Cubs MiLB Midweek Report: Caissie’s Birthday Bash, Flanagan Steadies Pelicans, South Bend Slugs Four Homers

[Travis Klosinski]

Image courtesy of © Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Farm System at a Glance (July 8–9, 2025)

Iowa Cubs 2–1 at St. Paul (48–44 overall)

Knoxville Smokies 1–2 vs. Montgomery (40–44)

South Bend Cubs 2–1 vs. Wisconsin (40–45)

Myrtle Beach Pelicans 2–1 vs. Kannapolis 39–46

Iowa Cubs (Triple‑A)

July 8 – Loss, 11-5 at St. Paul
Owen Caissie hit two solo homers on his 23rd birthday, bringing his total to 18. Greg Allen added a pinch-hit two-run homer. Will Sanders allowed five runs (two earned) over 5 innings, and Riley Martin surrendered a three-run shot in the 7th. Moisés Ballesteros, Ben Cowles, and Christian Franklin each doubled, with Cowles and Franklin also stealing a base.

July 9 – Loss, 5–3 at St. Paul
Connor Noland threw 5⅔ innings in relief, giving up two earned runs. Ballesteros doubled twice with an RBI, Jonathan Long added two doubles and a run, and Caissie reached base twice and scored both times.

Knoxville Smokies (Double‑A)

July 8 – Win, 5–4 vs. Montgomery
Knoxville rallied with two runs in the 8th and walked it off in the 9th. Andy Garriola went 2-for-3 with two runs scored; Pedro Ramirez drove in two, including a tying sacrifice fly. Sam Armstrong struck out seven over 4⅓ innings. Brad Deppermann earned the win, and A.J. Puckett recorded his 13th save.

July 9 – Loss, 7-5 vs. Montgomery
The Smokies built a 5–0 lead but gave up seven unanswered runs. Grant Kipp pitched 4 innings before handing it over to a bullpen that faltered. Reivaj Garcia and BJ Murray Jr. each had two hits and an RBI.

South Bend Cubs (High‑A)

July 8 – Win, 13–4 vs. Wisconsin
South Bend exploded for four homers—Jefferson Rojas, Brian Kalmer, Ariel Armas, and Cameron Sisneros all went deep. Brooks Caple went 6 innings, allowing four runs. Evan Taylor and Kenyi Perez combined for 3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

July 9 – Win, 3–1 vs. Wisconsin
Evan Aschenbeck pitched 7 innings of one-run ball. Cameron Sisneros drove in a key run with a single in the 5th. Grayson Moore escaped a bases-loaded jam in the 8th, and Jackson Kirkpatrick notched his first High-A save.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Single‑A)

July 8 – Loss, 9-2 at Kannapolis
Kannapolis tagged Hayden Frank for six runs over 5 innings as the Pelicans struggled to keep pace. Christian Olivo led the offense, going 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Matt Halbach added an RBI single in the 6th, but the team went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.

July 9 – Win, 3–2 vs. Kannapolis
Ethan Flanagan steadied the Pelicans with 5 innings of one-run ball. Christian Olivo’s two-run double in the 2nd set the tone, and Owen Ayers added a sacrifice fly in the 3rd. Leonel Espinoza tripled and scored the deciding run on Eli Lovich’s groundout in the 8th. Luis Reyes (1⅔ IP) earned the win, and Brayden Spears closed it out for his fifth save.

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