Cubs Minor League News: Smokies stay hot, I-Cubs fall to Indy

Jerry Lai - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 9 hours ago

Saturday saw mixed reviews across the diamond, which is to be expected this time of year. The end result saw the Cubs post a 1-1 record for the day, as their Minor League seasons are rapidly coming to a close.

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS 5 - IOWA CUBS 2

After seeing their 10-game winning streak come to an end earlier in the week, the Cubs haven't been able to duplicate that same success and have now lost two of their last three. Jaxson Wiggins took the loss in this one, but with four strikeouts across 2 2/3 innings, he has proven he can handle AAA hitting as his ERA is sitting at 3.18 with Iowa.

Wiggins was charged with one earned run in those 2 2/3, which came on the Rafael Flores single in the third to put the Indians on top 1-0. Flores was the offense in the early stages of the game as he added a second RBI hit in the fifth to push the lead to 2-0, and the Indians never looked back from there.

It took seven innings for the Cubs to get on the board, as the Indians gifted them a run due to an error, making the score 2-1. That was as close as things would get for Iowa, as the Indians broke the game open with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to extend their lead to 5-1. Nelson Velazquez delivered the big blow in that inning with an RBI single that brought home a pair as the Indians opened up a 4-1 lead at that point.

Brett Sullivan added a second RBI single later in the inning to close out the scoring as the Cubs had some work to do late. Dixon Machado tried his best to pull the Cubs back into the game as his RBI single pulled the Cubs to within 5-2 in the eighth, only to fall by that score. Nicky Lopez paced the Cubs with two hits and was responsible for two of their five hits.

KNOXVILLE SMOKIES 7 - MONTGOMERY BISCUITS 4

Although the playoffs may be out of reach for Knoxville, they do have an opportunity to finish the season strong, which could boost their confidence heading into next season. Following their 7-3 win on Saturday, the Smokies have now won nine of their last 10 and will look for one more win on Sunday.

Manuel Rodriguez has made significant strides this season for the Cubs, and it is his work in AA that deserves considerable notice. The hard-throwing right-hander tossed 4 2/3 innings of three-strikeout ball, allowing three runs as his ERA finishes at 3.54 for the season. Rodriguez was given some instant support when Jaylen Palmer went yard in the first, but it was the Biscuits responding instantly in the bottom of the first as the Cooper Kinney single put the Biscuits in front 2-1.

Those were the final runs for several innings until the Smokies' offense came to life in the fourth and provided most of the damage. Ethan Hearn started what wound up being a five-run inning with a bases-loaded walk to tie things up, but it was the Andy Garriola Grand Slam that did the damage, as that hit put the Smokies on top for good, 6-2.

Already with one RBI single in the game, Kinney added a second one in the fifth as the Smokies pulled within 6-3. That was as close as they would get at any point, as both teams exchanged a pair of homers from Jordan Nwogu and Noah Myers in the later innings, giving the Smokies a 7-4 win.