Minor League Wrap: Garcia homers in 4th-straight game as Iowa wins fifth-straight

Robel Garcia homers in his 4th-straight game and Nelson Velazquez walks it off for Iowa in extras. Harrison Wenson and Yohendrick Pinango have 2 HR games in wins for the Smokies and South Bend respectively

It seems like every day the Cubs farm system wins three out of four. That’s pretty good, isn’t it?

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs drenched the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), 6-5 in ten innings.

Caleb Kilian turned in another strong performance as he allowed just one run on four hits over 4+ innings. He did load the bases with no outs in the fifth inning before exiting and the one run scored after he left. (The bases were loaded on a strikeout/wild pitch, solid single to center and a weak bloop to right field.) Kilian struck out six and walked two.

Aneuris Rosario coughed up a 4-1 lead in the top of the seventh when he allowed four runs in just a third of an inning. But Erich Uelmen relieved Rosario and limited the damage, allowing just one inherited runner to score on a squeeze bunt. Uelmen allowed no runs on one hit over 2.2 innings. He struck out three and walked one.

The win went to Cayne Ueckert who pitched the top of the tenth and kept Omaha from scoring. Ueckert gave up no hits. He did walk one (after two were out) and he struck out one.

Right fielder Nelson Velazquez singled home pinch-runner Greg Deichmann in the bottom of the tenth to win the game. Velazquez went 3 for 4 with two doubles and the one run batted in.

Third baseman Robel Garcia is the hottest player in baseball right now. In the bottom of the third inning, Garcia connected for a three-run home run, making it four-straight games now that he’s homered. Garcia now has eight home runs and five in the past four games. He was 1 for 4 and was intentionally walked in the tenth inning.

After the I-Cubs fell behind 5-4 in the seventh inning, first baseman Jared Young tied it back up with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning. It was Young’s ninth home run this year, which allowed him to reclaim the team lead after Garcia tied him earlier in the game. Young went 2 for 3 with a walk and he was hit by a pitch. He scored two runs.

Center fielder Zach Davis was 2 for 4 with a double and one run scored.

Here’s Garcia’s blast. He doesn’t hit cheapies.

Here’s Young’s home run. Also not cheap.

And here’s Velazquez’s walk-off single.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies were butter than the Montgomery Biscuits (Rays), 5-4.

Starter Anderson Espinoza pitched four innings and allowed just one unearned run on two hits. He struck out three and walked two.

Wyatt Short threw the eighth and ninth innings and got the win. He surrendered three hits, but no runs. Short also walked two and struck out no one. He was helped by double plays in both innings.

DH Yonathan Perlaza broke a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning with a solo home run, his fourth of the season. Perlaza was 2 for 4 with two runs scored.

The player of the game was catcher Harrison Wenson, who homered twice tonight. Wenson hit a solo home run in the third and a two-run home run in the fourth. He was 2 for 4 and now has three home runs for 2022.

The other Smokies run came on an RBI single by first baseman Bryce Ball in the third inning. Ball went 2 for 4.

Left fielder Darius Hill was 2 for 4 and scored on Ball’s single in the third.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs boiled the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres), 11-2.

Jordan Wicks gave up a two-run home run in the first inning to top Padres prospect Robert Hassell III, but he settled down after that. He came one out shy of qualifying for a win as Wicks pitched 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on just three hits. He walked two and struck out five. He also hit one batter.

The win went to Brad Deppermann, who relieved Wick and did not allow a baserunner over 1.1 innings. He struck out three.

DH Yohendrick Pinango hit two home runs tonight in the rout. The first was a two-run home run in the sixth inning and the second one was a grand slam in seventh. Pinango went 2 for 5 with the six RBI.

First baseman Matt Mervis clubbed a pair of doubles in a 4 for 5 game. He scored once.

Left fielder Bradlee Beasley also went 4 for 5 with one double and a walk. He scored three times.

Third baseman Luis Verdugo went 2 for 3 with a walk and a sacrifice fly. Verdugo scored twice and drove home two.

Right fielder Owen Caissie went 2 for 4 and was hit by a pitch.

Shortstop Fabian Pertuz was 2 for 5 with a double and an RBI single in the third inning.

Center fielder Jordan Nwogu went 2 for 5 with a double and one run scored.

Catcher Pablo Aliendo went 2 for 5 and scored once.

South Bend had 21 hits tonight. The only one in the lineup with fewer than two hits was Jake Slaughter, and he was 1 for 4 with a walk.

Highlights:

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were bitten by the Charleston RiverDogs (Rays), 4-1.

Luis Devers started and took the loss. He allowed two runs on three hits over 4.1 innings. One of the two runs was unearned. Devers walked two and struck out three.

Second baseman Yeison Santana went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk.

Highlights, such as they are: