Cubs Minor League News: Simoneit with game-winner, Shaw raking, Endersby rocked, more |
Two days into a new week of competition, it was deja vu for the Cubs as they once again posted a 1-1 record. This time, things were flipped, with Iowa picking up the win and Tennessee picking up the loss, as both teams continued to focus on the task at hand this week.
After seeing their comeback attempt fall just short on Tuesday, the Iowa Cubs found themselves locked in another tight contest on Wednesday. With the game tied late, it was another massive hit from William Simoneit that proved to be the difference as his two-run single in the eighth lifted the Cubs to a 5-3 win. Whether or not Caleb Kilian makes it back to the majors, this season remains to be seen, but the right-hander will surely try his best to get at least one opportunity late in the season. Since coming back from his injury, Kilian has been reliable for the Cubs, and after going six innings and allowing three runs, that continued. Kilian was able to limit the damage by allowing just five hits and striking out six as he continues to pitch the best he has since 2021. Kilian was backed by some instant offense as a pair of RBI singles from Trayce Thompson and Matt Mervis gave the Cubs an early 2-0 lead in the first. It was a lead that didn't last long, as Ivan Johnson was the Bats entire offense on Wednesday. Not only did Johnson tie things up with a two-run blast in the second, but he followed that up with an RBI single in the fourth as Louisville (Johnson) was on top 3-2. Those were not only the lone runs of the game off Kilian, but the lone runs for the Bats offense, as the combination of Michael Arias and Daniel Palencia kept the Louisville offense in check after a massive day on Tuesday. Following an Ed Howard double play that pushed across the tying run in the bottom of the fourth, things remained tied until the eighth as both bullpens did their part. That was until the eighth when the Cubs were threatening as they finally had something going against the Bats pen. In need of a big hit to seal the victory, Simoneit came through as he connected for the game-winning two-run double to put the Cubs in front 5-3 and now has six RBIs in this series. WILLIAM SIMONEIT IS SWINGIN' IT! He gives us the lead in the eighth! pic.twitter.com/Z7e5slNWrM Today was Hayden Cantrelle's turn to be the lone Cub without a hit as Iowa pounded out 11 more hits. Thompson and Simoneit were just two of the many players to record multiple hits, and they were joined by Darius Hill and Matt Shaw. Hayden Cantrelle with the hustle to secure the W! pic.twitter.com/bJ3EfKwPIT Bounce-back W! pic.twitter.com/rVG2sY9ZjW
Tennessee's seven-game winning streak came to an end on Wednesday as the Barons picked up a 14-2 win. These are the types of losses where you just want to get it out of your system and throw it in the trash, which the Smokies are hopeful they can do. Jimmy Endersby wasn't good. He got rocked for eight earned runs in 3 1/3 innings, which was by far his worst outing of the season. That was the teme most of the night for Tennessee, although Nick Hull did come in to pitch 2 2/3 scoreless innings, which was one of the few bright spots. Juan Carela opposed Endersby, and despite battling through command issues, he managed to give Birmingham five strong innings, allowing just two runs. Carela was given instant run support in the first as the Mario Camilletti double put the Barons in front 1-0. That was just the start of a great offensive night as Birmingham tacked on three runs in the second on another Camilletti double, while the Wilfred Veras single made this a 4-0 game. Following a Terrell Tatum double in the third to push the lead to 5-0, Birmingham continued to go to work in the fourth as they tacked on three more runs to stretch the lead to 8-0. Nick Podkul started that big inning with another RBI double while a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly pushed the Barons lead to 8-0. It took four innings for the Smokies to break through with Cam Smith connecting for his second RBI triple in as many nights to pull the Smokies within 8-2. Cam Smith's second triple in as many games! The throwing error from the Barons turns it into a Little League Homerun! #NextStopWrigley #Cubs #LastYearBestYear pic.twitter.com/JGVuGNqFzx Those were the lone runs of the night for the Smokies as the Barons ended the game with six more unanswered runs to pick up a 14-2 win. Five runs came in the seventh, with Jason Matthews single bringing home one run and a pair of RBI doubles from Veras and Michael Turner leading to three more. You also had an RBI groundout mixed in before the Barons closed out the scoring in the ninth. Tennessee had five hits in the ball game as Smith led the way with two hits and two RBIs. Brett Bateman, Jonathon Long, and Felix Stevens had the remaining hits. Just keep scrolling. | @zips3mincarwash
The Dogs quest for an American Association title came to an end on Wednesday as the Cougars eliminated the Dogs via walk off 3-2. Connor Curlis made the start for the Dogs and did his part on the mound, giving Chicago six impressive innings of two-run baseball. The same can be said about Spencer Stockton, who pitched into the sixth, allowing just one run, as offense was tough to come by. It didn't take the Dogs long to get on the scoreboard, as a Nick Dalesandro sacrifice fly put Chicago in front 1-0 in the second. They would hold that lead until the third when the Cornelius Randolph double put the Cougars in front 2-1. Those were the only runs either of the starters allowed, as this remained a 2-1 game until the eighth. That is when Narcisco Crook picked the perfect time to deliver another homer. His solo blast brought things back to even 2-2 and had the Dogs thinking victory. Still tied in the ninth, it all came down to the Cougars' offense, as a run would end the game rather than going into extras. It took a bit, but the Cougars managed to pick up that run as Armond Upshaw picked up the game-winning RBI single to walk off the Dogs 3-2. Chicago will now head into the offseason as another strong season has come to an end. Final from Game 2. Thank you for everything this season Dogs fans! We have the BEST fans in baseball! Thank you for an amazing season Dogs family! #NoKetchup pic.twitter.com/J6K706xnSXIOWA CUBS 5 - LOUISVILLE BATS 3
BIRMINGHAM BARONS 14 - TENNESSEE SMOKIES 2
Box Score: https://t.co/cf8xoIUDgb pic.twitter.com/qEQF5pvYkaKANE COUNTY COUGARS 3 - CHICAGO DOGS 2
📺https://t.co/ZyIk7dOVpK |🌭#NoKetchup pic.twitter.com/RIgJwXlzMN
