Chicago Cubs Minor League Wrap: June 8

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs split a doubleheader with the Saint Paul Saints (Twins), winning game one 13-3 and dropping game two 7-6 in eight innings.

Ben Brown started game one. He allowed two runs on five hits over 4.1 innings. Brown was constantly pitching out of trouble in this game because he walked six batters. Striking out seven hitters certainly helped.

Rowan Wick got the win since Brown didn’t go five innings. Wick faced four batters and got five outs—inducing a double play in the first batter he faced after relieving Brown. Wick struck out one in his 1.2 innings.

Iowa scored in each of the first five innings of this game. All nine hitters had at least one hit and seven of the nine had two in this seven-inning game.

DH Chase Strumpf was 2 for 4 with a three-run home run in the fourth inning. It was his third Triple-A home run and tenth overall. Strumpf had four total RBI and scored two runs. Strumpf was also hit by a pitch.

First baseman Jared Young hit a two-run home run in the fifth, his sixth of 2023. Young went 3 for 5 with four total RBI and two runs scored.

Left fielder Yonathan Perlaza was 2 for 5 with a double. He scored once and drove in two.

Second baseman Nick Madrigal was 2 for 4 with a triple and a walk. Madrigal scored three times. He is now hitting .488 in the 11 games since his demotion to Iowa.

Shortstop David Bote was 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. He scored one and had one RBI.

Center fielder Darius Hill went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. Hill scored twice and drove in two runs.

Third baseman Jake Slaughter went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. Slaughter scored once.

Strumpf’s home run in game one.

Jared Young’s homer:

Game two was a bullpen game, as is common in minor league doubleheaders. So Anthony Kay got his first start of the season and pitched two innings and gave up one run on two hits. Kay struck out three and walked one.

Keegan Thompson did not have a good outing. He was charged with four runs over the 1+ innings he pitched. Thompson allowed four hits, including a solo home run, and walked three. All three batters he did retire went down with a strikeout.

Manuel Rodríguez pitched a scoreless seventh inning, but he got the loss when he allowed a run in the eighth without retiring anyone. Rodríguez’s final line was one unearned run on one hit and one walk over 1+ innings. He did not strike anyone out.

Left fielder Nelson Velázquez hit a solo home run in the third inning, his eighth minor league home run this year. Velázquez was 2 for 4 with two total RBI.

Second baseman David Bote went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. He drove in two.

The Velázquez homer:

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies were extinguished by the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels), 7-6.

Porter Hodge started and got into trouble early, giving up two runs in the first and another in the second. His final line was three runs on two hits and four walks over three innings. Hodge struck out five.

Carlos Guzman gave the Smokies a chance to retake the lead with three innings of relief, allowing no runs and no hits. Guzman did walk two and struck out four.

The Smokies did eventually take the lead with a four-run top of the seventh inning. But Samuel Reyes coughed that lead back up and took the loss. Reyes pitched the bottom of the eighth and gave up four runs, three earned, on three hits and three walks. One of those hits was a game-tying two-run home run by Ryan Aguilar. Reyes struck out one in his one inning of work.

DH Hayden McGeary had a solo home run in the fourth inning and a two-run single in the seventh. The home run was his fifth for Tennessee and eighth overall. McGeary went 2 for 4.

Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong went 2 for 4 with a stolen base and one run scored. He was also hit by a pitch.

Third baseman BJ Murray Jr. was 3 for 4 and also got hit by a pitch. Murray had an RBI single in the seventh.

McGeary’s home run.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs nailed the Lansing Lugnuts (Athletics), 3-1.

Starter Brandon Birdsell allowed just one unearned run over 4.2 innings. He surrendered three hits and issued two walks. Birdsell struck out four.

Because Birdsell came one out short of five innings, the win went to Didier Vargas who retired all four batters he faced in the 1.1 innings of relief of Birdsell. Vargas struck out two.

Tyler Santana bounced back from his poor last outing to toss two scoreless innings. That set things up for Sheldon Reed, who retired the side in order in the top of the ninth for the save. Reed did not strike anyone out.

Center fielder Kevin Alcántara went 3 for 5 with an RBI single in the fourth inning.

Second baseman James Triantos was 2 for 3 with two walks. Triantos scored from first on a double by Bryce Ball in the third inning. Ball went 1 for 5.

Highlights:

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans ripped up the Augusta Green Jackets (Braves) 10-2.

Marino Santy was strong over the first four innings, allowing no runs and just one hit. He did struggle with control as he walked three and hit one batter. Santy struck out five.

The win went to Yovanny Cabrera, who also allowed no runs on one hit over 2.2 innings. Cabrera also struggled with strikes, walking four and striking out three.

Left fielder Felix Stevens plated the first run of the game with a solo home run in the second inning. It was Stevens’ tenth home run of the year and the third-straight game in which he homered. Stevens also had an RBI single in the third. He was 2 for 5.

In the top of the ninth inning, right fielder Parker Chavers hit a three-run home run, his fifth of the year. Chavers also had a two-run triple in the seventh inning. Chavers went 2 for 4 with a walk and the five runs batted in. Chavers scored three times.

Third baseman Reivaj Garcia was 3 for 5 with a double and three runs scored.

Center fielder Ismael Mena was 2 for 4 with a stolen base. He drove in a run in the seventh inning and scored a run on Chavers’ triple.

Felix Stevens is on fire:

And Parker Chavers is burning things up himself:

ACL Cubs

Beat the Rangers, 2-0.