Chicago Cubs Minor League Wrap: September 18

Tomorrow (Sunday) is the final day of the season for Tennessee, South Bend and Myrtle Beach. We still have two more weeks of I-Cubs games, however.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs got drenched by the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), 14-3. The loss snapped Iowa’s four-game winning streak.

Luis Lugo started and took the loss after allowing four runs on six hits over five innings. Lugo walked four and struck out two.

Bryan Hudson’s Triple-A debut could have gone better. Hudson pitched one inning (split between the seventh and eighth innings) and was rocked for seven runs on four hits, three of which were home runs. Two of those home runs were grand slams. Hudson walked three and struck out one.

Third baseman Levi Jordan went 2 for 3 with a double, a triple and a sacrifice fly. Jordan had two RBI and scored once.

Center fielder Brennen Davis was 2 for 3 with a walk and an RBI double. He’s now 9 for 20 with three home runs and a double in five games with Iowa.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies dropped both ends of a doubleheader to the Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers), 4-2 and 1-0.

Anderson Espinoza started game one and he went 3.2 innings without allowing a run. He did give up three hits, issued three walks and hit one batter. Espinoza struck out six.

The loss went to Bryan King, who allowed one inherited runner to score in the sixth and then he gave up a walk-off two-run home run to Chad Spanberger in the bottom of the seventh. The final line on King was two runs on four hits over one inning of work. King did not record a strikeout or a walk.

Center fielder Christopher Morel gave the Smokies an early lead with an RBI single in the top of the first inning. Morel scored Tennessee’s other run in the fourth inning on a Bradley Beesley double. Morel was 2 for 3 and Beesley was 1 for 3.

In game two, the Smokies wasted a great start from Dakota Chalmers, who allowed just one hit over five innings. He did walk three batters and hit one, but he also tied a career-high with ten strikeouts.

The loss went to Eury Ramos, who put runners on first and third with one out in the bottom of the seventh before exiting for Burl Carraway. Carraway walked both batters he faced to force in the winning run. Ramos’s line for the game was one run on one hit over 1.2 innings. He walked one, struck out one and hit one batter.

Morel was 1 for 3 with a triple in game two. DH Caleb Knight went 1 for 2 with a walk.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were conned by the Quad Cities River Bandits (Royals), 4-3.

Starter Bailey Horn pitched the first four innings and he gave up one run on three hits. He struck out four, walked one and hit one batter.

Cubs’ 16th-round pick Zachary Leigh pitched two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and walked one while striking out three.

Eduarniel Nunez entered the game in to start the bottom of the ninth with the score tied 3-3. He retired the first two batters in the inning, but took the loss after a walk, a stolen base and a walk-off single. Nunez struck out one.

Left fielder Yonathan Perlaza hit his team-leading 15th home run in the sixth inning with a man on. Perlaza was 2 for 3.

Center fielder Alexander Canario went 2 for 4 with a triple.

First baseman Tyler Durna went 2 for 4 with a double.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans mixed the Augusta GreenJackets (Braves) in with the whites, 12-2.

Daniel Palencia got his first professional win with a dominating five innings when he gave up just one hit and no runs. Palencia struck out seven and walked just one.

DH Christian Franklin hit his first professional home run with a man on in the third inning. Franklin was 1 for 6 with three overall RBI and he scored twice.

First baseman Jonathan Sierra hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, his third of homer of 2021. Sierra also hit a two-run double in the third inning for four total runs batted in. Sierra went 3 for 5.

Center fielder Jordan Nwogu was 2 for 5. He drove in one and scored once.

Left fielder Owen Caissie was 2 for 4 with a sacrifice fly.

Shortstop Ed Howard went 3 for 5. He tripled and scored in the fifth inning.

Third baseman Josue Huma went 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored twice and had one run batted in.

The win moved the Pelicans record to 59-60. They can reach .500 with a win in their season finale on Sunday.

ACL Cubs

The ACL Cubs beat the Athletics 5-4.

The last game of the year for the ACL Cubs ended on a walk-off solo home run by first baseman BJ Murray Jr.

Second baseman James Triantos homered in the first and sixth innings. He was 3 for 4. Triantos finishes his first pro season hitting .327/.376/.594 with six home runs in 15 games.

The ACL Cubs finished the year at 34-26, which was good enough for fifth place in the 18-team Arizona Complex League.