Cubs Minor League News: Ballesteros with 3 hits, Triantos raking, Stevens still hot, more |
Wednesday was another busy night on the diamond as five teams played, leading to six games (one doubleheader). The overall results weren't great, but they weren't terrible either, as the Cubs picked up a 3-3 record on the night and have won a ton of games to start the week.
When you look at this game, talk about runs coming at a premium as a pair of eighth inning runs was the difference in the Cubs loss. Kyle McGowin continues to pitch well since joining the Cubs, going five innings scattering just five hits and striking out seven. He went pitch for pitch with Braxton Ashcraft, who pitched into the fifth before getting lifted. McGowin gave way to Riley Martin, who tossed two scoreless innings with four strikeouts before giving way to Michael Arias, who took the loss by allowing a pair of eighth-inning runs in the 2-0 loss. All Moises Ballesteros has continued to do since joining Iowa is hit, as he paced the Cubs with three hits. Moises Ballesteros showing of the arm! 💪 pic.twitter.com/txek0AfHi2 Four others had one hit, including Matt Mervis and BJ Murray Jr. Tonight's final. pic.twitter.com/Aa5RCpIEIw
Although a bit of a long shot to make the playoffs as the first-half champ, the Smokies knew the mission ahead of them this week. Win as many games as you can to put the pressure on Birmingham. They have answered the call over the series' first two games as the Smokies won their second game in as many days as 5-2. Chris Kachmar doesn't get the attention that some of the Smokies pitchers do, but with five innings and allowing just one run on four hits with five strikeouts, he deserves a ton of credit for the job he did on the mound. The lone run he allowed came in the fourth inning off the Yolbert Sanchez double as the Braves took the 1-0 lead. Their lead didn't last long as the Smokies battled back in the fifth and surged in front by scoring four times in that inning to make things 4-1. James Triantos tied things up with an RBI single while the Yohendrick Pinango two-run single put the Smokies on top for good 3-1. Luis Vazquez capped off the massive inning for the Smokies with a sacrifice fly as they were up 4-1. Matt Shaw closed out the scoring for the Smokies with an RBI single in the sixth, while the Braves added a run on the Tyler Tolve double in the seventh. Slowly, but surely, Shaw is starting to turn his season around at the plate as he raised his average to .241 with three hits. Triantos added two hits and an RBI as the Smokies continued to play great ball. Matt Shaw goes 3-5 and James Triantos goes 2-4 as the Smokies defeat the Braves once again. | @zips3mincarwash
Two days and two losses as the Cubs were doubled up for a second straight night. This time, the offense wasn't quite as good, but at the same time, the pitching was a little better. That didn't matter in the end, as the Cubs have yet to get off to a great start this week. Ty Johnson has had a rough go of things most of the season, which continued in this one as he was touched up for five runs in just 3 1/3. He gave way to Nick Hull, who tossed 1 2/3 scoreless frames, and Jack Patterson, who struck out three in two strong innings. Any time you allow five runs in less than four innings, you're not doing yourself any favors, but with Zach Jacobs allowing just one hit in five innings, it was tough for the Cubs to do anything. Lake County opened the scoring with a three-run second inning as Maick Collado double put the Captains in front 1-0. Lake County added two more runs later in the inning off a balk and a wild pitch as they were up 3-0 early. They would hold that lead until the fifth when Cooper Ingle belted a two-run homer to extend the lead to 5-0. Jorge Burgos added a solo shot in the eighth to cap off the Captains scoring, but it was in the ninth when the Cubs began to rally. Down to their last out, Ethan Hearn kept the game alive as his two-run single made things 6-2. Rafael Morel kept the line moving with another RBI single, but that was it for the Cubs, who fell 6-3. Felix Stevens paced the offense with two of his team's six hits. Final Score
The Cubs' busiest team on Wednesday was the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, who had a doubleheader to play. Game one could have been a better showing, as the Cannonballers took care of business 5-0. Marino Santy had his moments in his four innings, walking two and striking out eight, but he also allowed four runs (3ER). Considering Manuel Veloz gave the Cannonballers five shut out innings as scattered four hits and struck out nine. All it took for the Cannonballers to win this game was an error in the third to bring home the first run with a sacrifice fly, making things 2-0. Still leading by that score in the fifth, Wilber Sanchez doubled that lead with a two-run blast before he added a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to close out the scoring. The Pelicans were held to five hits, with Drew Bowser picking up two.
Sparked by a four-run second inning, the Pelicans shook off a rough first game and returned the favor in game two with a shutout of their own. Yenrri Rojas started, going five shutout innings and striking out four before Vince Reilly took care of the rest. Tied at 0 entering the second, Carter Trice put the Pelicans on top for good as his RBI triple went down as the winning run and put the Birds up 1-0. Trice would come in to score on the Miguel Pabon single before the Reggie Preciado single doubled the lead and capped off a four-run second. Trice added to his game with an RBI single in the fifth to extend the lead to 5-0, with the Pelicans adding two more runs in the sixth. Jacob Wetzel delivered the first of those runs with an RBI triple before crossing home on an Andy Garriola single to end the scoring. Trice and Garriola paced the offense with two hits and a combined three RBIs in the win. Second game winners!
Another day and another high-scoring affair in Arizona. This time, the Cubs came away victorious as they scored nine of their 10 runs after the sixth to pick up the win. The Cubs found themselves in trouble right from the start as a pair of bases-loaded walks gave the Reds a quick 2-0 lead in the first before making things 4-0 on the Iverson Espinoza single. They added a fifth run in the second off a wild pitch to extend the lead to 5-0 before tacking on three more runs in the third. Espinoza had an RBI triple as part of that frame, with Jesus Torres adding a double and coming home to score on the Alfredo Alcantara single. Those would be the only runs of the game for the Reds, but with an 8-1 lead through three, you didn't like the Cubs chances. Through five innings, the only run for the Cubs came on an Anderson Suriel single in the third before Adan Sanchez put the Cubs back on the board with a single in the sixth. Then came the seventh inning, where the Cubs offense suddenly flipped a switch and looked like a completely different team. A balk brought home the first run of the inning before three RBI singles, and a walk led to five more runs to help the Cubs tie things up 8-8. Joan Delgado, Sanchez, and Yidel Diaz came away with the RBI hits, with Albert Gutierrez adding a bases-loaded walk. One inning later saw another balk lead to the go-ahead and winning run, with Delgado closing out the scoring with a sacrifice fly to seal the 10-8 Cubs win. Delgado led the offense with three hits and two RBIs, with Sanchez adding two hits and two RBIs. Diaz also picked up two RBIs in the win.INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS 2 - IOWA CUBS 0
TENNESSEE SMOKIES 5 - MISSISSIPPI BRAVES 2
Box Score: https://t.co/gDUdh2Ymvu pic.twitter.com/NsvCpmRtAULAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS 6 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 3
Cubs: 3
Captains: 6 pic.twitter.com/mxFGYyAeIKKANNAPOLIS CANNONBALLERS 5 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 0 (Game 1)
MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 7 - KANNAPOLIS CANNONBALLERS 0 (Game 2)
Birds and Cannon Ballers split Wednesday’s doubleheader.#MBPelicans | #YouHaveToSeeIt pic.twitter.com/HTrTVaFVsHACL CUBS 10 - ACL REDS 8
