Cubs Minor League News: Rookie League Action

Patrick Gorski - USA Today Sports

by Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Thu Jul 18 07:40:58 GMT-04:00 2024

Now that it is midweek, we are less than 48 hours away from Chicago Cubs baseball and the rest of the Minor Leagues. Until then, however, we will continue to focus on the Cubs Rookie League squads and the Independent Leagues, as baseball never stops.

The Cubs system had a busy day, as all three of their rookie league teams were in action, comprising four games. The overall results weren't great, with the organization posting 1-3, but the results of some players are what matters, as plenty of new faces will start making their way through ACL.

ACL CUBS 10 - ACL BREWERS 7

The only win among the Cubs Rookie League teams came stateside when the Cubs topped the Brewers 10-7. Anytime you can beat the Brewers, no matter what the level, it does feel good, as the Cubs overcame a slow start in this one to pick up the win.

Diego Dugarte and Luis Devers were part of the slow start for the Cubs as they combined to allow four runs in four innings, walking five and striking out three. The same couldn't be said about the Cubs offense as an Angel Cepeda single in the first put the Cubs in front 1-0. They pushed that lead to 3-0 in the second off a pair of errors as the Brewers dug themselves an early hole to climb out of.

Led by a pair of singles from Juan Baez and Eric Bitoni in the third, it was the Brewers clawing back as they pulled within 3-2. That was as close as things would get for the Brewers as the Cubs scratched across four runs in the fourth inning to break the game open and took a 7-2 lead.

Three runs came on a trio of RBI singles, with Cepeda, Yidel Diaz, and Yahil Melendez getting in on the fun. You also had another error lead to the inning's final run for the Cubs as they opened up a five-run lead. Like earlier in the game, the Brewers did their best to battle back, and after a Josh Adamczewski single mixed with a sacrifice fly in the fourth, it was the Brewers trying to keep things close as they trailed 7-4.

Another Adamczewski RBI in the sixth had the Brewers within 7-5, but the Cubs offense tacked on some massive insurance runs late. Albert Gutierrez had one of those RBIs with a double in the eighth, while the Adan Sanchez homer in the ninth made thins 9-5. The Cubs tacked on another run in the ninth on a bases-loaded walk to take a 10-5 lead.

The Brewers did manage to load the bases in the bottom of the ninth and scored twice off an error, but Brad Deppermann finished things off for his second save. Cepeda continues to play well as he paced the Cubs with two hits and two RBIs in the win. You also had a strong outing from Cayne Ueckert who began his rehab stint with a scoreless inning of work, striking out two.

DSL REDS 10 - DSL CUBS RED 1

It was a long afternoon for the Cubs DSL Red squad, who had two games to play. Their first game was rough, as the Reds handled them 10-1. This was one of those games where it was over almost as quickly as it started, but you did have a five-run sixth inning to put the game away.

The Reds opened the scoring in the second off an RBI groundout to take a 1-0 lead, while the Naibel Mariano single pushed home two runs to put the Reds in front 3-0. They added two more runs in the third off a pair of doubles from Jirvin Morillo and Pablo Nunez to run their lead to 5-0 before breaking things open in the sixth.

In that sixth inning, the Reds' relentless offensive approach took over, as they scored five more times to push their lead to 10-0. A Riangelo Richardson double was the only hit that brought in a run, as four bases-loaded walks aided in the other four runs. The Cubs ended the shutout in the seventh on the Ronnyel Espinoza forceout, but the Cubs still fell 10-1.

DSL REDS 8 - DSL CUBS RED 4

Like in their first game of the day, the Reds' offense got going early, scoring four times in the first three innings. This time, the Cubs managed to battle back, and they fought back in a big way, scoring four times in the sixth inning to pull even before falling 8-4.

Jaset Martinez opened the scoring for the Reds with a first-inning RBI triple, but the Brandon Jaime homer in the second created some distance as the Reds were up 3-0. They would add a bases-loaded walk in the top of the third to take a 4-0 lead before the Cubs bullpen came in to silence their offense.

Despite that, the four runs were looking to be enough as Enmanuel Talavera was impressive on the mound, going four shutout innings and striking out seven. Still holding their 4-0 lead entering the sixth, the Cubs used a patient approach to climb back into the game as a bases-loaded ground out pushed across the first run for the Cubs with a walk, cutting the deficit to 4-2.

Then came the biggest of the game as Ezequiel Pena came through with a massive two-RBI single to tie things up 4-4 and had this game on the verge of extras. The Reds quickly took that momentum away as the Peson Rivierre three-run shot was the game-winning hit the Reds were once again in front 7-4 before adding an additional run on a sacrifice fly to take an 8-4 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

The Cubs did their best to keep things alive. A fielding error, combined with a one-out walk, put two runners on and one big hit away from making things interesting. That hit never came, as Robin Ortiz lined into a game-ending double play to seal the Cubs' fate. The Cubs were held to just four hits in the loss, with Pena leading the way with two RBIs.

DSL NATIONALS 7 - DSL CUBS BLUE 2

Looking to avoid a winless day in the DSL, the DSL Blue squad took on the Nationals, hoping to win. Even with the Cubs scoring first, it was another quiet day for them offensively as the Nationals tacked on six big runs late to pull away 7-2.

That is a tough pill to swallow when you look at how Emmanoel Madeira pitched, as he allowed just one run in three innings to drop his ERA to 3.13. Ronny Lopez joined him with two scoreless innings, and those two combined for five strong innings before the bullpen melted down. Surprisingly, the Cubs offense started the scoring in this one as the Alexey Lumpuy homer gave them a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

They would add to that lead in the third off the Juan Monso single, but those were the only runs of the game for the Cubs as Marlon De La Cruz buckled down to strike out six in four strong innings. Holding a 2-1 lead entering the sixth inning, the Nationals offense started to show signs of life, ending the game with seven unanswered runs.

An RBI triple off the bat of Angel Requena tied things up in the sixth before he came home to score on a game-winning sacrifice fly. The Nationals added to their lead off a steal of home in the seventh before blowing the game open with a three-run eighth inning.

Victor Hurtado started the scoring with a bases-loaded walk, but the Eddy Marmolejos single capped off the scoring with the Nationals winning 7-2. The Cubs had eight hits in the loss, with Ludwing Espinoza picking up two to lead the way.

CHICAGO DOGS 8 - MILWAUKEE MILKMEN 7

Jacob Teter connects for his 17th homer and now has 60 RBIs in 61 games. No player in Chicago Dogs history has had a 100 RBI season, and Teter is on his way to do that this season.