MWL South Bend Cubs

Toyota Road Report: June 28-July 3

Published on June 27, 2023 under Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


Playoff positioning is the name of the game for the rest of the summer for the South Bend Cubs. After Cedar Rapids won the first half in the Midwest League West Division, South Bend is looking to do something that they have been extremely comfortable with over the last number of years, playing their best baseball in the second half.

Of course, in 2019 on their title run, South Bend was the second half wild card team in the East. 2022 saw them dominating the second half in the West and winning that division. 2023 is certainly attainable. Especially when you're looking at how this team is currently built. The infield depth of Bryce Ball, Kevin Made, James Triantos, Ed Howard, Luis Verdugo and Fabian Pertuz arguably is the best in the league.

On the mound, starting pitching has been outstanding with Cade Horton and Connor Noland setting the pace. Out of the bullpen, Jarod Wright has only given up one run in his last seven outings, and Joe Nahas has an ERA under 1.00 in the month of June.

As the Cubs feel good about their chances, the teams around them in the West Division are also looking to get hot on the dash to September. The first team on the Cubs radar: The Beloit Sky Carp.

Remember, South Bend was also in Beloit leading up to July 4 last year, and they took five of six games away from Jorge Hernandez's bunch. That was arguably the best South Bend played on the road all season. It was also the series where Pete Crow-Armstrong made his unreal sliding catch on the left-center field warning track, after starting the play shifted towards right-center.

That series was so memorable, and you can point towards that six-game stretch as to what led the Cubs on their true playoff push. Can that be the case again this year? It certainly can. Over the last couple years, the Cubs have played some terrific baseball at ABC Supply Stadium. This past May, South Bend took four of six games away from Beloit at their place, and at the time jumped into first place in the West Division.

Cedar Rapids eventually went on their run, but boy the Cubs had some good moments in the first half. With the right combatants on this roster right now, this is a massive away series. Especially when you look at the fact that with Tuesday's off day this week, there will be no off day next week until we get to the All-Star break at the middle of July.

If the Cubs play well this week in Beloit, they will be cannonballed into a home series starting on July 4 against Peoria with some major momentum.

Players to watch on Beloit...

Jacob Berry, INF: After a massive struggle at the plate to begin the year for Jacob Berry, who was the Miami Marlins first-round pick in 2022, sixth overall, he is starting to turn on the jets. In fact, Berry was picked just one spot in front of South Bend Cubs righty Cade Horton. But this was certainly deserved. Berry was one of the best college baseball players in America with the LSU Tigers, who just won a National Championship this week. In 2022 at LSU, Berry hit .370 with 15 homers and 48 RBI. Fast forward about a year, and it's been a different story. Probably for the first time in his baseball life, the switch hitting Berry struggled at the plate and mightily in doing so. Berry is only hitting .208 on the year, and after batting .160 and .185 in April and May respectively, he has been having a dynamite June. This month, Berry's average has clocked in at .275. He has 14 RBI this month, after picking up just 16 in the first two months of the campaign. Berry has definitely turned a corner. And he's looking for some revenge against South Bend. Through the first two series where the Cubs have seen him, he is 8/49 with a .212 OBP. Of course, that was a different time and it was much colder too. But Berry being hot is a dangerous weapon for Beloit, especially that they are in the same position as the Cubs in search of a second half playoff spot.

Luarbert Arias, RHP: June may be so far a strong month for Berry, but the same probably can't be said for the Beloit pitching staff. As a team, their June ERA comes into this series at 5.85. Seven Sky Carp pitchers have an ERA in June over 6.00, and they have needed to win games in the fashion lately of outscoring teams as opposed to shutting them down and winning by a run or two. Beloit just got done visiting the first half champ Cedar Rapids bunch, and they were swept in a doubleheader on Sunday as they had to finish an uncompleted game due to rain from Saturday. The two days off will help replenish their bullpen, but Luarbert Arias is a guy that has really been solid for them as of late, and a righty that South Bend has not been able to solve so far. This month, Arias has a team-low 1.69 ERA in five outings, but he has walked seven men in eight innings during that time period. Probably more than you would like. Still, bats have been quiet against him as hitters have gone .111 since June 1 when facing Arias. Against South Bend, Arias has pitched four times, and in that stretch he has gone 5.1 innings of one-run baseball with no walks. Arias is the clubhouse leader right now in the Beloit bullpen and the Sky Carp will need him to continue that pace to shut down this South Bend lineup right now.

Yiddi Cappe, INF: Of all the players that we have seen pass through at Four Winds Field this year, Yiddi Cappe may have had one of the more impressive showings through an entire series against the Cubs back in April. Cappe played all six games, which is rare, definitely for a 20-year-old. But he went 8/23 at the plate, along with two home runs. When you look at and scout Cappe, he can be super raw, but his swing is powerful and his defense is adequate enough for a player of his age that he looks like a legit prospect. Since that series in April though, he has only hit two home runs. And his first two bombs were on back-to-back days, so that power has waned off for sure. Still, he's the number-seven overall prospect for the Marlins. MLB.com writes, "Cappe has a sound right-handed swing and good feel for the barrel, giving him some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the system. Though he has had no problems making contact, his aggressive, pull-happy approach does cut into his walk totals and could be exploited at higher levels. As a 6-foot-3 shortstop, he garnered physical comparisons to Carlos Correa as an amateur, but he needs to add strength in order to make good on his power projection and deliver 20 or more homers per season."

Players to watch on South Bend...

Cade Horton, RHP: To not start this list with Cade would be almost criminal. It's also criminal at times what Cade has been doing to these opposing hitters. My goodness. He has looked everything like a first-round pick. Over his last five starts, Horton has two wins, with 39 strikeouts, four walks and zero hit batters in 22 innings. Those are like MLB The Show numbers. He has been so impressive with his four pitch mix. And he keeps hitters so off-balanced. The fastball up in the zone can be followed by any one of his curveball, slider, and changeup. Think of all of those combinations. It's lethal. He is composed and humble, but also a warrior on the mound. It was a bit surprising to not see Horton included with Pete Crow-Armstrong and BJ Murray as Cubs prospects to go to the Futures Game, but also this is his first year of professional baseball. If Horton is pitching this same way next season, he's a sure bet to go play on that national stage. How crazy is that to say as well. Just over a year ago, Horton was not even pitching full time. He's now arguably the best Cubs pitching prospect of the last decade, and he's showing all of his talent in South Bend. He will also pitch at ABC Supply Stadium for a second time this year, so there's also a bit more of a comfort factor. His next start can't come soon enough.

Kevin Made, INF: What a week it was for Kevin Made. Between Friday and Saturday's games at Four Winds Field, Made had four extra base hits in eight at-bats. That included three doubles and a homer. His three doubles were all hit to the right-center field gap. Made's swing has also been super pretty, even more so than it usually is. He features the toe tap motion as he gets rest to thrust his hips, and the home run was a perfect example of what his power level can be as he continues to grow. Made is still only 20, and he absolutely turned on that baseball. Straight out towards left field to the right of the pole and gone. His glove also continues to get better and better. I think the experience of Made playing shortstop everyday down the stretch to the championship last season did wonders for his development. He got to play in high leverage games, at an incredibly important position. Now, he has the confidence to look back and say that he has done it, and he can continue too. Especially with all of the Cubs infield depth, Made can play short, third, or second on any given day. Ed Howard is going to get most of the reps at short you would think, but with Made at such a young age being able to play all over, and even a DH spot some days too, that gives the Cubs all kinds of weapons in their order.

Connor Noland, RHP: After a long wait and pitching well enough to win multiple games, Connor Noland earned his first professional victory on Saturday night against the Fort Wayne TinCaps. Noland was outstanding in six innings of one-run baseball, and now on the season against the TinCaps has gone 12 innings with just that single run allowed. We will see Fort Wayne again in August, and we'll see if Noland is still in South Bend by then, for a good reason. He is definitely getting into the conversation as one of the next guys to get a shot at Double-A Tennessee. And he has had some of the best stuff in the organization on the season. He pitched in absolutely massive games while in college at Arkansas, and that big game experience is assisting him in bring out his best in his first professional season. Noland also used to be a catcher, so him and I have discussed before as a catcher, you gain a bigger appreciation for what a guy does on the mound, and vice-versa. Noland has also not lost any momentum since his college teammate and personal catcher Casey Opitz was called up to Tennessee. He has worked great with Ethan Hearn, and Moises Ballesteros will undoubtedly do the same. Noland's control continues to be impeccable too, with just three walks in his last 24.2 innings.

Schedule...

Wednesday, June 28 - 7:35 PM ET: TBD vs TBD

Thursday, June 29 - 7:35 PM ET: TBD vs TBD

Friday, June 30 - 7:35 PM ET: TBD vs TBD

Saturday, July 1 - 7:05 PM ET: TBD vs TBD

Sunday, July 2 - 7:35 PM ET: TBD vs TBD

Monday, July 3 - 7:25 PM ET: TBD vs TBD

Catch the entire six-game series in Beloit 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 June 27, 2023


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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