Cubs Minor League News: AFL Edition |
SCOTTSDALE - It's hard to believe that just over two weeks ago, the Mesa Solar Sox were rolling and threatening to take over the top spot in the Arizona Fall League standings. Fast forward to now, and they have dropped below .500 for the first time and are in danger of missing the playoffs as just two games remain in the regular season.
Looking to get back on track after a rough go of things lately, the Solar Sox hit the road to take on the Scottsdale Scorpions in a crucial late-season game. A win for the Scorpions would move them into a tie with Mesa, while a win would get the Solar Sox back to the .500 mark and would propel them in the right direction. What was a close game early on turned into a lopsided affair, as it was more of the same for the Solar Sox in an 11-2 loss. That has been the theme for this team lately, as the offense has not only gone into hiding, but the pitching has failed to get the job done, as they allowed a pair of three-run innings to go with a pair of two-run innings. When you look at this game as a whole, there was little to get excited about, as only two of the Cubs seven prospects were active in this one. Fortunately for Mesa, it was two of their bigger bats as Jonathon Long and Moises Ballesteros were in the lineup together for the first time in what feels like forever. While one player had a good day, the other didn't, and that has been an all-too-common theme for the Solar Sox lately. Starting with the bad, you could make the case that this was one of Long's worst games of the season, if not the worst. Not only did he suffer a rare hitless night, going 0-4, but he struck out a season-high three times, and his average fell to .329 for the season. Long has been carrying the load offensively for this team lately, and when he is as lost as he was at the plate today, it will be a struggle. Ballesteros, on the other hand, is looking to get back into a late-season groove, as he has been slumping for over two weeks. Granted, his power numbers haven't been there recently, but Ballesteros still went on to have a good game, raising his average to .320 after picking up two hits. Ballesteros also worked a walk to reach base three times, as this was a much-needed game for him. USA ROLLS PAST PANAMA In a do-or-die matchup on Tuesday, Team USA took on Panama as they hooped to keep their elimination round chances alive. Coming off a rough go against Venezuela on Monday, USA responded in a big way Tuesday as they took down Panama 9-3 to improve to 2-2 with one game remaining in the group stage. The win pushes them into a tie for third place, as they need to finish in the top two in their group to advance. Although not the typical big game he has had the past two nights, Matt Shaw was at it again on Tuesday as he continues proving he is ready for big-league pitching. Shaw reached base three times on Tuesday with two hits and a walk, as he is now hitting north of .600 for the tournament. He also stole a base, which is another element of his game that he hasn't displayed much yet. USA will close out the group stage on Thursday when they take on host Nation Mexico.
