Cubs Minor League Daily: Walk Off Wins and Walking Off With Injuries

pierce johnson cubsYesterday was a giant bundle of mixed emotions on the minor league front.

On the fun side, Myrtle Beach and South Bend both won in walk off fashion.

On the good side, several prospects had very good days at the plate, including a couple of homers for South Bend that are worth noting.

On the also good side, Iowa got their first win of the season in a game that saw one Javy Baez going yard.

On the bad side, Iowa’a starter, Pierce Johnson, left the game early after being drilled with a line drive.

And on the terrifying side, Tennessee’s starter, Jen-Ho Tseng, had to be helped off the field after being hit on or near the knee with a line drive.

Hopefully the medical reports on both pitchers come back clean and we can just be happy about yesterday.

Triple A: Iowa Cubs
Iowa 9, New Orleans 1
Iowa’s first win of the year was a big one.

  • Pierce Johnson: 3 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 5 K. Left the game after being struck in the pitching arm by a line drive.
  • Felix Pena: 2 IP, 2 H, 3 K
  • Brandon Gomes: 2 IP, 2 K
  • John Andreoli: 1 for 3, 3 R, 2 B, 2 BB, SB
  • Arismendy Alcantara: 2 for 4, BB, SB
  • Javier Baez: 1 for 3, HR
  • Dan Vogelbach: 3 for 4, 2B, BB
  • Willson Contreras: 4 for 5, 2B
  • Double A: Tennessee Smokies
    Mobile 5, Tennessee 4
    The Smokies had a ton of hits (fourteen to be exact), but just couldn’t get runners over the plate. They also lost their starter early due to being hit by a batted ball.

  • Jen-Ho Tseng: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K. Took a line drive off the knee and had to be helped off the field. No further updates on his condition so far.
  • Corey Black: 2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K
  • Chesny Young: 2 for 4, HR (his second)
  • Jeimer Candelario: 1 for 5, 2B
  • Victor Caratini: 2 for 3, 2B, BB
  • Mark Zagunis: 3 for 4, 2B
  • High A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
    Myrtle Beach 5, Winston-Salem 4
    How about a three run rally in the bottom of the ninth, capped off with a game winning double?

  • Jake Stinnett: 5 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K
  • Ryan McNeil: 3 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K
  • Ian Happ: 1 for 5, 2B. That double happened to be the game winner.
  • Low A: South Bend Cubs
    South Bend 7, Bowling Green 6
    If a walk off double is fun, a walk of homer is at least twice as fun.

  • Adbert Alzolay: 5 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 6 H, 5 K
  • Donnie Dewees: 2 for 5, 2B
  • Eddy Martinez: 2 for 4, HR. This was the first home run for Martinez as an American professional.
  • Eloy Jimenez: 1 for 5, HR. That one was the game winner.
  • Other Notes

  • Pierce Johnson was pitching well through the first three innings yesterday, but the line drive off his arm during the third caused him to leave the game after the inning. Right now it just looks like a bruise, but he goes in for x-rays today to be safe. With any luck he won’t need to miss a start. A fracture, though, would set this guy back again. Bad luck, non-chronic injuries have been the story of Johnson’s career so far.
  • Ryan Williams makes his second start for Iowa tonight. He was not effective in his first start, but he was also pitching in some rotten weather. We’ll see if things go better for him tonight.
  • Rob Zastryzny is the pitcher to watch for the Smokies tonight. His first start went well.
  • As of midnight eastern, when I wrote the Daily, the highlight reel for the Pelicans walk off win was not yet available on their YouTube channel. If you subscribe to their channel, though (and you totally should do that), then you’ll have an easy time finding it when it probably arrives in the near future.
  • Carson Sands takes the mound for South Bend tonight. This lefty doesn’t have as high a ceiling as some of the Cubs other pitching prospects, but he could move fairly quickly if things go well.
  • written by

    Luke Blaize is the Minor League Editor at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @ltblaize.

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