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MWL South Bend Cubs

Ruoff Mortgage Homestand Preview: Loons Fly South to Square off against Cubs

August 26, 2024 - Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


Halfway through the final homestead of the season, it's not time to preview the final series of the year at Four Winds Field!

This week is the first and lone meeting between the Cubs and the Great Lakes Loons, High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. On the year the Loons have a record of 62-56, tied for the fourth best record in the Midwest League, and their road record (33-25) is the second best in 2024. In their last 10 games they've gone 6-4 but have lost ground on the Dayton Dragons who saw their 9-game win streak snapped over the weekend. The Dragons are 5.5 games up on West Michigan and six games ahead of the Loons with 12 games left to play.

Realistically the Loons chances at returning to the postseason are quite slim, but what they have going for them is they've been great on the road and after this week they get to play the Dragons to end the season up in Midland, Michigan. So if they can get a series victory this week and gain some ground, they'll at least have a punter's chance next week.

Players to watch for on Great Lakes...

The Loons possess six Dodgers top-30 prospects on their roster: four pitchers, a catcher, and an outfielder. The headliner is Josue De Paula, a 19-year-old outfielder who was born in Brooklyn but signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2002. He's the Dodgers No. 2 prospect and the second cousin of former NBA guards Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair. Last year in the Low-A California League he recorded an on-base percentage of .396 and hit for an average of .284, he would've finished in the top-5 in the league in those categories in his first full pro season had he not fallen just shy of qualifying. He added muscle in the offseason and trained in Florida with the likes of Juan Sort and Elly De La Cruz. He began 2024 back in Rancho Cucamonga, and in 55 games slashed .279/.388/.447. The Dodgers promoted him from the Quakes to the Loons on June 25. After a short stint on the 7-Day IL, De Paula has been back and healthy and in his first full month in High-A recorded an .400 on-base percentage. August hasn't been quite as kind; this month the teenager with great size is hitting .217 with two homers, eight RBIs, and a slugging of .333. It's nothing to write home about but he's only been 19 for a few months and this month he's still drawing a ton of walks - 15 base on balls is third in the league of the last four weeks.

The hottest hitter on the team could well be Dylan Campbell. The 22-year-old from Houston was taken with the 136th pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and is crushing the baseball of late. He's played 103 games with the Loons this year, hitting .255 with a .720 OPS and 10 homers. But since the calendar turned to August, the former Longhorn is ripping it up. This month he's got six home runs (T-3rd in MWL), 15 RBIs (7th), and eight stolen bases (T-4th). His .500 slugging paces the way on the roster over the last four weeks and his home run tally is at least doubled that of anyone else.

Pitching wise, Maddux Bruns and Payton Martin are certainly two names to watch. Bruns is a tall lefty that the Dodgers took with their first round pick in 2021 out of UMS-Wright High School in Mobile, Alabama. In 2023 he made six starts to begin the year in Low-A and shoved to the tune of a 1.29 ERA. That warranted a promotion to Midland, but the rest of the year didn't go nearly the same. In 20 starts he went 0-7 with a 4.74 ERA. This season he didn't break camp until late April and by the fourth week of May he'd hit the Injured List. The Dodgers No. 18 prospect didn't pitch again until August 2. However, through his first four starts this month he's allowed just three earned runs in 12.1 innings (2.19 ERA). The starts have been abbreviated, but the stuff really can play. Martin is a very different story. The 20-year-old signed after being taken in the 17th round in 2022. The path from there has been comparable, even though the two were wildly different type arms entering their respective drafts. Martin finished up 2023 with a 2.04 ERA in 14 games in High-A, then started this season back there, struggled much more so, but has been with the Loons since his promotion on June 6. Through 11 started the undersized right-hander, listed at six-foot and 170 pounds, is 3-4 with a 3.97 ERA. In his last two starts combined he's 2-0 with 10 innings thrown, five hits allowed, and just two runs.

Players to watch for on South Bend...

Well there's only one way to start this segment.... CAM SMITH IS HERE. The Cubs first round pick in this year's draft is reportedly making his way to South Bend this week. The Florida State phenom needed just 14 games in Low-A to earn his first promotion and he's done so on the backs of one of the most impressive streaks imaginable. Smith enters this week with homers in six-straight ballgames - unbelievable. The 21-year-old third baseman from Lake Worth, Florida slugged an astounding .787 in Myrtle Beach, with a 1.198 OPS. After his debut got delayed multiple days due to weather, there's no question Smith has burst on to the scene, with daily headline across major media outlets each day over the weekend during this streak. Assuming he starts on Tuesday, there will be a ton of eyes from around baseball gazed upon Four Winds Field as Cam Smith looks to make it seven games in a row with a home run.

The last few weeks it feels like there's been a key guy out of the bullpen who has continued an incredible run of shutout innings, and this edition will be no different.

Tyler Santana made his High-A debut late in 2021, then spent all of 2022 with Myrtle Beach where he dominated. Last year he performed the well of Swiss Army knife quite well and did everything possible asked of him. Now the 26-year-old from Miami is in the midst of his best run as a South Bend Cub. In the month of August he's logged six appearances, totaling 13 innings, without allowing an earned run, and walking just three batters. Back-to-back outings he's given South Bend three innings out of the pen and not only stymied the opposition, but given some key rest to other relievers.

I would be remiss is I didn't lastly mention Grant Kipp. Last Tuesday Kipp delivered an absolute gem on the mound, tossing six shutout innings while allowing just two baserunners. At one point vs Beloit he retired 15-straight-batters, and across his start he needed a mere 68 pitches to record 18 outs. Kipped joined Will Sanders as the only other 2024 South Bend Cub to log a quality start, and he became the first Cubs starter to throw six shutout innings since Richard Gallardo in April of 2023. In August the Yale man has a 1.04 ERA... In 17.1 innings he's only given up seven hits and two earned runs, while sporting a 0.75 WHIP and .121 BAA. He'll take the ball on Tuesday and try to set the tone for the Cubs last home series of the season.

Schedule and Probables...(Cubs pitcher listed 2nd)

Tuesday, August 27 - 7:05 PM: RLHP Maddux Bruns vs RHP Grant Kipp

Wednesday, August 28- 7:05 PM: RHP Peter Heubeck vs LHP Drew Gray

Thursday, August 29 - 7:05 PM: LHP Wyatt Crowell vs. RHP Will Sanders

Friday, August 30 - 7:05 PM: RHP Payton Martin vs. RHP Nick Dean

Saturday, August 31 - 7:05 PM: RHP Christian Romero vs. RHP Jaxon Wiggins

Sunday, September 1 - 7:05 PM: TBD vs. RHP Erian Rodriguez

^If you scrolled down to just check the weekly rotation... You should know... Cam Smith has arrived

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