Chicago Cubs Minor League Report: Florentino Continues to Dominate for Myrtle Beach

Cubs Affiliate Overview (July 24-25)

• Triple-A Iowa Cubs
Series at Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds): Bats lead 3-1
Season Record: 50–49

• Double-A Knoxville Smokies
Series vs. Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Miami Marlins): Blue Wahoos lead 4-0
Season Record: 42-51

• High-A South Bend Cubs
Series at Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds): Tied 2-2
Season Record: 36–58

• Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Series vs. Columbia Fireflies (Kansas City Royals): Pelicans lead 3-1
Season Record: 45–46

Triple-A: Iowa Cubs
Season Record: 50–49
Series Opponent: Louisville Bats (44–56)
Series Standing: Trail 3-1

July 24: The Iowa Cubs dropped Thursday’s ballgame to the Louisville Bats 4-2. James Triantos went 3-for-4 and Moisés Ballesteros went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, his ninth of the season. Jordan Wicks fell to 1-4 on the season, allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits over four innings of work, striking out four. Tom Cosgrove turned in two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out three.

July 25: The I-Cubs suffered a 6-5 walk-off defeat to the Bats on Friday. Ben Cowles (2-for-4) gave Iowa a 5-2 lead in the fifth with a three-run triple but the offense would be held to just two hits the rest of the way. Jonathan Long (2-for-4) and Greg Allen (2-for-4) also recorded multi-hit efforts in the contest. Brandon Birdsell took no-decision in the start, allowing three runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings, whiffing three batters while issuing no walks.

Double-A: Knoxville Smokies
Season Record: 42–51
Series Opponent: Pensacola Blue Wahoos (50–43)
Series Standing: Trail 4-0

July 24: The Knoxville Smokies let a 7-3 lead slip, ultimately falling to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, 10-7, on Thursday. The Smokies scored twice in the first to take a quick 2-0 lead but the Blue Wahoos immediately responded with three runs in the second to put the home team down one. Knoxville hit back with a five-run frame, thanks to a two-run triple from Pedro Ramirez (1-for-4) and a two-run single from BJ Murray Jr. (2-for-5). The Smokies took a 7-6 lead into the ninth but the visitors stunned them with four runs to put the game out of reach. Tyler Schlaffer took no-decision in the start, allowing three runs on three hits over five innings of work, striking out two.

July 25: The Smokies dropped their seventh-straight contest on Friday, falling to the Blue Wahoos 5-1. Knoxville got its only run of the game in the ninth to avoid the shutout. Pedro Ramirez (2-for-4) and Reivaj Garcia (2-for-4) each posted multi-hit performances. Grant Kipp turned in his best start of the month, tossing five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out five. Mitchell Tyranski recorded a scoreless outing in relief, working 1 1/3 frames and striking out two.

High-A: South Bend Cubs
Season Record: 36–58
Series Opponent: Dayton Dragons (30–61)
Series Standing: Tied 2–2

July 24: The South Bend Cubs fell to the Dayton Dragons, 7-4, on Thursday. Carter Trice went 2-for-4 with two runs, two home runs and three RBI on the night, posting his second multi-HR game of the season. Kevin Valdez, making his Double-A debut, allowed four runs, all unearned, over five innings of work, striking out four. Jackson Kirkpatrick tossed two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, whiffing four.

July 25: The Cubs dropped their second-straight game, falling to the Dragons 4-1 on Friday. South Bend was limited to just two hits in the contest, with neither going for extra bases, and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Grayson Moore turned in two shutout innings in relief, striking out three.

Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Season Record: 45–46
Series Opponent: Columbia Fireflies (44–49)
Series Standing: Lead 3-1

July 24: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans had their five-game winning streak snapped on Thursday, falling to the Columbia Fireflies 4-1. The Pelicans got their only run of the ballgame in the fourth via a throwing error, going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position on the night. The offense was also limited to just five hits, with none going for extra bases and no player posting a multi-hit effort.

July 25: The Pelicans bounced back on Friday with a 6-5 walk-off victory over the Fireflies in 10 innings. Derik Alcantara (1-for-4) provided the game-winner with a single in extras. Angel Cepeda was the lone Myrtle Beach batter to have a multi-hit game, going 2-for-2 with two runs and a walk. Jostin Florentino allowed one run, unearned, over four relief innings, striking out seven. Florentino has not allowed an earned run over his last 16 innings of work and has allowed just one earned run over 21 innings of work in July (0.43 ERA), racking up 26 strikeouts and holding opponents to a .156 average.

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