Billy Reich

Image courtesy of © Allan Henry-Imagn Images It was a fun weekend all around for the affiliates. The Cubs’ top outfield prospects led an Iowa resurgence, Knoxville tossed back-to-back shutouts, Myrtle Beach split the weekend away series, and despite consecutive losses, South Bend showed some fight against the Lugnuts. Cubs Affiliate Overview (May 17–18) Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. St. Paul Saints (Minnesota Twins): Cubs win series 5-2 Season Record: 24-18 Double-A Tennessee Smokies Series vs. Columbus Clingstones (Atlanta Braves): Smokies split series 3-3 Season Record: 19–18 High-A South Bend Cubs Series at Lansing Lugnuts (Athletics): Lugnuts win series 5–1 Season Record: 10-29 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series at Lynchburg Hillcats (Cleveland Guardians): Pelicans drop series 2-4 Season Record: 15–23 Triple-A Iowa Cubs Season Record: 24-18 Series Opponent: Paul Saints (Minnesota Twins) Series Standing: Cubs win 5-2 May 17: The Cubs surged to a 10-9 win over the Saints on Saturday on the backs of their top outfield prospects, who put on a clinic for fans. Owen Caissie will be remembered as the walk-off hero for roping a single into the gap for the walk-off win in the bottom of the 9th, but it was Kevin Alcantara who stole the show through the first eight innings. Alcantara, the Cubs’ #5 prospect, drove in five of Iowa's 10 runs. He finished the day going 3-for-5 with a single, a double, and a three-run home run. It was nice to see some pop in Alcantara's bat - fans have been waiting for his power to develop in Triple A, with his slugging sitting at just .388 on the season. He was slugging 81 points higher by the end of last season, so the hope is that he can continue to build off of days like this. Fans who tuned in also got a taste of the Cubs' latest reclamation project in Kenta Maeda. Maeda, 37, was recently released by the Detroit Tigers after posting a 7.88 ERA in relief for them this season. While you can never have too much pitching depth, things didn’t look great for him in his Cubs debut as he gave up two walks, four hits, and four earned runs in just two innings in his start. Reliever Frankie Scalzo Jr. came in to relieve Maeda, and things didn’t go much better for him. Scalzo ended up conceding three runs of his own off three hits and a home run. However, he did manage to strike out five batters in two innings, so there’s some clear upside on his pure stuff and ability to miss bats. The “shuttle squad” did it again to lock down the game after Scalzo, with Nate Pearson, Luke Little, and Ryan Brasier all combining for four scoreless innings and five punch-outs. All three looked great today, and I expect all three to take the mound at Wrigley Field at some point this summer. Nate Pearson looks particularly intriguing right now. Cubs manager Craig Counsell stated during spring training that the coaching staff believed Nate Pearson was one of the most valuable relievers on the major league team and that his stuff had looked incredible during spring. Pearson struggled to start the season in the bigs and didn’t look any better in the minors, finishing April with a 9.35 ERA. May has looked a lot better for him, though. In six appearances this month, he’s only let in one run, suitable for a 1.42 ERA. He’s also struck out eight batters so far this month, already surpassing the seven he rung up in all of April. May 18: Jordan Wicks took the bump on Sunday during the Cubs' 3-1 loss and strung together one of his best starts of the year in Iowa. He went five innings pitched with three Ks, four Hits, and just one earned run. Things have been rough for Wicks this season, adding to the Major League teams' issues with depth for starting pitching. May hasn’t been much better for Wicks (6.23 ERA in four starts), but it’s hard to argue with a five-inning, one-run performance. Hopefully, he can string a few of these together. The offense was quiet today without a single Cub garnering more than one hit in the game. The lone run came from James Triantos’ groundout in the bottom of the sixth. Catcher Caleb Knight and center fielder Christian Franklin led the way for offense with a double from each. Double-A Tennessee Smokies Season Record: 19-18 Series Opponent: Columbus Clingstones (Atlanta Braves) Series Standing: Series split 3-3 May 10: The Smokies shut out the Clingstones 5-0 on Saturday on the back of Will Sanders. Sanders has strung together his third excellent start in a row with a six-inning, one-hit, zero-run outing today. In three starts in May, his ERA sits at a pristine 0.56, and he’s tacked on 18 strikeouts in 16 innings of work. He’s been on fire this month and has helped carry Iowa to a few wins as of late. Relievers Zac Leigh, Cayne Ueckert, and Mitchell Tyranski deserve their flowers as well - the trio combined for three innings of shutdown scoreless ball. Despite the cushion, the offense did its job as well. Shortstop Hayden Cantrelle and left fielder Parker Chavers stood out today, with each of them smacking a double, but it was Chavers who was good for driving in three runs. Second baseman Corey Joyce stood out as the only Smokie to have a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. May 18: The Smokies logged back-to-back shutouts with a 4-0 win over the Clingstones on Sunday. This time, it was Chris Kachmar who wanted to go band for band with Will Sanders from the previous day. Kachmar picked up his second win of the season on the back of a six-inning, two-hit, four-strikeout, zero-run effort. He didn’t miss as many bats as Sanders, but he kept the ball on the ground and the runs off the board. Relievers Ben Leeper, Nick Hull, and Brad Deppermann put on their best triplet impression as all three put up identical innings of relief. Each pitched exactly one inning, struck out two batters, allowed one hit, and gave up zero runs. Not bad, boys. The spotlight goes to Deppermann, though - he’s been an absolute machine on the mound as he hasn’t conceded a single run all season. He leaves the weekend with his shiny 0.00 ERA intact. He’s only walked four batters the entire season, and he’s struck out eight in 12 appearances so far. High-A South Bend Cubs Season Record: 10-29 Series Opponent: Lansing Lugnuts (Athletics) Series Standing: Cubs lose series 5-1 May 17: The Cubs put up a valiant effort in the 9th inning on Saturday but couldn’t quite get it done in their 5-6 loss to the Lugnuts. Starter Ryan Gallagher got my pitching spotlight last weekend, but things went south for the righty in today's matchup. He looked good to start the outing, but ended up conceding five runs across six innings, four of those runs coming from home run balls. His performance continues to look out of this world, though, as he struck out a whopping 12 batters. On offense, it was Ivan Brethowr who stole the show again. He went 2-for-4 with a double, including a 2-out RBI in the 9th inning to put the Cubs within one run of the Lugnuts. Catcher Miguel Pabon had the other two-hit game of the day - he went 2-for-3 with a walk. May 18: The Cubs dropped their fifth game of the series to the Lugnuts on Sunday with a 4-8 loss. Starting pitching woes bit the team again, this time from starter Kenten Egbert, who picked up his fifth loss of the season. Egbert went four innings today, giving up eight hits and four runs. He didn’t strike out a single Lugnut batter. The Cubs never led on offense, but left fielder Edgar Alvarez stole the show, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. First Baseman Brian Kalmer went 3-for-3 and added a double of his own, his best offensive performance of the year. It was shortstop Christian Franklin who drove in the other two runs for the Cubs, both of which came on sacrifice flies. Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 15-23 Series Opponent: Lynchburg Hillcats (Cleveland Guardians) Series Standing: Pelicans drop series 2-4 May 17: The Pelicans blanked the Hillcats on Saturday for a 6-0 win. Starter Alfredo Ramiro put up his best outing of the season after tossing a five-inning, one-hit gem and striking out 4. Reliever Kevin Valdez put up a great effort of his own - he threw three innings, striking out a gaudy eight batters. He let up three hits and two walks, but missed an incredible amount of bats to keep runs off the board. The offense was all over the place with six different Pelicans notching one or more hits. The standout performance of the game has to go to Catcher Owen Ayers, who went 2-for-4 with a double and four RBI. Ayers has been a pleasant surprise this season for the Pelicans. He was a 19th-round draft pick from the Cubs last year and only put up a .190 average in his pro debut last season for Myrtle Beach. This year, Ayers is 2nd on the team with an .817 OPS, and his defense has looked solid behind the plate. The Pelicans had five players enter today's game with batting averages below the Mendoza line (.200), but still managed to put six runs on the board. May 18: Things didn’t go as well for the Pelicans on Sunday as they dropped the series finale to the Hillcats 9-2. Starter JP Wheat, another pitcher with a stellar outing last week, dropped the ball today. He went 4 ⅔ innings pitched but gave up six earned runs on six hits. Brayden Spears came in to relieve a struggling Wheat, but things didn’t go much better as Spears gave up two earned runs of his own. The offense looked equally shaky today, as the Pelicans only managed to garner four hits in the matchup. Back-up catcher David Avita made his first appearance for the Pelicans today and logged the team's only RBI with a single in the top of the third. Notable Promotions / Injury Notes NONE System Standouts of the Week Hitter: Corey Joyce (Double-A Knoxville) – 5-for-7 with a double and 2 RBIs over the weekend. Pitcher: Kevin Valdez (Low-A Myrtle Beach) – 3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 8 K; Valdez logged nine outs for the Pelicans on Saturday, a remarkable 8 of which came via strikeout View full article

Image courtesy of © MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK The affiliates were on fire this weekend, bringing us exciting games and racking up wins across all levels. Teams went almost perfectly, with South Bend picking up the sole loss. Despite missing a clean weekend sweep, fans were spoiled with action across the board. South Bend swept their doubleheader to leapfrog into first place. Myrtle Beach and South Bend had no-hit bids running, and Iowa slugged their way to an extra-inning win. Pitching was the name of the game this weekend as Cubs’ minor league teams kept their opponents to one run or less in half of their games, including a two-hit team performance from Iowa on Sunday. Cubs Affiliate Overview (May 10–11) Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series at Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers): Split 3–3 Season Record: 19-16 Double-A Tennessee Smokies Series at Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati Reds): Smokies win series 4–2 Season Record: 16–15 High-A South Bend Cubs Series vs. Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres): Cubs lose series 4–2 Season Record: 9–24 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series vs. Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles): Series split 3–3 Season Record: 13–19 Triple-A Iowa Cubs Season Record: 19-16 Series Opponent: Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) Series Standing: Series split 3-3 May 10: Down 1-3 in the series on Saturday, the Cubs slugged their way to a statement win against the Mud Hens, 7-6 in extras. The team picked up four of their seven runs via the long ball, with Third Baseman Chase Strumpf leading the way. Strumpf went 2-for-4, 4 RBIs on the day, with both hits being home runs. The second of which came as the game-tying run in the top of the 9th. Right Fielder Owen Caissie joined in on the fun, launching the third homer of the day, good for his sixth of the young season. It wasn’t all power, though, as Moises Ballesteros added two hits of his own, going 2-for-5. Not only has Ballesteros raised his batting average to a scorching .368, he’s only struck out 16 times in 150 plate appearances. The front office brass will have to think long and hard about his future. He leaves nothing left to prove at the minor league level when it comes to his bat, but he grades poorly on the defensive end, and with first base, catcher, and DH locked up in the Majors, it’ll be interesting to see what they do with him moving forward. Despite the final score, Cubs’ pitching was a real bright spot of this game, holding the Mud Hens to just one run on two hits entering the eighth inning of play. Through the first seven innings, the only pitcher to allow a hit was starter Frankie Scalzo Jr., who finished his day after going two innings pitched, allowing two hits, both of which were solo home runs. From there, the Cubs decided to showcase their strong “shuttle team” - the group of relievers who tend to bounce between Triple-A and the Major League Club in an effort to keep arms fresh and competitive in the show. Ryan Brasier, Nate Pearson, Luke Little, and Brooks Kriske combined for five innings, no runs, no hits, one walk, and five strikeouts before Jack Neely came in to give up three runs in the eighth and notched just one out. Brandon Hughes came in to close out the inning and looked strong with two punch-outs, but also gave up a solo shot to tie the game. The “Shuttle Team” finished strong, though, with Ethan Roberts striking out two in the ninth and Phil Bickford ringing up two of his own to grab the save in the bottom of the 10th. Iowa continues to showcase its strong relievers this season with Luke Little, Ryan Brasier, and Ethan Roberts all with sub-1.5 ERAs. Expect to see each of them make their rotations in the Majors to provide some length and relief to a struggling Major League Bullpen. May 11: Pitching shined again on Sunday as the Cubs took home a 3-1 win and managed to split the series after being down early. Three pitchers on the Cubs combined to allow just two hits on the day. Starter Peter Solomon started the day off strong, throwing four innings of two-hit ball, and his only run coming in as unearned. Reliever Keegan Thompson came in to piggyback off of Solomon, tossing three innings and accumulating no hits of his own. The Cubs have been working Thompson in long relief this season, with eight of his ten appearances being two innings or longer. Things seem to be clicking as well, as he currently holds possession of a 2.59 ERA. Riley Martin came in to grab the save, tacking on two innings of no-hit ball of his own. On the offensive side of the ball, three Cubs managed to have multi-hit games. Ballesteros went 2-for-4 (shocker), James Triantos went 3-for-4 with a double, and Center Fielder Christian Franklin couldn’t let Triantos take all the credit, so he went 3-for-4 with a double to match. Double-A Tennessee Smokies Season Record: 16-15 Series Opponent: Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati Reds) Series Standing: Series win 4-2 May 10: The Smokies were rained out against the Lookouts on Saturday. The game will be rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Sunday. May 11: Last week, I had to write about the fact that the Smokies lost both games of their Sunday doubleheader. This week, though, the Smokies smoked the Lookouts in both games on Sunday with a combined score of 14-3 (9-2 Game One, 5-1 Game Two). The Smokies were firing on all cylinders on both sides of the ball on Sunday. In game one, starter Grant Kipp threw four innings, giving up three hits and just one run to go along with six punch-outs and four walks. Robert Kwiatkowski came in to relieve Kipp and tacked on one inning, two strikeouts, and allowed just a single hit. The offense erupted in the second inning, where the Smokies put up a crooked seven runs. Center fielder Brett Bateman started the scoring off with a two-run double and would finish the day 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs and a walk. BJ Murray Jr. (1-for-4) added on with a two-run single to center field, and Second Baseman Connor Joyce (1-for-3) joined in on the fun with a three-run homer to bring the score up to seven. Will Sanders took the bump in game two and had a stellar performance, continuing on his great start to the season. Sanders went five innings and allowed just two hits. More impressively, he also struck out seven and didn’t give up a single run. Cayne Ueckert came in to pitch an inning of scoreless relief as well. Don’t let his 9.82 ERA fool you. Since a disastrous first appearance this year, he’s had five scoreless outings, and his WHIP is down to just 1.00 in the month of May. He’s also struck out 15 in just 11 innings of work. It took a while for the Smokies to get going on the offensive side of the ball, but ShortStop Hayden Cantrelle got the team going with an RBI single in the fifth. The team put up two more runs by way of a sacrifice fly in the fifth and sixth, but it was right fielder Darius Hill who put up a two-run homer in the seventh to put the game away. Hill has had an interesting start to the season, between being assigned to the Cubs, then to the developmental list, and then back to Double-A, but he’s made the most of his time with the Smokies as he boasts a team-leading .941 OPS. The win was good enough to push the Smokies into first place on Sunday, leapfrogging the Lookouts. The margin is tight, just half a game up, but they’ll look to keep the good times rolling as they take on last-place Columbus next. High-A South Bend Cubs Season Record: 9-24 Series Opponent: Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) Series Standing: Cubs lose series 4-2 May 10: Once again, the pitching is a ray of sunshine across the affiliates as the Cubs take home the win on Saturday, 5-0 over the TinCaps. Fans got their hopes up as the team took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning off the back of starter Ryan Gallagher, who set the tone by striking out the first three batters of the game. Gallagher put up his best start yet, going six innings pitched, allowing zero hits and striking out eight TinCaps en route to dropping his ERA to 3.38 and picking up his first win of the season. Luis Rujano came in to relieve Gallagher in the seventh, and while he went on to strike out three and allowed zero runs in his two innings of work, he also killed the no-hitter by allowing a single to the first batter he faced. On offense, the Cubs spread the love with the runs with Jefferson Rojas, Edgar Alvaraz, Miguel Pabon, and Reginald Preciado all putting RBIs on the board. Christian Hernandez (Cubs #11 Prospect) continued his hot start to the season by going 2-for-5. Hernandez got off to a slow start last season in High-A, but he’s been making strides this year and is slashing .294 / .357 / .452. May 11: The Cubs spoiled the weekend fun on Sunday by taking home the only affiliate loss of the weekend with a 10-3 loss. The run of great starts couldn’t last forever, and starter Kenten Egbert took the brunt of it. Egbert picked up his fourth loss of the season on Sunday after pitching for four innings and allowing seven runs and six hits. He had some nasty stuff going, striking out six, but left too many balls in the zone and got hammered on them. Johzan Oquendo came in for relief in the fifth, but things didn’t go much better for him either, as he let in another two runs, giving up a double and a homer in his inning of work. Cubs relievers settled in from there on out, combining for four innings of three-hit and no-run ball, but the damage was already done. The Cubs hitters were slow at the dish as well, racking up just five hits on the day. Jefferson Rojas put on his best Superman impression and tried to carry the team on the back of his 3-for-4, 3 RBI performance, but it wasn’t enough to get the rest of the lineup going. Rojas hit two home runs and scored all three of the team's runs. Rojas, the Cubs' #6 prospect, has been turning heads this season. It’s only been 21 games, but his slug has jumped 177 points. All eyes will be on the top prospect to see if the power surge is the real deal. Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 13-19 Series Opponent: Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles) Series Standing: Pelicans split series 3-3 May 10: The Pelicans took home a tight win over the Shore Birds on Saturday, 3-2. The trend of unhittable (literally) starting pitching continued as starter JP Wheat came out and pitched an impressive six innings and didn’t give up a single hit. Wheat has been fascinating to watch this season, as he has a nasty arsenal and has struck out 30 batters in 28 innings pitched this year. However, he’s also struggling to find the zone, giving up 19 walks in that time frame. That was on full display Saturday as well, where he struck out five and walked five over his six innings. Mathew Peters gave fans a scare, letting the Shore Birds come within one run of a tie in the eighth inning by surrendering two runs, but Ethan Bell came in to close out the inning, and Jackson Kirkpatrick closed the game in the ninth by retiring the side. The Pelicans did most of their damage in the fifth inning. Alex Lumpuy led off with a triple and was driven in by a Yahil Melendez single. Right Fielder Leonel Espinoza capped off the run with an RBI double. Espinoza looked great on Saturday, going 2-for-4 with the RBI Double. May 11: The Pelicans did it all on Sunday with an 11-0 romp over Delmarva, truly showcasing they’re the winner in the Battle of the Birds. I mean, seriously, have you seen a shorebird next to a Pelican? Pelican pitchers combined for nine innings of no-run ball, striking out 11 and walking only five. Cole Reynolds stood out on the day, picking up the win with his two-inning, four-strikeout performance. The real fun was on offense as the Pelicans strung together 10 hits and 11 runs via the small ball. They didn’t put up a single home run and only two doubles, but they were a menace on the base paths. They got ‘em on, got ‘em over, and got ‘em in. Four Pelicans had multi-hit games on Sunday. Cameron Sisneros went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs, Cole Mathis went 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs and a double, and Jose Escobar went 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs and three runs. Notable Promotions / Injury Notes South Bend Cubs released RHP Carlo Reyes SS Christian Olive assigned to Myrtle Beach Pelicans from South Bend Cubs System Standouts of the Week Hitter: Jefferson Rojas (Double-A Knoxville) – 4-for-8 with two home runs and 4 RBIs over the weekend. Pitcher: Ryan Gallagher (Double-A Knoxville) – 6 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 8 K; Gallagher is settling in this season, posting a 2.08 ERA and 11 Ks in his two starts in May. View full article

Image courtesy of © Allan Henry-Imagn Images Every affiliate except Iowa got worse this weekend, with losses piling up across the board. Rain washed out Knoxville, South Bend got rocked, and Myrtle Beach got walked off. The organization's top prospects continue to shine through the dark, though. Matt Shaw is holding steady after his rebound; Moises Ballesteros just cannot stop raking; and Cade Horton flashed Ace material on the mound in his sixth start in Iowa. Cubs Affiliate Overview (May 3–4) Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays): Split 3–3 Season Record: 16-13 Double-A Tennessee Smokies Series vs. Rocket City Trash Pandas (Los Angeles Angels): Smokies drop series 2–3 Season Record: 12–13 High-A South Bend Cubs Series at Cedar Rapids Kernels (Minnesota Twins): Kernels win series 5–1 Season Record: 7–20 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series at Carolina Mudcats (Milwaukee Brewers): Down 2–3 Season Record: 10–16 Triple-A Iowa Cubs Season Record: 16-13 Series Opponent: Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays) Series Standing: Series split 3-3 May 3: The Cubs took home a statement win on Saturday against the Bisons, 10-2. Starter Connor Noland pitched 5 innings of one run ball, moving his season ERA to a respectable 3.00. Noland, the Cubs’ 9th-round pick in 2022, has seen his stuff tick up this season. He just notched his third win, and has struck out 28 batters in 29 ⅔ innings pitched. We had solid performances from the Triple-A bullpen shuttle squad, too. Luke Little pitched two scoreless innings, and Tom Cosgrove closed out the game with two strikeouts and no hits in the ninth. Expect to see both make relief appearances for the parent club again this season. On offense, you might as well just dub this game the top prospect showcase for the Cubs. Owen Caissie went 1-for-4 with a double. Moises Ballesteros went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Kevin Alcántara went 3-for-4 with a double, and Ben Cowles tacked on a 3-for-4, 4-RBI showing. Cowles went yard, too—his third dinger of the season. May 4: Mostly bad news on Sunday for the Cubs, as they dropped the series closer against the Bisons, 3-1. The Cubs were held to just 6 hits on the day, with Ballesteros losing his 19-game hitting streak. Jack Neely (the reliever acquired from New York for Mark Leiter Jr. last summer) continued his struggles by picking up the loss on the day, giving up a pair of runs in the ninth. Carlos Perez notched the only multi-hit game for the Cubs on Sunday, going 2-for-5 with a home run for the team's only RBI. The big bright spot of the day (and the weekend) was another stellar performance for Cade Horton. He pitched six innings of two-hit ball, allowing only one run and striking out five. Horton has had a stellar start to the 2025 season. In six starts, he boasts an impressive 1.24 ERA, a 0.86 WHIP (walks + hits per inning pitched), and has struck out 33 batters in 29 innings of work. Horton's impressive start came on the same day that the Cubs lost Shota Imanaga to injury. Imanaga left Sunday's game with a hamstring strain. While the Cubs await further imaging on their star pitcher, attention has turned to Horton to answer the call and make his way to the show. Having a 23-year-old prospect make their big-league debut in place of your All-Star ace during a season in which the team is pushing for a major playoff run is a massive ask. While the Cubs have redeveloped their approach for minor-league arms (having starters go deeper into games and rack up a higher pitch count in the minors, for instance), Horton is still only 29 innings removed from an injury that sidelined him for the season last year. It’ll be interesting to see whether the Cubs go with Chris Flexen, a veteran starter recently recalled from Iowa, or if they want to give a shot to Horton—who’s only logged 151 ⅔ innings pitched in his pro career, only 34 of which came last season. Double-A Tennessee Smokies Season Record: 12-13 Series Opponent: Rocket City Trash Pandas (Los Angeles Angels) Series Standing: Series loss 2-3 May 3: The Smokies were rained out against the Trash Pandas on Saturday. The game will not be rescheduled. May 4: The Smokies lost both games of their doubleheader against the Trash Pandas, 6-3 and 8-2. The Cubs were held to 5 hits in game one, with the biggest standout at the plate being right fielder Jaylen Palmer. Palmer went 2-for-3 and launched his 4th home run of the season in the 7th inning, scoring 2 of the Smokies' 3 runs. Fellow outfielder Parker Chavers had the other multi-hit game, going 2-for-3, both hits being doubles. Starter Grant Kipp took the loss (his second of the season), giving up 4 runs on 8 hits through 5 frames. Kipp dipped to a 4.03 ERA on the season after the rough outing. The bullpen wasn’t much of a relief. The surging Brad Deppermann looked good in his one inning of relief, giving up 1 hit and no runs. The struggles continued though with Cayne Ueckert, who gave up 2 runs in his lone inning of work. His season ERA now sits at 12.00. Game 2 was even worse for the Smokies, as they fell 8-3. The Smokies went down 8-0 before managing to put their only 2 runs on the board in the bottom of the 7th inning, on the back of a Pedro Ramirez double. Ramirez ended the game going 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs. The 21-year-old third baseman has been a bright spot on the team, slashing .289/.352/.351 on the year. It’s nice to see the young infielder build on his solid performance last year in High A. It was the pitching that struggled in game 2. Starter Antonio Santos had a nice outing, throwing 3 innings of shutout ball, but Nolan Clenney promptly gave up the lead, letting in 2 runs in just ⅓ of an inning pitched. Things would go further south later in the game, as Zac Leigh gave up 6 runs on 6 hits, striking out none in ⅔ innings of work to put the game out of reach in the 7th. High-A South Bend Cubs Season Record: 7-20 Series Opponent: Cedar Rapids Kernels (Minnesota Twins) Series Standing: Cubs lose series 5-1 May 3: The South Bend Cubs dropped their game against the Kernels, 8-3. Starter Ryan Gallagher had issues early, giving up 2 runs in just 2 ⅔ innings pitched. Things didn’t go any better for relief man Connor Schultz who gave up 5 runs on 5 hits, adding 3 walks in his 2 ⅓ innings. The Cubs relievers then settled in with, Kenyi Perez and Sam Thoresen each keeping the Kernels off the board, but the damage had been done and the Cubs couldn’t mount any meaningful damage on the basepaths. Left fielder Andy Garriola had a two-run double in the 6th inning, but finished the day just 1-for-4. No Cub managed to notch more than one hit. May 4: Things continued to go south for South Bend on Sunday, with a 9-1 loss at the hands of the Kernels. Cubs starters continue to struggle, this time with starter Kenten Egbert getting tagged for 4 runs in 4 innings of work, good enough to rack up his 3rd loss on the season. The trend continued with reliever Joe Naha, who gave up another 3 runs in just 1 inning pitched. Three Cubs logged multi-hit games, with rising star Ivan Brethowr going 2-for-4. Brethowr went hitless on Saturday, but has continued to show his resiliency and sits at a .907 OPS. Center fielder Carter Trice went 2-for-3 and logged the Cubs' only RBI of the day, on a first-inning single. Reginald Preciado went 2-for-4, as well. This is Preciado's fifth season in the Cubs farm system, and most Cubs fans have had their eye on him for a while as he was acquired with top prospect Owen Caissie in the Yu Darvish Trade. Preciado is still just 21, and he’s off to his best start yet after three subpar seasons in the minors. He’ll hope to continue to build on his early season success. Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 10-16 Series Opponent: Carolina Mudcats (Milwaukee Brewers) Series Standing: Pelicans Drop series 3-2 May 3: Myrtle Beach lost an absolute heartbreaker on Saturday, with a 4-3 walkoff loss to the Mudcats. Starter JP Wheat put up a valiant effort with a five-inning, one-run outing to keep the Pelicans in the game early. Wheat walked one and struck out an impressive 6 batters, moving his ERA to 3.36 on the season and racking up 25 Ks in 22 ⅓ innings of work. Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy gave the Pelicans a 3-1 lead over the Mudcats in the top of the 4th inning with a two-run home run, his second of the season. Cole Reynolds earned a hold in the 6th despite giving up a run on a wild pitch to make the game 3-2. Reynolds looked good otherwise, giving up just a single hit in his 3 innings of relief. Closer Mathew Peters couldn’t get it done, though, giving up a walk to start the inning, then an RBI single and a walkoff grounder to end the game 4-3. May 4: The Pelicans were rained out on Sunday. The game will not be made up. Notable Promotions / Injury Notes Iowa Cubs release RHP Trevor Richards ACL Cubs placed RHP Ben Johnson on the 7-day IL ACL Cubs placed RHP Yander Maria on the 7-day IL South Bend Cubs sent Grayson Moore on a rehab assignment ACL Cubs placed SS Fernando Cruz on the 7-day IL ACL Cubs placed RHP Thomas Mangus on the 7-day IL ACL Cubs placed LHP Wilson Cunningham on the 7-day IL Myrtle Beach Pelicans sent RHP Landon Ginn on a rehab assignment ACL Cubs placed SS Derniche Valdez on the 7-day IL System Standouts of the Week Hitter: Kevin Alcantara (Triple-A Iowa) – 4-for-8 with 2 doubles and 6 total bases over the weekend. Pitcher: Cade Horton (Triple-A Iowa) – 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 K ; Horton continues to shine this season in Iowa and his pitch count continues to creep up. With a 1.24 ERA and a 70 grade slider, expect to see Horton pitching on the North Side this season. View full article

The Cubs’ top prospects made noise this weekend despite every affiliate finishing the week with a losing series. Moises Ballesteros continues to rake, Matt Shaw shows flashes of confidence amidst a dreadful return to Iowa, and the pitching carousel continues to spin with performances from arms that should be back in the majors sooner rather than later. Image courtesy of Photo: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Cubs Affiliate Overview (April 26–27) Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. Louisville Bats: Cubs drop series 2-3 Season Record: 13–10 Double-A Tennessee Smokies Series vs. Pensacola Blue Wahoos: Smokies drop series 2–4 Season Record: 10-10 High-A South Bend Cubs Series vs.Beloit Sky Carp: Cubs drop series 2–4 Season Record: 6-15 Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series vs.Kannapolis Cannon Ballers: Pelicans drop series 2–4 Season Record: 8-13 Triple-A Iowa Cubs Season Record: 13-10 Series Opponent: Louisville Bats Series Standing: Series loss 2-3 April 26: The Cubs split a doubleheader against Louisville, taking a 4-2 win in game one and picking up a 5-2 loss in game two. Moises Ballesteros continued his hot start in both games, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs in game one and 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk in game two. Ballesteros, the Cubs' 4th overall prospect (MLB Pipeline), is slashing .414/.475/.586 on the season, reinforcing that his bat is the real deal. He’s already had three errors behind the plate and still struggles to catch runners in motion, but his framing has improved, and he has shown the ability to perform out of the DH role. Matt Shaw continued his slump in game one by going 0-for-4, but showed some signs of life in game two with a 2-for-4 showing on the night. At the end of game two, he still sits at a mere 3-for-21 since his demotion to Triple-A Iowa. Cubs fans will be happy to hear that Tyson Miller made an appearance in the fifth inning of game one with a rehab spot and pitched a no-run outing while notching the win. He’ll look to get up to speed and in-game shape before returning to the North Side. Jordan Wicks started game one, allowing one run and two walks in three innings. April 27: Matt Shaw finally had the bounce-back game that Cubs coaches have been looking for in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Bats - he went 2-for-5 with a double and a solo home run. Fingers crossed, Shaw can continue to build back his confidence and find his way back to a major league team, mostly devoid of talent at the hot corner. It doesn’t appear that Shaw has been reworking his swing at Triple A, leading to the belief that the demotion was strictly a confidence send down and not an overarching statement on his swing mechanics that many fans have been worried about. Ballesteros continues to shine again, going 2-for-3 with a double and two walks. Moises continues to show that his bat can play up against Triple-A pitching. Where he fits defensively long term will likely be a question circulating the front office throughout the season. Keegan Thompson struggled on Sunday by giving up back-to-back home runs. Hard to name a better duo than Thompson and up/down seasons. Jack Neely had a nice performance, retiring the side in the ninth to notch his third save of the season. Neely has had trouble keeping runs off the board this season, but his stuff looks to have ticked up - he’s struck out 11 in 8 ⅔ innings pitched so far. Double-A Tennessee Smokies Season Record: 10-10 Series Opponent: Pensacola Blue Wahoos Series Standing: Series loss 2-4 April 26th: The Smokies drop game one against the Wahoos 6-4 with starter Grant Kipp giving up four home runs in the third inning. The Cubs made a valiant effort in the later innings but couldn’t mount the comeback. Kipp finished the game with 2 ⅓ innings pitched, 5 ER, 2 BB, 7 Hits, and 2 Ks. Parker Chavers notched the team's only multi-hit performance of the game with a 2-for-4, one RBI showing. Brad Deppermann was a bright spot on the evening with a no-hit outing in the 6th inning. Deppermann has a 0.95 WHIP and 0.00 ERA in 6 ⅓ innings pitched this year. April 27: The Smokies ended the series with a 7-4 win over the Wahoos. The team racked up all seven of its runs in the third inning on Sunday thanks to 5 hits, some stolen bases, an error, and Parker Chavers stealing home. Starter Antonio Sanchez pitched three scoreless innings with two punch-outs to give the Smokies a nice start, but it was reliever Zac Leigh who shone brightest by putting up a 1 ⅔ inning performance of no-run ball. He entered with a jam on the corners in the 6th but managed to strand both. He went on to allow just one hit and blank the Wahoos in the seventh, killing their mounting comeback. High-A South Bend Cubs Season Record: 6-15 Series Opponent: Beloit Sky Carp Series Standing: Cubs lose series 2-4 April 26: South Bend lost 7-3 to the Beloit Sky Carp on Saturday behind a rough start from Ryan Gallagher. Gallagher gave up three runs and five hits in 4 ⅓ innings, but his control looked good as he gave up no free bases on the day. Reliever Joe Nahas didn’t look any better, giving up three runs of his own in just 1 ⅔ innings pitched. He gave up a walk while striking out none. On the bright side, Ivan Brethowr remains a bright spot for South Bend. He went 2-for-4 with a run on Saturday, increasing his OPS to a team-leading .922. Brethowr was the Cubs’ 7th-round pick in the 2024 draft - after a slow start last season in Low A, he’s been making strides this season for South Bend and may end up on the team's top 30 list by the end of the season. April 27: South Bend continued to struggle on Sunday with a narrow 4-3 loss. Starter Kenten Egbert couldn’t keep enough runs off the board as he let up three runs (only one earned) in 4 ⅓ innings. Reginald Preciado racked up the team's only multi-hit performance, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. He hit a solo home run in the sixth to tie the game for the Cubs, but reliever Vince Reilly couldn’t keep things locked up as he gave up the go-ahead run to the Sky Carp in the seventh. South Bend has dropped four games in a row and sits in sixth place in the Midwest. Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 8-13 Series Opponent: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Series Standing: Cannon Ballers take the series 4–2 April 26: Myrtle Beach loses a narrow one on Saturday, 2-1 over the Cannon Ballers. Pelicans’ starter JP Wheat gave up just one run in 5 innings pitched, but he kept the base paths busy, allowing five walks on the day. The Pelicans only managed to garner three runs on the day, two of which came from first baseman Cameron Sisneros. Sisneros went 2-for-4 with a double and continues to develop into a reliable presence for Myrtle Beach. April 27: The Pelicans finish the series with an 8-6 win on Sunday. Starter Brooks Caple had a solid outing, giving up three runs in five innings of work while striking out four. The team went on to mainly cruise through the 6th, 7th, and 8th, but the heart got pumping in the ninth inning when Jackson Kirkpatrick loaded the bases with two outs in an 8-6 game. Kirkpatrick came through with a beautiful K to end the game and finished with no runs and three strikeouts in two innings. Right Fielder Leonel Espinoza was the standout tonight, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs. Shortstop Eriadys Ramon helped add to the score with a two-run blast in the fourth inning - his first of the season. Ramon was the only player besides Espinoza to add more than one hit on the night, finishing 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Notable Promotions / Injury Notes Chicago Cubs recalled LHP Tom Cosgrove from Iowa Cubs Chicago Cubs optioned RHP Ethan Roberts to Iowa Cubs Iowa Cubs activated 2B Dixon Machado from the 7-day IL Iowa Cubs transferred LHP Brandon Hughes to the Developmental List Iowa Cubs transferred OF Darius Hill to the Developmental List System Standouts of the Week Hitter: Moises Ballesteros (Triple-A Iowa) – 8-for-10 over the weekend with a double and three walks. He also struck out just once. Pitcher: Tyson Miller (Triple-A Iowa) – 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 K; Miller looked good in his rehab start and gave some hope to Cubs fans looking for bullpen reinforcements sooner rather than later. View full article

The weekend was tough on the Cubs’ farm system, with the affiliates going 3-4. South Bend went 0-6 against the Whitecaps, Matt Shaw put up his second 0-for-3 performance since returning to the minors, and Iowa got rained out on Sunday. Things aren’t all bad, though - Chris Flexen continues to shine with his third straight win, BJ Murray Jr. continues his hot streak, and Own Caissie gets slugging again. Cubs Affiliate Overview (April 19–20) Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. St. Paul Saints: Cubs lead 3–2 Season Record: 11–7 Double-A Tennessee Smokies Series vs. Chattanooga Lookouts: Tied 3–3 Season Record: 8–6 High-A South Bend Cubs Series vs. West Michigan Whitecaps: Whitecaps take series 6–0 Season Record: 4–11 Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series vs. Augusta Green Jackets: Green Jackets take series 4–2 Season Record: 6–9 Triple-A Iowa Cubs Season Record: 9–6 Series Opponent: St. Paul Saints (6–8) Series Standing: Series tied 1–1 April 19: The Iowa Cubs ground out a close 1-0 win over the Saints on the backs of stellar pitching from starter Chris Flexen and the bullpen. He pitched a gem, going six innings with seven punchouts and zero runs, advancing his season ERA to 0.40. Eyes have been on Flexen as a potential depth piece for the major league club as they battle injuries to the rotation, and he hasn’t shied away from the spotlight. On offense, the Cubs' lone run came from a fourth-inning long ball off the bat of Owen Caissie. Caissie - a name on most Cubs fans' radars - has struggled to start the season, but is now slugging .479 after hitting his third home run of the season in just 48 at-bats. April 20: The Iowa Cubs were rained out on Sunday in Des Moines. They’ll make this game up with a doubleheader at some point during the Saints series from May 13th to 18th. Double-A Tennessee Smokies Season Record: 8–6 Series Opponent: Chattanooga Lookouts Series Standing: Series split 3-3 April 19th: Cubs first baseman BJ Murray Jr. hits a walk-off two-run single in the bottom of the 9th to seal a 5-4 win. The walk-off capped a huge game for Murray, who went 3-for-5 with four RBIs in the win. He’s been a bright spot for South Bend as he raised his season OPS to .938. April 20: The legend of BJ Murray Jr. only grew on Sunday as he launched a two-run blast in the bottom of the 8th inning to add some insurance in the Cubs' 3-0 victory over Chattanooga. Starter Grant Kipp picked up the win by hurling five innings of no-run ball. Kipp has now made three starts for the Smokies and holds a 0.60 ERA with 19 Ks in 15 innings pitched. High-A South Bend Cubs Season Record: 4–11 Series Opponent: West Michigan Whitecaps Series Standing: Whitecaps win series 6–0 April 19: South Bend blew four different leads on Saturday to lose in extra innings to the Whitecaps. Eight different Cubs players notched hits on the day, including a 3-for-5 with 2 RBI showing from DH Andy Garriola. Ultimately, the bullpen couldn’t lock it down as Yovanny Cabrera and Vince Reilly gave up three earned runs in 1 ⅔ innings pitched. The Cubs put up 15 hits in the game, but the Whitecaps scored twice in the bottom of the 10th to take the walk-off win. April 20: The Whitecaps beat the Cubs again on Sunday - in their six-game series this week, the Cubs held leads in all six games, but ultimately got swept with this 5-3 loss. Kenten Egbert had a rocky start, giving up four runs in 4 innings pitched. A leadoff single in the 4th from Jefferson Rojas, a walk from Ivan Brethowr, and a home run courtesy of Andy Garriola gave the Cubs a lead. Unfortunately, that lead was quickly erased by two runs from the Whitecaps in the 4th as they would go on to blank the Cubs for the rest of the game and pick up the win. This marks eight straight losses for South Bend. Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 6–9 Series Opponent: Augusta Green Jackets Series Standing: Green Jackets take the series 4–2 April 19: Myrtle Beach gets blown out in a 9-1 loss to the Green Jackets. The Pelicans gave up a season-high two homers and managed to muster only three singles the whole game. JP Wheat picks up the loss after giving up four earned runs in 4 innings pitched. April 20: The Pelicans fell to the Green Jackets again on Sunday night, losing a 4-1 pitching duel. Starter Brooks Caple had a great showing, throwing five innings on one-run ball, but it wasn’t enough as Augusta carried a no-hitter into the 9th. Owen Ayers broke the no-hit bid with a double to lead off the 9th, and Cameron Sineros put the Pelicans on the board with an RBI double. Notable Promotions / Injury Notes Knoxville Smokies outfielder Felix Stevens hits the 60-day IL South Bend Jose Romero went on the full-season IL System Standouts of the Week Hitter: BJ Murray Jr. (Double-A Tennessee) – 3-for-5, 4 RBI; drove in 4 out of the Cubs' 5 runs in their victory over the Lookouts Pitcher: Chris Flexen (Triple-A Iowa) – 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 7 K; notched his third win on the season, lowering himself to a 0.6 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. What to Watch Next Week Triple-A Iowa Cubs: The Cubs will look to Matt Shaw, hoping he can regain his confidence and get some hits under his belt after a rough rookie debut for the major league club. Shaw has gone 0-for-6 in his two games back in the minors, but will look to tinker with his swing and make his way back to the majors this season. Double-A Tennessee Smokies: BJ Murray Jr.'s hot week has increased his standing on the season. The Cubs hope BJ can continue to build on his success throughout the season and provide needed depth at 1B and 3B or increase his trade value towards the deadline. High-A South Bend Cubs: Cristian Hernandez, the Cubs #11 prospect, has stayed hot - slashing .333/.406/.491 on the season. The Cubs hope their 2021 top international signing can keep the good times rolling and have his breakout year in his age-21 season. Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Keep a lookout for Angel Cepeda, the Cubs' #17 prospect. Cepeda had a rough weekend, going 0-for-8. He’ll look to bounce back against Kannapolis this week and continue to grow in his first season in A ball. View full article

The Cubs’ minor league systems tread water on the whole - going 8-7 over the weekend with Iowa winning three straight while Myrtle Beach keeps everything balanced dropping three in a row. Things are heating up for the I-Cubs as they pick up 6 of their last 8 thanks to some key pitching contributions and hot bats. The Cubs notch 16 Ks in a 4-2 win on Saturday, Jaylen Palmer goes long bombs away twice for the Smokies, Drew Bowser adds 2 XBHs, and Cole Mathis flashes his potential with a 3-7 showing at the plate with two doubles for Myrtle Beach despite a 9-10 loss in extras. Image courtesy of Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas via Imagn Image Cubs Minor League Report: April 11–13, 2025 Farm System at a glance: Iowa Cubs (AAA): 3–1 over the weekend, 8-5 for the season Knoxville Smokies (AA): 3–1 over the weekend, 5-3 for the season South Bend Cubs (High-A): 2–2 over the weekend, 4-5 for the season Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Low-A): 0–3 over the weekend, 4-5 for the season Triple-A: Iowa Cubs (8-5) Opponent: Toledo Mud Hens April 11: Loss, 3-7 Game Summary: The Iowa Cubs struggled out of the gate this weekend, falling 4-1 against the Mud Hens behind a shaky start from Trevor Richards. A rough outing for Richards - getting the hook after allowing 3 runs in just 1.2IP to start the game. The bullpen had a rocky relief showing, putting up ten Ks - five from Books Kriske - but allowing seven walks, a trend that hopefully settles as pitchers settle in for the season. Vidal Brujan and Moises Ballesteros continued to put their best foot forward with twin 3-5 days at the plate, but neither could manifest a run to keep the I-Cubs in the game. The two of them continue to put bat on ball leading the team with a .308 and .333 batting average respectively. Cubs top prospect Kevin Alcantara notched his first RBI of the young season with a sac fly in the 7th to give the team some life, but the bats ultimately go quite into the night as they struggle to bring runners home going just 1-12 with RISP. The Cubs notched 12 hits, 4 stolen bases, and walked 7 times, but ultimately couldn’t convert that potential into runs, leaving 16 runners on base (including 9 in scoring position with 2 outs) in the loss. Top Performers: Moises Ballesteros (C): 3-for-5, SB (3) – .333 BA leads the team as the Cubs #4 prospect continues to show off his 60 grade hit tool. Vidal Brujan (SS): 3-for-5 – Three singles in a nice display of speed and bat to ball skills Kevin Alcantara (CF): 2-for-3, 2B, RBI (1), BB – Sac Fly RBI, double, stolen base and a walk. Nolan Clenney (RP): 2.0 IP, 2H, 0 ER, 1BB, 3 K – 2 innings of scoreless ball, continues to cling to his 0.00 ERA. April 12: Win, 3–1 ; Win 4-2 (Double Header) Opponent: Toledo Mud Hens Game Summary: The Cubs take back to back wins during Saturday's double header on the backs of some key pitching performances and timely hits. Connor Noland pitched 6 innings of one run ball in the early game while the Cubs’ bullpen combined for 16 Ks in the evening game. Alcantara and Ballesteros stay hot at the plate while Jack Neely and Keegan Thompson spin gems - sparking hope that the bullpen depth at Iowa can be a boon down the stretch for the major league club. The Cubs allowed just 3 runs across 16 innings on Saturday to advance to 7-5 on the young season. Carlos Perez drove in 2 of the Cubs’ 3 runs in the morning game as he continues to try and show he’s still got gas left in the tank to be an impactful MiLB bench piece at age 34, and Jonathan Long racks up 3 hits and an RBI in an ongoing effort to prove he can be more than just the Next Great Cubs AAAA Player. Top Performers: Connor Noland (SP): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 6 K — another strong start from the righty starter as he pitched 6 innings for the second time in his three starts - allowing only 1 run in each. Kevin Alcantara (RF): 2-for-3, RBI, R — another 2 hit game for the Cubs’ #6 prospect. Keegan Thompson (SP): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K - Thompson stays hot with another scoreless appearance. He’s now sitting at 5.2 IP to start the season with 10 Ks and only 2 BB. Jack Neely (RP): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 K - All eyes will stay on Jack Neely - acquired last season for Mark Leiter Jr. - as he continues to shove in Iowa. He now sits at 2 saves, 4 Ks, and a 0.9 WHIP across 3 appearances this season. The major league club will hope he can keep it up so they can utilize him down the stretch as he - unlike Thompson - has a spot on the 40-man roster. Roster Moves: Chase Watkins, LHP, was promoted to AAA Iowa. Nolan Clenney, RHP demoted to High-A South Bend from AAA Iowa. April 13: Win, 2-0 Opponent: Toledo Mud Hens Game Summary: Cubs pitching shines again to lead the team to their third straight win. Jordan Wicks showed out with 5 Ks in just 3 IP in relief to hold the lead in a tight game. Wicks’ gem will keep him Jed’s radar as the major league club looks to explore their depth options in light of Justin Steele’s season ending injury news. Chris Flexen looked equally impressive, setting the stage for Wicks’ save with 6 innings of no run ball. Flexen has looked great to start the season, allowing just 1 run across 16.1 IP. Christian Franklin and Ben Cowles do enough to drive in the Cubs’ two runs on the day, helping the Cubs advance to 8-5 on the season. Top Performers: Chris Flexen (SP): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 K — Flexen continues to cruise as he drops his ERA to 0.55 on the season. Jordan Wicks (RP): SV, 3.0 IP, 0 H. 0 ER, 5 K - Wicks continues to audition for a major league call-up. Christian Franklin (RF): 2-for-5, 2B, RBI - Franklin adds the insurance run in the 9th. Roster Moves: Chase Watkins, LHP, was assigned to South Bend Cubs from Iowa Cubs. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies (5-3) Opponent: Rocket City Trash Pandas April 11: Win, 4-0 ; Loss, 6-7 (Double Header) Game Summary: The Smokies take game 1 behind a 7 K performance from starter Will Sanders. Jaylen Palmer goes yard twice in game one and Felix Stevens joins in with one of his own to boost the Cubs over the Trash Pandas. Ed Howard, the Cubs’ 2020 1st round draft pick, continues to struggle this year but adds one of his own with an RBI double. Things didn’t go quite as well for the Smokies in game two as Nick Hull gave up 5 runs, 3 walks, and 2 home runs in just 2.2 IP. The team battled back to put 6 runs on the board thanks to a key 6th inning RBI from Felix Stevens, but ultimately fell short. Top Performers: Jaylen Palmer (DH): 2-for-4, 2HR, 2 RBI, 2 R – Palmer stays hot, moves to a .905 OPS to start the year. Will Sanders (SP): 4.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 7 K – Drops to a 0.93 ERA with 9 Ks in 9.2 IP. Felix Stevens (RF): 1-for-4, HR, RBI, R – Stevens notches his first homer of the year. April 12: Win, 5–1 Opponent: Rocket City Trash Pandas Game Summary: The Smokies picked up another win on Saturday behind key base running and some good performances at the plate from Left Fielder Parker Chavers and DH Pedro Ramirez. Ramirez has had a strong start to the season including a double and an RBI single in the game. The team added a run on a passed ball, stole 2 bases, and walked 6 times, displaying the ability to impact the game from all angles. Chris Kachmar picked up his first win of the season behind 6 innings of one run ball, and the bullpen with 4 Ks across 3 scoreless innings in relief. Chris Kachmar (SP): W, 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 K Parker Chavers (LF): 3-for-4, R, RBI, SB Pedro Ramirez (2B): 2-for-5, 2B, RBI April 13: Win, 2–1 Opponent: Rocket City Trash Pandas The Smokies cap off an excellent weekend where they go 3-1 with a beautiful 10th inning walk off on Sunday afternoon. BJ Murray ties the game with a big 7th inning homer and Pedro Ramirez scores the game winning run on a 10th inning sac fly to score Parker Chavers. Sam Armstrong kept the team in the game with a 5 inning 1 run performance, and the bullpen holds steady to clear the way for a back to back win. Top Performers: Sam Armstrong (SP): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 6 K – Armstrong continues to show off his stuff this season with 12 Ks in 10 IP. BJ Murray Jr (1B-3B): 2-for-4, HR, BB, RBI, R – BJ is having a slow start when it comes to putting the bat on the ball, but he’s doing damage when he does - getting on base and slugging .458. High-A: South Bend Cubs (4-5) Opponent: Peoria Chiefs April 11: Win, 4–3 Game Summary: South Bend got rocked early thanks to a 3 run shot from Chiefs’ Chase Adkinson in the 2nd inning off of starter Nick Dean. It was one of Dean’s lone mistakes of the game as he put up 6 Ks across 4 innings. After the early runs, the Cubs’ bullpen put up 5 innings of 0 run ball to keep them in the outing, and the bats came to life in the 4th to put up all 4 of the teams runs. Ivan Brethowr got the team rolling and on the board with a solo blast off of Salas; Drew Bowser and Reginald Preciado kept the party going to go up 4-3. Luis Rujano, Johzan Oquendo, and Kenyi Perez combined for another 7 Ks and allowed just 2 hits in their outings. Perez managed to hang on after having 2 on with 1 out in the 9th, but Bowser and Preciado held on with a game sealing double play. Top Performers: Johzan Oquendo (RP): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 4 K, W - a beautiful relief appearance from Oquendo to keep the team settled and in the game. Ivan Brethowr (RF): 1-for-3, HR, RBI, HBP, R - Got the Cubs cooking with a solo shot in the 4th. Cristian Hernandez : 2-for-4, SB, HBP - 1.142 OPS, do your thing, Cristian, we see you. April 12: Win, 4–2 ; Loss, 2-4 (Double Header) Opponent: Peoria Chiefs Game Summary: The Cubs split their double header with the Chiefs - winning the first and dropping the second. Cubs’ pitcher Ryan Gallagher made his professional debut in game 1 and looked good while doing it, allowing just 1 (unearned) run and striking out 3. He looked poised for a debut showing as well, allowing just 1 walk. Miguel Pabon and Cristian Hernandez combined to go 4-for-7, leading the Cubs to 4 runs off of just 6 hits. The Cubs continued to do their thing on the basepaths by drawing another 6 walks, and the pitching staff had good control of the zone, allowing just 2 to the Chiefs. Game 2 didn’t go quite as well as the 1st as starter Connor Schultz gave up 5 runs in 4 and ⅓ innings of work. His stuff looked great - striking out 5 and walking only 1 - but he couldn’t mitigate the damage to keep South Bend in the game. Preciado drove in a run in the 7th to bring the game tying run to the plate, but David Avitia popped up to end the game. Top Performers: Cristian Hernandez (SS): 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, R, SB – Another all around performance from Hernandez to keep the Cubs in the game. Ryan Gallagher: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 K - not a bad start, welcome to the pros, Ryan! Ivan Brethowr: 1-for-2, 2B, BB, R, SB - Brethowr continues to shine on the season slashing .304/.515/.4.78. Yovanny Cabrera: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 K April 13: Loss, 9-11 Opponent: Peoria Chiefs Game Summary: The Cubs drop a heartbreaker after a thrilling 7 run 7th inning rally behind some good old small ball. They got em on, got em over, and got em home.The had 8 singles, 10 walks, and 6 different players had at least 1 RBI, but ultimately the Cubs couldn’t stay on top as the pitching staff gave up 11 runs across 6 different pitchers. After going down early, the Cubs surged back. Drew Bowser started the scoring rally with a walk to bring in Reivaj Garcia and keep the bases loaded. Edgar Alvarez proceeds to do the same followed by a Carter Trice single to make the game 4-9. Rafael Morel reaches on an error, Cristian Hernandez walks, and Reivaj Garcia puts up an RBI single to close the gap to 8-9, but a wild pitch by Cubs pitcher Burl Callaway in the 8th brings the game to 8-11 and the Cubs fall just short of the team effort comeback. Top Performers: Drew Bowser (3B): 2-for-3, 2B, BB, HBP, RBI, 2R Reivaj Garcia (2B): 2-for-5, 2 RBI, BB Cristian Hernandez (DH): 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, 2 BB Low-A: Myrtle Beach (4-5) April 11: Loss, 9-10 Opponent: Carolina Mudcats Game Summary: Another heartbreaker in the minors as the Pelicans get walked off in the 12th inning on Friday despite the efforts of hopefully a star in the making but don’t count your chickens before they hatch Cole Mathis. He went 3-for-7 with 2 doubles, 3 runs, and an RBI. The Pelicans had a pro debut of their own as Christian Gordon took the mound, but unlike fellow minor leaguer Ryan Gallagher, his start didn’t go nearly as well. The Mudcats spat on Gordon, putting up 5 runs on 4 hits and a walk in just 1 inning pitched. It’s never fun to get rocked, it’s even worse to get rocked in your debut. Brighter days will come, Chris. Evan Aschenbeck piggybacked off of Gordons start, and it a nice contrast, pitched 5 innings of 2 hit and no run ball. Matt Halbach and Owen Ayers drove in 3 runs a piece en route to tying the game in the 9th, but unfortunately they couldn’t hang on and Pelicans reliever Luis Martinez-Gomez gave up the game winning run in the 12th. Top Performers: Evan Aschenbeck (RP): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 6 K - a valiant effort from Aschenbeck in relief to mitigate the damage. Cole Mathis (DH): 3-for-7, 2 2B, 3 R, RBI - Things haven’t been smooth sailing for Mathis, but hopefully a strong night like tonight can get him on track. Christopher Paciolla (3B): 4-for-6, 2 2B, 2 RBI April 12: Loss, 4-3 Opponent: Carolina Mudcats Game Summary: Another close game, another loss to the Pelicans at the hands of the Mudcats. Man, I hate losing to the Brewers, even when it’s low-A affiliates. JP Wheat pitched 4.1 innings to start the game and gave up 3 runs, but it’s Yenrri Rojas that ultimately picks up the loss in this one despite hurling 4.2 innings of 1 run ball. Another 8 Ks for the pitching staff, but the offense couldn’t quite get it done. The biggest highlight on the day was a solo shot from Center Fielder Leonel Espinoza. Espinoza added a double and Cole Mathis followed up on his performance from Friday to add another RBI, but an 8th inning sac fly from the Mudcats put the game out of reach. Top Performers: Leonel Espinoza (CF): 2-for-4, HR, 2B, RBI, 2R Yenrri Rojas (RP): 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K - a nice piggyback effort to pitch longer than the starter, but ultimately picks up the L. Jose Escobar (LF): 1-for-4, 2B April 13: Loss, 6-8 Opponent: Carolina Mudcats Game Summary: The Pelicans ended the weekend on Sunday night with their 3rd straight loss to the Mudcats and only managing to pick up 1 win in the 6 game series. Another day, another close team loss. Each of the Pelicans’ 3 pitchers gave up at least 2 runs and the offense only managed to muster up 4 hits on the night. Leonel Espinoza and Matt Halbach continued to look good early in the season adding 2 RBIs each Sunday night, but the pitching staff continued to look shaky against the Mudcats offense. Charlie Hurley picked up the loss giving up 3 runs in 2 innings of relief. The Pelicans went a measly 2-for-13 with RISP and left 10 on base. The team continues to play well around the margins but just can’t seem to put everything together. The team will look to bounce back on the road next week against the Augusta GreenJackets (4-5). Top Performers: Leonel Espinoza (CF): 1-for-2, 2 BB, HBP, 2 RBI, 2 SB - Espinoza continues to be a massive bright spot for the Pelicans this season. Angel Cepeda (2B): 1-for-4, 2B, BB, RBI, R, 3 SB View full article