Chicago Cubs Minor League Report: Martinez-Gomez Whiffs 12 for Knoxville, Hartshorn Collects Four RBIs for South Bend

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Chicago Cubs Minor League Report

Affiliate Overview

Triple-A Iowa Cubs
Series at Gwinnett Stripers (Atlanta Braves): Stripers lead, 2-1
Season Record: 42–54-1

Double-A Knoxville Smokies
Series at Rocket City Trash Pandas (Los Angeles Angels): Tied, 2-2
Season Record: 51–43

High-A South Bend Cubs
Series vs. Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Milwaukee Brewers): Cubs lead, 4-0
Season Record: 55–35

Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Series at Hickory Crawdads (Texas Rangers): Crawdads lead, 2-1
Season Record: 37–54

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Triple-A: Iowa Cubs

Season Record: 42–54-1
Series Opponent: Gwinnett Stripers (50-47)
Series Standing: Trail, 2-1

July 24: The Iowa Cubs were washed out on Friday at Gwinnett. They will be back in action today with a doubleheader, with game one starting at 2:05 p.m. CT.

Double-A: Knoxville Smokies

Season Record: 51–43
Series Opponent: Rocket City Trash Pandas (47–46)
Series Standing: Tied, 2-2

July 24: The Knoxville Smokies evened their series at the Rocket City Trash Pandas with a 4-3 victory on Friday night at Toyota Field. Carter Trice (2-for-4) gave the Smokies the lead in the opening frame on an RBI-double, his 21st two-bagger of the season. Andy Garriola (1-for-3) doubled the lead with an RBI-single in the third and Alex Madera (1-for-3) made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly in the fourth. The Trash Pandas would cut the lead to one with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth and later tie the ballgame at 3-3 with a run in the seventh. Trice led off the eighth with a solo shot, his 12th home run of the season, which would be the decisive swing of the contest, as Jacob Wallace and Tyler Ras each tossed scoreless frames to end the game to secure the win, with Ras earning his fourth save. Knoxville starter Luis Martinez-Gomez turned in the best outing of his career, but took a no-decision. Martinez-Gomez tossed six innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits to go along with 12 strikeouts and no walks. He fired 53 of his 73 pitches for strikes, generating 18 swings and misses, and began the game by retiring the first nine batters he faced. The two hits allowed by Martinez-Gomez were the only two hits the Smokies pitching staff gave up in the game, as the arms combined for 14 strikeouts and no walks.

High-A: South Bend Cubs

Season Record: 55–35
Series Opponent: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (48–41)
Series Standing: Lead, 4-0

July 24: The South Bend Cubs earned a series victory and pushed their winning streak to six games with a 9-8 walk-off victory, in extra innings, over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Friday night at Four Winds Field. The Cubs are now 20 games over .500 on the season. South Bend took a 1-0 lead in the first by scoring on an error but the Timber Rattlers eventually knotted it up with a run in the fourth. The Cubs went back in front in the bottom of that inning when Michael Carico (1-for-4) launched his first-career Double-A home run to make it 2-1. Wisconsin made it 2-2 in the fifth before Josiah Hartshorn (3-for-5) singled home a pair of runs in the sixth to put South Bend up two. The back-and-forth affair continued as the Timber Rattlers plated two in the seventh to make it 4-4 but Hartshorn’s RBI-single in the eighth gave the Cubs a slim one-run lead. The Timber Rattlers would force extra innings when they drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the ninth. The teams would trade runs in the 10th, with Hartshorn’s third hit of the night earning his fourth RBI for South Bend. Wisconsin scored twice in the 11th to go up 8-6 but the Cubs were able to rally for three runs in their trip to the plate. Kade Snell (1-for-5) doubled in a run and Logan Poteet (0-for-4) followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Justin Stransky (2-for-5) completed the comeback with a two-out single to earn the walk-off win. Alfredo Romero got the start on the mound for South Bend and took no decision. Romero allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits over 4 2/3 innings of work to go along with one walk and five strikeouts.

Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Season Record: 37–54
Series Opponent: Hickory Crawdads (53–37)
Series Standing: Trail, 2-1

July 24: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans split their doubleheader at the Hickory Crawdads on Friday, winning the opener, 2-1, before falling in the second game, 2-1.

Game 1: The Pelicans snapped their five-game losing skid with a 2-1 win in extra innings over the Crawdads to open the twin bill. Neither team scored through seven innings, with Myrtle Beach starter Daniel Avitia firing four scoreless frames, allowing just three hits to go along with two walks and two strikeouts. David Bracho, who would eventually pick up the win in relief, improving to 2-2 on the season, tossed three shutout innings out of the bullpen, allowing no hits and walking three to send the game into extras. In the eighth, Edward Vargas (2-for-3) finally broke the deadlock with an RBI-single and Alexis Hernandez (1-for-4) made it 2-0 with an RBI-single of his own. Hickory would pull one back in the home half of the eighth but Yoendris Gonzalez was able to end the ballgame and earn his first save of the season.

Game 2: Myrtle Beach dropped the second game of the doubleheader to Hickory, 2-1, splitting the two games on Friday. Ethan Conrad’s (1-for-3) RBI-double in the first gave the Pelicans an early 1-0 lead but that would be the only run the offense would score in the game, as Myrtle Beach would be held to just four hits the rest of the way. Hickory tied the game in the third and would eventually score the winning run in the sixth. Braylon Myers got the start on the mound for the Pelicans and took no decision. Myers allowed one run on three hits over four innings of work, issued one walk and struck out six.

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