Covenant Health Park will return to form as a baseball diamond, with the Knoxville Smokies back in town for their July 28-Aug. 2 series against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos after two weeks away.
The playoff-bound Smokies − still first place in the Southern League North − went 3-6 on their road trip following the MLB All-Star break.
The Smokies have been missing catcher Owen Ayers, who was promoted after Knoxville's last homestand to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs alongside the Southern League Pitcher of the Month for June, Jace Beck. Ayers is now the Cubs' No. 3 prospect, according to the MLB Pipeline's updated top prospects list.
Right-handed pitcher Luis Gomez-Martinez highlighted the Smokies' 3-3 split with the Rocket City Trash Pandas. Activated from
the 60-day injured list July 17, Martinez-Gomez struck out a career-best 12 batters in the Smokies' win July 24. He didn't walk a batter in six innings and gave up just one earned run.
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Smokies finally back at Covenant Health Park
The Smokies haven't been at home since welcoming former Vols Andrew Fischer and Blake Burke back to Knoxville in early July as members of the Biloxi Shuckers. The Smokies begin their next home series July 28, following a week in which five of Knoxville's six games against Rocket City were decided by one run.
The Blue Wahoos are 15-11 in the second half, trailing the Biloxi Shuckers by 1.5 games in the Southern League South standings. Pensacola relies on the longball and has a league-high 127 home runs this season. Center fielder Dillon Lewis leads the club with 17 blasts.
The Blue Wahoos are coming off a week in which their pitching staff allowed just 10 earned runs across 50 innings against the Columbus Clingstones.
Around the Horn with the Chicago Cubs organization
CHICAGO CUBS (MLB): Former Smokies infielder James Triantos made his big-league debut July 24 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, recording a single in his first plate appearance for the Cubs, who defeated the Pirates and improved to 59-46, seven games back from first place in the NL Central ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
IOWA CUBS (Triple-A affiliate in Des Moines, Iowa): Ayers' bat hasn't cooled down at the Triple-A level. He's batting .393 across eight games, including four multi-hit games, starting with his three-hit debut. Beck's opportunities have been limited to eight innings in three appearances. He has given up six earned runs.
SOUTH BEND CUBS (High-A affiliate in South Bend, Indiana): Cubs No. 29 prospect Pierce Coppola made his first start at home in South Bend after a recent promotion and dished out five scoreless innings. Josiah Hartshorn, who dethroned Jefferson Rojas to become the Cubs' new No. 1 prospect, batted .318 with three extra-base hits in South Bend's 5-1 series win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Milwaukee Brewers).
MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS (Single-A affiliate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina): Ethan Conrad, a first-round pick in 2025, struggled as he continues his transition back to being an everyday player. Conrad only recorded three hits in 20 at-bats (.150) for the Pelicans, who fell 4-2 in their series with the Hickory Crawdads (Texas Rangers).
Trevor McGee covers the Knoxville Smokies and One Knox SC for Knox News. Email: trevor.mcgee@knoxnews.com; X: @TrevorMcGee12
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Upcoming games, promotions for Smokies homestand
The Smokies have a 14-13 record in the second half of the season as of July 27 and are in first place in the Southern League North. Get your tickets for Knoxville's upcoming series against the Columbus Clingstones at MiLB.com/Knoxville.
7 p.m. July 28: Taco Tuesday (all-you-can-eat taco buffet for $19.99 presale or $24.99 day of game)
7 p.m. July 29: All-You-Can-Eat Wednesday (buffet available for $29 in advance or $34 day of game)
7 p.m. July 30: Thirsty Thursday (half-price draft beer), Knox Vegas (themed jerseys), College Night ($10 tickets for college students)
7 p.m. July 31: Paint the Park Pink (specialty jerseys), Summer Fireworks Series, Chick-fil-A Friday (two tickets and two coupons for $48), Feel-Good Friday, Fill-a-Ford 4Students (bring school supply donations, each person who donates receive two complimentary vouchers for 2027 Smokies tickets)
7 p.m. Aug. 1: Knoxville Giants (specialty jerseys), Summer Fireworks Series
2 p.m. Aug. 2: No promotions scheduled
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Smokies return to Knoxville without top prospects. What's on tap this week?
