Cubs Minor League News: Myrtle Beach punches ticket, Iowa bats explode, more

Patrick Gorski - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 19 hours ago

A lot has changed over the past week of Minor League baseball, but one thing remains the same. The Myrtle Beach Pelicans have dominated the Carolina League in the second half, clinching the second-half title with over a week to go. That means, at the very least, there will be playoff baseball coming to the Cubs' Minor League system yet again, which is all you can ask for.

The same could be said for South Bend, depending on how the next eight games go, although the Cubs appear to be running out of gas this week. Both of those teams were on the losing side of what was a rough night for the entire Cubs system as they limped to a 1-3 finish on Friday.

IOWA CUBS 10 - LAS VEGAS AVIATORS 2

Ironically, the lone team to come away with a win was Iowa, and considering how this series started, it was a much-needed win. Most of the Cubs' damage came in the fifth and sixth innings when seven of their 10 runs came in to score.

Up until that point, this was a rare pitchers' duel as Chris Kachmar and Aaron Brooks were dealing early. Kachmar only lasted three innings, walking five and striking out three, but he also allowed only one run, which came on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the first. The same could be said for Brooks in the early going, as the Nicky Lopez sacrifice fly in the first and a Ben Cowles homer in the second were the only runs he would allow until the fifth, when things began to unravel quickly.

In what started with a pair of RBI singles from Jonathon Long and Kevin Alcantara, the Cubs' offense was starting to heat up as they opened up a 4-1 lead in the fifth. The Cubs would add a wild pitch later in that inning to scratch across a third run as they started to break things open 5-1. One inning later, it was more of the same for the Iowa offense as they pushed across four more runs to make this a 9-1 game.

James Triantos and Chase Strumpf played a role in that with a pair of RBI singles, but two bases-loaded walks also led to two more runs, as it was all Cubs. Las Vegas put an end to the Cubs' scoring binge with a Max Schuemann double in the seventh, only to have Alcantara close out the scoring with a solo shot in the eighth to give the Cubs a 10-2 win.

Triantos led the Cubs with three hits, but it was Alcantara who provided the Thunder with two hits and led the way with three RBIs. The Cubs also received six strong innings from their pen with Keegan Thompson picking up the win after tossing three scoreless frames. Ethan Roberts (two innings) and Tyson Miller (one inning) also saw work.

BIRMINGHAM BARONS 7 - KNOXVILLE SMOKIES 1

It has just been one of those seasons for the Smokies this season, as they will be missing the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. This was one of those games where it was over just as quickly as it started, as the Barons' four-run first was all they would need in a 7-1 victory.

Grant Kipp was the victim of that rough first inning, but did a better job settling in after, as he would allow five runs in three shaky innings. Wilfred Veras and Jacob Burke provided most of the first inning damage as their first inning singles accounted for three runs and gave the Barons a 3-0 lead. Kipp also uncorked a wild pitch, leading to the other run, as the Smokies were once again playing from behind.

With Tanner McDougal striking out four across three perfect frames, you had a feeling runs were going to be tough to come by for the Smokies, as the Jorge Corona solo blast in the fourth made this a 5-0 game. Those would be the game's final runs until late, as Nick Hull and Evan Taylor did all that was asked of them for four combined scoreless innings.

Still holding their 5-0 lead in the eighth, Knoxville chose to call on Casey Opitz to pitch in an effort to save some arms, and that worked in the Barons' favor as a pair of RBI singles from Veras and Braden Montgomery made this a 7-0 game with only three outs to go. Knoxville did manage to pick up a ninth-inning run on the Pedro Ramirez double, but that was it as they fell to the Barons 7-1.

Ramirez was responsible for two of the team's four hits, as the offense struggled to come by hits all night. Jefferson Rojas and Brett Bateman added the remaining hits.

PEORIA CHIEFS 5 - SOUTH BEND CUBS 4

One way to end the Cubs' second-half division dreams would be to put them up against the Chiefs, as they have owned the Cubs all week. Following another 5-4 loss, the Cubs have now dropped the first four of this series to the Chiefs and have fallen two games out of first place with eight left to play.

Brooks Caple continues to take his lumps in High-A, as things have been a struggle for him since his promotion. Caple walked one and struck out one across three innings and was tagged with four earned runs as the Cubs were playing from behind early. The first of those runs came immediately in the first when Won-Bin Cho touched him up for a two-run shot to put the Chiefs on top 2-0.

The Cubs didn't waste any time responding as they put together a strong second inning off of Jose Davila, who walked five across 1 2/3 innings. Davila also was touched up for two runs with Rafael Morel delivering an RBI double to make this a 2-1 game, only to have the Cameron Sisneros walk bring things back to even 2-2.

Considering the offensive outburst in the first two innings, this had the makings of a back-and-forth affair, and that continued into the third, with the Chiefs retaking the lead on a Cristian Martin sacrifice fly before tacking on a second run off the Deniel Ortiz single to push their lead back to 4-2. Throw in the Tre Richardson homer in the sixth to make this a 5-2 game, and it would be that homer that would go down as the game-winning hit.

After scoring two runs in the second, the Cubs' offense was held quiet most of the night, but that didn't stop them from battling back in the seventh as they tried to mount a late-game comeback. Sisneros played a role in that with a sacrifice fly to make this a 5-3 game, while Brian Kalmer answered with a solo shot to pull the Cubs within a run. Unfortunately, that was it for their offense as the Cubs would fall by that 5-4 score.

FAYETTEVILLE WOODPECKERS 8 - MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS 1

Now that the Pelicans have officially clinched a playoff spot for 2025, it's time for them to rest and reset as they try to piece together the rest of their season. In doing so, you can expect some rough games, including their 8-1 loss to Fayetteville on Friday.

Victor Zarraga has been solid since arriving in Myrtle Beach, but this wasn't his best outing as he lasted just 2 1/3 innings and allowed two runs. Yosweld Vasquez connected for the first of those runs off an RBI single in the first to put the Woodpeckers on top for good, 1-0, with Alberto Hernandez adding another RBI single as part of the Woodpeckers' three-run third.

Chase Call provided the final run in that inning with a double to open up a 4-0 lead as the Pelicans were down big early. Considering how Rafael Gonzalez was pitching, that would be all the offense they would need as he gave the Woodpeckers 5 1/3 scoreless frames to set the tone. Fayetteville continued to add to their lead in the fourth off an error, while a fifth inning sacrifice fly made things 6-0.

The lone run of the night for Myrtle Beach came in the seventh, and it came after Gonzalez departed from the game with Justin Stransky delivering an RBI single to make this a 6-1 game. That would be as close as things would get as the Woodpeckers tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the seventh off a Call double and the Brandon Forrester RBI groundout to take down the Pelicans 8-1.