photo: Jake Walsh (Allison Rhoades/Peoria Chiefs)
The St. Louis Cardinals system went 3-5 on Monday. Co-Players of the Day Jake Walsh allowed just one unearned run in six innings for Palm Beach and 2018 10th-rounder Kevin Woodall doubled, homered and plated two for Johnson City.
Results from the games played Monday, July 9th.
Memphis – off
The first-place Memphis Redbirds (56-34) are off for the Triple-A All-Star break. The 2018 game takes place on Wednesday, July 11th, at Huntington Park, home of the International League Columbus Clippers (CLE). The Redbirds will be represented on the Pacific Coast League All-Star squad by RHP Dakota Hudson, RHP Daniel Poncedeleon and 3B Patrick Wisdom. As the top vote-getter, Hudson earned starting pitcher honors, only the fifth Memphis pitcher so designated.
Wisdom was named as one the six players to take part in Monday night’s Triple-A Home Run Derby, the first Redbird to participate. Wisdom scored eight points in the first round, one short of the total needed to advance. The eventual winner, Chad Huffman of the Toledo Mud Hens, played for Memphis in 2013 and again in 2017 and also had a cup of coffee with St. Louis last season.
Tuesday’s game: off
The S-Cards’ bats did not get on track in their 3-0 loss to Midland. Springfield (5-13) still took the home series, two-games-to-one over the RockHounds (5-13) (OAK).
The S-Cards managed just five hits. Second baseman Ramon Urias doubled twice in four at bats with a strikeout while batting second. Andrew Knizner, Chris Chinea and John Nogowski each singled.
Mike O’Reilly took the loss, his fourth in six decisions, after yielding three tallies on seven hits and a walk through five. He struck out five.
The next two innings belonged to Elniery Garcia, who was making his organizational debut. Garcia, a recent acquisition from the Philadelphia organization for international cap money, tossed a one-two-three sixth before running into a bit of difficulty in the seventh. The southpaw allowed a lead-off single then compounded it by making a throwing error during a sac bunt situation that put two on with none out. But Garcia retired his next three batters to escape the jam.
Luke Gregerson pitched the eighth, in his third rehab appearance. Gregerson had an easy time of it, using nine pitches, seven strikes, to record two ground outs and a fly out. Jacob Evans faced the minimum in the ninth.
Tuesday’s game: off
A five-run second propelled the Beach Birds past the Miracle, 6-2, in the first of four games between the two teams. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak and moved Palm Beach (8-10) into a tie for second with Fort Myers and a game behind Charlotte (TB) in the standings.
All nine PB-Cards came to the plate that frame, which began with five consecutive singles followed by a walk before the Miracles’ starter recorded an out. Three runners had crossed the plate with the final two tallies coming home on ground outs. The second ground out and a resulting throwing error triggered a new pitcher entering the game.
Palm Beach garnered 11 hits in all, led by leadoff man Kramer Robertson, who went 3-for-5 including two doubles and an RBI. The only other Beach Bird with more than one hit was outfielder Shane Billings, who singled twice in four at bats, touched home once and knocked in one.
Our co-Player of the Day is Palm Beach starter Jake Walsh, who tossed six strong frames and earned his fifth Palm Beach win against just one loss. Walsh limited Fort Myers to just three hits and a base-on-balls, giving up one unearned tally.
Jason Zgardowski had no problem with the seventh, working around one free pass. But Colton Thomson hit a bit of a speed bump in his return to Palm Beach, yielding a run on two hits in 1 2/3. Thomas St. Clair recorded the ninth’s final out, stranding an inherited runner.
Tuesday’s game: at Fort Myers (8-10) (MIN), 7:00 pm ET, Evan Kruczynski (4-1, 3.83)
It was a really long afternoon for the Chiefs’ pitching staff as Peoria was flattened by Wisconsin, 19-5, for a split of the four-game road set.
Paul Balestrieri (L, 5-4) began a parade of five Chiefs to take the mound, four of whom were scored upon. Balestrieri surrendered eight runs on nine hits and four base-on-balls through 3 2/3. C.J. Saylor had twice as many walks, four, as recorded outs, two, resulting in two runs scored plus two inherited runners crossing home.
Bryan Dobzanski continued the unfortunate trend of allowing inherited runners to score when both of Saylor’s last two runners touched home. Dobzanski went 1 2/3 innings and gave up two more runs on four hits and a free pass.
Up next was Levi MaVorhis and, wow, did he have a bad seventh inning. MaVorhis coughed up seven tallies on seven hits, including a three-run bomb. Finally, Fabian Blanco’s one-two-three eighth either proved Wisconsin hitters could be retired without allowing them to score or that they were too tired from all of that running the bases to do anything against him.
On any other day, the Chiefs’ offensive output would have looked respectable. Peoria generated nine hits with four of their five tallies occurring in the third and temporarily knotting the game at four all. Irving Lopez had a good performance, going 3-for-4 with a double, run scored and two driven in. The only other Chief with a multi-hit effort was Bryce Denton, who singled twice in four at bats with two RBI.
Tuesday’s game: Off
The Spikes used timely hitting and solid pitching to blank the Muckdogs, 3-0, in the decisive third game of the road series. State College (10-14) moved into a tie for fourth with West Virginia (PIT) with the win, 6 ½ in back of Mahoning Valley (CLE).
Jim Voyles (W, 2-1) navigated around three hits and three walks to hurl five plus frames of shutout ball. The right-hander struck out five.
But Voyles needed the aid of reliever Hector Villalobos to complete his successful outing. Villalobos entered after Voyles permitted back-to-back singles and added to the drama by loading the bases on yet another single. But the lefty retired his next three batters on called strike three counts.
Unfortunately, the drama for Villalobos did not end there. Three walks sandwiched around two passed balls jammed the sacks full the next inning with none gone. But Will Changarotty walked that tightrope without falling by notching two swinging K’s followed by a caught looking strikeout. Changarotty went on to work around a two-out double in the eighth for two clean frames. Kevin Hamann faced the minimum in the ninth for his third save.
Three Spikes each had two of the team’s nine hits: Edwin Figuera, Justin Toerner and Andres Luna. Figuera and Toerner, the two and three hitters, both singled twice in four at bats, the latter touching home once and swiping his third bag. Luna went 2-for-3 with an RBI out of the nine hole.
Tuesday’s game: Off
Johnson City (9-9) survived a ninth-inning rally to top the Yankees, 4-3, in the rubber game of the home series.
The Appy Birds used a two run second and fourth to build a 4-2 lead that held until the ninth. Pulaski (8-12) put a scare into the hometown crowd when they loaded the bases with none gone. A run scored on a double-play ball and the rally was quashed when the Yankees’ final batter struck out.
The home team maximized their six hits, three of which went for extra bases. Right fielder Kevin Woodall left the yard with Nolan Gorman (walk) aboard in the second while doubles by Woodall and Jonatan Machado plus a fielder’s choice plated two more in the fourth.
Woodall carried the offensive load for his team, going 2-for-4 with a double, home run, two runs scored and two RBI. He earns co-Player of the Day honors. Center fielder Machado also had two hits, a single and double in four at bats with one driven in. Machado swiped two bases as well, joined by Gorman, who stole his first bag as a professional. Defensively, third baseman Gorman was charged with his third miscue.
Dionis Zamora allowed a two-run long ball in the second, the middle of his three innings on the bump. Juan Alvarez tossed three scoreless frames and was credited with his first win. Evan Sisk pitched two clean frames but got the hook after permitting a hit and walk to begin the ninth. Lefty Colin Schmid walked the bases full but induced the double play and swinging K for his first save as a pro.
Tuesday’s game: Elizabethton at JC, 7:00 ET, TBA
GCL Cardinals 3 at GCL Astros 4
The Gulf Birds’ (12-6) late rally fell short, resulting in a 4-3 defeat at the GCL Astros (8-11).
Down 4-0 at the end of the sixth, the visitors pushed across three runs over the next two frames. Six Gulf Cardinals had one of the team’s six singles with Diomedes Del Rio, Mateo Gil and Josh Shaw all scoring a run. It was not a good day in the field for the GCL Cardinals’ defense, which committed four bobbles: one each by left fielder Brandon Benson and second baseman Shaw plus two throwing errors by catcher Brandon Purcell.
Derian Gonzalez’ latest rehab appearance resulted in him being tagged with a loss. The right-hander yielded two runs, one earned, on a hit and walk with just two batters retired.
Gonzalez’ final run scored with Ben Yokley on the mound. Yokley was making his long-delayed return for his first action since 2015. Selected from the United States Air Force Academy in the 29th round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft, he then dealt with service duties and injury since his rookie year. The Colorado native gave up an RBI double to his first batter and a lead-off single the next inning but did not allow further damage during his 1 1/3-inning stint.
Connor Coward replaced Yokley to begin the third and struck out seven over three frames with a tally permitted on two hits. Edgar Escobar gave up a run in the eighth but Francisco Justo kept the opposition off the board over the final two innings despite allowing four hits.
Tuesday’s game: vs. GCL Marlins (6-12), 12:00 pm ET, Enmanuel Solano (2-0, 4.26)
DSL Cardinals Blue 3 at DSL Phillies Red 4
The C-Blue were clipped by the DSL Phillies Red, 4-3, dropping the DSL Cardinals Blue (21-11) into second in the South Division, a game behind the Twins.
The Phillies Red (10-22) scored a first-inning tally against starter Julio Puello, the only mark made against the right-hander in five solid innings.
Puello’s teammates backed him with three runs over the next four frames, giving Puello a 3-1 lead upon his departure from the game. That advantage evaporated in a heartbeat when Josue Ramirez (BS, 1) took over. Ramirez did not retire any of his four batters, allowing two to score. Larimel Soriano kept the game knotted at three-all by stranding Ramirez’ final two base runners but permitted a run in his third and final inning of work for his first loss against one win.
Third baseman Malcom Nunez had a good day at the plate, doubling and tripling in four at bats and driving in all three of his team’s scores while batting third. Twice Nunez plated number two hitter Carlos Soler, who tripled in four at bats with a base-on-balls. Catcher Luis Rodriguez went 3-for-4 but it was out of the nine hole and no one around him in the batting order produced.
Tuesday’s game: at DSL Angels (10-22), 10:30 am ET, Francis Ventura (1-2, 4.13)
DSL Phillies White 10 at DSL Cardinals Red 7
The C-Red came out on the wrong end of an offensive battle, losing to the DSL Phillies White, 10-7. The defeat drops the Cardinals Red (17-15) a half game behind the now third-place Phillies White (17-14) and 3 ½ in back of the Brewers.
All three C-Red hurlers were scored upon, beginning with Ludwin Jimenez who gave up five runs, three earned, on seven hits, including a two-run home run, in four innings. Jhon Victorino yielded three tallies in his three-plus frames on the mound. Two of them scored under Wilman Madera’s watch. Madera was charged with two runs of his own in two innings, one of them via a solo shot.
The C-Red offense banged out 12 hits, led by Adanson Cruz, who went 3-for-5 with a double, run scored and RBI. Shortstop Franklin Soto singled and doubled in five at bats while touching home twice and swiping his 12th and 13th bags of 2018. Right fielder Luis Montano went 2-for-3 with a double, walk and run scored. Defensively, the C-Red committed four miscues to the Phillies White’s three.
Tuesday’s game: vs. DSL Mets2 (15-17), 10:30 am ET, Martin Cordova (3-0, 0.52) or Ronald Suarez (0-2, 5.51)
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