Chicago Cubs Minor League Wrap: September 13

Good evening everyone. Josh normally handles these recaps but is unavailable tonight, so bear with me as I take guest duties for the night!

Iowa Cubs

First up it was the Iowa Cubs up against the Saint Paul Saints. Nick Neidert was on the mound, but only for an inning of work, giving up two hits and a run, and quickly giving way to the Cubs’ bullpen as Michael Rucker would be the next in a long series of pitchers for the afternoon game.

Highlight moments for the 4-3 Cubs win were a Matt Mervis double in the bottom of the third inning allowing Jared Young to score, and tying the game after Saints’ Michael Helman scored on a wild pitch in the first.

Hernan Perez hit his tenth home run of the season in the fifth to push the Saints back into the lead, but a Darius Hill double in the bottom of the sixth managed to score Nelson Maldonado and tie things up again. Levi Jordan then singled to drive home P.J. Higgins and Hill, putting Iowa ahead 4-2.

A Yunior Severino home run in the seventh gave the Saints one extra run, but the Cubs would come away winners in this outing, with a 4-3 final.

Tennessee Smokies

Onward to the Smokies who were at home against the Rocket City Trash Pandas.

Tennessee drew first blood in the bottom of the first as a Matt Shaw groundout scored BJ Murray Jr to put the Smokies on the board nice and early. The scoring continued in the second as a Kevin Alcantara single scored Moises Ballesteros and James Triantos. The Smokies were up 3-0.

The Pandas absolutely brutalized the Smokies in the top of the fifth. A David Calabrese homer put them on the board, then Gabe Matthews hit a ground-rule double to score Adrian Placencia. To round out the inning, an Arol Vera single scored Matthews and the Pandas had died things up 3-3.

In the sixth, Saints’ pitcher Brailyn Marquez threw a wild pitch allowing David Calabrese to score, and putting the Pandas up 4-3.

The bottom of the seventh allowed the Smokies to re-tie the game on an Owen Caissie double that scored BJ Murray Jr. Nice night for Murray on the basepaths.

Things unfortunately collapsed in the ninth inning. Mac McCroskey singled to score Arol Vera, then another Smokies wild pitch, this time from Zac Leigh, scored D’Shawn Knowles. A Tucker Flint single scored Tyler Payne and McCroskey, putting the Pandas up 8-4.

In a brief moment of late-innings heroism, Owen Caissie singled to score Kevin Alcantara, but it wasn’t enough for a comeback. Final score was 8-5 Trash Pandas.