Cubs Rally Not Enough in 8-4 Loss to Fort Wayne

Energized by 6,528 fans, marking the largest Four Winds Field crowd of the season, the South Bend Cubs couldn’t rally hard enough on Friday evening. They dropped game four of the series to the Fort Wayne TinCaps by an 8-4 score, falling to 1-3 on the week and 8-23 overall. The TinCaps now stand at 18-13 and continue to closely chase the Lansing Lugnuts and West Michigan Whitecaps for the Midwest League East division lead.

Click here to view Friday evening’s box score.

Fort Wayne scored first for a fourth consecutive game, coming to the plate against South Bend starter Nick Dean. Shortstop Brandon Butterwoth led off the contest with a triple, scoring shortly after on a single from second baseman Rosman Verdugo. The TinCaps doubled their lead in the third inning, with Verdugo again collecting an RBI on a double to right-center field. They’d move ahead 3-0 with a fifth-inning double from catcher Oswaldo Linares, who came out of nowhere with a three-hit, two-RBI night in his first start of the series. Dean still finished his night with a solid effort, covering five innings with three runs allowed and seven strikeouts.

TinCaps starter Miguel Mendez, however, outpitched Dean. The recently promoted right-hander spun five shutout innings to earn the win in his 2025 Midwest League debut, punching out seven and walking none. At one point in the middle of his outing, Mendez retired nine consecutive Cubs with five straight strikeouts.

The difference in the game occurred in the top of the sixth inning, when the Cubs turned to lefty reliever Marino Santy and the TinCaps scored five runs. Fort Wayne immediately loaded the bases, wearing two hit by pitches and taking a walk. Santy began to throw strikes after that point, but the TinCaps hit him hard. First, right fielder Jacob Campbell hooked a two-run double into the left-field corner. A rare error from shortstop Cristian Hernandez followed, pushing the TinCaps into a 6-0 advantage. They’d later get to 8-0 on another RBI double from Linares and a run-producing groundout.

Unfortunately for the Cubs, their offense roared to life immediately after their deficit widened from three runs to eight. Right fielder Andy Garriola broke the shutout with a two-out home run in the sixth, his fifth long ball of the season and his first of the year at Four Winds Field. Another two-out rally followed in the seventh, as center fielder Rafael Morel circled the bases on a two-RBI double, advancing all the way around the bases thanks to a Fort Wayne throw into the dugout.

With South Bend back in the game, Cubs reliever Joe Nahas did well to keep his team within striking distance. The right-hander pitched to contact, dealing 2.1 scoreless innings without a strikeout. However, TinCap pitching also put up zeros on the other side, using two excellent defensive plays to put the game on ice. First, in the eighth, Verdugo gloved a tough ground ball on the move to start an inning-ending double play. Then, with two outs in the ninth, left fielder Jake Snider robbed Morel of another hit with a diving grab to end the game.

Fort Wayne designated hitter Sean Barnett pushed his on-base streak to five games, while Verdugo tacked a third game onto his hit streak with a pair of knocks. For South Bend, Hernandez moved his hit streak with a pair of singles, and first baseman Carter Trice extended his on-base streak to eight games. Designated hitter Drew Bowser also got on base three times for the Cubs, doubling once and drawing two walks.

The series will continue at 4:05 PM on Saturday, with Fort Wayne right-hander and No. 10 Padres prospect Isaiah Lowe scheduled to oppose South Bend righty Ryan Gallagher.