Cubs Minor League News: Bote slam, Kilian impressive, Velazquez homers, SB sweep |
Sunday was a much lighter day on the diamond, with only two of the Cubs four minor league affiliates in action. Regardless, it didn't take away from the success these teams had on the diamond as excellent starting mixed with another impressive offensive display led the organization to a perfect 2-0 record on Sunday.
I don't care what anyone says. If the results the Cubs system has shown this week happen all year, you could be looking at four affiliate teams making the playoffs, with several having a shot at winning the whole thing. That is all anyone can ask for, and you can see more excitement building by the day.
When you looked at the Iowa offense on paper to begin the season, everyone raved about their potential. Through eight games this season, not only are the Cubs 6-2, but they rank near the top in just about every major offensive category. Coming off a horrendous first start, Caleb Kilian was back on the mound looking to rebound. Although his command wasn't excellent, with three walks and one strikeout, Kilian managed to limit the damage and got through four innings allowing just one run. He gave way to Brendon Little, Vinny Nittoli, and Jeremiah Estrada, who allowed one unearned run through five innings with five punchouts. From an offensive side, the Cubs struck early with a Sergio Alcantara RBI grounder in the second, but once the fourth inning came around, their offense was unstoppable. Nelson Velazquez picked up his team-leading third homer in the fourth inning, along with an Alcantara double to extend the lead to 3-0. The lone run off of Kilian came in the bottom of the fourth when Jair Camargo put the Saints on the board with an RBI single to make things 3-1. Throw in a Matt Mervis sacrifice fly in the fifth and a bases-loaded walk from the Saints, and the Cubs led 4-2 with plenty of more offense to come. Alcantara continued his massive day with another RBI single in the sixth, but it was the seventh inning when the Cubs put things away for good. Not only did the Cubs score five runs, but it all started with the David Bote grand slam to put the Cubs in front 9-2. Alcantara added his fourth RBI of the game later in that frame to cap off the big inning as the Cubs led 10-2. With his grand slam in the seventh inning, David Bote is your @Therookiedsmia Player of the Game. pic.twitter.com/QWZTSFMvam The game's final run came in the top of the eighth when Jared Young unloaded for his first homer of the year as the Cubs rolled 11-2. Bote had a massive day offensively, coming away with three hits and four RBIs. Alcantara, Christopher Morel, and Jake Slaughter added two hits, with Alcantara joining Bote with four RBIs. Boom! Two straight series wins 😎 pic.twitter.com/o8mg0RUHv7
Coming off their Midwest League Championship, there were a lot of questions facing the South Bend Cubs this season as to how good they would be. Through three games this year, many of those questions have been answered as the Cubs completed the weekend sweep 2-1. Led by starter Brandon Birdsell and reliever Frank Scalzo Jr, the Cubs got six very good innings of one-hit ball, with both walking two and striking out four. From there, it was up to the bullpen to hold the fort as Brad Deppermann, Adam Laskey, and Jarod Wright took care of the rest, with Wright picking up his first save of 2023. With just three hits, Chandler Champlain kept the Cubs offense in check as he allowed two of the three hits in six innings while also striking out eight. Fortunately for South Bend, they made those hits count as both runs came home to score in the fourth inning. What proved to be the go-ahead homer, Fabian Pertuz got into one for his first homer of the season, and the Cubs never trailed from that point on. Yohendrick Pinango gets credit for the game-winning RBI as his single brought home DJ Artis and gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead. That lead would hold until the later innings when Cayden Wallace ended the shutout bid with an eighth-inning RBI single to pull Quad Cities to within 2-1. That was as close as they would get as Wright worked around a walk in the ninth to close the door and gave the Cubs a weekend sweep of the River Bandits. 🧹🧹🧹IOWA CUBS 11 - SAINT PAUL SAINTS 2
SOUTH BEND CUBS 2 - QUAD CITIES RIVER BANDITS 1
A 3-0 sweep on Opening Weekend! See you all Tuesday night at @FourWindsField.#FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/L6gSQxeF7F
