photo: Imeldo Diaz (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The 2-6 Thursday for the St. Louis Cardinals system included road losses by all four full-season clubs, but Johnson City earned a walk-off win behind the bat of Imeldo Diaz and pitching of Zach Prendergast. In his first rehab inning, Kevin Siegrist allowed a run.
Results from games played Thursday, August 24th.
Memphis 3 at Iowa 5
The Redbirds (84-47) dropped their series opener at Iowa, 5-3.
Matt Pearce (L, 3-3) tossed four clean frames but could not duplicate that in the fifth when he gave up four runs. Pearce allowed eight hits and two walks through five.
Arturo Reyes was tagged with an unearned tally in the first of his two-inning stint. Mike Mayers permitted a hit in the eighth.
Memphis generated seven hits in all with Alex Mejia and Tyler O’Neill each going 2-for-4. Mejia scored once with an RBI while O’Neill knocked in one and swiped his 14th bag of 2017.
Friday’s game: at Iowa (64-65) (CHC), 7:08 pm CT, Dakota Hudson (0-0, 4.00)
Springfield 2 at Northwest Arkansas 4
The S-Cards fell prey to a third-inning three-run home run, falling to the Naturals, 4-2, and now trail in the series, two games to one, with one remaining. Springfield (38-21) remains tied atop the North Division with Tulsa (LAD), whose eight-game winning streak come to an end. Springfield has 11 games remaining in the regular season, including six versus Tulsa.
Chris Ellis (L, 5-8) permitted all four scores over his six innings on the mound. Ellis fanned eight and gave up eight hits. Tyler Bray and Rowan Wick kept the opposition off the board for an inning each.
Friday’s game: at Northwest Arkansas (24-35) (KC), 7:05 pm CT, Zac Gallen (4-3, 3.94)
The Beach Birds got taken out behind the woodshed by the Hammerheads (31-29) (MIA), resulting in an 11-0 annihilation. The loss prevented a three-game series sweep by Palm Beach (30-27).
Jupiter scored in four of the first five innings, capping it off with a six-run seventh. Kevin Siegrist took the loss in his first rehab appearance, allowing a run in his only inning of work.
Regular starter Jake Woodford followed Siegrist and permitted four runs, three earned, on eight hits and a walk over four. Hector Mendoza was hammered for five runs on three hits in 1 1/3, three of them crossing the plate with Ross Vance on the mound. Vance recorded two outs after allowing a tally of his own. Jordan Hicks struck out the side in the eighth, working around two hits.
The visitors managed just five hits, all singles, and one base-on-balls with no Beach Bird garnering more than one.
Friday’s game: vs. St. Lucie (24-36) (NYM), 6:30 pm ET, Ramon Santos (4-3, 3.20)
The Chiefs could not hold a ninth-inning lead, suffering a 4-3 walk-off loss to the Timber Rattlers in the rubber game of the series. Peoria (31-29) is now tied for the Wild Card slot with Cedar Rapids (MIN), both teams eight games off the pace set by Quad Cities (HOU).
The bullpen twice failed to hold the lead, beginning with Max Almonte (BS, 1) who held the 1-0 advantage by recording the sixth’s final out, stranding two inherited, but served up a two-run bomb that left Peoria behind 2-1 after seven.
Brian O’Keefe answered with a two-run long ball in the visitor’s half of the eighth, putting his squad back up 3-2. Austin Sexton (BS, 1) (L, 3-2) faced the minimum in the home half but yielded a double and home run to his first two batters in the ninth.
That spoiled a fine effort by Ian Oxnevad, who blanked Wisconsin (27-33) (MIL) on two hits through five. Colton Thomson struck out his first two batters but gave way to Almonte after permitting back-to-back singles.
Juan Yepez was the only Chief with a multi-hit outing, singling twice in four at bats with an RBI.
Friday’s game: vs. third-place Kane County (29-31) (ARI), 7:00 pm CT, Evan Kruczynski (3-3, 3.79)
State College 6 vs. West Virginia 5
The Spikes scored big early then hung on, slipping past the Black Bears, 6-5, in the decisive third game of the series. State College (32-30) is three behind co-leaders West Virginia (35-27) (PIT) and Mahoning Valley (CLE).
All six of the home team’s runs scored in the first as the Spikes batted around. State College generated seven hits in total, six of them in their initial frame. First baseman Matt Davis was the only Spike with more than one hit, singling and doubling in four at bats with a run scored and two RBI. Scott Hurst banged out his fifth triple of the season while J.D. Crowe and Dennis Ortega each doubled once.
Starter Paul Balestrieri let West Virginia cut the lead to 6-4 after four, yielding runs in three of his four frames. Steven Farinaro (W, 2-1) was credited with the win, yielding a run on three hits and a walk in four. Farinaro matched Balestrieri’s two hit batsmen. Jason Zgardowski worked around a two-out single for his first save.
Friday’s game: vs. Williamsport (29-30) (PHI), 7:05 pm ET, Andrew Summerville (3-0, 1.90)
Johnson City 3 vs. Greeneville 2
The JC-Cards walked off with a 3-2 win over the Astros, evening the series at one game apiece with one on tap. Second-place Johnson City (33-27) gained ground on Elizabethton (MIN) with the win, narrowing the gap to 2 ½ games while solidifying their Wild Card slot hold over Greeneville.
Co-Player of the Day Imeldo Diaz launched his fifth home run of 2017 with Luis Bandes (double) aboard and two gone in the ninth. It was the shortstop’s second hit in three at bats to go with a walk, two runs scored and two driven in. Bandes was one of four Appy Birds with one hit each.
The first seven frames were a pitching duel between Johnson City starter Zach Prendergast, our co-Player of the Day, and two Greeneville hurlers. Prendergast shut down his opponents over seven, striking out an eye-popping 12 and giving up just four hits.
Prendergast left with his team holding a newly minted 1-0 lead but Fabian Blanco (BS, 2) gave it back and more by allowing single scores, one earned, in each of the next two frames. Jacob Patterson (W, 1-1) inherited a bases-loaded, one-out jam and the only runner to cross home did so via a sac fly before a runner was nailed trying to take second.
Friday’s game: vs. third-place Greeneville (31-29) (HOU), 7:00 pm ET, Franyel Casadilla (1-5, 7.87)
GCL Cardinals vs. GCL Marlins – postponed
Thursday’s contest between the GCL Cardinals (23-23) and GCL Marlins (26-22) was postponed due to rain. The game has been rescheduled as part of a double header on August 29th.
Friday’s games: at/vs. GCL Astros. Game one – 12:00 pm ET, TBA
DSL Angels 6 at DSL Cardinals 3
DSL Cardinals 1 at DSL Angels 3
The DSL Cardinals (29-38) came up on the short end of a twin-bill sweep by the DSL Angels (33-34), 6-3 and 3-1.
Enmanuel Solano took the loss in the opener, his second against four wins, after yielding six runs, three earned, on six hits and a base-on-balls in 3 2/3. The righty also plunked one batter, was called for a balk, threw a wild pitch and committed a throwing error. Leonardo Taveras blanked the opposition the rest of the way, stranding two inherited runners.
Catcher Joyser Garcia swung a hot bat, going a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. The only other Dominican Bird with more than one hit was Yowelfy Rosario who singled twice in three at bats. Defensively, Solano’s miscue was one of four charged to the team.
The second contest was scoreless through three but Wilfredo Pereira (L, 1-7) yielded three tallies over the next two frames. Pereira gave up seven hits and two free passes over five. Jose Geronimo tossed a clean sixth.
The Dominican Cards were stymied on two hits by the Angels’ starter who tossed all seven innings. The visitors’ only run scored after Raffy Ozuna led off the seventh with a double, his 13th of the season. A fly out to center advanced shortstop to third whereupon he scored on Freddy De Jesus’ sac fly.
Friday’s game: vs. DSL Nationals (27-42), 10:30 am ET, Dionis Zamora (2-3, 1.77)
Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation: Memphis Redbirds Notebook: 2017 Week 20
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
© 2017 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.