Cubs Minor League News: Moises Ballesteros raking with three hits |
One thing is for certain in the early portion of the Arizona Fall League. If the Mesa Solar Sox aren't going to win many games, they will at least keep things exciting, as they fell to the Peoria Javelinas 9-6 on Friday. Both teams are now 2-2 on the season, but for the Solar Sox, they have now lost back to back games after starting the season 2-0.
After getting Thursday night off, the dynamic duo of Moises Ballesteros and Jonathon Long were back in the lineup. They will be two of the Solar Sox's main run producers all season. Granted, neither of them drove in a run in the losing effort, Ballesteros continues to go about his business, collecting three hits in four at-bats while also drawing a walk. Given what he showed during the Minor League season at both AA and AAA, that type of production shouldn't come as a surprise. He continues to display some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the entire Cubs Minor League system and is still just 20 years old. Ballesteros opened his game with a one-out single in the first before being stranded on the bases, which started what was otherwise a solid game. Ballesteros added his second single in as many at-bats in the top of the second before flying out to left in the fourth inning. In his final two at-bats, Ballesteros not only worked the count but delivered his third single of the game in the seventh inning before working a walk in his final at-bat in the ninth. Long, on the other hand, had a much different game, and that was coming off his five RBI debut earlier in the week. Sure, he worked a walk in his first at-bat, leading to the second Solar Sox runner being stranded on base in the first, but apart from that, it was an overall rough night for the fast-rising Cubs infielder. He would go on to finish the game 0-4 at the plate with two punchouts and stranded several runners on base. That included a pop-out in the ninth inning when the Solar Sox had a chance to make things interesting, but that is all part of the learning curve for him this fall as he continues to get the reps the Cubs want him to get. While those two will continue to garner the most attention from the Cubs fans, Benajmin Cowles is another bat that the Cubs wanted to see get extra reps as his season was cut short due to an injury. He was hit on the wrist with a pitch in June, leading to a fracture, and would sit out until late in the season when he finally made his AA debut with Tennessee and produced when called upon. Given that he missed so much time this season, the Cubs chose to send him to the Fall League in an effort to get him more reps and prepare him for next season. Despite playing strong defense and making hard contact early on, Cowles is still searching for his first hit, as another 0-4 night has him sitting at 0-13 this fall.
