Cubs Minor League News: Mervis and Shaw homer, Wiggins impressive, Alcantara raking, more |
With just one more full slate of games until the Cubs Minor League system is cut in half, the Cubs hope to keep the momentum rolling. They did so with a solid 3-2 showing on Saturday as they continue to churn out the wins over the past few weeks.
One bad inning is what did the Cubs in as the Saints pushed across six runs in the second inning before Iowa's late rally fell short. Trey Supak has been very good all season, but this wasn't his day, as he allowed seven runs in 3 2/3. Command was an issue as he walked four and struck out one before the Cubs bullpen did a phenomenal job to limit the Saints offense. After taking a 2-0 lead in the second off the Patrick Winkel single and Rylan Bannon double, the Emmanuel Rodriguez Grand Slam broke the game open and put the Cubs in a massive 6-0 hole. That would be all the offense Aaron Rozak would need as he picked up his first win after allowing three runs in six innings with seven strikeouts. Kevin Alcantara put the Cubs on the board with an RBI single in the top of the third, but a Payton Eeles homer in the fourth extended the Saints lead to 7-1. Eeles added an RBI single in the sixth for the Saints final run which came after a Caleb Knight single as the Cubs continued to trail 8-2. Once the seventh inning rolled around, it was all Cubs as they began to mount a furious comeback. That all started with a Matt Mervis homer in the seventh to make this an 8-3 game, with Matt Shaw answering with a homer in the eighth to pull the Cubs within 8-4. Fast forward to the ninth and the Cubs continued to battle back with Alcantara adding another single to pull Iowa within 8-5 with a Moises Ballesteros sacrifice cutting the lead to 8-6 which was as close as the Cubs would get. Mervis had his best game since returning from the IL, leading the Cubs with three hits. Alcantara, Owen Caissie, and Hayden Cantrelle also had multi-hit games for the Cubs, who continue to see the ball well. Series finale tomorrow pic.twitter.com/Xuo1mvUYW7
It will be a busy weekend for the Smokies, especially on Saturday, as they had to play a doubleheader. Already with three wins in three tires, including a pair of shutouts over the Braves this weekend, the Smokies made it four for four as they delivered a 2-1 game-one win. What was supposed to be Joe Nahas getting the start turned into Nick Hull as he set the tone for what was to come. Hull tossed three scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out two before Matt Thompson took over for the final four. Thompson allowed the lone run, but with three strikeouts across his four innings, he minimized the damage. Opposing Hull was Lucas Braun, who did something you don't see too often in the MLB, let alone the MILB. Braun went the distance for the Braves, striking out seven, but also took the loss which is a rarity when a pitcher throws a complete game. This was a scoreless game entering the fourth inning until the Jonathon Long grounder put the Smokies in front 1-0. Tennessee would capitalize on an error later in the inning to go up 2-0 as that was the winning run. Like the Smokies, the only run of the game for Mississippi came in the fourth, with Cody Milligan delivering an RBI groundout in a 2-1 Smokies win. Brett Bateman led the way for the Smokies with two hits as Luis Verdugo and Pablo Aliendo added the other two. Game 1 was a success. Game 2 is loading. | @Zips3mincarwash, @CNBTN
Despite playing a doubleheader, there was little offense to go around as four total runs were scored. That included three by the Smokies, who swept away the doubleheader with a 1-0 win and now have three shutouts this week. Nahas was on the mound for the Smokies and delivered a five-inning start where he allowed just two hits and struck out two before Samuel Reyes took over. Reivaj Garcia provided the only run with an RBI double as the Smokies continued to pull away from everyone in the standings. So nice we did it twice! | @zips3mincarwash
While the Cubs season has long been over in terms of a playoff berth, South Bend is at least ending the season on a high note as they continue to play well against the Tin Caps. That included a 5-2 win on Saturday as the Cubs pitching continues to pitch well. This time, the Cubs started Jaxon Wiggins. The fast-rising prospect allowed just one unearned run on two hits while striking out nine in five innings. He gave way to Luis Devers and the rest of the bullpen, as the Cubs' pitching was dominant. Wiggins was matched up against Jose Luis Reyes, who also pitched five innings and did his part to keep his team in the game. Jaxon Wiggins, Ariel Armas, Ezequiel Pagan, Brian Kalmer @SBCubs lead 5 to 1 middle of the 6th inning. pic.twitter.com/01Vm5x5Kr1 The lone run Wiggins would allow came in the second inning when Rosman Verdugo picked up an infield single while an error by Cam Smith allowed for the game's first run to score. That was the game's only run until the fifth when the Cubs tied things up on a double play before the Pedro Ramirez single put them in front for good 2-1. One inning later, the Cubs offense continued to do damage, with Jordan Nwogu adding another RBI single ahead of an Edgar Alvarez double to push the lead to 4-1 before tacking on a third run off an error to make this a 5-1 game. Fort Wayne managed to grab another run later in the game, but it wasn't enough as the Cubs rolled 5-2. Alvarez was one of two Cubs with two hits, Brian Kalmer being the other. CUBS WIN! pic.twitter.com/UwbCyWDkcW
Anytime you spot a team four runs in the first inning, you make things very challenging for yourselves as an early offensive barrage led the Woodpeckers to the win. JP Wheat struggled to find the zone again and couldn't even make it out of the first before the bullpen had to take over the rest of the way. Wheat walked four in just 2/3 of an inning and threw two wild pitches leading to two runs, with an RBI fielder's choice leading to the other two as there was an error on that play to help put the Pelicans in a 4-0 hole. The Pelicans got one of those runs back on the Alfonsin Rosario groundout in the third, but a pair of two-run homers from Will Bush in the fourth and fifth innings broke the game wide open 8-2. Fayetteville kept the pressure on with a Lucas Spence single in the sixth to extend the lead to 9-2 before the Pelicans offense started to battle back late. A Cameron Sisneros RBI forceout led to one run, with Owen Ayers cashing in with an RBI double to pull the Birds within 9-5 in the seventh. That was as close as the Pelicans would get as the Woodpeckers tacked on two runs in the eighth to close out the 11-5 win. Myrtle Beach had five hits in the loss, with one hit coming from five different players. Final from Fayetteville.#MBPelicans pic.twitter.com/D543mVetcV
The Dogs have done it, advancing to the Division Championship series following a 3-1 win against the top-seeded Cleburne Railroaders. This was one of those games where the Dogs never quit, as they fell behind early before scoring three times in the final two innings. John Baker was on the mound for the Dogs, going six innings and allowing just one run as he kept the Dogs in the game. That run came on a Jesus Lujano homer in the third as the Railroaders took a 1-0 lead. Given how Caleb Smith was pitching, one run was looking to be enough as he tossed six shutout innings. Still searching for their first run in the eighth, Derek Maiben tied things up with an RBI single before a Nick Novak sacrifice fly put the Dogs in front 2-1. That proved to be the winning run as the Dogs added an additional run in the ninth to cap off the series win. Next on the docket for the Dogs will be Kane County, as they will battle for a spot in the American Association Championship game. THE DOGS ADVANCE TO THE EAST DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES!!!! SAINT PAUL SAINTS 8 - IOWA CUBS 6
TENNESSEE SMOKIES 2 - MISSISSIPPI BRAVES 1
📍: Pearl, MS
🖥️: https://t.co/6y1Lx68OpA
📻: https://t.co/PMNH4uCWaG
Game 1 Box Score: https://t.co/TG49KUQTrF pic.twitter.com/QTW0K5YFyxTENNESSEE SMOKIES 1 - MISSISSIPPI BRAVES 0 (Game 2)
Game 2 Box Score: https://t.co/5tw4eeotDy pic.twitter.com/dMujbuX36kSOUTH BEND CUBS 5 - FORT WAYNE TIN CAPS 2
FAYETTEVILLE WOODPECKERS 11 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 5
CHICAGO DOGS 3 - CLEBURNE RAILROADERS 1
FINAL SCORE 3-1 DOGS! pic.twitter.com/GRahv2iTQp
