Honorable Mention: Ed Howard reached base another three times, here with a good swing hanging back on a breaking ball:
Ed Howard is two for two tonight including this RBI single pic.twitter.com/tG6AlhYnC5
After some real struggles against the Rays’ Low-A affiliate in week one, Howard has looked much better this week, reaching base now in eight of his last 16 plate appearances
Other miscellany: Ben Leeper had his most comfortable pro outing, coming into a bases loaded, two out situation and getting seven outs for the Double-A Smokies. Leeper was 94-97 with the fastball, 87-89 with a slider that he showed a willingness to throw in any count … the Iowa Cubs bullpen kept them in the game facing just one over the minimum in four innings of work. Ryan Meisinger (who is racking up strikeouts, got the win, but shouts also to Kyle Ryan and Michael Rucker … The South Bend offense was a dynamo yesterday, but I had to cut it off somewhere. That means Cole Roederer falls here despite re
South Bend Cubs lose 5th straight May 13, 2021
by Max Thoma, South Bend Cubs
BELOIT, WI – The South Bend Cubs (2-5) dropped their fifth straight game Wednesday night, losing 8-3 to the Beloit Snappers (4-4) despite getting out to an early 2-0 lead.
The bottom of the order got things going in the third with Scott McKeon getting hit by a pitch and Reivaj Garcia singling down the line in left to start the inning. DJ Artis doubled in a run in his first game back with South Bend after starting the year in triple-a Iowa. Delvin Zinn followed by driving in Garcia on a sacrifice fly to center to make it 2-0.
South Bend Cubs win second straight May 6, 2021
by Max Thoma, South Bend Cubs
Despite being held to two hits on Wednesday night, the South Bend Cubs scraped out a hard fought 4-3 victory to move to 2-0 on the season. The Cubs registered their 11th straight win dating back to last season.
It was a double dip of debuts on the mound as the number four overall pick from the 2020 draft, Asa Lacy, took the mound for the River Bandits in his first appearance in professional baseball, and Chris Kachmar toed the rubber for the Cubs in his South Bend debut.
South Bend Cubs win season opener, 7-4 May 5, 2021
by Max Thoma, South Bend Cubs
SOUTH BEND, IN – For the first time in over 600 days, South Bend Cubs baseball returned to Four Winds Field on Tuesday night. Fittingly in dramatic fashion it was an eighth inning flurry that broke up a tie game and sealed the victory late into the night for the home team.
Peyton Remy started on the hill for South Bend and looked dominant in the early going, striking out the first two batters of the game and piling up five strikeouts in the first three frames. The right-hander from Parker, Colo. didn’t factor in the decision, going 4.2 innings and allowing two runs (one earned), scattering three hits, and striking out six batters.
There’s Going to be a Lot of Velocity from the High-A South Bend Cubs This Year
The South Bend Cubs also announced their preliminary 30-man roster on Friday morning, as new Cubs minor league manager Michael Ryan will lead the squad beginning at home on Tuesday night. The first thing that jumps out at me: there is a lot of 96+ MPH velocity here.
The velocity will be headlined in the rotation by 2019 first-round pick Ryan Jensen and darling of Cubs blogdom Max Bain. The bullpen will have it in spades with Burl Carraway and Brandon Hughes from the left side, Ben Leeper and Eury Ramos from the right side. And that won’t be it.