Cubs Minor League News: Solar Sox fall to Desert Dogs |
Dustin Riese
· · 9 hours ago
GLENDALE - After the offense dominated things for the past week or so, it was a pleasant change of pace on Wednesday as the pitching was much better on both fronts. Sure, it wasn't great overall, but when there are only 10 runs scored compared to nearly 20, you can see the overall difference on the mound.
The only problem with that is the Solar Sox don't have as strong pitching as some of these other teams, and you saw that again against the Desert Dogs on Wednesday, when the Solar Sox were unable to hold an early 3-2 lead, falling to Glendale 6-4. All of the Desert Dogs' damage came in the first four innings, with most of that damage coming in the fourth when the Desert Dogs pushed across four runs to flip what was a 3-2 deficit and turn it into a 6-3 lead, and they never looked back. At this point in the season, Mesa needs to consider putting their best players in the lineup each day, including Owen Ayers and Cole Mathis. Both of them have been tearing the cover off the ball all season, and two of the three best hitters in the fall league. It's safe to say that when they are getting on base and hitting, the Mesa offense is rolling, which is why the runs have been coming at a much more frantic pace as of late. Wednesday was a rare occasion, in fact, the only time that neither of them picked up a hit in a game this season, as they combined to go 0-5 with two strikeouts at the plate. Mathis did manage to work a walk to reach base, but when these guys aren't producing or driving in runs, you can see how much that affects the Mesa offense. Ed Howard was also in the lineup for the Solar Sox, and batting ninth as he has slowly started to turn his ugly start to the Fall around. Howard is nowhere near the hitter the other two are, but with another hit in this one, Howard now has five hits in his last five games as his average has gone from .071 to .192. Not good by any means, but it's a small victory for a guy who hasn't been able to catch a break most of his career, as he has been the definition of a bust since the Cubs drafted him. At some point, both the Solar Sox and the Cubs will have to face a decision about JP Wheat and realize he simply isn't ready to do much of anything as a pitcher right now. After allowing four more runs in just 1/3 of his season, his struggles continue, with his ERA at 35.10. Perhaps the most frustrating part of Wheat's season has been the underlying numbers, as he allowed only one hit again, which hasn't been an issue for him. It's the walks that have been the problem: he walked four times to one strikeout, as he simply has no idea where his pitches are going.
