Cardinals Minor League Notebook: 8/5/17

(photo: Stefan Trosclair/Allison Rhoades/Peoria Chiefs)

The St. Louis Cardinals system was 5-3 on Friday.  Stefan Trosclair hit for the cycle as Peoria had a record offensive outburst. Austin Gomber pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed three hits and struck out seven in Springfield’s shutout win.

Results for games played Friday, August 4.

Memphis 5 at Tacoma 4

Tyler O’Neill (Memphis Redbirds)

The Redbirds edged the Rainiers on Friday night in a one run contest.  Memphis got on the board first in the first inning on a hit by pitch, two singles from Nick Martini and Tyler O’Neill, and a sac fly from Harrison Bader.  O’Neill hit a solo home run in the third.  A three run fourth inning sealed the deal for the Redbirds.  Alberto Rosario reached on a fielding error, Breyvic Valera singled, followed by an Alex Mejia double to plate Rosario.  Nick Martini singled to drive in Valera.  An O’Neill ground out brought Mejia home.  O’Neill was 2-for-5 with two RBI.  Martini was 3-for-5.

Starter John Gant pitched six innings, giving up four runs on six hits, including two long balls.  The right hander fanned seven and walked one to earn his fourth win of the season.  Ryan Sherriff tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.  Josh Lucas got the last two outs of the ninth to earn his 11th save.

Aledmys Diaz stole his second base for Memphis in four attempts.

The Redbirds are 73-38 on the season and are in first place in the PCL Southern by 21.5 games.

Saturday’s game:  at Tacoma, Dakota Hudson (0-0, 5.14) 9:05 CT.


Springfield 2, NW Arkansas 0

Austin Gomber (USA TODAY Sports Images)

The Cardinals shut out the Naturals in a low scoring contest on Friday night.  Starting pitcher Austin Gomber kept the Naturals off the board for seven innings, and earned his sixth win of the season.  Gomber allowed only three hits, struck out seven and walked one.  Tyler Bray, Jacob Evans, and Landon Beck combined for the final two scoreless innings of relief, with Beck earning his third save of the season.

The Cardinals offense put up a run in both the second and third innings.  Magneuris Sierra plated the first run on a single.  John Nogowski’s double scored the other.  Sierra,  Andrew Knizner and Randy Arozarena were 2-for-4.

Darren Seferina committed a fielding error.

The Cardinals are 61-51 overall, and 25-16 in the second half and are two games back of first place in the Texas League North.

Saturday’s game:  vs. NW Arkansas, Zac Gallen (4-3, 2.89) 6:10 CT.


Palm Beach 1, Clearwater 6

The Cardinals offense couldn’t get traction against Threshers pitching in a five run loss on Friday night.  Palm Beach’s run scored in the fifth inning with a Leobaldo Pina leadoff single, followed by a Blake Drake single, then a wild pitch and a ground out RBI by Jose Martinez.  Pina was 2-for-4, as was Chris Chinea.

Starter Connor Jones pitched 3 2/2 innings, giving up four runs, three earned, on five hits.  The right hander struck out two and walked two, and was tagged with his fifth loss of the season.  Ramon Santos tossed 1 1/3 innings of relief and allowed one run on two hits.  Ian McKinney followed with a scoreless sixth inning.  Estarlin Arias took the seventh and eighth, and surrendered an additional run.  Eric Carter pitched a scoreless ninth.

On the base paths, Jose Godoy was caught stealing for the second time in three attempts.  In the field, Jones made a throwing error, as did Andy Young.  Thomas Spitz had an outfield assist.

The Cardinals are 59-48 overall and 19-21 in the second half, which puts them 5.5 games back of first place in the FSL South.

Saturday’s game:  vs. Clearwater, Mike O’Reilly (1-0, 3.43) 4:30 CT.


Peoria 13 at Beloit 10

Stefan Trosclair (The Cardinal Nation)

The Chiefs won a record-setting slugfest in Beloit on Friday night.  A ten-run eighth inning gave Peoria a commanding lead, but the Snappers battled back in the bottom frame of the eighth and in the ninth, but came up short.

The Chiefs got on the board for the first time in the fourth inning, on a leadoff solo home run by Stefan Trosclair.  The first baseman tripled and doubled in the eighth, and needing a single in the ninth to complete the cycle, he accomplished his objective. It was the third cycle in Chiefs history and the first since 2010. Trosclair finished the game 4-for-6 with two RBI, and three runs scored.

Dylan Carlson’s double in the seventh plated the second Chiefs’ run.  In the eighth, the Chiefs exploded with 10 runs to give them the lead.  Trosclair hit a leadoff triple.  J.R. Davis then tripled to score Trosclair.  Juan Yepez followed with a double to plate Davis, and Yepez scored on a fielding error.  Mick Fennell singled and Kramer Robertson doubled him in.  Robertson scored on a Dylan Carlson double, Brian O’Keefe and Vince Jackson hit consecutive singles, with Carlson scoring on the Jackson hit.  The lineup turned over and Troclair doubled to plate O’Keefe.  Juan Yepez drove in Jackson for the 10th run of the inning.

The Chiefs added a final run in the ninth on an O’Keefe solo home run.  O’Keefe was 3-for-6 with two runs scored.  Robertson was 2-for-5 and scored two runs.  Carlson was 2-for-6, Davis was 3-for-6, and Yepez was 4-for-6.  Matt Fiedler was 2-for-5.

The 13 extra-base hits broke the Midwest League record of 12 that the Chiefs shared with five other teams. The 20 combined extra-base hits also set a new league record.

Chiefs’ starter Ian Oxnevad pitched five innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on four hits.  The left hander struck out three and walked one.  Austin Sexton added a scoreless sixth.  Ronnie Williams surrendered five runs on five hits in the seventh, but received the win, his fourth.  Max Almonte pitched the final two innings and surrendered two runs on three hits.

Trosclair had a missed catch error.  Carlson had an outfield assist.

The Chiefs are 53-57 overall and 22-18 in the second half to put them 3.5 games back of first place in the Midwest League West for the second half.

Saturday’s game:  at Clinton, Evan Kruczynski (1-2, 5.03) 6:30 CT.


State College 1 at West Virginia 4 (five innings)

Brandon Benson (State College Spikes)

State College fell to the Black Bears on Friday night in a rain shortened contest.  The Spikes offense managed only one run on five hits, including Brandon Benson’s third-inning solo home run.  Benson was 2-for-2 with the home run and a double, the only Spike with multiple hits.  Caleb Lopes, Evan Mendoza, and Matt Davis each singled.

Starting pitcher Daniel Castano pitched 4 1/3 innings, giving up four runs, three earned, on seven hits.  Castano fanned five and walked none and was tagged with his second loss of the season.

Benson committed his first miscue, a fielding error.

The Spikes are 24-20 and are 2.5 games back of first place in the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division.

Saturday’s game:  at Mahoning Valley, Johan Oveido (1-0, 3.16) 6:05 CT.


Johnson City 4, Princeton 2

Alvaro Seijas (St. Louis Cardinals)

The Cardinals topped the Rays with the big inning on Friday night.  A four run third inning was the key to this victory.  Carlos Talavera led off with a single and Imeldo Diaz smacked a two run home run to left center field.  Irving Lopez then singled, and Chase Pinder bunt singled.  A ground out moved the runners over, and Luis Bandes plated a run on a single.  Brady Whalen then doubled to right to score the fourth and final run of the inning.  Talavera was 3-for-4, Bandes was 2-for-3 and Julio Rodriguez was 2-for-4.

Starter Alvaro Seijas pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits while fanning seven and walking one.  The right hander earned his fourth win of the season.  Fabian Blanco pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth to earn his fifth save.

On the base paths, Delvin Perez stole his third base in six attempts for Johnson City.

The Cardinals are 21-21 on the season and are five games back of first place in the Appalachian League West.

Saturday’s game:  vs. Princeton, Jacob Schlesener (1-1, 3.25) 6:00 CT.


GCL Cardinals 8, GCL Marlins 7

Angel Rondon (Dominican Summer League)

The Cardinals edged the Marlins on Friday, despite a late inning Marlins surge.  The Redbirds had eight runs on the board through the fifth inning on 13 hits.  Designated hitter Casey Grayson drove in four runs, two on a fifth inning triple with the others on a ground ball fielding error and a ground ball force out.  Grayson was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.  Brian Sanchez plated two runs on a first inning single and was 2-for-5.  Terry Fuller drove in a run on a fourth inning triple and Moises Castillo doubled in the fifth to bring a run home.   Taylor Bryant was 3-for-4 with two runs scored.  Dariel Gomez was 2-for-3.

In his rehab debut from Memphis, starter Sean Gilmartin lasted only 2/3 inning while giving up three runs on three hits.  Angel Rondon pitched the next 5 1/3 innings and was the winning pitcher.  Rondon allowed four hits and no runs, while fanning five and walking one.  Wilberto Rivera surrendered one run in the seventh and Patrick Dayton allowed one run in the eighth.  Cory Malcom gave up two runs in the ninth, but earned his first save of the season.

Jonatan Machado stole his fourth base in five attempts.  Sanchez made a throwing error, while Dayton committed an error on a pickoff attempt. Luis Flores had an outfield assist.  Rondon picked a runner off first base.

The Cardinals are 16-16 on the season and are four games back of first place in the GCL East.

Saturday’s game:  vs. GCL Astros, TBA 9:00 a.m. CT.


DSL Cardinals 10, DSL Twins 12 (10 innings)

In a high scoring game on Friday, the Twins outscored the Cardinals in extra innings.  Ten runs just weren’t enough for the Redbirds.  The Cardinals didn’t get on the board until the fourth, when Erik Pena’s double plated two.  It was Pena’s only hit, but he drove in a third run on a sac fly in the sixth inning.  Four additional runs came in the sixth, one on a Carlos Soler double, and two on wild pitches.  Soler was 2-for-5.  Ivan Herrera had an RBI and went 2-for-5.  Yowetty Rosario was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and drove in a run on a seventh inning single.  Freddy De Jesus plated a run in the 10th on sac fly.

Redbirds starter Francis Ventura pitched five innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on 11 hits.  The right hander struck out four and walked none.  Wilman Madera surrendered two runs in 1 2/3 innings in relief.  Cristoffer Zapata relinquished two more runs in his 1 1/3 innings, and Anthony Trompiz gave up three unearned innings in the final two frames.  Trompiz was the losing pitcher.

Soler stole his fourth base in 11 attempts.  Luis Montano committed a fielding error, his fifth.  Rosario also made a fielding error, his eighth.

The Cardinals are 23-30 on the season and are 15 games back of first place in the DSL South.

Saturday’s game:  at DSL Twins, TBA 9:30 a.m. CT.



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