MiLB: Brandon Birdsell (Seminole), a fifth-round pick by the Chicago cubs, made his pro debut against Quad Cities this weekend

By Brendan King

Davenport, IA – For the first time as a Chicago Cubs affiliate, the South Bend Cubs have started a Midwest League season with a record of 3-0. South Bend has swept the Quad Cities River Bandits in three games to start the campaign, and on Sunday afternoon, the Cubs held on to take the finale 2-1 from the River Bandits. South Bend will return home and get set for the home opener Tuesday night at 7:05 PM against the Beloit Sky Carp.

In an exciting lead-in to Sunday’s game, the Cubs sent right-hander Brandon Birdsell (Seminole) to the mound. Birdsell, who was selected in the fifth-round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Chicago cubs, made his pro debut against Quad Cities.

The former Texas Tech Red Raider worked around a couple of early walks and battled some deep counts initially, but he settled in beautifully. In three innings, Birdsell did not allow a hit or a run, and struck out four. Birdsell’s performance, however, was matched by Quad Cities starter Chandler Champlain. Champlain sent the first nine Cubs down in order, but much like Saturday night, one bad inning is what was the demise of the River Bandits.

The top of the 4th saw South Bend getting on the board first thanks to Fabian Pertuz. Last year, Pertuz hit the first home run of the season on Opening Night against Quad Cities. Sunday, he did it again with the first South Bend bomb of the year off of Champlain to lead off the 4th on a solo shot.

After Pertuz’s round-tripper, D.J. Artis drew a walk in the next plate appearance, and then stole second base. He went to third on a groundout by Kevin Alcántara, and then scored thanks to a single hammered by Yohendrick Pinango. The base hit had South Bend come up with a bit of luck, as it was a routine ground ball hit over to first base. The ball deflected off the first base bag, and scooted into right field. Pinango took the RBI single and the Cubs led 2-0.

The first man out of the bullpen was righty Frankie Scalzo Jr. In his South Bend debut, Scalzo Jr. worked three shutout innings. On Saturday night, Cubs pitching fired 7.2 innings of no-hit baseball. Sunday, they took a no-no into the bottom of the 6th. It was the same man that ended the no-hitter bid too. Gavin Cross hit a home run to break it up on Saturday, and singled to end it Sunday.

Regardless, the bullpen continued to work strong as Brad Deppermann worked a scoreless frame in the 7th. In the 8th, Adam Laskey made his 2023 debut and surrendered one run, but kept the Cubs in the lead. The 9th inning belonged to righty Jarod Wright, who earned the save and struck out two batters.

As part of the Opening Weekend sweep, the Cubs never trailed once in the series. With wins of 5-2, 3-1, and 2-1, they never relinquished the lead. The 3-0 Cubs will relax on an off-day Monday, and then start a six-game series Tuesday night at Four Winds Field. First pitch on Opening Night is set for 7:05 PM.