Cubs Minor League News: Noland rocked, Long and Aliendo homer, Aschenbeck impressive, more |
Dustin Riese
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- Saturday, April 19 2025
Winning can be contagious, and winning like the Chicago Cubs did on Friday makes the Minor League teams want to follow. That is what all four Cubs minor league affiliates were trying to do as another week of Minor League competition is winding down.
This was one of those days where pitching set the tone in most games, as three of the four games were competitive until the bitter end. That is a big reason why the system posted a 1-3 record for the game, as they are still looking to have that breakout night on the diamond.
The lone game where hitting decided the outcome was in AAA, where Iowa and Saint Paul combined for 19 runs. That shouldn't be a surprise when you look at how the Iowa offense has played the past two weeks. What was a surprise was seeing Connor Noland get lit up as the right-hander had his worst outing of 2025. Entering the game with a 1.69 ERA, Noland took one on the chin and allowed six runs in 3 2/3. He didn't walk a man and struck out seven, as that part of his game was fine. Noland fell behind immediately in the first when Jefferson Morales connected for a solo shot, but with Christian Franklin tying things up in the bottom of the first off a homer ahead of the Jonathon Long single, it was the Cubs in front 2-1. FRANKLIN TIED THE GAME WITH A LEAD-OFF HOMER! LONG TAKES THE LEAD FOR IOWA It only got worse from there for Saints starter Randy Dobnak as a Moises Ballesteros sacrifice fly put Iowa in front 3-1 in the second before they extended their lead to 5-1 in the third. A Ben Cowles double brought home the first run in the third, with Greg Allen adding another sacrifice fly. 4-1 Iowa on a COWLES double! pic.twitter.com/Rn59BAuOqE From that point on, it was all Saint Paul as they erupted for eight runs over the next two innings, five coming in the fourth. Three of those five runs came on a trio of RBI singles, with Carson McCusker, Armando Alvarez, and Anthony Prato picking up those hits. Ryan Fitzgerald tacked on the go-ahead RBI double later in the inning, as Saint Paul would never trail again. Speaking of McCusker, the Cubs can't wait for him to get out of town as he connected for a three-run shot in the fifth to open up a 9-5 lead to finish with four RBIs. Despite their offense stalling out for a bit, Iowa did manage to battle back in the sixth as they used a Ballesteros single and a bases-loaded walk from Long to score twice and pulled within 9-7. Saint Paul responded with two more runs in the eighth off Jack Neely, who continued to struggle, only to have Allen drive in the game's final run with an RBI single in the ninth. Final. pic.twitter.com/F9wCUJHCBg
As exciting as this week has been for Knoxville, the wins haven't translated. This was another game where the Smokies pitched well enough to win this game, but it was the offense that let them down. Chris Kachmar delivered an excellent outing for the second time this season as he took the ball for the Smokies. The right-hander struck out seven in five innings, allowing just one run to bring his ERA down to 3.86. That run came in the top of the first as the Lookouts had runners on the corners with no outs, only to have a double play kill the rally. A run scored on that double play as the Lookouts struck first, 1-0. It didn't take long for the Smokies to answer as Pablo Aliendo connected for his second homer of the week to bring things back to even 1-1 in the second. Pablo Aliendo homers for the second game in a row to put the Smokies on the board! @pabloaliendo14 #WholeNewBallGame pic.twitter.com/oKl0FgXbQ5 That was the only run of the game for the Smokies as the duo of Jose Franco and Kevin Abel combined to strike out 11 over the nine innings, with Abel picking up seven punchouts in five innings. With things still tied 1-1 in the sixth, the Smokies called on Frank Scalzo Jr to take over for Kachmar as he looked to keep things tied. Unfortunately for Scalzo Jr, this wasn't one of his better outings as he was charged with two earned runs off a Ruben Ibarra double and a Jay Allen single, as those were the final runs in a 3-1 Lookouts win. Can't win them all. | @zips3mincarwash
The Cubs can't buy a win on the road as they have fallen to 0-7 on the road. This was a game where it appeared that the streak was ending as the Cubs held a 4-2 lead entering the eighth. Then came an ugly overall inning from the Cubs' bullpen as the Whitecaps scored four times in the eighth to deliver a 6-4 win. Although not at his best, Nick Dean pitched well enough to win this game as he gave the Cubs all they could've asked. Dean walked one and struck out six across five innings, allowing just two runs. Compare that to Andrew Sears, who lasted just one inning, and you had to like the position the Cubs were in most of the night. All of the Cubs' runs came in the first inning as Carter Trice and Andy Garriola connected for a pair of two-run homers. Anytime you go the final eight innings without scoring a run, the final result typically ends in a loss, but this was one of those rare cases where the pitching made that lead hold most of the night. West Michigan did manage to get one of those runs back on an RBI grounder in the second, only to have Dean settle back in to go on a nice run. His roll ended in the fifth after the Archer Brookman double made this a 4-2 game, but were the lone runs off the Cubs ' right-hander. Still holding that 4-2 lead entering the eighth, it was up to Sam Thoresen to keep things that way as he took over late. This was one of those outings that Thoresen wants to forget, as he was charged with all four runs allowed in that inning to take the loss. Only one of those runs came off a hit, with Seth Stephenson picking up an RBI single to make this a 4-3 game. After that, a pair of bases-loaded hits by pitches and a bases-loaded walk led to the final runs in a 6-4 Whitecaps win. Jefferson Rojas and Garriola led the Cubs with two hits. West Michigan closes out a 6-4 win. It'll be a quick turnaround as we set our sights on a 2 PM first pitch Saturday afternoon.#SBCubs pic.twitter.com/HrX6hcKeCV
Just like that, the Pelicans have evened up this series as a strong pitching performance from Evan Aschenbeck, and the company did the job. Selected in the 13th round of the 2024 MLB draft, the left-hander is starting to come into his own as a starter, giving the Pelicans 5 1/3 scoreless innings with three punchouts. Chicago, we have a problem (solver)! 😎 He gave way to a trio of relievers to finish the job, with Christian Gordon picking up four strikeouts in two innings. The Pelicans needed that type of outing from Aschenbeck, as Ethan Bagwell was equally as good through his 5 1/3. The only difference was that Bagwell allowed two runs, with the first coming on a Cameron Sisneros second-inning homer to make this a 1-0 lead. Cameron Sis-SEEYA! 💣 pic.twitter.com/N4N19sMa4F That would go down as the game-winning run in this one, with Cole Mathis tacking on an RBI double in the fourth to close out the scoring in a 2-0 win. Friday Night Shutout! SAINT PAUL SAINTS 11 - IOWA CUBS 8
TIED 1-1! pic.twitter.com/ckBXevpuIi
2-1 I-CUBS! pic.twitter.com/0xgE4Z9Lld
CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS 3 - KNOXVILLE SMOKIES 1
Box Score: https://t.co/IGzOZdtlOw pic.twitter.com/7dVmUWCidvWEST MICHIGAN WHITECAPS 6 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 4
MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 2 - AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS 0
Evan Aschebeck's final line:
5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K on just 68 pitches.
The lefty has not allowed an earned run across 14.1 innings while striking out 16 in 3 games this season. pic.twitter.com/Wqlf9L8kh8
Pelicans take down the GreenJackets in Augusta.#MBPelicans | @CampersInnRV pic.twitter.com/3sg5RJkGQH
