Arizona Fall League: Mesa Solar Sox Week 2 update

We are through two weeks of the Arizona Fall League, so that means it’s time to check in once again with the Cubs’ “Boys of Autumn” who are playing for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League.

Just a reminder, the Mesa Solar Sox are one of six teams in the AFL and they play their home games at Sloan Park, the Spring Training home of the Cubs. The other four teams sending players to the Solar Sox this year are the Astros, Athletics, Orioles and Yankees.

Here is a link to last week’s update.

It was not a good week for the Solar Sox. They played six games and lost all six of them.

Here are the results for the past week. The home team is listed second.

October 9: Glendale Desert Dogs 2, Solar Sox 0.

October 10: Solar Sox 3, Salt River Rafters 9.

October 11: Solar Sox 8, Scottsdale Scorpions 9.

October 12: Solar Sox 4, Peoria Javelinas 7.

October 13: Solar Sox 2, Surprise Saguaros 10.

October 14: Saguaros 5, Solar Sox 2.

The game on Saturday the 14th was a seven-inning contest played at the Goodyear Ballpark as part of a promotional “triple-header” where all six AFL teams played right after each other in the same park. So the Solar Sox did not play in Mesa after Monday.

Here’s how the individual Cubs players did for the Solar Sox in week 2.

Kevin Alcántara

Alcántara played in four games this week—three in right field and one in center. He went 3 for 14 with a double and a three-run home run on Wednesday. Alcántara also had two walks and a sacrifice fly. He had five total RBI and scored just the one run.

Here’s Alcántara’s home run on Wednesday [VIDEO].

Overall, Alcántara is hitting .212 (7 for 33) with a double and two home runs. His OBP is .289.

Christian Franklin

Franklin played three games this week, two in right field and one in center. However, he was pulled for a pinch-hitter after one at-bat in Thursday’s game and hasn’t played since. I assume he’s dealing with some sort of injury, but I have no confirmation of that.

Franklin went 3 for 9 with a walk and a double, with all three hits coming in Wednesday’s loss. He was also 0 for 1 stealing bases. He scored one run.

For the AFL season, Franklin is hitting .300 (6 for 20) with two doubles and a walk.

James Triantos

Triantos had a breakout week in the AFL this week, going 5 for 15 with a double, three (!) triples and a solo home run. So he didn’t have a single all week. Triantos walked three times and stole a base.

Even more interestingly, Triantos played four games this week and played center field in the final two. He did play five games in center field with South Bend, so it does seem that the Cubs are experimenting with him out there.

Triantos scored four times this week and had five runs batted in.

On the AFL season, Triantos is hitting .407 (11 for 27) with a .556 OBP and a .815 SLG. He has 2 doubles, three triples, the home run and a steal.

Here’s Triantos’ home run [VIDEO].

Here’s the first of the three triples Triantos hit this week [VIDEO]. All three of Triantos’ triples went to right field.

The triple that Triantos hit on Wednesday came off of former Cubs farmhand DJ Herz.

Nick Hull

Hull started Wednesday’s 9-8 loss to Scottsdale and while he did not get the loss, he did allow five runs on five hits over 3⅔ innings. Two of those hits were home runs. He walked three and struck out three.

Hull has allowed 10 runs in over 7⅔ innings over two starts for Mesa for an ERA of 11.74. That’s not anywhere near the worst line among the Solar Sox starters.

Chris Kachmar

Kachmar pitched the seventh and eighth innings in Thursday’s 7-4 loss to Peoria. He allowed no hits and one unearned run. He walked one and struck out three.

Kachmar has allowed two runs, one earned, over four innings in the AFL for an ERA of 2.25.

Adam Laskey

Laskey made two appearances this past week, pitching one scoreless inning both times. He pitched the bottom of the eighth on Tuesday and gave up one hit, but walked no one and struck out one.

Laskey came back on Friday and retired the side in order. He had one strikeout and two ground outs.

Laskey has not allowed a run in three innings so far this fall season Laskey has struck out four and walked no one.

Jose Romero

Romero also made two appearances for Mesa this week, pitching on Monday and Friday. On Monday, Romero pitched a clean top of the sixth inning with a ground out, a strikeout and another ground out.

On Friday, Romero entered the game with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the third (and Mesa already trailing 5-0). He did walk in one inherited runner, but then got out of the jam. He stayed in the game and pitched a scoreless fourth inning. So his final line for Friday’s game was no runs on no hits over 1⅔ innings. He walked two and struck out one.

One the season, Romero has allowed one run on one hits over 3⅔ innings for an ERA of 2.45.

Tyler Santana

Santana threw three perfect innings of relief on Wednesday and would have been in line for the win had non-Cubs Mesa relievers not coughed up four runs in the bottom of the ninth. Santana struck out two.

It was a big bounceback from Santana’s first outing in the AFL, and he now stands with an ERA of 6.75 over 5⅓ innings.

Also, there was this (only two of the 16 walks were issued by Cubs pitchers):