Chicago Cubs Minor League Wrap: June 22

I’m enjoying seeing Italian soccer fans on the internet ask “Did the Cubs do anything since the Ricketts bought the team?”

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs snapped their seven-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Brewers).

Trevor Clifton started and didn’t give up a hit until the fourth inning. But then he gave up a single and a two-run home run. The final line on Clifton was three runs on five hits over five innings. Clifton did dominate the strike zone with six strikeouts and only one walk.

Dillon Maples pitched the top of the ninth inning and got the win. Maples gave up a two-out walk and that runner stole second, but he retired the other three batters in the inning without incident. He struck out one.

David Bote walked with the bases-loaded in the bottom of the ninth to end the game. He also had a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning and the I-Cubs came back from a 3-1 deficit in the eighth. Bote was 0 for 2 with two walks.

Right fielder Bijan Rademacher was 3 for 4. Catcher Victor Caratini was 2 for 4 with a walk and an RBI single in the sixth inning.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies fell to the Mobile BayBears (Diamondbacks), 7-6.

Oscar De La Cruz had a rough start as he was touched for six runs on five hits and five walks in just four innings. He did strike out four.

Jordan Minch threw three innings of relief without allowing a hit and Ryan McNeil pitched the eighth inning without allowing a hit, although he did walk two. That led to Craig Brooks pitching the ninth inning. Brooks gave up a leadoff double and then after a strikeout, he threw a wild pitch and then allowed a walk-off single.

Third baseman Jason Vosler hit a three-run home run in the third inning, his 12th home run this season. Vosler also had a double in a 2 for 5 night.

Right fielder Eddy Martinez was 2 for 4 with an RBI double in the second inning. He then scored on a single by Jesse Hodges, who was 2 for 3 with a walk. Hodges also scored one run.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Rained out. Doubleheader in Lynchburg on Saturday.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs pierced the Dayton Dragons (Reds), 3-2.

Jesus Camargo started and got the win. Camargo allowed two runs on five hits over five innings. He walked one and struck out five.

Ben Hecht pitched a perfect ninth inning for the save. He struck out one.

South Bend scored all three runs in the fourth inning. DH Michael Cruz had an RBI double in the fourth. He was 2 for 4 with two doubles.

Eugene Emeralds

The Eugene Emeralds tripped up the Hillsboro Hops (Diamondbacks), 6-2.

Starter Jeffrey Passantino allowed the first four batters of the bottom of the first inning to reach and he gave up two runs. After that, he shut down the Hops’ batters for the next 4.2 innings. The final line on Passantino was two runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out seven. Passantino also hit one batter.

Because Passantino didn’t go five, the win went to Sean Berry, who pitched 1.1 innings in relief of Passantino. Berry gave up one single in the sixth inning. He struck out the other four batters he faced.

Passantino, Berry, Luis Aquino and Mitch Stophel combined to strike out 14 batters.

Right fielder Jonathan Sierra hit his first home run of the season in the top of the second inning. He was 1 for 3 with a walk. Sierra scored a second run in the top of the ninth on a two-out, two-run home run by third baseman Christopher Morel. It was also Morel’s first home run of the season. He was 1 for 4.

AZL Cubs

Cubs 1 beat Giants Black, 7-2.

Cubs 2 lost to the White Sox, 9-3.

Cubs 2 had an outfielder pitch the final 1.1 innings of this game and it was only 7-3 when he came into the game. That’s a pretty strong indicator that they’d better get those draft picks signed and ready for game action. Either that, or going to two rookie ball teams was a mistake.