The Cubs are promoting their top pitching prospect, right-hander Jaxon Wiggins, to Triple-A Iowa from Double-A Knoxville.
The Cubs have also signed outfielder Billy Hamilton to a minor league deal. Hamilton previously played for the Cubs in 2020. The 34-year-old speedster was playing for Jalisco in the Mexican League previously this year. The signing was just announced today but was apparently completed on August 31, meaning that Hamilton is eligible for a postseason roster spot.
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The Cubs could have assigned Cowles to Iowa had he cleared waivers.
Iowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs calmed the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), 4-3.
Jordan Wicks started this game this afternoon and allowed one run on two hits over 2.1 innings. Wicks gave up a solo home run to Isan Diaz. Wicks walked two and struck out three.
Connor Noland threw the next 3.2 innings and gave up one run on just two hits. Noland walked three and struck out seven.
Eli Morgan blew a save when he surrendered a run in the top of the eighth, but got the win when Iowa scored in the bottom of the inning. Morgan’s final line was one run on three hits over 1.2 innings. He struck out two and walked no one.
Gavin Hollowell got summoned from the pen to relieve Morgan with two outs and nobody on in the top of the ninth. Hollowell struck out Bobby Dalbec on three pitches to get the save.
Second baseman James Triantos had an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, which regained the lead for Iowa. Triantos went 1 for 5.
Catcher Carlos Pérez was 2 for 4 with a walk and an RBI single in the first inning. Pérez also stole second base, which was his first steal since 2018.
First baseman Jonathon Long went 1 for 3 with a double and two walks and two runs scored.
Iowa had ten hits in this game and all nine players in the lineup had one except for Pérez, who had two.
The Triantos go-ahead single.
Knoxville Smokies
The Knoxville Smokies incinerated the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels), 5-4 in eight innings.
The start of this game was delayed by rain for 2 hours and 2 minutes, so it was changed to a seven-inning contest. So of course, they went to extra innings.
Starter Walker Powell pitched well, giving up one run on three hits over four innings. Powell struck out five, walked one and hit one batter.
Mitchell Tyranski pitched the top of the eighth inning and gave up three runs on three walks and just one hit. But since the Smokies came back and scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth, he got the win. Oen of the three runs Tyranski allowed was unearned, of course, and he struck out one.
The Smokies had just one hit through six innings, but with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, center fielder Brett Bateman singled home left fielder Jordan Nwogu. But pinch runner Jaylen Palmer was thrown out trying to score from first on the play, so the game went to extra innings.
Bateman went 1 for 3 with a walk. Nwogu went 1 for 3 and walked with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to tie the game back up.
Ethan Hearn, who entered the game after Palmer pinch-ran for catcher Casey Opitz in the eighth, had a walk-off RBI single in that inning.
Third baseman Pedro Ramirez went 2 for 4. He started the eighth inning comeback with a single and he scored one run.
South Bend Cubs
The South Bend Cubs were trailing Wisconsin 2-1 after 3 1/2 innings when the rains came. They will finish the game on Thursday, followed by a seven-inning regularly-scheduled game.
Myrtle Beach Pelicans
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans turned out the lights on the Columbia Fireflies (Royals), 9-1.
Starter Kevin Camacho pitched four innings and surrendered just the one run on one hit. He walked two and struck out four.
Thomas Mangus threw the next two innings and was awarded the win as Camacho didn’t go five innings. Mangus allowed just one baserunner, a one-out walk in the fifth. Mangus struck out one.
Left fielder Jose Escobar was 3 for 4 with one run scored and one run driven in.
Third baseman Christian Olivo got the Pelicans on the board with an RBI triple in the third inning. Olivo went 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base. He scored after the triple as well.
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