Cubs Arizona Fall League update

It’s Friday, which means it’s time we take a look at the Cubs in the Arizona Fall League!

The big news is tomorrow’s “Fall Stars” game. Cubs pitchers Adbert Alzolay and Jake Stinnett and infielder David Bote were all named to the team. Former Cubs pitcher James Farris, whom the Cubs traded to the Rockies for Eddie Butler, is also on the East team’s roster. You can watch the game at 7:00 p.m. CT on MLB Network and there will be a game thread here. Baseball season never stops.

The Mesa Solar Sox had a good week, going 5-1 and taking a 1½-game lead over Scottsdale for first place in the East Division. Mesa has an overall record of 12-8, which is tied with West division leader Peoria for the best record in the AFL.

Hitters:

David Bote: Bote has cooled off a bit from his torrid start to the AFL, going just 3 for 16 with a double and a walk. Overall, Bote is still one of the top hitters in the league this fall with a slash line of .357/.429/.607 with four home runs and 11 RBI.

Charcer Burks: In contrast, Burks has turned his Fall campaign around with a big week. Burks played in five games and went 7 for 19 with two doubles, two walks and a stolen base. That gives Burks an overall line of .268/.318/.366 over ten games.

Ian Rice: Catcher Rice played in three games this past week and was 1 for 10 with a walk. Rice’s overall numbers in the AFL are still strong though, hitting .303/.425/.424 over ten games and 33 at-bats.

Jason Vosler: Vosler also had a better week after a rough start the Fall. He hit his second home run of the season on Wednesday. This past week, Vosler played in four games and went 5 for 14 with two doubles, the home run and three walks. His overall line still isn’t great, however, with a slash line of .228/.333/.404 with two home runs, four doubles and 11 RBI. But it’s definitely moving in the right direction.

Pitchers:

Adbert Alzolay: Alzolay had a Halloween horror story, allowing six runs, including three home runs, in just two-thirds of an inning on Tuesday. He got the loss in that game, his first decision of the season. Alzolay’s other relief appearance this week was another one of his more typical two scoreless innings. The one bad outing has soured his overall numbers to a 5.91 ERA, but six of the seven runs he’s allowed in the AFL came in that one game.

Alzolay has struck out 12 batters and walked just three in 10⅔ innings.

Pedro Araujo: Araujo made two relief appearances in the past week totalling 2⅓ innings. He did not allow a baserunner in either of them and he struck out two. Araujo sports a 1.42 ERA in 6⅓ innings over six appearances. He has not allowed a run since giving up a home run on Opening Day and has only allowed one hit since then. Araujo has eight strikeouts this fall and hasn’t walked anyone.

Alec Mills: Mills made one start this past week, going four innings and surrendering two runs on five hits on Saturday. He struck out four and walked two. Mills’ overall numbers are 1-2 with a 4.80 ERA. He does have 14 strikeouts and 3 walks over 15 innings.

Jake Stinnett: Stinnett made two relief appearances this past week. He pitched two perfect innings in one and faced one batter successfully in the other. Stinnett has not allowed a run since his first appearance of the season. Stinnett has made five appearances in the AFL, totalling 7⅔ innings. He sports a 2.35 ERA and has struck out ten and walked three batters.