Coming off last night’s Fall Stars Game, it’s a great time to check back in with the Cubs Boys of Autumn playing for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. The home run derby and the Fall Stars Game meant it was a short week for the Solar Sox with only four games played. Mesa went 1-3 in those four games.
Just as a reminder, the Arizona Fall League is a postseason minor league where prospects can get in more work before the winter starts. The Mesa Solar Sox are the team that Cubs prospects play
for and the team plays their home games at the Cubs Spring Training home of Sloan Park. The other four teams with players on the Solar Sox this year are the Athletics, Yankees, Marlins and Rays.
For more information, check out the week one, week two, week three and week four updates.
The Fall Stars Game was played on Sunday night and two Cubs prospects played for the National League team, which lost ot the American League 5-4. Owen Ayers started the game behind the plate and went 1 for 2 before exiting. Koen Moreno pitched in relief, entering the game with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth. Moreno, unfortunately, walked the first batter he faced, forcing in a run. Moreno then walked the second batter he faced, forcing in a second run. There was much better news on the third batter, as he struck him out to end the inning.
The Solar Sox went 1-3 for the week, which still kept them in third place with three games to go before the playoffs. However, they have just a half game lead over Peoria and the two teams will face off against each other on Tuesday at Sloan Park. The winner of that game will very likely be the third-place team. However, all six teams will make the postseason.
Here are how all four Mesa Solar Sox games went this week. The home team is listed second.
Tuesday, November 4: Scottsdale Scorpions 14, Solar Sox 21 (!!!)
Wednesday, November 5: Glendale Desert Dogs 15, Solar Sox 9
Thursday, November 6: Scottsdale Scorpions 7, Solar Sox 3
Friday, November 7: Solar Sox 0, Peoria Javelinas 3
Here’s how the Cubs on the Solar Sox did this past week:
Catcher Owen Ayers: As mentioned earlier, Ayers made the Fall Stars Game and went 1 for 2. He played three more times this past week, at first base on Tuesday and behind the plate on Wednesday and Friday. In Tuesday’s big 21-run offensive explosion, Ayers went 3 for 5 with a double and a walk. For the week, Ayers was 4 for 10 with a double and three walks. He drove in two runs and scored three times.
For the AFL season, Ayers is currently hitting .365/.529/.589 with five doubles and three home runs. He’s scored 17 runs and driven home 14.
Shortstop Ed Howard: Maybe we can stop calling Howard a shortstop because he was in left field for two of the three games he played this week and at second base for the other one. I assume this is just a way of giving him more versatility than a belief that he can’t play short because defense is one thing that he has done well since being drafted in the first round in 2020.
Howard somehow managed to go 0 for 6 on Tuesday when Mesa exploded for 22 hits and 21 runs. (He only struck out once, at least.) But Howard did go 1 for 3 in each of the other two games. That means he was 2 for 12 with a double and two walks on the week. He drove in one run and scored once.
For the fall, Howard is hitting .224/.345/.265 with two doubles and three steals. He’s scored five runs and driven in four.
Corner infielder Cole Mathis: Mathis played twice this past week, on Wednesday and Friday, and both times he played first base. Mathis went 0 for 5 with four walks and a stolen base. He scored twice on Wednesday.
For the season, Mathis is hitting .271/.419/.396 with two home runs. Mathis has 14 RBI and 11 runs scored.
Catcher Logan Poteet: This happens every year. Some Cub gets added to the Solar Sox roster and I miss it the first week they are there. My apologies to Logan. In any case, Poteet now plays for the Solar Sox and this past week he played twice, taking over for Ayers behind the plate in Wednesday’s game and playing first base on Thursday. Poteet went 0 for 5 for the week.
For the AFL Season, Poteet is hitting .176/.176/.353 with one home run. You think I would have caught the home run.
Right-hander Luis Martinez-Gomez: Martinez-Gomez started Friday’s shutout loss and got the loss after allowing one run on two hits over two innings. The one run came on a solo home run by the first batter of the game, top Tigers prospect Kevin McGonigle. He struck out two and walked no one.
For the season, Martinez-Gomez has thrown 9 1/3 innings in seven games—one start and six relief appearances. Martinez-Gomez has a record of 2-1 and one save with a 3.86 ERA. He’s also struck out 16 and walked five.
Right-hander Koen Moreno: As mentioned above, Moreno was named to the Fall Stars Game and pitched on Sunday for the National League. For Mesa, he pitched the fourth inning in relief on Wednesday, Moreno allowed a two-out walk, but no other baserunners. He struck out one.
Moreno has pitched five times with three starts, totalling 14 innings. He has a record of 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA. Moreno has struck out 18 and walked seven.
Right-hander Mat Peters: Peters pitched two innings of relief on Friday and had his best outing of the AFL season. He gave up no runs on one hit. Peters struck out one and walked no one.
Peters has thrown eight innings over seven relief appearances and has an ERA of 10.13. He’s walked ten over those eight innings and struck out just two.
Right-hander JP Wheat: Wheat pitched the third inning in between Martinez-Gomez and Peters on Friday. He did better than he normally has done, retiring the first two batters before issuing two, two-out walks. Wheat then got a grounder to short to end the inning and his day with no runs scoring. Wheat did not strike anyone out.
Wheat has six relief appearances, totalling 5.1 innings. His record is 0-2 with a 23.63 ERA. The 16 walks in those 5 1/3 innings is the big issue. He’s struck out five.
