Ruoff Mortgage Homestand Preview: August 18-23

Down to the final 18 regular season games in the Midwest League, and the last 12 at Four Winds Field, the South Bend Cubs return home this week to battle an old rival. The defending Midwest League Champions, the West Michigan Whitecaps are in town, as the Cubs look to make a late-half run at the second-half West Division race.

In how it usually goes this time of year, suddenly, the Great Lakes Loons are now big fans of the South Bend Cubs. South Bend just got done playing Great Lakes, and earned the 7-4 victory to finish off the series on Sunday. But due to the neck-and-neck current race in the East Division, Great Lakes is hoping that South Bend can take it to West Michigan this week. Right now, the Whitecaps have a one-game lead on the Loons for the top spot in the East. Those two teams will not play each other the rest of the year, so whatever happens down the stretch in the East, will be done by scoreboard watching by both clubs. The Whitecaps play Peoria next week, while they are at Dayton, the first-half champ in the East, to close the regular season. Great Lakes battles Fort Wayne this week, and closes the regular season at Lake County. The Captains are holding onto slim playoff hopes at the moment as well.

There is the East breakdown. Now for the West. South Bend losing last series at Great Lakes did not hurt them awfully. Of course, the Cubs are already in the postseason. But they are trying to make a run to win both halves. Both Beloit and Quad Cities, the two teams currently ahead of the Cubs in the second-half standings, earned a doubleheader sweep on Saturday over their respective opponents. QC and Beloit are tied atop the division. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, who South Bend will see in Appleton next week, are 2.5 back. The Cubs are at 3.0. Peoria is still holding onto their last grasp at 5.5 back. And Cedar Rapids is riding in the caboose at 16.0 back. South Bend closes the season after this series with Wisconsin on the road and then Cedar Rapids.

Beloit and Quad Cities will play a series against each other, which could be for all the marbles. That will be next week in Davenport. South Bend awaits its first-round playoff opponent, but very well, that Beloit vs Quad Cities series could be what determines the first-round. No matter what, the Cubs will be on the road for Game 1 of the first round on September 8. We’ll be back home on September 10 for Game 2, and Game 3 on the 11th, if necessary.

You can only control what you can control. And at least right now, there is quite the log jam in the West Division. The East has turned into a two-team race. Likely it is going to be West Michigan or Great Lakes. But a huge part of that answer is going to be determined this week at Four Winds Field.

Let’s talk more about the Whitecaps. West Michigan is a completely different team from the last time that South Bend saw them back in May. That was up at LMCU Ballpark, and South Bend won five of six games in the series. That included winning the final five of the week, after the Cubs lost the opener. With respect, West Michigan was not a very good team then. That is not the case now.

The Whitecaps have partially been bolstered by what the Detroit Tigers did at the MLB Trade Deadline.

The big deal that sent Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers from the Tigers came in exchange for three players. Former Cubs prospect Zyhir Hope is now in the advanced levels of the Minor Leagues, along with pitcher River Ryan who was also in the deal. But one last key part of the Skubal deal is now in West Michigan. RHP Brady Smith. We anticipate seeing Smith this week with the Whitecaps, after he previously pitched for the Loons. Smith is a 21-year-old right-hander from Knoxville, Tennessee, and was a high school draftee of the Dodgers in the third round back in 2023. Smith pitched in just two games here in the Midwest League with Great Lakes before being traded, and gave up seven runs on eight hits in his High-A debut at Lansing on July 25. He was much better against Fort Wayne on July 31 with the Loons, pitching 5.1 innings of one run baseball. Oddly enough, nine days later, he faced Fort Wayne again, this time in his Whitecaps debut. He earned the win, going five innings of two-run baseball this time. Last time out, Smith took a no-decision against Lansing again. He pitched only 1.1 innings, and did not allow a run. Smith has only faced Lansing and Fort Wayne in his High-A career, two times each, and once with teach team he has pitched for. Smith was very good in Low-A to begin the year, making 19 starts at Low-A Ontario in the Dodgers system with a 3.88 ERA, and 104 strikeouts in 65 innings.

Also new onto the pitching staff for West Michigan, lefty Kash Mayfield. The former Fort Wayne TinCap was traded to Detroit in the Casey Mize deal that sent the former Whitecap Mize to San Diego. Mayfield has pitched against the Cubs three times this season. And each time the Cubs have gotten to him, including Josiah Hartshorn’s lone right-handed home run with the Cubs this season. Currently though Mayfield is on the Injured List, and has yet to make his West Michigan debut.

Still in the West Michigan rotation, however, a guy that went four shutout innings against the Cubs back in May, and that’s lefty Ben Jacobs. Some dynamic stuff there.

At the plate, top-100 MLB prospect Bryce Rainer remains with the Whitecaps, after we saw him play against the Cubs in May as well. Rainer is the #48 prospect in the game per MLB Pipeline, and already has four home runs and 10 RBI in August. The Cubs had to deal with three top-100 prospects last week in Great Lakes, and it just so happened that they all hit in the top three spots in the order in Chuck Davalan, Eduardo Quintero, and Emil Morales. Rainer did not have an RBI against the Cubs in five games in May, and went 5/18 in the series with two walks.

Players to watch on South Bend…

Alfredo Romero, RHP: As we get closer to the playoffs, the Cubs will continually be looking for guys that they can trust on the mound to throw strikes and eat innings. That’s exactly what Alfredo Romero did Friday night in Midland. Romero tossed 5.0 innings for the fourth time this season, did not allow a run, didn’t walk anyone, gave up three measly hits, and struck out three. It wasn’t an easy spot for Romero to be in either. The Cubs had lost each of the first three games to begin the week, and Romero was pitched the Loons lineup that had the aforementioned three huge prospects, plus, Great Lakes had just hit the ball enormously well all week long heading into that game. Romero did not pitch scared. He threw strikes, working his final two innings in perfect fashion, and he gave the Cubs more than just a good enough chance to win. He earned the victory, and this outing against West Michigan can really set the tone for what is to come the next few weeks. Romero has been with the Cubs all season. He has continued to grow. And he could be the pitching X-factor these last few weeks.

Adam Stone, RHP: Just as the Cubs are searching for strike throwing and reliable arms in the rotation, it is just as crucial in the bullpen to find the same traits. All season long, Adam Stone has been that guy. An amazing story too. Missed multiple years with injury, pitched in the Arizona Fall League last year with the Mesa Solar Sox as a Yankees prospect, the Cubs took a liking to him, and then took him in the Rule-5 Draft this past winter. Sometimes you never know when a first impression can make a huge impact. That is what happened with Stone in the desert last year, and once again, it’s another guy who has been with the team all year that is a huge component of the vibes of the team that is going to be relied on. Stone pitched just once in Great Lakes, recording the final out of Friday’s victory. And in the outing before that at Four Winds Field, he needed six pitches to work a perfect inning with five strikes. Stone should be as fresh as he has been in a long while heading into this week, and the Cubs are going to need him and his 1.76 ERA to help lock down a dangerous Whitecaps lineup.

Brennan Hudson, C: We just talked about how first impressions can make a huge impact in this game. So far, so great for the 20th-round pick of the Chicago Cubs this summer, Brennan Hudson. Making his pro debut with the South Bend Cubs last homestand, and picking up his first professional hit and first pro RBI in the same series, Hudson now returns home with his first career home run. Sunday against Great Lakes, as part of the big comeback South Bend victory, Hudson had his fingerprints all over it with a four RBI game, his first pro bomb, and an excellent set of games that he played at first base in the series. Down 4-0 at the time going to the 7th inning, Hudson’s three-run homer got South Bend back in it, and he eventually had the game winning hit as well later on. He’s getting an opportunity to play, and he is certainly not playing like the final draft pick of Chicago this year either. Dan Kantrovitz, who heads up the Cubs scouting and draft department, talked glowingly about Hudson to MLB.com after the draft, saying “He’s probably my gut-feel guy from the Draft. … It’s a sweet stroke. And he’s got the tools to stay back there as a catcher. He’s probably one of my favorite picks of this class.” High praise from a huge level guy in the Cubs front office. Hudson hit 22 home runs this collegiate season at Georgia. He is by no means just a flyer draft pick. So far, he has taken some big swings for the Cubs, and could have some more coming based on how this is going so far.

Schedule…

Tuesday, August 18 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Jostin Florentino vs RHP Rayner Castillo

Wednesday, August 19 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Braylon Myers vs LHP Ben Jacobs

Thursday, August 20 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Nazier Mulé vs TBA

Friday, August 21 - 7:05 PM ET: TBA vs LHP Jojo Ingrassia

Saturday, August 22 - 7:05 PM ET: LHP Pierce Coppola vs RHP Connor Fenlong

Sunday, August 23 - 2:05 PM ET: RHP Anhuar Garcia vs TBA

Catch the entire six-game series in South Bend on 96.1 FM and 960 AM Sports Radio WSBT, online at wsbtradio.com, or on MiLB.com with Brendan King and Tyler Reidy on the call.