Chicago Cubs Minor League Wrap: May 21

Cubs reliever Jason Adam suffered an “open dislocation of the ankle” today in batting practice in Des Moines. Obviously we wish a speedy recovery to Adam, but he’s clearly going to miss a lot of time.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs took a 9-3 lead into the ninth inning and hung on for a 9-8 win over the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals).

Shelby Miller made another rehab start tonight and went four innings. Miller allowed three runs, two earned, on only one hit. That hit was a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Miller walked two and struck out six.

The win went to Michael Rucker, who tossed two scoreless innings in relief of Miller. Rucker allowed just one hit. He did not walk anyone and he struck out one.

Adrian Sampson took over for Rucker and pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings. But then manager Marty Pevey left him in to pitch the ninth and he got hammered for four home runs, including back-to-back-to-back home runs after two were out. That got the game to 9-8 when Ryan Meisinger got called in to finish out the game. He got a ground out to the only batter he faced and the save.

Shortstop Sergio Alcantara led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run, his second of the season. Alcantara was 1 for 3 with two walks. He scored twice.

The day after he hit his first two home runs of 2021, first baseman Patrick Wisdom connected for a grand slam in the seventh inning. Wisdom was 1 for 2 with two walks. He scored twice and had the four runs batted in.

Catcher Tyler Gushue went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. Gushue knocked home two runs this evening.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies lost to the Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers), 8-6.

Rough start tonight for Luis Lugo, who took the loss after surrendering seven runs on seven hits over just 2.1 innings. One of those hits was a grand slam in the third inning, the final batter he faced. Lugo walked two and struck out three.

Second baseman Levi Jordan was 2 for 5 with a two-run single in the third inning.

Center fielder Christopher Morel hit a two-run triple in the fifth inning and then scored on a bunt single by Grayson Byrd. Both hitters were 1 for 4 with a walk.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs pierced the armor of the Dayton Dragons (Reds), 5-0.

Ryan Jensen was dominating with strikeouts and ground balls today for five scoreless innings. He gave up only one hit. He struck out four and walked no one. Other than the single, only one Dragon hitter hit the ball to the outfield. Jensen threw 62 pitches and 46 were strikes.

It was the first time in Jensen pitched five innings as a professional and thus, it was the first time he was the winning pitcher.

Three pitchers finished off the shutout. Brad Deppermann threw two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, striking out two. Graham Lawson and Garrett Kelly each threw a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and nothing else. Lawson struck out two.

DH Yonathan Perlaza hit a two-run home run in the third inning, It was Perlaza’s first home run this year and it was South Bend’s first home run at home. Perlaza was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Right fielder Nelson Velazquez was 2 for 4 with another RBI single. That lowered his batting average in six games to .542. Velazquez also scored once.

Left fielder Cole Roederer was 2 for 4 with an RBI single in the seventh inning. It was only Roederer’s second two-hit game of the season, but both of them have come in his last three starts.

Shortstop Delvin Zinn went 2 for 4 with his 12th stolen base. He scored one run.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans jumped out to a 9-0 lead after four innings but couldn’t hold it and fell to the Lynchburg Hillcats (Cleveland), 14-13 in 13 innings.

Starter Manuel Espinoza went five innings and allowed four runs on nine hits. He struck out five and walked four.

After Lynchburg scored three in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game 9-9, the Pelicans retook the lead with a run in the top of the ninth. But Jhonkensy Noel homered for the second time on the night, both against Chris Sullentrop, to lead off the bottom of the inning. The two teams each scored one run in the ten, eleventh and twelfth inning until the Pelicans failed to score in the thirteenth. Didier Vargas took the loss when he gave up the walk-off single in the bottom of the inning.

Vargas pitched 1.1 innings and allowed two runs on two hits. Both runs were unearned. He struck out one and walked two, both intentionally.

DH Edmond Americaan was 3 for 6 with a double, a walk and a stolen base. Americaan scored three times and had one run batted in.

Shortstop Ed Howard had the first three-hit game of his career, going 3 for 5 with two walks. Howard scored three runs.

Left fielder Yohendrick Pinango was 2 for 6 with a double and four runs batted in. He scored one time.

Catcher Ethan Hearn was 2 for 6 with a triple and two RBI. He also scored once.

Reivaj Garcia went 2 for 6 with an RBI double in the tenth inning.