photo: Jimmy Crooks (Palm Beach Cardinals)
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 1-4 on Friday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day is Peoria catcher Jimmy Crooks, who was 2-for-5 with four RBI in the Chiefs’ win over Quad Cities. Other standouts include Richie Palacios and Dionys Rodriguez.
Results for games played on Friday, June 23.
The Memphis Redbirds lost a heartbreaker to the Iowa Cubs in a walk-off loss on Friday. Starter Gordon Graceffo pitched three innings, gave up two runs on four hits and struck out two.
Andrew Suarez relieved Graceffo and threw three scoreless innings of relief. Kyle Leahy surrendered one run in two innings pitched. Jake Walsh relinquished four runs in the ninth to take the loss and the blown save.
Memphis scored one run in the top of the first on a solo home run by Richie Palacios. The Cubs quickly tied it in the home half of the first.
PALACIOS LEADOFF TANK!
WELCOME TO THE SQUAD pic.twitter.com/xsuEbYDRnB
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) June 24, 2023
The Redbirds made it 2-1 in the top of the third. Kramer Robertson walked and scored on a triple by Matt Koperniak. Again, the Cubs scored in the bottom of the inning to tie it.
The game remained tied at 2-2 until the seventh when Memphis put up three runs to lead 5-2. Robertson walked and scored on a double by Palacios. Palacios later scored on a sac fly by Chase Pinder. Taylor Motter walked and scored on a double by Juan Yepez.
Iowa cut the lead to 5-3 in the eighth. In the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs scored four to win in a walk-off.
Palacios was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored and was the only Redbird with multiple hits.
On the base paths, Koperniak stole his fifth base of the season. Yepez swiped his second bag. Robertson stole two bases and Motter stole his sixth base of the season.
Memphis is 38-35 on the season and is in sixth place in the International League West, 9.5 games back of Iowa.
Saturday’s game: at Iowa, Michael McGreevy RHP (5-1, 4.00) vs. Nick Neidert RHP (3-3, 6.23) 6:08 CT.
The Springfield Cardinals fell to the Frisco Rough Riders in a three-run loss on Friday. Starter Edgar Escobar pitched 2 2/3 innings, gave up four runs on two hits, struck out one and walked three.
Nick Trogrlic-Iverson relieved Escobar and surrendered four runs, three earned, in 2/3 innings and took the loss, his second. Brandon Komar threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Logan Sawyer hurled a scoreless seventh and Jack Ralston tossed a scoreless eighth.
Springfield scored one run in the second to take a 1-0 lead on a solo home run by Chandler Redmond. The Cardinals added three runs in the top of the third to increase the lead to 4-0. Wades Stauss walked, Justin Toerner doubled and Arquimedes Gamboa doubled to score Stauss and Toerner. Gamboa stole third base and scored on a single by Pedro Pages.
Back on 🔝!
Chandler Redmond with his Double-A-leading 1⃣9⃣th home run puts the Cardinals on the board first! pic.twitter.com/d57WAYfCb2
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) June 24, 2023
Frisco scored four runs in the home half of the third to tie the game. The Rough Riders took the lead 8-4 in the fourth.
Springfield scored their final run in the sixth. Noah Mendlinger was hit by a pitch and later scored on a wild pitch.
The Cardinal offense scored five runs on five hits. No Cardinal had multiple hits. Gamboa had two RBI.
On the base paths, Gamboa stole his 12th base of the season. In the field, Mendlinger made a fielding error.
Springfield is 34-33 on the season and is in third place in the Texas League North, 8.5 games back of Arkansas.
Saturday’s game: at Frisco, TBA vs. TBA 7:05 CT.
The Peoria Chiefs blanked the Quad Cities River Bandits in a 10-0 contest on Friday. Starter Dionys Rodriguez pitched five scoreless innings, allowed two hits, struck out one and walked one to earn his second win of the season.
Edgar Manzo relieved Rodriguez and threw a scoreless sixth. Gustavo Rodriguez hurled two scoreless innings. Alfredo Ruiz tossed a scoreless ninth.
Peoria took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Darlin Moquete singled and later scored on a single by Victor Scott II.
The Chiefs scored a second run in the fourth on a walk by Osvaldo Tovalin and a single by Thomas Francisco. The lead increased to 3-0 in the fifth on a double by Jimmy Crooks.
at this rate, we’re on pace for a 7 run game tonight 😤
Jimmy Crooks joins in on the fun tonight with an RBI double❕
PEO – 3 | QC – 0 after the T5 pic.twitter.com/pmKv1WM1Th
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) June 24, 2023
In the seventh, Peoria put up two runs on a triple by Nathan Church. The Chiefs added five more runs in the eighth on a Moquete triple, a single by Francisco and a three-run double by Crooks.
ONE MAN
TWO RUNS
THREE BASESNathan Church knocks a 2-RBI TRIPLE to put us on top 5-0 after the T7❕ pic.twitter.com/hLDcfRx8LR
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) June 24, 2023
Crooks was 2-for-5 with four RBI and Francisco went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Moquete was 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Church had two RBI.
Peoria is 34-33 on the season and is in second place in the Midwest League West, seven games back of Cedar Rapids.
Saturday’s game: at Quad Cities, Alex Cornwell LHP (5-2, 3.10) vs. Tyson Guerrero LHP (0-3, 3.71) 6:30 CT.
Palm Beach 0 at Daytona 3 (six innings)
The Palm Beach Cardinals were blanked by the Daytona Tortugas in a weather-shortened game on Friday. Starter Max Rajcic pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up three runs on eight hits, struck out eight and walked two. Rajcic took the loss, his third.
Luis Gastelum relieved Rajcic but never threw a pitch as lightning delayed the game and was eventually called.
Daytona scored one run in the first inning to take the lead. The Tortugas scored one in the third and one in the fourth for a 3-0 lead.
The Beach Birds managed two hits before the game was called. One was a double by Leonardo Bernal and the other was a triple by Alex Iadisernia. The offense was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base.
Palm Beach is 37-29 and remains in first place in the FSL East.
Saturday’s game: at Daytona, TBA vs. TBA 5:35 CT.
FCL Cardinals – Off day
Saturday’s game: at FCL Mets, TBA vs. TBA 9:00 am CT.
DSL Cardinals 8 at DSL Arizona Red 9 (seven innings)
The Dominican Summer League Cardinals were topped by Arizona Red in a seven-inning contest on Friday. Starter Nelfy Ynfante pitched four innings, gave up one run on six hits, struck out five and walked one.
Jose Suriel relieved Ynfante and surrendered one run in the fifth. Justin Hernandez relinquished three runs in the sixth. Jefferson Moran gave up four runs, three earned while recording only one out in the seventh and took the loss. Juan Severino was charged with a blown save in the seventh, as he was the pitcher of record when the winning runs scored on a fielding error.
The Cardinals took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run long ball by Bracewell Taveras. The Cardinals increased the lead to 4-0 in the third on a two-run double by Facundo Velasquez.
Arizona scored one run in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 4-1. The Cardinals answered by scoring two runs in the fourth to make the score 6-1 on a two-run triple by Daniel Rojas.
Arizona continued to chip into the lead, scoring one run in the sixth to make it 6-2. The Cardinals added a seventh run in the sixth inning. Andru Arthur singled, stole second and third base and scored on a sac fly by Elias Reynoso.
In the seventh, the Cardinals scored their final run. Yordalin Pena walked and later scored on a double play by Taveras.
Arizona scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh, the final two runs scoring on a fielding error by 3B Rojas with the bases loaded.
The Cardinals scored eight runs on five hits. Rojas, Taveras and Velasquez each had two RBI. No Cardinal had multiple hits.
On the base paths, Pena and Reynoso each had a stolen base. Arthur stole three bases.
In the field, Rojas made a fielding error.
The Cardinals are 3-10 on the season.
Saturday’s game: vs. DSL Phillies Red, TBA vs. TBA 10:00 am CT.
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