Cardinals Minor League Notebook-September 7th, 2026

photo: Mason Molina (PJ Maigi/Springfield Cardinals)

The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 3-1 on Sunday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Memphis LHP Mason Molina, pitched six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts en route to the win. Other standouts: Ian Petrutz, Jesús Báez, Yordalin Peña, Sebastian Dos Santos, Owen Henne, and J.P. Cabrera.      

Results for games played on Sunday, September 6, 2026.

Memphis Redbirds 3, Durham Bulls 0

The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds blanked the Durham Bulls at AutoZone Park in Sunday’s series finale.

Mason Molina made his 11th start for Memphis. The left-hander pitched six scoreless innings on two hits, one walk, and nine strikeouts, tying his career-high. Molina earned his third win with Memphis.

Mason Molina

Andrew Schultz threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts in relief of Molina. Patrick Murphy tossed a scoreless ninth for his second Triple-A save.

Memphis opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Zach Levenson crushed his third home run with the Redbirds, a solo shot, for a 1-0 lead.

Memphis added two runs in the home third. Noah Mendlinger singled and Ramon Mendoza was hit by a pitch. Chase Davis lined a two-out double to score Mendlinger and Mendoza and extend the lead to 3-0.

Memphis pitching held Durham to just two hits in the victory.

The Redbirds scored three runs on six hits. Davis doubled for two RBI. Levenson hit a home run. Mendlinger went 2-for-4 with a run scored.

The Redbirds did not steal a base nor commit an error in the game.

Memphis is 29-34 in the second half and 76-62 overall after winning five of six against Durham. The Redbirds reside in eighth place in the International League West Division. They are off Monday and will stay at AutoZone Park for a six-game series with the Norfolk Tides, beginning Tuesday.

Tuesday’s game: vs. Norfolk (BAL). Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 PM CT.

Springfield Cardinals 8 at Corpus Christi Hooks 2 

The Double-A Springfield Cardinals bested the Corpus Christi Hooks in Sunday’s road series finale.

Yhoiker Fajardo started for Springfield. The right-hander pitched 3 ⅔ innings and allowed two runs on three hits, no walks, and three strikeouts.

Michael Watson threw 1 ⅓ shutout frames in relief of Fajardo. Nolan Sparks struck out three in a scoreless inning of work. Randel Clemente fanned two over 1 ⅔ shutout innings and collected his fourth win. Darlin Saladin recorded the final four outs to finish the game.

The Hooks broke the scoreless tie with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. Springfield tied the game in the fourth. 

Rainiel Rodriguez singled and scored on a two-run home run from Jesús Báez, his 26th Double-A home run.

The Cardinals broke the game open with a six-run eighth inning. 

Josiah Ragsdale walked. Báez singled to move Ragsdale to third base, with Báez to second base on the play via a fielding error. Ragsdale scored on a wild pitch to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead, with Báez to third base. Cade McGee drew a walk, with Báez home on the play after a wild ball four. McGee stole second base. Ryan Campos and Tre Richardson III took back-to-back walks to load the bases. Ian Petrutz belted a grand slam, his first Double-A home run, to extend the Springfield lead to 8-2.

Springfield pitching held the Hooks to 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

The Cardinals scored eight runs on seven hits. Báez was 3-for-5, including a home run, two runs scored, and two RBI. Petrutz hit a grand slam for four RBI. Rodriguez walked, singled, and drove in a run.

On the bases, McGee swiped his first bag in Double-A. Richardson III was caught stealing second base.

The Cardinals did not commit an error on defense.

Springfield is 43-20 in the second half and 74-57 overall after winning five of six in Corpus Christi. The second-half Texas League North champions are off Monday and will head home to Route 66 Stadium for the final series of the regular season, a six-game set with the Arkansas Travelers, starting Tuesday.

Tuesday’s game: vs. Arkansas (SEA). TBA vs. RHP Will Armbruester (6-1, 6.22) 6:35 PM CT.

Peoria Chiefs 2, Quad Cities River Bandits 3

The High-A Peoria Chiefs dropped a close contest to the Quad Cities River Bandits at Dozer Park in Sunday’s series finale.

Cade Crossland started for Peoria. The left-hander pitched six innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits, two walks, and four strikeouts.

Liam Best tossed a shutout seventh frame in relief of Crossland. Dylan Drissen yielded an unearned run in the eighth and took the loss. Rubén Menes threw a scoreless ninth inning.

Quad Cities struck first with a two-run top of the first inning. Peoria entered the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the third.

Yordalin Peña crushed his third Chiefs home run, a solo shot, to trim the gap in half at 2-1.

The Chiefs tied the game in the fifth. Peña launched his second solo home run of the day to knot the game 2-2.

The River Bandits grabbed a 3-2 lead with a run in the eighth. Following a stellar double play in the ninth inning, the Chiefs looked to rally.

Tristan Bissetta hit a one-out double in the bottom of the ninth but was left on base in the loss.

The Chiefs scored two runs on seven hits. Peña hit two solo home runs. José Suárez collected two singles. Bissetta and Caden Ferraro each hit a double.

On the bases, Brayden Smith stole his fourth bag with Peoria.

On defense, catcher Sammy Hernandez made a throwing error. Pitcher Driessen committed a pickoff error. Peña threw a runner out at first base from center field. Pitcher Crossland picked a runner off first base.

The Peoria Chiefs finished the 2026 season with a 32-33 second half record and an overall record of 63-68 following the series split with Quad Cities. The Chiefs did not qualify for the postseason.

Palm Beach Cardinals 13, Daytona Tortugas 5

The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals slugged five home runs and crushed the Daytona Tortugas in the regular season finale at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

Jefferson Moran made his fourth start for the Cardinals. The right-hander pitched 3 ⅔ innings and allowed two runs on three hits, four walks, and five strikeouts.

Brian Garmon struck out four over two scoreless innings in relief of Moran and picked up his third win. JR Fordham followed and gave up two runs across 1 ⅓ frames. Nathan Shinn yielded an unearned run and pitched the final two innings.

Daytona scored first with a two-run top of the first inning. Palm Beach responded with five runs in the bottom of the first.

Kenly Hunter singled with one out. Alexander Frias and Ryan Mitchell took back-to-back walks to load the bases. Dee Kennedy hit a single to score Hunter and put the Cardinals in the run column. Owen Henne cleared the bases with a grand slam, his fourth long ball of the year, to put the Cardinals in front 5-2.

Owen Henne

The Cardinals added a run in the home third. Gabe Camacho hit his first professional home run, a solo shot, for a 6-2 lead.

The Cardinals extended the lead with a run in the fourth inning. Sebastian Dos Santos clobbered his ninth Palm Beach home run, a solo blast, to move the score to 7-2.

Palm Beach widened the lead with a three-run sixth frame. Camacho was hit by a pitch and scored on a two-run home run from J.P. Cabrera, his first at the Single-A level, for a 9-2 Cardinals lead.

Dos Santos launched his second home run of the game and his 10th with Palm Beach, a solo shot, to put the Cardinals in double digits at 10-2.

The Tortugas dented the score to 10-5 with two runs in the seventh and a tally in the eighth. Palm Beach plated three insurance runs in the home eighth.

Frias walked and Mitchell legged out an infield single to put two runners on base with no outs. Henne hit a single back to the pitcher, though a throwing error allowed Henne to move to second base, with Mitchell to third base and Frias scoring on the play for an 11-5 lead. Cabrera lined a double to bring Mitchell and Henne home and widen the lead to 13-5.

Palm Beach collected six extra-base hits in the win.

The Cardinals scored 13 runs on 11 hits. Henne was 2-for-5 with a grand slam and four RBI. Cabrera doubled, hit a home run, and collected four RBI. Dos Santos was 2-for-3, including two walks and two home runs. Camacho hit a solo home run and scored twice. Kennedy walked, singled, scored a run, and drove in a run.

The Cardinals did not steal a base.

On defense, right fielder Frias committed a fielding error. Catcher Cabrera picked a runner off first base and was tagged with a passed ball. 

The Palm Beach Cardinals finished the 2026 season with a record of 34-32 in the second half and 67-65 overall. The Cardinals did not qualify for the postseason, though they did finish the best overall record in the Florida State League East Division.

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