Down on the Farm: Kris Bryant leads Smokies to 12-1 win

Nov 2, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman

against the West during the Fall Stars Game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa Cubs starting pitcher Chris Rusin started off the day by tossing a no-hitter against the New Orleans Zephyrs today.

So with Rusin getting the attention of every Chicago Cubs representative (front office and players), it was up to everyone else to try to produce some magic of their own. Now the big league club fell to the Chicago White Sox which means the South Siders will end up taking back the cup. But the rest of the organization had the opportunity to step up and turn some heads of their own. Heads were turned after a dominant performance by one of Chicago’s top prospects.

Let’s get down to business and find out who was able to put their name in the same conversation as Chris Rusin.

We’ll go ahead and start with the Daytona Cubs who took on the Brevard County Manatees. Daytona dropped yesterday’s series finale against the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

The Cubs were able to tie up the ballgame during the first inning but were unable to plate any runs after that. This is something that Daytona has been having trouble doing. They have had some games where they were able to put some solid hits together which produced a handful of runs, but they struggle more than they score.

Brevard County would take a 3-1 lead during the top of the third inning on two consecutive two out hits. Starting pitcher Rob Zastryzny continued to struggle on the mound as he was only able to work through four and two-third innings tonight. He was charged with four earned runs off four hits while striking out five.

The only Cubs’ run came off a double by Bijan Rademacher in the very first inning.

Reliever Michael Jensen would be charged with the final run of the game during the top of the ninth inning. Daytona picked up seven hits on the night.

Winning pitcher is Damien Magnifico (2-2, 2.83 ERA) losing pitcher is Rob Zastrynzy (1-3, 8.33).

Final Score: Manatees 5, Cubs 1.

Daytona Cubs fall to 10-20.

Last, but not least, we have the Tennessee Smokies taking on the Birmingham Barons. The Smokies picked up a 4-1 win on the Barons last night.

With Chris Rusin taking care of business with a no-hitter with the Triple-A affiliate – third base prospect Kris Bryant made some noise of his own. Bryant finished the game 3-for-4 with six RBIs and one walk.

Bryant stole the show tonight with his power as he was able to crush two home runs. The first home run was a three-run shot during the bottom of the first inning that gave the Smokies a 3-0 lead. Bryant would add his eighth homer run of the season during the bottom of the fifth. It was a solo blast that would extend Tennessee’s lead to 6-1. He later finished the night with a two-run double during the bottom of the eighth inning to stretch the lead to 11-1.

Starting pitcher Dae-Eun Rhee had himself another solid outing for the Smokies tonight. Rhee worked through seven solid innings, giving up only three hits and the only run of the ball game by the Barons. He was only able to strikeout two batters, but it was a great performance either way.

Right-handed reliever Arodys Vizcaino would enter the game during the ninth and slam the door on the Barons.

Winning pitcher is Dae-Eun Rhee (2-1, 3.25 ERA) losing pitcher is Myles Jaye (0-4, 5.25 ERA).

Kris Bryant looks like he’s trying to get the attention of Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein. Is Bryant almost ready for ‘The Show’?

Final Score: Smokies 12, Barons 1.

Tennessee Smokies improve to 19-14 on the season.