Cubs Minor League News: Peralta homers, Smokies' walk-off, Hernandez raking, more |
Another week of Minor League Competition has come and gone, and once again, the Cubs struggled to close out their week, going just 1-3. A big reason for their struggles was a lack of offense in three of the four games, as strong pitching set the tone for most of the day.
That is a good sign when you consider the Cubs' situation this season. If they can continue to get quality outings across the board, eventually, the offense will back them up. It will be interesting to see if some promotions are on the way, as several players have started to step up their game. OMAHA STORM CHASERS 3 - IOWA CUBS 2 What started off as a promising week turned sour quickly, as Omaha had the Cubs' number this week. This was an especially tough pill to swallow, as Dan Straily made the start but wasn't given much support. Straily allowed three runs in five innings, but with one walk and five strikeouts, his command was much better this time around. He gave way to Luke Little, Jose Cuas, and Carl Edwards Jr., and despite their command issues, they didn't allow a hit in four innings. As good as their pitching was, Omaha was even better, as they struck out 12 Iowa hitters and scattered just five hits in the win. Omaha didn't take long to open the scoring, with Nick Pratto homering in the first to make things 1-0 before Omaha added another run in the second. Brennen Davis showing off the arm strength for today's @GreatClips Clip of the Game 💪 pic.twitter.com/VG366NBl4w Those were the only runs of the game until the fifth, when the John Rave sacrifice fly extended the lead to 3-0 and proved to be the game-winning run. It took the Cubs eight innings to finally score, and once they did, they tried to mount a comeback. Jake Slaughter picked up an RBI single to make things 3-1 in the eighth, while the David Peralta homer closed the gap to 3-2 in the ninth. First homer of the season for David Peralta🚀 pic.twitter.com/lV8njzhwU6 Those were the only runs for the Cubs as they dropped a tough one. Darius Hill and Slaughter were responsible for four of the team's five hits, with Peralta adding the other. New opponent on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/jCabRBg84F TENNESSEE SMOKIES 1 - BILOXI SHUCKERS 0 If you are a fan of pitching, this was the game for you, as one run was all that was needed to win this game. Ironically, that run came in the ninth inning as the Smokies walked off the Shuckers 1-0. This was more of a bullpen game for the Smokies as Blake Whitney started the game and pitched three innings before handing things off to Cayne Ueckert and the Smokies pen. Jake Reindl, Zac Leigh, and Frank Scalzo Jr also saw action in relief, with Scalzo Jr extending his scoreless streak to pick up the win. The Shuckers pitching staff was equally good and all started with Jacob Misiorowski. The right-hander tossed five scoreless frames with eight strikeouts but did walk four. The game's lone run came in the bottom of the ninth as the Hayden Cantrelle single lifted the Smokies to the 1-0 win. Cantrelle had one of eight Smokies hits, with Moises Ballesteros, Haydn McGeary, and Luis Verdugo picking up two. HAYDEN CANTRELLE WALKS IT OFF! | @zips3mincarwash LANSING LUGNUTS 8 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 7 The one game where offense led the charge was in Lansing, where the Cubs fell to the Lugnuts 8-7. A pair of four-run frames did the Cubs in, as they were playing from behind most of the game. Tyler Schlaffer and Nick Hull were the victims of those innings, as Schlaffer allowed four runs in three innings and Hull four runs in one inning. South Bend took a 1-0 lead in the first, but once the third inning rolled around, the Lansing offense made some noise. All it took was one swing off the bat of Euribel Angeles, whose Grand Slam gave the Lugnuts a 4-1 lead. Felix Stevens did his best to keep things close with a two-run shot in the top of the fourth, but once again, it was the Lugnuts offense striking for another four-run frame and busting the game wide open. An RBI forceout paired with a Will Simpson single led to two runs, but the Brayan Buelves double pushed across the final two runs to extend the Lugnuts lead to 8-3. From then on, it was all South Bend as they pushed across two runs in the seventh, with one coming off a Casey Opitz single to make things 8-5. Two innings later, the comeback effort was nearly complete, and a Reivaj Garcia double and a Brett Bateman RBI grounder pulled the Cubs within 8-7. They would eventually fall by that score, but they have been playing much better lately. Yohendrick Pinango led the offense with two hits, with four others picking up the remaining four hits. Comeback came up just short today. SALEM RED SOX 3 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 1 Another strong pitching performance went to waste as the Pelicans offense struggled to get anything going. Alfredo Romero got through five innings for the first time this season, allowing two runs and picking up two strikeouts. He managed to pitch right with Blake Wehunt, who also went five innings, allowing one hit and striking out eight, and his ERA fell to 1.15. All it took for Salem to win this game was a two-run first inning, as they instantly jumped on Romero. Marvin Alcantara provided the game-winning hit with an RBI triple to put Salem in front 2-0, and they would never look back. Those were the game's lone runs until the sixth, when a Nelly Taylor double brought home another run to make things 3-0. Myrtle Beach got on the board in the eighth off a Reggie Preciado sacrifice fly, but that was it for the offense as they fell to the Red Sox 3-1. The Pelicans were held to five hits in the loss, with Cristian Hernandez leading the way with two. Andy Gariola, Miguel Pabon, and Christopher Paciolla added the rest of the hits in the loss. Back in Myrtle Beach on Tuesday.#MBPelicans | #YouHaveToSeeIt pic.twitter.com/xOmuR678vj
Box Score: https://t.co/AjQctx90mc pic.twitter.com/eHKxN7RlWf
See you back at home on Tuesday night 🏡 pic.twitter.com/LjswOc9V4U
