Cubs Bats Show Power of the Force in Star Wars Night's Rain-Shortened Game

SOUTH BEND, IN - Due to inclement weather, Saturday night's game ended in the middle of the sixth inning due to heavy rainfall. Though things did not start out well for the Cubs, their offense would go on to score 11 runs in the third inning to earn a lead that would outlast the weather and give the South Bend the win heading into the final game of their seven-game home stand. 

An error, four hits, and a walk allowed the Lugnuts to score four runs in the top first inning as Cubs starting pitcher Tyson Miller appeared to battle control issues. In the first inning alone, he threw 36 pitches (23 strikes) while only recording two outs before being replaced by Jared Cheek.
The Lugnuts loaded the bases to set up their top hitter, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., son of former Major League MVP Vladimir Guerrero, who singled past the diving glove of Jhonny Pereda to get the four run inning started.
After allowing another run in the second inning to put the Lugnuts up 5-0, the high-scoring Cubs offense made its return to Four Winds Field in the bottom of the third inning. Sparked by Zack Short's leadoff ground-rule double, the Cubs scored 11 runs on seven hits and three walks to take a commanding 11-5 lead.
South Bend would go on to win the ballgame 11-7 after heavy rains led to a rain-shortened game. Since the tarp was not pulled until after the mandatory five innings to make it an official contest, the Cubs were declared the winners. 
11-RUN THIRD INNING: Zack Short got the offense going with his leadoff ground-rule double, which would have been an inside the park home run had the ball not got stuck under a chair in the Cubs bullpen.
Yeiler Peguero and Isaac Paredes both walked after the double, which brought up Kevonte Mitchell who would walk with the bases loaded to score the Cubs first run of the game.
Lugnuts pitcher Mike Ellenbest, who had just walked the last three consecutive hitters, then hit D.J. Wilson with a pitch allowing Peguero to score the Cubs' second run.
From there, South Bend's bats started to heat up to keep scoring in the inng. A Pereda single scored Peredes from third followed by Michael Cruz' bases clearing three-RBI double to give South Bend the 6-5 lead. Brandon Cummins then singled to score Cruz from second and Short followed with a single of his own to load the bases.
"[The third inning] was the definition of hitting being contagious," Short said after the victory. "I've said it before, once people going it's contagious; that's the only way to put it. It shows that we're good, it doesn't matter how many runs we're down we still have life. As long as the game is still going on, we still have life."
After South Bend batted around the order, Lansing's new pitcher, Andrew Deramo, who came in for relief after Pereda's single, struggled to locate the ball throwing a wild pitch with the bases loaded to allow the Cubs' eighth run to score of the frame.
Mitchell's two out RBI-double tacked on two more while Vimael Machine's RBI-single rounded out the inning as the Cubs moved forward with an 11-5 lead with two and half innings to be played before the game was rained out.
"My first at-bat I wasn't feeling like myself, but that's why it's one at-bat at a time," said Kevonte Mitchell after being named Player of the Game. "I had a chance to talk with [Jason Heyward] and Darnell McDonald a bit [on Thursday] and they were just telling me to keep grinding and it will all just click. Getting those words from a big league player like that helped a ton."
GUERRERO JR.'s HOT BAT: Coming into the game, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was hitting .412 (7-17) with two doubles and a homer in five games against the Cubs. Regardless, the hot-hitting right-hander kept up his impressive stats against South Bend in [insert at-bats] in Saturday evening's ballgame.
In the first inning, Guerrero Jr. hit a bases loaded RBI-single for his first hit of the night. Three innings later, he continued with a RBI-double, his second hit and RBI of the game. Then, in the sixth inning, he fouled off four straight pitches in a 0-2 count before working the count full and reaching first base with a one-out walk.
Guerrero Jr. did not have the chance to score in that inning as South Bend turned an inning-ending double play just before the grounds crew ran onto the field to put the tarp in place.
After the rain out, Guerrero Jr.'s batting average against the Cubs improved to .473 in five games in addition to tonight's five and ½ inning contest. Thus, the Cubs will have to find a way to neutralize his bat in order to keep the Lugnuts offense from jumping ahead early.
WHAT'S NEXT:
Cubs: Bryan Hudson is scheduled to take the mound in the 2:05 p.m. final game against the Lugnuts. In his last start, Hudson threw five scoreless innings only allowing three hits against the division leading Dayton Dragons.
Lugnuts: The Toronto Blue Jays Midwest League affiliate will send Andy Ravel to the mound for the last game of the series. In seven games, Ravel is 3-1 with a 8.38 ERA.
Photo credit: Emma Reese