photo: Joshua Baez (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 4-2 on Friday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis LF Joshua Báez, walked and hit a grand slam. Other standouts: César Prieto, Ramon Mendoza, Blake Aita, Jesús Báez, Kenly Hunter, Lucas Takahashi and Christopher Vargas.
Results for games played on Friday, July 17, 2026.
The Triple-A Redbirds came back to beat the Cubs by a 10-9 score on Friday at AutoZone Park, breaking their three-game losing skid.
Starter Hunter Dobbins pitched 3 1/3 innings, gave up six runs, four earned, on five hits, walked four and struck out three.
Hancel Rincon relieved Dobbins and surrendered two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Ryan Fernandez threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Austin Love yielded one run in 1 2/3 innings. Cade Winquest tossed the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win.
Iowa went up 2-0 in the first inning.
Memphis took a 5-2 lead in the third. Ramon Mendoza walked. Victor Scott singled. Thomas Saggese walked. Nolan Gorman walked and Mendoza scored. Joshua Báez blasted a grand slam.
JOSHUA BÁEZ 473 FEET TO THE BATTERS EYE!@LennysSubs GRAND SLAM!#LennysLongball pic.twitter.com/L6v4vfYRgw
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) July 18, 2026
The Cubs came back with four runs in the fourth and two in the fifth to go ahead 8-5.
Memphis answered with two runs in the sixth to shrink the deficit to 8-7. César Prieto singled and advanced to second on a balk. Leo Bernal walked. Chase Davis ground into a force out with Bernal out at second. Mendoza tripled to plate Prieto and Davis.
absolute chaos.
one run game. pic.twitter.com/HZ7a19Oy5Q
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) July 18, 2026
Iowa made it 9-7 in the top of the seventh.
The Redbirds responded with a run in the home seventh to close the gap to 9-8. Colton Ledbetter and Saggese walked. Ledbetter stole third base. Saggese stole second base. Ledbetter scored on a ground out by Gorman.
Memphis tied the game in the eighth. Prieto singled and scored on a double by Bernal. The Redbirds walked it off in the ninth to win 10-9. Saggese singled and later scored on a single by Prieto.
PRIETO CALLS GAME pic.twitter.com/Y6sbCuFGQw
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) July 18, 2026
The offense scored 10 runs on nine hits. Prieto was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Báez had four RBI. Gorman and Mendoza each had two RBI. Saggese scored two runs.
Saggese stole two bases. Ledbetter swiped two bags. Bernal was picked off.
Bernal made a throwing error. Prieto had a fielding miscue. Báez had an outfield assist at second base.
Memphis is 8-11 in the second half.
Saturday’s game: vs Iowa, SWP Jurrangelo Cijntje vs. TBD 6:35 CT.
Playing as the Cashew Chickens, the Double-A Cardinals lost to the Sod Poodles by a 9-5 score at Route 66 Stadium on Friday.
Starter Chen-Wei Lin did not get out of the first. In 2/3 of an inning, he gave up six runs on five hits, walked one and struck out one. Lin took the loss.
Randel Clemente relieved Lin and finished the first. Blake Aita hurled six scoreless innings on just three hits and a walk. Tyler Bradt surrendered one run in the eighth. Darlin Saladin yielded two runs in the ninth.
Blake Aita was cruising in his first outing at Route 66 Stadium: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K pic.twitter.com/3TFl7GJMZN
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) July 18, 2026
Amarillo went ahead 6-0 in the first inning.
Springfield put up two runs in the third. Dakota Harris singled. Jesús Báez followed with a two-run home run.
GET OUTTA HERE! Jesús Báez tees off to get us on the board! pic.twitter.com/rdFcbjzH4y
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) July 18, 2026
The Cardinals added a run in the fourth to shrink the lead to 6-3. Zach Levenson doubled and scored on a single by Jon Jon Gazdar.
The Sod Poodles extended their lead with one run in the eighth and two in the ninth for a 9-3 lead.
Springfield’s rally ended with two runs in the home ninth for the final score of 9-5. Gazdar singled. Harris walked. Báez singled. Rainiel Rodriguez plated Harris on a double. Báez scored on a single by Ryan Campos.
The Cardinals scored five runs on 12 hits. Báez was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Rodriguez and Gazdar were both 2-for-4 with an RBI. Campos was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Harris scored two runs.
Rodriguez was caught stealing. Báez made a fielding error. Levenson had an outfield assist at home plate.
Springfield is 12-7 in the second half.
Saturday’s game: vs Amarillo, Cooper Hjerpe LHP (0-1, 13.50) vs. TBD (AMA) 6:35 CT.
The High-A Chiefs defeated the Cubs in a 9-3 road win on Friday.
Starter Yhoiker Fajardo pitched five innings, gave up three runs on four hits, walked one and fanned 10 to earn his second win.
Dylan Driessen relieved Fajardo and threw a scoreless sixth. Nate Dohm and Jose Davila each hurled a scoreless inning. Patrick Galle tossed a scoreless ninth.
Peoria took the lead in the first inning. Josh Kross tripled and scored on a wild pitch. They added a solo home run by Ian Petrutz to lead 2-0 in the second.
HOME RUN PRESENTED BY IAN PETRUTZ💣
PEO 2 | SB 0 pic.twitter.com/KBUZX37E0E— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) July 17, 2026
South Bend came back to take the lead with a three-run third inning.
The Chiefs answered with six runs in the fourth to regain the lead at 8-3. José Suárez singled. Michael Dattalo walked. Petrutz doubled to score Suárez. Anyelo Encarnación plated Dattalo and Petrutz on a single. Encarnación stole second base. Cameron Nickens walked. Tai Peete singled to bring home Encarnación. Nickens came home on a balk. Jack Gurevitch drove in Peete on a single.
Peoria added one run in the eighth for the final score of 9-3. Dattalo doubled and later came home on a single by Nickens.
The Chiefs scored nine runs on 11 hits. Petrutz was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Jalin Flores was 2-for-5. Encarnación had two RBI. Dattalo scored two runs.
Encarnación stole his 10th base of the season.
The Chiefs are 9-12 in the second half.
Saturday’s game: at South Bend, Jack Martinez RHP (Peoria debut) vs Alfredo Romero RHP (2-3, 5.17) 6:05 CT.
Palm Beach 2, St. Lucie 3 (10 innings)
The Palm Beach Cardinals fell to the Mets in extra innings on Friday.
Starter Brian Holiday pitched five innings and gave up two runs on four hits, walked two and fanned four.
Nelfy Ynfante relieved Holiday and threw two scoreless innings. Justin Militello hurled a scoreless eighth. Jesús García surrendered one unearned run in the final two innings and took the loss.
Palm Beach took the lead in the first inning on a solo home run by Sebastian Dos Santos.
Back like we never left💥 pic.twitter.com/LT7qJOXrHv
— Palm Beach Cardinals (@GoPBCardinals) July 17, 2026
St. Lucie tied the game in the top of the second.
The Cardinals added a second run in the home half of the second to lead 2-1. Yordalin Peña doubled. Chase Heath singled. Peña scored on a force out by Alex Birge.
The Mets tied the score in the third and the game remained deadlocked through regulation. The Mets scored an unanswered run in the top of the 10th to win, 3-2.
The Cardinals scored two runs on seven hits. Dos Santos was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Peña was 2-for-4.
Ryan Mitchell stole his 22nd base but was also caught stealing.
The Cardinals are 12-9 in the second half.
Saturday’s game: vs. St. Lucie, TBD vs. TBD 5:00 CT.
FCL Cardinals 3, FCL Mets 2 (seven innings)
The rookie Cardinals beat the Mets by a 3-2 score at home on Friday.
Fresh off the injured list, starter Alan Reyes pitched one scoreless inning with one walk and one strikeout.
Jefferson Moran relieved Reyes and threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Jan Cabrera surrendered two runs in the final 3 1/3 innings for the save.
The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Miguel Hernández walked. Kenly Hunter tripled to score Hernández. Hunter came home on a ground out by Royelny Strop.
The Cardinals added a run in the third to lead 3-0. Hunter singled and scored on a fielding and a throwing error.
The Mets rallied for two runs in the ninth but fell just short.
The Cardinals scored three runs on three hits. Hunter was 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored.
The Cardinals are 19-29 on the season and are in fourth place in the FCL East. They have been eliminated from the postseason.
Saturday’s game: at FCL Nationals, TBD vs. TBD 9:00 am CT.
DSL Cardinals 5, DSL Marlins 4 (seven innings)
The academy Cardinals edged the Marlins by a 5-4 score on Friday.
Starter Emilio Jiménez pitched 2 2/3 innings, gave up two runs on one hit, walked four and struck out one.
Andey Garrido finished the third. Jose Vega hurled a scoreless fourth for the win. Javier Martínez surrendered one run in 2/3 of an inning. Juan Santillán yielded one run in the final 2 1/3 innings.
The Cardinals went up 4-0 in the first inning. Jesús Pérez singled. Christopher Vargas followed with a two-run home run. Misael Sánchez singled. Diego Conseción doubled. Lucas Takahashi singled to plate Sánchez and Conseción.
The Marlins scored two runs in the top of the third to cut the lead to 4-2.
The Cardinals answered with a run in the home third to extend the lead to 5-2. Sánchez walked and advanced to second on a fly out by Conseción. Takahashi singled to score Sánchez.
The Marlins added single runs in the fifth and sixth to bring the final score to 5-4.
The Cardinals scored five runs on eight hits. Takahashi was 2-for-3 with three RBI. Vargas was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Pérez was 2-for-4. Sánchez scored two runs.
Vargas made two errors, one throwing and one fielding. Santillán picked a runner off first base. Héctor Cabrera has a passed ball.
The Cardinals are 15-17 on the season and are in fourth place in the DSL Southeast.
Saturday’s game: Off
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