Chicago Cubs Minor League Wrap: June 11

Quick apologies. The Arizona Complex League Cubs (aka “Rookie Ball” or “Complex Ball”) started on Monday. I don’t normally have a Minor League Wrap on Monday night, but somehow I couldn’t access the scores that night anyway. I don’t know if the problem was on their end or mine. But after that, I honestly forgot about it. It’s been a very busy few weeks for me. The early part of the ACL is also of lesser interest now that the draft doesn’t happen until mid-July.

Normally I just link to the box scores and call attention to noteworthy performances, if any, But here are the games I missed:

Guardians 10, Cubs 3. Home run for Cristian Hernandez. Christopher Morel’s little brother Rafael was 3 for 4.

Guardians 7, Cubs 3.

Brewers Gold 7, Cubs 3.

Cubs 5, Brewers Blue 4.

It’s the “Everyone wins” edition! Except for those major leaguers. But none of the minor leaguers were playing the Yankees in the Bronx.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs roasted the Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers), 8-0. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for Iowa.

Adrian Sampson started and allowed three hits over 3.2 innings. He struck out five and walked no one.

Brandon Leibrandt got the win because Sampson didn’t go five innings. Leibrandt surrendered three hits, all singles, in 3.1 innings. Leibrandt walked two and struck out one.

The I-Cubs scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back. Shorstop Dixon Machado led off the game with a home run, his first all season. Machado went 3 for 5 and drove in two.

Later in the first inning, right fielder Narciso Crook capped off the five-run inning with a two-run home run, his sixth this year. Crook went 3 for 4 with a double and the home run. He scored twice.

Left fielder Darius Hill was perfect on the evening, going 4 for 4 with a double and a walk at the plate. Hill scored twice. He is now hitting .389 in nine games since his promotion from Double-A.

DH Nelson Maldonado was 2 for 5 with an RBI double in the eighth inning.

Catcher John Hicks went 2 for 5 with one run batted in and one run scored.

Here’s Crook’s home run:

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies harvested the Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers), 5-3.

Javier Assad started and picked up the win. Assad gave up two runs on four hits over five innings. He had some issues finding the plate as he walked five and struck out four.

Samuel Reyes pitched the ninth inning and got the save. Reyes allowed a leadoff single, but after a fly out, he ended the game by inducing a double play.

Center fielder Alexander Canario had a huge game, going 4 for 4 with a triple and his 14th home run of the year. The home run came with the bases empty in the sixth inning and was back-to-back with a solo home run by second baseman Jake Slaughter. Canario was thrown out at the plate trying to turn his triple into an inside-the-park home run and it took two good throws to nail him. Canario had two RBI.

Slaughter’s home run was his fourth with the Smokies and seventh overall. Slaughter went 2 for 3 with a walk. He had two total RBI and he scored twice.

DH Matt Mervis went 2 for 5 with a double and one run scored.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs popped the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins), 4-3.

Jordan Wicks threw the first five innings and allowed two runs on five hits. He struck out eight and walked two.

The win went to Zac Leigh in relief and it was his first professional win. Leigh pitched two scoreless innings and allowed one hit and he hit one batter, both in the seventh inning after two were out. Leigh struck out four—the first four batters he faced—and did not walk anyone.

Eduarniel Nunez got into trouble in the ninth inning and after he gave up one run and had the tying run on second with one out, Nunez gave way to Hunter Bigge, who picked up his fifth save. Bigge walked the first batter he faced, but then struck out the next two to end the game.

Right fielder Owen Caissie turned a 2-0 Kernels lead in the sixth inning into a 3-2 Cubs lead with a three-run home run. It was his sixth of the season. Caissie went 1 for 4.

Shortstop Fabian Pertuz was 2 for 3. He tripled in the seventh inning and scored an important insurance run on an error.

Highlights:

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans fried up the Carolina Mudcats (Brewers), 5-0.

Luis Devers improved his record to 7-3 with five scoreless innings tonight. Devers gave up just three hits. He struck out six and walked no one.

Angel Gonzalez and Adam Laskey each threw two innings to complete the shutout. Gonzalez gave up no hits but he walked one and hit one batter. He struck out two. Laskey got the save. He allowed one hit, but he walked no one and he struck out four.

Catcher Ethan Hearn gave the Pelicans two insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning with his fourth home run of the season. Hearn went 1 for 4 with the two runs batted in.

Right fielder Jacob Wetzel plated the first run of the game with a double in the second inning. Wetzel went 2 for 4 with the one RBI and he scored one run.

Center fielder Kevin Alcantara hit an RBI double in the top of the eighth inning. He went 1 for 3 with a walk.

ACL Cubs

Beat the Athletics, 8-5.