Spring weather was once again the main story this past weekend, causing the postponement or cancellation of five games. The big stories were the incredible hitting of Tennessee’s Chesny Young and the continued success of Daniel Spingola and the South Bend Cubs.
Myrtle Beach had trouble with first place Salem even with the hitting of Yasiel Balaguert, and Iowa continued to flounder despite the efforts of Willson Contreras.
It’s another soggy Down on the Farm Report to start off your week.
Low Class-A – South Bend Cubs (13- 9)
South Bend squandered good pitching on Friday, as they lost to Quad Cities 4-1. Kyle Twomey is beginning to come around. Twomey allowed two runs (one earned) and had five strikeouts in five innings. John Williamson followed with two strong innings that yielded one earned run and had two strikeouts. James Norwood pitched the eighth inning and gave up an earned run.
The SB Cubs offense stranded five runners in scoring position, as they generated their only run in the second inning. Eddy Julio Martinez (1-for-2 with a stolen base) walked and stole second, but was out a home on a single by Daniel Spingola (2-for-4). A base hit from Matt Rose (1-for-3 with an RBI) scored Spingola.
Opening their series with Cedar Rapids on Saturday, South Bend used a three run first to gain a 5-1 victory. With P.J. Higgins (0-for-5 with an RBI) and Daniel Spingola (2-for-4) on base, Eddie Julio Martinez (2-for-5 with a double and two RBI) doubled and later scored on a double by Andrew Ely (1-for-5 with a double and an RBI). Carlos Sepulveda (1-for-2) walked and scored in the second inning, and Tyler Alamo (1-for-3) singled and came around in the fourth inning.
Adbert Alzolay had his second consecutive good outing, striking out four and allowing an earned run in five innings. Craig Brooks walked the bases loaded and then struck out the side in the sixth inning. Casey Bloomquist earned the long save by tossing three scoreless innings.
The South Bend Cubs’ game with Cedar Rapids on Sunday was cancelled due to rain.
High Class–A – Myrtle Beach Pelicans (11-11)
Myrtle Beach took on first place Salem on Friday but could not put them away and the Pelicans lost 4-3. Trevor Clifton had another solid start, striking out four and allowing two earned runs in five innings. Ryan McNeil did well at first, but then gave up two earned runs in the seventh as he tossed two innings. James Farris had two strikeouts in the final two innings.
The Pelicans tied the game in the home half of the first after Charcer Burks (1-for-3) and Ian Happ (2-for-4 with a double and an RBI) had one out singles, with Burks scoring on a base hit from Yasiel Balaguert (3-for-4 with two RBI). The same combination gave Myrtle Beach the lead in the sixth, as Burks was hit by a pitch and came home on a double from Happ. A single by Balaguert drove in Happ.
A comeback attempt fell short on Saturday as Myrtle Beach lost to Salem again by a 4-3 score. Starter Erick Leal was charged with four earned runs in five innings, but that does not tell the whole story. Jose Rosario allowed two inherited runners to score in the fifth inning, and ended up with two strikeouts in two innings. Jordan Minch tossed two perfect innings.
The Pelicans tied the game in the third inning at one after Shawon Dunston Jr. (1-for-3) singled, Rashad Crawford (0-for-2) walked, and a base hit from Gleyber Torres (1-for-4 with an RBI) drove in Dunston. Jason Vosler (1-for-4) had a base hit with one out in the seventh inning and Jeffrey Baez followed with a walk. A single by Danny Lockhart (1-for-3 with an RBI) scored Vosler, and Baez came home on a sacrifice fly.
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The Myrtle Beach Pelicans’ game with Salem on Sunday was postponed due to rain.
Double-A – Tennessee Smokies (12-11)
Tennessee used an eight run eighth inning to blow past Biloxi 8-3 on Friday night. The game marked the season debut for Duane Underwood Jr., as the Top 10 prospect allowed an earned run and struck out two in four innings. Gerardo Concepcion remains unscored upon this season, as he tossed two innings. Brad Markey pitched out of the bullpen and gave up an earned run while striking out two in two innings to collect his third win.
The Smokies loaded the bases in the eighth after walks to Jacob Hannemann (3-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base) and Jeimer Candelario (0-for-3) were sandwiched around a base hit by Chesny Young (4-for-5 with two RBI). Tennessee then kept the line moving as Billy McKinney (0-for-4 with an RBI) was hit by a pitch, Victor Caratini (1-for-5 with an RBI) singled, and Bijan Rademacher (0-for-3 with an RBI) walked. After a sacrifice fly, a base hit by Carlos Penalver (2-for-4 with a double), and a ground out, singles by Hannemann and Young drove in three more runs.
In a match of two of the best pitchers in the Southern League, Tennessee’s bullpen failed them as they lost 2-1 to Biloxi on Saturday. Paul Blackburn squared off against Josh Hader and got the better of it as he struck out four in five scoreless innings and left with a 1-0 lead. Josh Conway labored through a scoreless sixth inning and had two strikeouts, but his effort necessitated another dip into the pen. Starling Peralta had an uneventful seventh, but could not locate the plate in the eighth and walked in the tying run. Juan Paniagua was able to halt the damage in the eighth, but gave up the walk-off single in the ninth.
The league’s leading hitter, Chesny Young (1-for-4 with a stolen base), was responsible for the Smokies’ only run. Young singled in the first, stole second, and scored on a base hit from Jeimer Candelario (1-for-4 with an RBI).
The Tennessee Smokies’ game with Biloxi on Sunday was postponed due to rain.
Triple-A – Iowa Cubs (9-12)
It was the definition of a pitcher’s duel on Friday, as Iowa scored one run in the eighth inning to beat Colorado Springs 1-0. The I-Cubs manufactured one as Ryan Kalish (1-for-3 with two stolen bases) singled, stole second and third, and came home on a sacrifice fly from pinch-hitter Logan Watkins.
Jake Buchanan was much better in his second start, striking out five in six innings. C.J. Riefenhauser had a strikeout in 0.2 innings, while Jean Machi also fanned a batter in 1.1 innings. Spencer Patton earned his third save with two strikeouts in the ninth.
The Iowa Cubs’ game with Colorado Springs on Saturday was postponed due to wet conditions.
Sunday saw a doubleheader for Iowa, as their comeback effort in game one against Colorado Springs fell short in a 4-3 loss in seven innings. Drew Rucinski had another rough outing, allowing four earned runs and striking out four in five innings. Armando Rivero had a strikeout in two scoreless innings.
The I-Cubs took the lead in the first inning after John Andreoli (2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base) and Ryan Kalish (1-for-4) led off with singles, and a double by Willson Contreras (2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI) drove in Andreoli. Munenori Kawasaki (0-for-3) reached on a force in the seventh and moved to third on a single from Matt Murton (1-for-1), scoring on a ground out.
Game two between Iowa and Colorado Springs on Sunday was postponed due to wet grounds.
News and Notes
The Chicago Cubs assigned C/INF Taylor Davis to the Iowa Cubs from the Tennessee Smokies; assigned INF/OF Kelly Dugan to the Tennessee Smokies from extended Spring Training.
The Iowa Cubs placed C/INF Ben Carhart on the 7-day disabled list. The Tennessee Smokies placed RHP Michael Jensen on the 7-day disabled list. The Myrtle Beach Pelicans placed INF David Bote on the 7-day disabled list, activated OF Rashad Crawford from the 7-day disabled list. The South Bend Cubs placed INF Sutton Whiting on the 7-day disabled list; activated INF Carlos Sepulveda from the temporarily inactive list.