Cubs Minor League News: Smokies end season with loss, Iowa shut out in finale |
Dustin Riese
· · 10 hours ago
Sunday didn't go as planned for the Cubs and their Minor League system, as the runs were challenging to come by. That led to a 0-2 record to close out the week, which was otherwise a very entertaining one. Despite the losses, Knoxville finished their season strong by winning 10 of their last 12, while Iowa has won 13 of 18 and has six more games to go.
The best way to beat the Cubs is to figure out a way to contain them offensively. Not only have the Indians done that several times in this series, but they did it in a big way Sunday as they posted a 4-0 shutout victory to earn a series split. As good as Will Sanders has been this season, he hit a massive rough patch after the All-Star break, which was a big reason why he moved to the pen for a while. Still, with a 7-3 mark this season, there was plenty to like about his performance, but the 6.33 ERA isn't what anyone was hoping for. Sanders was back making a start on Sunday and gave the Cubs five solid innings of three-run baseball, walking none and striking out four. Today's @GreatClips Clip of the Game is a 1st inning strikeout from Will Sanders! pic.twitter.com/abUQwqF3Jg Typically, a start like that would be good enough to get a win in AAA, but when Indianapolis had the pitching they had on Sunday, things were going to be tough as the Indians held the Cubs to just five hits in the loss. It only took one swing to give the Indians the win as Jack Suwinski uncorked what was a game-winning two-run shot in the third as the Indians took a 2-0 lead and never looked back. Indianapolis added a run in the fourth off a forceout to extend their lead to 3-0, with Anthony Prato picking up an RBI single in the sixth to push home the final run in what was a 4-0 Indians win. Caleb Knight gets us started in the 8th! pic.twitter.com/1YrfNDaWYs Rafael Morel was the lone Cub with multiple hits, as he led the way with two.
For the final time in 2025, it was the Smokies taking the field as they looked to end the season on a positive note. While that didn't happen, suffering a 7-3 defeat, Knoxville still managed to win 10 of its final 12 games, giving the Cubs three affiliates with winning records. At this point in the season, you start to see many High-A players get a chance to play some AA games, which was the case in this one, as Yenrri Rojas made the start for Knoxville. The right-hander wasn't as sharp as he would've liked, lasting four innings and allowing five runs as he put the Smokies in a big early hole. All it took to give the Biscuits the lead was a first-inning homer from Will Sampson as the Biscuits led this one from start to finish, 2-0. Considering the Smokies were held hitless through six, two runs were looking to be more than enough as their pitching made life difficult for all parties involved. Already with one homer under their belt, Colton Ledbetter made it two as his solo shot in the third pushed their lead to 3-0. Brett Bateman finally came through for the Smokies in the fourth with a sacrifice fly as the Smokies pulled within 3-1 at that point. That would be as close as things would get for them as Ledbetter tacked on an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, scoring a pair to push the lead to 5-1. That 5-1 score would hold until the later innings when the suddenly hot Andy Garriola connected for his second homer in as many days and third homer in the past week to bring home a pair as the Smokies were back within a pair, 5-3. Once again, it was the Biscuits having an answer for their mini run as they tacked on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh before Brock Jones' double capped off the scoring in a 7-3 win. Knoxville was held to two hits in the loss as Garriola and Bateman each had a hit. Along with Rojas, Luis Rujano and Dawson Netz made an appearance on the mound as they combined to go three strong innings, allowing one run.INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS 4 - IOWA CUBS 0
MONTGOMERY BISCUITS 7 - KNOXVILLE SMOKIES 3
