The carousel keeps spinning. James Triantos is finally getting his shot in the big leagues, leaving Kevin Alcántara to pack his bags for Iowa. Meanwhile, Jacob Wallace, a July signing, jumps from the desert heat of rookie ball straight to Double-A Knoxville. Oh, and Drew Pomeranz cleared waivers. He’s technically an Iowa Cub now, assuming he doesn’t just walk away and choose free agency. Don’t hold your breath.
Rain cut this one short. Five innings was all Gwinnett needed to hand Iowa a 4-2 loss. Jaxon Wiggins couldn’t find the strike zone, walking three and coughing up three runs in less than three innings. Brett Bateman was the lone bright spot. He went 2-for-3, doubled, and scored both of Iowa’s runs. The rest of the lineup? Silent.
Brody McCullough deserved better. He threw 4.2 innings of no-hit ball, only to watch the bullpen set his hard work on fire. Frankie Scalzo Jr. let McCullough’s inherited runner score on the first hit of the game, then served up three more runs in the sixth. Knoxville fought back. Ethan Hearn hit a solo shot in the fourth, and Andy Garriola tied it in the seventh with a clutch three-run blast, his 18th of the year. But Tyler Santana came on in the ninth and immediately choked, giving up three hits and the walk-off run to Rocket City. Smokies lose, 5-4.
At least someone won. South Bend took down Wisconsin 4-2, thanks to a solid five-inning shift from Ethan Flanagan. He gave up just one run on a solo homer. Josiah Hartshorn was the star of the night. He broke a two-week drought with a massive two-run homer in the seventh, finishing 2-for-3 with a double and three runs scored. Jose Escobar chipped in with an RBI triple. The ninth got hairy when Luis Rujano faltered, but Wisconsin bailed them out with a brain-dead decision to try and steal second down by two. Ethan Bell got the final out for the save.
More rain in Hickory. Another postponement. They’ll try to play two on Friday and two more on Sunday. Good luck with that.
The rookie league season is mercifully over. The Mesa Cubs beat the Guardians 7-1 to finish a dismal 20-39. Somehow, that wasn’t the worst record in the league. They actually finished ahead of the Athletics and the White Sox. Small favors, I guess.
