​The Cubs added left-hander Josh Fleming to the roster and assigned him to Triple-A Iowa, while Iowa right-hander Andrew Wantz was moved to the development list. In a strong performance by the Iowa Cubs, they defeated the St. Paul Saints (Twins) 21-7. In another note, the Hawkeyes may have been involved in a lopsided win over the Gophers by a wide margin. In Fleming’s Cubs debut, he worked four innings, surrendering two runs on four hits, with two walks and two strikeouts. Corbin Martin then took the mound for the fifth inning; the first batter he faced hit a solo homer, but Martin settled and retired the next three in order, a sequence that earned him the win from the official scorer.
DH Christian Bethancourt hit two homers tonight—the first a solo shot in the fourth, and the second a three-run blast in the eighth off a position player (these were the only three runs not scored off a true pitcher). Bethancourt has 11 home runs on the season and finished the night 3-for-5 with a double, the two homers, and a walk. He drove in five runs and scored three times. Shortstop Scott Kingery followed Bethancourt with a homer in the fourth, his third of the season, and went 1-for-6 on the night.
Left fielder Jonathan Long continued his hot stretch, going 5-for-5 with a walk, two doubles, and his tenth homer of the year. He scored five times and drove in two, and he is hitting .382 with three homers in eight July games. The entire lineup contributed at least two hits or a home run: right fielder Brett Bateman finished 3-for-6 with a double and a steal, scoring three times and driving in one; first baseman BJ Murray went 3-for-5 with a walk, scoring three and driving in three, raising his season batting average to .334 with a .429 on-base percentage. Second baseman James Triantos was 3-for-5 with a double and a walk, driving in two and scoring once. Third baseman Owen Miller doubled twice in a 2-for-5 performance with three RBIs and two runs scored. Catcher Moisés Ballesteros was 2-for-5 with a double and a walk, scoring twice and driving in four. Center fielder Chas McCormick went 2-for-6 with a run scored.
Bethancourt’s homer came off a live pitcher, while Kingery delivered back-to-back with Bethancourt. Mo Baller contributed a two-run double, and Jonathon Long’s tenth home run of the year punctuated the night. A solid 3-6-3 double play and Long’s doubling highlights were part of the evening, and BJ Murray’s near-homer moment came close to fruition as Bateman added a double off a left-handed pitcher.
In other minor-league action, the Knoxville Smokies were defeated soundly by the Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers), 11-2. Nick Dean opened the game for Knoxville, retiring the Shuckers scoreless through 1.1 innings, facing no hits, but issuing a walk and two strikeouts. After Kenyi Perez delivered 2.2 scoreless frames in relief of Dean, Yenrri Rojas took over in the fifth. Rojas managed the fifth inning, but struggled thereafter, walking several batters and surrendering four runs in the sixth, taking the loss.
Overall, the day featured notable performances from Bethancourt, Long, and a quartet of multi-hit games across the Iowa lineup, with Fleming’s Cubs debut providing a promising start in his first appearance for the organization.