Albertos debuts, but Cubs fall to TinCaps 9-1

Fort Wayne, IN: The South Bend Cubs got a taste of their own medicine from the Fort Wayne TinCaps in the bottom of the 1st inning in Monday's series opener at Parkview Field. After plating four runs on the Dayton Dragons to start the game yesterday, the Cubs surrendered four in the 1st to the TinCaps tonight in a 9-1 final.

Fort Wayne hit the ball hard off of starter Derek Casey early. Scoring six runs in the first three innings, the TinCaps had more than enough to earn the game one win.
South Bend's lone run came in the top of the 2nd inning after Jonathan Sierra singled and reached second base on an error by center fielder Jawuan Harris. Tyler Durna got him over to third and Levi Jordan punched another single into right field to score him.
On the day, Sierra led the South Bend lineup with two hits, including a double in the 9th inning.
Out of the bullpen, Jack Patterson responded from a tough outing at Bowling Green last week and fired three innings of one run baseball along with four strikeouts. The lefty has now given up a run or less in five of his six appearances.
The keynote appearance out of the bullpen for South Bend was the return of the Chicago Cubs number 23 overall prospect Jose Albertos. Albertos, who pitched in South Bend last season and faced adversity with his command, showed tonight that he could respond in a positive way.
The leaner and stronger looking 2019 version of Albertos worked a 1-2-3 7th inning for his first appearance of 2019. He struck out the first man he faced with a strikeout looking on Agustin Ruiz.
In the 8th, Albertos came back out and struggled mildly with command by walking three batters. Even with the multiple walks, Albertos' misses were not wide my much. He looked not only more confident, but also more comfortable. He finished by giving up two runs in two innings. The final pitch he threw was converted into a 4-6-3 double play.
The Cubs will look to tie the series tomorrow night in game two against the TinCaps. South Bend, who has won four consecutive series, will send right-hander Cam Sanders to the mound tomorrow at 7:05 p.m.