Cubs Minor League News: Rookie League Action |
Coming off one of their best overall weeks of the season in terms of wins and losses, the Cubs Full-Season affiliates enjoyed the day off on Monday. When they return to the diamond on Tuesday, things could look much different, and that could hinder what the Chicago Cubs do during the Trade Deadline.
In the meantime, it's to the Rookie League front for some Rookie League Monday fun, as the ACL season is now over, with the DSL season coming to a close soon. While it doesn't look like any of the Cubs Rookie League affiliates will make the playoffs, they did show significant growth compared to last season, which is all you can ask for as the Cubs opened a new week of competition by going 0-2.
When you talk about the Guardians organization as a whole, their pitching comes to mind, as they have one of the best pitching infrastructures in the game. That is a big reason why their DSL squad is sitting at 26-12 this summer and leading the way among all DSL teams. Pitching was the theme on Monday for both sides, as the Guardians found a way to get it done 2-1. In a matchup that pegged Ronny Lopez against Erigaldi Perez, runs were at a premium, with the Guardians scoring first on the Dauri Fernandez first-inning single to put them in front 1-0. DSL Blue didn't waste much time tying things up, with Sandy Sanchez cashing in with a second-inning RBI triple to tie things up at one. Not only was that the only run Perez would allow in his five innings, but it would also be the only run the Cubs would score, as Perez picked up four strikeouts in a dominating outing. Despite Lopez's effort, who struck out four in 3 2/3, he was on the losing end of a tough decision, with Yeiferth Castillo pushing home the winning run in the fourth on a single to give the Guardians a 2-1 win.
What was another low-scoring affair early turned into a one-sided victory as the Angels pushed across three runs late in the game to pick up a 4-1 win. Fabian Soto got the start for the Cubs, and despite allowing just one run in 3 2/3 to lower his ERA to 3.03, it was a challenging outing. Soto struggled with his command from the first pitch on, walking six and striking out two, but he still managed to limit the damage. He had to limit the damage, with Frailin Alejo getting the start and tossing two shutout frames before Brayan Diaz came through with seven punchouts across four great innings. Unlike their first game, where the Guardians struck first, it was the Cubs grabbing the early lead as a bases-loaded walk to Axel Mancebo gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the second. Little did they know that would be the game's only offense for them as the Angels pitching staff took care of the rest while their offense ended the game with four unanswered runs to pick up the win. The first of those runs came on the Hayden Alvarez sacrifice fly as the Angels tied things up 1-1 in the third. Those were the games only runs until the final innings as the Angels offense started to show signs of life late and pushed home the winning run as part of their two-run seventh inning. Samil Dishmey gets the honor of driving home the winning runs as his RBI single broke the 1-1 tie and gave the Angels a 3-1 advantage. They would tack on one more in the eighth as Anyelo Marquez picked a great time to deliver his first homer of the summer to close out the 4-1 win. The Cubs were held to four hits in the loss, with Robin Oritz leading the way with two. Edgardo De Leon and Ezequiel Pena had the remaining hits for the Cubs in what was otherwise a quiet night. On a side note, with Derniche Valdez continuing to tear it up stateside, all the attention in the Cubs DSL organizations has shifted to Top International signing Fernando Cruz, who continues to struggle with a .156 average.DSL GUARDIANS 2 - DSL CUBS BLUE 1
DSL ANGELS 4 - DSL CUBS RED 1
