Free Passes Doom Cubs in 5-2 Loss
April 28, 2023 - Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release
SOUTH BEND, IN - Friday night Cubs pitchers issued seven walks and hit four batters in a 5-2 loss to the Chiefs.
Peoria plated three runs in the first inning and never looked back. Connor Noland (3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, K) labored in the first inning, facing eight batters and allowing three two-out runs on base hits from Aaron McKeithan and Luis Rodriguez.
Haydn McGeary got the Cubs on the board with a solo-shot to leadoff the second inning. Trent Baker got the Cubs slugger into an 0-and-2 count but McGeary fouled three pitches off and then sent a towering fly ball down the line in right that just cleared the yellow line.
Peoria, now leading 3-1, got that run back the next inning. Three of the five runs the Chiefs would score reached via a walk or a hit-by-pitch. Jeremy Rivas walked to start the third and with two outs he got the best jump on a steal anyone has had in a South Bend game this year. His jump was so early that he actually scored on a bloop liner to left-center, all the way from first.
The next half-inning the Cubs got a run back as Kevin Alcántara, Christian Franklin, and Yohendrick Pinango recorded consecutive singles. But the Cubs didn't score from the third inning on. Matt Hickey, Alfredo Ruiz, and Chris Roycroft combine to toss the final four innings scoreless out of the bullpen for Peoria, while Baker finished strong with a scoreless fourth and fifth.
Didier Vargas and Brad Deppermann looked great on the hill late for the Cubs to keep them in it, combining for 3.1 scoreless frames to finish the game. But unfortunately Sam Thoresen's day did not go as smoothly. The right-hander went 2.2, only allowing one run and one hit, but walked four batters and hit three more. In the middle three innings the Peoria offense had eight men reach, with one single, four walks, and three hit-batsmen.
South Bend could really use some timely hitting as the Cubs have managed one hit or fewer with men in scoring position in every game of the series, going a combined 3-for-26 through the first four games of the series.
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