Smokies tie series with yet another Chicago Cubs pitcher in Knoxville

Chicago Cubs reliever Shelby Miller, on a rehab assignment in Knoxville, struck out the side in his lone inning of work to help the Smokies to a 7-1 win Aug. 12 at Covenant Health Park.

Miller took the field Wednesday against the Rocket City Trash Pandas after Cubs starter Edward Cabrera and reliever Daniel Palencia joined the Smokies the night before. He retired all three batters he faced in the sixth inning after replacing Connor Schultz, who allowed just one run and five hits in his five-inning start.

Smokies manager Lance Rymel told Knox News he was impressed with Schultz's splitter: "I thought it had a lot of depth, but he was attacking the zone."

Buy tickets to see the Smokies at Covenant Health Park!

Both sides exchanged second-inning runs before the Smokies pulled away with 13 hits on the night. Shortstop Karson Simas was the only Smokies player without a base knock, while Alex Ramirez, Miguel Useche, Ariel Armas and Drew Bowser all had multi-hit nights.

We are a hard baseball team to beat when we piece it all together like we did tonight," Rymel said.

Smokies player of the game, top moments: Wednesday, Aug. 12

Player of the game:   Ariel Armas recorded three base hits while also taking his post catching an MLB pitcher. "It's always good to see what those guys have on the mound," Armas told Knox News. "Ultimately, when you're playing at the big league level, you're never getting an at-bat off. So, it's fun to see that."

Making plays: Smokies first baseman Miguel Useche hauled in a leaping grab for the final out of the first inning, drawing a big reaction from the crowd. In the third inning, left fielder Carter Trice climbed the wall for an over-the-shoulder catch to rob Rocket City of another hit. "That was a great catch, right?" Rymel said. "It was just a good, complete game played from us tonight."

Bad ball: Rocket City committed back-to-back errors in the fourth inning, sending Carter Trice across home plate to give Knoxville a 2-1 lead.

Seventh-inning spark: Knoxville took a 7-1 lead in a decisive seventh inning, plating four runs off three consecutive RBI hits, including doubles by right fielder Alex Ramirez and first baseman Miguel Useche.

Upcoming games, promotions at Covenant Health Park

The Smokies tied the series 1-1 with Wednesday's win. Here are the remaining promotions at Covenant Health Park with the Trash Pandas in town:

7 p.m. Aug. 13:  Thirsty Thursday (half-price draft beer), Knox Vegas (themed jerseys), College Night ($10 tickets for college students)

7 p.m. Aug. 14 : Chick-fil-A Friday (two tickets and two coupons for $48), Feel-Good Friday

7 p.m. Aug. 15:  Tennessee Night (themed University of Tennessee-style jerseys), Tennessee Night Bobblehead Giveaway (first 1,000 fans receive DeSean Bishop bobblehead), Summer Fireworks Series

2 p.m. Aug. 16:  Crayola Day (specialty jerseys), Color Your Own Lunch Box Giveaway (first 1,000 kids receive color your own lunch box)

Buy tickets to see the Smokies at Covenant Health Park!

Smokies record in Southern League North

The Smokies have  already clinched a playoff spot  by capturing the first-half title and are in second place in the Southern League North.

Southern League North standings

Rocket City Trash Pandas (22-19 second half, 57-52 overall)

Knoxville Smokies (21-20 second half, 59-51 overall)

Birmingham Barons (18-22 second half, 44-65 overall)

Chattanooga Lookouts (14-26 second half, 51-58 overall)

Southern League South standings

Pensacola Blue Wahoos (24-16 second half, 60-49 overall)

Columbus Clingstones (21-18 second half, 50-53 overall)

Montgomery Biscuits (21-19 second half, 56-53 overall)

Biloxi Shuckers (20-20 second half, 55-50 overall)

**  Records reflect the standings as of 10 p.m. Aug. 12 .

Trevor McGee  covers the Knoxville Smokies and One Knox SC for Knox News. Email:  [email protected] ;  X: @TrevorMcGee12

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Smokies tie series with yet another Chicago Cubs pitcher in Knoxville

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