Right-hander Kohl Franklin, who missed almost all of 2024 with elbow surgery, joins South Bend on a rehab assignment.
It was an early day for most of the system, as three of the four teams played day games. Only the Pelicans continued their commitment to being a vampire.
Everyone loses!
Iowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs were left stranded in the muck by the Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers), 2-1.
Jordan Wicks gave the I-Cubs a strong start with five scoreless innings. Wicks allowed five hits, walked two and hit one batter. Wicks struck out five.
Ryan Brasier pitched the sixth inning in a rehab assignment. He gave up a one-out double, but retired the other three batters he faced. He struck out two of them.
Keegan Thompson went the rest of the way, giving up a run in the eighth and a run in the ninth and got the loss. Thompson’s final line was two runs on four hits over 2.2 innings. He walked two and struck out three.
Iowa only had three hits today. Center fielder James Triantos singled home third baseman Matt Shaw with two outs in the top of the ninth for the I-Cubs only run. Triantos was 1 for 4 and Shaw went 0 for 3 with a walk.
Triantos’ RBI single.
Knoxville Smokies
The Knoxville Smokies were spotted by the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 2-1.
Starter Chris Kachmar gave up a solo home run in the third inning and another one in the fourth and got the loss. Kachmar’s final line was two runs on five hits over 3+ innings. Kachmar walked four and struck out three.
Nick Hull took over for Kachmar with a man on first and no outs in the fourth and went on to pitch three scoreless innings. The only baserunner against Hull reached on a dropped third strike. Hull struck out three.
The Smokies had only four hits and the only run came in the eighth inning when first baseman Haydn McGeary scored on a balk. McGeary went 0 for 3 with two walks. The Smokies did benefit from wildness from the Lookouts as they reached base seven times on walks and three times after getting hit by a pitch.
Center fielder Parker Chavers went 1 for 2 with a triple and he was hit by a pitch.
South Bend Cubs
The South Bend Cubs lost to the Ft. Wayne TinCaps (Padres), 8-4.
Kohl Franklin made his first appearance in over a year in a rehab assignment and got the loss. Franklin’s final line was three runs on four hits and three walks over two innings. Franklin struck out one.
Left fielder Edgar Alvarez hit his first home run of the season with the bases empty in the eighth inning. Alvarez went 1 for 5.
Shortstop Cristian Hernandez hit an RBI double in the third inning. He also drove in a run in the ninth when he reached on catcher’s interference with the bases loaded. (He gets an RBI for that. I didn’t know that.) Hernandez was 2 for 4.
Myrtle Beach Pelicans
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were fowl against the Delmarva Shorebirds (Orioles), 6-3.
Hayden Frank allowed just one run on five hits over the first 5.1 innings. Frank walked three and struck out five.
The game was tied 1-1 after seven innings, but both teams scored twice in the eighth and the Shorebirds scored three runs in the ninth off of Charlie Hurley. Hurley got the loss after being charged with three runs on four hits over 1.2 innings. Hurley only walked one, but he hit two batters. He struck out one.
The Pelicans had just four hits tonight but were the beneficiaries of six walks and three hit batsmen. Right fielder Leonel Espinoza was 2 for 4.
A nice catch by Jose Escobar in left field.
ACL Cubs