Toyota Road Report: August 11-16

For the first time since April of 2023, the South Bend Cubs are set to head north to Midland, Michigan to face off against the Great Lakes Loons. It has been a while since the Cubs and Dodgers Midwest League affiliates met at Dow Diamond, as the Loons have traveled to Four Winds Field in each of the last couple of years. This will be a strong test for the Cubs, as South Bend continues to prime themselves for playoff baseball, with the Midwest League postseason scheduled for less than a month away.

Looking at the calendar, we are exactly a month away from Game Two of the Midwest League Division Series that will be played at Four Winds Field. South Bend will open the postseason on the road on September 8 in Game One of the first round, but then will host Game Two, and then Game Three if necessary. Of course, South Bend still awaits their first round playoff opponent. For Great Lakes in the meantime, the Loons held a strong point in the first-half to potentially be the playoff team from the East Division, but struggled down the stretch, and Dayton picked up that spot.

Last week, it was the Loons getting a little revenge, taking four of six games away from the Dragons in Ohio. South Bend still owns the best record in the Midwest League at 63-41, with one of the best run differentials in Minor League Baseball at +172. Great Lakes is not far behind, at 59-45. Kind of wild, but the Loons have the next best run differential for the full season in the Midwest League at +77.

Looking at the Loons schedule, they have had an unusual summer. They have not played a six-game series against a West Division opponent since the middle of June, when they lost four of six games to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Dow Diamond. Since then, it has only been East Division opponents in the back end of June, all of July, and at the start of August. The same thing will happen for them the rest of the year as well. South Bend is the final West Division opponent they will see, with series against Fort Wayne, Lansing, and Lake County scheduled for the rest of the year.

From a playoff perspective, if Great Lakes wins the second-half, the next time the Cubs and Loons could see each other would be the Midwest League Championship Series.

With the MLB Trade Deadline passing last Monday, multiple Midwest League teams were impacted by all of the moves that took place in the Big Leagues. Teams like the West Michigan Whitecaps, who South Bend will see next week at Four Winds Field, had their roster bolstered with the Tigers trading star lefty Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers. We will see the leftovers of the Skubal deal this week in Midland, with the Loons losing pitcher Brady Smith from the trade. Smith is now a Whitecap, and we are scheduled to see him next week at Four Winds Field, along with the likely Tigers organization debut of former Fort Wayne TinCaps lefty Kash Mayfield. If so, it would be Mayfield’s fourth start of the season against the Cubs.

Back to the Loons. Even with the trade, some really talented hitters remain in Midland. That includes a couple guys who are in the top-five for the season in Midwest League batting average and runs scored. Both Eduardo Quintero and Charles Davalan are top-five in each category, with Davalan sitting as the active leader in runs scored. Kane Kepley’s 105 Midwest League runs are still the top spot in the league, but Davalan has that active advantage.

Quintero is ranked as the Dodgers number-three prospect, and Davalan is ranked as number-six. Davalan is a former Arkansas Razorback, and that program continues to produce big names and it has another Big Leaguer from the program, with 2023 South Bend Cubs outfielder Christian Franklin making his MLB Debut with the Baltimore Orioles last Monday.

From a pitching standpoint, Great Lakes has struggled throwing the ball to start August, allowing 47 runs over 61 innings. Their team ERA for the season is solid at 4.58.

Right-hander Tyler Gough has thrown it very well for the Loons in limited action, posting at 1.88 ERA over seven appearances. Gough was acquired from Seattle by Los Angeles in exchange for former Loons lefty Robinson Ortiz. Fun fact, Ortiz pitched against the South Bend Cubs back in 2019, and faced the rehabbing Ben Zobrist when he was playing for South Bend. Zo, of course, made his return to Four Winds Field a few weeks back for a special visit. Also acquired in a trade on the Loons roster is lefty Justin Chambers. His 32 appearances in High-A this season have not gone as smoothly, working a 6.52 ERA. There is another South Bend Cubs connection with the Chambers trade, as he was dealt to L.A. from Milwaukee for former South Bend Cubs lefty Bryan Hudson.

With the Loons being a hungry team, this week will be a challenge for the Cubs. They are going to see some very desperate teams over the next two weeks in both Great Lakes and West Michigan, as they are fighting for their playoff lives. South Bend will need to match that sense of urgency, and get back on track after splitting this past week’s series with Cedar Rapids.

Players to watch on South Bend…

Ethan Flanagan, LHP: The South Bend Cubs pummeled the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Sunday by a final of 13-1, but the Cubs don’t win that game without Ethan Flanagan. Even with all the runs, even with the dominant offensive showing. Flanagan was terrific on Sunday, and continues to eat innings for the Cubs in every role imaginable. Flanagan did surrender a lead-off home run to start Sunday’s game, but it was what he did after getting punched in the mouth to start the game that was really impressive. Flanagan got the next three batters out after the lead-off bomb, and then in the 2nd inning, after a lead-off walk, he struck out the next three. The lead-off guy reached again in the 3rd, and Flanagan shut the door. He ended up working a shutout 4th inning as well, and continued to hang zeroes. Flanagan started the season in the Cubs bullpen, picking up multiple long-relief saves. Then the Cubs inserted him into the rotation, then he hit the Development List. After that Dev List stint, Flanagan has performed at his best whether it has been a bullpen appearance or a start. Having a weapon like Flanagan is critical, knowing that you will need guys that can find ways to get outs in the playoffs. Now that Jackson Brockett has gone to Double-A Knoxville, Flanagan might be the guy to take his place. Big shoes to fill, but Flanagan has been outstanding with his consistent strike throwing and the ability to get out of jams.

Josiah Hartshorn, INF/OF: The Chicago Cubs number-one prospect struck again on Sunday. Launching his 13th home run with the Cubs, and his 18th overall on the season, Hartshorn continues what has been his breakout summer. From the Kernels series, Hartshorn really impressed defensively. Tuesday night, Hartshorn played his best defensive game with the Cubs so far. And when you talk about every single day how dynamic this guy’s bat is, to brag about his defense is the cherry on top. But he did have an outstanding Tuesday at first base, and he was able to command things on that right side of the infield. Hartshorn’s defensive future is to be determined, as in whether the Cubs will want to send him to the outfield full time, or if he is going to be the first baseman of the future whenever Michael Busch wraps up his tenure at Wrigley Field. Hartshorn is swinging it well and is healthy, after a bit of a dinged-up injury last road trip in Lake County. He’s good to go this week in Midland, and not sure if it’s still there, but at Dow Diamond in the past, there is a giant bullseye target in right field. Hartshorn is coming for that this week, if it’s still there of course.

Alexey Lumpuy, OF: The back-end of the Cedar Rapids series was a highlight to watch for Alexey Lumpuy, the newest South Bend Cub. We just talked about Ethan Flanagan stepping into the role of Jackson Brockett, and even more so here, Lumpuy might have the largest pair of shoes to fill for the departure of Kane Kepley. You can’t replace Kane, simple as that, but Lumpuy has looked really really good in center field in the minimal action we have seen him there. Understandably, when you go to a new level, struggles will happen. Lumpuy had an adjacent to make from his first two games of the week against Cedar Rapids, and he certainly made them, capping off Sunday with a three-hit game. Lumpuy made some highlight reel catches in center field this past week, and he’ll have one of the league’s biggest outfields to run through this week in Midland. Lumpuy showed off his speed both in the field and on the basepaths, and after stealing 40 bases with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans to start the season, he can certainly develop into one of the Midwest League’s best base stealers the rest of the regular season as he continues to get on base more and more.

Schedule and Probables…

Tuesday, August 11 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Jostin Florentino vs. RHP Hyun-Seok Jang

Wednesday, August 12 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Braylon Myers vs. LHP Jacob Frost

Thursday, August 13 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Nazier Mulé vs. LHP Sterling Patick

Friday, August 14 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Alfredo Romero vs. RHP Isaac Ayon

Saturday, August 15 - 7:05 PM ET: LHP Pierce Coppola vs. RHP Brooks Auger

Sunday, August 16 - 1:05 PM ET: LHP Ethan Flanagan vs RHP Hyun-Seok Jang

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