MWL South Bend Cubs

South Bend Cubs Homestand Preview: August 1-6

July 31, 2023 - Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


This past week on the road in Peoria, Illinois was exactly what the South Bend Cubs needed. Facing the turning point of the second half of the Midwest League season, South Bend needed a series win. They got just that. With four wins in six games in Peoria, the Cubs are right back in the chase for the postseason.

Last week was step one, this week is step two. The Cubs return home to Four Winds Field to face off against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Wisconsin, who currently possesses the second half playoff spot in the West, is three games ahead of South Bend. The Beloit Sky Carp and Peoria Chiefs are also in front of the Cubs, but it's the same story as last series. If the Cubs can find some success, the rest will play out over time.

It's been a while since the Cubs have seen Wisconsin. Back in early May, South Bend was in Appleton for a six-game series. The Cubs split the six-gamer against Wisconsin, and in that series the Cubs had their bats come alive in the first two days, scoring 10 runs in each game. After three straight losses, South Bend survived an extra innings duel on that Sunday, May 14, to settle for the split.

Of course, that was a very different time. Both rosters look a little different, and each ball club is fighting for their playoff lives here as we enter the month of August.

The Cubs got terrific starting pitching in Peoria, and that set the table for some amazing offensive performances. In the first three games against the Chiefs, South Bend batters clubbed more than 10 hits in each game, and the pitchers walked less than two in each. That's usually a pretty solid recipe for winning ballgames.

For what it's worth, Milwaukee Brewers star right-hander Brandon Woodruff is still listed on the most recent roster the Timber Rattlers have published. He may very well be done with his rehab with the Rattlers, but the big man and former All-Star is technically on the Wisconsin slate of players. It has been reported by CBS Sports that Woodruff is likely to head to Triple-A Nashville for his next rehab outing.

So in all, the task is pretty simple. Go out and win a series. If South Bend can do that, they would lead the Rattlers by one game at the end of the week. What position would that be for though? We'll have to wait and see.

Players to watch on Wisconsin...

Ernesto Martinez, 1B: The last time that the South Bend Cubs saw Wisconsin back in May, the big 6'5'' man Ernesto Martinez was hitting towards the bottom of the Timber Rattlers order and was struggling. At the moment, Martinez was batting in the .160's realm for the year, but looking at him, you just figured that there had to be more to him than batting under the Mendoza Line. Well, that proved to be right. Because since the start of June this guy has been on fire. Martinez hit a much better .294 in the month of June, but July has been video game numbers. Martinez has rarely had a day off this month, and in July is hitting .366 with five home runs and 12 RBI. And all month he has only struck out 12 times. Wisconsin has found something in this guy, and I'd be interested to know what it was that needed to click. Was it on the mental side of the game, was it purely swing? Martinez is a ferocious swinger. Interesting enough, he's the same size as South Bend first baseman Felix Stevens, who we'll talk about later, and he's from Cuba too. Whatever it is that the Timber Rattlers and Brewers organization have tapped into with Martinez goes to show why you never give up on a prospect even at the midseason point. The Brewers did not, and now he looks like a totally different player from the last time he faced the Cubs.

Tanner Shears, RHP : A new addition to the Wisconsin bullpen from the last time the Cubs were playing Appleton, Shears has taken over the closer-role for the Rattlers. Remember, Kaleb Bowman was the closer in May when the Cubs matched-up with Wisconsin. Bowman locked down two saves in that six-game series, and then was deservedly promoted to Double-A Biloxi. Now it's Shears' world in the 9th inning for Joe Ayrault's team. Shears is 24, a big man at 6'3'', and since being promoted from Low-A Carolina, he has posted a 2.12 ERA in 14 High-A games, plus he's got four saves. Shears had three saves and a 1.35 ERA with Carolina at Low-A before getting promoted. And as we have often seen out of championship teams through the years, specifically South Bend, you need someone who is comfortable with getting the final three outs on a consistent basis all year. For the Cubs in 2019, they went from Ethan Roberts to Brian Glowicki as their closer. 2022 saw Jeremiah Estrada start the year at the back end of the pen and then it became the split duty for Sheldon Reed and Jake Reindl. The Timber Rattlers going from Bowman to Shears is a really nice trade-off, and if the Cubs are trailing late in a game this week, they'll likely see Shears.

Je'Von Ward, OF: Ward is another guy in the Wisconsin order who has had an excellent July. Batting .286 to conclude this month, Ward has three home runs and six RBI. But if there's anything about this tall lefty, he's a free swinger. He has one walk all month. Ward, who was drafted out of high school back in 2017 and has played pro ball since that year, has been with Wisconsin all the way back since 2019. That's because he was also in the Midwest League since it was Low-A. He has yet to get a taste of Double-A ball, but Ward is in his second full season now at High-A and the total numbers are down at .232 with the average compared to .259 last season. Still, July has been his best hitting month of the campaign, and back in May he drilled a long home run against the Cubs. You get the feeling that with all the power in this series, home runs may define it, especially since it looks like we're going to have some great weather for power hitters. If the wind is blowing out at Four Winds Field, you may want to take a glove into the outfield and wait on some long balls.

Players to watch on South Bend...

Felix Stevens, INF/OF: What a run it has been for the South Bend Cubs 6'5'' big man from Cuba, Felix Stevens. It's a 10-game hitting streak, where he's batting .400+, and he's having his best stretch since coming up from the Myrtle Beach Pelicans at .287 in July. Stevens crushed a birthday bomb in Peoria over the left field wall as part of getting his hitting streak to 10 games, and also got the help on a twilight sky double the night before to push it to nine-straight. Sometimes when things are going your way and you're hot at the plate, you get breaks that other times you wouldn't. Still, the hitting streak for Stevens makes you think of what his potential can be. I could imagine Stevens all day long crushing long home runs onto Waveland Avenue. And the Wrigley faithful would absolutely adore this guy. Big man with a smile built for baseball and a great personality? Sign Wrigley up. Stevens has also fielded his position at first base tremendously. He made another sensational play at first on Saturday, backhanding a ball beautifully at first, throwing to second base from his knees, then executing the 3-6-3 double play perfectly when Kevin Made tossed it back to him. Stevens is providing the South Bend order exactly what they need from him. Power, energy, a solid glove, and great vibes in the clubhouse.

Tyler Santana, RHP: The Swiss Army knife all year for the South Bend Cubs out of the bullpen has been none other than Tyler Santana. Similar to what Joe Nahas provided the team, if the Cubs need Santana to start? Great. Short inning relief? Sounds good. Long relief? Sign him up. Close a game? Absolutely. Santana does it all, and he put together arguably his best outing of the year in the game on Friday in Peoria. In 3.2 shutout innings, Santana controlled the strike zone, didn't walk a batter, struck out a couple, and helped lead the Cubs to a victory. One of the pieces that has been with the Cubs all year, Santana's July ERA sits at a minuscule 2.57 in seven outings. And that's especially impressive when you look at the fact that he is pitching multiple innings when he comes in. He has to give the Cubs a chance to win in his role, and he definitely does. On Friday, he pitched in relief of Brandon Birdsell, who started the game in 108 degree heat index conditions. It cooled down a little for Santana, but still it was not an easy night to pitch at all. And Santana, along with the rest of the Cubs staff made it look like your ordinary day at work.

Christian Franklin, OF: Ladies and gentleman, Christian Franklin is still breaking out. It has been an exceptional stretch for the Chicago Cubs 4th-round pick out of Arkansas. After arriving to South Bend early in the year, Franklin found himself on the Development List, but is now back in South Bend following his stint on Dev in Arizona. Franklin's power of the recent weeks really has been the best thing to watch. From Saturday until Tuesday last week, Franklin had three straight games with a home run. Saturday and Sunday at Four Winds Field, which included a mammoth drive over the batter's eye in center field. Tuesday night in Game 1 in Peoria, Franklin picked up right where he left off. He homered on his first at-bat of the night, and nearly did it again the next day for a fourth day in a row. Franklin hammered a line drive off of the Peoria center field wall, missing a homer by no more than two feet under their yellow line. His next at-bat, he flew out to the warning track in left. He then had another powerful weekend, picking up an RBI double in the game on Friday. Franklin is also providing the Cubs with a great center field option, plus he can also play both corner outfield spots. As he continues to get more comfortable, it just makes the Cubs lineup deeper. Fun to see.

Schedule...

Tuesday, August 1 - 7:05 PM ET: TBD vs. TBD

Wednesday, August 2 - 7:05 PM ET: TBD vs. TBD

Thursday, August 3 - 7:05 PM ET: TBD vs. TBD

Friday, August 4 - 7:05 PM ET: TBD vs. TBD

Saturday, August 5 - 7:05 PM ET: TBD vs. TBD

Sunday, August 6 - 2:05 PM ET: TBD vs. TBD

Catch the entire six-game series against Wisconsin on Sports Radio 960 AM WSBT, online at wsbtradio.com, or on MiLB.com with Max Thoma and Brendan King on the call.

Check out the South Bend Cubs Statistics



Midwest League Stories from July 31, 2023


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