On a day when a number of highly touted Cubs’ pitching prospects were on the mound, it was the lesser discussed Tyson Miller who had the best performance of the day. The fourth round pick from 2016 started Game Two of Myrtle Beach’s doubleheader and struck out seven over five scoreless frames. Seven strikeouts came one short of his career high; he fanned eight in a game twice last July for South Bend.
Defensively for South Bend, center fielder D.J. Wilson had one of the best plays from the minors so far. The range and the timing are both impecable. That video is at the end of the article.
Triple A: Iowa Cubs
Iowa had the day off.
Double A: Tennessee Smokies
Mississippi 5, Tennessee 3
The Smokies gave up four in the fifth, but that was the only big inning they allowed.
Oscar De La Cruz: 4 IP, 5 R, 8 H, 1 BB, 3 K
Preston Morrison: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Dakota Mekkes: 2 IP, 2 BB, 3 K
Zack Short: 2 for 3, 2 BB
Jesse Hodges: 1 for 4, 3B
Eddy Martinez: 2 for 4, 2B, SB
Jeffrey Baez: 1 for 3, BB, SB
High A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Frederick 6, Myrtle Beach 4
Myrtle Beach 3, Frederick 0
By splitting the doubleheader, the Pelicans picked up their first win of the season.
Bryan Hudson: 5 IP, 6 R (4 ER), 6 H, 3 BB, 2 K
Wyatt Short: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Tyler Alamo: 1 for 2, HR
Jhonny Pereda: 2 for 3
Game Two
Tyson Miller: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 7 K
Jhon Romero: 2 IP, 2 BB, 1 K
D.J. Wilson: 1 for 2, BB
Kevonte Mitchell: 1 for 3, 2 SB
Jhonny Pereda: 1 for 2, HR, BB
Andruw Monasterio: 1 for 2, 2B
Low A: South Bend Cubs
West Michigan 8, South Bend 7
The Cubs scored five times in the eighth to make it a one run game, but couldn’t get any farther than that.
Erich Uelmen: 2.1 IP, 6 R, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K
Ben Hecht: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Chris Singleton: 1 for 4, BB
Jared Young: 4 for 4, 3B, BB
Miguel Amaya: 1 for 5, HR
Rafael Narea: 2 for 2
Zach Davis: 2 for 4, 2B
Other Notes
Oscar De La Cruz looked in better physical condition in his start with Tennessee than he looked last year, and he threw a couple of very nice curveballs while I was watching, but I don’t think his control was all there yet. He was working both sides of the plate pretty well, but when he missed he missed in hittable places. I don’t know what his velocity was, either. All in all, not a good start to the season results wise, but you could see the potential on display.
It was a good day for A ball catchers. Jhonny Pereda and Miguel Amaya each homered for Myrtle Beach and South Bend, respectively.
Two inning are just two innings, but it is good to see Dakota Mekkes open with two hitless frames. The fear with Mekkes was that the more advanced Double A hitters might not be fooled by his atypical delivery and have an easier time squaring him up. We won’t know for sure for some time yet, but the early returns sure look good.
D.J. Wilson can play a great centerfield. Get ready for a season of plays like this:
https://twitter.com/Pelicanbaseball/status/983155206476238848
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