Cubs Minor League News: Shaw homers, Wisdom rehab, Franklin pitches gem, more

Cubs Minor League News: Shaw homers, Wisdom rehab, Franklin pitches gem, more
by - Senior Writer - Sun Apr 07 11:00:09 GMT-05:00 2024

It only took two days of a full slate of games for the Cubs to come away with a winning record, but that was the case Saturday as the Cubs walked away with a 3-1 record. Given what this organization has down on the farm, the offense was one of the reasons for the success, with three games having at least six runs scored, but the pitching also stood out.

That could be the biggest key for the whole night, as the Cubs allowed three runs or less in all four games. If that happens the rest of the season, the Cubs system will have many wins and another potential title on the way.

IOWA CUBS 6 - TOLEDO MUD HENS 3

What looked to be more of the same for the Cubs on Saturday turned into a great game. Iowa scored five runs in their last two at-bats, including four in the eighth, to pick up the win. Hayden Wesneski made his second start of the Spring, and a lot of eyes continue to be locked on him.

Unlike his first outing that saw him throw three shutout innings, Wesneski wasn't as sharp as he allowed three runs in 3 1/3 innings. All three runs came in one inning before Wesneski, Riley Martin, Riley Thompson, and Brad Wieck took care of the rest as the Cubs pitching staff struck out 14 Mud Hens. Six of those came from Martin, who tossed 2 2/3 innings shutout innings.

All of the Mud Hens runs came in the first inning, as Duncan Harter was given plenty of run support. The first of those runs came on a pickoff error from Wesneski, which opened the floodgates. That error was followed by an Eddys Leonard single and an Akil Baddoo fielder's choice, and just like that, it was 3-0. Those were the only runs for Toledo in the game, as the Cubs pitching gave the offense a chance.

Making his first rehab start of the season was Patrick Wisdom, who promptly delivered a sacrifice fly to put Iowa on the board.

That 3-1 deficit held until the seventh when Darius Hill connected on an RBI single to make things 3-2.

The bottom of the eighth is when the Cubs offense came to life and continued to show quickly they can score. BJ Murray Jr. got the party started with a game-tying RBI single, while the Curt Casali double proved to be the game-winning hit, with the Cubs up 4-3.

Ali Sanchez added a double later in the inning to score the final two runs, and Iowa won 6-3.

TENNESSEE SMOKIES 7 - ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS 0

Coming off an exciting opening day night, the Smokies got back to work Saturday and took care of business 7-0. Kohl Franklin made his first start of the season and, despite going just four innings, would set the tone for what was to come.

Franklin struck out four in his four innings, but they were four perfect innings before he handed things over to Michael Arias, Eduarniel Nunez, and Cayne Ueckert. All three did what they had to, as the Smokies allowed two hits in the game while the offense continued to sizzle. It's not too often that one run is the difference in the game, but just three batters in, Matt Shaw lifted the Smokies to victory with his first homer of the season.

Two innings later, a wild pitch doubled the Smokies' lead ahead of the Haydn McGeary double, and just like that, it was 3-0.

McGeary has been known as a Rocket City killer the past two seasons, as he had 26 RBIs against them last season and has four in two games this season. The Tennessee offense continued to make things happen in the fourth, with James Triantos delivering a two-run double to extend the lead to 5-0.

For a guy who was once compared to Alex Bregman, Triantos is proving to be more of a high-average, low-power guy and continues to show he has what it takes to be the leadoff man. Tennessee closed out the seventh with two more runs, as McGeary added another RBI single ahead of the Christian Franklin groundout, as the Smokies took their opening series of the season.

Triantos and McGeary each had two hits with two RBIs, but Hayden Cantrelle led the way with three hits.

QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS 3 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 2 (F/10)

Despite being the only Farm System team to lose on Saturday, it didn't come easy as the Cubs pitching kept them in the game until the bitter end. Grant Kipp took the ball for South Bend and gave the Cubs four innings, allowing two runs and striking out five. From there it was the combination of Sam Armstrong, Hunter Viets, and Yovanny Cabrera as they allowed just an unearned run the rest of the way.

Armstrong may have had the best game out of all the pitchers, striking out five hitters in two innings after not seeing much time in 2023. Opposing Kipp and the Cubs was Steven Zobac, who limited the Cubs' offense to just one run in four innings. Pitching was the theme all game long.

It took three innings for anyone to score, as the 18-year-old phenom Jefferson Rojas delivered again with an RBI single to make things 1-0. Their lead didn't last long, though, as Kipp ran into some trouble in the bottom of the third before allowing a go-ahead RBI single from Carter Jensen that put the Cubs in a 2-1 hole.

South Bend managed to tie things up in the fifth off an error, but that was it for runs until extras, as both pitching staffs were dialed in from start to finish. In the extra frame, it was the River Bandits who had the last laugh. Cabrera's lack of command proved costly, as a bases-loaded walk to Kale Emshoff gave Quad City the walk-off win. South Bend had seven hits in the loss, with Brett Bateman leading the way with three.

MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 9 - FAYETTEVILLE WOODPECKERS 2

Although the score looks like a blowout, this game was much closer than it seemed. The Pelicans scored all their runs in two innings, including a six-run sixth to put the game away and give the fans something to cheer about. Juan Bello made his Pelicans debut, and despite some command issues at times, he still struck out seven while allowing just one run in 3 1/3 innings.

He was followed by Erian Rodriguez, Scarlyn Lebron and Garrett Brown as those four combined to allow two runs while also striking out 17 hitters. Juan Soto made the start for Fayetteville and didn't have nearly the same amount of success as he was tagged for three runs in 2 2/3. All three runs came in the third with a bases-loaded walk and wild pitch leading to two runs, while Wally Soto drove in the third with an RBI single.

Had the Pelicans not scored the rest of the way, that would've been good enough to pick up the win, but that isn't the DNA for this offense. Leading 3-1 in the sixth, Myrtle Beach took it upon themselves to put this one away, scoring six times to break things open. Jacob Wetzel started that with a bases loaded walk while a wild pitch pushed the lead to 5-1. An Andy Gariola single extended the lead to 6-1, with Soto and Alexis Hernandez adding two more RBI singles to make things 9-1.

Fayetteville closed out the scoring on a wild pitch in the top half of the seventh, but it wasn't nearly enough as the Pelicans took care of business 9-2. Not only did their pitching dominate, but the offense had 15 hits, with Soto leading the way with three hits and three RBIs. Christopher Paciolla, Gariola, and Wetzel added two hits, but Alexis Hernandez had his best first day as a full-season pro with four hits and one RBI.

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