Cubs Minor League News: AFL Edition |
Another week of Arizona Fall League competition has come to a close, as the end of the season is just two weeks away. The Mesa Solar Sox are in the middle of a playoff hunt and are battling it out for the top spot in the entire league, as they have been for most of the season.
Knowing what is at stake in every game, each win is important for the Solar Sox as they hope to make one final push toward clinching the top spot in the coming week. They didn't help themselves against the Salt River Rafters on Saturday. A seven-run first inning put the Solar Sox in a massive hole that they couldn't climb out of before falling 8-3. You could make the case that a big reason why both the offense and pitching struggled as much as they did was because there wasn't much participation in this one from the Cubs prospects, as only one of their eight players saw action on the field. That has been a trend over the past two weeks entering the off day, but it is usually Moises Ballesteros or Jonathon Long getting the day off before the off day and not Ben Cowles, David Avitia, or any of the pitchers. That said, Ballesteros was the lone Cub to see action on the field, and anytime his bat is in the lineup, there is a chance he can do damage. Ballesteros has been one of the best hitters in the Fall League from start to finish, and when you look at how his Minor League season went, it shouldn't shock you. However, for the first time all season, he has been slumping a bit, as his slugging and overall production haven't been there this week. Sure, he is still hitting .333, which is very good, but he was sitting in the .380s at one point, so you can see how much he has fallen off over the last 10 games. His struggle continued on Saturday, going 0-3 for another hitless day, but he did manage to reach base with a walk, as that continues to be part of his game. For the Solar Sox to be at their best and potentially take over the top spot in the league, they need Ballesteros to get back to pounding the ball, as well as Long and the rest of their lineup. Mesa will enjoy the day off on Sunday before gearing up for four straight games next week, as the final two weeks of the season are upon us.
