Cubs Minor League News: BJ Murray clutch, Grant Kipp shines, Garriola homers again, more |
Dustin Riese
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- 8 hours ago
Although the Chicago Cubs weekend didn't end the way they had hoped with an extra-inning loss to the Diamondbacks, the Cubs Minor League system had a chance to write their own ending to the week. With one of their four affiliates suffering another rainout, which has been far too frequent this season, three other teams took their chances with the hopes of claiming a victory.
Once again, the results weren't what the organization hoped for, as they finished the afternoon with a 1-2 mark. That gave them a losing record for the week, which hasn't happened too much in seasons past. Still, there was plenty to build on, especially when you look at some of the pitching performances.
The Sun, April 20th game has been postponed due to weather conditions. Tickets for today's game can be exchanged at any time for a ticket to any of our remaining home games in 2025, excluding July 3. Call the ticket office at 515-243-6111.
The Smokies closed out their first homestand in the new ballpark with a victory as their pitching combined for a four-hit shutout. Grant Kipp was one of those arms as he got the start and continued to deliver in the rotation. With five more shutout innings, Kipp has lowered his ERA to 0.60 for the season and has been one of the more impressive pitchers in the organization. He walked two, struck out six, and allowed two hits as the Lookouts had no answers for the right-hander. Kipp faced off against Jared Lyons, who, although allowed six hits in five innings, was charged with only one run, which came off a Casey Opitz sacrifice fly in the fifth. Take that away, and Lyons was able to match Kipp in a good old-fashioned pitcher's duel. Once the sixth inning arrived, this game became a battle of the bullpens and saw the Smokies' pen strike out six across four innings. BJ Murray Jr delivered the knockout blow for the second straight day as he put the game away with a two-run shot in the eighth for the 3-0 win. Haydn McGeary led the Smokies with two hits, while Knoxville had eight hits in the win. Smokies on top! | @zips3mincarwash
It's time for the Cubs to petition to play all their games at home, as they have yet to win a game on the road. It hasn't come without trying, as South Bend had the lead three separate times this week in the late innings, only to drop all those games. That sends them to 0-9 away from home as things have gotten off to another ugly start. Kenten Egbert, who has gotten off to a rough start this season, was looking to end that streak. Egbert was one of the better pitchers for Myrtle Beach last season, but with a 6.75 ERA in 2025, it has been a tough adjustment period. Those struggles continued as he was touched up for four runs in four innings, allowing nine hits in the loss. Two of those runs came immediately in the first inning as Seth Stephenson continued his massive series with a solo shot to open a 1-0 lead, while the John Peck single extended the lead to 2-0. South Bend did manage to grab the lead in the fourth off an Andy Garriola homer as his three-run shot put the Cubs on the board and made this a 3-2 game. Those would be the only runs of the day for South Bend as their offense continues to search for answers. Despite grabbing the lead, it was a lead that was short-lived, with West Michigan pushing home two more runs in the fourth off a pair of singles from Max Clark and Stephenson to put the Whitecaps on top for good, 4-3. They would add their final run off a Brett Callahan single in the seventh to close out the 5-3 win. South Bend had eight hits in the loss, with Ivan Brethowr and Carter Trice leading the way with two. Brethowr also worked a pair of walks to reach base four times, hitting .325 with an OPS of .925. We'll be back at Four Winds Field to start the Beloit series at 7:05 on Tuesday.#SBCubs pic.twitter.com/6nkh684QmI
Anytime you switch from a legendary manager like Buddy Bailey, you can expect some struggles the following season. The Pelicans have dealt with that over the past week as they dropped their series with Augusta on the road 4-1. This was one of those games where the Pelicans starter deserved better, as Brooks Caple had a great outing. The right-hander gave the Birds five strong innings of one-run, five-hit baseball and lowered his ERA to 2.57. He walked three and struck out five as he did his best to keep his team in the game. The problem was not only that Myrtle Beach was held to two hits, but Kevin Valdez took over for Caple and immediately put his team in a massive hole. With the score tied 0-0 through four, Augusta broke through in the fifth as the John Gil single gave them a 1-0 lead. It was a lead that didn't last long, with the Greenjackets putting the game away in the sixth by scoring three times to open a 4-0 lead. Mac Guscette opened the scoring in that inning with an RBI double, while a wild pitch and an RBI groundout led to the remaining runs. Still trailing 4-0 in the ninth, Myrtle Beach tried to mount a late-game rally as Cameron Sisneros' double ended the shutout and made this a 4-1 game. That would be the only run of the game for the Pelicans as they fell by that score. Owen Ayers added the other hit for Myrtle Beach.IOWA CUBS vs SAINT PAUL SAINTS: (Postponed)
The make up game to be announced. pic.twitter.com/HZWXeLYRpcKNOXVILLE SMOKIES 3 - CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS 0
Box Score: https://t.co/BcaibgMJov pic.twitter.com/HrZNCn1JEPWEST MICHIGAN WHITECAPS 5 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 3
AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS 4 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 1
