CBT847

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report - May 22 Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals): Redbirds lead, 3-1 Season Record: 19–29 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series vs. Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays): Biscuits lead, 2-0 Season Record: 21–20 High-A South Bend Cubs Series at West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers): Cubs lead, 3-1 Season Record: 23–16 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series at Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Chicago White Sox): Cannon Ballers lead, 4-0 Season Record: 18–23 Affiliate Highlights Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 19–29 Series Opponent: Memphis Redbirds (30–19) Series Standing: Trail, 3-1 May 22: The Iowa Cubs dropped Friday night’s contest to the Memphis Redbirds, 8-4, and have now lost 10 of their last 11 ballgames. The Redbirds plated five runs in their first trip to the plate but the Cubs were able to get two runs back in the bottom of the inning thanks to BJ Murray’s (2-for-4) two-run double. Murray then made it a 5-4 game in the second with a two-run single but Memphis would pull away with a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth to ease to the 8-4 win. Javier Assad got the start for Iowa and took the loss, falling to 0-1 on the season. Assad allowed five runs on six hits over 3 2/3 innings of work, walking two and striking out one. Luke Little worked two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, issuing one free pass. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 21–20 Series Opponent: Montgomery Biscuits (22–19) Series Standing: Trail, 2-0 May 22: The Knoxville Smokies had their game vs. the Montgomery Biscuits suspended in the bottom of the second, with the Smokies leading 1-0. The two teams will play a doubleheader tonight, with Friday’s game being played as a nine-inning contest with a seven-inning ballgame to follow. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 23–16 Series Opponent: West Michigan Whitecaps (14–19) Series Standing: Lead, 3-1 May 22: The South Bend Cubs claimed at least a series split with a 5-4 victory over the West Michigan Whitecaps on Friday night at LMCU Ballpark. The Whitecaps took the lead in the contest with a run in the first but the Cubs got that run right back in the second through Justin Stransky’s (1-for-4) RBI-double. Cameron Sisneros (1-for-4) gave South Bend its first lead of the game with an RBI-single in the fifth but West Michigan hit back with three runs in the home half of the frame to take a 4-2 lead. Kane Kepley (1-for-5) sparked the Cubs’ rally in the seventh by stealing home, his 24th stolen base of the campaign, and South Bend would tie the game on an error. Leonel Espinoza (2-for-5) would give the Cubs the lead for good with an RBI-single, capping a three-run frame. Adam Stone picked up the win in relief for South Bend to improve to 3-0 on the season. He tossed 1 2/3 scoreless frames and did not allow a hit but issued four walks. JP Wheat worked two shutout innings and struck out three to earn his third hold of the year and Ethan Bell pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out two, to earn his third save. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 18–23 Series Opponent: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (22–21) Series Standing: Trail, 4-0 May 22: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans saw their losing skid hit six games as they dropped Friday night’s ballgame to the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, 3-2. The two teams traded zeroes through the first three innings before Yahil Melendez (2-for-4) broke the deadlock with a two-run single in the fourth. After four scoreless innings from Pelicans starter Kaleb Wing, who struck out six batters, the Cannon Ballers would score all three of their runs in the fifth and would hold their lead until the end of the game. Jose Escobar (2-for-4) also tallied a multi-hit effort for Myrtle Beach and Jordan Henriquez worked two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, whiffing three. View full article

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report - May 19 Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals): Redbirds lead, 1-0 Season Record: 18–27 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series vs. Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays): Biscuits lead, 1-0 Season Record: 21–19 High-A South Bend Cubs Series at West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers): Whitecaps lead, 1-0 Season Record: 20–16 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series at Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Chicago White Sox): Cannon Ballers lead, 1-0 Season Record: 18–20 Affiliate Highlights Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 18–27 Series Opponent: Memphis Redbirds (28–18) Series Standing: Trail, 1-0 May 19: The Iowa Cubs saw their losing streak reach eight games after suffering a 6-3 defeat to the Memphis Redbirds on Tuesday at Principal Park. The Redbirds took the lead in the first but Kevin Alcántara (1-for-5) was able to bring the Cubs level with an RBI-single in the third. The teams traded runs in the fifth, with James Triantos (2-for-4) tying the game for Iowa at 2-2 with an RBI-triple. Memphis went ahead for a third time on the night with a run in the seventh and doubled its lead with another in the eighth to make it 4-2. Justin Dean’s (1-for-3) solo shot in the eighth cut the deficit to one but the Redbirds pulled away with two runs in the ninth to earn the series-opening win. Ryan Jensen got the bulk of work in relief after I-Cubs starter Connor Noland departed in the second following being struck by a comebacker in the right leg. Jensen worked 2 1/3 scoreless frames, allowing just two hits while striking out four. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 21–19 Series Opponent: Montgomery Biscuits (21–19) Series Standing: Trail, 1-0 May 19: The Knoxville Smokies opened their series against the Montgomery Biscuits with a 3-1 defeat on Tuesday night at Covenant Health Park. The Biscuits jumped out to a 3-0 lead after scoring twice in the second and adding their third in the third. The Smokies finally got on the board in the seventh when Edgar Alvarez (1-for-2) doubled home Ed Howard (1-for-1). Knoxville would be held to just five hits in the ballgame with no batter able to record a multi-hit effort. Yenrri Rojas started on the mound for the Smokies, taking the loss and falling to 1-3 on the year. Rojas allowed three runs on six hits over five innings of work, striking out four while issuing no walks. Jace Beck worked three scoreless frames in relief, yielding one hit while punching out seven. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 20–16 Series Opponent: West Michigan Whitecaps (14–16) Series Standing: Trail, 1-0 May 19: The South Bend Cubs dropped their series opener to the West Michigan Whitecaps, 6-4, on Tuesday night at LMCU Ballpark. The Whitecaps plated a run in both the second and third innings before the Cubs got on the board in the sixth through an RBI-single from Kade Snell (1-for-4). West Michigan responded with four runs in the home half of the sixth to make it a 6-1 game. South Bend was able to make it 6-4 in the seventh thanks to a three-run blast from Kane Kepley (1-for-4), his second of the season. The Cubs weren’t able to rally further, ultimately dropping the contest. Nazier Mulé suffered the loss in the start, allowing one run on one hit over 1 1/3 innings of work, but issued four walks to go along with three strikeouts. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 18–20 Series Opponent: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (19–21) Series Standing: Trail, 1-0 May 19: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans saw their losing skid his three games as they dropped their series opener to the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, 3-1. Pelicans starter Pierce Coppola set career-best marks in innings pitched (5 1/3) and strikeouts (9) but allowed three runs on one hit and three walks and was handed the loss, falling to 0-2 on the campaign. The Cannon Ballers took the lead with a run in the fourth and would later make it 3-0 with two runs in the sixth. Myrtle Beach got their lone run of the contest in the seventh on Jose Escobar’s (2-for-3) RBI-single. Mason McGwire worked 1 2/3 scoreless frames out of the bullpen, striking out one. McGwire has posted a 1.93 ERA (3 ER/14.0 IP) in four appearances this month, striking out 20 while issuing just four walks. View full article

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report - May 17 Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series at Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers): Sounds win, 6-0 Season Record: 18–26 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series at Columbus Clingstones (Atlanta Braves): Tied, 3-3 Season Record: 21–18 High-A South Bend Cubs Series at Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Milwaukee Brewers): Cubs win, 4-1 Season Record: 20–15 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series vs. Augusta GreenJackets (Atlanta Braves): GreenJackets win, 4-2 Season Record: 18–19 Affiliate Highlights Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 18–26 Series Opponent: Nashville Sounds (26–19) Series Standing: Lose, 6-0 May 17: The Iowa Cubs saw their losing streak reach seven games as they fell, 4-3, to the Nashville Sounds on Sunday at First Horizon Park. This marks the first time this season that the Cubs have been swept in a series. Scott Kingery (1-for-3) put Iowa on the board first with a sacrifice fly in the second. Paul Campbell, who did not factor in the decision, turned in his best start of the season, firing five innings of scoreless ball, allowing two hits and striking out four. The Sounds evened the contest in the sixth but Kingery gave the Cubs the lead right back with an RBI-double in the seventh. James Triantos (3-for-4) delivered what looked to be an important insurance run in the ninth when he singled home Justin Dean, but Nashville would score three times in the home half of the inning to hand Iowa the 4-3 defeat in walk-off fashion. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 21–18 Series Opponent: Columbus Clingstones (19–19) Series Standing: Tied, 3-3 May 17: The Knoxville Smokies earned a series split with a 4-3 triumph over the Columbus Clingstones on Sunday at Synovus Park. Alex Ramírez (2-for-4) gave the Smokies the lead in the third with an RBI-single but the Clingstones would go ahead in the fourth by scoring twice. Columbus would then make it a 3-1 game through an inside-the-park home run in the eighth. In the ninth, Knoxville had its first two batters retired quickly but Jordan Nwogu (0-for-3) and Ariel Armas (0-for-3) were able to draw back-to-back walks. Edgar Alvarez (1-for-3) would then club his fourth home run of the season to give the Smokies a 4-3 lead. Marino Santy earned his first save of the season by turning in a scoreless ninth, whiffing two, to seal the comeback victory for Knoxville. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 20–15 Series Opponent: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (20–16) Series Standing: Win, 4-1 May 17: The South Bend Cubs had their series finale at the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers canceled due to rain. The contest will not be rescheduled. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 18–19 Series Opponent: Augusta GreenJackets (21–18) Series Standing: Lose, 4-2 May 17: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans dropped their series to the Augusta GreenJackets following Sunday’s 7-4 defeat at Pelicans Ballpark. The GreenJackets scored twice in their first trip to the plate but the Pelicans were able to level the contest with two runs in the third thanks to Alexis Hernandez’ (1-for-3) first home run of the season. Both teams would score twice in the fifth, with Myrtle Beach getting its runs through an RBI-single from Edward Vargas (2-for-3) and a sacrifice fly from Darlyn De Leon (0-for-3). Augusta would make it 7-4 with three runs in the seventh and kept the Pelican bats quiet for the rest of the ballgame to hand Myrtle Beach the loss. David Bracho started for the Pelicans but did not factor into the decision. He allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits over four innings of work to go along with a pair of strikeouts. View full article

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. View full article

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report - May 12 Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series at Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers): Sounds lead, 1-0 Season Record: 18–21 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series at Columbus Clingstones (Atlanta Braves): Smokies lead, 1-0 Season Record: 19–15 High-A South Bend Cubs Series at Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Milwaukee Brewers): Cubs lead, 1-0 Season Record: 17–14 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series vs. Augusta GreenJackets (Atlanta Braves): GreenJackets lead, 1-0 Season Record: 16–16 Affiliate Highlights Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 18–21 Series Opponent: Nashville Sounds (21–19) Series Standing: Trail, 1-0 May 12: The Iowa Cubs opened their series at the Nashville Sounds with a 9-3 defeat on Tuesday night at First Horizon Park. Pedro Ramírez (0-for-3) got the Cubs on the board in the first when he scored on a passed ball but the Sounds would even the score at 1-1 with a run in the second. Nashville went ahead with two runs in the third but James Triantos (1-for-3) would get Iowa back within one with a sacrifice fly in the fourth. The hosts plated a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning to go up 5-2 and then would break the game open with four in the fifth to take a 9-2 lead. Justin Dean (1-for-5) tallied an RBI-single in the seventh but that was all for the I-Cubs offense in the contest, falling 9-3. Paul Campbell took the loss in the start, allowing five runs on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings of work, striking out four and issuing four walks. BJ Murray went 3-for-3 on the night to raise his batting average to .314 (11-for-35) in the month of May. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 19–15 Series Opponent: Columbus Clingstones (16–17) Series Standing: Lead, 1-0 May 12: The Knoxville Smokies opened their series at the Columbus Clingstones with an 8-2 victory on Tuesday night at Synovus Park. Karson Simas (1-for-4) led off the game with a solo blast, his fourth of the season, but the Clingstones evened the score with a run of their own in the bottom half of the frame. Alex Ramírez (2-for-4) went yard for the second time of the campaign, a solo shot, to give the Smokies a 2-1 lead. Knoxville scored again in third through a sacrifice fly from Ramírez but Columbus would get that run back later in the inning to make it 3-2. Andy Garriola’s (2-for-5) eighth home run of the year in the eighth made it 4-2 and the Smokies would put the game out of reach with four in the ninth. Ramírez would pick up RBI No.'s 3 and 4 with a single and Jordon Nwogu (1-for-4) would later swipe home. Edgar Alvarez’ (2-for-5) RBI-double would cap the scoring in the inning as Knoxville cruised to the 8-2 win. Yenrri Rojas started for Knoxville but did not factor into the decision. He allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits over 3 1/3 innings of work, striking out four. Tyler Ras picked up the win in relief to improve to 3-0 on the season. He retired all five of his batters faced, striking out two. Vince Reilly earned his third save of the season by tossing two scoreless frames to end the ballgame, whiffing four batters. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 17–14 Series Opponent: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (19–13) Series Standing: Lead, 1-0 May 12: The South Bend Cubs opened their series at the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers with a dominant 10-1 victory on Tuesday night at Neuroscience Group Field. The two teams traded runs in their first trips to the plate, with Cole Mathis’ (3-for-5) RBI-double getting the Cubs on the board. Kane Kepley (2-for-5) gave South Bend the lead for good with a three-run blast in the second, his first of the season, to make it 4-1. Koen Moreno turned in another solid start but did not factor into the decision. He turned in four hitless innings, allowing one run, to go along with six strikeouts. Grayson Moore earned the win in relief to improve to 2-0 of the season. Moore worked two scoreless frames, allowing just one hit and striking out two. The Cubs used a six-spot in the seventh to put the game out of reach, thanks to a sacrifice fly from Cameron Sisneros (2-for-5), a bases-loaded walk drawn by Kade Snell (1-for-4), productive RBI-outs from Matt Halbach (0-for-5) and Leonel Espinoza (1-for-5), and Christian Olivo (1-for-3) getting plunked with the bases loaded. The South Bend pitching staff held Wisconsin to just three hits on the night while the Cubs’ offense had four batters record multi-hit efforts. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 16–16 Series Opponent: Augusta GreenJackets (18–16) Series Standing: Trail, 0-1 May 12: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans, back in action for the first time since Friday, dropped their series opener to the Augusta GreenJackets, 4-3. The Pelicans took a 2-0 lead in their first trip to the plate thanks to RBI-singles from Michael Carico (2-for-4) and Jose Escobar (1-for-4). The two teams traded runs in the second, with Myrtle Beach restoring their two-run advantage through Alexey Lumpuy’s (1-for-5) RBI-single in the home half of the inning. Augusta would plate a run in the fifth and later tie the game at 3-3 with another run in the seventh. The GreenJackets would score the go-ahead run in the ninth and keep the Pelicans off the board to earn the 4-3 win. David Bracho got the start for Myrtle Beach but did not factor into the decision. Bracho allowed one run, unearned, on two hits over four innings of work to go along with five strikeouts. Bracho recorded an immaculate inning in the third, marking the first time a Pelican has recorded such a feat, according to the team’s record book. View full article

Jaxon WigginsJefferson RojasKevin AlcantaraEthan ConradKane KepleyPedro RamirezJonathon LongJosiah HartshornCole MathisJames TriantosAngel CepedaJuan CabadaOwen AyersBrooks CapleTy SouthiseneDominick ReidJostin FlorentinoKaleb WingBrandon BirdsellWill Sanders

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report - May 10 Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Guardians): Tie, 3–3 Season Record: 18–20 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series vs. Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox): Smokies win, 5-1 Season Record: 18–15 High-A South Bend Cubs Series vs. Lansing Lugnuts (Athletics): Cubs win, 4-2 Season Record: 16–14 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series at Hickory Crawdads (Texas Rangers): Pelicans win, 3-1 Season Record: 16–15 Affiliate Highlights Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 18–20 Series Opponent: Columbus Clippers (20–19) Series Standing: Tie, 3-3 May 10: The Iowa Cubs split their series with the Columbus Clippers following a 9-4 defeat on Sunday at Principal Park. The Clippers took a 3-0 lead by putting up a three-spot in the third and pushed their advantage to 5-0 with two more runs in the fifth. Casey Opitz’s (1-for-4) got the Cubs on the board with an RBI-single in the home half of the inning to break the scoring run. Columbus got that run back in the sixth and scored once in the eighth to go ahead 7-1. Pedro Ramírez (2-for-4) launched a two-run shot in the bottom of the frame, his ninth, but the Clippers answered again with two runs in the ninth to make it 9-3. Jonathan Long (1-for-4) brought home a run with a double but Iowa could not rally further, falling 9-4. Ty Blach was saddled with the loss in the start, allowing three runs, all unearned, on four hits over three innings of work, striking out two. Tyler Ferguson, making his organizational debut, worked a perfect seventh inning, firing two strikeouts. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 18–15 Series Opponent: Birmingham Barons (14–19) Series Standing: Win, 5-1 May 10: The Knoxville Smokies capped off their dominant series win over the Birmingham Barons with a 7-2 victory on Sunday at Covenant Health Park. The two teams traded zeroes through the first five innings of the contest, with Smokies starter Jace Beck working three of those innings. Beck allowed just three hits to go along with two strikeouts and no walks issued. The Barons found the breakthrough in the sixth with a run and kept Knoxville off the board in the home half of the frame for the shutdown inning. The Smokie offense erupted for seven runs after the stretch, with Carter Trice (1-for-4) crushing a grand slam to start the scoring. Alex Ramírez (1-for-4) and Jefferson Rojas (1-for-4) each turned in RBI-singles and Andy Garriola (1-for-3) capped the outburst with an RBI-double. Evan Taylor worked the final two innings of the ballgame, allowing no runs to go along with four strikeouts, keeping Birmingham off the board and helping Knoxville to the 7-2 win. Nick Dean picked up the win in relief to improve to 4-1 on the season, allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits over four innings of work, totalling six strikeouts. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 16–14 Series Opponent: Lansing Lugnuts (13–20) Series Standing: Win, 4-2 May 10: The South Bend Cubs fell to the Lansing Lugnuts, 8-3, on Sunday at Four Winds Field. Despite the setback, the Cubs still took the series, 4-2, for their first series win since April 14-19. The Lugnuts struck first in the contest, scoring four times in the fourth. The visitors added a run in the seventh before Ty Southisene’s (0-for-4) RBI-groundout in the eighth halted the scoring run. Lansing hit back with three runs in the ninth to make it 8-1. Drew Bowser (1-for-3) and Christian Olivo (1-for-3) drew walks with the bases loaded in the bottom half of the frame but South Bend would leave them loaded to end the game, falling 8-3. Jostin Florentino suffered the loss in the start, allowing four runs on three hits over 3 2/3 innings of work, walking two and striking out four. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 16–15 Series Opponent: Hickory Crawdads (17–14) Series Standing: Win, 3-1 May 10: Due to a fire in the visiting clubhouse at L.P. Frans Stadium, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans had both of their games on Saturday and Sunday canceled. View full article

Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Guardians): Tied, 2–2 Season Record: 17–19 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series vs. Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox): Smokies lead, 3-0 Season Record: 16–15 High-A South Bend Cubs Series vs. Lansing Lugnuts (Athletics): Cubs lead, 4-0 Season Record: 16–12 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series at Hickory Crawdads (Texas Rangers): Pelicans lead, 3-1 Season Record: 16–15 Affiliate Highlights Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 17–19 Series Opponent: Columbus Clippers (19–18) Series Standing: Tied, 2-2 May 8: The Iowa Cubs evened their series against the Columbus Clippers with a 13-12 victory on Friday night at Principal Park. The Clippers took a 6-0 lead with two runs in the first and four in the second before the Cubs were able to plate two in the second. Iowa’s offense erupted with six runs in the fourth to take an 8-6 lead. Jonathon Long (3-for-4) drew a walk with the bases loaded, and James Triantos (2-for-5) then followed with a two-run single. Owen Miller’s (3-for-5) first home run of the season, a three-run blast, gave the I-Cubs the lead. Iowa added to their advantage with three more in the fifth, with Justin Dean (2-for-5) launching a two-run shot and Kevin Alcántara (1-for-5) and Long picking up RBI-singles. Eric Yang (1-for-5) made it 12-6 in the sixth with a solo home run, his third of the season. The two teams traded runs in the eighth, with Miller hitting his second home run of the campaign. Columbus scored five times in the ninth and would put the go-ahead run on first, but Iowa was able to hold on for the 13-12 win. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 16–15 Series Opponent: Birmingham Barons (14–17) Series Standing: Lead, 3-1 May 8: The Knoxville Smokies earned at least a series split by sweeping their doubleheader over the Birmingham Barons, winning the opener, 8-1, before escaping with a 3-2 victory in the nightcap. Game 1: Despite being held to just one hit in the ballgame, the Smokies were able to come away with an 8-1 victory to open the twinbill, benefitting from 10 walks at the plate. Knoxville took a 1-0 lead in the third when Jefferson Rojas (0-for-3) drew a walk with the bases loaded. The Smokies took a commanding 8-0 lead with a seven-run fourth, scoring once on a wild pitch, drawing four walks with the bases loaded, and Owen Ayers (1-for-2) clearing the bases with a three-run double. The Barons finally got on the board in the sixth, but the hosts would prevent them from rallying further and cruise to a 1-0 lead. Brooks Caple took no decision in his start, firing 3 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just two hits and striking out six. Marino Santy picked up the win in relief, tossing 2 1/3 frames of one-run ball, yielding two hits and whiffing four. Game 2: Knoxville rode their dominant pitching in game 1 into game 2, with the pitching staff allowing just two runs on three hits to help the squad to a 3-2 win and a doubleheader sweep. After the two teams traded zeroes through two, the Smokies took the lead in the third on Jordan Nwogu’s (2-for-3) RBI-single, with another run scoring on an error during the play. Nwogu would eventually collect his second RBI of the contest in the fifth, giving Knoxville a 3-0 lead. The Barons would score twice in the seventh and bring the go-ahead run to the plate, but Tyler Santana was eventually able to shut the door and convert his first save of the season in multi-inning fashion. Dawson Netz improved to 2-0 on the campaign by firing five scoreless innings in his start, allowing no hits and striking out eight. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 16–12 Series Opponent: Lansing Lugnuts (11–20) Series Standing: Lead, 4-0 May 8: The South Bend Cubs extended their winning streak to four games and clinched a series win over the Lansing Lugnuts with a 14-6 comeback victory on Friday night at Four Winds Field. The Lugnuts took a 2-0 lead after the first and added another run in the third. The Cubs got on the board in the bottom half of the frame when Christian Olivo (4-for-4) raced home on a passed ball. Olivo would pull South Bend within a run by drawing a walk with the bases in the fourth, and Kane Kepley (0-for-5) followed by getting hit by a pitch to tie the game at 3-3. The Cubs took control of the game by scoring five times in the fifth to take an 8-3 lead. Matt Halbach (1-for-2) and Leonel Espinoza (2-for-5) plated runs with RBI singles, and Olivo slugged a three-run blast, his third of the season. Six more runs from South Bend put the game well out of reach, with Alex Madera (3-for-5) and Justin Stransky (1-for-4) each having hits that drove in two runs and Olivo going yard again, this time a two-run shot. Lansing scored three in the ninth and was eventually handed the 14-6 defeat. Kenyi Perez picked up the win in relief to improve to 1-0 on the season. He allowed no runs and no hits over 1 2/3 innings of work, striking out five. Ethan Flanagan converted a four-inning save, his second of the year, allowing three runs on seven hits and whiffing five batters. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 16–15 Series Opponent: Hickory Crawdads (17–14) Series Standing: Lead, 3-1 May 8: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans clinched at least a series split with a 6-2 victory, in 10 innings, over the Hickory Crawdads at L.P. Frans Stadium. Darlyn De Leon’s (1-for-3) first home run of the year in the second gave the Pelicans the lead, and Josiah Hartshorn (2-for-4) followed with a solo shot of his own in the third to put Myrtle Beach up 2-0. Dominick Reid, who did not factor in the decision, posted five scoreless innings in his start, allowing just one hit and striking out six without issuing a walk. The Crawdads evened up the contest in the eighth, and the ballgame would eventually head to extras. In the top of the 10th, Alexey Lumpuy (2-for-5) put the Pelicans in front with an RBI-single, and Michael Carico (0-for-4) added to the lead with an RBI-groundout. Jose Escobar (2-for-5) delivered the decisive blow with a two-run double to make it 6-2. Jordan Henriquez retired the side in order in the bottom half of the frame to improve to 2-1 on the season. Henriquez retired all six of the batters he faced, striking out four. View full article