Some movement in the Cubs Minor League System today.
- Right-hander Antonio Santos was promoted to Triple-A Iowa from Double-A Knoxville
- Right-hander Yency Almonte moves his rehab from High-A South Bend to Knoxville.
- Right-hander Erian Rodriguez was promoted to Knoxville from South Bend.
- Right-hander Nazier Mulé was promoted to South Bend from Low-A Myrtle Beach.
- Right-hander Joel Sierra was promoted to Myrtle Beach from the ACL Cubs.
- Left-hander Pierce Coppola, the Cubs seventh-round pick last month, joins Myrtle Beach. He’s apparently going to be the first Cubs pitching draftee to pitch for an affiliate in the same year they were drafted since Jordan Wicks and Riley Martin in 2021.
The Cubs are expected to sign 18-year-old Cuban right-hander Ronald Lázaro Mena.
All four affiliates are home this week. That doesn’t happen often.
It’s the first time ever for interleague play for a Cubs affiliate. At least as far as I know.
Iowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs were lassoed by the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Astros), 4-3. It was the first time Iowa and Sugar Land have ever played each other, and it was the first time playing a Pacific Coast League team since
Iowa left the league after the 2019 season.
Antonio Santos made his Iowa debut and took the loss. He allowed four runs on six hits over five innings, but two of the four runs were unearned. Santos struck out six and walked just one.
Center fielder James Triantos went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. He also stole a base. Triantos scored twice.
DH Carlos Pérez hit an RBI double in the fifth inning. He was 1 for 3 with a walk and a sacrifice fly for two total RBI. He scored once.
Right fielder Kevin Alcántara was 2 for 5 and singled home Pérez in the fifth.
Shortstop Nicky Lopez was 2 for 3 with two walks.
Pérez hits a double.
Alcántara’s single.
Knoxville Smokies
The Knoxville Smokies were battered by the Montgomery Biscuits (Rays), 5-2.
Chase Watkins started and pitched well, but got the loss anyways. Watkins allowed two runs—but both were unearned—on three hits over four innings. Watkins walked one and struck out one.
First baseman Ethan Hearn had a solo home run in the third inning, his sixth on the season. Hearn went 1 for 4.
Center fielder Brett Bateman was 2 for 4 with a double and a stolen base.
Hearn’s home run.
South Bend Cubs
The South Bend Cubs popped the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins), 3-2.
It was the battle of Iowa Hawkeyes today in South Bend as former college teammates Connor Schultz and Ty Langenberg faced off against each other. The battle between them was pretty much a draw, as Schultz allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits over 5.2 innings. Schultz struck out six and walked two.
Luis Martinez-Gomez pitched a scoreless top of the ninth and got the win. Martinez-Gomez allowed no hits. He walked one and struck out one.
Catcher Ariel Armas walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth and went to second on a walk by left fielder Kade Snell. After a sacrifice bunt, first baseman Brian Kalmer hit a fly ball to medium right field, but it was deep enough to score Armas with the winning run.
Armas was 1 for 3 with a a RBI double, the walk and the run.
Snell went 1 for 3 with walk and a stolen base.
Kalmer went 0 for 3 with the sac fly.
Armas has a gun behind the plate.
And he can hit the ball on a missile as well.
Myrtle Beach Pelicans
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans kenneled the Charleston RiverDogs (Rays), 8-2.
Alfredo Romero pitched the first 3.1 innings and allowed one run on one hit. He did have trouble finding the zone as Romero walked five and hit one batter. He struck out five.
The win went to Edwardo Melendez, his first with the Pelicans. Melendez surrendered just one hit and no runs over three innings of relief. He struck out five and didn’t walk anyone.
Shortstop Angel Cepeda blew this game open with a three-run blast in the seventh inning, his seventh on the season. Cepeda was 2 for 4 with four total RBI and two runs scored.
DH Eli Lovich was 2 for 4 with a triple. He hit an RBI single in the seventh inning and scored twice.
Right fielder Alexey Lumpuy went 2 for 4. He drove in a run with a first-inning single and scored on Lovich’s single in the seventh.
Here’s Lovich’s triple.
Some nice defense by second baseman Ty Southisene.
Cepeda’s home run.
Full recap.
