Chicago Cubs Minor League Wrap: July 16

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were vaporized by the Las Vegas 51s (Mets), 11-5.

Pierce Johnson got knocked around for six runs on six hits in just 4.1 innings. Johnson walked four and struck out five.

Shortstop Munenori Kawasaki went 2 for 2 with a walk. He was also hit by a pitch. Kawasaki scored two runs and drove in two.

Second baseman Logan Watkins went 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies were cooked by the Montgomery Biscuits (Rays), 5-4 in ten innings.

Jen-Ho Tseng pitched well tonight, allowing just two runs on six hits over six innings. Tseng walked two and struck out four.

Manager Mark Johnson tried to get two innings out of closer David Berg tonight, and it cost him as Berg gave up the tying run in the bottom of the ninth on two singles and a sacrifice fly. Berg then exited and Stephen Perakslis pitched the tenth inning. The game ended when Perakslis surrendered a walk-off two-out home run to Jake Bauers.

The winning pitcher in this game was former Cub Jaye Chapman, if you were wondering what he is up to these days.

Catcher Victor Caratini hit a two-run home run in the top of the eighth to give the Smokies a 4-3 lead. Caratini was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Left fielder Bijan Rademacher was 3 for 4 with an RBI double earlier in the eighth. He scored on the Caratini home run. Rademacher also walked once.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans slipped past the Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox), 12-10 in 12 innings.

Starter Jake Stinnett pitched 5.1 innings and gave up seven runs on eleven hits. Two of the runs were unearned. Stinnett walked two and struck out one.

Daury Torrez was summoned in the bottom of the ninth to preserve a 10-7 lead, but he couldn't do it. Torrez gave up hits to the first five batters he faced to tie up the game, and then he walked the bases-loaded with no outs. Torrez then sent the game into extra innings by striking out the next three batters. That's being the goat and the hero in the same inning.

DH Ian Rice broke the 10-10 tie in the 12th inning with an RBI single. Rice was 1 for 4 with three walks. Rice had two total RBI.

Shortstop Gleyber Torres had a pair of doubles and four RBI tonight. Torres was 2 for 4 with three walks and a steal. He scored twice.

Left fielder Charcer Burks went 2 for 5 with a double and a walk. He also stole a base and scored twice.

Catcher Tyler Pearson went 3 for 5 with a walk and two runs scored.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs caged the Kane County Cougars (Diamondbacks), 5-2.

Adbert Alzolay started and got the win. He allowed two runs on seven hits over six innings. Alzolay struck out two and walked one.

Tommy Nance pitched the final three innings for his first save in organized ball. (Nance had some saves pitching for Windy City in the independent Frontier League.) Nance allowed no runs and just one hit. He struck out three and walked nobody.

Center fielder Donnie Dewees hit his league-leading 12th triple in the seventh, scoring shortstop Andruw Monasterio. Dewees was 2 for 4 with two total RBI and one run scored. Monasterio was 2 for 5 with a stolen base and two runs scored.

Catcher Tyler Alamo was 2 for 4 with a double. He scored once and drove one run in.

Eugene Emeralds

The Eugene Emeralds, despite committing seven errors, tidied up the Tri-City Dust Devils (Padres), 4-3.

Starter Jesus Castillo pitched four innings and allowed two runs on three hits. The bigger issue was that he walked three and hit a batter. Castillo struck out two.

Enrique De Los Rosa got the win with 2.1 innings of relief. He allowed one unearned run on four hits. He walked one and struck out two.

Jared Cheek got his sixth save. He pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing two hits. Cheek struck out one and walked no one.

The Emeralds didn't have a hit until Kevonte Mitchell broke up the no-hitter in the seventh inning. with a bunt single after Tri-City reliever Evan Miller walked the first two batters of the inning. That opened the door to a four-run inning, highlighted by D.J. Wilson's bases-loaded, three-run double. Wilson and Mitchell were both 1 for 3. The Ems had three hits total in this game, all in the seventh.

The win reduces the Ems magic number to clinch a first-half title to five with nine games to play.

AZL Cubs

Beat the Diamondbacks, 9-3.