Chicago Cubs Minor League Report: Armas Continues Scorching August in South Bend, Florentino Dominates (Again) in Myrtle Beach

[CBT847]

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

Cubs Affiliate Overview (August 14-15)

Triple-A Iowa Cubs
Series vs. Worcester Red Sox (Boston Red Sox): Tied 2-2
Season Record: 57-60

Double-A Knoxville Smokies
Series at Rocket City Trash Pandas (Los Angeles Angels): Tied 2-2
Season Record: 53-57

High-A South Bend Cubs
Series at Beloit Sky Carp (Miami Marlins): Cubs lead 3-1
Season Record: 48–63

Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Series at Columbia Fireflies (Washington Nationals): Tied 2-2
Season Record: 56–52

Triple-A: Iowa Cubs
Season Record: 57–60
Series Opponent: Worcester Red Sox (60–57)
Series Standing: Tied 2-2

Aug. 14: The Iowa Cubs dropped a high-scoring affair to the Worcester Red Sox, 13-10, on Thursday night. The Cubs rallied for five runs in the bottom of the ninth but would fall short, leaving the potential tying run on deck. Kevin Alcántara (2-for-3), Chase Strumpf (2-for-4) and James Triantos (2-for-5) all tallied two-hit performances, with Triantos driving in a team-high three runs. Will Sanders suffered his first loss at the Triple-A level this season, allowing eight runs on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings of work but also amassed a season-high nine strikeouts.

Aug. 15: The I-Cubs evened their series against the Red Sox with a 9-6 victory on Friday night. Jonathan Long went 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored, a home run and two RBIs and was one four Iowa batters to post a multi-hit performance. Forrest Wall (1-for-2) slugged his first home run as a member of the Cubs organization and Carlos Pérez (1-for-5) recorded his 21st double of the campaign. Jordan Wicks picked up the win in relief, retiring all batters that he faced over 2 1/3 innings, whiffing four.

Double-A: Knoxville Smokies
Season Record: 53–57
Series Opponent: Rocket City Trash Pandas (38–73)
Series Standing: Tied 2-2

Aug. 14: The Knoxville Smokies snapped their brief two-game losing skid with an 8-6 win over the Rocket City Trash Pandas. After getting blanked in the first two games of the series, the Smokies plated five runs their first time to the plate, highlighted by Pablo Aliendo’s (2-for-3) grand slam. Knoxville batters drew 10 walks and were hit by a pitch once but they would go just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and leave seven on base.

Aug. 15: The Smokies evened the series with a 7-4 victory over the Trash Pandas on Friday. BJ Murray Jr. (2-for-5) launched a two-run shot in the fifth that broke a 3-3 tie and would give Knoxville the lead for good in the contest. Pablo Aliendo went 2-for-5, scoring three times, and Jordan Nwogu went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Tommy Romero picked up the win in relief, tossing five scoreless frames while allowing just three hits and striking out six.

High-A: South Bend Cubs
Season Record: 48–66
Series Opponent: Beloit Sky Carp (55–56)
Series Standing: Lead 3–1

Aug. 14: The South Bend Cubs pushed their winning streak to six games with a 6-2 victory over the Beloit Sky Carp on Thursday. Ariel Armas (2-for-4) broke a 1-1 deadlock in the fifth with a two-run triple as the Cubs would go on to plate five runs in the frame. Rafael Morel (1-for-4) and Brian Kalmer (2-for-4) each recorded two RBIs in the contest. Kevin Valdez picked up the win in the start, allowing one run on five hits over 5 1 / 3 innings of work, striking out three.

Aug. 15: The Cubs had their six-game winnings streak snapped with a 7-2 defeat to the Sky Carp. Kade Snell (2-for-4), the Cubs’ fifth-round selection in the 2025 MLB Draft, collected the first RBI of his professional career on a single in the first. Ariel Armas continued his scorching August by going 2-for-4. Armas has hit safely in 11 of 13 games in August, posting eight multi-hit performances and an overall slash of .489/.564/.681 with 13 RBIs.

Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Season Record: 56–42
Series Opponent: Columbia Fireflies (51–59)
Series Standing: Tied 2-2

Aug. 14: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans fell to the Columbia Fireflies, 7-2, on Thursday night. The Pelicans were limited to just three hits in the ballgame, but two went for extra bases, including Christian Olivo’s (2-for-3) two-run homer in the eighth, his third of the season. Nazier Mulé took the loss in the start, allowing four runs on five hits over five innings of work, striking out three.

Aug. 15: The Pelicans snapped their brief two-game losing skid with an emphatic 11-2 victory over the Fireflies on Friday night. Eli Lovich went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, a home run and a career-high five RBIs. Myrtle Beach also got big performances from Kane Kepley (3-for-6) and Ty Southisene (3-for-5) as the offense scored in double figures for the second time during the series. Jostin Florentino continued his dominance on the mound, blanking Columbia over six innings of work, allowing just three hits and striking out seven to earn his fifth quality start at the Single-A level this season. In his last eight starts, Florentino has gone 4-0 with a 0.81 ERA (4 ER/44 2/3 IP) to go along with 54 punchouts.

View full article