Peyton Remy (photo by Rikk Carlson)

I got a late start, so the recap will be a bit brief today.

MLB

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

A collision in the outfield with the second base umpire forced Nico Hoerner out of the game. Reports are it is an ankle injury and the team will not know the extent of it until the swelling goes down. The Cubs were already playing with a short bench, including one player (Seiya Suzuki) limited to pinch hitting because of a bad ankle. With the off day today the club has an opportunity to go over its options.

I’ve pushed for Christopher Morel to join the team, as he can provide much needed defensive versatility while the Cubs are down so many players. Unfortunately, I’m not sure of his current status.. He left Sunday’s Smokies game early, I thought because he was getting promoted to Iowa or being called up to the Bigs, but he’s still listed on the Tennessee roster and has been out of the lineup this week. So it is possible that he too is nursing a minor injury.

The good news is that Andrelton Simmons is probably ready to return, or close enough given the circumstances, that my guess is he will join the club for their next game on Friday and likely start at SS. He didn’t hit much in his rehab with Iowa, but just being able to field the position while Nico is out should provide value given the amount of contact the Cubs pitching staff allows.

AAA

Iowa 7, Omaha 6

Game Recap

Nelson Maldonado and Robel García each doubled and homered to lead the offensive attack for Iowa. An interesting note regarding Maldonado is that he started out in LF in this game. He was an outfielder in college before ankle and shoulder issues his senior year limited his defensively. Since being drafted the Cubs have used him exclusively as a DH/1B. He handled all of the routine plays out there yesterday but was also lifted for a defensive replacement late in the game. The I-Cubs failed to hold that late lead however, and Maldonado’s spot in the batting order ended up coming around in a critical spot with the game tied in the bottom of the 9th. Thankfully, Narciso Crook managed to snap out of a 1-for-26 slump with a walkoff single to left scoring Andrelton Simmons.

The man can’t be stopped. Robel Garcia hits his third home run in the past two days to tie the game. pic.twitter.com/wfDlqWZAKF

May 11, 2022

Top Performers

Nelson Maldonado: 2-4, 2B, HR (1), R, 4 RBI (.292)Robel García: 2-4, 2B, HR (6), 2 R, RBI (.292)Tyler Payne: 2-4, RBI (.351)Jared Young: 0-2, R, 3 BB (.265)Bryan Hudson: 1.2 IP, 0 H, R, 0 ER, BB, 3 K (0.00)Brendon Little: IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, K (0.00)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

Lefty Bryan Hudson pitched well in his AAA debut.

AA

Tennessee 5, Montgomery 0

Game Recap

I only managed to catch bits and pieces of this game, but I think it would be fair to summarize the efforts of Peyton Remy, Danis Correa, and Eury Ramos as dominant…

The three combined to no-hit the Biscuits, striking out 13 batters in the process. They did walk three and hit another guy, but not a single runner would reach scoring position in the game. According to Remy the six no-hit innings he threw yesterday were the most he had ever thrown at any level of baseball. Correa and Ramos are a pair of hard throwers pushing for 40-man roster spots at the end of the season. They could be candidates for the Arizona Fall League to provide the org with further looks at their stuff against top competition.

LISTEN TO THE FINAL OUT OF THE NO NO!@BroadcasterMick #Cubs #SmokiesBaseball #ItsDifferentHere #CubTogether pic.twitter.com/aiR4kE6lVJ

May 12, 2022

Homers by Bryce Ball and Darius Hill, and a pair of doubles by Chase Strumpf provided more than enough offense.

Top Performers

Peyton Remy: 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K (W, 3-0, 5.63)Danis Correa: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB< 3 K (6.00)Eury Ramos: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (0.90)Bryce Ball: 2-4, 3B, HR (4), 2 R, 3 RBI (.296)Chase Stumpf: 2-2, 2 2B, RBI, BB, HBP (.227)Darius Hill: 1-5, HR (3), R, RBI (.288)Andy Weber: 2-4, R (.333)Alexander Canario: 2-4, R (.250)

High-A

South Bend 6, Fort Wayne 5

Game Recap

Another day, another close game in the late innings, another win for the Cubs.

Make it 8 wins in a row now, as South Bend managed to push the winning run across in the bottom of the 7th on a double play ball. Jeremiah Estrada, who has been lights out all season, slammed the door on any Fort Wayne comeback attempt over the final two innings to earn his 4th save. He’s another reliever alongside Correa and Ramos who hopes to force the Cubs into adding him to the 40-man roster this fall. In the meantime, a promotion to AA once Ramos heads to Iowa seems likely for Estrada.

I am ready to promote Jeremih Estrada myself. He was nails tonight with the game on the line. He came into the eighth with two men on and got the third out and then finished off Fort Wayne in the ninth for the save with a one run lead. ERA on the year is 0.82! pic.twitter.com/fXRAgaRKc6

May 12, 2022

Top Performers

Manuel Espinoza: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, 3 K (1.82)Bailey Reid: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K (W, 1-2, 5.06)Jeremiah Estrada: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K (S, 4, 0.82)Cole Roederer: 2-4, 2B, 3B, R, RBI (.222)Fabian Pertuz: 1-4, R, 3 RBI, 2 SB (1, 2) (.242)Matt Mervis: 2-4, RBI (.322)Bradlee Beesley: 1-4, 3B, R, RBI (.254)Jordan Nwogu: 1-3, 2B, R (.185)Owen Caissie: 0-1, 2 R, BB, HBP (.143)

Low-A

Charleston 5, Myrtle Beach 1

Game Recap

Two of the better teams in the Carolina League squaring off once again, and the RiverDogs came out on top again. They managed to do a pretty good job against the Pelicans potent lineup this week.

Top Performers

Ezequiel Pagan: 2-4, SB (3) (.191)Kevin Alcantara: 2-4, R (.253)B.J. Murray Jr.: 1-3, 2B, BB (.311)James Triantos: 1-3, BB (.265)Richard Gallardo: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, BB, 5 K (L, 2-1, 2.60)Jarod Wright: 4 IP, 4 H, R, 2 BB, 3 K (3.31)