Cubs Minor League News: Bote blast, Davis sizzling, Murray homers twice, Horton impressive
Photo courtesy: Iowa Cubs

Cubs Minor League News: Bote blast, Davis sizzling, Murray homers twice, Horton impressive
by - Senior Writer - Fri May 17 11:35:07 GMT-04:00 2024

This week hasn't been too kind to the Cubs minor league system in terms of wins and losses, but that is to be expected when you consider all the interchangeable parts.

All that matters at this point is seeing many prospects continue to develop at their own pace, which will lead to a brighter future on the North side. Thursday saw the Cubs post their first winning record of the week, finishing off the night with a 3-2 mark.

IOWA CUBS 10 - SYRACUSE METS 4

After consecutive tough losses, the Cubs took out their frustrations on the Mets in a big way. This was a far-from-perfect start for Cade Horton as he allowed three runs in five innings, but most importantly, he earned his first career AAA win. Hoton didn't need to be at his best as the Cubs offense backed him with plenty of early offense against Justin Jarvis to set the tone.

That all started in the second inning as the David Bote triple was followed up by a Bryce Windham single as the Cubs took the lead for good 1-0. Newly promoted Hayden Cantrelle added to their lead with an RBI single later in the inning as the Cubs took a 2-0 lead. Things continued to spiral out of hand for the Mets in the fourth, with Brennen Davis adding his fourth homer in as many days before the BJ Murray JR homer put the Cubs up 5-0.

Murray Jr. is credited with the game-winning hit, as the Cubs pitching staff did a good job in this one. All three of the runs Horton allowed came in his final inning, as the Mets would go down without a fight. Mike Brosseau opened the scoring with an RBI double, only to have the Ji-Man Choi sacrifice fly and the Luisangel Acuna single make things 5-3.

That was as close as things would get for the Mets as Murray Jr. and Bote went deep later in the game, with Cantrelle and Owen Caissie picking up RBI doubles in the 10-4 win.

Murray Jr. and Cantrelle were responsible for six of the 10 runs driven in for the Cubs.

TENNESSEE SMOKIES 6 - ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS 2

Behind a three-run first and another strong outing from Kyle McGowin, it was the Smokies making quick work of Rocket City as they took care of business 6-2. McGowin went six innings, scattering two runs as he has been a pleasant surprise in his two starts with Tennessee.

It didn't take the Smokies long to get to Chase Chaney, who found himself in a 3-0 hole in the first. What started with a Kevin Alcantara double and the Matt Shaw single was followed by a Moises Ballesteros long ball, and just like that, Tennessee was up 3-0 in the first.

All six of the Smokies' runs came on the strength of three homers, with Haydn McGeary connecting for a two-run shot in the fourth and Ezequiel Pagan adding his third homer in seven games in the seventh.

Rocket City got their runs off the Arol Vera double in the second to pull within 3-1 before the Eric Wagaman single in the sixth closed out the scoring for Tennessee. Alcantara led the Smokies with two hits, while Ballesteros, McGeary, and Pagan grabbed all six RBIs.

FORT WAYNE TIN CAPS 5 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 1

Backed by six strong innings from Miguel Cienfuegos, it was the Tin Caps getting back on the winning side as they downed the Cubs 5-1. Cienfuegos pitched six innings, scattering three hits, striking out four, and allowing just the lone run.

Luis Devers got the ball for the Cubs, and although he wasn't great, allowing three runs in four innings, he kept his team in the game, which is all you can ask for. Devers fell behind early after allowing a pair of RBI singles to Homer Bush Jr and Devin Ortiz as the Tin Caps took the 2-0. That would be all they would need offensively as the Cubs lone run came off another Felix Stevens homer as he now leads the organization with eight bombs for the season.

Griffin Dorschling added a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth for Fort Wayne to get their two-run advantage back, while a pair of eighth-inning RBI hits closed out the scoring for the Tin Caps.

South Bend was held to three hits, with Jefferson Rojas and Reivaj Garcia adding the other two.

FREDERICKSBURG NATIONALS 5 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 2

In a tale of two games, the Nationals came out on top as they knocked off the Birds 5-2. This takes away from a strong effort by Kenten Egbert on the mound, as the right-hander pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs.

With Travis Sykora matching him through four innings with six strikeouts, this was a 0-0 game through five innings, as runs were certainly at a premium. Then came the sixth, when both offenses not only scored but started to show massive signs of life. The Nationals cracked the scoreboard first with a sacrifice fly before an RBI grounder, and later in the inning, they made things 2-0.

Jeremy De La Rosa then took it upon himself to leave the yards as the Nationals opened up a 3-0 lead. Not to be outdone, the scorching hot Leonel Espinoza brought home the Pelicans first run off an RBI triple before trotting home on a Christopher Paciolla single made things 3-2.

That was it for the Pelicans offense as the Brandon Pimentel double in the eighth pushed the lead to 4-2 while a Marcus Brown single closed out the scoring in the ninth.

Myrtle Beach had five hits in the game, with Christian Olivo leading the way with two. Espinoza, Paciolla, and Alfonsin Rosario had the rest of the Pelicans hits.

ACL CUBS 4 - ACL ATHLETICS 2

It doesn't always come easy, but the Cubs have gotten off to a better start this season, doubling up the A's 4-2. Luis Martinez Gomez got the start for the Cubs and pitched four strong innings with six strikeouts. He allowed a pair of unearned runs in the fourth to put the A's in front, but it was a short-lived lead as the Cubs offense took that lead right back.

After Anderson Suriel put the Cubs on the board with an RBI groundout, then Eriandys Ramon triple-tied things up. Two innings later saw the Cubs put the game away as Albert Gutierrez connected for his first homer of the season and gave the Cubs a 4-2 win.

INDEPENDENT LEAGUES

LAKE COUNTY DOCKHOUNDS 10 - CHICAGO DOGS 9

It was a painful end to a painful series as the Dockhounds capped off the sweep 10-9. Considering that Kenny Serwa only allowed three runs in five innings, you had to like the Dogs' chances, but the bullpen let the lead get away as the Dogs bats came out swinging and scored six times in the first.

Brantley Bell opened the scoring with an RBI double, while the Narcisco Crook single made things 2-0. That set the tone for Jacob Teter and Dusty Stroup, who picked up two-run homers later in the inning to make things 6-0. Stroup added an RBI single in the second inning to keep the Dogs in front 7-2 before Teter and Crook added solo shots later in the game to close out the scoring.

Leading 9-3 in the sixth, things fell apart quickly for the Dogs as their pen allowed seven runs the next three innings, including back-to-back three-run frames. A Josh Morgan two-run homer made things 9-5 with a Justin Lavey double pulling Lake County to within 9-6. Another longball followed suit in the seventh as Justin Connell got into one and pushed across three runs to tie things up before another Ryan Hernandez homer won the game in the eighth.

FLORENCE Y'ALLS 8 - WINDY CITY THUNDERBOLTS 1

In what was an ugly overall game, the Thunderbolts dropped their rubber game against the Y'alls 8-1 on Thursday as they will now hit the road to take on the Gateway Grizzlies. Michael Barker got the start despite striking out eight in 4 2/3. he was charged with seven earned runs as his ERA rose to 14.04 on the season.

Considering Joaniker Villalobos went six shutout innings with seven strikeouts, this wasn't the Thunderbolts night who fell behind 1-0 on a TJ Reeves second-inning homer. That lead would grow to 4-0 in the fourth after the Ashton Creal single made it 2-0 ahead of the two-run Tim Broden double.

Another double off the bat of Hank Zeisler in the fifth pushed the lead to 5-0, with Zade Richardson going deep to make things 7-0. It took seven innings for Windy City to break through, with Cam Phelts picking up the lone RBI with a double in an 8-1 loss.

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