NEWSLETTER
The AZL Cubs 1 needed a win to stave off elimination last night, and they got it. Two Cubs pitchers, Didier Vargas and Fauris Guerrero, combined to pitch a two hit shutout and the offense scraped up a run in the eighth and an insurance run in the ninth to force a decisive Game Three tonight.
If the Cubs beat the Dodgers tonight, they will win the Arizona Rookie League Championship for the second year in a row and extend the Cubs’ organizational streak of consecutive years with a championship to six years.
That’s right. Six years. The general public would probably date the dawn of the Cubs organizational success to 2015 when they made it to the NLCS (for the first of three straight years (and counting)), but the roots of that success go much deeper. The culture of winning was well entrenched in the farm system when 2015 rolled around, and Cubs prospects were getting regular playoff experience. I suspect that culture paid off in 2016 when so many very young Cubs played such a large role in winning the World Series.
Maintaining that consecutive years with an organizational title streak probably doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but you have to admit it is a pretty cool streak. I’d like to see it keep going.
Of course, if Arizona doesn’t get it done tonight, the streak isn’t dead. Eugene can still sneak into the playoffs, and that Chicago team is looking pretty good as well. As for me, I’d just as soon get it out of the way tonight.
Triple A: Iowa Cubs
Round Rock 6, Iowa 5 in ten innings
The Cubs tied it up in the ninth on a Coghlan homer.
Double A: Tennessee Smokies
Tennessee 3, Pensacola 2 in ten innings
After not scoring for eight straight innings, the Smokies push across two in the tenth and win on a walk off hit by pitch.
High A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
The Pelicans were rained out.
Low A: South Bend Cubs
Bowling Green 6, South Bend 1
The Cubs were held to just four hits.
Short Season A: Eugene Emeralds
Eugene 7, Salem-Keizer 3
This was a very big win for the Emeralds.
Rookie: AZL Cubs 1
Cubs One 2, Dodgers 0
The Cubs pitch a two hitter to force a decisive Game Three.
Other Notes
