photo: Delvin Perez (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals system went 3-5 on Thursday. State College shortstop Delvin Perez is our Player of the Day after going 3-for-4 with a run scored in the Spikes’ road shutout win.
Results from the games played Thursday, July 5th.
The Redbirds came out on the wrong end of another low-scoring affair versus the Storm Chasers, this time losing 3-0 at AutoZone Park. Memphis (53-34) has dropped the first two of a nine-game stand versus sub-.500 Omaha, five at home, four away, and lead the American Southern Division by 11 ½ over Round Rock (TEX).
Jake Woodford (L, 0-2) tossed a quality start but still came up short in the win column, after permitting three tallies on six hits and a walk over 6 1/3. Two of his three runs were produced by a home run.
Tommy Layne fanned both batters faced, leaving Woodford’s last runner aboard. Hector Mendoza successfully navigated around a hit and base-on-balls in the eighth before Landon Beck faced the minimum in the ninth.
The home team matched their guests’ seven hits but went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine on base. Wilfredo Tovar, the ninth-place hitter, singled twice in four at bats with a strikeout. He was the only Redbird with a multi-hit effort.
Friday’s game: vs. Omaha (40-45) (KC), 7:05 pm CT, Daniel Poncedeleon (7-3, 2.57)
Anthony Shew struck out seven over seven quality innings, but it was not enough in the S-Cards’ 4-2 home loss to the RoughRiders. Springfield (2-12) will try to salvage the third and final game of the series on Friday. They are dead last in the North Division of the Texas League and already trail Arkansas (SEA) and Tulsa (LAD) by 7 ½ in the second-half standings.
All three tallies yielded by Shew (L, 4-4) occurred in the third, the result of four of the five hits the righty gave up. One was a lead-off long ball. Shew did not issue a free pass and threw 63 of his 88 pitches for strikes. Jacob Evans permitted an insurance run on two hits in the ninth, the second of his two innings on the bump.
Springfield outhit Frisco 10 to seven, but went 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Eight of nine starters had at least one hit, beginning at the top of the order as Tommy Edman and number two hitter Lane Thomas had two hits apiece. Edman singled and tripled in three at bats with two walks and an RBI while Thomas went 2-for-5 with a strikeout. Edman also stole his 16th base.
The table-setters did their job, but the middle-of-the order batters – Andrew Knizner, Chris Chinea and John Nogowski – managed just three singles in 13 at-bats.
Friday’s game: vs. Frisco (10-4) (TEX), 7:10 pm CT, Austin Warner (0-2, 10.13)
The Beach Birds rallied to tie only to be edged by the Tortugas in the late innings, losing 4-3 in a split of the brief two-game set. Palm Beach (7-7) remains in a tie atop the South Division with Fort Myers (MIN), a half game up on St. Lucie (NYM), all three teams losing on Thursday.
Starter Ian Oxnevad lasted just three frames, yielding three runs on five hits and three free passes, one intentional. John Kilichowski kept Daytona (7-6) (CIN) off the board over two plus innings, walking two.
But Thomas St. Clair gave up what proved to be the difference-maker during his 1 1/3-inning stint. He walked the seventh’s first batter then gave up a single. St. Clair recorded his last out on a liner to center that advanced the runner just 90 feet from home plate, putting him in position to score on a groundout coaxed by his replacement, Eric Carter. Carter retired all five batters faced while Jason Zgardowski tossed a clean frame in his return to the Florida State League.
Palm Beach outhit Daytona 11 to six, but the offense was isolated around the first, fifth, seventh and ninth batters in the PB-Card line-up. Stefan Trosclair, the number five hitter, launched his fourth A-Advanced home run, and went 3-for-4 and took part in one double play. The first baseman was joined by number nine hitter Juan Yepez, who singled three times in four at bats with a run scored.
The final two Beach Birds with more than one hit were lead-off hitter Chase Pinder and Ryan McCarvel, the number seven batter. Pinder singled and doubled in five at-bats, touching home once while McCarvel went 2-for-4 with a strikeout.
Friday’s game: vs. Florida (4-9) (ATL), 6:30 pm ET, Casey Meisner (4-1, 2.95)
Peoria vs. Burlington – cancelled
The fourth and final game of a two away/two at home series between Peoria (8-5) and Burlington (3-11) (LAA) could not be played due to wet grounds. Since this is the last scheduled meeting between the two teams, the game will not be rescheduled.
The Chiefs were likely disappointed with the lost game as they dominated the season series 11-3 over Burlington, including 10 straight wins at Dozer Park.
Friday’s game: at Wisconsin (5-9) (MIL), 7:05 pm CT, Alex Fagalde (3-2, 2.09)
State College 8 at Auburn 0 (7 ½)
The Spikes shut out the Doubledays, 8-0, on Thursday, in a game called at the eighth’s midpoint due to rain. State College (8-12) will got for a sweep of the three-game series when the two squads meet Friday evening. The Spikes have crawled out of the Pinckney Division’s cellar and are now in fifth, six games behind Mahoning Valley (CLE).
The game remained competitive until State College poured on six runs over the seventh and eighth. The balanced offensive effort featured all nine starters having at least one of the team’s 11 hits. Player of the Day Delvin Perez was the only Spike with a multi-hit performance, going 3-for-4 with a run scored. The 19-year-old shortstop is hitting .333 over his last 10 games, 12-for-36, and registered his first three-hit game of the season.
The Spikes’ pitching duties were split between two hurlers: Michael Baird and Hector Villalobos. Baird, St. Louis’ 23rd-round selection in the recent June First-Year Player draft, gave up three hits while striking out four through the first four frames, in his first start after three relief appearances. Just up from Johnson City, Villalobos (W, 1-0) limited Auburn to two hits over the last three innings in his short-season A debut.
Friday’s game: at Auburn (11-8) (WSH), 6:30 pm ET, Jake Dahlberg (0-0, 3.86)
The JC-Cards could not hold an early lead, falling to the Pirates, 6-3, to even the road series at one game each with one to play. Johnson City (7-8) is in fourth place in the tight West Division, just two games behind Kingsport (NYM).
Kyle Leahy scattered six hits and a base-on-balls over 4 1/3 frames, surrendering one run. Leahy, the Cardinals’ 17th-round pick in this June’s draft, was making his first start after three relief appearances for Johnson City.
Enrique Perez (L, 0-1) recorded the fifth’s last two outs but got the hook after issuing consecutive free passes to open the sixth. Tommy Parsons (BS, 1) allowed both runners to score plus two of his own during his two innings on the bump, turning a 2-1 lead into a 5-2 hole. Juan Alvarez struck out the side in the eighth but allowed a run on two hits.
The Appy Birds generated seven hits with Kevin Woodall and Nolan Gorman leading the way with two hits apiece in four at-bats. Woodall doubled with an RBI while Gorman blasted his sixth home run.
Friday’s game: at third-place Bristol (8-8) (PIT), 7:00 pm ET, Oniever Diaz (0-1, 7.88)
GCL Cardinals 7 at GCL Marlins 2
The Gulf Cardinals banged out 12 hits on their way to a 7-2 win over the GCL Marlins (5-10). The Cardinals (10-4) are holding on to first place in the East Division, a half game in front of the Mets.
Eight of nine starters garnered at least one hit with four Gulf Cardinals having two apiece: Diomedes Del Rio, Ivan Herrera, Andrew Warner and William Jimenez. Herrera and Warner posted nearly identical lines, going 2-for-4 with a double, run scored and one knocked in. Herrera worked a free pass and Warner swiped his second base.
Starting for the second straight day, Derian Gonzalez’ third rehab appearance consisted of two walks and two outs, one of them a K. Cole Aker (W, 2-0) took over at that point, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk over four innings after stranding the two inherited runners. Connor Coward was spotless over 3 1/3, striking out four before Chris Rivera faced the minimum in the ninth.
Friday’s game: vs. third-place GCL Nationals (7-7), 12:00 pm ET, Brian Pirela (1-0, 4.24)
DSL Cardinals Blue 1 at DSL Twins 4
A sluggish offense led to the C-Blues’ 4-1 road defeat to the DSL Twins. The Cardinals Blue (19-10) slipped into second place in the South Division with the loss, a game behind the Twins.
The visitors’ bats were awake in the first when doubles by Carlos Soler and Jean Selmo put the Cardinals Blue up 1-0. But the team was held to just three more hits the rest of the way, including singles by number two hitter Soler and clean-up batter Selmo. With only four base-on-balls drawn, the team had few opportunities, going 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
Starter Inohan Paniagua suffered his third loss in four decisions, yielding three runs on seven hits and two free passes in 5 1/3. Larimel Soriano finished the sixth, leaving Paniagua’s final runner on base, but gave up a tally on two doubles sandwiched around a wild pitch the next frame. Newly-signed 17-year-old righty Victor Villanueva capitalized on a strike-‘em-out/throw-‘em-out double play to hurl a one-two-three eighth in his professional debut.
Friday’s game: vs. DSL Twins (20-9), 10:30 am ET, Angel Cuenca (1-1, 3.12)
DSL Cardinals Red 6 vs. DSL Cubs2 4
The C-Reds exploited their foes’ shaky defense for a big inning that produced a 6-4 victory over the DSL Cubs2. The Cardinals Red (16-13) have gone 6-2 over their last eight games and climbed into third place in the San Pedro Division, 2 ½ games in back of the Rangers2.
Trailing 3-2 at the fifth’s midpoint, the home team scored four times in the bottom of the frame. The C-Reds were aided greatly by two errors, a walk, a wild pitch and a hit batsman on the part of the Baby Bears as the Red had only two singles.
Third baseman Francisco Hernandez had almost half of his team’s seven hits, singling three times in three at bats with a sac fly and three RBI. Batting in front of Hernandez, Adanson Cruz went 2-for-3 with a double, walk, two runs scored and one driven in. But Cruz was caught stealing in his only stolen base attempt and was charged with his third bobble.
Making his third start in three appearances and seeing his first action since June 11th, Allinson Benitez gave up just one hit and walk through three innings. Luis Ortiz was credited with his first win against one loss despite yielding three runs during his two-inning stint. Wilman Madera struck out six over the final four frames, giving up a run on two hits and a base-on-balls.
Friday’s game: at DSL Cubs2 (10-18), 10:30 am ET, Ronald Suarez (0-2, 5.51) or Jose Moreno (1-2, 4.85)
Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation: Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2018 Week 13
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.
© 2018 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.