Cubs Name Tyler Durna, Jack Patterson Minor League Player, Pitcher of the Month

CHICAGO, IL - The Chicago Cubs today named former South Bend Cubs first baseman Tyler Durna and left-handed pitcher Jack Patterson the organization's minor league player and pitcher of the month for June, respectively.

Durna, 22, batted .372 (32-for-86) with three doubles, a triple, three homers, 14 RBI, a .465 on-base percentage, a .535 slugging mark and a 1.000 OPS in 25 June games for the South Bend Cubs prior to his promotion to Myrtle Beach on July 2. Durna, who still is the RBI leader for South Bend with 42, earned the well-deserved call-up after transitioning to hitting third every day in Manager Buddy Bailey's lineup.
 
Durna finished his time with the South Bend Cubs as one of the first true first basemen the club ever had. The California native played a total of 70 games and over 589 innings at first base with the Cubs. With just four errors in that stretch, that marked his fielding percentage at .993.
 
Patterson, 23, went 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA in seven games and one start for South Bend in June before he was promoted to Myrtle Beach to start July. He held opponents to a .164 average (11-for-67), a .194 slugging percentage and a .263 on-base percentage while he issued nine walks compared to 22 strikeouts. His 0.95 ERA was seventh among all Midwest League pitchers with at least 19.0 innings.
 
Patterson, who is turning into a third day draft steal for the Cubs after picking him in the 32nd round in 2018, tossed four shutout innings in his Myrtle Beach debut on July 5. During his time in South Bend, he became one of the most reliable arms out of the bullpen for Pitching Coach Jamie Vermilyea.
 
Except for one outing against Bowling Green with six runs allowed, the southpaw finished 16 of his 17 Midwest League appearances with one run or less allowed. He did not give up a run in his final four outings with the Cubs in nine total innings.
About the South Bend Cubs
The South Bend Cubs are the Class A minor league affiliate of the 2016 World Series Champion Chicago Cubs. Over the past 31 seasons, the team has won five Midwest League titles, most recently in 2005, and has captured 12 division titles. In 2019, the South Bend Cubs hosted the Midwest League All-Star Game. In June 2017, Four Winds Field, home of the South Bend Cubs, was voted Best Class A ballpark in the country by Ballpark Digest. In 2015 the team was named Ballpark Digest's Team of the Year and received the John H. Johnson President's Award, the highest award in minor league baseball. The team is owned and operated by Swing-Batter-Swing, LLC whose principal shareholder is Andrew T. Berlin of Chicago, Ill. More information is available at www.SouthBendCubs.com.