Cardinals Minor League Notebook – May 20, 2021

photo: Jose Rondon (Jim Rassol/USA TODAY Sports)

The St. Louis Cardinals system went 1-3 on Wednesday, as Peoria dropped two and Springfield was suspended due to rain. Our Player of the Day is Memphis third baseman Jose Rondon, who was 3-for-5 with two RBI in the Redbirds’ walk-off win.

Results for games played Wednesday, May 19.

Memphis 6, Louisville 5

The Redbirds edged the Louisville Bats with a ninth inning rally on Wednesday afternoon at AutoZone Park.

Memphis starter Angel Rondon kept the Bats scoreless through five innings before finally yielding a run in the sixth.  The Redbirds had taken a 1-0 lead in third on a solo home run by Matt Szczur.  After the Bats knotted it up in the top of the sixth, Memphis answered in the bottom half on a massive solo home run by Lars Nootbaar.  The Birds led 2-1.

Rondon gave up two more runs to Louisville in the top of the seventh. Garrett Williams surrendered two more runs in the top of the eighth as the Bats seized 5-2 lead.

The Redbirds responded with one in the home eighth to cut the deficit to 5-3.  Jose Rondon plated Nootbaar, who reached on a walk, on a double to left field.  In the bottom of the ninth, Rayder Ascanio singled to lead off. Irving Lopez followed with a double and Evan Mendoza plated Ascanio and Lopez with a single. With the score tied 5-5, Rondon’s walk off single scored Mendoza.

Reliever Connor Jones, who pitched a scoreless ninth, was the winning pitcher.  Leading the offense, Player of the Day Jose Rondon went 3-for-5 with two RBI.  Mendoza drove in two.  Mendoza also had a stolen base, as did Ascanio.

José Rondón

Jose Rondon and catcher Dennis Ortega made throwing errors in the field.  Szczur had an outfield assist at third base.

Thursday’s game:  vs. Louisville, Zack Thompson LHP (0-1, 7.36) vs. Riley O’Brien RHP (0-1, 2.45) 6:45 CT.

Springfield 5, NW Arkansas 5 (suspended)

Wednesday’s 5-5 contest at Hammons Field between the Cardinals and the Naturals was suspended in the seventh inning due to rain.  An announcement of when the game will be resumed has not yet been made.

The big blow to date was Juan Yepez’ grand slam.

Recently promoted outfielder Alec Burleson contributed his first Double-A long ball.

Update: 

Thursday’s game:  vs. NW Arkansas, Kyle Leahy RHP (0-2, 9.00) vs. Alec Marsh RHP (0-1, 3.27) 7:05 CT.

Peoria 0, Quad Cities 2 (seven innings, Game 1)

The Chiefs were blanked by the River Bandits in Game 1 of a twin bill in Dozer Park on Wednesday night. This contest replaced Tuesday’s rainout.

Though the Peoria offense did not score, they did manage five hits, four of which came from two hitters.  Brady Whalen and Brendan Donovan each went 2-for-3.  One of Donovan’s hits was a double, the only extra base hit in the game.

Brendan Donovan

Chiefs starter Mac Lardner was tagged with his first loss of the season.  The left hander tossed five innings and surrendered two runs on four hits.  He fanned four, issued no free passes and gave up a solo home run.  Leonardo Taveras and Cole Aker each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.

Leandro Cedeno was caught stealing for the first time this season.  Moises Castillo made his first error, a fielding miscue.

Peoria 3, Quad Cities 5 (seven innings, Game 2)

As the Chiefs (5-9) lost the second game of the twin bill to Quad Cities, they did score, just not often enough.

The game remained scoreless through the first four innings.  In the top of the fifth, the first River Bandit reached base due to an error and it snowballed from there.  Peoria starter Connor Lunn then gave up a walk and two singles and made a throwing error, and two runs scored for Quad Cities. Two outs later, Lunn surrendered another single for a third run.

The Chiefs answered in the home fifth with three runs to tie.  Cristhian Longa singled and Matt Chamberlain drew a walk. Jhon Torres reached on an error and Longa scored.  Brady Whalen singled to plate Chamberlain.  Three batters later Torres scored on a sac fly.

The River Bandits took the lead in the top of the sixth with one run off Peoria reliever Logan Gragg. They added an insurance in the seventh against Evan Sisk.  Gragg took the loss.

Cristhian Longa

Longa went 2-for-3 with a run scored as the only Chief with multiple hits.  All six Peoria hits were singles.

Francisco Hernandez was caught stealing for the first time. Whalen, Lunn, and Zade Richardson each committed an error.  Torres had an outfield assist at second base.

Thursday’s game:  vs. Quad Cities, Michael YaSenka RHP (0-1, 9.00) vs. Anthony Veneziano LHP (0-1, 5.79) 6:35 CT.

Palm Beach 8, St. Lucie 11

The Cardinals (5-9) fell to the St. Lucie Mets 11-8 on Wednesday afternoon, in a game in which the Beach Birds hitters faced rehabbing Noah Syndergaard for the first four innings.  As one would expect, the New York Mets star kept them off the board, though not entirely hitless.

The visitors led 8-0 through three innings, as Mets hitters pounded Cardinals pitching.  Palm Beach starter Jose Moreno only lasted 1 2/3 innings after giving up six runs, four earned, on three hits.  Reliever Will Guay yielded two runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Meanwhile the Beach Birds lineup was trying to figure out Syndergaard, who tossed four rehab innings.  He retired the minimum through three with three strikeouts and no walks.  In the fourth, after Masyn Winn and Jordan Walker were fanned, L.J. Jones smacked a double to left field.  Against the Mets starter, Jones was the only Cardinal to get a hit, but was stranded.

http://thecardinalnation.com/player/l-j-jones-iv/

The Cardinals finally began scoring in the sixth inning against St. Lucie pitcher Junior Santos.  Matt Koperniak and Roblin Heredia singled. Masyn Winn reached on a fielding error that scored Koperniak, and Jordan Walker was hit by a pitch.  Jones’ second double of the game plated Heredia and Winn. Walker and Jones came home on a double by Jacob Buchberger.  Buchberger later scored on a wild pitch. The Mets lead was cut to 8-6.

The Mets extended their lead with three runs in the seventh against relievers Edwin Nunez and Edgar Manzo. The Cardinals rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI groundout by Heredia and a Walker single, but it was not enough.

Palm Beach pitchers yielded 11 runs on 10 hits, walked 10 and fanned 12.  No home runs were given up.  Reliever Gustavo Rodriguez was the only Cardinal pitcher to toss a scoreless frame, in the ninth.

Jones went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored. Koperniak was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Buchberger had two RBI.  Walker and Heredia each drove in a run.

Winn, Walker (2), and Franklin Soto (2) combined for Palm Beach’s five errors in the field. Heredia had a passed ball.

Thursday’s game: vs. St. Lucie, John Beller LHP (0-0, 0.77) vs. rehabbing Jacob deGrom 6:30 ET.

For more

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