Cubs Minor League Report (4/22): Pedro Ramírez's Big Night Lifts Iowa, Other Affiliates Fall

[Travis Klosinski]

Cubs Transactions

• Chicago Cubs activated LHP Matthew Boyd from the 15-day injured list.
• Chicago Cubs optioned LHP Luke Little to Iowa Cubs.

Pedro Ramírez Drives In Eight As Iowa Outlasts Louisville

Pedro Ramírez drove in eight runs on two home runs, including a grand slam, as the Iowa Cubs outlasted the Louisville Bats, 15-9, at Principal Park. The Cubs scored in six different innings, punctuated by a seven-run outburst in the bottom of the eighth.

Ramírez finished 3-for-5 with two home runs, a two-run single in the seventh inning, and eight RBI. Leadoff hitter BJ Murray went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, three runs scored, and three RBI. Brett Bateman collected three hits, a double, a walk, and scored four runs.

Iowa trailed 3-2 entering the fifth inning before sending seven batters to the plate. Eric Yang's sacrifice fly plated Owen Miller, Murray doubled home Bateman, and Ramírez connected on a two-run homer to center. Louisville rallied to take a 9-8 lead into the bottom of the eighth, where the Cubs answered with seven runs. Yang and Murray delivered RBI singles, Jonathon Long reached on a fielder's choice that scored Yang, and Ramírez capped the inning with a grand slam to center. 

Starter Charlie Barnes worked five innings, allowing five hits, three earned runs, and two walks while striking out five. He surrendered two home runs. Collin Snider picked up the win with an inning of relief. Ryan Jensen closed out a scoreless ninth with one strikeout.

Iowa finished with 14 hits, three home runs, and stranded three runners.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
BJ Murray	4	3	3	3	1	0
Jonathon Long	4	1	0	1	1	1
Pedro Ramírez	5	2	3	8	0	1
Kevin Alcántara	5	0	0	0	0	2
Dylan Carlson	5	1	1	1	0	1
Chas McCormick	5	1	1	0	0	2
Owen Miller	4	2	2	0	0	0
Eric Yang	3	1	1	2	0	0
Brett Bateman	3	4	3	0	1	0

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Charlie Barnes	5	5	3	3	2	5	2
Tyler Santana	2	7	5	5	2	1	2
Collin Snider (W)	1	2	1	1	1	0	0
Ryan Jensen	1	0	0	0	0	1	0

Smokies' Late Lead Slips Away Against Chattanooga

A 4-3 Knoxville lead disappeared in the top of the eighth inning as the Smokies fell to the Chattanooga Lookouts, 8-4. Knoxville managed six hits, struck out 13 times, and stranded five runners.

Andy Garriola accounted for two of Knoxville's four RBI. Ed Howard went 1-for-4 with a double. Jordan Nwogu reached base three times on a hit and two walks and scored once. Carter Trice and Owen Ayers each collected a hit, with Trice adding a stolen base.

The Smokies plated two runs in the first inning. Trice singled, Nwogu walked, and Ayers lined a single to center that scored Trice. After Ariel Armas drew a bases-loaded walk, Devin Ortiz lifted a sacrifice fly to right to bring Nwogu home. Chattanooga pulled even in the third, and Knoxville retook the lead in the fifth inning when Haydn McGeary singled, Howard followed with a double, and after a walk loaded the bases, Garriola lined a two-run single to center for a 4-3 edge.

The lead held until the eighth, when Chattanooga sent ten batters to the plate and scored five runs to flip the game.

Starter Yenrri Rojas turned in the strongest outing of the night, throwing four innings while allowing five hits, three earned runs, and two walks with six strikeouts and one home run. Luis Rujano followed with two scoreless innings and three strikeouts. Marino Santy tossed 1 2/3 scoreless frames with three strikeouts.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Carter Trice	4	1	1	0	0	1
Jordan Nwogu	2	1	1	0	2	0
Owen Ayers	4	0	1	1	0	3
Andy Garriola	4	0	1	2	0	2
Ariel Armas	2	0	0	0	2	1
Devin Ortiz	2	0	0	1	1	0
Karson Simas	4	0	0	0	0	2
Haydn McGeary	4	1	1	0	0	2
Ed Howard	4	1	1	0	0	2

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Yenrri Rojas	4	5	3	3	2	6	1
Luis Rujano	2	1	0	0	1	3	0
Luis Martinez-Gomez (L)	1 1/3	3	5	5	1	1	0
Marino Santy	1 2/3	2	0	0	0	3	0

Cole Mathis Doubles Twice In South Bend's Loss To Dayton

The South Bend Cubs dropped an 8-5 decision to the Dayton Dragons at Day Air Ballpark, unable to recover after an early deficit. South Bend finished with six hits and left seven runners on base.

Cole Mathis paced the offense, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, two walks, two runs scored, one RBI, and a stolen base. Leadoff hitter Kane Kepley singled, walked, scored twice, and swiped two bases. Kade Snell drove in two runs with a third-inning single, and Reginald Preciado added an RBI single later in the game. Christian Olivo singled home a run in the seventh. 

South Bend's only multi-run frame came in the third inning. Kepley reached, Mathis doubled, and Snell lined a two-run single to center. The Cubs added solo runs in the seventh on Olivo's RBI single, in the eighth on Preciado's single that scored Mathis, and in the ninth on Mathis's double that plated Kepley.

Starter Nazier Mulé took the loss after one inning, allowing one hit, two runs (one earned), and two walks while striking out one. Grayson Moore tossed two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Kenyi Perez threw 1 2/3 scoreless frames with three strikeouts. Brayden Spears yielded one earned run across two innings with three walks. Kenten Egbert was hit hardest, surrendering three earned runs in 1 1/3 innings.

South Bend stole three bases and walked four times in the loss.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Kane Kepley	4	2	1	0	1	0
Cole Mathis	3	2	2	1	2	0
Kade Snell	5	0	1	2	0	1
Matt Halbach	3	0	0	0	1	0
Cameron Sisneros	4	0	0	0	0	1
Reginald Preciado	4	0	1	1	0	3
Drew Bowser	3	1	0	0	0	2
Dilan Granadillo	3	0	0	0	0	1
Christian Olivo	4	0	1	1	0	1

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Nazier Mulé (L)	1	1	2	1	2	1	0
Kenten Egbert	1 1/3	5	5	3	2	3	0
Brayden Spears	2	2	1	1	3	0	0
Kenyi Perez	1 2/3	2	0	0	1	3	0
Grayson Moore	2	0	0	0	2	2	0

Late Rally Falls Short As Pelicans Drop Fayetteville Game

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans fell to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, 12-8, at Segra Stadium despite pushing runs across in the third, sixth, eighth, and ninth innings. Myrtle Beach collected nine hits, drew eight walks, and stranded nine runners.

Alexey Lumpuy went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Josiah Hartshorn added two hits and scored twice. Logan Poteet went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored. Leadoff man Ty Southisene tripled, scored, and drove in a run. Alexis Hernandez tripled, walked twice, stole a base, and recorded an RBI.

Myrtle Beach's biggest frame came in the sixth inning. Southisene tripled to lead off, Lumpuy singled him home, Hartshorn singled, Jose Escobar singled to score Lumpuy, and Ludwing Espinoza grounded out to plate Hartshorn. The Pelicans added two in the eighth on an Eli Lovich error, a Hartshorn run scored, and Hernandez's sacrifice fly, and two more in the ninth on bases-loaded walks drawn by Derniche Valdez and Lovich.

Starter Noah Edders took the loss after three innings, giving up seven hits, seven runs (six earned), and two home runs with one strikeout. Braylon Myers struck out three in two scoreless innings. Aiden Moffett worked two scoreless frames. Daniel Avitia gave up five earned runs in one inning of relief.

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K
Ty Southisene	4	1	1	1	0	0
Alexey Lumpuy	5	2	2	1	0	1
Josiah Hartshorn	5	2	2	0	0	1
Logan Poteet	4	2	2	0	1	2
Jose Escobar	3	0	1	1	2	0
Ludwing Espinoza	2	0	0	1	1	0
Derniche Valdez	1	0	0	1	1	0
Eli Lovich	4	0	0	2	1	1
Alexis Hernandez	2	1	1	1	2	0
Derik Alcantara	4	0	0	0	0	2

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR
Noah Edders (L)	3	7	7	6	0	1	2
Braylon Myers	2	1	0	0	0	3	0
Daniel Avitia	1	7	5	5	0	1	0
Aiden Moffett	2	0	0	0	1	1	0

Cubs Top-20 Prospect Performance

1. Moises Ballesteros: DNP
2. Jaxon Wiggins: DNP
3. Jefferson Rojas: DNP
4. Kevin Alcantara: 0-for-5, 2 K
5. Jonathon Long: 0-for-4, R, RBI, BB, K
6. Ethan Conrad: DNP
7. Pedro Ramirez: 3-for-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 8 RBI, K
8. Kane Kepley: 1-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2 SB
9. Josiah Hartshorn: 2-for-5, 2 R, K
10. James Triantos: DNP
11. Brandon Birdsell: DNP
12. Cole Mathis: 2-for-3, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, SB
13. Angel Cepeda: DNP
14. Kaleb Wing: DNP
15. Will Sanders: DNP
16. Juan Cabada: DNP
17. Jostin Florentino: DNP
18. Dominick Reid: DNP
19. Ty Southisene: 1-for-4, 3B, R, RBI
20. Erian Rodriguez: DNP

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