Top prospect stars in Iowa debut
Brennen Davis is one of the best prospects in baseball and he’s knocking on the door of making his arrival at Wrigley Field. The Cubs’ top prospect got his first start at Triple-A and got off to a fast start.
Davis homered in his first at-bat for the Iowa Cubs on Tuesday, but he didn’t stop there. The Cubs’ top prospect launched another homer in his second at-bat, putting a cap on the Triple-A debut.
“Happy for Brennan going up [and] having a little bit of success early on. That’s great,” manager David Ross said before the Cubs’ 6-5 loss on Wednesday. “I think that just proves the confidence we have in him and his ability to be a really good player . . . . The hardest part about this game is being consistent and doing it for a long period of time.
“We’ll see how he handles it. I think we all have high hopes for him and [he’s] definitely a quality human being with a lot of talent.”
Davis is ranked as the No. 14 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.
Mills allows 4 ER in Cubs loss
Right-hander Alec Mills got back on track in his last outing and looked locked in early Wednesday against the Phillies. He was rolling through Philadelphia’s lineup and didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning. But that’s when the Phillies struck.
Mills allowed his first run of the game on a double-play grounder. After a walk kept the inning alive, he allowed a two-run homer to Freddy Galvis to make it 3-0.
The two teams went back-and-forth late in the game as Cubs catcher Robinson Chirinos tied it at 4 with a two-run shot in the eighth inning. All-Star J.T. Realmuto jumped on the first pitch he saw from righthander Codi Heuer and lined a solo shot to the right-field seats, giving the Phillies a 5-4 lead.
Matt Duffy brought the Cubs back in the ninth with a leadoff homer, tying the game at 5. But the Phillies got the last laugh, scoring the winning run on a passed ball as Trevor Megill’s breaking ball got past Chirinos.
Hoerner could return this weekend
It has been a long time since Nico Hoerner was in the Cubs’ lineup, but things are pointing in the right direction for the infielder. Hoerner is currently on a rehab assignment in Iowa and was to play one more game Wednesday before the team decides his next step Thursday.
Ross said that a return this weekend when the team faces the Brewers in Milwaukee is a possibility. Hoerner has been on the 10-day injured list since July 29 with a right oblique strain.
He’s slashing .313/.388/.388 with 10 doubles, 14 RBI and 15 walks in 39 games.