Cubs Minor League News: Assad injured, Pearson rocked, Caissie and Alcantara homer, more |
Dustin Riese
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- 5 hours ago
Where to begin? Not only did the Cubs and Dodgers give us an instant classic that saw the Cubs walk them off in 10, but the Cubs Minor League system put together some great games of their own to begin the week. That is all you can ask for as a baseball fan, and whether the Cubs win or lose, this organization will be fun to watch this season.
Tuesday saw the Cubs have an opportunity to post a 3-1 record, which is something they haven't been able to say much of the past two weeks. Had it not been for an extra-inning loss by Myrtle Beach, they may have accomplished that feat. Still, with a 2-2 showing to begin the week, things are looking up for many of the teams in the Cubs organization.
Of all the games in the Cubs system, this was by far the most disappointing game, and it goes way beyond the Cubs' 8-4 loss. That is because Javier Assad exited his rehab start in the fifth inning and appeared to be grabbing at his side once again. Considering he dealt with an oblique injury all spring, this doesn't appear to be good, as he was off to another great start. You also had Nate Pearson make his first appearance since getting sent down, and he went on to allow four runs (3ER) in just one inning. That alone shows you he is far more broken than the Cubs realized, as he will need some time to get right. Enough of the bad news, let's talk about some good news, and there was some to be found. It came in the second inning when Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara touched up Drew Parrish for a pair of homers to give the Cubs an early 2-0 lead. CAISSIE CRUSHER PART 4! Alcantara would add another RBI in the third on a sacrifice fly to put Chicago in front 3-0 as the offense was off and running early. After Assad dominated the Bats through two innings, things began to unravel in the third as he found himself in some trouble. Tyler Stephenson put the Bats on the board with an RBI double, while an RBI groundout made this a 3-2 game. That score would hold until the sixth when Chase Strumpf took it upon himself to pick up an RBI single to extend the Cubs' lead to 4-3. Strumpf adds an RBI single for a 4-3 lead! pic.twitter.com/ue6QB22HSQ That would be the game's final run for the Cubs, as it would be up to the bullpen to win this one. After entering for Assad in the fifth and tossing another scoreless inning, Keegan Thompson allowed his first two runs of the season in the sixth and seventh innings as a sacrifice fly to Levi Jordan and a bases-loaded hit by pitch to PJ Higgins made this a 4-4 game. Still, with one walk and five punchouts across 2 2/3, Thompson continues to impress as his ERA sits at 1.54. Pearson, on the other hand, didn't impress. He not only lost the game in the eighth but also allowed four runs, three of which came on the Edwin Rios double that gave the Bats the 8-4 win. Iowa had seven hits in the loss, with Moises Ballesteros leading the way with two to raise his average to .389. Final. pic.twitter.com/R3gWiLcED2
Although these teams don't play each other often, they have a very successful recent history. They have met several times in the playoffs for Southern League crowns. Although this game didn't have the same magnitude as those, it was another classic, with the Smokies coming out on top 2-1. Right-hander Antonio Santos made his first start of the season, and although he lasted just 3 2/3 innings, he did his job. Santos walked two and struck out two while allowing an unearned run to open his 2025 campaign. That run came on a first-inning Kemp Alderman single to give the Blue Wahoos the early lead, but it was the only run they would have in the game. Despite Jacob Miller holding the Smokies to one run through four, he had to consider himself lucky as the right-hander dealt with command issues to finish with five walks and two strikeouts. His run allowed came on the second inning Hayden Cantrelle single that brought things to 1-1. Once both starters left, this became a battle of the bullpens, and for the most part, neither team wanted to budge. Fortunately for the Smokies, their pen pitched a tad better as Jaylen Palmer picked up the game-winning RBI groundout in the eighth to secure the win. Nick Hull stood out for the Smokies in relief as he gave them 2 2/3 scoreless innings with five punchouts. Knoxville also saw Parker Chavers lead the offense with two of the team's four hits.
It's official, if the South Bend Cubs can find a way to win on the road, there are going to be a playoff team in 2025. Through 16 games, the Cubs are sitting at 5-11 with nine of their 11 losses away from home. All five of their wins have come at home, including an 8-5 victory on Tuesday. Tyler Schlaffer took the ball for the Cubs in this one, and despite allowing three runs in four innings, he pitched well. Schlaffer walked two and struck out seven as his ERA is at 3.68 for the season. Fortunately for him, all three runs came on one swing, with Ryan Ignoffo starting the scoring with a three-run shot to give Beloit the 3-0 lead in the third. Not only did South Bend respond with a pair of runs, but with the Sky Carp held scoreless until late, this was the opportunity the Cubs' offense needed to get back on track. Ivan Brethowr started the comeback bid with a two-run single in the third to make this a 3-2 game. It was in the fifth when South Bend put the game away, as their offense erupted for six runs to take an 8-3 lead. Cristian Hernandez started that inning with a two-run double, putting the Cubs in front for good, 4-3. Following an Andy Garriola sacrifice fly, Carter Trice came through with the game's biggest hit as his three-run blast would prove to be the game-winner and broke the game open 8-3. Beloit did manage to inch closer in the seventh off the two-run homer from Jay Beshears, but that would be it as the Cubs continue their home cooking 8-5.
Not only was this the most exciting game of the night, but also the strangest as 12 of the 14 runs in this game were scored in three innings. That included a six-run ninth from the Pelicans to erase a 6-0 deficit and forced extras before coming up short. With Hayden Frank on the mound, Kannapolis got off to a quick start as the Javier Mogollon homer gave the Cannonballers a 1-0 lead in the second. It only got worse from there for Frank as the Cannonballers' offense continued to make him pay and tacked on five runs in the fourth to open a 6-0 lead. All five runs came on a quartet of RBI singles with Calvin Harris, Caleb Bonemer, Ronny Hernandez, and Lyle Miller-Green doing the damage. Given how Ricardo Brizuela and the Cannonballers pitched most of the night, you had to think six runs would be enough as the Pelicans were blanked through eight. Then came the ninth when the Pelicans woke up offensively and turned this game into a frenzy. All it took was a Cole Mathis homer to start things as the Pelicans were finally on the board. Throw in a pair of RBI knocks from Owen Ayers and Alexey Lumpuy, and the Pelicans were beginning to make a game out of this as they pulled within 6-3 and were still threatening. However, it was the swing of Christian Olivo that made the biggest difference, connecting for his first homer of the season as his three-run shot tied things up and forced extras. Myrtle Beach seemed to run out of steam after that inning, with Mogollon delivering the game-winning double in the 12th before coming home on the Harris triple en route to the 8-6 win.LOUISVILLE BATS 8 - IOWA CUBS 4
4th homer of the season!
1-0 I-CUBS! pic.twitter.com/ApWOQNYebK
KNOXVILLE SMOKIES 2 - PENSACOLA BLUE WAHOOS 1
SOUTH BEND CUBS 8 - BELOIT SKY CARP 5
KANNAPOLIS CANNONBALLERS 8 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 6 (F/12)
