Cardinals Minor League Notebook – June 14, 2024

photo: Gordon Graceffo (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals system went 2-2 on Thursday, with two games suspended. The Cardinal Nation’s Players of the Day, Memphis RH Gordon Graceffo and Palm Beach LH Ixan Henderson, each tossed six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. Other standouts include Mike Antico, Leonardo Bernal and Andrew Bolivar.

Results from games played on Thursday, June 13.

Memphis 5 at Norfolk 3

The Memphis Redbirds (35-31) defeated the Norfolk Tides (33-33, BAL) 5-3 on Thursday at Harbor Park.  Starter Gordon Graceffo threw six scoreless innings to earn his seventh win this season, yielding three hits and a walk while striking out seven.

Gordon Graceffo

The Redbirds struck first with Thomas Saggese’s two-RBI single in the fourth.

Thomas Saggese

Matt Koperniak’s two-RBI single in the seventh doubled the Redbirds lead to 4-0.

Matt Koperniak

An RBI single and a two-RBI double from the Tides in the eighth brought the game to within one.

Memphis added an insurance run with Luken Baker’s sacrifice fly.

Koperniak went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a walk.  Baker was 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.  Saggese was 1-for-4 with two RBI.  The Redbirds totaled five runs on eight hits with seven walks and five strikeouts with every hitter reaching safely at least one during Thursday’s matchup.

Jacob Bosiokovic threw 1 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on no hits while walking two and striking out two.  Kolton Ingram threw 2/3 of an inning, yielding one run on two hits while walking and striking out one.  Ryan Loutos earned his fifth save this season, pitching a scoreless inning with one strikeout.  Memphis gave up three runs on five hits while walking four and striking out 11.

Friday’s game: at Norfolk, LHP Zack Thompson (2-1, 2.67) vs. Brandon Young RHP (1-0, 5.25) 5:35 CT.

Springfield 3, NW Arkansas 14

The Springfield Cardinals (33-27) were demolished by the NW Arkansas Naturals (28-32, KCR) 14-3 on Thursday at Hammons Field.  Starter Trent Baker took his fifth loss this season, throwing three innings, and allowing 10 runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out two.

The Naturals took the lead in the first with a two-run bomb. Another two-run shot, an RBI triple, and an RBI single extended their lead to 6-0 in the second. A three-run moonshot and an RBI single extended their lead to double digits with a score of 10-0 in the third. A solo longball led off the top of the sixth to give the Naturals an 11-0 lead.

Mike Antico

Mike Antico’s two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth put Springfield on the board.

An RBI forceout gave NW Arkansas a 12-2 lead.

Antico’s bases-loaded walk gave him his third RBI of the night.

A two-run shot from the visitors in the top of the eighth ended the scoring at 14-3.

Wilfredo Pereira threw five innings, yielding four runs, three earned, on three hits while walking two and striking out three.  Benito Garcia pitched one scoreless inning.  Springfield allowed 14 runs, 13 earned, on 12 hits while walking five and striking out five.

Antico was 1-for-3 with a homer, a walk, three RBI, and a run scored.  Bryan Torres was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.  The Cardinals totaled three runs on seven hits with five walks and four strikeouts.

Friday’s game: vs. NW Arkansas, RHP Max Rajcic (6-4, 5.33) vs. LHP Tyson Guerrero (0-3, 6.38) 7:05 CT.

Peoria 3, South Bend 0 (suspended, fourth inning)

The Peoria Chiefs (22-37) were leading the South Bend Cubs (26-33, CHI) 3-0 before the game was suspended in the fourth inning due to rain.

The Chiefs took an early lead in the first with Leonardo Bernal’s two-RBI double and Alex Iadisernia’s RBI single.

Leonardo Bernal

The game will be continued on Friday, June 14th as part of a doubleheader.

Friday’s game: vs. South Bend, LHP Pete Hansen (0-5, 5.19) vs. Ty Johnson RHP (1-2, 3.79) 5:30 CT (game one).  Vs. South Bend, RHP Hancel Rincon (3-4, 4.03) vs. Drew Gray LHP (0-1, 3.12) 7:05 CT (game two).

Palm Beach 0 at Daytona 1 (10 innings)

The Palm Beach Cardinals (33-27) were shut out by the Daytona Tortugas (29-31, CIN) 1-0 in 10 innings in their pitching battle on Thursday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.  Starter Ixan Henderson threw six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out seven.

Ixan Henderson

Henry Gomez took the mound in the bottom of the 10th inning and gave up an RBI fielder’s choice to allow the Tortugas to walk it off.

Hunter Hayes threw three scoreless innings, giving up two hits and three walks while striking out three.  Gomez took his second loss this season, pitching 1/3 of an inning, and yielding one run, none earned, on no hits while walking one.  Palm Beach allowed one run, none earned, on three hits while walking five and striking out 10.

Brayden Jobert tallied the lone hit for the Cardinals in Thursday’s matchup.  The Cardinals totaled no runs on one hit with two walks and eight strikeouts

Friday’s game: at Daytona, RH José Dávila (2-3, 4.80) vs. Ben Brutti RHP (0-2, 3.15) 5:35 CT.

FCL Cardinals 0 at FCL Nationals 7 (suspended, second inning)

The Florida Complex League Cardinals (12-16) trailed the FCL Nationals (12-14, WSH) 7-0 before the game was suspended in the second inning due to rain.

A sacrifice fly in the first inning gave the Nationals an early lead and they extended it in the second with an RBI fielder’s choice, a sacrifice fly, an RBI single, and a three-run homer.

The game will be completed as part of a doubleheader on Thursday, June 27th.

Friday’s game: at FCL Mets (11-15, NYM), RH Nelfy Ynfante (3-1, 3.22) vs. TBD 11:00 CT.

DSL Cardinals 4 at DSL White Sox 3

The Dominican Cardinals (3-4) held onto their early lead to defeat the DSL White Sox (2-4, CWS) on Thursday at the Chicago White Sox Complex.  Starter Andrew Bolivar threw four scoreless innings, allowing two walks and two striking out four.

Andrew Bolivar

The Cardinals struck first in the fourth with Fernando Roquez’s bases-loaded walk, Cristofer Lebron’s RBI single, Juan Pablo Cabrera reaching on a throwing error that allowed Yaxson Lucena to score, and Facundo Velasquez’s RBI single.

Reliever Guanchi Martinez yielded a sacrifice fly and a two-RBI single in the ninth to make the score 4-3.

Xavier Cruz earned his first win this season, yielding no hits or walks in the two innings he pitched. Jarol Baez threw a scoreless inning, allowing two hits and striking out one.  Martinez gave up three runs, one earned, on one hit while walking one.  Alan Reyes threw a scoreless 1/3 of an inning to earn his first save this season.  The Cardinals allowed three runs, one earned, on four hits while walking four and striking out five.

Roques was 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.  Velasquez was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Lucena went 2-for-4 with a run scored.  The Cardinals totaled four runs on 11 hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

Velasquez and Daniel Rojas were caught stealing during today’s game and Rojas committed a throwing error.

Friday’s game: vs. DSL Arizona Red (6-2, ARI), RH Branneli Franco (0-1, 36.00) vs. TBD 10:00 CT.

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