Chicago Cubs Minor League Wrap: June 19

Happy Father’s Day and Juneteenth to everyone.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs stopped the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), 6-5. The I-Cubs went 4-2 in this six-game series.

Cam Sanders had been very good this year, but he had a bad game as he put the I-Cubs in a 5-0 hole by the third inning. Sanders’ line was five runs on six hits over four innings. He struck out three, walked one and hit one batter.

Bryan Hudson took over from there, tossing two scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, walked one and struck out three.

The win went to Michael Rucker, who pitched 1.2 innings and gave up just one hit. He neither walked nor struck anyone out.

Ben Leeper retired the side in order in the ninth for his third save. Leeper did not strike anyone out.

David Bote was the hero of the I-Cubs comeback, as he hit two doubles, including one that broke a 5-5 deadlock in the seventh inning. Bote was 2 for 4 with three RBI. He scored one run.

Left fielder Darius Hill keeps hitting as he was 3 for 4 with a double and two runs scored.

Catcher Tyler Payne went 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored.

There was some bad news in this game as pitcher Ethan Roberts started his rehab assignment today. It lasted just four pitches until Roberts left the game with obvious pain in his right arm.

Here’s Bote’s second double.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies reeled in the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Marlins), 5-1. The win snapped a six-game Smokies losing streak.

It was the second-straight solid appearance from Ryan Jensen after his return from the Developmental List. Jensen pitched three scoreless innings and allowed two hits. He struck out two and walked no one, although he did hit one batter. Jensen topped out at 99 miles per hour on the stadium radar gun.

Dalton Stambaugh got the win because Jensen didn’t go five innings. Stambaugh gave up one run on four hits over 4.1 innings. He struck out five, walked two and hit one batter.

Blake Whitney relieved Stambaugh with one out and two on in the eighth inning and got out of the jam. He went on to pitch the ninth and get the save. Whitney’s line was no runs on no hits over 1.2 innings. He walked one and did not strike anyone out.

Left fielder Cole Roederer had a two-run single in the second inning and an RBI single in the sixth. His final line was 3 for 3 with a double and the three runs batted in.

Third baseman Jake Slaughter went 2 for 5 and added an insurance run with an RBI single in the top of the ninth.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs got robbed by the Quad Cities River Bandits (Royals), 2-1. The River Bandits won the six-game series, 4 games to 2.

DJ Herz started and he allowed one run on one hit over 2.2 innings. He struck out two and walked three.

Walker Powell was solid with three innings of middle relief, allowing no runs and just one hit. He walked one and struck out three.

After the Cubs tied the game 1-1 in the top of the ninth, Eduarniel Nunez loaded the bases with two outs. He got the strikeout that he needed, but the pitch was wild and the winning run scored. So it was a walk-off strikeout. Nunez pitched 1.2 innings and allowed the one run on one hit. He walked three, struck out three and had one very costly wild pitch.

Catcher Pablo Aliendo singled home right fielder Owen Caissie in the top of the ninth inning for South Bend’s only run. Aliendo was a perfect 4 for 4 on the game and Caissie went 3 for 4.

Third baseman Luis Vedugo was 2 for 3 with a double.

South Bend had ten hits in this game, but went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans lost to the Fredericksburg Nationals, 4-3 in ten innings. The Pelicans won the six-game series, four games to two.

Starter Tyler Santana struck out a career-high eight batters and he went 5.1 innings and allowed three runs on six hits. He walked one.

Tanner Jesson-Dalton pitched the tenth inning and allowed the automatic runner to score after a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly. Jesson-Dalton allowed no other baserunners and struck out two. He still got the loss with one unearned run.

Shortstop Kevin Made hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game up 3-3. It was Made’s fourth home run of the season and his first at home. Made went 2 for 4 with a walk.

Right fielder Jacob Wetzel went 2 for 4 and scored one run.

This was an especially costly loss as the Charleston RiverDogs won, cutting Myrtle Beach’s lead in the division to one with three games to play in the first half. The Pelicans start a series at Kannapolis on Tuesday and the Cannon Ballers are not a good team at 26-37. However, the RiverDogs are at home against the dreadful Columbia Fireflies, who are tied for the worst record in baseball at 18-45. Since the RiverDogs have the tiebreaker over the Pelicans, you feel that they are going to have win all three games at Kannapolis or miss out on the first-half playoff spot.

Here’s Made’s home run.