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Wicks Dominates, PCA and Caissie Homer as Cubs Blank Chiefs 6-0

July 12, 2022 - Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


Peoria, IL - The South Bend Cubs usually play their best baseball at Four Winds Field in Downtown South Bend, but the same can be said whenever they match up with the Peoria Chiefs. South Bend has had the most success against Peoria than any other Midwest League team. With their 6-0 victory in their series opener at Peoria on Tuesday, the Cubs are 12-1 versus the Chiefs this year. They also helped their own cause in the division standings, jumping into sole possession of first place in the Midwest League West.

It was all Cubs from the start on Tuesday. Literally, from the start. After smashing a 1st inning home run on Sunday afternoon, Pete Crow-Armstrong wasted little time against the Chiefs in doing the same thing. A lead-off home run off of righty Dionys Rodriguez was crushed deep over the right field wall for a 1-0 South Bend lead.

The early run support set up lefty Jordan Wicks for a career day. Looking locked in and completely in control as of late, Wicks came into tonight's start with wins in three of his last four starts. That same intensity continued on Tuesday as he mowed down Chiefs hitters from the first pitch he threw.

Wicks punched out the first man he faced in Todd Lott, then struck out the side in his 2nd inning, and paired that with three more strikeouts in the bottom of the 3rd. As he cruised through the Peoria lineup, South Bend kept scoring for him. The top of the 2nd featured BJ Murray rifling an RBI double into the right-center field gap, and then Yeison Santana looping a ball up the right field line for another run.

In this six game series, Wicks is scheduled to start twice, including on Sunday afternoon. But at this rate, his days as a South Bend Cub may be numbered. He earned the win and now has four victories in his young Chicago Cubs organization career. The southpaw finished with a career high 10 strikeouts, two walks, one hit, and zero runs.

It's the second time within a week that he has been part of a shutout. Last Wednesday, South Bend blanked the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 3-0 with Wicks getting the start.

Out of the bullpen, right-hander Luis Devers continued the shutout work with 2.2 innings of his own. The Chicago Cubs minor league player of the month for May worked around a couple hits, and left the bases loaded full of Chiefs in the 6th inning.

South Bend did not stop the offensive outburst either. Owen Caissie crushed his eighth home run of the season way out of the yard to cap the lead at 6-0. That would be all the Cubs would need.

Lastly on the hill, hard-throwing righty Hunter Bigge got the final four outs and yielded a 6-4-3 double play to end the game. With the victory, the Cubs are 12-4 in the second half and own a one game lead in the division over Wisconsin. The Timber Rattlers lost to West Michigan, the top team in the East, earlier tonight. Beloit also fell to Cedar Rapids, so they now stand four games behind the top spot.

The Cubs will look to continue their dominance of the St. Louis Cardinals affiliate on Wednesday night when they face off against the Chiefs again at 7:35 PM EST. Right-hander Kohl Franklin is the expected starter for South Bend.

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