The South Bend Cubs (74-50) handled the Cedar Rapids Kernels (47-79) by a 4-3 score on Wednesday night at Four Winds Field. Catcher Justin Stransky paved the way for a victory, hitting a three-run home run and anchoring an impressive night from the Cubs’ pitching staff.
Click here to view Wednesday’s box score.
Right-hander Brayden Spears made his first Four Winds Field start for South Bend, delivering 4.0 scoreless frames with five strikeouts. In his first two ventures as a Minor League starting pitcher, Spears has totaled 10 strikeouts in 7.0 innings.
On the other side, left-hander Cesar Lares held the Cubs off for a while, allowing just one run in 4.2 innings. After leaving runners on the corners in the fourth, the Cubs came up with the opening run in the bottom of the fifth. Right fielder Michael Gupton set the table, ripping a one-out triple for his first professional hit in his first professional start. Left fielder Kade Snell plated him with two outs, dribbling an infield single to the right side.
Left-hander Cleiber Maldonado, who relieved Lares with two outs in the fifth, allowed three more Cub runs in the bottom of the sixth. Third baseman Matt Halbach doubled to place two men in scoring position for Stransky, who tagged a three-run home run to left-center field. Stransky’s sixth long ball of the year extended his hit streak to seven games and extended the Cubs’ lead to 4-0.
After Spears’ departure, right-hander Braylon Myers contributed his best outing as a High-A pitcher, striking out five in 3.2 innings. The Kernels scored once against him with the help of an error in the eighth, but Myers still picked up the win. Right-hander JP Wheat recorded the final four outs of the game, notching his first professional save despite allowing a pair of runs in the top of the ninth. Wheat walked a pair in the ninth after allowing a leadoff triple from third baseman Andy Lugo, pulling the Kernels within a 4-3 score before stranding the tying run at second base.
With South Bend leading the series 2-0, the Cubs and Kernels will tangle for game three at 7:05 PM on Thursday, September 3. Right-hander Nazier Mulé is scheduled to start for South Bend against Cedar Rapids righty Reed Moring.