Cardinals Minor League Notebook – May 4, 2025

photo: Matt Lloyd (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 3-2 on Saturday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis first baseman Matt Lloyd, was a perfect 3-for-3, including a home run and a walk. Other standouts include Brody Moore, Mike Antico, Cade McGee, Michael Watson and Paulo Asprilla.

Results for games played on Saturday, May 3:

Memphis Redbirds 5, Louisville Bats 4 (10 innings)

The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds defeated the Louisville Bats in an extra-inning thriller on Saturday for their second walk-off win of the series.

Stepping in for starter Michael McGreevy, who was promoted to St. Louis instead, Michael Gomez made his first professional start for Memphis as the opener. The right-hander pitched 1 ⅔ innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on one hit, two walks, and one strikeout.

Left-hander Oddanier Mosqueda entered in relief of Gomez and recorded four outs without allowing a run. Riley O’Brien followed with a scoreless frame. Ryan Fernandez surrendered two runs in the fifth inning. Ryan Shreve threw scoreless sixth and seventh innings. Nick Anderson followed with a shutout eighth inning.

Brody Moore

Normally an infielder, Brody Moore entered in the ninth inning for his first professional pitching appearance. Moore pitched scoreless 9th and 10th innings to pick up his first career win. None of his pitches were clocked at higher than 56.1 mph!

The Bats were first to score, with two runs in the second inning. The Redbirds split the deficit in half in home third on Matt Lloyd’s second home run of the season.

Matt Lloyd

Louisville added two more runs in the fifth inning to extend the lead to 4-1.

Memphis narrowed the gap with a pair of runs in the seventh. Iván Herrera began the frame with a double, and scored on a José Fermín single.

Ryan Vilade brought Fermín home on a forceout play to make it a 4-3 game.

Moore kept the score at 4-3 to set up a Memphis ninth-inning rally.

Herrera started the rally with a double, and Mike Antico pinch ran for him. Fermín and Lloyd drew walks to load the bases. Vilade brought Antico home on a forceout to tie the game at four.

Moore and the Redbirds kept the game tied in the 10th and were ready for the walk-off win.

Bryan Torres started the inning as the runner on second base. After Michael Siani was hit by a pitch, the Louisville manager was denied in his attempt to remove his pitcher before he faced the three-batter minimum. The hurler, Reiver Sanmartin, remained in the game until its end and took the loss.

Torres moved to third on a double play, with Siani and Thomas Saggese out. Jimmy Crooks drew a walk, and took second base on defensive indifference. Antico singled home Torres to complete the wild comeback win.

Mike Antico

The Redbirds scored five runs on nine hits. Lloyd was 3-for-3, plus a walk, a run scored, and one RBI. Designated hitter Herrera was 2-for-4, including a double and a run scored. Antico scored a run and tallied the walkoff RBI single. Vilade recorded two RBI.

Defensively, second baseman Vilade made a throwing error. Left fielder Matt Koperniak committed a fielding error. Crooks recorded a passed ball behind the plate. Memphis did not steal a base in the walk-off victory.

The first place Redbirds are 19-11 on the season, and 8-2 over their last 10 games.

Sunday’s game: vs. Louisville, LHP Alex Cornwell (1-1, 10.67) vs. LHP Drew Parrish (0-2, 7.36) 1:05 PM CT.

Springfield Cardinals 4, Northwest Arkansas Naturals 5

The Double-A Springfield Cardinals lost a close contest to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at Hammons Field on Saturday.

Tekoah Roby started for Springfield. The right-hander pitched 3 ⅓ innings and yielded four runs on three hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Roby took the loss.

Andrew Marrero tossed 2 ⅓ innings of one-run relief and fanned two. Ricardo Velez followed with 2 ⅓ scoreless frames. Luis Gastelum threw a scoreless ninth inning.

The Cardinals were down 5-0 but entered the scoring column in the sixth inning. Jeremy Rivas led off the frame with a walk and scored on Leonardo Bernal’s second home run of 2025 to make it a 5-2 game.

Leonardo Bernal

Springfield entered the bottom of the ninth inning with the score still 5-2. Ramon Mendoza lined a one-out single, and Carlos Linarez walked. Darlin Moquete reached on a forceout, with Linarez out at second. Mendoza scored on a balk, with Moquete up to second base. Rivas reached base via a fielding error, and Moquete came home to make it a 5-4 game.

The rally stopped short as Springfield was unable to respond further in the loss.

The Cardinals scored four runs on six hits. Bernal drove in two on a home run. Dakota Harris was 2-for-4.

On defense, pitcher Velez committed a throwing error. Springfield did not steal any bases.

Springfield is 11-15 on the season.

Sunday’s game: vs. NW Arkansas, LHP Brycen Mautz (0-0, 4.20) vs. TBD. 1:05 PM CT.

Peoria Chiefs 6, Beloit Sky Carp 2

The High-A Peoria Chiefs edged the Beloit Sky Carp at Dozer Park for their second straight victory.

Darlin Saladin made his fifth start of the year for Peoria. The right-hander pitched three innings and allowed two runs on four hits, three walks, and one strikeout.

The Peoria bullpen added six innings of shutout pitching. Tanner Jacobson fired two shutout frames with three strikeouts. Angel Gonzalez tallied his first hold with two shutout frames and three punchouts. Michael Watson fanned three over the final two innings of the game to pick up his second save with the Chiefs. Jacobson earned his first win of the season.

Michael Watson

The Chiefs’ bats were hot from the start of the game as they plated three runs in the first inning.

Jon Jon Gazdar led off with a single and stole second base. Joshua Baez moved Gazdar to third base with a single. Johnfrank Salazar brought home Gazdar with a sacrifice fly, and Baez scored on the play via a throwing error. Salazar also reached first base on the play. Miguel Villarroel lined a double to bring home Salazar for a 3-0 lead.

Beloit made it a one-run game with single runs in the second and fourth innings. Peoria took one run back in the fifth.

Joshua Baez walked, swiped second base and moved to third on a Ryan Campos groundout. Ian Petrutz walked, and Baez scored on a pickoff error at first base for a 4-2 Chiefs lead.

Joshua Baez

The Chiefs regained the three-run lead in the seventh inning. Baez took his second free pass of the game, and advanced to second on a Campos groundout. Baez moved to third on an error. In his first game off the injured list, Ian Petrutz brought Baez home on a RBI groundout.

The Chiefs added an insurance run in the eighth inning. Bryce Madron hit his first High-A double and scored on Beloit’s fifth error of the game.

The Chiefs never trailed in the victory.

Peoria scored six runs on six hits. Petrutz and Villaroel tallied a double, a walk, and one RBI apiece. Salazar drove in one.  Baez was 1-for-3, including two walks and three runs scored. Madron recorded a double, a run scored, and a walk.

On the bases, Baez stole his ninth base. Gazdar swiped his second bag.

Defensively, the Chiefs did not commit an error.

The Chiefs are 8-17 on the season.

Sunday’s game: vs. Beloit, RHP Gerardo Salas (0-2, 8.35) vs. RHP Will Schomberg (0-3, 5.25) 2:05 PM CT.

Palm Beach Cardinals 1 at Lakeland Flying Tigers 2

The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals fell to the Flying Tigers in Lakeland on Saturday.

Leonel Sequera made his sixth start of the season for Palm Beach. The right-hander threw five innings and allowed one run on six hits, no walks, and five strikeouts. Sequera took the tough loss.

Leonel Sequera

Right-handed relievers Christian Worley and Randel Clemente combined for three scoreless innings. The duo recorded five strikeouts and allowed just one hit.

Palm Beach was down 2-0 early but plated a run in the top of the fourth inning. Jose Suarez lined a single. McGee followed with another single, with Suarez taking third on the play due an error. Yordalin Pena knocked in Suarez on the third consecutive two-out single of the inning to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Cade McGee

Palm Beach was unable to respond further in the close contest.

The Cardinals scored one run on 10 hits, all singles. McGee was 3-for-4. Suarez, Jose Cordoba, and Josh Kross each recorded two hits.  Pena tallied the lone RBI for Palm Beach. Suarez boosted his batting average to .385 on the season.

The Cardinals were 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base.

On the basepaths, Anyelo Encarnacion swiped his sixth bag of the season. Cordoba was picked off at first base.

Defensively, Palm Beach did not commit any errors and turned two double plays.

Palm Beach is 14-12 on the season.

Sunday’s game: at Lakeland, RHP Chen-Wei Lin (Peaoria rehab) then RHP Jason Savacool (2-1, 1.50) vs TBD. 11:00 AM CT.

FCL Cardinals 9 at FCL Mets 2

The Florida Complex League Cardinals won handily on Opening Day at the Florida Complex League Mets on Saturday.

Keiverson Ramirez started in his United States debut for the Cardinals. The right-hander pitched four innings and allowed one run on five hits, two walks, and two strikeouts.

Keiverson Ramirez

Alan Reyes made his U.S. debut in relief of Ramirez and fanned three across two scoreless innings. Jovi Galvez yielded one unearned run over two frames. Bruno Lopez tossed a scoreless ninth to seal the win, with a pair of strikeouts. Reyes received the win.

The Cardinals scored first. Bracewell Taveras led off the second inning with a double and advanced to third on a balk. Paulo Asprilla singled in Taveras for the Cardinals’ first FCL run of the year.

Paulo Asprilla

The Mets tied the game in the home second.

The Cardinals answered immediately in the third inning. Facundo Velasquez drew a walk and moved to second on a Yairo Padilla sacrifice bunt. Rainiel Rodriguez was hit by a pitch. Taveras followed with a single to score Velasquez. Yancel Guerrero singled, driving in Rodriguez. The Cardinals executed a double steal as Guerrero took second and Taveras stole home, to extend the lead to 4-1.

Bracewell Taveras

The Cardinals broke the game open in the fifth inning with four runs. Padilla walked, stole second base and moved to third on a wild pitch. Rodriguez walked. Taveras brought in Padilla on a fielder’s choice. Both runners eventually scored on an Asprilla two-run single. Daniel Rojas singled home Asprilla to stretch the lead to 8-1.

The Cards tallied an insurance run in the ninth inning. Padilla singled and swiped his second base of the day. Rodriguez singled to score Padilla for the team’s ninth run of the game.

The FCL Cardinals never trailed in the decisive Opening Day victory.

The Cardinals scored nine runs on nine hits. Asprilla was 2-for-3, including a run scored, two walks, and three RBI. Taveras was 2-for-5, including a double, three runs scored, and two RBI. Rojas tallied two hits in his United States debut.

Padilla swiped two bags. Guerrero swiped one. Taveras stole home.

Defensively, shortstop Padilla made a throwing error. Pitcher Galvez committed a pickoff error.

FCL Cardinals manager Willi Martin collected his first career managerial win.

The Cardinals are 1-0 on the season. They will travel to CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches Complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, and play the FCL Nationals on Monday.

Monday’s game: at FCL Nationals (WSH). Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 AM CT.

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