Bullpen Falters as TinCaps Rally to Beat Cub, 5-2

SOUTH BEND, IN - Thursday’s script was incredibly similar to Tuesday night’s as the Cubs led into the eighth and then the TinCaps rallied late by taking the lead in the eighth and adding on some insurance in the ninth.

The Cubs struck early through the newest member of the squad. With two outs and nobody on, Ethan Hearn continued his hot stretch by lacing an opposite field single into left. A walk to Jefferson Rojas. From TinCaps starter Eric Yost brought Andy Garriola up for his first High-A at-bat. The Carolina League leader in RBIs got South Bend on the board with a line drive single into center.

That one nothing leaf held all the way until the sixth because the Cubs got ether third straight stellar start, with Will Sanders being the one dealing tonight. He entered having already logged two scoreless starts this season against the TinCaps. Thursday night he shoved five more brilliant innings, not allowing a run and punching out four. Sanders fell on one of his first pitches of the night and never wavered again the rest of the outing.

Fort Wayne left the bases loaded in the fifth but then came right back and tied it the next inning. Luis Devers was the first man out of the bullpen and gave up a single to the first batter he faced in Devin Ortiz. With one out he then hit back-to-back TinCaps to load the bases. Colton Bender tied the game up with a sac-fly to left.

On a night where it felt like once again runs and hits were coming at a premium, the Cubs retook the lead immediately. With Jose Reyes on the mound once again South Bend sparked a rally with two outs and no one on base. Jefferson Rojas smacked a single to get things started and moved to second as Garriola reached on a catcher’s interference. Edgar Alvarez smoked a hit into right to score Rojas and put the Cubs up 2-1. For Alvarez it was his fifth hit in just three pro games.

Again it was the eighth inning that ultimately led to the Cubs demise. Marino Santa gave up a single to Joshua Hearts and then a game-tying double from Ethan Long to begin the eighth. Nerwillian Cedeño, Wednesday night’s hero, moved over Long to third with a grounder to short. Then Bender tapped one back to the mound but the barehand flip to the plate from Santy was a split second late. Fort Wayne took a 3-2 lead and didn’t look back.

The Cubs nearly bounced right back as they loaded the bases with two down in their half of the eighth. Ed Howard stepped up with the Cubs down a run and smoked a liner toward the 6-hole that Wyatt Hoffman dove and caught to erase the threat.

Jose Romero came on the ninth and really struggled with his control. He walked three, allowed two singles, and balked in a run to put the TinCaps up 5-2.

South Bend has now dropped five games in a row and eight straight to Fort Wayne.