photo: Masyn Winn (Memphis Redbirds)
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 4-2 on Friday including two wins for reconfigured Palm Beach. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, SS Masyn Winn, was 3-for-4 with three RBI, including a home run, in Memphis’ road win. Other standouts include Luken Baker, Nathan Church, Yordalin Pena and Fernando Roquez.
Results for games played on Friday, July 21.
The Memphis Redbirds prevailed in a slugfest with Charlotte on Friday. Starter Gordon Graceffo pitched 4 2/3 innings, gave up six runs on eight hits, struck out eight and walked three.
Chris Roycroft surrendered one run in 1 1/3 innings of relief. Ryan Loutos relinquished two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Dalton Roach tossed the final 1 2/3 scoreless innings to earn his third save.
Memphis took a 3-0 lead in the first inning on a solo home run by Masyn Winn and a two-run blast by Luken Baker. The Redbirds made it 4-0 in the second as Nick Dunn singled and scored on a single by Chase Pinder.
MASYN WINN ON THE FIRST PITCH OF THE GAME pic.twitter.com/XsGCrL6kcv
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) July 21, 2023
WHAT DID LUKEN BAKER JUST DO?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! pic.twitter.com/plU0wOG9cV
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) July 21, 2023
The Knights came back to make it a 4-3 game in the second. Memphis quickly answered with five runs in the top of the third. Kramer Robertson was hit by a pitch. Juan Yepez walked. Moises Gomez singled. Nick Dunn grounded into a force out and Robertson came home. Gomez was out at second. Tres Barrera singled to plate Yepez. Dunn scored on a double by Pinder. Winn brought in Barrera and Pinder on a single.
Charlotte cut the lead to 9-5 in the bottom of the third. The Redbirds added two runs in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Baker and a sac fly by Robertson.
The Knights chipped away at the lead with single runs in the bottom of the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth to shrink the lead to 11-9.
Memphis added their last run in the ninth on a solo long ball by Richie Palacios.
Winn was 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Baker was 2-for-6 with three RBI. Palacios was 2-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored. Pinder was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Barrera was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Gomez was 2-for-5. Yepez was 2-for-4.
The Memphis Redbirds (47-47) are five games out of first place in the International League West.
Saturday’s game: at Charlotte, LHP Matthew Liberatore (4-2, 3.78) vs. LHP Nate Fisher 6:04 CT.
The Springfield Cardinals were blanked by the Travelers on Friday night at Hammons Field. Starter Tink Hence pitched five innings, gave up two unearned runs on two hits, struck out three and walked two. Hence took the loss.
Edgar Escobar relieved Hence and surrendered two runs in the two innings. Bryan Pope tossed the final two scoreless innings.
Arkansas took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning, powered by a walk, single, wild pitch and a fielding error, then increased the lead to 4-0 in the sixth.
The Cardinals offense managed only two hits, singles by Victor Scott II and Arquimedes Gamboa. They had no runners in scoring position.
In the field, Gamboa made a throwing error and Errol Robinson had a fielding miscue. Noah Mendlinger had an outfield assist at home plate. Pope picked a runner off first base.
In the Texas League North, the Springfield Cardinals (9-9) are in second place, 1.5 games out of first place.
Saturday’s game: vs. Arkansas, RHP Edgar Escobar (7-2, 4.10) vs. Kyle Tyler RHP (5-7, 6.25) 6:35 CT.
The Peoria Chiefs fell to the Kernels in an 8-5 road loss on Friday. Starter Zane Mills pitched 3 2/3 innings, gave up six runs on six hits and struck out three. Mills took the loss, his third.
Andrew Marrero surrendered two runs in 3 1/3 innings of relief. Dionys Rodriguez tossed a scoreless eighth.
Peoria went up 1-0 in the top of the first on a solo home run by Nathan Church. Cedar Rapids answered with three runs in the home half of the inning.
TAKING THEM TO CHURCH ‼️
NATHAN CHURCH STARTS THIS PARTY EARLY WITH A SOLO SHOT TO PUT THE CHIEFS UP 1-0 IN THE T1❕ pic.twitter.com/pF2VLLGjlN
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) July 21, 2023
The Kernels made it 7-1 in the fourth before the Chiefs cut the lead to 7-3 in the top of the sixth. Francisco Hernandez and Alex ladisernia singled. Church plated Hernandez on a single. ladisernia scored on a wild pitch.
Cedar Rapids added a run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 8-3. Peoria scored two runs in the eighth on a single by Church and a sac fly by Jimmy Crooks to shrink the lead to 8-5.
Church was 3-for-4 with three RBI. Hernandez was 3-for-4 with two runs scored. ladisernia was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Jeremy Rivas made a fielding error.
The Peoria Chiefs (13-9) are in second place in the Midwest League West, one game back of first.
Saturday’s game: at Cedar Rapids, Max Rajcic RHP (0-2, 4.96) vs. Kyle Jones RHP (5-4, 4.60)
Palm Beach 8, St. Lucie 1 (seven innings, Game 1)
The Palm Beach Cardinals defeated the Mets by seven runs on Friday as a number of newcomers contributed on offense. Starter Pete Hansen pitched 6 2/3 innings, gave up one run on two hits, struck out nine and walked one to earn his seventh win of the season.
Jack Lynch relieved Hansen and got the final out.
Palm Beach scored three runs in the first inning. Chris Rotondo singled. Dakota Harris reached on an error. Rotondo scored on a ground out by Leonardo Bernal. Brayden Jobert tripled to plate Harris. Jobert came home on a single by Zach Levinson.
In his first professional plate appearance, 3B Brayden Jobert knocks a RBI triple in the 1st to extend Palm Beach's (A) early lead.
OF Zach Levenson also notched a RBI single in his first professional plate appearances in the 1st inning. pic.twitter.com/YEouzStJg4
— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) July 21, 2023
The Beach Birds added two runs in the second on a home run by Harris.
Dakota Harris keeps things going by blasting this two-run homer for his first professional hit! https://t.co/90qHVHSi8G pic.twitter.com/f3O3OXwMU1
— Palm Beach Cardinals (@GoPBCardinals) July 21, 2023
The Cardinals added to their lead with one run in the fifth, on a sac fly by Michael Curialle. The Mets scored their only run in the top of the sixth.
Two more Palm Beach runs came home in the home sixth on a two-run single by Trey Paige.
Rotondo was 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Harris and Paige each had two RBI.
Jobert and Jake Burns made fielding errors.
Palm Beach 5, St. Lucie 2 (seven innings, Game 2)
The Cardinals were again victors in the second game of the twin bill on Friday. Starter Hancel Rincon pitched 5 2/3 innings, gave up two runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked one to earn his seventh win of the season.
Tanner Jacobson relieved Rincon and threw the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his third save.
Palm Beach scored five runs in the third to take a 5-0 lead. Joshua Baez doubled. Chase Adkison singled. Graysen Tarlow singled to score Baez. Tre Richardson walked. Lizandro Espinoza followed with a grand slam.
Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about the guys that have been here all year.
Lizandro Espinoza joins the fun today with a grand slam! pic.twitter.com/Te6RKXOsdG
— Palm Beach Cardinals (@GoPBCardinals) July 21, 2023
The Mets scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to cut the lead to 5-2.
The Beach Birds amassed five runs on eight hits. No Cardinal had multiple hits. Espinoza had four RBI.
On the base paths, Won-Bin Cho stole his eighth base of the season. In the field, Adkison had a passed ball.
The Palm Beach Cardinals (6-14) are in last place in the Florida State League East, 4.5 games out of first place.
Saturday’s games: vs. St. Lucie, TBA vs. TBA 12:00 pm CT.
FCL Cardinals – Off
In the Florida Complex League East, the Cardinals (9-18) are in last place, eight games back of first place.
Saturday’s game: at FCL Mets, TBA vs TBA 9:00 am CT (Game 1), TBA vs. TBA (Game 2, completion of July 14 suspended game)
DSL Cardinals 9, DSL White Sox 3
The Dominican Cardinals blew past the White Sox by a 9-3 margin on Friday. Starter Nelfy Ynfante pitched five scoreless innings, allowed four hits, struck out four and walked two to earn his third win of the season.
Brailyn Paulino relieved Ynfante and surrendered three runs in the sixth. Emisael Carrera threw two scoreless innings. Yordy Herrera tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Cardinals put up five runs in the second inning. Fernando Roquez hit a solo home run. Heriberto Caraballo singled. Angel Gil reached on an error. Facundo Vasquez walked. Caraballo came home on a single by Bracewell Taveras. Yordalin Pena tripled to plate Gil, Vasquez and Taveras.
The Cardinals increased their lead to 9-0 in the fourth. Taveras and Pena singled. Arfeni Batista doubled to score Taveras. Roquez then hit a three-run home run.
The White Sox scored their three runs in the seventh.
Pena was 4-for-5 with three RBI. Roquez hit two home runs with four RBI. Taveras was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Caraballo was 2-for-5.
In the field, Ynfante picked a runner off first base.
In the Dominican Summer League South, the Dominican Summer League Cardinals (11-23) are in seventh place, 15 games back of first place.
Saturday’s game: vs. DSL NYY Bombers, TBA vs. TBA 10:00 am CT.
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