MWL South Bend Cubs

Toyota Road Report: April 26 - May 1

Published on April 25, 2022 under Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


Following their first series win of the 2022 season over the Beloit Sky Carp four games to two at Four Winds Field, and thanks to some late heroics by Jake Washer, the South Bend Cubs are back on the road heading west. Davenport, Iowa is the next destination for the team bus, as the Cubs will begin a six-game series against the Quad Cities River Bandits on Tuesday night. First pitch is set for 7:30 Eastern Time.

With another showdown in the Midwest League's West Division, the Cubs will take on the River Bandits again after hosting them for Opening Weekend at Four Winds Field. Quad Cities took two games out of three to begin the campaign.

The Beloit series at home was one that featured three separate comeback wins. Two of them highlighted the Cubs beating the Sky Carp 7-5 on Wednesday and Saturday. Saturday's victory saw Matt Mervis crushing a pair of home runs, with the latter being the game winner in the bottom of the 8th inning on a three-run drive.

Sunday was the icing on the cake for South Bend. Washer joined the multi-bomb in a game club with his walk-off round tripper that propelled the Cubs over Beloit 5-3 in the series finale. It was the first game that Washer had been behind the plate so far this season, and he caught two runners stealing. At the dish, his first home run got out of the yard in a hurry over the right field wall. Then on the walk-off, he crushed a hanging breaking ball off of Brady Puckett to give South Bend the 5-3 win.

The level of lethal talent on the Cubs roster was on full display this past week in Downtown South Bend. They can win back-to-back series for the first time this year if they bring that same energy to Davenport.

Players to watch on Quad Cities...

Tyler Gentry, OF: Gentry, who was the Kansas City Royals third-round selection out of the University of Alabama in 2020, is absolutely crushing Midwest League pitching. Against South Bend in early April, Gentry went 4/8 at the plate, and he has not slowed down. The big outfielder is hitting .484 in nine games with two home runs and seven RBI. His walk number also matches his strikeout total at eight so far on the year. Gentry has consistently hit in the top-third of the Quad Cities order all year, and South Bend pitching will have their hands full with the power possessed in the bat of a strong looking prospect.

Noah Murdock, RHP: It's not hard to miss the tall right-hander Murdock on the mound. Not only because he can toss some lethal stuff, but he's 6'8'' and 205 pounds towering over the rubber. Murdock was the Royals seventh-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Virginia, and is a former teammate of South Bend Cubs catcher Caleb Knight; As well as former South Bend Cubs Derek Casey and Andy Weber. Murdock's ERA is up to 6.52 on the year in three total starts, but in the game he pitched at Four Winds Field in his season debut, he looked really sharp. In four innings, the long-legged righty only gave up one run on three hits with four strikeouts. He is slated to start against the Cubs on Wednesday night in a primetime pitching match-up against southpaw DJ Herz.

Luca Tresh, C: When you talk about a guy who absolutely mashed in the opening weekend of the 2022 season, you have to take a peek at Tresh. The former 17th round selection out of North Carolina State was a stat sheet stuffer in the first three games against the Cubs. Going a combined 6/14 in the series, Tresh drove in three runs in a series where it was chilly and some low scoring games were featured. In 12 total games now with Quad Cities, Tresh is hitting .311 with three home runs and 10 RBI. Depending on how the wind is breezing off of the Mississippi River this week in Davenport, Tresh could be due yet again to crack some big blasts off of his bat.

Players to watch on South Bend...

Jake Washer and Matt Mervis, C & 1B: You have to put the two stars of this past weekend together, right? Both Washer and Mervis had a two-home run game in the series against Beloit and were seemingly locked in at the plate. Pair those offensive outbursts with some strong work in the field by each of them, and you've got yourselves a complete performance from both players. Washer's walk-off home run was the story, but he had multiple other extra base hits and Mervis made some fabulous short-hop digs at first base to complete a pair of sharp double-plays turned by South Bend this weekend. Let's see what a new series brings for the two clutch Cubs.

DJ Herz, LHP: As one of the top pitching prospects in the Chicago Cubs organization, Herz is seemingly in cruise control on the mound through his first three starts. Few hitters so far in the Midwest League have been able to touch the nastiness that Herz is displaying every five days. Still just 21-years-old, the former eighth-round pick has compiled a 0.82 ERA in three outings, along with 14 strikeouts and just two walks in 11 innings. Last time out versus Beloit, Herz fired four innings of no-hit and shutout baseball. He just missed perfection in those four frames, as he hit one batter, the only base-runner he surrendered. The match-up between him and Murdock on the mound Wednesday night will be one to focus on.

Dalton Stambaugh, LHP: Speaking of dominance, the work we have seen so far this season from left-handed reliever Dalton Stambaugh has been something to see. After being signed as a free agent by the Cubs a year ago, Stambaugh returned to South Bend this year on the opening day roster and has not looked back. In three outings, Stambaugh has not barely came close to giving up a run. A total of 8.2 innings pitched, Stambaugh has fired only shutout baseball with five hits given up. That is paired with 10 strikeouts, only two walks, and batters hitting just .161 against the Southpaw. His first appearance of 2022 was against Quad Cities, and he tossed over three innings of scoreless work.

Schedule...

Tuesday, April 26 - 7:30 PM ET: LHP Jordan Wicks vs. LHP Christian Chamberlain

Wednesday, April 27 - 7:30 PM ET: LHP DJ Herz vs. RHP Noah Murdock

Thursday, April 28 - 7:30 PM ET: RHP Kohl Franklin vs. LHP Tyson Guerrero

Friday, April 29 - 7:30 PM ET: RHP Daniel Palencia vs. RHP Anderson Paulino

Saturday, April 30 - 7:30 PM ET: RHP Chris Clarke vs. RHP Charlie Neuweiler

Sunday, May 1 - 2:00 PM ET: LHP Jordan Wicks vs LHP Christian Chamberlain

Catch the entire six-game series in Quad Cities on Sports Radio 960 AM WSBT, online at wsbtradio.com, or on MiLB.com with Brendan King on the call.

Check out the South Bend Cubs Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from April 25, 2022


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