Minor League Wrap: Mervis, Garcia both homer twice in wins for South Bend and Iowa

Multi-home run games for both Robel Garcia and Matt Mervis in wins for Iowa and South Bend. Four different Smokies also homered.

It’s not often this season that we can say the Pelicans were the only team that lost tonight. Also after tonight, every single minor league affiliate is at least at .500.

There was a lot of movement in the minor leagues tonight.

• LHP Bryan Hudson and RHP Cam Sanders went from Tennessee to Iowa
• OF Alexander Canario, RHP Max Bain, RHP Chris Clarke and RHP Nicholas Padilla all joined Tennessee from South Bend.
• LHP Wyatt Short was also assigned to Tennessee.
• RHP Ryan Jensen, RHP Riley Thompson and INF Cam Balego were all assigned to the Development List from Tennessee.
• OF Cole Roederer and RHP Walker Powell assigned to South Bend from Myrtle Beach.
• INF Jake Slaughter assigned to South Bend.

I think that’s all of it, other than the moves between Iowa and Chicago that have already been covered on this site.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs calmed the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), 5-2.

Starter Matt Swarmer really only made one mistake over 5.2 innings, but unfortunately that mistake was smacked by Vinnie Pasquantino for a two-run home run. Swarmer allowed just one hit and the two runs. He retired the first nine batters of the game. Swarmer walked two and struck out ten, which is a career-high in strikeouts for him.

Brandon Hughes relieved Swarmer and got the win. He gave up just one hit and no runs over 2.1 innings. Hughes struck out one and walked no one.

Erich Uelmen finished up the two-hitter and got the save with a perfect ninth inning. He struck out one.

Third baseman Robel Garcia was the hero of the I-Cubs comeback win. Garcia first hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth to cut the Storm Chasers lead to 2-1. Then he broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh with a two-run home run. Garcia went 3 for 4, scored three times and had the three RBI. He now has five home runs this season.

First baseman John Hicks added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run, his second of the season. Hicks went 1 for 4.

Catcher Tyler Payne went a perfect 4 for 4 with a game-tying single in the sixth inning.

Dixon Machado was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Andrelton Simmons played eight innings at shortstop tonight and went 0 for 5.

Here are Garcia’s two home runs.

Looks to me like they were both “splash” hits.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies burnt the Montgomery Biscuits (Rays), 8-4.

Starter Brandon Leibrandt allowed three runs on six hits over four innings. All three runs scored on two home runs allowed. Liebrandt did strike out six and walked no one, although he hit one batter.

Dalton Stambaugh got the win in relief because Leibrandt didn’t pitch five innings. Stambaugh did not allow a hit or a run. He did walk two while striking out two.

Wyatt Short only allowed one baserunner, a walk, over two scoreless innings in his season debut. He struck out two.

The Smokies hit four home runs tonight. Right fielder Yonathan Perlaza hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning. It was his third home run of the year. Perlaza went 1 for 2 with two walks and two runs scored.

Shortstop Luis Vazquez broke a 2-2 tie in the third inning with a solo home run, his first of the year. Vazquez went 2 for 3.

The Smokies blew a close game open with a four-run bottom of the ninth. The big blow was a three-run home run by third baseman Chase Strumpf. It was Strumpf’s sixth home run of 2022. Strumpf went 2 for 4 and scored twice.

Finally, DH Levi Jordan connected for a solo home run later in the eighth. Jordan now has four home runs this year and two with the Smokies. He was 2 for 4.

Second baseman Andy Weber went 2 for 4 and scored one run.

Center fielder Alexander Canario was 0 for 4 in his Double-A debut.

South Bend Cubs

Matt Mervis hit a two-run walk-off home run as the South Bend Cubs stormed back to dent the Ft. Wayne TinCaps (Padres), 9-7.

Kohl Franklin pitched the first 2.1 innings and gave up three runs on four hits. He struck out two and walked one.

Hunter Bigge pitched a scoreless top of the ninth inning and got the save. Bigge gave up one hit. He walked no one and struck out one.

Mervis’ walk-off home run was actually his second home run of the game. Mervis scored South Bend’s first run by a solo home run in the second inning and then scored the final one with the walk-off. He now has seven home runs this season. Mervis also had an RBI single in the third inning. He finished the night going 3 for 4 with the two home runs and four RBI. Mervis was also hit by a pitch and he scored three times.

South Bend was trailing 7-2 after 5 ¹⁄₂ innings when right fielder Owen Caissie finally connected for his first home run of the season and this one was a grand slam. Caissie went 1 for 4.

Second baseman Fabian Pertuz went 2 for 4 and scored on the grand slam.

Highlights:

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans weren’t ruff enough for the Charleston RiverDogs (Rays), 7-3.

Starter Luke Little took the loss after giving up five runs on five hits over 2+ innings. Three of the five runs were uneanered, however.

First baseman B.J. Murray Jr. hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, his second homer of the year. Murray went 1 for 3 with a walk.

Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong had an RBI single to center field in the fifth inning to extend his hitting streak to 15 games. Crow-Armstrong was 1 for 5.

Highlights: