Chicago Cubs pitcher tosses 5 no-hit frames for Smokies in Knoxville rehab

Chicago Cubs starter Edward Cabrera, on a rehab assignment with the Smokies in Knoxville, held Rocket City hitless through five innings before the visiting Trash Pandas rallied for a 6-1 win Aug. 11. The Trash Pandas scored six unanswered runs off Smokies relievers after Cabrera left the game at Cov

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Chicago Cubs starter Edward Cabrera, on a rehab assignment with the Smokies in Knoxville, held Rocket City hitless through five innings before the visiting Trash Pandas rallied for a 6-1 win Aug. 11.

The Trash Pandas scored six unanswered runs off Smokies relievers after Cabrera left the game at Covenant Health Park.

Cabrera had seven strikeouts and finished his start retiring 13 straight batters. The only baserunner to reach base came from a two-out walk in the first inning.

"That's kind of how you draw it up," Smokies manager Lance Rymel told Knox News. "Really, really electric stuff."

Knoxville's only run came from an RBI double by Ariel Armas in the second inning.

Daniel Palencia – also on a rehab assignment for the Cubs – entered the game and

squandered the lead, walking batters to load the bases and giving up the tying run by hitting the next batter with a pitch. He recorded two outs before being pulled, and three more runs were tagged to his line in the loss.

"I think if you ask him it's just the walks there," Rymel said. "The output stuff was good. He was throwing that thing but just not in the zone enough."

Smokies player of the game, top moments: Tuesday, Aug. 11

Player of the game: Cabrera's first Double-A appearance since 2022 produced an outing that made Trash Pandas batters look "silly," Rymel said. It also gave Smokies fielders a chance to watch what true Major League pitching looks like. "You feel a lot better when you got Edward Cabrera on the mound, so that was really cool to watch," Smokies outfielder Kane Kepley told Knox News.

Welcome to Double-A: Cabrera has made two prior minor league rehab starts, but both came with the Iowa Cubs. Tuesday's shutout start began with a strikeout of Rocket City second baseman Nick Rodriguez on a 97-mph heater.
Hello, Covenant Health Park: Center fielder Kane Kepley, the Cubs' No. 4 prospect, and third baseman Dom Krupinksi made their home debuts with the Smokies after receiving post-trade deadline call-ups. They combined to go 1-for-6 in the loss. "This place is beautiful," Kepley said. "The facilities are great. It's been a great time."
Into pieces: Krupinski shattered his bat on a sixth-inning groundout. The barrel trickled to the basepath dirt, where Rodriguez picked it up near second base.

Smokies back home at Covenant Health Park

Knoxville is behind 1-0 in the series to Rocket City after Tuesday’s loss. Here are the remaining promotions at Covenant Health Park with the Trash Pandas in town:

7 p.m. Aug. 12: All-You-Can-Eat Wednesday (buffet available for $29 in advance or $34 day of game)
7 p.m. Aug. 13: Thirsty Thursday (half-price draft beer), Knox Vegas (themed jerseys), College Night ($10 tickets for college students)
7 p.m. Aug. 14: Chick-fil-A Friday (two tickets and two coupons for $48), Feel-Good Friday
7 p.m. Aug. 15: Tennessee Night (themed University of Tennessee-style jerseys), Tennessee Night Bobblehead Giveaway (first 1,000 fans receive DeSean Bishop bobblehead), Summer Fireworks Series
2 p.m. Aug. 16: Crayola Day (specialty jerseys), Color Your Own Lunch Box Giveaway (first 1,000 kids receive color your own lunch box)