photo: Tommy Edman (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Victory took a holiday for the St. Louis Cardinals farm system on Monday, as the Memphis Redbirds were swept by San Antonio, Springfield and Palm Beach had Memorial Day off, and Peoria was rained out at Cedar Rapids. Player of the Day Tommy Edman hit a homer in the first game of his doubleheader and played center field in the second, his first professional appearance in the outfield.
Results for games played Monday, May 27th.
San Antonio 3 at Memphis 1 (Game 1)
Player of the Day Tommy Edman homered to right to start the bottom of the first inning, but Memphis (23-28) mustered just four singles and no runs the rest of the way in a 3-1 loss in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Missions at balmy AutoZone Park on Monday. Veteran catcher Joe Hudson had a pair of safeties and cut down the game’s only would-be base stealer, but the Redbirds were 0-for-7 with men in scoring position and grounded into three double plays, squelching several rallies throughout the game.
Starter and losing pitcher Daniel Ponce de Leon (4-3, 3.50) battled through five innings, surrendering two runs on six hits and fanning three men while walking two. The righty required 113 pitches on the afternoon before handing off to lefty Tommy Layne who twirled two frames, permitting a solo homer and whiffing a trio of San Antonio batsmen.
San Antonio 2 at Memphis 1 (Game 2)
Journeyman reliever Ryan Meisinger made his third career start a sturdy one, allowing just a run over four innings for Memphis (23-29), but his teammates managed only a pair of hits in the Redbirds’ 2-1 home defeat to the Missions in Game 2 of the Memorial Day afternoon twin bill. Righty Chris Ellis relieved and issued three free passes in one inning of work, walking in the losing run in the process. Jesus Cruz pitched the final two stanzas, surrendering a pair of walks and plunking a batter but conceding no runs.
Shortstop Kramer Robertson and third baseman Edmundo Sosa both singled, and first baseman John Nogowski worked a walk, to account for all of the Memphis offense. In the third inning, Robertson scored from second base on an infield error to avert the shutout. Backstop Andrew Knizner threw out the only would-be base thief.
With the twin defeats, the 23-29 Redbirds extended their losing streak to six games. They have dropped into third place in the American Northern Division, eight games back of first place Iowa (ChC) and one behind Omaha (KC).
Tuesday’s game: vs. San Antonio, Evan Kruczynski (0-0, 6.30) 6:35 CT.
Springfield was off
The Double-A Cardinals are losers of nine of their last 10. Their 19-31 record is the worst in the Texas League and puts them in fourth (last) place, 14 games behind first-place Arkansas (Sea). Their next opponent, 27-22 Tulsa (LAD), is in second, 5.5 games out.
Tuesday’s game: vs. Tulsa, Williams Perez (4-2, 5.13) 6:30 CT.
Palm Beach was off
The first-place Beach Birds are the bright spot in an otherwise dismal first half across the Cardinals system. The 31-18 Cards hold a three-game South Division lead over Bradenton (Pit) and Fort Myers (Min). 27-23 Daytona (Cin), their next opponent, is in second place in the North Division.
Tuesday’s game: vs. Daytona, Alex Reyes (0-0, 1.80) 5:30 CT.
Peoria rained out at Cedar Rapids
Since the Chiefs are not scheduled to return to Cedar Rapids in the first half, Monday’s postponed game will be made up as part of a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m. in Peoria on Sunday, June 9.
The 21-28 Chiefs are in seventh place in the Western Division, 12 games out of first. Their upcoming opponent at Dozer Park is Kane County (Ari), in third place with a 27-23 record.
Tuesday’s game: vs. Kane County, Diego Cordero (2-3, 2.61) 6:35 CT.
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