Cardinals Minor League Notebook – August 25, 2025

photo: JJ Wetherholt (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 1-3 on Sunday, with Memphis the lone winning team again. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis shortstop JJ Wetherholt, drove in two runs on three hits. Other standouts include Jimmy Crooks, Noah Mendlinger, Zach Levenson, Jon Jon Gazdar and Rainiel Rodriguez.

Results for games played on Sunday, August 24.

Memphis Redbirds 7, Gwinnett Stripers 1

The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds bested the Gwinnett Stripers at AutoZone Park in Sunday’s series finale.

Quinn Mathews started for Memphis. The left-hander pitched 4 ⅔ innings and allowed one run on four hits, three walks, and four strikeouts.

Quinn Mathews

Skylar Hales tossed 1 ⅓ shutout frames in relief of Mathews and picked up his second win with the Redbirds. Zack Weiss, Roddery Muñoz and Chris Roycroft each threw a scoreless inning to finish the game.

The Redbirds plated the inaugural run in the bottom of the first frame. With two outs, Jimmy Crooks scorched his 20th double of the season. Blaze Jordan followed with a double down the left field line to score Crooks and put Memphis in front.

Blaze Jordan

Memphis’ bats heated up further in a four-run second frame. Andy Yerzy led off the inning with a single. Noah Mendlinger doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Michael Siani singled home Yerzy for a 2-0 lead, with Mendlinger to third.

Michael Siani

Siani swiped second base to put two in scoring position once more. JJ Wetherholt lined a single to bring Mendlinger home and extend the lead to 3-0.

JJ Wetherholt

Matt Koperniak grounded into a forceout with Siani coming home. Crooks ripped his second double of the game to plate Koperniak and stretch the lead to 5-0.

Jimmy Crooks

Gwinnett entered the run column in the fifth.

Memphis took the run back in the sixth. Mendlinger hit his first Triple-A triple and scored on a sacrifice fly from Siani.

The Redbirds added another insurance run in the home eighth.

Mike Antico lined a double and scored on a single from Wetherholt to widen the lead to 7-1.

Memphis never trailed in the dominant win.

The Redbirds scored seven runs on 13 hits. Wetherholt was 3-for-5 with two RBI. Siani singled, scored a run, and drove in two. Crooks walked, scored a run, hit two doubles and drove in a run. Jordan doubled and tallied an RBI. Mendlinger was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, and two runs scored. Antico walked, scored a run, and doubled.

On the bases, Siani swiped his 18th bag. Antico stole his 19th.

On defense, third baseman Mendlinger made a throwing error. Catcher Crooks was tagged with a passed ball. The Redbirds turned two double plays.

Memphis is 66-58 overall, and 25-26 in the second half after taking two of five from Gwinnett. They reside in third place in the International League West Division. The Redbirds will travel to Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for a six-game series with the Oklahoma City Comets, starting Tuesday.

Tuesday’s game: at Oklahoma City (LAD). Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM CT.

Springfield Cardinals 2 at Arkansas Travelers 4

The Double-A Springfield Cardinals lost a tight contest to the Travelers in Arkansas in the series finale on Sunday, their fifth consecutive defeat.

Ixan Henderson made his 22nd start for the Cardinals. The left-hander pitched five innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits, no walks, and four strikeouts. Henderson took the loss.

Randel Clemente threw a scoreless inning in relief of Henderson. Edwin Nuñez followed with a shutout frame. Luis Gastelum fanned two in a scoreless eighth.

Springfield plated the first run of the game in the first inning. Chase Davis and Leonardo Bernal singled. Joshua Baez grounded into a force play, with Bernal out at second. Zach Levenson singled home Davis to put the Cardinals ahead.

Zach Levenson

Arkansas grabbed a 4-1 lead with pairs of runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

Springfield narrowed the gap to two in the eighth. Bernal doubled and scored on Dakota Harris two-out double.

Springfield left the tying runs on base in the ninth as their late rally attempt fell short.

The Cardinals scored just two runs on 11 hits. Levenson was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Harris doubled and drove in a run. Bernal doubled, singled, and scored a run. Davis recorded two singles and a run scored. Darlin Moquete was 2-for-3 with a walk and a double.

On the bases, Moquete was picked off first and caught stealing second base.

Defensively, third baseman Ramon Mendoza had a missed catch error. Pitcher Gastelum picked a runner off first base.

Springfield is 73-47 overall, and 30-21 in the second half after dropping five of six at Arkansas. Their lead in the Texas League North Division is down to one game.

The Cardinals are off Monday and will head home to Hammons Field for a six-game set with the Midland RockHounds, starting Tuesday.

Tuesday’s game: vs. Midland (ATH). LHP Brycen Mautz (6-3, 3.29) vs. TBA. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM CT.

Peoria Chiefs 2 at Dayton Dragons 3 (11 innings)

The High-A Peoria Chiefs fell to the Dragons in Dayton on Sunday. It was their second consecutive extra-inning loss as they were swept in the six-game set.

Jason Savacool started for the Chiefs. The right-hander threw four innings and allowed one run on two hits, three walks, and five strikeouts.

Jason Savacool

Christian Worley tossed a scoreless fifth inning with a strikeout in relief of Savacool. Gerardo Salas pitched five innings of long relief and yielded two runs, one earned, with four strikeouts. Salas took the loss. Domenic Picone recorded an out in the 11th before allowing the winning run to score.

The Chiefs struck first. In the third inning, Anyelo Encarnacion demolished his second home run with the Chiefs, a solo shot.

Anyelo Encarnacion

Dayton tied the game at one apiece in the fourth. The score remained tied to force extra innings. After stranding two Dragons on base in the 10th, the Chiefs regained the lead in the 11th.

Ghost runner Andrew Sojka moved to third on an Encarnacion groundout. Jon Jon Gazdar singled to bring Sojka home and put the Chiefs in front 2-1.

Jon Jon Gazdar

Dayton scored two against Picone in the 11th to walk off the win.

The Chiefs scored just two runs on 11 hits. Encarnacion crushed a solo home run. Gazdar was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Travis Honeyman and Deniel Ortiz singled and doubled. Won-Bin Cho drew two walks and singled. The lineup was just 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position and left15 on base.

Cho stole his 19th bag. Gazdar swiped his 18th. Ryan Campos snagged his 11th. Ortiz took his fourth base. Jose Cordoba stole his first base with the Chiefs.

On defense, the Chiefs turned two double plays in an errorless performance.

Peoria is 44-74 overall, and 18-35 in the second half after being swept by Dayton. They reside in fifth place in the Midwest League West Division. The Chiefs will head home to Dozer Park for a six-game set with the South Bend Cubs, starting Tuesday.

Tuesday’s game: vs. South Bend (CHC). Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM CT.

Palm Beach Cardinals 1, St. Lucie Mets 8

The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals dropped Sunday’s series finale to the St. Lucie Mets by an 8-1 score at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

Nelfy Ynfante started for the Cardinals. The right-hander pitched 4 ⅓ innings and allowed one unearned run on three hits, two walks, and a career-high eight strikeouts. Ynfante took the tough-luck loss.

Nelfy Ynfante

Hunter Kublick yielded two runs across 2 ⅔ innings in relief of Ynfante. Giovanni Vargas surrendered five runs in the eighth inning in a tough Low-A debut. Jovi Galvez tossed a scoreless ninth.

The Mets took a 3-0 lead with single runs in the top of the fourth, sixth and seventh.

Palm Beach avoided the shutout in the home seventh. Rainiel Rodriguez drilled his 10th home run with Palm Beach, a solo blast.

Rainiel Rodriguez

St. Lucie broke the game open with a run in the eighth and four in the ninth to move ahead 8-1. Palm Beach was unable to respond.

The Cardinals scored one run on just three hits. Rodriguez hit a solo home run, Jalin Flores doubled and Matthew Miura singled. The lineup was 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, drew just two walks and struck out eight times.

Palm Beach did not record a stolen base.

On defense, second baseman Jonathan Mejia made a throwing error. Shortstop Flores committed a fielding miscue.  The Cardinals turned two double plays.

Palm Beach is 57-61 overall, and 25-28 in the second half after taking two of six from St. Lucie. They reside in third place in the Florida State League East Division. The Cardinals are off Monday and will remain at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium but serve as the road team in a six-game set with the Jupiter Hammerheads, beginning Tuesday.

Tuesday’s game: at Jupiter (MIA). Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 PM CT.

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