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Cubs Minor League News: Mervis crushes third dinger, Hernandez and Ballesteros homer, more
Photo courtesy: Iowa Cubs

Cubs Minor League News: Mervis crushes third dinger, Hernandez and Ballesteros homer, more
by - Senior Writer - Wed Apr 12 09:16:18 GMT-05:00 2023

Tuesday not only marked a new week of Minor League baseball, but it was the first time all season that all four Cubs affiliates would play a full slate of games for the entire week. That is something to get used to, as baseball will now be in full force through the middle of September, with Rookie ball set to begin in roughly six weeks.

Unlike what fans witnessed last weekend, where the organization pounded their way to several wins, it wasn't that easy, and victories were tough to come by on Tuesday. Having a lack of pitching certainly didn't help, as the Cubs limped to a 1-3 record on the Farm.

IOWA CUBS 9 - OMAHA STORM CHASERS 6

It shouldn't be a surprise that the lone victory came from AAA Iowa, as their 7-2 start is proving not to be a fluke. This offense has been humming all season, and that continued again in another high-scoring affair. Coming off a shaky first start, Roenis Elias was back on the mound and got through five innings of three-run ball.

Great, no, but he did what he needed to do to pick up the win. Brandon Hughes followed Elias as his rehab stint continued, and it wasn't a good outing as he surrendered three earned runs in less than an inning. Take him away, and you had Cam Sanders, Nick Burdi, and Manny Rodriguez all with scoreless frames to preserve the win.

Although Elias wasn't great, he was better, but when your offense gives you nine runs of support in three innings, you don't have to be great. Having Matt Mervis homer in the first to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead certainly helps, as does a three-run shot from Dom Nunez in the second to make things 4-0.

In the fifth, the Cubs started to impose their will as they pushed across five runs to take a 9-0 lead. Yonathan Perlaza started that with an RBI single before a bases-loaded walk from Nunez made things 6-0.

The big hit came from Darius Hill, whose bases-clearing double gave the Cubs a 9-0 lead. That was more than enough for Iowa, although Omaha did a great job of fighting back.

Samad Taylor took Elias deep in the fifth to make things 3-0, while a Logan Porter double and a Freddy Fermin homer off of Hughes made things 9-6 in the sixth before ending with that score. Mervis led the way with two hits, but Nunez (4) and Hill (3) combined for seven RBIs.

MONTGOMERY BISCUITS 5 - TENNESSEE SMOKIES 1

For whatever reason, the Smokies don't like playing the first game of a series and were silenced again. Hopefully, they respond the way they did last weekend, as Tuesday was tough. Looking to build off of last season was Porter Hodger, who took the ball for his first start.

Hodge labored through four innings and allowed four runs on just five hits before getting chased. He gave way to Chris Kachmar, who struck out six in 2 2/3 innings of relief, while Bailey Horn closed out the final four outs, three of which were punchouts. After a scoreless first, Montgomery put two runs on the board in the second with a wild pitch leading to the first run, while the Heriberto Hernandez single made things 2-0.

Chase Strumpf managed to get one of those runs back in the second off a double, but that would be it for the Smokies offense as they couldn't get much of anything going offensively. Logan Driscoll added an RBI single in the third, while the other two Biscuit runs came on tough breaks that didn't go the Smokies way. Strumpf was one of six players to record a hit, as were Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jordan Nwogu, and Pablo Aliendo.

BELOIT SKY CARP 8 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 5 (F/10)

For the first time since winning the Midwest League Title, the South Bend Cubs returned to Four Winds Field for what was a raucous atmosphere. In the process, the fans were treated to some free baseball as late-game magic from South Bend tied things up 5-5 in the ninth before they eventually fell 8-5 in extras.

2022 ninth-round pick Connor Noland earned the start, and boy, was he as good as advertised. Noland got through four innings and allowed just one run on four hits while striking out seven.

That run came in the fourth inning when Osiris Johnson connected for an RBI single to make things 1-0. Following his departure, it was up to Sam Thoreson to keep things close while the offense needed to wake up.

DJ Artis helped that cause by creating magic on the bases and then scoring on a wild pitch in the sixth to tie things up 1-1. Unfortunately, that didn't last long with a passed ball and the Jacob Berry sacrifice fly in the seventh, leading to two more runs to put Beloit back in front 3-1. They continued to build on their lead with the Jacob Thompson homer in the eighth and led 4-1 at that point.

Cue the music for the Cubs comeback as Yohendrick Pinango did his part with an RBI double in the eighth to pull the Cubs within 4-3. Trailing by two in the ninth and down to their final two outs, it was time for some late-game magic as Scott McKeon kept the inning alive with a double. That was followed by the Bradlee Beesley single to put a pair of men on base, which set things up for Artis, whose single cleared the bases and brought the game to extras.

In the extra frame, it was Beloit retaking the lead on a wild pitch, while the Brady Allen single gave them some breathing room at 8-5. The Cubs could not get any closer and went down in order for their first loss in 2023. Beesley and Kevin Made paced the offense with two hits joining five other players with one.

LYNCHBURG HILLCATS 13 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 5

Of all the games on Tuesday, Myrtle Beach was the worst in terms of how things played out. Sure, you had some big moments from key hitters, but it will be tough to win anytime your pitching staff allows 13 runs.

The hardest thing to believe is that all 13 runs from Lynchburg came in three innings, as they put up crooked numbers when they did score. Michael Arias got the start and promptly allowed three runs in two innings. Angel Hernandez wasn't any better, as he surrendered three runs in just one inning. That was more than enough offense for Braunny Munoz, who struck out three in five scoreless frames.

With the score tied 0-0 in the third, the Hillcats offense broke out in a colossal way and erupted for six runs in their half of the inning. While a bases-loaded walk and a groundout accounted for two of the runs, the bases-loaded double by Jose Devers busted the game open as the Hillcats took a 5-0 lead. Nate Furman added an RBI single later in the inning to push the lead to 6-0.

After being held scoreless through five, Munoz was finally out of the game, and ironically the Pelicans offense started to wake up. An RBI triple from Christian Franklin ended the shutout as he came in to score on the Pedro Ramirez sacrifice fly. Moises Ballesteros connected for his first homer later in the frame, and just like that, it was a 6-3 ball game.

However, that was as close as they would get as Nick Hull was lit up for seven runs across the next two frames.

Three came home in the sixth to extend the lead back to 9-3 before four more crossed home in the seventh in a 13-5 rout for the Hillcats. Lost in the blowout was the solo homer from Cristian Hernandez in the seventh, as that was his first full-season long ball.

Reivaj Garcia also drove in a late run with a single.

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