Cubs Minor League News: Ballesteros and Shaw raking, Smith and Roederer homer, more |
Dustin Riese
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- Thursday, February 20 2025
Coming off a great start to the week, where the Cubs posted a 2-0 showing across the first two games, the Cubs Minor League system has hit a bit of a snag the last two days and has now gone 0-3. That includes a 0-2 showing on Thursday, as things were a struggle for both teams.
It was an especially rough showing for the Tennessee Smokies, who had a chance to clinch their playoff series and advance to the Championship series for a third straight season. They will now face an all-or-nothing series decisive game on Friday, as most of the attention will be on that game.
For the second straight night, Iowa and Rochester were locked into a tight game, and Rochester got the upper hand by winning 4-3. This was one of those games where the Cubs had to battle through some adversity, as they had to alter their pitching plans early. That is because Iowa starting pitcher Trey Supak lasted just one inning. He allowed one run on one hit while striking out two. It's unclear whether he left due to an injury, but what was supposed to be his final start turned into a bullpen game, which now affects the rest of the series. Jackson Cluff delivered the only run off Supak as he touched him up for the first-inning homer to give the Red Wings a 1-0 before their bats went quiet most of the night. That is a credit to the Iowa pen, as they were phenomenal throughout the night, especially Riley Martin, who came away with five strikeouts in two innings. Given an early lead, it was up to Thaddeus Ward to hold that lead. The Rochester right-hander pitched five innings of seven strikeout ball. However, he was charged with three earned runs, all of which came in the third inning to put the Cubs in front 3-1. Kevin Alcantara tied things up 1-1 with an RBI single before Matt Shaw gave the Cubs the lead with another single to make this a 3-1 game. Alcantara brings home a run! pic.twitter.com/wOOIujJmVT Of course Matt Shaw delivers✌️ pic.twitter.com/bqAusqhTb6 The lead would last until the final innings, as the Cubs were just two innings away from sealing things. That was until a crucial error from Moises Ballesteros on a passed ball allowed two runners to score, and just like that, Rochester brought things back to even 3-3 in the eighth. Later in the inning, Joey Meneses took Lucas Luetge deep to push home the final run in the Red Wings' 4-3 win. Iowa had eight hits in the game, with Ballesteros leading the way with three. Alcantara and Shaw also had two hits, as both of them have been on a tear since their promotion. Final from Rochester pic.twitter.com/u9itHoKv1f
There will be a winner-take-all matchup on Friday, as the Smokies suffered a 12-5 loss to the Barons in game two of the Southern League division series. This game was decided by two big innings, including a six-run eighth inning that turned a close game into a blowout. One of the Smokies' most consistent starters throughout the second half has been Chris Kachmar, and he had the ball in game two. Kachmar didn't pitch terribly, but being lifted after allowing two runs in only three innings did put a strain on the Smokies' pen, and the Barons made them pay. Kachmar was given a 1-0 after a Jonathon Long first-inning single, only to have the Barons tie things up immediately with a Michael Turner single. Then came the second inning when the Jacob Gonzalez homer not only put the Barons in front 2-1, but gave the Barons the lead for good as Tyler Schweitzer was locked in, allowing just two runs in five innings. Birmingham kept the pressure on the fourth as the Matt Hogan single brought home two more runs while a sacrifice fly extended the Barons lead to 5-1. Tennessee got one of those runs back in the fifth on a Cole Roederer homer, only to have the Barons answer with a Rikuu Nishida single to put Birmingham in front 6-2. Down by four entering the eighth, the Barons offense put the game away as they erupted for six runs in that eighth inning to open up a 12-2 lead. Terrell Tatum played a role in that with his two-run single, but the bases-loaded triple by Shawn Goosenberg provided the big blow, as it was all Barons 12-2. Tennessee did make some noise in the ninth on a Cam Smith three-run shot, but it wasn't enough, as the Smokies must win Friday to advance to another Championship series. Long has continued to be the Smokies' best hitter over the past two months, and with three more hits, he led the way. Brett Bateman and his three hits joined him, with Smith chipping in with two hits and three RBIs. Game 3 tomorrow. | @zips3mincarwashROCHESTER RED WINGS 4 - IOWA CUBS 3
BIRMINGHAM BARONS 12 - TENNESSEE SMOKIES 5
Box Score: https://t.co/dbByXVxTP4 pic.twitter.com/rDSj3zJsSP
