighth inning helped the Cubs break the game open before winning 6-2. Trey Supak was back on the bump, making his first start in a few weeks. You wouldn't have guessed that based on his effort, as he allowed just five hits in five shutout innings, walking none and striking out eight. Supak was backed by some near-instant offense, as Brennen Davis made his presence felt with an RBI double to put the Cubs in front 1-0 in the second. Iowa would never look back as a Darius Hill double and Miles Mastrobuoni single extended their lead to 3-0 in the fourth which would be all the offense they would need. That score would hold until the eighth when the Cubs decided to play long ball to break the game open. First, it was Trayce Thompson going deep as his two-run blast pushed the Cubs lead to 5-0. Chase Strumpf followed that up with a solo shot of his own as Iowa scored three times in that eighth inning to break things open 6-0. It took the Redbirds nine innings to solve Iowa pitching as Wade Stauss delivered an RBI double off Michael Arias to end the shutout, but the Cubs still won 6-2. Iowa had eight hits in the win as Matt Mervis led the way with two. TENNESSEE SMOKIES 5 - ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS 2 With Tennessee set to move to Knoxville next season and open up a new venue, they will go out in style as they pushed their winning streak to 10 games. Matt Thompson continued his up-and-down season as he battled through five walks across five innings to pick up the win. He struck out five and allowed just one run before handing things off to Brad Deppermann and the rest of the Smokies pen. As has been the case often during this winning streak, the Smokies struck first, as the Luis Verdugo single gave Tennessee an early 1-0 lead in the first. Haydn McGeary tacked on a sacrifice fly later in the inning to push their lead to 2-0, which had to feel good if you are a Smokies fan. The lone run off Thompson came in the bottom of the first as the Sam Brown single pulled the Trash Pandas within 2-1. That was as close as Rocket City would get as the Cole Roederer sacrifice fly extended their lead to 3-1 in the fourth before starting to pull away in the fifth. Jonathon Long played a role in that, connecting for his second homer in as many games to push the lead to 4-1. Casey Opitz added an RBI triple to put the Trash Pandas in a 5-1 hole. David Mershon did manage to pick up an RBI single in the ninth, but with only two runs it wasn't enough to top the Smokies who won another series. Verdugo is quietly becoming the team's best hitter as he led the Smokies with four hits. Parker Chavers added three hits from the bottom of the lineup, as those two accounted for seven of the 10 hits.
Talk about some flare for the dramatics. Just when it looked like the Cubs were not only going to lose another extra inning game, but a 1-0 game at that, it was Pedro Ramirez coming to the rescue. With bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th, all Ramirez needed to do was deliver a single and the Cubs would win the game. Instead, he delivered much more than that, as his Grand Slam was the difference in the Cubs' walk-off 4-1 win. Despite another strong start from Nico Zeglin, who allowed just one hit across five shutout innings, command was an issue, as he walked four and struck out four. Zeglin has been impressive this season, and with a 0.36 ERA, he continues to pitch well. Opposing him was Payton Martin, who matched Zeglin with five scoreless frames and four strikeouts. Pitching dominated things from start to finish, as neither team could score in regulation while seeing a combined 20 strikeouts. Needing extra innings to decide this one, it was Great Lakes coming through first as the Josue De Paula single off Jose Romero brought home the game's first run and gave the Loons a 1-0 lead. With just three outs standing in their way of another crushing defeat, the Cubs found themselves down to their final out, only to have a pair of walks to David Avitia and Christian Olivo keep things alive. Then came the biggest hit of Ramirez's career as he not only brought home the winning run, but did so in grand fashion as he connected for the walk off Grand Slam in the Cubs 4-1 win.
Talk about an exciting all-around game. Not only did each team have a three-run inning, but they had two of them as this was a 6-6 game late. That was until the eighth inning when the Pelicans benefitted from a wild pitch to bring home the winning run. Neither team pitched well, but Nazier Mule struggled the most. The young right-hander has been pitching better lately, but with six runs allowed in just three innings, he has had better days. Apart from Mule, the Pelicans' pitching staff was very good, including Jeral Vizcaino, who struck out three across five scoreless frames. With the game tied 0-0 entering the third, Mule didn't do himself any favors. A wild pitch allowed the first run of the game to score and gave the Wood Ducks a 1-0 lead. Casey Cook added an RBI single shortly after, and an RBI groundout pushed the lead to 3-0. It was a lead that didn't last long, as Alfonsin Rosario connected for a three-run shot in the bottom of the third, and just like that, it was a 3-3 game. Immediately following their three-run third inning, the Wood Ducks' offense kept the pressure on the Pelicans, as the Yeremi Cabrera triple put Down East back on top 4-3. Later in the inning, it was time for Chandler Pollard to come through as his two-run single pushed the Wood Ducks lead back out to 6-3. The back-and-forth affair continued into the fifth, with Rosario connecting for his second homer of the game to make things 6-5, only to have Owen Ayers doubled home the tying run. That score would hold until the eighth when the Pelicans cashed in on a wild pitch to bring home the winning run in a 7-6 win. Rosario led the way for Myrtle Beach with three hits and five RBIs.
With three games remaining in the 2024 American Association Season, the Dogs are officially in the playoffs following a massive 3-0 win on Friday. Connor Curlis was about as good as you can be, as he allowed just one hit through seven innings. He walked none and struck out six before Joey Marciano took care of the rest to lower his ERA to 1.78. Curlis was backed by a pair of third-inning runs as the Brantley Bell single was not only the game-winning hit, but those were the only runs Andres Diaz would allow. Jacob Teter closed out the scoring with a solo shot in the eighth, as he has 91 RBIs for the season.
While the playoffs may be out of the question, the Thunderbolts can still finish off the season with a winning homestand as a 5-3 win on Friday gives them that opportunity on Saturday. Kevin Pindel waited until his final start to deliver his best outing as he struck out nine across seven scoreless frames to finish with a 2.70 ERA. Pindel was given plenty of offensive support as the Henry Kusiak double opened the scoring in the first before the Robert Chayka single made this a 3-0 game after one. Windy City kept the pressure on in the third as the Christian Kuzemka double extended the lead to 4-0, with Kusiak tacking on their final run on a sacrifice fly. That 5-0 score would hold until the eighth when the Otters nearly came all the way back. Mason White started that rally with a solo shot off Dan Brown, while the Randy Bednar double made things 5-2. Delvin Zinn capped off the scoring with an RBI groundout, but the Bolts still hung on 5-3. IOWA CUBS 6 - MEMPHIS REDBIRDS 2
SOUTH BEND CUBS 4 - GREAT LAKES LOONS 1 (F/10)
MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 7 - DOWN EAST WOOD DUCKS 6
CHICAGO DOGS 3 - GARY SOUTHSHORE RAILCATS 0
WINDY CITY THUNDERBOLTS 5 - EVANSVILLE OTTERS 3
