Cubs Minor League News: Bote rakes in rehab start, Pels with 9th straight win, more |
If you missed it, things are going very well for the Cubs in the Minor Leagues this season. Entering Sunday, the Cubs Minor League system had a combined 96-62 record, which is the best organizational mark ahead of the Dodgers and Brewers.
Throw in a combined ERA that also ranks No. 1, and there is a ton to love when it comes to this system. While the focus has been on the four full-season teams for the better part of two months, things will get much busier as Rookie League ball begins. Until then, full season reigns king as the Cubs posted a 2-1 mark on the diamond Tuesday. MEMPHIS RED BIRDS 9 - IOWA CUBS 4 Iowa was the first team to get underway on Tuesday, but they also gave the Cubs system their lone loss falling to Memphis 9-4. A big reason for that was a pair of early innings that led to six of the team's nine runs scoring. Mark Leiter Jr. got the start in this one and was roughed up for three runs in just 2 1/3 innings of work. Those early struggles didn't bode well when you have a Memphis staff on the other side striking out 12 hitters. Struggles or not, you would not have guessed it early as the Cubs came out swinging for three runs in the first. Two of those runs came home on the Robel Garcia RBI double before Nelson Velazquez added a sacrifice fly. Garcia has had a fantastic season so far, but from that point on, it was all Memphis. Trailing 3-1 in the third, Paul DeJong tied things up as he connected for his first homer on what should be a short rehab stint. The next inning saw the long ball play a considerable role again, with Ben DeLuzio going deep for the Grand Slam as Memphis went in front for good 7-3. DeJong added an RBI single later in the game to cap off the Memphis scoring, while Dixon Machado capped off all the scoring in the 9-4 loss. Bote had three hits in the rehab start. Final from AutoZone Park. pic.twitter.com/WZsw18FnDO TENNESSEE SMOKIES (23-16) vs. ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS (23-16) PPD, Make up on Friday Tonight's game against @smokiesbaseball has been postponed. It will be made up as a single-admission doubleheader on Friday, May 27, starting at 4:05 P.M. SOUTH BEND CUBS 6 - GREAT LAKES LOONS 4 Coming off a hard-fought series split, things didn't get any easier for the Cubs with Great Lakes coming to town. However, South Bend wasted little time striking for four runs in the first and using that to come away with the win. Daniel Palencia continued to build up his arm strength and was given an enormous lead before leaving after just three innings of work. He gave way to Riley Martin, who continued to struggle in High-A before Eduarniel Nunez and Hunter Bigge finished things off. Getting back to that first inning that saw the Cubs score four runs, none of them were scored via the homer as South Bend had plenty of traffic on the bases leading to those runs. Another Yohendrick Pinango double gave South Bend the lead for good 1-0, before the Owen Caissie double extended the lead to 3-0. Jake Slaughter capped off that big first inning with an RBI groundout as the Cubs were up big early, 4-0. Not only did Great Lakes do a great job battling back, but managed to tie things up by the fourth inning as a second wild pitch helped ignite their offense. With the bases loaded and Martin pitching the fourth, Aldrich De Jongh and Jonny DeLuca singles brought the Loons within one. Those hits were followed by the Eddys Leonard walk, and suddenly the game was tied. Over the next few innings, both teams had chances to take the lead over the next few innings, but it wasn't until the eighth inning that Fabian Pertuz delivered the game-winning double to aid the 6-4 win. Fabian Pertuz drives in 2 and #SBCubs take the lead!! Pertuz was one of two players with multiple hits, joining Yeison Santana in that category. FLY THE W!
Fans can exchange their tickets in person for any remaining 2022 Trash Pandas home game. pic.twitter.com/abTU7PUtlX
Going to the 9th inning. #SBCubs 6@greatlakesloons 4 pic.twitter.com/H01c1l3XNp
See you bright and early tomorrow morning ?? pic.twitter.com/mJwAhz7RtG
MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 8 - AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS 5
While the Cubs system may have the best-combined record in Minor League baseball, the Pelicans have the best overall record at 29-11. That record tops Low-A and all four levels as the Pelicans ripped off their ninth straight win 8-5.
The score wasn't indicative of how one-sided this game was, as three of Augusta's runs came in the bottom of the ninth. Porter Hodge was on the bump for the Pelicans and ran his record to 3-0 on the season, tossing five innings of two-run ball and adding seven punchouts. He was backed by an offense that has been on a mission all season.
Trailing 1-0 in the second after Brandon Mezquita gave Augusta the lead in the first, Reggie Preciado tied things up with an RBI single in the second ahead of the Miguel Fabrizio grounder that put the Pelicans in front for good. A third-inning wild pitch and fifth inning Kevin Made double saw the Pelicans grow their lead as this was now a 4-1 game.
Despite that, Augusta continued to give it their all, chasing Hodge after the fifth inning and after the Caleb Durbin RBI double made things 4-2. As expected, the Pelicans offense had no intention of letting up as they ripped off four unanswered runs to bust the game wide open.
Have I mentioned how much I love to watch Owen Caissie hit?
— Todd ?????? (@CubsCentral08) May 24, 2022pic.twitter.com/oUvLzBy9Vj
One of those runs came via an error, but the two-run shot by Fabrizio gave Myrtle Beach a 7-2 lead and was his first homer of the season. Preciado added to that lead with a ninth-inning single before Augusta made things interesting with three ninth-inning runs of their own to make things 8-5 and fall by that score.
Preciado had quite the confidence booster type of game as he led the offense with three hits to go with two RBIs. James Triantos joined him with three hits, while Fabrizio collected three RBIs.
