Cubs Minor League Daily: Any Baseball Plans? Plus, a Long Streak is Over

Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer, is a pretty good time to take a trip to a ballpark. And if you are in central Iowa this weekend, you are in luck. The Iowa Cubs are at home.

And so is South Bend, for those you hanging out in the greater Chicago area. And so are the Pelicans, should your plans include a trip to the sandy shores of Myrtle Beach. The Smokies are not at home, but they are just down the road in Chattanooga all weekend. That’s four good places to spend a holiday weekend, and all four have minor league baseball worth watching.

I also hear there is a team playing on the north side of Chicago this weekend as well, if, for some odd reason, you prefer major league baseball over the minor league variety.

Triple A: Iowa Cubs
El Paso 6, Iowa 3, in twelve innings.
Concepcion has given up a run. The 0.00 ERA is over.

• Alex Sanabia: 5.2 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 K
• Felix Pena: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 K
• Gerardo Concepcion: 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 BB 1 K. The ERA is now 1.17.
• Carl Edwards Jr. : 2 IP, 1 H, 1 K
• John Andreoli: 0 for 4, 2 BB
• Willson Contreras: 1 for 6, 2B, SB
• Dan Vogelbach: 2 for 4, 2B
• Juan Perez: 2 for 4, BB, SB

Double A: Tennessee Smokies
Tennessee 7, Chattanooga 6
The Smokies amassed fourteen hits in this back and forth game.

• Juan Paniagua: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 K
• David Berg: 2 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 2 K
• Chesny Young: 2 for 5
• Jacob Hannemann: 1 for 5, HR
• Mark Zagunis: 2 for 5, 2 2B
• Billy McKinney: 2 for 4
• Victor Caratini: 2 for 3, 2B, BB
• David Freitas: 3 for 4, 3B, HR

High A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Carolina 10, Myrtle Beach 2
The debut of Lewis was rocky, but the return of Maples went much more smoothly – albeit with walks.

• Jeremy Null: 5 R (4 ER), 10 H, 1 BB, 1 K
• Daniel Lewis: 1 IP, 5 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 K
• Dillon Maples: 1 IP, 2 BB
• Ian Happ: 0 for 2, 2 BB
• Jason Vosler: 2 for 4, 2B
• Charcer Burks: 0 for 1, 2 BB

Low A: South Bend Cubs
Great Lakes 9, South Bend 4
The Cubs winning streak ended at six.

• Adbert Alzolay: 5 IP, 4 R, 5 H, 1 BB, 4 K
• P.J. Higgins: 1 for 3, 2B, 2 BB
• Eloy Jimenez: 1 for 3, 2B, BB
• Eddy Martinez: 1 for 4, 2B
• Ian Rice: 1 for 4, 2B
• Bryant Flete: 2 for 3, BB

Other Notes

• As you noticed in the Myrtle Beach section, Dillon Maples has returned to the Pelicans. He pitched in one game on April 8, then went on the disabled list. He made it back to the Pelicans last night with a scoreless inning. Maples, since the day he was drafted in 2011, has been known for his impressive fastball/curveball combo. He dealt with arm injuries right away, and his comeback(s) from those injuries have been anything but smooth. I think the stuff is still there, but his control remains a work in progress. If he can find it, he could have a future at the back of a major league bullpen.
• Gleyber Torres hit his fifth homer on Wednesday, and as the video will show it was about as no doubt as they come.