Chicago Cubs Minor League Report (May 15): Wicks Twirls Quality Start for Iowa, Kepley Stays Hot for South Bend

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report - May 15

Affiliate Overview

Triple-A Iowa Cubs
Series at Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers): Sounds lead, 4-0
Season Record: 18–24

Double-A Knoxville Smokies
Series at Columbus Clingstones (Atlanta Braves): Tied, 2-2
Season Record: 20–17

High-A South Bend Cubs
Series at Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Milwaukee Brewers): Cubs lead, 3-1
Season Record: 19–15

Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Series vs. Augusta GreenJackets (Atlanta Braves): Tied, 2-2
Season Record: 18–17

Affiliate Highlights

Triple-A: Iowa Cubs

Season Record: 18–24
Series Opponent: Nashville Sounds (24–19)
Series Standing: Trail, 4-0

May 15: The Iowa Cubs suffered a fourth-straight defeat, and a second-straight one-run loss, with a 5-4 setback on Friday night at First Horizon Park. Pedro Ramírez (0-for-3) got the Cubs on the board in the first with a sacrifice fly and Eric Yang (1-for-5) doubled the lead with an RBI-single in the second. The Sounds halved the deficit in the sixth but Iowa starter Jordan Wicks would induce a double play to end the inning to cap his best outing of the season. While taking no decision, Wicks turned in his first quality start of the year, allowing one run on four hits over six innings of work, whiffing a season-high six batters. Nashville would eventually tie the game in the eighth and the contest would head to extra innings. The two teams traded runs in the 10th, with Chas McCormick (1-for-5) driving in the Cubs’ run with a single. The hosts would hold Iowa scoreless in the 11th and win the ballgame in the bottom of the inning, handing the Cubs the 4-3 loss. Kevin Alcántara and Justin Dean each recorded multi-hit efforts on the night while Luke Little worked a scoreless seventh inning in relief.

Double-A: Knoxville Smokies

Season Record: 20–17
Series Opponent: Columbus Clingstones (18–18)
Series Standing: Tied, 2-2

May 15: The Knoxville Smokies suffered a 6-5 walk-off defeat to the Columbus Clingstones on Friday night at Synovus Park. Jefferson Rojas’ (1-for-5) sacrifice fly in the first gave the Smokies a brief lead as the Clingstones quickly evened the score in their first trip to the plate. Columbus took its first lead of the ballgame with a three-spot in the third but Knoxville would eventually answer back with three runs in the fifth to tie the contest at 4-4. Carter Trice (1-for-2) drove in all three of those runs with his sixth homer of the season, marking the third game in a row that he has gone yard. Alex Ramírez raced home on a wild pitch in the seventh to give the Smokies a 5-4 lead but the Clingstones would go on to score two in the ninth and hand Knoxville the 5-4 defeat. Brook Caple got the start for the Smokies and did not factor in the decision. He allowed four runs on six hits over six innings of work, striking out six. Tyler Ras turned in 1 2/3 scoreless frames in relief, whiffing one.

High-A: South Bend Cubs

Season Record: 19–15
Series Opponent: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (20–15)
Series Standing: Lead, 3-1

May 15: The South Bend Cubs’ bats continued to stay hot with a dominant 9-0 victory over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to clinch at least a series split. The Cubs have now outscored the Timber Rattlers 50-18 through the first four games of the series. South Bend jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first thanks to a sacrifice fly from Kade Snell (1-for-2) and a three-run blast from Leonel Espinoza. Those four runs were more than enough for Cubs starter Cole Reynolds, who fired five shutout innings, allowing only one hit and striking out five, to earn his first win of the season. Cameron Sisneros (1-for-3) put the game well out of reach in the seventh by crushing a three-run shot, his fifth of the season, and Justin Stransky (1-for-4) would later bring home a run later in the frame with an RBI-triple to make it 8-0. Kane Kepley (3-for-6) put the finishing touches on the night with an RBI-single in the ninth. Adam Stone earned his first save of the season by working the final three innings of the ballgame, yielding just one hit to go along with four strikeouts.

Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Season Record: 18–17
Series Opponent: Augusta GreenJackets (19–18)
Series Standing: Tied, 2-2

May 15: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans evened up their series with the Augusta GreenJackets with a 7-6 comeback victory on Friday night at Pelicans Ballpark. Both teams were kept scoreless through the first four innings of play, with Pelicans starter Braylon Meyers turning in four shutout innings on the mound, allowing just two hits and striking out five, to go along with no walks issued. The GreenJackets would score first in the fifth, pushing two runs across and would later make it 3-0 with a run in the seventh. After the stretch, the Myrtle Beach offense erupted for seven runs to take a 7-3 lead. Eli Lovich (2-for-4) doubled in a run and Geuri Lubo (1-for-4) tied the contest with a two-run double two batters later. Jairo Diaz (0-for-3) gave the Pelicans the lead with a sacrifice fly and Alexis Hernandez (1-for-3) and Josiah Hartshorn (2-for-4) added to it with RBI-singles. Three runs from Augusta made it 7-6 heading into the ninth but Jordan Henriquez turned in a 1-2-3 inning to end the game.

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