Cubs Minor League News: Rookie League Action |
With just two weeks remaining in the Rookie League season, it is becoming less likely that any of the Cubs remaining Rookie League teams will make the playoffs. Some have an outside chance at sneaking in, but barring a massive hot streak over their final 12 games, any hope of a playoff berth will have to wait until next season.
Regardless of what happens from here on out, it's time to enjoy the end of the Rookie League season, which has been an overall success this season. While the records weren't great, there was significant improvement across the board from all three teams, with several players reaching full-season leagues and starting to put on a show. The ones still left playing have an opportunity to finish strong, as the Cubs DSL squads posted a 1-2 mark on Monday.
In what was a July makeup game, the DSL Cubs Blue squad sent a message to the Astros by using an eight-run eighth inning to put the game away. Geovanny Vasquez was backed by plenty of offense as he pitched into the fifth before being removed after 4 2/3 innings of two-run, five-strikeout ball. Vasquez was backed by a first-inning RBI off the bat of Derik Alcantara before the Cubs extended their lead to 2-0 off a third-inning Henniel Alcala single. It was in the fifth inning when both of the Astros runs came across to score, as a sacrifice fly and passed ball tied things up 2-2. From there, it was all Cubs, as they ended the game with 13 unanswered runs to break the game wide open. Alexey Lumpuy started the scoring binge in the bottom of the fifth, as his RBI triple put the Cubs in front for good, 4-2, before a wild pitch made things 5-2. DSL Blue tacked on two more runs in the sixth to extend the lead to 7-2, but their eight-run eighth inning broke the game wide open. Four bases-loaded walks and a wild pitch accounted for five of those eight runs, as the Astros' command was spotty at best in that inning. Carlos Altuve then came through with a bases-loaded RBI triple to close out the scoring, as the Cubs took care of business 15-2. Darlyn De Leon led the Cubs with three hits as they hammered out 10 hits. Lumpuy and Isaac Moscote added two hits in the win.
With a chance to sweep the Astros in a DSL doubleheader, the DSL Blue squad found themselves in a tight ball game late. Unlike the first game, where their offense took charge late, it was all about the pitching in this one, with the Astros rallying for two runs in the eighth to secure a 4-2 win. Ronny Lopez and Saul Siri were lights out on the mound, striking out 12 in eight innings. They were charged with four runs, three of which were unearned, and the Cubs' defense didn't do them any favors. Once again, the Cubs struck first, as the Juan Monso groundout gave DSL Blue a 1-0 lead in the first. In what was a near carbon copy of how game one went, the Astros battled back from that early deficit to tie the game up on a second-inning wild pitch before grabbing the lead off a double play in the third. The Cubs continued to benefit from some sloppy play from the Astros as they also brought home a run on a wild pitch to pull even in the third 2-2. That was the game's final run for the Cubs, as things would remain 2-2 until the eighth inning. It was in that inning when Sandro Pereira connected for a game-winning single off Siri before coming home to score on a Yosweld Vasquez double to cap off the 4-2 Astros win. Lumpuy had a great day, leading the Cubs with two more hits after having multiple hits in game one. Brailin Pascual also had two hits for the Cubs.
Of all the games on Monday, this is the one to forget, as DSL Red got pounded by the Orioles 13-0. Frailin Alejo was strong early, allowing just one run in three innings, but once the bullpen allowed four runs in the fourth, this game was as good as over. A big reason for that was the performance of Adrian Heredia, who not only allowed one hit in six innings but also struck out 11 without a walk to lower his ERA to 1.98. Heredia was backed by a Stiven Martinez sacrifice fly in the third to push home the winning run before having the Orioles offense torch the Cubs pen. Saul Gomez extended their lead to 3-0 with a single as part of a four-run fourth before coming home on the two-run Angel Garcia double to push their lead to 5-0. That was the start of a massive scoring binge that saw the Orioles put up 11 runs in three innings to open up a 12 -0 lead. Following the four-run fourth came a three-run fifth as an RBI fielder's choice was followed by a pair of RBI singles from Gomez and Jose Perez to extend the lead to 8-0. Then came the sixth, when the Orioles offense went back to work to score four more runs as a pair of RBI singles from Gomez and Adriander Mejia played a vital role in the big inning. Their singles were mixed with an RBI groundout and a wild pitch as the Cubs had no answers for the Orioles and their offense. The Orioles closed out the scoring with a bases-loaded walk in the eighth, and the DSL Red squad fell to 16-26 with the loss. Giving up 13 runs is one thing, but when you only manage three hits as a team, it is hard to get any momentum going. Enyel Rosario, Edgardo De Leon, and Ramon Oritz had the three hits for the Cubs.DSL CUBS BLUE 15 - DSL ASTROS 2
DSL ASTROS 4 - DSL CUBS BLUE 2
DSL ORIOLES 13 - DSL CUBS RED 0
