The Cubs' farm system got a much-needed jolt of energy on Monday, thanks to a late-inning power surge from the Knoxville Smokies that saved the organization from a winless day across the minors.
While the Iowa Cubs stumbled against the Columbus Clippers (Guardians) with a 9-4 loss, and the Tennessee Smokies struggled to get anything going early, the story of the day belonged to Knoxville’s explosive seventh inning.
In Birmingham, the Smokies’ bats were completely silenced by Barons starter Dylan Cumming, who held them to just one hit over six innings. But once Cumming exited, the floodgates opened. Knoxville erupted for seven runs in the seventh inning, capped by a grand slam from center fielder Carter Trice—his third home run of the season. Trice finished 1-for-3 with a walk, but his one swing turned the game around.
Right fielder Andy Garriola also came through with an RBI double in the same inning, helping the Smokies cruise to a 7-2 victory over the Birmingham Barons (White Sox).
The pitching staff deserves plenty of credit, too. Starter Jace Beck set the tone with four scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out two and walking none. Nick Dean followed with four innings of relief, earning the win despite giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits. Dean struck out six and didn’t issue a walk. Evan Taylor then closed it out with two scoreless innings, striking out four while giving up two hits. In total, Smokies pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts and zero walks—a dominant display of control.
Elsewhere in the system, the Iowa Cubs couldn’t contain Columbus’ Kahil Watson, who homered twice on the day. Ty Blach took the loss after allowing three unearned runs over three innings, thanks to an error by shortstop Ben Cowles that extended the third inning. Kenton Egbert made his Triple-A debut in relief but surrendered a two-run homer to Watson in the fifth, finishing with three runs allowed over three innings.
On a brighter note for Iowa, second baseman Pedro Ramírez crushed a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth—his ninth of the season, setting a new career high. Ramírez went 2-for-4 on the day, continuing to show why he’s a rising name in the Cubs' system.
In other roster news, right-hander Jostin Florentino earned a promotion from the rookie ball ACL Cubs to High-A South Bend, adding more depth to the Cubs' pitching pipeline.
From the late-inning heroics in Knoxville to Pedro Ramírez’s milestone homer, it was a day of power and promise across the Cubs' minor league system—even if the final scoreboard didn’t always reflect it.