Chicago Cubs Minor League Recap: Ben Brown racks up double-digit strikeouts

Iowa Cubs (AAA)

The Iowa Cubs beat the Nashville Sounds 5-1

This was a great game for the Cubs. A familiar face made his first start in AAA and got a couple of hits, a top prospect got on base a couple of times, and aside from giving up a home run Ben Brown was his usual dominant self. No extra-base hits, no problem in this one as Iowa came away victorious.

Yonathan Perlaza (OF) went 1-4 with a single, a walk and an RBI.

Nick Madrigal (2B) was the only Iowa Cub with a multi-hit game in this one going 2-4 with two singles, a walk, and two RBI. No one would be happier than the Chicago Cubs if Madrigal spent a couple of weeks in Iowa ripping the cover off of the ball and necessitated another shot at the next level. 

Jake Slaughter (3B) went 1-2 with a single, two walks, two runs scored and his seventh stolen base of the year.

Brennen Davis (DH) went 1-3 with a single, a walk, and a run scored. He was also caught stealing 2nd base in this one.

Ben Brown (RHP) went 5.1 innings and only gave up a single run on a solo home run in the 4th inning. Aside from that, he pitched around four hits and two walks, but the really impressive feat in this one was his eleven strikeouts. Jameson Taillon is part of the Cubs future due to the contract he signed this offseason, but if he were to need more time on the IL it would be interesting to see if the Cubs went with Brown’s upside or Hayden Wesneski’s (albeit small) major league experience.

Codi Heuer (RHP) was great again in this one as he pushes for a shot at the majors. He went 1.1 perfect innings and struck out two of the batters he faced. 

Tennessee Smokies (AA)

The Tennessee Smokies beat the Birmingham Barons 7-1

Rather than needing to score six in the 9th inning like Friday’s game, the Smokies scored four in the 8th to put an exclamation point on this 7-1 victory over Birmingham. Pete Crow-Armstrong was held hitless in this one, but there were plenty of individual performances that deserve some extra attention. 

BJ Murray (3B) went 0-3 but drew a walk and scored a run. This week has not been nearly as dominant for Murray but he still has an OPS over .900 so I'm not stressed yet.

Chase Strumpf (2B) went 2-3 with a double, a walk and two runs scored.

Haydn McGeary (1B) went 1-2 with a home run, a walk, a run scored, and three RBI.

Owen Caissie (OF) went 2-4 with two singles, an RBI and two runs scored.

Porter Hodge (RHP) was much better in this one than he has been in previous outings. He went five scoreless innings and only gave up two hits and two walks while striking out eight to notch his first win of the season. 

Ryan Jensen (RHP) was solid in this one after a rough couple of games. He went two innings and only gave up one run (unearned) on two hits and one walk while striking out two. The Cubs have to have more out of their former first round pick but after this game the hope is that he’s trending in the right direction. 

South Bend Cubs (A+)

The South Bend Cubs lost to the Dayton Dragons 4-3

Dayton jumped on the Cubs early in this one, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning and then making it 4-0 in the top of the 4th. The Cubs got a couple back in the bottom of the 5th and scored one more in the bottom of the 7th, but ended up leaving a whopping 22 men on base leading to a loss to drop them to just two games over .500 on the year. 

Scott McKeon (3B) went 1-3 with a single and a run scored. He also added his 12th stolen base on the season.

Kevin Alcantara (OF) went 2-4 with a double, a single, two runs scored and an RBI.

James Triantos (2B) went 0-2 but he did draw two walks in this one.

Brandon Birdsell (RHP) left something to be desired yesterday. He went 4 innings and gave up four earned runs on six hits and a walk while only managing to strike out two. That being said, even with this hiccup he’s still had a great season so far and will look to get back on track next week. 

Didier Vargas (LHP) was part of a bullpen that came in for the final five innings and didn’t allow a baserunner. He went two perfect innings and struck out three of the batters he faced. 

Frankie Scalzo Jr. (RHP) was great in this one. He went two perfect innings and struck out three of the batters he faced. If you’re looking for a little more information on Scalzo and have a subscription to the Athletic, you can see what Sahadev Sharma has to say about him right here.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans (A)

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans and Fayetteville Woodpeckers game was rained out

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