Cubs Minor League News: Strumph with walk-off homer, Triantos raking, Mule impressive |
It took a little while for the Cubs' Minor League system to get rolling this week, but things are trending in the right direction. After putting together a solid showing on Thursday, the Cubs had an even better day on Friday, as their organization posted a 5-3 record overall. That included a near flawless Rookie League mark of 3-1, with the full-season squads going 2-2.
With the MLB draft set to begin next Sunday and some possible trades coming soon, this Cubs team could look drastically different in the coming weeks. That means the Minor League teams we see now may not be the same post-deadline.
Nothing has come easy for the Iowa Cubs this season, but a win is a win. After putting up three runs early in the game, Iowa had to battle late and eventually walked off the Storm Chasers in the ninth. Kyle McGowin wasn't at his best, as he allowed five runs in four innings for his worst AAA start. He was followed by a trio of relievers who struck out 11 the rest of the way, including Sam McWilliams and Riley Martin, who each struck out five. The Iowa offense didn't waste any time getting the scoring started, as the Jack Reinheimer single gave them a 1-0 lead in the second. Later in the inning, Chase Strumpf came through with his first RBI hit in quite a while as his double put the Cubs in front 3-0. Iowa saw their lead quickly diminish as the Nick Pratto single made things 3-2 in the third before a Ryan Fitzgerald double tied things up in the fourth 4-4. That came after BJ Murray Jr. added an RBI single in the bottom of the third, as this felt like a back-and-forth game. With the momentum on their side, former Cub Nelson Velazquez showed great patience as he took a bases-loaded walk in the fifth to put Omaha on top 5-4. That was the only lead they would have as Moises Ballesteros tied things up in the seventh with a single before the Cubs came to bat with a chance to win it in the ninth. Ballesteros ties it up in the seventh💪 pic.twitter.com/bZPSkrkBMl All it took was another big swing from Strumpf, who connected for a walk-off homer to lift Iowa 6-5. Murray Jr. and Strumpf led the way for the Cubs as they combined for four hits and four RBIs. "Chase Strumpf, you are the hero!" Good until the LAST drop! First game as the Oat Milkers, first walk-off homer of the year! pic.twitter.com/eeoFNr9GoE
The Smokies picked a great time to get hot as they have taken the first five games from the Lookouts. This one was more challenging than the other four, as the Smokies needed a seven-run seventh inning to get the job done. That goes to show how dangerous their offense can be, as you can't hold them down forever. Chris Kachmar has been on quite a roll lately for the Smokies. Although this wasn't one of his better starts, he still kept his team in the game by going five innings and allowing four runs. With Chase Petty only allowing two runs in four innings with six strikeouts, the Smokies knew this would come down to a battle of the bullpens. After taking a 1-0 lead in the first off an RBI ground out, the Lookouts broke the game open in the third as they scored three times to take a 4-0 lead. Francisco Urbaez started the big inning with an RBI double, but the Mat Nelson two-run shot created some distance to put the Smokies in an early hole. It didn't take Tennessee long to battle back as a pair of RBI singles from James Triantos and Kevin Alcantara in the fourth made this a 4-2 game and was just the beginning of an offense that scored nine unanswered runs. The remaining seven runs of that run came in one inning, with the Smokies going crazy in the seventh. Felix Stevens got the party started with an RBI triple as he tied things up 4-4. Stevens would come in to score on the William Simoneit single, while a Triantos sacrifice fly made this a 6-4 Smokies lead. After Alcantara worked a bases-loaded walk to push the lead to 7-4, Haydn McGeary continued his torrid stretch as his RBI double brought home two to make this a 9-4 game. With those RBIs, McGeary now has 17 RBIs in his last six games, as he has carried this team offensively as of late. Chattanooga did manage to keep the pressure on late, with Nicholas Northcut picking up a two-run double in the eighth, but that was it, as the Smokies won again 9-6. The Smokies had plenty of offensive firepower as Stevens led the way with three hits and two RBIs. Triantos, McGeary, Simoneit, and Yohendrick Pinango all had multi-hit games for the Smokies. Smokies score 7 in the 7th for the W. | @Zips3mincarwash
After finally winning a game on Thursday, the Cubs were hoping to use that momentum to finish off the series on a positive note. Despite a great showing from Will Sanders on the mound, the Cubs offense was lifeless through six innings, which proved costly in a 3-2 loss. Sanders has been up and down this season, but this was one of his better starts in a while. The right-hander only went four innings, but he also only allowed two runs while striking out six. He gave way to a trio of relievers, including Caleb Kilian, who continues to touch triple digits during his rehab. While the South Bend pitching was good enough to win, Inohan Paniagua was brilliant on the mound and tossed six scoreless innings with four strikeouts. It took four innings for either team to cash in, but with Miguel Villarroel coming through with an RBI triple, it was the Chiefs in front 2-0. They added to that lead in the fifth with a Brody Moore single to make things 3-0, but that was all they would score offensively. Held scoreless until the seventh, South Bend made things interesting as the Parker Chavers homer put them on the board and pulled them to within 3-2 late. They were unable to get any closer as the Cubs dropped another low-scoring affair 3-2. Chavers was one of four players to have a hit, and he was joined by Ed Howard, Reivaj Garcia, and Brett Bateman.
What was looking like a win most of the night turned sour quickly as the Riverdogs used a three-run sixth inning to take the lead before holding off the Birds. Nazier Mule had his best showing as a Pelican, going four innings and allowing just one run with three Ks. The same can't be said about Mason McGwire, who took over for Mule in the fifth and proceeded to struggle with his command before giving up the final three runs. That alone was too much for this team to overcome as they struck out 14 times in the game, with eight coming off of Charleston starter Trevor Harrison, who only went 3 2/3. In the midst of this losing streak, the Pelicans have not only had a hard time scoring, but haven't been able to score first and with Alfonsin Rosario connecting for a two-run single in the second to make this a 2-0 game they were feeling good. Enzo Paulino got one of those runs back with a single in the bottom of the second, but this was still a 2-1 Pelicans lead as they entered the bottom of the sixth. That is when the Riverdogs took over against McGwire, as his lack of command made life difficult for him, which isn't what you want to see. A Raudelis Martinez single tied things up, but the balk did the Pelicans in as they now led 3-2. McGwire managed to limit the damage the best he could by getting a double play later in the inning, but another run scored on that play to put the Riverdogs in front 4-2. Myrtle Beach did manage to pull a little bit closer with an Andy Garriola double in the seventh, but that was it. They fell 4-3. Cristian Hernandez had two hits to lead the team, and the Pelicans need an offensive jolt sooner rather than later. Series finale in Charleston tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/7I0CMA4CSd
After the seven-inning affair wasn't enough, these teams played some extra baseball where the Cubs scored three times in the extra frame to grab the win. Grant Kipp made the start and allowed all three runs in 3 2/3 with four strikeouts. Luis Devers took over from there and worked a scoreless inning with two strikeouts to help set the tone for what was to come. All three of the Rockies runs came in the first inning with Roynier Hernandez picking up a single to make things 1-0 before a two-run double from Francisco Garcia made things 3-0. It was all Cubs from there as they kept battling back. They scored twice in the third off an Angel Cepeda double and Joan Delgado triple before adding another run in the fourth on the Jose Escobar single. Those were the last runs of regulation as this game went into extras. In the extra frame, the Cubs offense came out strong as the Anderson Suriel double put them in front for good 4-3 before he came in to score on the Eriandys Ramon single. A Fielder's choice was also mixed in to drive home the final run.
The Cubs capped off a doubleheader sweep of the Padres using strong pitching to get the job done. Justin Florentino played a role in that as he tossed four innings of three-strikeout baseball, allowing just an unearned run. Both of the Cubs runs came on a pair of homers with Daniel Campos tying things up in the fourth and Edgardo De Leon winning it in the fifth.
Like in the second DSL Red game, pitching dominated this one, as all the runs came after the seventh inning. Yander Maria and Emannoel Madira set the tone on the mound as they combined to allow just two hits in six innings with seven punchouts. With the score tied 0-0 entering the bottom of the eighth, all it took was a wild pitch by the Cubs to open the scoring as the Pirates grabbed the lead. They put the game away a few pitches later on the Miguel Rodriguez single as two runs scored to make this 3-0. The Cubs did their best to come back with Josias Ramirez hitting a homer, but that was it, as they fell 3-1.
Gus Sosa had a massive game for the Dogs, as he came away with three hits and five RBIs. Nick Dalesandro, Narcisco Crook, and Jhonni Turbo all came away with multiple RBI games for the Dogs. Gus Sosa delivers a clutch go ahead triple to put the Dogs up 13-12!🔥 🙂
The losses have been piling up for the Bolts this week as they drop another tight one 4-3. This one came on the heels of a three-run third inning as a pair of homers from JC Santini and Caleb McNeely provided most of the offense for the Wild Things. McNeely added the game-winning sacrifice later in the game to finish with three RBIs in the win, while the Thunderbolts had one RBI each from Christian Kuzemka, Brennen Dorighi, and Joey Grabanski. IOWA CUBS 6 - OMAHA STORM CHASERS 5
Crush a walk-off homer ☑️
Hit the udder tug celly ☑️
Get dosed by water cooler ☑️
The @IowaCubs celebrate playing as the Oat Milkers in style 🥛 pic.twitter.com/67LzvAbN5u
TENNESSEE SMOKIES 9 - CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS 6
Box Score: https://t.co/FSoNY5lmqH pic.twitter.com/EKjzt7LucyPEORIA CHIEFS 3 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 2
CHARLESTON RIVERDOGS 4 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 3
ACL CUBS 6 - ACL ROCKIES 3 (F/8)
DSL CUBS RED 8 - DSL PADRES 3:
DSL CUBS RED 2 - DSL PADRES 1
DSL PIRATES 3 - DSL CUBS BLUE 1
CHICAGO DOGS 18 - KANE COUNTY COUGARS 12
📺 https://t.co/ZyIk7dOVpK | 🌭#NoKetchup pic.twitter.com/PSARjUtlfL
📺 https://t.co/ZyIk7dOVpK | 🌭#NoKetchup pic.twitter.com/1vSv460ryHWASHINGTON WILD THINGS 4 - WINDY CITY THUNDERBOLTS 3
