Matt Mervis (Photo by Stephanie Lynn)

AAA

Louisvill 4, Iowa 3

Game Recap

Alec Mills took the hill for the first time this year. He struck out five without walking a batter but he also got tagged for eight hits in just three innings. Still, you gotta start somewhere. He threw 62 pitches. My guess is he makes another 1-2 starts with Iowa to get him above the 80 pitch mark.

Top Performers

Matt Dermody: 3 IP, 6 H R, 0 BB, K (2.92)Kevin McCarthy: 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (0.00)Ildemaro Vargas: 2-3, R, 2 RBI (.283)Jared Young: 2-4 (.267)Donnie Dewees: 1-4, 2B, R (.314)

AA

Tennessee 4, Rocket City 0

Game Recap

Watch out for Riley Thompson this year. His innings load will be monitored closely but the guy has a lot of talent out on the mound and he could very well be a help to the Cubs in 2023 if he can manage to stay healthy this year while building up some stamina. He’s got MOR stuff and tossed three shutout innings yesterday.

Peyton Remy followed with 5 dominant innings, then Brandon Hughes capped off the shutout with a perfect 9th. The three combined to punch out 12 Trash Pandas.

The offense was led by the two Nelson’s, Velazquez and Maldonado. Those two should really have begun in Iowa in my view. Nelson Velazquez blasted his 5th homer already on the season, and Nelson Maldonado went 3-for-3 and drew a walk to raise his batting average to .400.

Top Performers

Riley Thompson: 3 IP, H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K (3.00)Peyton Remy: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K (W, 2-0, 3.86)Nelson Velazquez: 1-4, HR (5), R, 2 RBI (.280)Nelson Maldonado: 3-3, 2B, RBI, BB (.400)Chris Morel: 1-3, R, BB (.245)

High-A

South Bend 7, Beloit 5

Game Recap

Matt Mervis knocked in five runs on a 3rd inning three-run homer and an 8th inning two-run shot. The Cubs other two runs came on an RBI double by Alexander Canario and a solo homer by Scott McKeon.

Matt Mervis 2 run jack pic.twitter.com/gvwmJqq8GA

April 23, 2022

Things you love to see: hard hit singles by Caissie and Piñango to set up the go ahead HR by Mervis. pic.twitter.com/uaWKvcmROx

April 23, 2022

It was a struggle for starter Daniel Palencia through his three innings (5 H, 5 R), but piggyback starter Manuel Espinoza more than made up for it. He earned the win with five shutout innings while Mervis did his work with the lumber to trigger the South Bend comeback.

He’s a former college SS… https://t.co/fi1XPl94Dh

April 24, 2022

Top Performers

Matt Mervis: 2-4, 2 HR (1, 2), 2 R, 5 RBI (.257)Scott McKeon: 1-3, HR (1), R, RBI (.235)Luis Verdugo: 2-4, 2B (.257)Alexander Canario: 1-4, 2B, R, RBI (.188)Manuel Espinoza: 5 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K (W, 1-1, 1.50)Hunter Bigge: IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (S, 2, 0.00)

Low-A

Myrtle Beach 5, Delmarva 1

Game Recap

Another day, another good game for Pete Crow-Armstrong. He went 2-for-4 with his bases loaded double in the 6th providing the Pelicans staff with a ton of breathing room. Ethan Hearn hit a two-run double earlier in the game to give Myrtle Beach the lead and which proved to be the game winner as the Pelicans pitchers tossed a beauty.

He’s a former college SS… https://t.co/fi1XPl94Dh

April 24, 2022

21-year old Porter Hodge has been a nice story early on for the Pelicans. He’s been working in the mid-90s and I’ve seen reports of solid secondary offerings as well (but it’s been hard to get a read myself as the video coverage of Pelicans game so far has been lacking). He’ll be someone I pay close attention to once Myrtle Beach gets that broadcasts up and running. His five shutout innings earned him his first win and lowered his ERA to 2.19.

Top Performers

Porter Hodge: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (W, 1-0, 2.19)Luis Rodriguez: 3 IP, 3 H, R, 3 BB, 4 K (1.17)Pete Crow-Armstrong: 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, HBP (.289)Ethan Hearn: 1-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB (.158)James Triantos: 2-4, BB, (.204)Ezequiel Pagan: 1-3, R, BB (.114)