Cubs Minor League News: Caissie homers, Birdsell rocked, Smith with game-winner, more |
Things are starting to wind down for the 2024 Minor League seasons, as just two levels remain. Those levels happen to be AA and AAA, where most of the Cubs' talent is currently, which is good for even the casual fan.
With only six games remaining until the postseason for Tennessee and 12 games remaining for Iowa, the Cubs began a new week of competition with both teams looking to finish strong. For the most part, things got off to a great start, but with a 1-1 record on Tuesday, some chances prevented the organization from going 2-0.
Iowa nearly completed an improbable comeback that would've been one of the best comebacks in the minors this season. After spotting the Bats six early runs and falling behind 11-1 at one point, Iowa mounted a furious late-game rally that saw them score nine times in the seventh and eighth innings before coming up just short. Brandon Birdsell was on the losing end in this one as he had a rough go of things on the mound. Birdsell has been on quite a roll lately since his promotion to AAA, but after allowing six runs in just 1 2/3, his success took a significant hit. All six runs came in the second inning as the Bats got their bats rolling in a hurry. Bubba Thompson opened the scoring with a bases-loaded RBI double that put the Bats in front for good, 3-0, with a Levi Jordan single making things 4-0. Jordan, one of many former Iowa Cubs on this roster, played a role in this win. As you will notice, a theme of former Cubs later as Davis Wendzel capped off the massive second inning with a two-run double. Iowa did manage to get one run back on a bases-loaded walk from Chase Strumpf in the bottom of the third, but with Jacob Hurtubise singling home another run in the fifth to make this a 7-1 game, Iowa still had a lot of work to do. Then came the combo of Edwin Rios and PJ Higgins, who were both on this Iowa roster last season. Rios connected for a pair of homers late in the game with a solo shot in the sixth and a two-run blast in the seventh. Higgins also got in on the fun with an RBI single in the sixth, as it was all Louisville at this point, 11-1. Despite the deficit, the Cubs wouldn't go away quietly as an Owen Caissie two-run shot seemed to ignite this offense in the bottom of the seventh and pulled the Cubs within 11-3. Number 18 for number 18! Caissie's 18th homer of the year to dead center! 💣 pic.twitter.com/ayROrdFRse Then came a William Simoneit sacrifice fly and the Hayden Cantrelle single as the Cubs scored five times in the seventh to make this an 11-6 game. The Iowa offense wasn't done as they continued their comeback bid with another big inning in the eighth. A Moises Ballesteros single made things 11-7 before the big blow came from Simoneit, whose three-run blast pulled the Cubs within 11-10. Don't call it a comeback, but William Simoneit's first I-Cubs homer makes it 11-10 heading to the ninth! Nine unanswered runs! pic.twitter.com/E88L7O0EEG That was as close as Iowa would get as they couldn't bring home the tying run late. Trayce Thompson led the offense with three hits and was one of several players to record multiple hits. Darius Hill and Matt Shaw joined in with two hits as Matt Mervis was the lone player without a hit. Quite the fight! Back in a few short hours for Game 2! pic.twitter.com/uZeEhhC5bk
The beat goes on for the Smokies as they have now won seven consecutive games and have extended their lead to 16 games in the division. This one didn't come easy, as the Smokies had to rally from one down late before a three-run eighth inning was the difference. With these teams meeting in the playoffs next week, they will get very comfortable with each other. Chris Kachmar made the start for the Smokies, going 5 2/3 and striking out two. He allowed three runs, all coming in one inning, in what was otherwise a great start. Opposing him was left-hander Garrett Schoenle, who only went four innings but did so without allowing a run as this was a pitcher's duel early. It took either team five innings to break through, and the Smokies struck first, as Casey Opitz connected for a two-run shot to make this a 2-0 game. .@CaseyOpitz with his first homerun of the season to put the Smokies up 2-0! #LastYearBestYear #NextStopWrigley pic.twitter.com/ug4kdQuowK That lead didn't last long, as all of the Barons' runs came in the next inning, with Wilfred Veras putting an end to the shutout, as his RBI double made this a 2-1 game. Later in the inning, DJ Gladney cashed in with a single, and just like that, the Barons took a 3-2 lead. Still trailing by that score in the eighth, it was the organization's hottest hitter Cam Smith, cashing in as he continues to impress. After being selected in the first round this summer, Smith debuted in Myrtle Beach, where he went on to homer in six straight games before moving on to South Bend. He then held his own there, earning another promotion to AA. That makes two seasons in a row where the Cubs' first-round pick advanced to AA by the end of the season. With his RBI triple in the eighth, the Smokies retook the lead 4-3, as his hit was the game-winner. CAM SMITH FOR THE LEAD!! #cubs #LastYearBestYear #NextStopWrigley #YouHaveToSeeIt pic.twitter.com/xR8MdFWrbH Smith would come in to score on a wild pitch later in the inning to push the lead to 5-3, as the Smokies went on to win by that score. Smith had one of the Smokies five hits and two RBIs in his debut, joining Opitz. BJ Murray Jr, Brett Bateman, and Jonathon Long had the rest of the hits. .@cameron_smith24's 2RBI triple propels the Smokies to victory! | @zips3mincarwash #cubs #LastYearBestYearLOUISVILLE BATS 11 - IOWA CUBS 10
TENNESSEE SMOKIES 5 - BIRMINGHAM BARONS 3
Box Score: https://t.co/AnKBPjcAmF pic.twitter.com/mvye5fnGu5
