photo: Gordon Graceffo (Memphis Redbirds)
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 3-2 on Thursday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day is Memphis starter Gordon Graceffo who threw six scoreless innings while striking out five to earn his ninth win this season. Other standouts include Thomas Saggese, Iván Herrera, R.J. Yeager, Nathan Church, Bryan Torres, Michael Curialle, and Jose Davila.
Results for games played Thursday, August 15.
The Memphis Redbirds (20-22) shut out the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (21-19, MIA) 6-0 on Thursday at 121 Financial Ballpark. Starter Gordon Graceffo earned his ninth win this season, throwing six scoreless innings, and allowing three hits and two walks while striking out five.
The Redbirds struck first on Iván Herrera’s solo bomb to right field in the fourth.
IVAN THE GREAT!
A @HueysRestaurant HOME RUN TO TAKE THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/YTq49m3Psu
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) August 16, 2024
Nick Dunn’s solo moonshot and Thomas Saggese’s two-run longball extended Memphis’ lead to 4-0.
THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE!
OUR THIRD @HueysRestaurant HOMER OF THE GAME! pic.twitter.com/fPXnwJtU5s
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) August 16, 2024
Memphis extended their lead to 6-0 in the ninth with Herrera’s RBI single and Luken Baker’s sacrifice fly.
Herrera hits! pic.twitter.com/DBkeiFluKT
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) August 16, 2024
Saggese hit 3-for-5 with a homer, two RBI, and two runs scored. Herrera was 2-for-4 with a homer, a walk, two RBI, and a run scored. Dunn went 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. The Redbirds totaled six runs on 10 hits with four walks and eight strikeouts.
Connor Thomas pitched 2/3 of an inning, yielding two hits and a walk while striking out one. Riley O’Brien pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out one. Chris Roycroft threw a scoreless inning while striking out two. Memphis allowed no runs on five hits while walking three and striking out nine.
Memphis’ game on Saturday, August 17th was moved to Friday, August 16th. The NFL’s Jaguars have a home game Saturday night and the Jumbo Shrimp wisely decided to not compete for fan attention locally.
Friday’s games: at Jacksonville, LH Steven Matz (MLB rehab) vs. TBD 4:05 CT (Game one), at Jacksonville, LHP Zack Thompson (2-2, 3.93) vs. TBD (Game two).
Springfield 10 at Frisco 8 (10 innings)
The Springfield Cardinals (26-16) defeated the Frisco Roughriders (23-19, TEX) 10-8 in extra innings on Thursday at Riders Field. Starter Max Rajcic threw 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on eight hits while walking three and striking out four.
The Roughriders struck first in the first with two RBI singles.
The Cardinals earned one run back in the top of the fourth on R.J. Yeager’s RBI groundout.
The home team took that run back in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI double.
Yeager’s RBI single in the sixth brought the game to within one.
Springfield took the lead in the top of the seventh when a wild pitch let Jeremy Rivas come home and tie the game, Yeager’s two-RBI single gave the Cardinals the lead, Dakota Harris’ bases-loaded walk, and Jacob Buchberger’s RBI single made the score 7-3.
Not only has RJ Yeager given us the lead with this knock, but he's driven in four of our five runs tonight. pic.twitter.com/8Ldkx4mt9j
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) August 16, 2024
The lead collapsed in the bottom of the seventh when reliever Nathanael Heredia allowed an RBI single before being replaced by Andrew Marrero who yielded a three-run homer that tied the game at seven apiece.
Nathan Church’s sacrifice fly gave the Cardinals an 8-7 lead.
Frisco tied the game in the ninth with a solo shot to lead off the inning.
Bryan Torres drove in the eventual winning run in the 10th with an RBI single and Jimmy Crooks extended the lead with his RBI single.
Bryan Torres gives us the lead in the tenth! pic.twitter.com/KPcQObJP56
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) August 16, 2024
Yeager hit 2-for-6 with four RBI and a run scored. Church went 2-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI, and three runs scored. Torres was 2-for-5 with a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. The Cardinals totaled 10 runs on 14 hits with six walks and 12 strikeouts while hitting 8-for-20 with runners in scoring position.
Leonardo Taveras conceded one hit in 1/3 of an inning pitched. Heredia allowed three runs on two hits while plunking a batter. Marrero threw 1 1/3 innings, yielding one run on one hit while striking out two. Jack Ralston earned his fifth win this season, giving up one run on two hits while striking out two in 2 1/3 innings pitched. Springfield allowed eight runs, seven earned, on 14 hits while walking three and striking out eight.
Friday’s game: at Frisco, LHP Alex Cornwell (5-2, 5.79) vs. Mitch Bratt LHP (1-1, 3.27) 7:05 CT.
The Peoria Chiefs (22-23) fell to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (27-17, MIL) 6-3 on Thursday at Neuroscience Group Field. Starter Inohan Paniagua took his eighth loss this season, throwing four innings, and allowing four runs, two earned, on four hits while walking two and striking out six.
The Timber Rattlers took an early lead in the first with an RBI double.
The Chiefs tied the game in the second with Michael Curialle’s RBI double.
Peoria took the lead in the top of the fourth with Curialle’s two-RBI double.
That lead was short-lived as Wisconsin regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth with a bases-loaded walk, an RBI single, and another bases-loaded walk.
Reliever Tyler Bradt came in to pitch the eighth and allowed a sacrifice fly and an RBI single to make the score 6-3.
Dionys Rodriguez threw three scoreless innings, allowing one hit while striking out four. Bradt threw an inning, yielding two runs on two hits while walking and striking out one. Peoria allowed six runs, four earned, on seven hits while walking three and striking out 11.
Curialle went 2-for-2 with two doubles, a walk, and three RBI. Chase Davis hit 2-for-3 with a walk. Kade Kretzschmar was 1-for-3 with a run scored. The Chiefs totaled three runs on five hits with four walks and nine strikeouts.
Friday’s game: at Wisconsin, RHP Hancel Rincon (8-6, 3.82) vs. Alexander Cornielle RHP (6-5, 4.67) 6:40 CT.
The Palm Beach Cardinals (31-12) won the pitchers’ duel against the Jupiter Hammerheads (21-22, MIA) 2-1 on Thursday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Starter Jose Davila threw six innings, allowing one run on five hits while walking one and striking out seven.
The Hammerhead struck first in the top of the fourth with an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead.
The Cardinals responded in the bottom of the fourth with Sammy Hernandez’s RBI double and Jose Suarez’s RBI single to take a 2-1 lead.
Hernandez went 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Suarez was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Josh Kross recorded the only other hit for the Cardinals in today’s win. The Cardinals totaled two runs on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
Nelfy Ynfante earned his first save this season, throwing three scoreless innings, yielding a walk, and striking out one. Palm Beach allowed one run on five hits while walking two and striking out eight.
Friday’s game: vs. Jupiter, RH Chen-Wei Lin (8-5, 3.16) vs. TBD 5:30 CT.
DSL Cardinals 3 at DSL Marlins 12
The DSL Cardinals (25-24) were crushed 12-3 by the DSL Marlins (33-20, MIA) on Thursday at the Miami Marlins DR Complex. Starter Guanchi Martinez took his fourth loss this season, pitching 2 1/3 innings, and allowing five runs on five hits while walking and striking out one.
The Marlins struck first in the first with an RBI double and two sacrifice flies to take a 3-0 lead.
They extended their lead to 5-0 in the third with a two-RBI single.
The Cardinals put runs on the board in the top of the fourth when Christian Saez reached on a fielding error that allowed Rainiel Rodriguez and Facundo Velasquez to score.
The home team earned one back in the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot to increase their lead to 6-2.
They continued to increase their lead in the fifth with an RBI triple and another run scored when reliever Brailyn Paulino threw a wild pitch.
Emisael Carrera replaced Paulino in the sixth and allowed a solo home run, a two-RBI double, and an RBI double to give the Marlins a 12-2 lead.
The visitors added one final run in the ninth when Rodriguez walked with the bases loaded.
Rodriguez hit 1-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. Velasquez went 1-for-3 with two walks and a run scored. Andru Arthur and Daniel Rojas each tallied one hit. The Cardinals totaled three runs on four hits with five walks and 11 strikeouts.
Paulino pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits while walking two and striking out two. Carrera pitched an inning, yielding four runs on four hits while walking and striking out one. Justin Hernandez pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and two walks while striking out four. Bernard Mack threw a scoreless 2/3 of an inning. The Cardinals allowed 12 runs on 13 hits while walking six and striking out eight.
Friday’s game: vs. DSL Mariners (15-36), RH Branneli Franco (0-3, 6.43) vs. TBD 10:00 CT.
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