Chicago Cubs Minor League Report, April 17–18

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Not the greatest couple of days results-wise in the Cubs system, with the four affiliates combining for a 3-5 record over Thursday and Friday. The Iowa pitching staff racked up 30 strikeouts over the two games, Pablo Aliendo crushed a pair of home runs for Knoxville, South Bend saw its losing skid reach six games, and Myrtle Beach recorded its first shutout of the season on Friday.

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Cubs Affiliate Overview (April 17–18)

• Triple-A Iowa Cubs
  Series vs. St. Paul Saints: Tied 2–2
  Season Record: 10–7

• Double-A Tennessee Smokies
  Series vs. Chattanooga Lookouts: Lookouts lead 3–1
  Season Record: 5–6

• High-A South Bend Cubs
  Series vs. West Michigan Whitecaps: Whitecaps lead 4–0
  Season Record: 4–9

• Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans
  Series vs. Augusta Green Jackets: Tied 2–2
  Season Record: 6–7

Triple-A Iowa Cubs

Season Record: 10–7
Series Opponent: St. Paul Saints (7–9)
Series Standing: Tied 2–2

April 17: Chase Strumpf's eighth-inning grand slam helped the Iowa Cubs pull away from the St. Paul Saints and claim a 6-2 victory. Keegan Thompson got the start for the I-Cubs, allowing one run, unearned, on just one hit over 3 1/3 innings of work to go along with three strikeouts and no walks. Tom Cosgrove picked up the win in relief, turning in 1 2/3 scoreless frames, also picking up three strikeouts. Gavin Holloway had a stellar outing out of the bullpen, whiffing five of the six batters he faced in two perfect frames of work. I-Cubs arms racked up a total of 14 strikeouts in the ballgame.

Along with Strumpf's grand slam, Greg Allen (2-for-3) went yard, launching a two-run shot in the fourth that gave Iowa a 2-1 lead. Ben Cowles (3-for-3) also tallied a multi-hit effort and collected a season-high three hits. Eight of the 10 I-Cubs batters that stepped up to the plate recorded a hit.

April 18: The Iowa Cubs let a 5-1 lead slip and ultimately fell to the St. Paul Saints 11-6. Moisés Ballesteros (2-for-4) and Kevin Alcántara (2-for-5) paced the offense, with Christian Franklin slugging his second home run of the season, a solo shot in the first.  Connor Noland (2-1) took the loss in the start, allowing six runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings. Despite the rough outing, Noland still fired a season-high seven strikeouts and did not issue a walk.

Double-A Tennessee Smokies

Season Record: 5–6
Series Opponent: Chattanooga Lookouts
Series Standing: Lookouts lead 3–1

April 17: The Knoxville Smokies took a 4-0 lead in the second on a solo home run from Pablo Aliendo (1-for-4) and a three-run double from Pedro Ramirez, but the Chattanooga Lookouts scored five times in the fourth and would go on to hand the Smokies a 5-4 defeat. Wil Jensen, Mitchell Tyranski and Zac Leigh combined to toss 5 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, allowing just three hits while punching out six.

April 18: The Knoxville Smokies were handed a third-straight loss, falling 3-1 to the Chattanooga Lookouts. The Smokies offense could only muster four hits in the ballgame, with two going for extra bases. Pablo Aliendo (1-for-4) homered for the second-straight game, delivering the Smokies only run of the contest. Right-handers Cayne Ueckert and A.J. Puckett each worked 1.0 scoreless innings in relief.

High-A South Bend Cubs

Season Record: 4–9
Series Opponent: West Michigan Whitecaps
Series Standing: Whitecaps lead 4–0

April 17: The South Bend Cubs fell to the West Michigan Whitecaps 2-1 for the second time in the last three games. The Cubs were held to just three hits offensively, with none of those hits going for extra bases. Cristian Hernandez (0-for-4) was held hitless for just the second time this season. Jaxon Wiggins took the no-decision in the start, allowing one run on two hits over five innings of work, posting seven strikeouts. Chase Watkins (0-1) was handed the loss despite also allowing one run over three innings.

April 18: The South Bend Cubs were handed a sixth-straight loss with a 6-4 defeat to the West Michigan Whitecaps. Carter Trice (1-for-3) and Andy Garriola (2-for-4) each crushed two-run blasts in the first to put the Cubs ahead 4-0. The recently activated Jefferson Rojas went 2-for-4 with a run, posting his first multi-hit game of the season. Right-hander Nick Dean took the no-decision in his start, picking up six strikeouts over five innings of two-run ball. Dean has tallied 12 strikeouts compared to just two walks in his first nine innings of the season, spanning two starts.

Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Season Record: 4–7
Series Opponent: Augusta Green Jackets
Series Standing: Tied 2–2

April 17: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans broke a 6-6 tie in the eighth with a five-run frame to earn an 11-6 victory over the Augusta Green Jackets, snapping a four-game losing skid. Leonel Espinoza had a monster night at the plate, going 5-for-5 with three runs scored, a home run and three RBI. Cole Mathis also had a big game, going 2-for-5 with two runs, two home runs and five RBI. Right-hander Brayden Spears helped close the contest by tossing two scoreless innings, striking out two.

April 18: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans evened up the series with the Augusta Green Jackets with a 2-0 shutout win. Cameron Sisneros' (1-for-3) solo blast in the second gave the Pelicans the lead and Cole Mathis (1-for-3) doubled the advantage with an RBI-double in the fourth. Left-hander Evan Aschenbeck (1-0) earned his first win of the season by blanking the Green Jackets over 5 1/3 innings, striking out three. Mathew Peters (2/3 IP), Christian Gordon (2.0 IP) and Brayden Risedorph (1.0 IP) combined to help deliver the Pelicans' first shutout of the season.

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