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Your week with the Knoxville Smokies: Aug. 19-24
Playoff baseball is just around the corner, as the Knoxville Smokies head into the final two homestands of their inaugural season at Covenant Health Park. With the Smokies' next home game set for Aug. 19, let's see where all the Chicago Cubs affiliates are standing in the homestretch.
CHICAGO CUBS (MLB): The Chicago Cubs are continuing their strong season, sitting in second in the National League Central. They are eight games back from the Milwaukee Brewers, who just won their 14th-straight game (a franchise record). The Cubs are in solid playoff position with a 70-53 record, as of Aug. 18. The Cubs are coming off a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, taking the series 2-1.
IOWA CUBS (Triple-A affiliate in Des Moines): The Iowa Cubs are 19-26 (58-61 overall) and sit in eighth place for the second half of the International League West season. Iowa split its most recent series 3-3 against the Worcester Red Sox, winning the last game of the series 8-5.
SOUTH BEND CUBS (High-A affiliate in South Bend, Indiana): The South Bend Cubs are first in the Midwest League West with a record of 26-21 for the second half of the season (49-64 overall). The team has seen a burst of energy in the second half, winning 12 of its past 18 games, including a six-game win streak Aug. 8-14. The Cubs are coming off a 4-2 series win against the Beloit Sky Carp but lost the final game of the series 1-0.
MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS (Single-A affiliate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina): The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are first in the Carolina League South for the second half of the season with a 32-14 record (57-53 overall). It's a stark contrast to the beginning of the season when the team went 25-39 and were last in the division. The Pelicans most recently split a six-game series against the Columbia Fireflies, winning the last game 8-5.
Catching up with Smokies baseball before Knoxville return
The Knoxville Smokies concluded their series against the Rocket City Trash Pandas on Aug. 17 and won the series 4-2.
The Smokies walked away from the final game of the series with a dominant 13-5 win. Ben Gobbel, B.J. Murray and Ryan Nicholson contributed home runs in the game, and the Smokies led by as many as 12 runs.
The Smokies are returning to Covenant Health Park with a 23-21 record in the second half of the season (55-57 overall).
Southern League North Standings, as of Aug. 18:
Birmingham Barons: 31-14 (.689)
Knoxville Smokies: 23-21 (.523)
Chattanooga Lookouts: 22-21 (.512)
Rocket City Trash Pandas: 14-31 (.311)
Knoxville Smokies back at Covenant Health Park vs. Montgomery Biscuits
Knoxville returns to Covenant Health Park Aug. 19-24 for a six-game series against the Montgomery Biscuits (22-23).
Knox News reporter Joanna Hayes reports for the business growth and development team. Email: Instagram: @knoxeat65.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Your week with the Knoxville Smokies: Aug. 19-24
