photo: Oscar Mercado (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals system went 3-1 on Sunday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, CF Oscar Mercado, had a double, three singles and two runs scored in Memphis’ 10-9 win. Other standouts include Tres Barrera, Chandler Redmond and Leonardo Bernal.
Results from games played Sunday, April 30th.
The Memphis Redbirds (18-9) edged the Durham Bulls (TB, 16-10) on Sunday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
In his rehab start from St. Louis, Adam Wainwright pitched 5 2/3 innings and yielded four runs on seven hits and a walk. He recorded the win, struck out nine batters and threw 61 pitches of 83 for strikes. Kyle Leahy recorded a scoreless 1/3 of an inning.
The Redbirds scored eight runs in the second inning to take what appeared to be a commanding lead. Tres Barrera’s grand slam opened the scoring. Juan Yepez doubled to plate Juniel Querecuto and Kramer Robertson. Masyn Winn came across on a wild pitch. Moisés Gómez grounded into a double play as Yepez scored.
Welcome back, Tres! pic.twitter.com/EQzu3qfPUa
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) April 30, 2023
In the fifth, Memphis put two more runs on the board. Robertson singled to bring Oscar Mercado across. Yepez walked with the bases loaded and made the score 10-4.
Jake Walsh tossed a scoreless seventh inning with two strikeouts. Andrew Suárez struggled, charged with four runs in only 1/3 of an inning on four hits and two walks. Kodi Whitley saved his first game of 2023 after he gave up a run in 1 2/3 innings. After the Bulls scored one in the ninth, Whitley struck the final batter out to end the game.
Mercado went 4-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Luken Baker, Mercado and Robertson had two hits apiece. Yepez drove in three and Winn walked three times. The lineup went 6-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
Querecuto and Robertson eath stole a base.
Memphis split the series 3-3 with the Bulls. They are in first place in the International League West.
Tuesday’s game: vs. Jacksonville, TBA vs. TBA 6:45 CT (The Redbirds are off Monday)
The Springfield Cardinals (9-12) defeated the Wichita Wind Surge (MIN, 9-12) behind a ninth-inning surge of their own at Riverfront Stadium.
Starter Connor Lunn surrendered all four Wichita runs in 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander yielded six hits, two walks and five strikeouts.
After the Wind Surge scored two in the third, Chandler Redmond blasted a three-run bomb in the fourth inning. The ball traveled an estimated 485 feet off the bat of TCN’s no. 46 prospect.
Make it 8⃣!
Chandler Redmond sends a 3-run, 485-foot monster out to RF for his league-leading 8th home run of the season. 💪
This is @C_Redmond13's third HR of the series against Wichita, his second 3-run blast in 24 hours.🤯 pic.twitter.com/Fcyo3u2nJX
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) April 30, 2023
Jose Martinez threw a scoreless 2 1/3 innings and gave up one hit and two walks.
The Cardinals tied the game in the seventh inning after L.J. Jones doubled to plate Nick Dunn who also doubled. In the ninth, Dunn was hit by a pitch and Jones walked. Irving Lopez hit a three-run homer to make the score 7-4.
Irving Lopez with his own 3-run shot to make this a 7-4 ballgame in the ⬆️9️⃣ pic.twitter.com/Es79tI46GG
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) April 30, 2023
Andre Granillo fanned four in two scoreless innings and shut the door in the ninth. TCN’s no. 30 prospect earned his first Double-A win.
Matt Koperniak recorded the only multi-hit game for Springfield. Dunn, Jones and Mike Antico doubled. Every starter except Jacob Buchberger was on base at least once. The lineup had eight hits and four walks in the contest.
The Cardinals went 4-2 at Wichita this week. They are still tied for last place in the Texas League North.
Tuesday’s game: vs. Arkansas, TBA vs. RHP Bryce Miller (0-2, 6.41) 11:30 CT (The Cardinal are off Monday)
For the second day in a row, the Peoria Chiefs (9-12) fell to the South Bend Cubs (CHC, 13-8) with a final score of 7-4 at Four Winds Field.
Starter Alex Cornwell was charged with four runs, three earned, on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. The left-hander struck out five and took his first loss of the season.
All four Chiefs runs came in the final three innings. In the seventh, Thomas Francisco doubled to score Jimmy Crooks. Osvaldo Tovalin plated Aaron McKeithan via single to make the score 4-2. But the Cubs immediately responded with three runs in the home half to pull away.
Reliever Bryan Pope gave up those three runs, two earned, in 1 1/3 innings. The 24-year-old struck out one.
The Chiefs responded with a run in the eighth via Jeremy Rivas’ sacrifice fly. With the bases loaded, McKeithan grounded into a double play. Noah Mendlinger scored a run in the ninth, again via sacrifice fly. With the tying run at the plate and two out, Nathan Church flied out.
Victor Scott II, Church and Tovalin had two hits for Peoria. Crooks walked twice. The lineup recorded 10 hits and four walks but left seven runners on base.
Mendlinger committed two costly throwing errors at second base.
Peoria went 2-4 at the second place Cubs this week. The Chiefs are in fifth place, 5.5 games behind first place Beloit and a half game out of a share of last place in the Midwest League West.
Tuesday’s game: vs. Wisconsin, TBA vs. RHP Joseph Hernandez (1-1, 3.15) 6:05 CT (The Chiefs are off Monday)
Behind a strong offense and solid relief pitching, the Palm Beach Cardinals (11-10) destroyed the Lakeland Flying Tigers (DET, 11-10) on Sunday at Publix Field.
Brycen Mautz gave up all four Tigers runs in 3 2/3 innings. TCN’s no. 13 prospect yielded five hits, three walks and five strikeouts. Chris Gerard earned his first win of the season after 2 1/3 perfect innings with four strikeouts.
The Beach Birds struck early with four runs in the first inning. Leonardo Bernal singled to bring one across and Tre Fletcher hit a double to clear the loaded bases. Chris Rotondo plated Michael Curialle in the third via sacrifice fly.
In the fifth, R.J. Yeager and Bernal both scored on wild pitches. Rotondo came across after Tre Fletcher was caught stealing. Yeager added a run in the sixth with a sacrifice fly to make the score 9-4.
The bullpen was lights out for the Cardinals on Sunday. Following Gerard, Angel Cuenca, John Lynch and Tanner Jacobson all pitched a scoreless inning over the final three innings. Cuenca fanned two and Lynch and Jacobson both struck out one.
Palm Beach put the game away with a six-run seventh inning. After Bernal walked, Rotondo blasted his first home run of the year. Brandon Hernandez (single) and Yeager (sac fly) each scored a run. Curialle doubled to plate one and Adanson Cruz came home after a wild pitch to make the score 15-4.
The lineup recorded 13 hits and eight walks against Lakeland. Bernal went 3-for-4 with one walk, an RBI and three runs scored. Hernandez also had three hits. Rotondo brought three runs across and scored three times and Fletcher had three RBI. Every Cardinal reached base at least once.
Yeager and Fletcher both stole a bag.
The Cardinals went 3-3 against the Flying Tigers this week after they scored 51 runs in six games. They are one game behind first place Jupiter in the Florida State League East.
Tuesday’s game: vs. Daytona, TBA vs. TBA 4:00 CT (The Cardinals are off Monday)
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