Toyota Road Report: June 2-7

After a highly successful month of May in which they posted an 18-8 record and became the team with the best record in the Midwest League, the South Bend Cubs are onto June, a month that could earn them their first Midwest League postseason berth in four years. The Cubs (30-17) lead the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers by 4.5 games in the West Division and must keep first place through the end of games on June 18 to secure a first-half division title. The Cubs haven't clinched a postseason spot in the first half since 2016.

This week, it's a busy start to the month for the Cubs, who will play a seven-game road series against the Quad Cities River Bandits (22-26) at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, Iowa. The Cubs were supposed to open the season against the Kansas City Royals' affiliate in early April, but suboptimal weather washed out the series, tacking an extra Friday game onto this week's set. Quad Cities trails South Bend by 8.5 games in the West and checks in with the worst record in the division.

Since falling to .500 with a 5-1 series loss against the Fort Wayne TinCaps on May 3, the Cubs have rattled off four consecutive series wins, storming into first place and stealing the best record in the Midwest League from Great Lakes. After going 9-2 in their 11-game road trip to Wisconsin and West Michigan, the Cubs came home last week and kept rolling, taking a vengeful five of six from the TinCaps.

What's perhaps most impressive about South Bend's current form is that a different aspect of the team has carried the torch in each of the last three series. Against Wisconsin, the offense put up more than 20 runs in two different games. Against West Michigan, the Cub bullpen strung together a scoreless streak that led all of Minor League Baseball. This past week, South Bend's rotation led the way, chalking up a 1.75 ERA across 25.2 innings pitched.

The Cubs also excelled last week in their ability to bounce back, as they haven't lost consecutive games in more than three weeks now. After largely dominating Fort Wayne across the first three games of the series, the Cubs were dealt a gut punch on Friday, blowing a 7-0 first-inning lead and losing 9-8. Ironically, the Cubs came back the next day with a 7-0 victory before coming from behind to take the series finale by a 7-5 score. South Bend still owns the top run differential in all of Minor League Baseball (+114) with last week's results.

The year hasn't been as kind to Quad Cities, which missed the postseason in 2025 despite registering the best overall record in the West Division. The River Bandits played well in April, starting 13-8 before a seven-game skid set them back in early May. They come off a split series at Cedar Rapids in which they won three in a row before dropping the final two games of the week. The performance of top Royals prospect Blake Mitchell headlined the series for Quad Cities, as the catcher put together a 2-home run, 7-RBI game against the Kernels on Friday.

Players to watch from South Bend...

Drew Bowser, INF: Bowser only picked up two hits during the Fort Wayne series, but he sure did make them count. The second-year South Bend infielder became the first South Bend hitter since at least 2005 to crush a grand slam in consecutive games. The slams were sorely needed for Bowser, who entered Friday's game in an 0-for-18 slump and without a home run in his Four Winds Field career. With his season RBI total suddenly up to 25, the Cubs will need continued production from him at the bottom of the order as they make their final push.

Josiah Hartshorn, 1B/OF: Has a player anywhere in Minor League Baseball made more of a splash in his first week at a new level than Hartshorn just did? I wouldn't count on it. The switch-hitting No. 8 Chicago Cubs prospect debuted in South Bend last Tuesday at just 19 years old (he won't turn 20 until February) and made a remarkable first impression. Hartshorn reached base in all six games of the Fort Wayne series, totaling 10 RBI and belting a home run from each side of the plate. And for good measure, his two long balls came against a rehabbing Major League reliever and the No. 4 prospect in the San Diego Padres organization. Hartshorn, who has "future top prospect in the Cubs' system" written all over him, concluded his week with outfield assists on back-to-back plays Sunday afternoon.

Miguel Useche, C/OF: There might not be a cooler story around South Bend Cubs baseball right now than Miguel Useche's 2026 season. After the Chicago Cubs signed him out of independent baseball last June, Useche finished last season with South Bend and never played more than once or twice a week as a backup catcher. The start of this year brought much of the same, as Useche opened the campaign with Double-A Knoxville before returning to the Midwest League in late April. A month later, through a combination of injuries, Useche's positional versatility, and his sheer excellence at the plate, the former backup has become an everyday player, and he doesn't plan to give up that role anytime soon. In 14 games with South Bend this year, Useche is hitting .373 with a stupendous OPS of 1.114, and he heads into the month of June with an 11-game on-base streak. He's also emerged as a true power threat in the middle of South Bend's order, launching a pair of home runs against Fort Wayne last week.

Schedule and Probables...

Tuesday, June 2 - 7:30 PM ET: RHP Alfredo Romero vs. RHP Tanner Jones

Wednesday, June 3 - 7:30 PM ET: RHP Kevin Valdez vs. RHP Aiden Jimenez

Thursday, June 4 - 7:30 PM ET: LHP Cole Reynolds vs. RHP Emmanuel Reyes

Friday, June 5 (Game 1) - 6:30 PM ET: RHP Jostin Florentino vs. TBD

Friday, June 5 (Game 2) - TBD: RHP Mason McGwire vs. TBD

Saturday, June 6 - 6:30 PM ET: RHP Will Sanders vs. TBD

Sunday, June 7 - 2:00 PM ET: RHP Nazier Mulé vs. TBD

Catch all seven games from Davenport, Iowa, on 96.1 FM and 960 AM Sports Radio WSBT or online at wsbtradio.com. Tyler Reidy will have the call.