The season is turning around for our Iowa Cubs. At least I hope so.
It’s all day games for the Cubs system tonight, so you get the Minor League Wrap early and I get the night off.
Iowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs won their fifth-straight game with a 4-2 win over the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals). The win improves Iowa’s record to 10-21 and puts them just percentage points behind Omaha for third place in the division. (Small victories here.)
Alec Mills got his first win of the season after allowing just two runs on seven hits over 6.2 innings. He struck out seven and walked two.
Cory Mazzoni faced five hitters and retired them all for his first save of the season and only the second of his professional career. Mazzoni struck out one.
DH Ali Solis had an RBI double in the fourth inning and later scored Iowa’s third run of the game to give Iowa the lead for good. Solis was 3 for 4 with two total RBI.
Shortstop Ryan Court was 2 for 5. He scored one run and he drove home Solis in the fourth inning. First baseman Efren Navarro was 2 for 5 with an RBI.
Second baseman Chesny Young was 2 for 5.
Right fielder Bijan Rademacher was a perfect 1 for 1 with three walks.
Tennessee Smokies
The Tennessee Smokies were tripped up by the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins), 3-2 in ten innings.
The Smokies wasted a terrific start from Thomas Hatch, who allowed just two runs on seven hits over seven innings. One of those hits was a solo home run. Hatch had an impressive nine strikeouts and he only walked one.
Jake Stinnett pitched the tenth inning and got the loss without really allowing a baserunner. After Tennessee failed to score int he top of the inning, the Jacksonville runner who started the inning on second base was bunted over to third. After two intentional walks to load the bases, an error by second baseman Carlos Penalver ended the game. The run was unearned, as are all of those runners that start on second.
First baseman Yasiel Balaguert gave the Smokies a 2-1 lead with a solo home run in the sixth inning. It was Balaguert’s second home run of the year. Unfortunately, the Smokies did not have another hit the rest of the game. Balaguert was 1 for 4.
Myrtle Beach Pelicans
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans sank against the Down East Wood Ducks (Rangers), 4-2 in ten innings.
Starter Bryan Hudson allowed just one run on three hits over six innings. Hudson struck out five and walked no one.
After the Pelicans scored a run in the top of the tenth, Wyatt Short came in to get the save. Unfortunately, he gave up a leadoff single to put runners on first and third and then a walk-off three-run home run.
DH PJ Higgins was 2 for 5 with one run scored. Catcher Jhonny Pereda was 2 for 4 with a walk.
South Bend Cubs
The South Bend Cubs robbed the Burlington Bees’s honey (Angels), 4-2.
Tyler Thomas pitched the first four innings and gave up two runs on seven hits. Thomas walked one and struck out four.
Brendan King pitched the next three innings without allowing a run for his first win of his pro career. King gave up three hits and he walked one. King struck out five.
Ben Hecht continued these first with his first professional save. He gave up three hits and a walk over the final two innings, but no runs. Hecht struck out three.
DH Miguel Amaya broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning with a two-run home run, his fifth of the season. Amaya was 2 for 4 and scored twice.
First baseman Austin Filiere went 2 for 3 with a walk and he scored on Amaya’s home run.