Cubs Minor League News: Shaw and Ballesteros homer, Weber and Triantos raking, more |
This week will be one of the better weeks in the Cubs system, but Sunday wasn't a great day for them. Looking to end the week on a positive note after dominating on the diamond most of the week, the Cubs picked a lousy time to have a rough day, as the wins were tough to come by.
In total, the Cubs limped to the finish line to end the week going 1-3 with one game postponed. To make matters worse, most of the games were ugly, as it just left a sour taste for fans who saw such great play all week. With about a month left in the regular season, two teams are destined to be in the postseason, while a third will be in the running until the end.
Iowa wins the series four games to one but will have to make this game up later this season. Tonight's game has been postponed.
Despite handling their business most of the week, the Smokies didn't have a good showing on Sunday and were doubled up 14-7. If you allow 11 runs in two innings, things could be better, as the Smokies had to play from behind early. Anytime you go with a bullpen game, you never know what you will get, and Joe Nahas and company had a rough day. Nahas pitched into third, but after allowing a Grand Slam to Freddy Zamora in the first, the Smokies were playing from behind 4-0 in the first. After pulling within 4-1 with a Nelson Maldonado Fielder's choice in the third, Biloxi extended their lead to 6-1 as Jefferson Quero left the building for a two-run shot. In the fourth inning, the Smokies offense started to show up and began to make a game out of things. Andy Weber got things started with an RBI single to make things 6-2, while another RBI hit by BJ Murray Jr brought home two more runs to pull the Smokies within 6-4. Tennessee continued to battle back in the sixth as a wild pitch and an error pushed home two more runs to bring them within 7-6. That was as close as things would get as the Shuckers erupted for seven runs in the seventh inning to bust the game wide open. Singles from Quero, Zamora, and Felix Velario brought home four runs as Biloxi opened up an 11-6 lead. Brent Diaz and Lamar Sparks added to the single barrage to push across two more runs while an RBI forceout closed out the massive inning with the Smokies trailing 14-6. The Smokies did manage to get a run in the eighth on the Cole Roederer sacrifice fly, but that was it, as they dropped the series finale 14-7. Weber had a career night at the dish, picking up a career-high five hits to go with his two RBIs. Caleb Knight, Scott McKeon, Bradlee Beesley, and Murray Jr all had two hits. We tried. See you at home on Tuesday for our next series against Rocket City Trash Pandas! | @zips3mincarwash pic.twitter.com/R0qGGKzy7H
After having two days off due to wet weather, South Bend was back on the diamond Sunday to end the week with a doubleheader. Unfortunately, it was not a great day for South Bend as they not only dropped the first game but dropped both. This was Connor Noland's start initially, as he allowed a pair of runs in the second inning and didn't come back the rest of the weekend. Luis Devers took over on Sunday and had a rough go of things. Before we get to that, however, the Cub's offense responded in the fourth and started to show signs of life. Yohendrick Pinango opened the scoring for South Bend with an RBI double, while the Ed Howard single put the Cubs in front 3-2. That lead didn't last long as Lake County got to Devers for five earned runs, and three came in the bottom of the fourth. All those runs came on one swing, with Victor Planchart unloading for a three-run shot to make things 5-3. A Yordys Valdes single in the fifth and the Khalil Watson sacrifice fly in the sixth extended the lead to 7-3 as Devers was done after that. Forced to play catchup the rest of the way, James Triantos pulled the Cubs closer as his RBI double pulled South Bend within 7-5 in the seventh. Triantos wasn't finished as he added an RBI groundout in the ninth to pull within 7-6, but would fall by that score. Triantos led the way with three RBIs, but Matt Shaw had three more hits to raise his average north of .380. Matt Shaw with his second HR with the South Bend Cubs. Currently has a 1.175 OPS at A+ Ball pic.twitter.com/016JEdAclk Shaw rips a 112 MPH single for his 3rd hit of the (previously suspended) game. pic.twitter.com/wOym30tLNt
Sparked by a four-run third inning, the Captains doubled up the Cubs to sweep the Sunday doubleheader. Michael Arias was on the mound and didn't have his best stuff, as he allowed four runs in just 2 2/3. He was relieved by Nick Hull, who gave up two runs in 2 1/3, with Max Bain finishing things off. Despite giving up a pair of runs early, Lake County got a great outing from Aaron Davenport as the right-hander went the distance allowing three runs and striking out four in the complete game win. Davenport fell behind quickly, with Shaw and Moises Ballesteros taking him deep in the first inning as the Cubs opened up an early 2-0 lead. They made that lead hold until the third inning when the Captains did all the damage they would need to win. After an RBI groundout from Watson put them on the board, the single from Jorge Burgos tied things up as Lake County was in business. Another single shortly after from Valdes gave them the lead for good while a bases-loaded walk pushed across the winning run as the Captains took a 4-2 lead. Lake County added a run in the fourth on a Watson homer and another in the fifth on an RBI single from Nate Furman as they were in control 6-2. With only six outs to work with the rest of the way, things were not looking good, but a Luis Verdugo double in the seventh kept the game alive with the Cubs trailing 6-3. That was it for the offense, as the Cubs ended the week in a rough fashion. Lost the battle, won the war.#NextStartsHere pic.twitter.com/2uO2tLaZrl
The lone team to win on Sunday was Myrtle Beach, as they took care of Fayetteville again. Granted, a four-run inning did help them win this game, but when you score eight runs on just five hits, you are getting help across the board. Marino Santy got the start, and after four scoreless frames, his ERA fell to 3.18. Granted, he didn't get the win, but the offense gave him plenty of support where he knew he wasn't going to lose. After a pair of RBI singles from Jefferson Rojas and Parker Chavers gave the Birds a 2-0 lead in the first, they never looked back and began to add to their lead. The Birds take an early lead! They were gifted a run in the third on a balk, but that was it for their offense for quite a few innings. Trailing 3-0 in the sixth, Fayetteville managed to get on the board off the Eligio Paredes wild pitch, but that was the only run they would score. David Avitia made things 4-1 with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly before the Pelicans busted the game open with a four-run eighth inning. Sac fly by David Avitia scores Ismael Mena to make it 4-1 going into the 8th! #MBPelicans | #NextStartsHere pic.twitter.com/Im3SywgLhI Cristian Hernandez started that inning with a bases-loaded walk, while the Pedro Ramirez single, mixed with an error, brought home the rest of the runs in the 8-1 Pelicans win. What a week!IOWA CUBS at OMAHA STORM CHASERS (Postponed)
Tickets for tonight's game may be exchanged for one of equal or lesser value to a future Omaha Storm Chasers home game, based on availability. No portion of the ticket price will be refunded. pic.twitter.com/YVqz5NADp0BILOXI SHUCKERS 14 - TENNESSEE SMOKIES 7
LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS 7 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 6 (Makeup from Friday)
LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS 6 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 3
MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 8 - FAYETTEVILLE WOODPECKERS 1
Pelicans lead 2-0 going into the 3rd. #MBPelicans | #NextStartsHere pic.twitter.com/ZKWMlkaVb0
Pelicans grab their fifth win of the series in the finale over the Woodpeckers.#MBPelicans | #NextStartsHere pic.twitter.com/gWUFWq6uOE
