photo: Ivan Herrera (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
St. Louis’ minors finished July by going 3-5 on Thursday. The potent hitting of Ivan Herrera and Victor Garcia led the GCL Cardinals to victory as did Cristhian Longa for DSL Red. Palm Beach walked off with a win but even Nolan Gorman’s efforts could not prevent Johnson City’s loss.
Results from the games played Tuesday, July 31st.
Memphis – off
Memphis (68-40) came off a 3-3 road trip to open a seven-game home stand versus Sacramento (SF) and Fresno (HOU). The two teams are at opposite ends of the Pacific Northern Division with Sacramento in fourth and last place while Fresno holds an eight-game advantage over their nearest competition.
Wednesday’s game: vs. Sacramento (44-64), 7:05 pm CT, Chris Ellis (3-2, 3.40)
Springfield (17-22) could not overcome an early deficit in their 7-6 loss to Tulsa. Each team has won one of the first two games with one remaining.
Four of the seven runs charged to Mike O’Reilly (L, 3-6) during his four-inning stint were produced by two long balls. They were two of the seven hits and two walks allowed by the Flagler College product.
A quartet of S-Card relievers shared pitching duties the rest of the way. Ramon Santos struck out five in two innings which negated the three hits and a base-on-balls permitted. Austin Sexton and Junior Fernandez each fanned two during their respective one inning of work before Seth Elledge faced the minimum in his second organizational appearance.
The home team garnered 12 hits, paced by leadoff man Tommy Edman, who accounted for three tallies by going 3-for-5 with a double, run scored and two RBI. The shortstop also swiped his 23rd base. Defensively, he committed his 17th bobble.
The two others with more than one hit were Andrew Knizner, who went 2-for-5 while touching home twice and Victor Roache, who singled twice in three at bats with a walk and one driven in. John Nogowski’s only hit in five at bats was a two-run bomb that got Springfield on the board in the first.
Wednesday’s game: vs. Tulsa (23-15) (LAD), 6:30 pm CT, Anthony Shew (5-6, 4.37)
Dylan Carlson’s RBI single gave Palm Beach (17-20) a 5-4 walk-off victory over the Tortugas in the series opener.
The liner drove in Juan Yepez (hit-by-pitch) and was Carlson’s only hit in five at bats. The run completed a rally in which the Beach Birds scored five times in the final three frames, all off Daytona’s bullpen.
Carlson, Stefan Trosclair and Ryan McCarvel each had two of the team’s nine hits, with Carlson singling twice in four at bats with a walk and the game-winning RBI. Trosclair went 2-for-3 with a run scored and stolen base while McCarvel singled and doubled in four at bats, crossing home once. McCarvel had a chance to win the game a batter earlier but was thrown out at home on a fielder’s choice to short.
But it was Yepez who had the most productive night at the plate. The first baseman was subbed into the game in the top of the sixth and still accounted for five scores, doubling in his only at bat to drive in three and scoring twice.
Bryan Dobzanski (W, 2-0) utilized two K’s to maneuver around two hits for a scoreless ninth. Jake Walsh tossed the initial six innings, with all four tallies charged to him coming in the third. The right-hander yielded six hits, including a two-run home run, and issued two free passes. Jason Zgardowski bridged the two-inning gap between Walsh and Dobzanski.
Wednesday’s game: vs. Daytona (18-20) (CIN), 6:30 pm ET, Evan Guillory (1-2, 8.89)
The Chiefs rallied for a late tie only to suffer a 5-4 walk-off road loss at Clinton (19-18), for a split of the four-game set.
Peoria (22-14) scored three times in the sixth and seventh to knot the game at four all. That score stood until the game’s final three outs when Ben Yokley (L, 1-1) gave up a one-out walk immediately followed by consecutive singles. Three of the four outs recorded by Yokley came via strikeout.
Paul Balestrieri started and allowed four tallies, three earned, on eight hits and two free passes through five. Patrick Dayton matched Balestrieri’s five K’s but did it in two scoreless frames.
The Chiefs’ eight team hits were divided among five players, as three players had two hits apiece: Luken Baker, Elehuris Montero and J.R. Davis. Baker went 2-for-5 with a double and RBI while Montero and Davis both went 2-for-4, with Montero doubling once and Baker launching a solo shot. All three players touched home once.
Wednesday’s game: vs. first-place Cedar Rapids (27-11) (MIN), 7:00 pm CT, Alvaro Seijas (3-6, 4.63)
The Spikes’ five-game winning streak was snapped by a 4-1 loss to the Muckdogs. The two teams have split the first two contests of the home series with one on tap.
The game was decided late as the score was knotted at 1-1 through seven. In that frame, Eli Kraus (L, 0-1) did not retire a batter, yielding a hit and walk resulting in one run. Kevin Hamann gave up two more, one earned, the next inning on four hits and an intentional base-on-balls.
That spoiled a solid performance by Jacob Schlesener, who held the opposition to a single run on six hits and two walks over 5 1/3. The lefty fanned five. Gabe Gentner aided Schlesener’s line by leaving the bases loaded in the sixth, and the California native struck out three in 1 2/3.
State College (19-24) generated seven hits with five of them were by two players: Nick Dunn and Justin Toerner. Dunn went 3-for-5 with a double and scored the only tally and Toerner singled twice in four at bats. Kevin Woodall was hitless in three at bats in his New York-Penn League debut. The right fielder committed a throwing error as well.
Wednesday’s game: vs. Batavia (18-25) (MIA), 12:00 pm ET, Jim Voyles (3-3, 3.14)
Elizabethton 8 at Johnson City 5
Johnson City (17-21) began its three-game home series versus Elizabethton with an 8-5 defeat.
Starter Dionis Zamora lasted just 2 1/3 innings, permitting four runs, two earned, on seven hits and three walks. One of his seven hits was a home run with the bases empty.
David Oca (L, 1-4) left Zamora’s last two runners on base but was touched for three runs of his own on three hits and a base-on-balls in 1 2/3 plus frames. Evan Sisk recorded three outs, stranding one of two inherited runners before Junior Gonzalez tossed two clean frames. Enrique Perez hurled a scoreless eighth but Juan Alvarez surrendered a solo shot the next inning.
The Appy Birds banged out 10 hits, led by Nolan Gorman who went 3-for-4 with a walk, two doubles, one run scored and two driven in. Leandro Cedeno and Zach Jackson both went 2-for-4 with a base-on-balls, with Cedeno knocking in two and Jackson scoring one and driving in another. Andrew Warner singled once in four at bats with a run scored in his first Appalachian League contest.
Wednesday’s game: vs. first-place Elizabethton (23-13) (MIN), 7:00 pm ET, TBA
GCL Cardinals 17 at GCL Nationals 11
Hitting and a lack of defense were at the forefront in the Gulf Birds’ 17-11 victory over the GCL Nationals (14-21).
Each team banged out 15 hits and each pitching staff gave up 11 earned runs. The difference proved to be the Gulf Nationals ‘out-miscued’ the GCL Cardinals (24-10), three errors to two and their staff allowed six unearned tallies.
The visitors’ offense was led by co-Players of the Day Ivan Herrera and Victor Garcia who had four hits each. Herrera did a bit more damage, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and a two-run bomb, crossed home four times and knocked in two. Garcia singled four times in six at bats with three runs scored.
Right behind the pair was Josh Shaw, who accounted for six runs. The second baseman went 3-for-5 with a sac fly, touched home twice and garnered four RBI.
It took six Gulf Cardinals’ hurlers to navigate nine innings, beginning with Edwar Ramirez who compiled a relatively mild line of three runs yielded on seven hits and two walks over 3 1/3. Freddy Pacheco was credited with the win and deservedly so since the righty held the opposition scoreless on two hits with three K’s in 2 1/3. Pacheco also stranded two inherited runners.
Jose Geronimo recorded the sixth’s last out, leaving Pacheco’s last runner aboard, and that was about the highlight of his performance. The 20-year-old was touched for six runs on four hits and two walks while retiring three. Ty Cohen recorded an out but not before allowing all three inherited runners score plus one of his own via the grand salami.
Rodard Avelino was successful in his maiden Gulf Coast League appearance, working around two free passes, two wild pitches that did not advance a runner and a balk for a scoreless eighth. Alex Gallagos allowed a run the next inning.
Wednesday’s game: at GCL Mets (19-16), 12:00 pm ET, Perry DellaValle (0-1, 1.86)
DSL Cardinals Blue 1 at DSL Nationals 2
The C-Blue came out on the short end of a rare low-scoring affair, falling to the Nationals, 2-1.
The game was scoreless until the Nationals broke through for a tally against starter Enamnuel Solano in the bottom of the fifth. Solano absorbed the tough loss, his first in five Dominican Summer League decisions, despite limiting the Nationals (26-24) to a single score on six hits and a walk through seven. Victor Villanueva gave up what proved to be the difference in the game on three eighth-inning hits.
The Cardinals Blue (33-16) managed just six hits, including two by catcher Jose Zapata. Zapata singled twice in four at bats with an RBI out of the seven hole. Defensively, left fielder Jean Selmo was credited with an outfield assist at first.
Wednesday’s games: at DSL Mets1 (29-20). Game one – 10:30 am ET, Hector Soto (5-3, 2.55)/TBA
DSL Cardinals Red 8 vs. DSL D-backs2 3
Cristhian Longa had a big day at the plate as the C-Red flew past the D-backs2, 8-3.
The 18-year-old catcher was responsible for three tallies, going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and one knocked in. Joerlin De Los Santos and Luis Andujar had two hits apiece, with De Los Santos singling twice in five at bats while touching home two times and driving in one. Andujar had one of his team’s two extra-base hits, going 2-for-3 with a double, walks, run scored and his fifth stolen base. The Cardinals (27-22) had 11 hits in all.
Luis Ortiz (W, 2-4) rebounded from a sub-par outing in which he could not finish the fifth by tossing a strong six-inning effort. The righty yielded three runs, one earned, on six hits while striking out six and not issuing a free pass. Wilman Madera held the D-backs2 (17-33) to a hit and two walks over the final three frames for his third save.
Wednesday’s game: vs. DSL Tigers1 (23-27), 10:30 am ET, Jose Moreno (2-3, 5.00)
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