Toyota Road Report: Quad Cities 7/27-8/1

Quad Cities River Bandits

Miles from South Bend: 240 Miles

Affiliation: Kansas City Royals

Stadium: Modern Woodmen Park

South Bend vs Quad Cities

This Season: 2-3

Last Season: 1-2

For the first time since becoming a Chicago Cubs Affiliate, the South Bend Cubs (32-39) will begin play multiple series against the Quad Cities River Bandits (46-24). After a Sunday rainout cost the Cubs a chance at a season-opening series split, South Bend looks to rebound against the River Bandits in Iowa for the second series, and first of two road series, against the team with the best record in the High-A Central.

River Bandits to Watch:

OF Tucker Bradley: The Georgia product averaged one hit per game in Low-A Columbia before becoming one of the first Royals prospects to be promoted in 2021. Getting hits and getting on-base as continued to serve as Bradley’s modus operandi in Quad Cities, as the outfielder is top-five in the High-A Central in both batting average (.304), and on-base percentage (.390) in his first season as a professional. You won’t see the ball flying off the bat, but he does have nineteen extra-base hits with four triples on the year. He makes for a great table-setter on the second-ranked offense in the league.

LHP Anthony Veneziano: Pitching has not been the strong point for the River Bandits this season, but Anthony Veneziano has been as dependable as you can ask for despite a slow start to his 2021 season. In what ended up being Quad Cities’ second victory of the season at Four Winds Field, Veneziano threw a measly 1.2 innings and allowed two runs (one earned). Now he is second in the league with 83 strikeouts and hasn’t thrown less than four innings since June. The longer he goes in games, the more Quad Cities wins, as Veneziano has won two of the three games in which he reached the five-inning mark. The left-hander is looking to show that he has improved in his first time facing South Bend since his shortest start of the season.

INF Michael Massey: He may not be the biggest name in the Royals system, but Massey has been the most consistent hitter for Quad Cities since the season began, particularly since the power-hitting Vinnie Pasquantino was promoted to Double-A. In the six games since Pasquantino’s promotion, Massey has recorded a hit in five of them, including three multi-hit games and five RBIs. He has quietly emerged as the team’s top power hitter, leading the way for Quad Cities with fifteen home runs and 55 RBIs, both coming in at third in the High-A Central. Massey has a good combination of speed and power and as a lefty provides fits for right-handed pitching. He hits .312 against righties, and every South Bend starter is right-handed.

Cubs to Watch:

OF Yonathan Perlaza: Even though he has moved down to the end of South Bend’s batting order, Yonathan Perlaza has caught fire as of late. He has quietly put together a six-game hit streak with five hits and two homers in his last seven at-bats. Perlaza has been even better on the road for South Bend, slashing .281/.355/.490 with eleven extra base-hits away from Four Winds field. His numbers have improved across the board in his first full season as a pro and he has handled the transition from middle infield to outfield exceptionally well, as Perlaza has yet to commit an error in 33 games as an outfielder. Perlaza will need to continue providing an injection of power for South Bend if they are to compete with one of the best hitting teams in the league.

RHP Blake Whitney: After a lights-out beginning of the season in Low-A Myrtle Beach, Blake Whitney has done more of the same in South Bend. He is averaging nearly two strikeouts per inning, with more than any Cubs reliever since his promotion to South Bend. He has been so dominant in the bullpen that Whitney will try his hand as a starter, making his first start since rookie ball in 2018 on Thursday. Whitney is undoubtedly a strikeout pitcher, with three Ks or more in all three outings he has thrown for South Bend and almost two-thirds of his pitches in for strikes.

C Dean Nevarez: Another guy who hasn’t played much in South Bend, but Dean Nevarez has made his presence known since debuting in the Cubs organization in Arizona earlier this month. Nevarez has played just three games since signing with the Cubs in July, but he has made them count, recording an RBI in each one of them, including home runs in both games he has played with South Bend. Went 3-9 in Wisconsin after debuting as a last-ditch pitcher to end off the Cubs’ twelve game homestand against the Kernels and Snappers. Two of his three hits have left the yard, and all three have gone for extra bases. The catchers shuffle around frequently for South Bend, so Nevarez may not get many chances, but Nevarez is proving that he will make the most of any opportunity he gets at the plate.

Schedule:

Every game except Sunday will begin at 7:30 pm EDT in Quad Cities, beginning on Tuesday With Ryan Jensen and Christian Cosby starting off the series. Sunday’s game will feature the same two starters, but will start at 2:00 pm EDT

You can listen to Max Thoma call every game of the series on the flagship station for the South Bend Cubs WSBT 960 AM, online at wsbtradio.com, or at Milb.com