Chicago Cubs Minor League Wrap: May 11

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs pan-roasted the Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers), 5-4.

Caleb Kilian had a rough first inning, giving up three runs on two home runs. But he settled down after that and lasted five innings, allowing four runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked one, but that nice number is soiled a bit by the fact that Kilian hit three batters.

Cam Sanders pitched one inning, the top of the sixth, and retired the side in order on 11 pitches. He struck out two. Sanders got the win after Iowa took the lead in the bottom of the inning.

Nick Burdi pitched the top of the ninth and got the save after retiring the side in order on two fly outs to center field and a popup to second base.

Shortstop Sergio Alcántara led off the bottom of the third inning with a solo home run, his fourth on the season. Alcántara was 1 for 3.

Later in the third inning, third baseman Jake Slaughter tied the game up with a two-run home run, his seventh of the season and fifth in his last eight games. Slaughter went 2 for 4 with a double and the home run.

After Iowa fell back behind 5-4 in the fifth, they took the lead for good with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Left fielder Yonathan Perlaza tripled home first baseman David Bote and then DH Brennen Davis singled Perlaza home.

Perlaza was 1 for 3 and was hit by a pitch. Bote went 1 for 3 with a walk. Davis went 1 for 4.

Here are the home runs by Alcántara and Slaughter.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies battered the Montgomery Biscuits (Rays), 4-3 in ten innings.

Walker Powell retired the first ten batters of the game before giving up a one-out single in the fourth inning. He then made one mistake in the fifth, a two-run home run by Evan Edwards. The final line on Powell was two runs on two hits over five innings. He struck out five and walked one.

Luke Little pitched the next two innings in relief and and retired all six batters he faced. He struck out four of them.

Samuel Reyes started the eighth inning in his first appearance of the year and it did not go well. Reyes only lasted two-thirds of an inning, allowing one run on zero hits and three walks. Reyes did not record a strikeout.

Ben Hecht was summoned from the pen to get out of a runners on first and second and two outs situation in the eighth, and he did so without any further damage. He then went on to pitch the ninth and tenth innings and got the win. Hecht’s line for the evening was no runs on no hits over 2.1 innings. He walked one and struck out one. He also got some help out from his defense after a wild pitch sent the automatic runner to third with no outs in the tenth. But a heads-up defensive play by first baseman Haydn McGeary nailed the runner trying to score on a ground ball.

With one out in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Smokies trailing 3-2, DH BJ Murray Jr. lined one over the right field wall to tie the game up and send it to extras. It was Murray’s fourth home run this season. Murray went 2 for 3 with a double, the home run and a walk. He scored twice.

With two out in the bottom of the tenth, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a ground ball up the middle to score automatic runner Jordan Nwogu with the winning run. Crow-Armstrong went 1 for 4 and was hit by a pitch.

The Smokies first run scored on a solo home run in the first inning by shortstop Luis Vazquez, his sixth on the season. Vazquez was 1 for 4.

Vazquez’s home run.

Murray’s home run.

PCA’s walkoff single:

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were bitten by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers), 3-1. The Timber Rattlers’ win snapped their eight-game losing streak.

Starter Connor Noland was terrific this evening, tossing five scoreless innings and allowing just two hits. Noland struck out four and walked no one.

Reliever Didier Vargas was not terrific and he took the loss. Vargas allowed a three-run home run in the seventh inning that accounted for all of Wisconsin’s runs. The final line on Vargas was three runs on four hits over 1.2 innings. Vargas struck out one, walked one and hit two batters.

Center fielder Kevin Alcántara went 2 for 5 with a double.

Left fielder Ezequiel Pagan was 2 for 4 with a double.

Second baseman James Triantos was 2 for 4 with a stolen base. He scored South Bend’s only run on a wild pitch in the sixth inning.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans got mauled by the Lynchburg Hillcats (Guardians), 8-5.

Starter Marino Santy pitched three innings and allowed just one unearned run on three hits. Santy walked two and struck out five. He also hit a batter.

Angel Hernandez relieved Santy and threw three scoreless innings, giving up three hits. He walked one and struck out five.

Angel Gonzalez was expected to pitch the final three innings, but he got into major trouble in the top of the ninth. Gonzalez gave up four runs in the top of the ninth, turning a 5-3 Birds lead into a 7-5 deficit. The final line on Gonzalez was six runs on four hits over 2.1 innings. Gonzalez walked three and struck out two.

I say Gonzalez was expected to finish the game because when he got in trouble in the ninth, he was relieved by Felix Stevens, who is normally a first baseman, despite the Pelicans only being down one run at that point.

Right fielder Jefferson Encarnacion hit a solo home run in the second inning, his second on the season. Encarnacion was 2 for 4 and scored twice.

DH Juan Mora was 3 for 4 with a double this evening. Mora scored twice and drove in one.

Catcher Moises Ballesteros was 1 for 2 with a double and two walks. He also stole a base.

The sad highlights: