Chicago Cubs Minor League Wrap: August 19

I’m going out on a limb and saying that the Pelicans are going through the first-half champions curse. They were so good in the first half that most of their best players got promoted to South Bend. Now South Bend is in first place in the second half and the Birds are struggling.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs lost to Indianapolis (Pirates), 3-2.

Hayden Wesneski had his best start in the Cubs organization by far. Wesneski allowed just one hit and no runs over five innings. He struck out five and walked just one. Wesneski threw 66 pitches and 42 of them were strikes.

The loss went to Blake Whitney, who relieved Wesneski and pitched a perfect sixth inning. But he got pulled for Wyatt Short after he gave up a leadoff single in the seventh. Short gave up another single and a three-run home run to the first two batters he faced, which accounts for all three runs the I-Cubs allowed.

Whitney’s final line was one run on one hit over 1+ innings. He struck out one and walked no one.

Short gave up two runs on three hits in an inning of work. Short walked one and struck out one one.

Second baseman David Bote got the I-Cubs back in the game with a two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning. It was Bote’s third Iowa home run this season. Bote went 2 for 4.

Center fielder Darius Hill was 1 for 3 with a walk. He scored on Bote’s home run.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies dethroned the Birmingham Barons (White Sox), 4-3.

Ryan Jensen had some control issues and didn’t make it out of the second inning. Jensen pitched 1.2 innings and allowed just one run on one hit. Jensen walked four and struck out two.

Peyton Remy relieved Jensen in the second inning and was awarded the win as Jensen didn’t go five. (I can’t complain about that here.) Remy pitched 2.1 innings and gave up no runs on two hits. He struck out five and walked two.

Hunter Bigge gave up a run in the eighth and then a two-out double in the ninth before giving way to Kyle Johnson. The first batter to face Johnson, Luis Curbelo, doubled in a run to make it 4-3, but Johnson got the save by getting the final batter of the game to pop out.

Second baseman Chase Strumpf was the player of the game with a perfect 2 for 2 with a double and two walks. He also scored a run in the top of the second inning and stole a base.

DH Miguel Amaya was 1 for 1 with a walk, and RBI and one run scored.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs swept a doubleheader from the Beloit Sky Carp (Marlins) winning 3-2 in eight innings and 4-3.

Luis Devers gave up a solo home run to the second hitter of the game and not much after that. His final line was one run on three hits over five innings. Devers struck out five and walked no one. His ERA in High-A actually went up to 0.74.

Brad Deppermann came on to pitch the top of the eighth inning and allowed the automatic runner to score, but he got the win when South Bend came back and scored twice in the bottom of the inning. Deppermann’s final line was one unearned run on one hit over one inning. He walked one and struck out one.

Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong tied the game in the bottom of the eighth with a leadoff single. He then stole second and scored from second on an infield error. Crow-Armstrong was 1 for 4.

Catcher Pablo Aliendo tied the game 1-1 with an RBI single in the fourth inning. Aliendo went 1 for 2 with a walk.

In game two, starter Kohl Franklin struck out a career-high nine batters over five scoreless innings. Franklin gave up three hits. He walked one and hit one batter.

Dalton Stambaugh pitched the other two innings in this game and got the save. Stambaugh gave up a three-run home run in the top of the seventh inning, but then struck out the next two batters to end the game. His final line was three runs on three hits over two innings. He struck out three and did not walk anyone.

DH Jonathan Sierra had a two-run double in the sixth inning to give South Bend some crucial insurance runs. Sierra went 2 for 3.

Left fielder Yohendrick Pinango was 1 for 3 with a two-run single in the third. He also had this crucial outfield assist.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were nailed by the Down East Wood Ducks (Rangers), 14-2.

Starter Koen Moreno got hammered for seven runs on six hits over 2.1 innings. Moreno struck out five and walked three.

Myrtle Beach had only two hits. Both runs scored in the sixth inning on a bases-loaded walk and a bases-loaded hit batsman.

Second baseman Josue Huma went 1 for 3 with a walk and a double. He scored one of those two runs.

ACL Cubs

The ACL Cubs beat Diamondbacks Black, 7-2.

Brennen Davis had his first hit since surgery and it was a two-run home run in the first inning. He was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Third-round pick Christopher Paciolla had his first professional home run as well. Paciolla went 1 for 3.