Down on the Cubs Farm: 2-1 record, South Bend deals no-hitter, Victor Caratini rehab, more |
IOWA CUBS 6 – Omaha Storm Chasers 3: The beat goes on for Iowa as they continue to win games at an impressive clip and build on their league-best record. Monday was the same old same old for Iowa as Collin Rea delivered another strong outing in his no decision to lower his ERA to 2.97 before some late offense lifted the Cubs to the 6-3 win.
It was Omaha grabbing the early lead as they scratched across a run in the second off a Jecksson Flores single for the 1-0 lead. That run was the lone run allowed by Rea on the evening as he did his part to keep his team in the game. It wasn’t until the fifth inning when Iowa broke through on the scoreboard tying things up 1-1 with a Francisco Arcia single to get Rea off the hook for a loss. The Cubs grabbed the lead for good in the seventh when Donnie Dewees continued his hot streak at the plate with a single and 2-1 Iowa advantage. It was in the eighth when the Iowa bats came to life to bust the game open and give the Cubs complete control late. Singles from Ian Happ and Addison Russell started things off before a Phillip Evans walk loaded the bases with no outs. Now with two outs, a Wynton Bernard single extended the lead to 4-1. An Arcia double followed that, and the Cubs led 6-1 heading into the ninth. Despite a little late-inning drama when Nick Dini connected for a two-run shot off Rowan Wick, it was too little too late as the Cubs doubled up Omaha 6-3 for the sweep. The Cubs now sit at 21-10 on the season and are on absolute fire right now. Xavier Cedeno continued his rehab assignment tossing 1/3 of a scoreless inning of relief. Brian Duensing and Randy Rosario each worked scoreless frames in relief as the Cubs bullpen continues to pitch well. At the plate, it was a perfect day for Bernard as he went 3-3 on the night. Arcia and Dewees each added a pair of hits while Russell and Happ picked up the final two hits in the win. Wynton Bernard's big day at the plate led to Iowa's 6-3 win! pic.twitter.com/G7KTGAdaPc
TENNESSEE SMOKIES 2 – Chattanooga 3: Don’t look now, but the Cubs have a pitching prospect starting to gain national attention as he continues to dominate Southern League hitters. Tyson Miller got the ball as he continues to show he may soon be ready for a promotion. Not only did Miller toss six scoreless frames of three-hit ball with 1BB and 5K, but he also lowered his ERA to 0.86 on the season which is ridiculous a month in. However, a lack of run support and some Manuel Rondon ineffectiveness late put a damper on his effort as the Smokies fell 3-2. Neither offense could get anything going through six innings as the game remained scoreless. That was until the seventh when the Lookouts finally opened things up. With a runner on base, Ibandel Isabel tripled home the games first run for the 1-0 lead. Isabel would later score on a Tyler Stephenson single to push the lead to 2-0. It was Gavin LaValley coming through with the key hit a few pitches later as his triple proved to be the game-winner giving the Lookouts a 3-0 lead through seven. Tennessee wouldn’t go down without a fight and battled back in the eighth. Vimael Machin continued his unconscious hitting as of late, ripping a single to center to score Connor Myers and cut the deficit to 3-1. With runners on the corners later that inning, Robel Garcia manufactured a run via a groundout to claw within one as it was 3-2 Chattanooga after eight innings. The Smokies couldn’t get any closer as they were sent down in order in the ninth and took the 3-2 loss. After a promising start to the season, the Smokies are not playing as well as of late dropping to 15-15 on the year. The Smokies managed just four hits in the game as Myers, Machin, Garcia and Christhian Donahue were responsible for those. MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS: Off SOUTH BEND CUBS 2 – Cedar Rapids Kernels 0: Thank god for good pitching, as the Cubs offense continues to be ranked near the bottom in every Midwest league category in 2019. Although still an issue last night, the Cubs got just enough offense to pick up a 2-0 victory as two pitchers combined for a no-hitter on the evening. Derek Casey got the call and certainly made a name for himself last night. Not only did he throw his best outing of the season going seven strong shutout innings, but his zero hits allowed and zero walks showed just how dominant he was as he flirted with perfection throughout the night. Peyton Remy took over in the eight and closed things out for a two-inning save as the two of them combined for a no-hitter in the game. NO HITTER! Derek Casey and Peyton Remy combined to no-hit Cedar Rapids! Cubs win 2-0! pic.twitter.com/Mc59xPOfCx
There was not much offense throughout as the Cubs just managed three hits of their own in support of a dominating pitching performance. Fortunately for them, they made those hits count as they recorded just enough offense in the fifth to pick up the win. Andy Weber got things started with a leadoff walk. Two pitches later, it was Tyler Durna picking up the game-winning hit as his home run was all the scoring needed in the 2-0 South Bend win. The Cubs remain in the thick of things in terms of the first half division title as they sit at 16-14 on the season. Cole Roederer picked up one of the three hits to go along with Durna, while Victor Caratini stared his rehab assignment with a 1-2 effort picking up the third hit on the night for South Bend.
