Chicago Cubs Minor League Wrap: June 7

The Iowa Cubs put Brennen Davis on the injured list, It’s being described as “precautionary,” but it’s yet another injury to a really talented ballplayer who can’t stay healthy.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs lost to the St. Paul Saints (Twins), 11-6.

Nick Neidert started and gave up five runs on seven hits over four innings. He walked two and struck out five.

Ryan Jensen got the loss in his Triple-A debut. He pitched well in his first inning of work—striking out the first two batters and retiring the third ona fly to right, but he allowed a double to lead off the sixth inning and then walked the next three batters before leaving. The final line on Jensen was three runs on one hit over 1+ innings. He struck out two and walked three.

Second baseman Nick Madrigal continues to torch the ball in Triple-A. Tonight he went 3 for 5 with a double, raising his Iowa batting average to .486. Madrigal scored twice.

First baseman Jared Young was 3 for 4 with a walk. He had one RBI and scored one run.

Catcher Bryce Windham was 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs batted in.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies trashed the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels), 11-2.

DJ Herz turned in one of his better starts this year, walking a season-low two batters over 4.1 innings. Herz allowed two runs, both unearned, on three hits. He struck out five.

Chris Kachmar relieved Herz with runners on first and second and the Smokies trailing 2-1. He retired the next two batters and got the win when the Smokies scored twice in the top of the sixth. Kachmar’s final line was no runs on no hits and no walks over 1.2 innings. He did hit one batter and he struck out one.

First baseman Haydn McGeary gave the Smokies the lead in the sixth with a two-run home run, his fourth Double-A home run and seventh of the season. McGeary was 1 for 4 with a walk. He scored three times.

The Smokies were hanging on to a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth inning when the offense exploded for eight runs. Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a three-run home run in the ninth, his eighth home run of the year. Crow-Armstrong was 1 for 5.

DH Cole Roederer drove in the first run of the game with an RBI double in the fifth inning. He then hit a two-run single in the ninth. Roederer was 2 for 4.

Third baseman BJ Murray Jr. was 2 for 5 with an RBI double in the ninth inning. Murray went 2 for 5.

Catcher Pablo Aliendo went 2 for 5. He drove in the first run in the ninth and scored one.

Left fielder Jordan Nwogu went 2 for 3 and scored one run.

PCA’s home run:

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs clamped down the Lansing Lugnuts (Athletics), 1-0.

Cade Horton started this game and dominated, picking up his first professional win in the first game that he ever pitched five innings. Horton’s final line was no runs on two hits over five innings. He struck out a career-high ten and walked no one. Horton’s fastball was in the 96-97 mile per hour range. His slider and curve were devastating. I even saw him get two swings-and-misses on his changeup, which is considered his 4th pitch and which he doesn’t throw often.

Adam Laskey, Eduarniel Nunez, Joe Nahas and Zac Leigh each pitched a scoreless inning to complete the shutout. Leigh retired the side in order in the ninth to get his first save. He struck out one.

The only run of this game came in the second inning when a sacrifice fly by Luis Verdugo scored Kevin Made. Made was 1 for 2 with a double and a walk. Verdugo was 1 for 2 with the sac fly.

South Bend won despite getting just three hits. The time of this game was 1:50.

Here’s Horton’s ten strikeouts.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans shredded the Augusta Green Jackets (Braves), 7-3.

Michael Arias also got his first win of 2023 with five scoreless innings. He allowed just one hit and three walks. Arias struck out five.

Luis Rujano threw the next three innings without allowing a run either. He surrendered just one hit. Rujano walked two and struck out two.

The Pelicans had a 7-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, but Starlyn Pichardo and Angel Hernandez had trouble nailing down the game. Pichardo allowed three runs (two earned) in a third of an inning and two of them scored off Hernandez, Hernandez failed to retire a batter—walking two and the other one reached on an error. So Saul Gonzalez got summoned as the third pitcher of the inning and he got his sixth save. Gonzalez entered the game with the bases loaded and one out. He struck out the next two batters to end the game.

Third baseman Juan Mora was the first batter of the game and he hit hit first home run of the season. Mora finished the game 3 for 5 with a steal.

Two batters later, catcher Moises Ballesteros hit a solo home run to make it 2-0. It was his sixth home run this year. Ballesteros went 2 for 4 with a double, the home run and a walk this evening. Ballesteros scored twice.

In the third inning, first baseman Felix Stevens hit a solo home run, his ninth of 2023. Stevens went 1 for 4.

Shortstop Jefferson Rojas, making his low-A debut just six weeks after turning 18, was 2 for 4 with two doubles in this game. Rojas scored one run and drove in one.

The first inning home runs by Mora and Ballesteros.

Stevens’ home run.

Rojas’s second double in his coming out party.

Note the official scorer ruled that the second run scored on an error, so Rojas only got one RBI.

ACL Cubs

Off day.