Chicago Cubs Minor League Report: Kepley Continues Scorching Start to Professional Career

Cubs Affiliate Overview (August 21-22)

Triple-A Iowa Cubs
Series vs. Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Houston Astros): Tied 2-2
Season Record: 60-63

Double-A Knoxville Smokies
Series vs. Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays): Biscuits lead 3-1
Season Record: 56-60

High-A South Bend Cubs
Series vs. Cedar Rapids Kernels (Minnesota Twins): Tied 2-2
Season Record: 51–66

Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Series vs. Charleston RiverDogs (Tampa Bay Rays): Pelicans lead 3-1
Season Record: 60–54

Triple-A: Iowa Cubs
Season Record: 60–63
Series Opponent: Sugar Land Skeeters (59–62)
Series Standing: Tied 2-2

Aug. 21: The Iowa Cubs were held to just five hits as they fell to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, 5-2, on Thursday night. The Space Cowboys plated three runs in the first and would hold the lead throughout the contest. Chase Strumpf went 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles and Nick Lopez drew two walks. Moisés Ballesteros (1-for-4) picked his 66th RBI of the season with a single in the third. Cole Reynolds turned in 3 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit while striking out four.

Aug. 22: The I-Cubs evened their series against the Space Cowboys with a 3-2 walk-off victory in 10 innings on Friday. Nicky Lopez (0-for-4) scored on Jonathan Long’s (0-for-2) fielder’s choice, narrowly beating the throw home. Carlos Pérez (1-for-4) drove in Iowa’s first two runs of the game with his 25th double of the season in the fifth. Connor Noland took no decision, allowing just one run on six hits over six innings of work, whiffing five batters and walking none. It was Noland’s first quality start since July 20 and his eighth overall of the campaign.

Double-A: Knoxville Smokies
Season Record: 56–60
Series Opponent: Montgomery Biscuits (63–55)
Series Standing: Trail 3-1

Aug. 21: The Knoxville Smokies snapped their brief two-game losing skid with a 9-3 victory over the Montgomery Biscuits. Ethan Hearn’s (3-for-4) two-run blast in the fifth tied the ballgame at 3-3 and Andy Garriola’s (2-for-4) RBI-single in the seventh broke the tie and gave the Smokies the lead for good. Jordan Nwogu had a monster day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored. Evan Taylor picked up the win out of the bullpen, pitching two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three.

Aug. 22: The Smokies fell to the Biscuits, 6-2, on Friday night. Ethan Hearn was the only Knoxville batter to record a multi-hit effort in the ballgame, going 2-for-3 with a solo home run, his eighth of the season. The Smokies had seven hits in the contest but would go just 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Mitchell Tyranski worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief, striking out two.

High-A: South Bend Cubs
Season Record: 51–66
Series Opponent: Cedar Rapids Kernels (66–52)
Series Standing: Tied 2–2

Aug. 21: The South Bend Cubs earned a 6-2 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Thursday. The Cubs fell behind 2-0 after two but would score six unanswered, including three times in the fifth to take the lead in the contest. Cristian Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a run and a pair of RBI. Hernandez’ second RBI-single of the night in the fifth would put South Bend ahead for good. Nazier Mulé made his High-A debut, allowing two runs on five hits over 3 1/3 innings of work, striking out three batters but issuing four walks. Koen Moreno earned the win out of the bullpen, working 3 2/3 shutout frames, allowing no hits and whiffing four.

Aug. 22: The Cubs were held to just four hits as they fell to the Kernels, 5-2. Drew Bowser had two of those knocks, going 2-for-4 with a run. South Bend would go 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position on the night, leaving seven men on base. Luis Martinez-Gomez turned in a solid outing in relief, allowing one run on four hits over four innings of work, striking out three.

Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Season Record: 60–54
Series Opponent: Charleston RiverDogs (62–53)
Series Standing: Lead 3-1

Aug. 21: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans claimed at least a series split with the Charleston RiverDogs with a 7-0 shutout victory, extending their winning streak to four games. Four Pelican batters posted multi-hit efforts, led by Kane Kepley’s three-hit night. Kepley went 3-for-4, scoring one run and driving in one. Dawson Netz picked up the win in the start, allowing no runs on three hits over five innings of work, striking out four. Joel Sierra and Pierce Coppola each tossed two scoreless frames in relief, combining to allow no hits and strikeout seven.

Aug. 22: The Pelicans had their four-game winning streak snapped with a 3-2 defeat to the RiverDogs on Friday night. Kane Kepley continued his scorching start to his professional career, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and a solo homer, the first of his career. Jose Escobar (1-for-4) also went yard, launching a solo shot in the first. Jostin Florentino, who came into the contest with three earned runs allowed in 17 2/3 innings of work in August, allowed three over 5 1/3 frames, striking out five batters.

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