Cubs Minor League News: Birdsell impressive, Shaw raking, Smith homers, more |
Wednesday was the Cubs' first full slate of Minor League games this week, and it was an interesting night, to say the least. Not only did the Cubs post a 3-1 record, which is all you can ask for, but three of the four games ended with the same score, 2-1.
That includes the Cubs' only loss on the night, as this night was filled with highly competitive and well-played games. That is all you can ask for this late in the season, and it's no secret that the Cubs' MLB team's success over the last month has translated down to the Minors.
The lone loss on the night from the Cubs system came in AAA, where the Cubs fell to the Saints 2-1. Brandon Birdsell continued to impress on the mound as he gave the Cubs six innings, allowing just one run on two hits. He walked two and struck out eight as his ERA fell to 3.31. 6.0 innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts from Brandon Birdsell👏 pic.twitter.com/ZdXCrVgV4t Birdsell has been on quite a roll lately and the Cubs needed another strong performance from him as Brent Headrick was also good, striking out three in three innings. He gave way to Randy Dobnak for the final six innings as he scattered two hits through six innings with six punchouts. The only run Birdsell allowed came in the third when DaShawn Keirsey Jr connected for an RBI double. That was the game's only run until the fifth when Chase Strumpf took it upon himself to tie things up as he connected for his 12th homer. Unfortunately for Iowa, that was the only game run for the Cubs as the Saints pushed across the winning run in the seventh on the Carson McCusker single to pick up a 2-1 win. Iowa was held to four hits, with Matt Shaw leading the way with two. Tonight's final from St. Paul pic.twitter.com/HMwoXwaqea
The only game that didn't result in a 2-1 score came in AA, as the Smokies continued to dominate the Southern League 5-0. Strong starting pitching was the theme of the night for the Cubs system, as Jimmy Endersby made the start. He went six innings and struck out five to lower his ERA to 2.89. Endersby was backed by plenty of offense as the Smokies jumped all over David Fletcher in the early innings. A Haydn McGeary homer in the second gave the Smokies the only run they would need as they opened up a 1-0 lead. It was in the third when the Smokies did most of their damage, as Tennessee scored three times in that inning. BJ Murray JR started the massive inning with an RBI double to push the lead to 3-0 with a double play, adding the third run to extend the lead to 4-0. That would be all the offense the Smokies would lead as they tacked on their final run on a Jonathon Long homer in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead before Brad Deppermann and Cayne Ueckert closed things out. Murray Jr. paced the offense for the Smokies with two hits and two RBIs. Someone grab the fire extinguisher, because we are on fire! 🔥 | @zips3mincarwash
2024 first-round pick Cam Smith couldn't have asked for a better start to his Minor League career. Not only did he mash in Low-A, hitting a homer in six straight games to earn a promotion, but he has continued to hit in High-A as he is hitting north of .400 right now. That included hitting his first homer in driving in both runs on Wednesday as the Cubs delivered a 2-1 win over the Tin Caps. While Smith was the offense, Drew Gray was the real story, as it took him until his final start of the season to secure his first win. Gray has dealt with his share of struggles this season, especially when it comes to command, but after going six innings and finishing with nine strikeouts to lower his ERA to 4.39, Gray showed why he was once a top-10 organizational prospect. Gray was charged with an earned run, which came on a third-inning RBI groundout to put the Tin Caps in front 1-0. Their offense couldn't get anything done, as Tyler Santana and Mitchell Tyranski closed out the final three innings on the mound. Along with Gray, Enmanuel Pinales was equally as good, as he also gave up one run in six innings despite struggling with his command. 🚨 WE'VE GOT A @SBCUBS TRIPLE PLAY 🚨 Smith delivered that run in his final inning of work as he connected for his first High-A homer to tie things up 1-1. Cam Smith gets ALL of his first High-A @SBCubs homer 💥 One inning later, Smith was at it again as he brought home the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly to lift the Cubs to the 2-1 win. Smith was responsible for one of the Cubs' three hits, and Ed Howard and Edgar Alvarez added the other two. CUBS WIN!
The Pelicans continued the theme of 2-1 games for the Cubs and their system as they delivered a 2-1 win. Both of the Pelicans' runs came in the seventh inning as they had to battle back from an early deficit. Tyler Schlaffer continued to do his thing on the mound. He made the start and gave the Pelicans four innings of one unearned run, two-hit ball. He walked three and struck out seven, and his ERA is 1.87. Schlaffer gave way to Yennri Rojas, who also went four innings and managed to toss four scoreless frames despite some command issues. The Woodpeckers' lone run of the game came in the third after the Jancel Villarroel single gave Fayetteville a 1-0 lead. It was a lead that looked like it would hold as Anderson Brito held the Pelicans to just one hit through 4 2/3 before handing things off to the pen. Still trailing by that 1-0 score in the seventh, it was Alfonsin Rosario delivering the big blow as his two-run homer was the difference in the Pelicans 2-1 win. Rosario had one of the two Pelicans hits, with Eriandys Ramon grabbing the other one. Birds grab the series opener!#MBPelicans | #YouHaveToSeeIt pic.twitter.com/r3sA8UFWZE
Sparked by a massive five-run third inning, it was the Railroaders spoiling what could be the Dogs final home game of the season as they doubled up Chicago 6-3. That win puts them just one win away from advancing to the Division Championship Series, as this series will resume Friday. Kenny Serwa had a historic 2024 season, setting the franchise record for most innings pitched in a season. That alone earned him the game one start, and with five runs in six innings, Serwa wasn't at his best. However, take his one bad inning away, and Serwa was good, as he walked one and struck out five in his outing. All five runs Serwa allowed came in the top of the third as the Railroaders broke open what was a 0-0 tie. Two runs came in to score on an error during that big inning, with the Bret Boswell single leading to the final three runs to give the Railroaders a 5-0 lead. Chicago didn't waste any time battling back, as all three of their runs came in the bottom of that inning. Another Brantley Bell homer started the Dogs' scoring as they pulled within 5-2. Darek Maiben added an RBI single later in the inning to make this a 5-3 game, but that was the final run of the night for the Dogs as the Railroaders tacked on their final run in the ninth on a Shed Long homer. Final from Impact.SAINT PAUL SAINTS 2 - IOWA CUBS 1
TENNESSEE SMOKIES 5 - MISSISSIPPI BRAVES 0
Box Score: https://t.co/MGGTcIuISn pic.twitter.com/yt2c9MgFpjSOUTH BEND CUBS 2 - FORT WAYNE TIN CAPS 1
Ed Howard with the 💯 awareness rating to spearhead getting out of a jam in style, with Edgar Alvarez completing the trifecta!@Cubs | @MLBDevelops pic.twitter.com/4NKc5ZRQ98
The 2024 Draft's 14th overall pick (@Cubs) is slashing .429/.556/.643 since being promoted after tearing up Single-A (1.174 OPS).@FSUBaseball | @MLBDevelops pic.twitter.com/v1sqAvpmNF
Congrats to Drew Gray on his first professional victory on the mound 🥳 pic.twitter.com/rzIcI4tYpNMYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 2 - FAYETTEVILLE WOODPECKERS 1
CLEBURNE RAILROADERS 6 - CHICAGO DOGS 3
📺https://t.co/ZyIk7dOVpK |🌭#NoKetchup pic.twitter.com/K3Q84UsU2M
