Cubs Minors: Trio of arms leads Pelicans to second no-hitter in 10 months

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Class-A affiliate of the Cubs, are celebrating in a unique way. Déjà vu sure can be a funny thing. For the second time in less than a year, ten months to be exact, the Pelicans have combined for another no-hitter.

Facing off against the Columbia Fireflies, Kansas City’s Single-A affiliate, the Pelicans rode both sides of the ball to a dominant 8-0 shutout. The night’s starter, right-hander Walker Powell, spun a gem of a start as he went perfect through five innings and struck out six.

Powell was replaced by left-hander Adam Laskey who twirled two solid innings of his own, allowing just a single walk and striking out one. Jake Reindl closed things out with four strikeouts across the final two innings as the celebration was on in the middle of the mound, with the Pelicans having achieved something truly impressive.

Cubs Minors: Pitching not the only diamond on the night

The Pelicans moved to a resounding 15-6 on the young season. While that may not seem like much, considering a small population follows the lower minor league levels, the victory gave them a two-game lead in the division. Pete Crow-Armstrong continued to mash with another two-hit effort to go along with an RBI and a walk. The Cubs’ number five overall prospect is hitting .382 with a 1.084 OPS.

Every Pelicans starter recorded a hit except for BJ Murray Jr., a 15th-round selection by the Cubs this past year. However, Murray did display a level of patience at the plate, drawing a pair of walks to make up for the hitless affair. Yeison Santana also contributed a couple of knocks as the 21-year-old is now above the .300 mark and sits at .304, a resounding nicety as the top 30 prospects is finding his groove.

Seventh overall prospect Kevin Alcantara who came over in the Anthony Rizzo trade last summer, also hit his first home run of the season. He is currently hitting .242 with a .409 slugging percentage. On paper, it’s not the strongest; however, Alcantara is only 19 years old, so he is more than performing strongly in many ways.

Want your voice heard? Join the Cubbies Crib team!

Write for us!

The Pelicans continue to outperform both offensively and on the mound. They previously were one of the strongest teams in Minor League Baseball and continue to produce at a high level, which is a positive thing for the future, and the talent slowly makes its way up the ladder. It will be fun to see what they do next.