Cubs Minor League News: Brown rocked, Roederer homers, Verdugo raking, Bell's 400th win |
The unofficial end to the first half ended for Full Season ball on Sunday, and it came with mixed reviews. Sure, the Cubs did see their system post two wins as an organization, but they also lost two games, with one of them coming as a near-historic blowout to end the first half with a 2-2 mark.
They can now focus on the second half of the season, and although it has technically already started, the Cubs have three teams eager to clinch a playoff spot in the upcoming months which is always the goal entering a season. Given the MLB draft and forthcoming trade deadline, there will be a lot of changes coming to these teams as new faces will be joining the organization.
If there were a team that needed a few days off, it would be the Iowa Cubs, who were crushed on Sunday. Losing by this score is one thing, but when your ace Ben Brown can't even make it out of the second inning, that is a cause for concern. Brown lasted just 1 1/3 inning on the mound and allowed six runs. He walked five and struck out three as his ERA ballooned to 5.76. Not only did he give up six runs, but so did Adrian Sampson, as he allowed six runs in just 1 2/3 innings of relief. While the Iowa pitching struggled from start to finish, Louie Varland didn't, as he struck out six in five very strong innings. After Andrew Stevenson gave the Saints a 1-0 lead with a first-inning homer, Yonathan Perlaza tied things up as his homer in the bottom of the first kept things close. Yonathan Perlaza goes 373 feet to start our scoring! Good for your @GreatClips Clip of the Game. pic.twitter.com/4YLBoFY7fm That was until the second, when the Saints pushed across five runs to open up a 6-1 lead. Three bases-loaded walks from Brown didn't help, with Kyle Garlick adding a two-run single. The Saints continued to hammer the Cubs pitching two innings later and used a massive eight-run inning to open up a 13-1 win lead. Singles from Matt Wallner and Stevenson brought home three runs, with doubles by Anthony Prato and Alex De Goti plating four. A sacrifice fly was also thrown in there as the Cubs searched for answers. Garlick added two more RBIs across the next two innings as the Saints took a 17-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth. In that inning, the Cub's offense finally showed signs of life, with Jake Slaughter and Bryce Windham picking up bases-loaded walks. Darius Hill also added an RBI force for the Cub's final run, but the Saints added three more runs later to cap off the blowout. Well, that happened. pic.twitter.com/t7dhHe2Li2
Although the end of the first half didn't go as planned for the Smokies, they have at least responded in a big way for their first two series of the second half. They continued their strong run on Sunday with a dominating showing against the Barons. Chris Kachmar was back on the bump, and despite only going three innings, he struck out three and didn't allow a run. He was followed by Blake Whitney, Luke Little, and Zac Leigh, as that trio allowed one run in six innings while also striking out 10. It didn't take long for the Smokies to get things rolling as they opened up a 4-0 lead with a four-run second. Scott McKeon provided the big hit in that inning as his bases-loaded double brought home three runs to put the Smokies in front by 3-0. He would then come in to score on a wild pitch, giving the Smokies a 4-0 lead. Holding that 4-0 lead into the fifth, Adam Hackenberg brought home the lone run of the game for the Barons as he took Whitney deep for the solo shot. Tennessee responded in the bottom half of the fifth, with the red-hot Cole Roederer leaving the yard again for a two-run shot as they opened up a 6-1 lead at that point. The Smokies capped off their scoring in the seventh inning as Casey Opitz cashed in with an RBI single to give the Smokies a 7-1 win. Owen Caissie and Levi Jordan picked up the other two hits for the Smokies as they produced when needed. I like Morel, he likes Morel, she likes Morel, we ALL like Morel! pic.twitter.com/XGULH0YH7L Put another win in the books for your Tennessee Smokies, winners of 5 in a row! pic.twitter.com/v594TmsWHJ
Things have been a struggle for South Bend lately, and that continued into this series with the Chiefs. With Brody McCullough making his second High-A start, the right-hander continued to struggle as he allowed five runs in three innings. Apart from him, you had a trio of relievers who pitched very well, with Tyler Santana, Eduarniel Nunez, and Frank Scalzo Jr all giving the Cubs two innings out of the pen. McCullough is going to figure things out, but right now, he is struggling, and after allowing RBI singles to Jimmy Crooks and Ramon Mendoza in the first, the Chiefs jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Things only got worse for the Cubs right-hander as a pair of third-inning homers from Alex Iadisernia and RJ Yeager put the Chiefs in front 5-0. A Yohendrick Pinango sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth put the Cubs on the board, but after another RBI hit by the Chiefs in the fifth, the Cubs still trailed 6-1. Luis Verdugo took it upon himself to try and pull the Cubs back later in the game and picked up an RBI double in the fifth, followed by a solo homer in the seventh to pull the Cubs within 6-3 before losing by that score. Verdugo has been on a nice run lately and led the way with three hits and two RBIs, as he was responsible for half of the team's hits. James Triantos, Alexander Canario, and Felix Stevens had the remaining hits in the loss for South Bend. For the fans. Sundays are real fundays at @FourWindsField. pic.twitter.com/1awvUBI3ET
Led by a strong pitching performance and some late-game offense, it was all Myrtle Beach as they closed out another series with a win. Luis Rugiano is settling into the rotation as he struck out five in three innings while allowing one run. He was followed by Koen Moreno, who dominated in his 3 2/3 innings, as those two helped set the tone offensively. The Pelicans needed those guys to step up, as Jared Johnson and Estarlin Rodriguez dominated the Pelicans offense through five innings before the bullpen fell apart late. The Greenjackets broke through first, with Ambioris Tavarez connecting for a solo shot in the third to give the Greenjackets a 1-0 lead. Not only was that their lone run, but their lead didn't last long, with Malcolm Quintero tying things up in the bottom of the fourth with his homer. With the game still tied 1-1 in the seventh, the Pelicans continued to play long ball to bust things open as two-run homers from Reivaj Garcia and Andy Garriola gave the Pelicans a 5-1 lead. Pedro Ramirez got in on the fun with a two-run blast of his own in the eighth to cap off the scoring as the Pelicans used four homers to power past Augusta 7-1. Finished strong! pic.twitter.com/fryVnZ3XsW Another milestone in a legendary career!SAINT PAUL SAINTS 20 - IOWA CUBS 4
TENNESSEE SMOKIES 7 - BIRMINGHAM BARONS 1
PEORIA CHIEFS 6 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 3
Always.
❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/AbdATHRfKo
MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 7 - AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS 1
Congratulations to manager Buddy Bailey on his 400th career win with the Pelicans! pic.twitter.com/6pKswskdil
