(photo: Blake Drake/Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
On a 4-4 Tuesday across the St. Louis Cardinals system, two outfielders went deep twice and plated three. Blake Drake did it in Palm Beach’s 12-inning loss and Wadye Ynfante helped Johnson City to a win.
Results from games played Tuesday, July 25th.
Tyler O’Neill’s first Redbirds home run helped Memphis slip past Salt Lake, 3-2, in the first of four games between the American Southern and Pacific Southern Division leaders. The Redbirds (67-35), who have won six straight and 20 of 24, lead Nashville (OAK) by 19 games.
O’Neill’s bomb came with Nick Martini (single) aboard and knotted the game at two all after the Bees had taken a 2-0 lead in the top of the seventh. The designated hitter entered the game as a pinch runner after Aledmys Diaz was struck on the hand and exited the contest in the second.
Adolis Garcia followed O’Neill’s blast with his first Triple-A three-base hit, and scored the game winner ahead of an inning-ending double play. It was Garcia’s only hit in three at bats and one of only five Memphis hits on the game. Martini singled twice in three at bats.
With starter Luke Weaver a late scratch due to St. Louis’ Adam Wainwright being placed on the disabled list, reliever Miguel Socolovich was handed the starter’s reins and came through admirably. Socolovich struck out five over the first four innings, issuing just one free pass.
Mark Montgomery tossed two scoreless frames, working around two hits and a walk. But Ryan Sherriff (W, 5-0) was dinged for two runs on two hits and two bases-on-balls in the seventh. Josh Lucas blanked Salt Lake for the final six outs, earning his 10th save.
Sherriff’s errant pickoff attempt snapped a string of 119 2/3 error-free innings by the Memphis defense.
Wednesday’s game: vs. Salt Lake (54-49) (LAA), 7:05 pm CT, Jack Flaherty (2-1, 3.24)
Tulsa 4 at Springfield 3
Springfield’s bullpen could not hold a late lead as the S-Cards fell to the Drillers, 4-3. First-place Springfield (20-12) has lost the first two of three versus second-place Tulsa, whom they lead by a game in the North Division.
Jacob Evans (BS, 1) (L, 0-1) carried a 3-2 lead into the eighth but yielded a two-run long ball in his third appearance since being called up from Palm Beach. Evans tossed two frames, giving up three hits.
Austin Gomber fanned seven over the first 5 1/3, permitting two runs on five hits and two walks. Corey Littrell followed Evans to the mound, retiring both batters faced. Landon Beck tossed a clean ninth.
The home team generated nine hits, all singles, but went just 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10. Andrew Knizner and Gomber were the only S-Cards with more than one hit, Knizner singling twice in four at bats with an RBI and Gomber going 2-for-2. Defensively, Gomber picked off a runner at first.
Wednesday’s game: vs. Tulsa (19-13) (LAD), 6:30 pm CT, Zac Gallen (3-2, 2.70)
In the road series opener, Palm Beach rallied for a ninth-inning lead only to fall to Tampa in 12, 7-6. The Beach Birds (16-15) are tied for fourth with Charlotte (TB), four games in back of Bradenton (PIT).
Blake Drake’s second home run of the game flipped a 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 lead. It followed his fifth-inning solo shot and came with Jose Martinez (single) on base, Drake, the co-Player of the Day, went 3-for-4 with a walk and two long balls, three runs scored and three RBI. He was also hit by a pitch.
But Palm Beach could not hold the lead despite using three relievers in the ninth. Dailyn Martinez allowed a lead-off triple, Brady Bowen struck out his only batter but Estarlin Arias gave up the RBI single, sending the game into extras. Hector Mendoza was tagged with his second loss against no wins, giving up a run that was only unearned because of his own throwing error.
Starter Mike O’Reilly fell prey to the home run, with all five tallies charged to him over seven being generated by three long balls. The righty gave up nine hits in all and did not issue a free pass.
Wednesday’s game: at Tampa (20-11) (NYY), 7:00 pm ET, Junior Fernandez (5-3, 3.73)
Peoria – off
Second-place Peoria (18-13) opens a seven-game home stand against West Division rivals Cedar Rapids (MIN) and Wisconsin (MIL). The Chiefs trail Quad Cities by two games.
Wednesday’s game: vs. fifth-place Cedar Rapids (14-17), 7:00 pm CT, Frederis Parra (1-3, 2.91)
State College 3 vs. Mahoning Valley 2
Sam Tewes pitched into the eighth as the Spikes edged the Scrappers, 3-2, in the decisive third game of the series. Fourth-place State College (19-15) is three games behind West Virginia (PIT) in the tight Pinckney Division.
Tewes (W, 3-3) limited second-place Mahoning Valley (21-14) (CLE) to a run on four hits and a walk through seven but exited after giving up another tally on two more hits the next frame. He struck out five.
Will Latcham notched two of his four K’s to leave Tewes’ last runner aboard but only recorded his second save thanks to overly aggressive base running in the ninth. Latcham allowed three singles and a walk but was not scored upon because the lead-off batter was nailed trying to stretch a single into a double.
The home team collected just five hits, one walk and a sac fly, but grouped them together to put up a straight number in three separate innings. The difference in the game ended up riding on shortstop Wood Myers’ first Spikes triple, which opened the seventh. A sac fly by first baseman Yariel Gonzalez brought Myers across.
Wednesday’s game: Off
Johnson City 5 vs. Burlington 2
Center fielder Wadye Ynfante went deep twice in the Appy Birds’ 5-2 victory over Burlington. Third-place Johnson City (16-17) has won four in a row, including the first two of three versus the Royals, and trail first-place Elizabethton (MIN) by four games in the West Division.
Ynfante, our co-Player of the Day, accounted for three of his team’s five scores, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three knocked in. Third baseman Stanley Espinal launched a solo shot, his only hit in three at bats, while shortstop Imeldo Diaz singled and doubled in four at bats, crossing home once.
Right-hander Evan Guillory (W, 1-0) struck out six through five scoreless, allowing just two hits in his first start after 10 appearances out of the bullpen. Franyel Casadilla surrendered a two-run home run, one of four hits and a base-on-balls yielded over 2 1/3. Fabian Blanco fanned three in 1 2/3 for his third save.
Wednesday’s game: vs. Burlington (13-19), 7:00 pm ET, Jacob Schlesener (1-1, 2.78)
GCL Cardinals 6 at GCL Marlins 7 (11) – Game 1
GCL Marlins 10 at GCL Cardinals 9 (10) – Game 2
The GCL Cardinals suffered a pair of extra-inning defeats at the hands of the GCL Marlins, losing 7-6 in 11 in the opener and 10-9 in 10 in Game 2. The Gulf Cardinals (12-11) are in third, three behind the GCL Nationals.
The opener completed the July 20th contest suspended due to lightning with the score knotted at six all through 10. The Gulf Birds were unable to cash in on beginning the 11th with a runner on second but the Gulf Marlins did in the bottom of the frame. A sac bunt advanced the runner to third, putting him in position to score on a wild pitch by Gabriel Gentner (L, 2-1).
Junior Gonzalez started the contest on Thursday, yielding four runs on five hits and three walks. Enrique Perez was tagged for a score in 1 1/3, Chris Hunt retired all five batters faced but Patrick Dayton (BS, 3) could not work around his own hit batsman and missed catch error that sent the game into extras.
Andres Luna was the only Gulf Bird with more than one of the team’s eight hits, singling twice in five at bats while touching home twice. The outfielder swiped his first bag.
In the finale, the home team twice rallied late to tie the score, only to go down in 10. Jonatan Machado led the team’s 12-hit attack, going 3-for-5 with a solo shot, scoring twice and knocking in two. Rehabbing Eliezer Alvarez, Elehuris Montero and Terry Fuller each had two hits, the first two doubling once while Montero and Fuller drove in three and two, respectively.
All three tallies charged to Winston Nicacio through five were unearned, part of a three-run second. Nicacio struck out six and gave up seven hits.
C.J. Saylor (BS, 1) was on the receiving end of four more unearned runs, generated by his own throwing error that was one of three miscues. Saylor jammed the sacks full with one run already across but Chris Hunt served up the salami that scored the final three. Hunt went on to give up one of only two earned runs yielded by GCL Cardinals’ hurlers on the game. Kevin Hamann (L, 0-1) was touched for an unearned tally, sending the game into extras and an earned run for the loss.
Wednesday’s games: DH vs. GCL Astros (12-9). Game 1 – 12:00 pm ET, TBA
DSL Cardinals 3 at DSL Nationals 10
Starter Enmanuel Solano could not finish the fourth as the Dominican Birds were flattened by the Nationals, 10-3. The Cardinals (17-26) are 14 ½ games behind the Twins in the South Division.
Solano (L, 3-1) suffered his worst outing since being moved into the rotation on June 27th. The 18-year-old was touched for five runs, two earned, on four hits, two walks and two plunked batters in 3 1/3.
Nelson Prada allowed Solano’s last two runners to score, giving up two tallies of his own while recording just one out. Wilman Madera also retired just one batter, giving up a run on three hits.
Roy Garcia hurled two scoreless but Leonardo Taveras permitted two runs, one earned, over 1 2/3. Jose Geromino allowed one of his three inherited runners to score but secured the final out.
The visitors managed just six hits, two by Franklin Soto. The shortstop singled and doubled in four at bats, crossing home once. Right fielder William Jimenez accounted for all three tallies, going 1-for-4 with a double, run scored and two RBI.
Wednesday’s game: at DSL Rockies (21-23), 10:30 am ET, Wilfredo Pereira (1-5, 3.26)
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