Cubs Minor League News: Windham raking, Shaw homers, Kalmer smacks grand slam, more
Windham had three hits in the loss (Photo courtesy: Iowa Cubs)

Cubs Minor League News: Windham raking, Shaw homers, Kalmer smacks grand slam, more
by - Senior Writer - Sat Jul 27 09:32:02 GMT-05:00 2024

This has been a much better week of competition for the Cubs Minor League system, as the wins have been far more consistent. That continued again on Friday, with the Cubs winning three of their games and going 3-3 on the evening.

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS 7 - IOWA CUBS 3

This has been an extremely rough week, as the Cubs simply can't buy a win against the Indians. Their struggles continued on Friday with Brandon Birdsell on the mound. The right-hander gave up four runs in three innings while the offense struggled to generate anything consistent.

Anytime you spot Jake Woodford four runs early in the game, you are asking for trouble, as the right-hander went five innings and struck out seven. Already trailing 1-0 in the second, the Cubs gifted the Indians another run off wild pitch before the Andres Alvarez single extended their lead to 3-0. Matt Frazier tacked on another single in the third to push their lead to 4-0, as that would be the only runs they would need.

It took Iowa five innings to cash in, with Jake Reinheimer picking up a sacrifice fly to make this a 5-1 game. However, the Indians added two more in the sixth off the Seth Beer double and a Matt Gorski single to push their lead to 7-1. The Cubs tried to battle back in the eighth, with Trayce Thompson delivering an RBI triple and coming home on a Chase Strumpf single, but that was it in the Cubs' 7-3 loss.

BIRMINGHAM BARONS 3 - TENNESSEE SMOKIES 1

In a scheduled doubleheader after having a rainout earlier in the week, the Barons managed to take game one from the Smokies 3-1. All of the runs came in one inning as both teams delivered strong pitching across the board.

Alex Troop was saddled with the loss. He went five innings and was charged with three runs before handing things off to Samuel Reyes, who struck out two in two innings to lower his ERA to 1.54. Troop faced off against Jario Iriarte, who had some command issues but managed to keep the high-powered Smokies offense in check through four innings.

After taking a 1-0 lead on a second-inning sacrifice fly, Jason Matthews came through in the clutch. His two-run single closed out the scoring for the Barons, who were leading 3-0. Tennessee managed to get one of those runs back in the bottom of the second on a bases-loaded Christian Franklin walk, but they were unable to come up with the big hit, as that was the only run they would score in a 3-1 loss.

TENNESSEE SMOKIES 7 - BIRMINGHAM BARONS 4

In what was their make-up game from earlier in the week, the Smokies found themselves tied late and on the verge of dropping both games. Then came the sixth, when the Smokies' offense exploded for four runs, which was the difference in their 7-4 victory.

Matt Thompson continues to put together a string of strong starts. He gave the Smokies five innings of three-run, four-hit ball. Two of those runs were earned, as he also punched out four before yielding to Blake Whitney and the rest of the pen. Opposing Thompson was Garrett Schoenel, who gave the Barons four innings of three-run ball.

Unlike game one where the Barons grabbed the lead, it was the Smokies scoring first as the Haydn McGeary double put the Smokies in front 1-0 in the first. The Smokies continued to add to their lead in the third, with the scorching hot Matt Shaw unloading for another homer to stretch their lead to 3-0.

It was in the fifth inning that the Barons' offense started to come to life. An RBI forceout put the Barons on the board, while another Matthews single pulled them within 3-2. Birmingham would eventually pull even at three on a wild pitch, as the Smokies were searching for answers once again. Those answers came in the bottom of the sixth, as the Smokies pushed across the winning run and more in what was a four-run sixth.

A wild pitch aided in the first run in that inning, which put the Smokies in front for good while the Felix Stevens big fly provided the winning runs to put the Smokies in front 6-3. James Triantos tacked on the final run of the inning with an RBI grounder to push their lead to 7-3 before they picked up the 7-4 win.

Franklin had a massive day at the plate, leading the Smokies with three hits and adding an RBI in game one. McGeary was the only other player with multiple hits in the Smokies lineup, as Tennessee continued to be the best team in the Southern League during the second half.

SOUTH BEND CUBS 8 - PEORIA CHIEFS 4

Backed by a pair of four-run innings, the Cubs continued to play much better baseball as they doubled up the Chiefs 8-4. Ty Johnson got the start, going three scoreless innings and striking out five before handing things off to the pen the rest of the way.

Tyler Santana and Chase Watkins were two of those relievers who combined for two runs in four innings while the offense took care of the rest. With the game tied 0-0 entering the fourth, the Cubs offense came to life against Inohan Paniagua to take a massive 4-0 lead. All it took was one enormous swing for the Cubs to seize the advantage as the suddenly hot Brian Kalmer uncorked a grand slam to put the Cubs in front 4-0.

Kalmer wasn't done at the plate as he picked up an RBI single later in the game as part of a second four-run inning that saw the Cubs open up an 8-2 lead in the seventh. Ed Howard was part of that inning with an RBI single, as was Jordan Nwogu, as the Cubs offense has played well all week.

Despite the score, Peoria continued to battle until the end, with Tre Richardson picking up a two-run single in the ninth to pull within 8-4 before losing by that score.

Kalmer led the Cubs with two hits and five RBIs, as he has been one of the hottest hitters in the Midwest League. Parker Chavers and Howard also got in on the multi-hit party, adding two hits.

MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS vs AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS (Postponed)

DSL GIANTS 9 - DSL CUBS RED 3

DSL CUBS BLUE 3 - DSL PIRATES 2

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