South Bend wins Midwest League
Here’s a look at the top performances of the past week by Cubs prospects in the Minor Leagues:
Saturday, Sept. 14: South Bend wins Midwest League
Seemingly everything went right for Class A South Bend on Saturday night as the Cubs topped Clinton and completed a sweep of the Midwest League finals.
Riley Thompson, the Cubs’ No. 13 prospect, carved up the LumberKings offense and struck out 10, a career high, over six no-hit innings. Thompson, an 11th-round pick from the 2018 Draft, impressed in his first full season, pitching to a 3.06 ERA over 21 starts.
Levi Jordan and Andy Weber, both 2018 Draft picks, provided all the Cubs offense as the duo combined to go 3-for-9 with five RBIs and a pair of homers. Jordan hit a two-run homer as part of a 1-for-4 night and Weber, who also homered, finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Saturday's prospect stats »
Thursday, Sept. 12: Cubs win in 10 innings
Class A South Bend continued its unbeaten run through the postseason on Thursday with a walk-off, 3-2, win in 10 innings over Clinton in Game 2 of the Midwest League Championship Series.
It didn’t take the Cubs long to score, as leadoff man Clayton Daniel reached on error and Andy Weber followed with a double before cleanup hitter Nelson Maldonado plated them both with a single.
The score remained tied through nine innings, and after a rain delay prior to extra innings, Cubs’ No. 6 prospect Cole Roederer, who had reached via a one-out intentional walk, scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch.
Maldonado paced the offense with two hits and two RBIs, and Roederer reached base three times as part of a 1-for-3, two-walk performance. Thursday's prospect stats »
Wednesday, Sept. 11: South Bend up 1-0 in Midwest League Championship Series
The Class A South Bend Cubs opened the Midwest League Championship Series with a win on Wednesday, 3-1, over Clinton. No. 3 prospect Brennen Davis was the only Cubs hitter to reach base twice in the well-pitched game, finishing 1-for-3 with a walk.
No. 21 prospect Nelson Velazquez put South Bend on the board in the second inning via an RBI fielder’s choice before Nelson Maldonado launched a solo home run in the seventh inning. The Cubs also got a boost on the mound on Wednesday as Kendall Graveman, who is working his way back from a 2018 Tommy John surgery, made a rehab start. Graveman allowed one run on three hits over 3 2/3 innings with three strikeouts before handing off to the bullpen, which closed the door with 5 1/3 shutout frames.
With the win, South Bend moves to 5-0 in the 2019 postseason. Game 2 of the best-of-five series goes on Thursday in South Bend before a scheduled off day on Friday. Beginning Saturday with Game 3, the remaining games of the series will move back to Clinton. Wednesday's prospect stats »
Sunday, Sept. 8: Davis rakes as South Bend advances
No. 3 prospect Brennen Davis continued his big 2019 postseason by going 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI on Sunday as the Class A South Bend Cubs clinched a spot in the Midwest League finals with a 7-3 win over Great Lakes. Davis is now 7-for-16 with three doubles and two RBIs over four postseason games after hitting .305 with eight home runs and a .907 OPS over 50 regular-season games for the Cubs. South Bend’s offense started at the top of the lineup on Sunday with nine of the 13 hits coming from the top four batters. Nelson Maldonado, batting in the cleanup spot, went 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs. The Midwest League finals open on Sept. 10, when South Bend will face either Cedar Rapids or Clinton. Sunday's prospect stats »
Saturday, Sept. 7: Davis propels South Bend; Iowa walks off Round Rock
No. 3 prospect Brennen Davis reached base four times for the Class A South Bend Cubs on Saturday in their 6-4 win over Great Lakes to open their Midwest League semifinals. The 19-year-old finished the game 2-for-3 with an RBI and two walks while No. 21 prospect Nelson Velazquez added an RBI single in a 1-for-4 performance. South Bend now hits the road to Great Lakes, where it will have an opportunity to advance to the Midwest League championship on Sunday.
The Triple-A Iowa Cubs walked off Round Rock, 5-4, with a Phillip Evans sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 11th on Saturday to force a Game 5 in their Pacific Coast League semifinals. The Iowa lineup struck out 18 times, but balanced that out with nine walks. Veteran Jim Adducci delivered the big blow with a solo home run in the sixth inning before the bullpen held Round Rock in check long enough for the Cubs to walk it off. Game 5 of the series goes on Sunday at home in Iowa. Saturday's prospect stats »