Cubs Minor League News: AFL Edition |
After getting a couple of days off to rest up and get set for the stretch run of the Arizona Fall League season, the Mesa Solar Sox were back in Action Tuesday as they hit the road to face the Surprise Saguaros. In what was a back-and-forth game all night, nine innings wasn't enough, as this one went to extras to give the fans some free baseball.
With the Solar Sox failing to score in the top of the 10th, the pressure fell back on the Saguaros' offense as it was either score a run or have the game result in a tie. A tie was out of the question as Carter Jensen came through with an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th and lifted the Saguaros to the 6-5 walk-off win. As expected, Moises Ballesteros was back in the lineup for the Solar Sox as he was looking to keep his red-hot hitting going. However, for the first time this season, Ballesteros had a game where he seemed lost at the plate as he went 0-5 at the dish with one strikeout and saw his average fall to .391. Known for his hard contact and elite exit velocities, Ballesteros had a tough time elevating the ball in this one as he grounded out in his first two at-bats. Then came the fifth inning when he had a chance to drive home a run, only to have his third at-bat end with a pop out. Ballesteros would then ground out in the seventh before striking out in the 10th as he had a tough time getting the ball out of the infield. While it wasn't surprising to see Ballesteros back in the lineup, it was surprising to see Jonathon Long get another day off, as he is hopeful to return on Wednesday. Ben Cowles, however, was back in the lineup, and as was the case earlier in the season, he seems to be entering a bit of a funk. After a hitless performance on Saturday, Cowles was hoping for better luck, but by going 0-3 with a strikeout, he and Ballesteros combined to go 0-8 with a pair of punchouts. Like Ballesteros, Cowles had a tough time getting the ball out of the infield as he grounded out in his first two appearances, with one of them coming as a double play. Cowles did manage to reach base in the sixth on his team-leading fourth hit by pitch, but his final two at-bats resulted in outs, one of them a strikeout, making it a quiet offensive night for the Cubs prospects. With the offensive stars failing to deliver on Tuesday, it was up to the pitching stars to try and steal the show. Although only one of the Cubs arms in, Vince Reilly, took the mound, he continued to impress as he has yet to allow an earned run across his four appearances this season. Reilly gave the Solar Sox two massive innings of relief out of the pen and managed to maintain the 5-2 lead the Solar Sox built up through five innings. He walked one, struck out, and allowed just one hit as he continued to build off a breakout 2024 campaign.
