Ruoff Mortgage Homestand Preview: May 26-31
MWL South Bend Cubs

Ruoff Mortgage Homestand Preview: May 26-31

Published on May 25, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


What a road trip! After a two week homestand to end April and begin May at Four Winds Field, the South Bend Cubs faced a daunting task in the club's 12-game road trip to both Wisconsin and West Michigan. Not only did the Cubs make offensive history and swipe first place away in the Wisconsin series, but they also continued their winning ways in taking five of six in West Michigan. Now with a two-game West Division lead, the Cubs make their way home to ignite another Hoosier State Rivalry series against the Fort Wayne TinCaps.

Let's start with a quick breakdown of the road trip. First, a six-game series in Appleton, Wisconsin featured four wins in five games, due to the Sunday game of that series being postponed. It was a historic offensive stretch for the Cubs, putting up 58 runs in three games of that Wisconsin series. Remember, no Major League Baseball team had scored 58 over three games since at least 1900. The only team that came close was the 1950 Boston Red Sox, who had a guy named Ted Williams playing for them. After Wisconsin, and after losing the opener in West Michigan, South Bend won five straight to barrel roll through the rest of that series.

The most important part about all of this? The Cubs control their own destiny. South Bend is two games up on Wisconsin to start this next series against Fort Wayne, and the next key West Divisions series they will play will be on the road next week at Quad Cities. At one point over the last month's time, QC held first place in the Division, they are now 6.5 games back of South Bend. The Cubs will then host Peoria, and conclude the first half at Fort Wayne.

And that last sentence is the big key this week. This will be the second of three series against Fort Wayne this half. Doesn't really make sense. As for example, South Bend plays Fort Wayne three times this half, then won't see them again. That's how it goes sometimes. The TinCaps are not out of it yet when it comes to the East Division, and they are playing for their lives everyday, being six games back of the Great Lakes Loons.

As we saw in the 12-game homestand to start against the TinCaps, this can be a very dangerous team. They took five of six away from the Cubs that week, South Bend's only series loss of the season. The TinCaps have shown their clutch factor all year, most recently on Friday night with Jack Costello's walk-off home run to defeat Dayton. It was a 3-2 final, and Fort Wayne trailed 2-0 going to the 9th inning.

Costello, of course, was one of the guys that really hurt the Cubs when Fort Wayne was at Four Winds Field earlier. Costello played all six games of that series, going 7/19 with two home runs and nine RBI. He also walked six times.

Also playing a key role in the series for Fort Wayne that week with power numbers were Jake Cunningham and Rosman Verdugo. Each of them homered twice. Cunningham, like Costello, drove in nine runs, and Verdugo had five RBI. For Verdugo, something that really stuck out in that series too was that he had just one strikeout. Verdugo walked three times in comparison, and last season, he struck out 158 times in 404 at-bats. If he is not striking out, he becomes such a more dangerous player. Big reason of why Fort Wayne had success last time.

In the middle of that series, Alex McCoy was in the middle of his very long on-base streak, stretching past 20 straight games. Fort Wayne still doesn't hit outstandingly as a team when it comes to average, at just .236 which ranks in the bottom third of the Midwest League, but they have 45 homers, which ranks in the top half.

On the mound that week, South Bend was unable to solve Fort Wayne closer Clay Edmondson. He picked up three saves in the series, and also leads the league in that category with 10. Edmondson doesn't throw hard, and has that old school side arm delivery. He looks old school as well with the beard and mustache look, and high socks. But he packs a punch. A wipeout, nasty slider has fooled Midwest League hitters all season. If the Cubs are going to win this series, you get the sense they need to make Edmondson blow a save this week. Something he has only done once this season, as he's given up one earned run in 19 innings.

Elsewhere, we are going to see lefty Kash Mayfield again, who was the Midwest League pitcher of the week for Fort Wayne earlier in May. He is nasty. So is the big right-handed starter for Fort Wayne Carson Montgomery, who twirled five shutout innings against the Cubs on April 30.

Both teams know exactly what to expect from each side. After all, the rosters have not changed *that* much since the last series. It's going to be a battle, and South Bend must be ready.

Players to watch on South Bend...

Christian Olivo, INF/OF: Last homestead, we of course watched 'The Christian Olivo Game' May 8 against Lansing. That night featured four hits, 10 total bases, two homers, six RBI, and a walk. Olivo continued to give the Cubs solid at-bats on the road, picking up multi-hit games twice on May 16 and May 24. What makes Olivo so dangerous is his ability to make teams have to worry about him in the nine-spot of the Cubs lineup. You can take a grasp of the entirety of baseball, and every lineup in the game, and probably make a case that Olivo has been the most impactful nine-hitter in the game, especially over the last month. What he gives the Cubs in that position of the order, with Kane Kepley usually following him in the lead-off spot, is worth its weight in gold. Knowing that Kepley could go to Double-A Knoxville at any point, Olivo seems to be the lead-off man in waiting. Until that occurs, Midwest League pitchers will be throwing fits that they need to see this guy at the bottom of the order. That's exactly what happened in West Michigan, with Olivo playing all six games of the series, picking up five hits over the course of the week.

Grayson Moore, RHP: Don't look now, but it's happening AGAIN for Grayson Moore. And that can only mean good things. Moore, who had one of the longest consecutive scoreless innings streaks in the Midwest League a year ago, is working on another big one. Last year, Moore did not give up a run from July 3 through August 30. It was his final appearance on September 4 where Moore let a singular run go by to end the season. But again, for nearly all of July, and the entirety of August, he did not surrenderer a run. Since allowing just a singular run in the Fort Wayne series on April 29, Moore has yet to give up a tally in the month of May. That's 7.2 innings worth of consecutive scoreless work, and Moore continues to display a super composed arsenal on the mound. He is one of South Bend's most experienced relievers, after first throwing with South Bend back in 2024. After nearly a full campaign with the Cubs last year, Moore is as trusted of a late-inning relief guy that the Cubs currently have. Combining for 3.2 shutout innings on the road trip, with just two hits given up in that span, Moore is going to be needed to keep the power filled Fort Wayne lineup composed.

Miguel Useche, C: Talk about a guy that is beloved in the clubhouse. Without a doubt that is Miguel Useche. All three of South Bend's catchers are adored between Useche, Justin Stransky, and Dilan Granadillo. Every single one of them put their bodies on the line on a daily basis for South Bend's pitching staff, and all have been making considerable contributions at the plate. But how about these last number of games for Useche. He had the game of his career on May 16 at Wisconsin, posting four hits, two RBI, and two walks, along with five runs. He's now working on what is a five-game on-base streak. Playing three games in the West Michigan series, Useche had hits in all of them, drove in a run on May 20, and then two RBI on May 23 along with a home run. He has three homers this season between Knoxville and South Bend, and that is a serious contribution that he can make to this lineup. Useche was a nonstop power threat in college at the University of New Orleans, and he was one of the best hitters in that conference. He is a serious bat that needs to be looked at in a menacing way by pitchers. In his young career, he has not had the consistent at-bats to this point where he is in the lineup everyday, but he is making a difference in this clubhouse both at the plate and behind the plate. Whenever Stransky needs a day off, the Cubs should feel confident to pencil in Useche, and hopefully some more work in the DH spot comes as well down the line.

Schedule...

Tuesday, May 26 - 6:05 PM ET: RHP Alfredo Romero vs RHP Matthew Watson

Wednesday, May 27 - 11:05 AM ET: RHP Kevin Valdez vs RHP Maikel Miralles

Thursday, May 28 - 7:05 PM ET: LHP Cole Reynolds vs RHP Carson Montgomery

Friday, May 29 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Jostin Florentino vs LHP Kash Mayfield

Saturday, May 30 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Koen Moreno vs RHP Abraham Parra

Sunday, May 31 - 2:05 PM ET: RHP Nazier Mulé vs LHP Jamie Hitt

Catch the entire six-game series in South Bend on 96.1 FM and 960 AM Sports Radio WSBT, online at wsbtradio.com, or on MiLB.com with Brendan King and Tyler Reidy on the call.

Check out the South Bend Cubs Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from May 25, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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