Happy July! The Cubs‘ minor league squads went 2-2 last night with Iowa and Knoxville earning wins, and South Bend and Myrtle Beach suffering defeats. For Iowa, it was pitching that helped power them to the victory, while Knoxville used a big day at the plate from a couple of top prospects. Let’s recap the action.
Image via MiLBCubs Prospects Report | July 1, 2026
Triple-A Iowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs earned a 3-1 win over the Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers) in their series opener largely due to a great outing on the mound from starter Will Sanders. Sanders tossed six innings of one-run ball, in which he allowed just two hits, walked no one, and struck out five.
Despite the great outing, the Mud Hens did take the first lead of the game on a soft RBI single in the second, but that was it for them. Iowa answered immediately in the top of the third, first with a Moises Ballesteros RBI single to tie it, then a Jonathan Long sacrifice fly to take a 2-1 lead. In the fourth, Owen Miller added an insurance run with a leadoff triple that turned into a Little League home run thanks to a fielding error that allowed him to come around and score.
From there, Cubs pitching dominated. Sanders cruised through six innings, then Jayden Murray and Luis Peralta shut the door out of the bullpen.
Notable Performances
Moises Ballesteros | 1-2, RBI, 2 BB James Triantos | 2-4, 2 2B Will Sanders | 6.0 IP, 2 H, ER, 5 K, 0 BBFINAL: Cubs 3, Mud Hens 1 | Box Score
Little league home run from Owen Miller!! pic.twitter.com/2QwrVJ6J0o
— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) June 30, 2026Double-A Knoxville Smokies
The Smokies cruised to a 12-3 win over the Columbus Clingstones (Braves) on Tuesday night. Both teams got on the board in the first inning, scoring a pair of runs each. Columbus struck first with an RBI groundout and a solo homer off Connor Schultz, but Knoxville answered immediately with a two-run blast from Alex Ramirez.
From there on out, Schultz cruised while the Smokies’ offense got after the Clingstones’ pitching. In the third, Alex Ramirez brought in two more runs on a bases-loaded single, making it 4-2. In the fourth, Hayden Cantrelle made it 5-2 on a solo homer. Edgar Alvarez increased the lead to 6-2 with an RBI single in the fifth. In the sixth, an Ariel Armas double and a Jefferson Rojas single made it 8-2. Rojas went 3-for-5 on the night, scored three runs, and stole a pair of bases. Following the Rojas single, Owen Ayers belted a double, boosting the lead to 9-2.
From there on out, the Smokies went on cruise control and added a few more runs en route to a 12-3 win.
Notable Performances
Jefferson Rojas | 3-5, 3 R, RBI, 2 SB Owen Ayers | 1-3, R, RBI, 2B Alex Ramirez | 2-5, HR, 4 RBIFINAL: Smokies 12, Clingstones 3 | Box Score
Alex Ramirez has ALL FOUR RBIs ? pic.twitter.com/KiKR0e4QE9
— Knoxville Smokies (@smokiesbaseball) June 30, 2026High-A South Bend Cubs
Not a whole lot to get to from the South Bend Cubs loss on Tuesday, unfortunately, as they were shut out 4-0 by the Beloit Sky Carp (Marlins). The pitching was solid, though not spectacular. Jostin Florentino went five innings, allowing three runs and two hits and two walks while striking out six. Nate Williams allowed one run in his inning of work, issuing a pair of walks. Then Brayden Spears tossed two scoreless frames.
The offense struggles a bit, obviously. Kane Kepley had two hits at the top of the order, but he was the only multi-hit performer of the game. Outside of him, the rest of the lineup chipped in with just three hits. Josiah Hartshorn’s mini-slump continued with his second-straight 0-4 performance. After a scorching hot stretch after his call-up, he’s got just two hits in his last 20 ABs. But still, not much to be concerned about there right now.
Notable Performances
Kane Kepley | 2-4, 2 2B Angel Cepeda | 1-3, BB Jose Escobar | 1-3, BBFINAL: Sky Carp 4, Cubs 0 | Box Score
Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans fell behind early to the Hickory Crawdads (Rangers) on Tuesday and never really were able to recover. Hickory got on the board right away with a three-run homer in the first off Emilio Ramos, putting the Pelicans down 3-0 before they even stepped to the plate.
Both teams would stay off the scoreboard until the fifth inning, when the Crawdads struck again, adding another run on an RBI single. Then, in the sixth, the deficit increased to 6-0 with another long ball from Hickory, this time off Riely Hunsaker.
It took until the eighth for the Pelicans to get on the board. They finally crossed the plate after a wild pitch to Daryln De Leon, making it 6-1. Following that, Alexis Hernandez came up with an RBI single, and Alexey Lumpuy brought in another run on a fielder’s choice. But 6-3 was as close as the Pelicans would get, and that held up as the final score.
Notable Performances
Darlyn De Leon | 1-3, RBI, BB Alexis Hernandez | 1-4, RBI Jhon Rosario | 3.0 IP, H, 0 R, K, BBFINAL: Crawdads 6, Pelicans 3 | Box Score
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