Cubs Minor League News: Ballesteros with two homers, Caissie homers, Alcantara with 5 RBIs
Photo courtesy: Iowa Cubs

Cubs Minor League News: Ballesteros with two homers, Caissie homers, Alcantara with 5 RBIs
Dustin Riese Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Thursday, April 17 2025

Wednesday was a rough night for the Cubs franchise from the top down. Not only did the Chicago Cubs drop their season finale to the Padres, but the Minor League system got lit up across the board, leading to a 1-3 record.

IOWA CUBS 20 - SAINT PAUL SAINTS 6

You read that right, the Iowa Cubs posted a football score against the Saints, delivering a decisive 20-6 victory. This game was dominated by the long as both teams combined to hit 11 home runs, eight of which came from the Cubs.

Even if pitching wasn't the strong suit for either team, you have to take notice of the start Cade Horton had as he continues to pitch well. Sure, the three walks in five innings are still a concern, but with six strikeouts and one run allowed, he is doing all you can ask him to do, as his ERA sits at 1.46 for the season.

Horton was backed by instant offense as Iowa scored two times in the first, with the first run coming off a Jonathon Long grounder before Kevin Alcantara added a single. The Jaguar had a massive game as he led the Cubs with four hits and five RBIs. Already in front by a pair, the Cubs continued to add to their lead, with Carlos Perez adding an RBI double in the second.

That was followed up by another Alcantara double in the third as part of a three-run inning that saw Reese McGuire and Perez each add RBIs to push the Cubs lead to 6-1. It took four innings for the Saints to get on the board as the Jefferson Morales homer ignited a home run derby to make this a 6-1 game.

Moises Ballesteros followed that for the first of his two homers, but that was only the start as the Cubs offense was just getting started.

Following another Saint Paul homer from Carson McCusker to pull within 7-2, the Cubs offense put the game away, scoring nine times in the bottom of the seventh to make this a 16-2 game.

All nine runs came off the long ball, with Ben Cowles, Perez, Owen Caissie, Chase Strumpf, and Alcantara all putting a ball over the fence in that inning.

Strumpf and Ballesteros would add a pair of two-run homers in the ninth to give the Cubs their 20 runs as Iowa made quick work of Saint Paul 20-6.

CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS 12 - KNOXVILLE SMOKIES 1

Blowouts were the theme of the day for the Cubs Minor League system, as all four games were decided by five runs or more. That included the Lookouts dismantaling of the Smokies as they scored early and often in the 12-1 win. Nick Hull was the victim of a bad start as he surrendered seven earned runs in four innings.

That included four runs in the first as the Lookouts used a Sal Stewart single and Ethan O'Donnell triple to open up a 2-0 lead. Austin Hendrick closed out the big inning with a two-run blast as the Lookouts were in front 4-0. BJ Murray Jr did his best to keep the Smokies in the game early, delivering an RBI single in the bottom of the first to make things 4-1.

Unfortunately for Knoxville, that was the game's lone run for them, as the Lookouts were more than ready to play. After a second inning Hector Rodriguez double extended the lead to 5-1, Chattanooga benefitted from a pair of homers from Austin Callahan and O'Donnell as they opened up a massive 10-1 lead in the fifth. Chattanooga closed out the scoring in the seventh inning off the Jay Allen single and Jack Rogers double as this was all Chattanooga in this one, 12-1. Murray Jr had one of the Smokies three hits, joining Pedro Ramirez and Brett Bateman.

WEST MICHIGAN WHITECAPS 17 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 3

As good as last week went for the Cubs, South Bend has yet to find a way to win on the road as they are winless away from their home park. South Bend continued their struggles away from home on Wednesday as they were drubbed by the White Caps 17-3.

This was a tale of two games as the Cubs played the Whitecaps to a 3-3 tie through five before the Whitecaps closed out the game with 14 unanswered runs, including nine coming home in the eighth. Although he struggled with his command, walking four and striking out one, Luis Rujano didn't pitch poorly as he allowed just two runs in 3 1/3 innings.

Rujano was backed by an Ivan Brethowr single in the first inning before the Andy Garriola homer put the Cubs in front 2-0 in the fourth inning. Both runs charged to Rujano came as part of a three-run inning, with Brett Callahan tying things up with a two-run shot. Max Clark added to the three-run inning with a single as the Cubs were down 3-2.

South Bend didn't need much time to tie things back up as Cristian Hernandez came home on the Brian Kalmer forceout in the top of the fifth, but that was about all the excitement the Cubs would have as West Michigan teed off on their pen. That all started with another single from Clark in the sixth to put the Whitecaps on top for good, while West Michigan tacked on four more runs in the eighth to make this an 8-3 game.

Then came the eighth when West Michigan put the game away, scoring nine times to make this a 17-3 game. Most of the runs scored in the ninth came from bases-loaded walks and singles, but the Josue Briceno Grand Slam closed out the inning style and gave the Whitecaps a blowout win. Brethowr led the Cubs with two hits and an RBI in the loss.

AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS 11 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 4

Believe it or not, this was the closest game of the evening for the Cubs, and it wasn't even that close. Once again, some early offense set the tone as Will Frisch was touched up for three runs (2ER) in three innings of work, putting the Birds in a 3-0 hole.

Those runs came in the third inning, with Isaiah Drake delivering a two-run single to open the scoring before a wild pitch pushed the lead to 3-0. With Riley Frey holding the Pelicans scoreless through three, he began to come unraveled in the fourth as a Matt Halbach double put the Pelicans on the board and made this a 3-2 game.

After an error led to the tying run to cross home, Leonel Espinoza capped off a four-run inning as his RBI single put the Pelicans in front 4-3. Those were the only runs Frey would allow as he wound up striking out six in five innings. With the Pelicans making the call to the pen for Alfredo Romero, the Greenjackets jumped all over him as they ended the game with eight unanswered runs.

Four came in the fourth as Romero hit a batter with the bases loaded before a bases-clearing Mac Guscette pushed the go-ahead runs home and put Augusta back on top 7-4. The offensive onslaught continued with an Owen Carey single in the fifth to push the lead to 8-4, with another runner coming into the score in the sixth.

Augusta would close out their scoring with two more runs in the eighth as the Pelicans fell to the Greenjackets 11-4. Halbach was responsible for two of the Pelicans seven hits, joining Cole Mathis with two.

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