Toyota Road Report: August 9-14

SOUTH BEND , IN - Right in the middle of their 12-game road trip, the South Bend Cubs are hoping to replicate the success that they had in Fort Wayne when they head up to Appleton, Wisconsin to take on the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. This will be trip number-two for the Cubs up to Appleton, but this one will almost be a do-or-die type series for Wisconsin, who are trying to get back into the division playoff race.

Back in May when the Cubs were at Fox Cities Stadium, the two teams split their six-game. However, South Bend won three games in a row in that series. This is now a much different looking Timber Rattlers team from then, and even when Wisconsin was at Four Winds Field in July.

Due to moves made at the MLB Trade Deadline by the Milwaukee Brewers, Wisconsin’s roster has changed. For starters, left-hander Antoine Kelly was dealt to the Texas Rangers. Kelly, who participated in the MLB Futures Game at Dodger Stadium along with Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, was a major piece of the Wisconsin rotation.

The Timber Rattlers also have missed out on the opportunity to receive former Fort Wayne lefty Robert Gasser, who was in the Josh Hader trade. Gasser was assigned to Double-A Biloxi. What did go the way of Wisconsin, however, is the arrival of the Brewers number-one ranked prospect in Jackson Chourio.

With a five game Midwest League West Division lead, the Cubs can feel confident heading to Appleton. But as we say time and time again, you can’t clinch postseason berths at High-A in early August, but you can certainly lose them.

The Cubs have the ability to go out and win the division. With a balanced attack, as well as the rotation shining, and the back-end of the bullpen shutting the door consistently, it has been a momentous second half for South Bend.

This series versus Wisconsin, as well as a home clash on the calendar against Beloit coming up soon may determine who takes the stranglehold in the West as the clock ticks on the dash to September.

Players to watch on Wisconsin…

Jackson Chourio, OF: If you’re talking about the second half version of the Timber Rattlers, you must begin with the Milwaukee Brewers number-one prospect in Chourio. Just 18-years-old, and born in the year 2004, Chourio defines what a raw prospect is. The Brewers signed him for 1.8 million dollars out of Venezuela, and so far, that money looks to be completely worth it. Chourio played in the Dominican Summer League last year and hit .296 in his first pro season. He has followed that up this season by dominating the Carolina League at such a young age with a .324 average, 12 home runs, and 47 RBI. 12 homers at Low-A for a teenager in just 62 games? That’s almost unheard of. This is a legitimate prospect who the Cubs will have their hands full with. He rightly earned the promotion to High-A, and with Wisconsin is batting a scorching .351 in nine games played. His scouting report features not only the developing power, as well as the lethal contact ability, but scouts rave at his pitch recognition and his ability to work the zone.

Russell Smith, LHP: It’s pretty hard to miss Smith when he is on the rubber, and it’s not just because of his ability. The big 6’7’’ left-hander towers over the mound and has been a solid piece of the Wisconsin rotation all year long. Smith, who was Milwaukee’s second round pick in 2021 out of TCU, has already faced South Bend this season and is coming off his best month of the campaign in July. Smith posted a 3.81 ERA this past month, and that would have looked even better if he did not surrender four runs versus Cedar Rapids on July 31. In the series in South Bend during the middle of July, Smith earned the win against the Cubs with five innings of work and only one earned run surrendered. This is a lefty with a really solid feel of the strike zone as well. Against the Cubs, he did not walk a better and had nine strikeouts. And on the season, he has given only 27 free passes in just over 68 innings.

Zavier Warren, 3B: Typically, a guy batting right around the Mendoza Line would not qualify in players to watch on the Toyota Road Report, but Warren will make this week’s list based on his sizzling start to August. In three games against the Quad Cities River Bandits, Warren has gone 9/14 this month, and on August 3, he finished the game with 11 total bases. A four-hit day for Warren, he hammered two home runs, drove in five RBI. In those three games as well, he’s got 10 total RBI. Entering August, he had just over 30 for the season. What a remarkable start to this month for Warren. Will it continue in this key road series?

Players to watch on South Bend…

Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF: It seems like every single week that PCA makes a SportsCenter Top-10 worthy play. He did it again in Fort Wayne this past week on a dazzling play running towards the wall. As he backpedaled to the padding of the fence, he leaped up, crushed his back into the wall, and still made the play. Exceptional. All the time since he was called up from the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, you have seen PCA make plenty of MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and other Twitter pages just based on what he is doing on an everyday basis. That love is more than warranted in what he is doing at the top of the South Bend lineup. PCA is hitting .268 at High-A, but 19 of his 38 base hits with the Cubs are extra base hits. He is finding barrels on a regular basis, and he has given the Cubs everything they have needed from a center field perspective on making a playoff push. It is wild to look at South Bend’s outfield and what they do. You could very well make a case that someday the trio of Yohendrick Pinango, PCA, and Owen Caissie will be playing in formation at Wrigley Field. And that’s thrilling.

Luis Devers, RHP: A 0.42 ERA in your first five appearances at the High-A level will usually get you some pretty solid organizational attention. That’s exactly the case for Devers. Somehow, he is not yet ranked as a Cubs Top-30 prospect per MLB Pipeline. But if he keeps up this pace, it won’t be very long until he is there. The thing about this run for Devers, however, is he has done this his entire career. His first two years in the Dominican Summer League each finished with ERA’s under 2.70. In his initial taste of state-side baseball, he had a 3.33 ERA in the Arizona League. Devers, who was the Chicago Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Month for May, dominated through the Carolina League with Myrtle Beach and is now making the Midwest League look like a breeze. He gave up one single run in the month of July, and that was in five innings against Peoria on July 17. The way that Devers keeps hitters uncomfortable is also something to watch. Sort of like Johnny Cueto used to do on a more regular basis, Devers will pitch with a normal leg kick, will go slide step style, or something totally different. He’ll use a slow wind up or fast leg kicks; Basically throwing the kitchen sink at any hitter. That deception really can give any batter trouble at any point.

Pablo Aliendo, C: What a month of July it was for Cubs catcher Pablo Aliendo. Finishing the month with a seven-game hitting streak, and an average of .351, Pablo was electric. He had five total multi-hit games in July, all while catching nearly everyday, and being one of the stars of the Meijer Baseball Academy kids camp at Four Winds Field. Certainly a lot to handle for a guy who is only 21-years-old. The comparisons of how Aliendo approaches each day keeps on going back to a guy like Miguel Amaya to me. Amaya was only 19 when he was here in 2018, but Aliendo and Amaya are so similar in their professional mindsets towards the game. The play so far beyond their years. And that can only be more exciting for the Chicago Cubs and their catching depth. Think about the guys that Aliendo gets to learn from as well on a yearly basis at Spring Training. He has the minds of veterans like Willson Contreras and Yan Gomes to look for advice from. Also think of someone like P.J. Higgins, the former South Bend Cub has grinded his way all the way up to Wrigley Field. His story is valuable for a guy like Aliendo. For a guy that continues to hit, and catch really solid games, Aliendo’s potential is off the hook. Let’s see what August has in store for him.

Schedule…

Tuesday, August 9 - 7:40 PM ET: LHP Dalton Stambaugh vs. Israel Puello

Wednesday, August 10 - 7:40 PM ET: RHP Porter Hodge vs. Justin Jarvis

Thursday, August 11 - 7:40 PM ET: RHP Luis Devers vs. Carlos Rodriguez

Friday, August 12 - 7:40 PM ET: RHP Kohl Franklin vs. TBD

Saturday, August 13 - 7:40 PM ET: RHP Richard Gallardo vs. Justin Bullock

Sunday, August 14 - 2:10 PM ET: RHP Daniel Palencia vs Israel Puello

Catch the entire six-game series in Wisconsin on Sports Radio 960 AM WSBT, online at wsbtradio.com, or on MiLB.com with Brendan King and Max Thoma on the call.