Normally when we say a team loses a no-hitter, we mean they gave up a hit.
Not this time. Yankee affiliate Tampa used two pitches to throw eight innings of no-hit baseball. Unfortunately that was as part of a double header, and double headers in the minors are seven inning games. That meant the awful extra innings rule came into play, and despite a lack of hits that ridiculous free base runner on second came in to score against Tampa. Tampa lost, 1-0. And allowed no hits.
https://twitter.com/MiLB/status/1026643370016493572
There is so much terrible packed into that story it is hard to know where to begin. Somehow baseball has morphed into a sport where a pitcher can do nothing wrong and still be branded with an archaic and pointless negative stat, and where teams who fail to reach base by any means for an entire game can be gifted free bases for bad reasons.
Oh well. On to happier things.
Triple A: Iowa Cubs
Las Vegas 6, Iowa 1
Anyone who gave up on Mills earlier this summer might want to rethink that.
Alec Mills: 5 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 8 K
James Norwood: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Mark Zagunis: 1 for 3, BB
Jason Vosler: 2 for 4, 2B
Double A: Tennessee Smokies
Tennessee 2, Jackson 1
A Zack Short homer proved to be the difference.
Duncan Robinson: 6 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 7 K
Preston Morrison: 1 IP, 2 K
Jake Stinnett: 1 IP, 1 H
Zack Short: 1 for 4, HR
Wynton Bernard: 1 for 3, SB
High A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Winston-Salem 6, Myrtle Beach 3
The Pelicans tried to rally late, but the hole was too deep.
Alex Lange: 6 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 5 BB, 3 K
Roberto Caro: 0 for 2, 2 BB
Jhonny Pereda: 1 for 3, BB
Zach Davis: 1 for 4, 2B, SB
Low A: South Bend Cubs
South Bend 5, Bowling Green 4
The Cubs took an early lead, and then withstood a couple of late rallies.
Erling Moreno: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Jose Gutierrez: 1 for 4, HR
Miguel Amaya: 2 for 5
Delvin Zinn: 1 for 3, BB
Rafael Narea: 2 for 4, 2B, SB
Brandon Hughes: 2 for 4
Short Season A: Eugene Emeralds
Eugene had the day off
Rookie: AZL Cubs 1
Cubs One 4, Giants Orange 2
Credit the pitching for both teams; the wind was blowing out to right at 11 MPH.
Danny Hultzen: 1 IP, 1 BB, 3 K
Peyton Remy: 6 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 8 K
Ezequiel Pagan: 2 for 4
Jonathan Soto: 1 for 4, 2B
Yonathan Perlaza: 1 for 4, 2B, SB
Rafael Mejia: 2 for 3, SB
Rookie: AZL Cubs 2
Cubs Two 3, Giants Black 1
Cubs pitching struck out fourteen in this one.
Yovanny Cruz: 5 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 10 K
Allen Webster: 1 IP, 2 K
Sucre Valdez: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Reivaj Garcia: 2 for 3
D.J. Artis: 1 for 3, SB
Luis Verdugo: 2 for 3
Carlos Pacheco: 1 for 3, 2B
Other Notes
Alec Mills has now turned out four straight pretty good starts and in doing so has dropped his ERA from 5.06 to 4.57. His eight strikeouts yesterday were one shy of his season high.
I’ve never lived in the desert southwest, and I’ve never been a fan of summer weather. I grew up in the part of Indiana where summer heat came with so much humidity you could just about boil pasta simply by sitting it in the sun. That means, every year, I am thrown for a loop when I see the game time temperatures from the Arizona Rookie League. This league mostly plays night games, and rarely has a temp that is just two digits. Last night, for example, Cubs 1 started at 7:04 PM and a game temp of 110. I cannot imagine doing anything in 110 degree heat, let alone play baseball.
Yes, yes, I know it is supposed to be a dry heat. But 110 is 110. At some point, dry or not, hot is just freakin’ hot.
Yesterday was just the second appearance for former first round pick Danny Hultzen. He struggled through a third of an inning on August 3, but yesterday struck out three while walking one in an inning of work. Hultzen, now 28, is trying to make an extremely improbable comeback from serious injuries and simply being out of the game.
If you’re looking for something to do this week, South Bend starts a very eventful homestand today. Tomorrow is Latino Heritage night, and the day after the Cubs don speciality jerseys for Harry Potter night.
NEWSLETTER
