Chicago Cubs Minor League Report: BJ Murray Stays Red-Hot, South Bend Struggles Mightily

[Billy Reich]

The weekend was tough on the Cubs’ farm system, with the affiliates going 3-4. South Bend went 0-6 against the Whitecaps, Matt Shaw put up his second 0-for-3 performance since returning to the minors, and Iowa got rained out on Sunday.

Things aren’t all bad, though - Chris Flexen continues to shine with his third straight win, BJ Murray Jr. continues his hot streak, and Own Caissie gets slugging again.

Cubs Affiliate Overview (April 19–20)

• Triple-A Iowa Cubs
  Series vs. St. Paul Saints: Cubs lead 3–2
  Season Record: 11–7

• Double-A Tennessee Smokies
  Series vs. Chattanooga Lookouts: Tied 3–3
  Season Record: 8–6

• High-A South Bend Cubs
  Series vs. West Michigan Whitecaps: Whitecaps take series 6–0
  Season Record: 4–11

• Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans
  Series vs. Augusta Green Jackets: Green Jackets take series 4–2
  Season Record: 6–9

Triple-A Iowa Cubs

Season Record: 9–6
Series Opponent: St. Paul Saints (6–8)
Series Standing: Series tied 1–1

April 19: The Iowa Cubs ground out a close 1-0 win over the Saints on the backs of stellar pitching from starter Chris Flexen and the bullpen. He pitched a gem, going six innings with seven punchouts and zero runs, advancing his season ERA to 0.40. Eyes have been on Flexen as a potential depth piece for the major league club as they battle injuries to the rotation, and he hasn’t shied away from the spotlight.

On offense, the Cubs' lone run came from a fourth-inning long ball off the bat of Owen Caissie. Caissie - a name on most Cubs fans' radars - has struggled to start the season, but is now slugging .479 after hitting his third home run of the season in just 48 at-bats.

April 20: The Iowa Cubs were rained out on Sunday in Des Moines. They’ll make this game up with a doubleheader at some point during the Saints series from May 13th to 18th.

Double-A Tennessee Smokies

Season Record: 8–6
Series Opponent: Chattanooga Lookouts
Series Standing: Series split 3-3

April 19th: Cubs first baseman BJ Murray Jr. hits a walk-off two-run single in the bottom of the 9th to seal a 5-4 win. The walk-off capped a huge game for Murray, who went 3-for-5 with four RBIs in the win. He’s been a bright spot for South Bend as he raised his season OPS to .938.

April 20: The legend of BJ Murray Jr. only grew on Sunday as he launched a two-run blast in the bottom of the 8th inning to add some insurance in the Cubs' 3-0 victory over Chattanooga. Starter Grant Kipp picked up the win by hurling five innings of no-run ball. Kipp has now made three starts for the Smokies and holds a 0.60 ERA with 19 Ks in 15 innings pitched. 

High-A South Bend Cubs

Season Record: 4–11
Series Opponent: West Michigan Whitecaps
Series Standing: Whitecaps win series 6–0

April 19: South Bend blew four different leads on Saturday to lose in extra innings to the Whitecaps. Eight different Cubs players notched hits on the day, including a 3-for-5 with 2 RBI showing from DH Andy Garriola. Ultimately, the bullpen couldn’t lock it down as Yovanny Cabrera and Vince Reilly gave up three earned runs in 1 ⅔ innings pitched. The Cubs put up 15 hits in the game, but the Whitecaps scored twice in the bottom of the 10th to take the walk-off win.

April 20: The Whitecaps beat the Cubs again on Sunday - in their six-game series this week, the Cubs held leads in all six games, but ultimately got swept with this 5-3 loss. Kenten Egbert had a rocky start, giving up four runs in 4 innings pitched. A leadoff single in the 4th from Jefferson Rojas, a walk from Ivan Brethowr, and a home run courtesy of Andy Garriola gave the Cubs a lead. Unfortunately, that lead was quickly erased by two runs from the Whitecaps in the 4th as they would go on to blank the Cubs for the rest of the game and pick up the win. 

This marks eight straight losses for South Bend.

Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Season Record: 6–9
Series Opponent: Augusta Green Jackets
Series Standing: Green Jackets take the series 4–2

April  19: Myrtle Beach gets blown out in a 9-1 loss to the Green Jackets. The Pelicans gave up a season-high two homers and managed to muster only three singles the whole game. JP Wheat picks up the loss after giving up four earned runs in 4 innings pitched.

April 20: The Pelicans fell to the Green Jackets again on Sunday night, losing a 4-1 pitching duel. Starter Brooks Caple had a great showing, throwing five innings on one-run ball, but it wasn’t enough as Augusta carried a no-hitter into the 9th. Owen Ayers broke the no-hit bid with a double to lead off the 9th, and Cameron Sineros put the Pelicans on the board with an RBI double.

Notable Promotions / Injury Notes

• Knoxville Smokies outfielder Felix Stevens hits the 60-day IL

• South Bend Jose Romero went on the full-season IL

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System Standouts of the Week

Hitter:
BJ Murray Jr. (Double-A Tennessee) – 3-for-5, 4 RBI; drove in 4 out of the Cubs' 5 runs in their victory over the Lookouts

Pitcher:
Chris Flexen (Triple-A Iowa) – 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 7 K; notched his third win on the season, lowering himself to a 0.6 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. 

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What to Watch Next Week

• Triple-A Iowa Cubs: The Cubs will look to Matt Shaw, hoping he can regain his confidence and get some hits under his belt after a rough rookie debut for the major league club. Shaw has gone 0-for-6 in his two games back in the minors, but will look to tinker with his swing and make his way back to the majors this season.

• Double-A Tennessee Smokies: BJ Murray Jr.'s hot week has increased his standing on the season. The Cubs hope BJ can continue to build on his success throughout the season and provide needed depth at 1B and 3B or increase his trade value towards the deadline.

• High-A South Bend Cubs: Cristian Hernandez, the Cubs #11 prospect, has stayed hot - slashing .333/.406/.491 on the season. The Cubs hope their 2021 top international signing can keep the good times rolling and have his breakout year in his age-21 season.

• Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Keep a lookout for Angel Cepeda, the Cubs' #17 prospect. Cepeda had a rough weekend, going 0-for-8. He’ll look to bounce back against Kannapolis this week and continue to grow in his first season in A ball.

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